What kind of trader are you?
altFINS can help active traders regardless of their trading style or preference.
| Trader profile | Day trader | Swing trader | Position trader (aka HODLER) |
| Time intervals used | Short Time Intervals (1m, 5m, 15m) | Intermediate Time Intervals (1h, 4h, 12h, 1d) | Longer Time Intervals (1d, 1wk, 1mo) |
| Trade frequency | Dozens of trades per day | Fewer trades (1-10 a day) | Few trades (~20 a year) |
| Trading strategies | Too many to list Heavily reliant on technical analysis, and reading of candle patterns | Tends to look for multi-day chart patterns including moving average crossovers, cup-and-handle patterns, head and shoulders patterns, flags, and triangles. Key reversal candlesticks may be used as well | Trend following (SMA or EMA crossovers) Often suplemented with fundamental outlook |
| Pros | Potential for large profits Lots of trades allow for quicker learning process if risk is managed (proper position sizing, use of stop loss orders, etc.)
| Requires less time than Day Trading Maximizes short-term profit potential by capturing most of market swings Traders can rely entirely on technical analysis, simplifying the trading process | Lowest time commitment needed. Works well in markets with sustained trends (equities, commodities) where technical analysis can be sumplemented with fundamental analysis |
| Cons | Very time consuming, stressful. Prone to more false signals Compete with automated algos, high frequency trading (HFT) systems, hedge funds. | Abrupt market reversals can result in substantial losses Swing traders often miss longer-term trends in favor of short-term market moves | Does not work well in volatile markets like cryptocurrencies, where fundamental valuations are not well established |
| Commission expenses | High | Medium | Low |