[SkinandBones]

Hey all,

I’ve been trading for several months now mostly dabbling in day trading and swing trading, but I’m still trying to figure out which strategy is the ‘best’. I’m not seeing a huge difference in terms of my returns/losses so I’m hoping to get some views from experienced traders here who have tried both.

Here’s where I’m at:

Day trading really appeals to me because of the fast turnover and the idea of not holding positions overnight (avoiding that overnight risk). However, I must admist I find it a bit stressful and hard to keep up with. I often end up glued to the screen for hours and I’m wondering if this is really sustainable in the long term.

Swing trading feels less intense and I like the idea of holding positions for several days to catch larger price moves. But I’ve noticed that swing trades require a lot more patience, and I’m often dealing with overnight risk, gaps, and market unpredictability.

I’d love to hear from anyone who has a strong preference or has found success with one over the other.

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[Sal]

For me it’s day trading. I enjoy the pace and see more potential in faster trade setups.

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[MM59]

I do both but day trading is what I enjoy the most. One thing I would say tho is that Im not at my computer all day – I set alerts which come through a few times a day then jump into charts on low timeframes of 5 min and below.

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[Islay_taur]

I like to day trade.

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[Sal]

This is me as well. You won’t catch me trading all day – I zero in on several opportunities, generally around the market open and use alerts to focus my efforts.

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[Joan]

I ran into loads of stumbling blocks day trading and saw limited returns and high stress. Then I switched to swing trading on a higher timeframe which has been so eye opening.

It’s ultimately a personal decision – I just wouldn’t expect to see huge returns from either, especially if you’re pretty green to trading.

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[SkinandBones]

Interesting you saw an uptick when changing to a swing trading mindest.

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[Joan]

I wouldn’t describe it as an ‘uptick’. I’ve not made much money doing either but I think swing trading is giving me a better understanding of market dynamics. I can’t keep up day trading.

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[Raye]

Swing trading gets my vote too. I can put in an hour or two a day piping for higher timeframes. If I wanted to work every hour of the day I’d have stuck with my job in hospitality.

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[Delph]

I shoot for day trades over swing trades but it’s tough. The gains aren’t consistent and it soaks up a lot of time. Given this forum is about day trading I imagine day trading is going to get the majority vote.

I know some people find more success in swing trading though so it’s whatever works best for you.

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[GroundUpTrading]

Day trading because it gels with my way of thinking. I like getting results within a few hours not several days. If a setup doesn’t work, I’ll know the same day and can change tact whereas waiting days to find out is irritating. I’m also not great at sitting on my hands for days on end.

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[Frank]

It depend what I am trading. I’ll trade FX pairs like the EURUSD and GBPUSD intraday but gold and some blue chip stocks I swing trade because they tend to have stronger trends over a few days or weeks.

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[Raven]

It dont matter unless you have a strategy that can give you consistent results over the long term. If you have a profitable strategy for day trading I’d stick with that. If you have a winning swing trading startegy, theat where I would go.

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[HKLX]

Day trading. For me.

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[Christian Harris]

Swing trading for me. Patience is the name of the game.

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