What is intraday Trading?

Intraday trading, also known as day trading, is a form of trading where positions are opened and closed within the same trading day. Unlike long-term investing, which focuses on holding assets for extended periods, intraday trading seeks to take advantage of short-term price movements in various financial markets. While it can be highly rewarding, it also comes with its fair share of risks and challenges. This article aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the basics of intraday trading, including strategies, intraday trading tips, and the risks involved.

Intraday trading differs from other trading styles in terms of the timeframe and the strategies employed. While long-term investors aim to build wealth over an extended period, intraday traders seek to generate quick profits within hours or even minutes. This requires them to constantly monitor the market and make swift decisions.

Basics of Intraday Trading

To embark on a successful intraday trading journey, it is crucial to have a clear understanding of its core principles. Intraday traders focus on short-term price movements rather than long-term trends. They typically rely on technical analysis, which involves studying price charts, patterns, and intraday trading indicators to identify potential trading opportunities. It is essential to learn how to read and interpret charts and understand various technical analysis tools, such as moving averages, oscillators, and support and resistance levels.

For intraday trading, a trader needs to specify the stocks to mention 'intraday' trading. It will enable the user to buy & sell the same number of shares before the end of the trading session. And in case you forget to close your position, then you can convert it to delivery trade or else the broker will automatically.   

Key Features of Intraday Trading

Primarily the delivery of shares into a Demat account is not a part of day or intraday trading.

• The deal must be settled on the day of the market.
• Your broker also offers leverage based on SEBI regulations. 
• Small price changes can result in larger gains if you invest heavy capital.

How to do Intraday Trading?

As you know Intraday trading meaning, which involves buying and selling securities within the same trading day, and the goal of profiting from short-term price movements.

To do intraday trading you need to Open a demat account and trading account with a broker such as BlinkX. And then follow these points:

Trade High Liquidity Stocks: Because of their liquidity, intraday stocks—especially equity shares of small and mid-cap companies—are essential for trading. Significant volatility might arise from market swings. It is possible to determine with precision whether an investor should take long or short positions by examining 52-week high and low values.

Volatility:  The best stocks for intraday trading often have medium to high price volatility. When engaging in intraday trading, market value swings more than 3% should generally be avoided since there is a significant risk of losing money in the event of a negative decline in the stock market during an economic crisis. 

Strong Correlation: Purchasing shares that exhibit a strong connection with the benchmark index of a reliable stock exchange is advised in order to optimise capital appreciation when engaging in intraday trading. Because the index reflects the best-performing firms listed on the exchange, it permits significant price movement when its value changes. This criterion makes sure that share prices always trend higher, even in the face of extraordinary economic conditions.

Higher Trade Volume: To spot price swings, intraday investors might monitor a certain security's trade volume index. Increasing transaction volume might indicate either oversupply or excessive demand, based on the success of the underlying firm. In these situations, returns on capital appreciation can be realised through both purchases and sales. 

The key is to have a trading plan, manage risk smartly and analyse your trades regularly to improve. Start small and keep practising. click here to read more about Intraday Turnover Calculation.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Intraday Trading

After knowing the basics of intraday, here are some of the main benefits of intraday trading and some disadvantages of intraday trading

Intraday Trading Strategies

Intraday traders often combine these tools to form strategies and make informed decisions in the fast-paced environment of intraday trading. Here are some strategies:

1. Momentum trading

This strategy focuses on identifying stocks with significant price momentum. Traders look for stocks that are making strong moves with high trading volumes and aim to ride the momentum for quick profits.

2.  Breakout trading

Breakout traders seek to identify key price levels, such as support and resistance, and enter positions when the price breaks through these levels. Breakouts can signal potential trend reversals or the continuation of an existing trend.

Check out the breakout stocks here.

3.  Scalping

Traders using this strategy Usually have a high win-to-loss ratio but rely on small gains to accumulate profits.

4.  Pullback trading

 Pullback traders wait for a temporary price retracement within an ongoing trend before entering a trade. This strategy aims to capitalise on the continuation of the underlying trend after the pullback.

Intraday Trading Indicators

The stock market's price swings seem to be unpredictable and illogical. However, traders employ a number of statistical techniques to identify patterns in these price fluctuations and extrapolate predictions about future trends. Below is a description of a few indicators for intraday trading:

Moving Average

One such technical analysis technique that traders use to forecast price patterns is the moving average. It generates average price data over a certain interval and smoothes the price fluctuation graph. This interval may be customised by traders to be any length of time—1 day, 10 days, 1 hour, 5 minutes, 1 minute, etc. Both short-term traders and long-term investors can benefit from it. It provides a more comprehensive picture of the continuous trend within the time range and evens out the short-term variations.

Bollinger Bands

A more sophisticated technical analysis tool called the Bollinger Band assists traders in determining whether stocks are overbought or oversold. It has three lines in it. There are two lines at two standard deviations in both the positive and negative direction from the first line, which is the 20-day simple moving average line. The bands tend to expand in more volatile markets and to contract in less volatile ones.

Relative Strength Index (RSI)

A technical analysis technique called the relative strength index (RSI) looks at current price fluctuations to determine if a company is overbought or oversold. Its value varies from 0 to 100. Generally speaking, an RSI number above 80 indicates an overbought situation, while a value below 20 indicates an oversold one. When the stock price rises, the index rises as well, and vice versa.

Moving Average Convergence Divergence

The trading indicator MACD is used to determine whether a trend in the price movement of stocks is about to reverse or continue. The difference between the slow-moving average and the fast-moving average is used to calculate it. A histogram used to represent MACD indicates whether the momentum of a trend is high or low (bearish or bullish).

Alternative Trading Methods

Investors who are hesitant to engage in intraday stock market trading have access to a variety of trading strategies, including: 

Standard Trading

With the help of this trading strategy, investors may hold stocks in a variety of firms for a long time and profit from dividend payments and capital growth. However trading through a brokerage business is necessary, and brokerage fees only account for a small percentage of total revenue. Brokerage companies are a reliable alternative for first-time investors since they frequently offer guidance on successful investable stocks.

Momentum Trading

Momentum trading aims primarily to increase capital. Securities with strong future growth potential are bought by investors, but market volatility suppresses the values. Investing techniques based on relative or absolute momentum can be used to choose stocks of firms that are underperforming, either relative or absolute.    

Swing Trading

Swing trading uses short-term investing tactics to make financial profits, much as momentum trading. In these kinds of situations, volatile equities are the focus, and acquired shares are liquidated as soon as a significant shift in price is observed.

Essential Tools for Intraday Trading

These tools serve as essential aids for intraday traders by providing insights into price movements, trends, and potential entry or exit points for trades.

1. Candlestick Charts

Traders can identify key patterns, such as doji, hammer, engulfing, and shooting star, to make informed trading decisions.

2. Indicators

Technical indicators, such as Relative Strength Index (RSI), Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD), and Bollinger Bands, help traders spot potential entry and exit points by analysing historical price data.

Key Principles of Intraday Trading

To engage in successful intraday trading, it is essential to understand and adhere to some key principles:

Timeframes and trading plans: Intraday traders operate within short timeframes, usually minutes or hours, and must have a well-defined trading plan. This plan outlines the entry and exit points, risk management strategies, and overall trading strategy.

Technical Analysis: Traders use various technical indicators, such as moving averages, trend lines, and oscillators, to identify potential trading opportunities and make informed decisions.

Volatility and Volume: Intraday traders seek markets with sufficient volatility and volume. Volatility allows for price movements that can be capitalised upon, while volume ensures liquidity and ease of executing trades.

Risk management: Effective risk management is vital in intraday trading. Traders should determine their risk tolerance, set stop-loss orders to limit potential losses, and practise proper position sizing to protect their capital.

Risk Management in Intraday Trading 

Successful intraday trading requires effective risk management strategies to protect capital and minimise losses. Some important risk management techniques include:

1.  Setting stop-loss orders

 A stop-loss order is an instruction placed with a broker to sell a security if it reaches a specific predetermined price level. Placing a stop-loss order helps traders control risk and avoids emotional decision-making

2. Using proper position sizing

Traders should determine the appropriate position size based on their risk tolerance and trading account size. This ensures that a single trade does not pose a significant risk to their overall portfolio.

3. Applying a risk-reward ratio

The risk-reward ratio is the ratio between the potential profit of a trade and its potential loss. Traders should aim for a favourable risk-reward ratio, such as 1:2 or higher, to ensure that winning trades outweigh losing trades in the long run.

Tips to Follow for Intraday Trading

Here are some tips that you can follow for intraday trading:

Thorough Market Analysis: Conduct comprehensive research on current market conditions, company fundamentals, and macroeconomic factors like national debt or currency movements to make informed trading decisions.

Invest Wisely: Intraday trading involves risks. It's prudent to invest only what you can afford to lose, considering the volatile nature of intraday markets.

Avoid Overtrading: The stock market is unpredictable. Focus on trading a limited number of stocks at a time, rather than spreading yourself too thin across numerous securities.

Track Performance: Intraday trading is dynamic. Regularly evaluate your performance by tracking wins and losses. Analysing past performance helps refine your trading strategies for better decision-making.

Intraday Indicators: While aiming to secure profits in intraday trading, extensive analysis is crucial. Although intraday trading indicators are valuable, they should complement a comprehensive strategy to maximise returns, rather than being solely relied upon as the ultimate solution.

Conclusion 
Intraday trading is an exciting and potentially lucrative endeavour, but it requires a solid foundation of knowledge and skills to navigate the dynamic nature of the markets successfully. 

Understanding intraday trading is crucial for individuals looking to actively buy and sell financial instruments within the same trading day to profit from short-term price fluctuations. Now you can unlock your trading potential with the BlinkX trading platform and gain an edge in the fast-paced world of intraday trading.

Download the stock trading app on your smartphone and start trading in a hassle-free environment. You can also get quick updates from the BlinkX app about the financial market.