If you want to understand cryptocurrency trading, you have come to the right place. There is a ton of information on the internet that can easily overwhelm anyone, including experienced traders. To help you with that, we’ve covered cryptocurrency trading in two parts. In this article, we have covered the structure of crypto trading, trading style, crypto trading vs stock trading, and risk management.
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Table of Contents
- What is Cryptocurrency Trading?
- Structure of Cryptocurrency Trading
- Cryptocurrency Trading Styles
- Risk management
- Cryptocurrency Trading vs Stock Trading
- Summary
- FAQs
What is Cryptocurrency Trading?
Speculating the price movements of virtual currencies through contract-for-difference (CFD) trading accounts or buying and selling underlying coins through exchanges is known as cryptocurrency or cryptocurrency trading. CFD trading is a type of derivative that allows you to bet on Bitcoin (BTC) price movements without owning the underlying currency.
For example, you can go long (buy) if you think the value of a cryptocurrency will go up, and short (sell) if you think it will go down. Both are leveraged products. This means that only a small deposit, known as a margin trading crypto, will give you full exposure to the underlying market. However, profit or loss is still determined based on the total size of the investment, so cryptocurrency-leveraged trading magnifies both profit and loss.
Additionally, cryptocurrency options are used by investors to reduce risk or increase market exposure. Crypto options trading refers to “derivative” financial instruments that derive their value from the price of another asset.
Before even thinking about embarking on cryptocurrency trading, it is important to have a thorough understanding of the assets and technology involved. Bitcoin is the soil on which thousands of other cryptocurrencies have grown.
Like stocks and other financial markets, trading cryptocurrencies can be complex, involving many different components and requiring knowledge. Bitcoin was the first cryptocurrency launched in 2009 and remains the largest cryptocurrency in terms of market capitalization and circulation.
Over the years, however, a whole industry of other digital assets emerged that could be traded with a profit. All other non-BTC cryptocurrencies are called altcoins, the largest of which is Ether (ETH).
Structure of Cryptocurrency Trading
A cryptocurrency transaction consists of a buyer and a seller. Since the trade has two opposite sides (buy and sell), one will win more than the other. Trading is therefore essentially a zero-sum game:
there are winners and losers. A basic understanding of how the cryptocurrency market works can help minimize potential losses and optimize potential gains. Once agreed upon, a trade is executed (through the exchange) to determine the market valuation of the asset. In most cases, buyers tend to order at lower prices than sellers. This will create both sides of the order book.
When there are more buy orders than sell orders for a cryptocurrency, the price usually goes up because there is more demand for the asset. Conversely, if there are more sellers than buyers, the price will go down. On many exchange interfaces, buys and sells are represented by different colors. This is intended to help traders get a quick picture of market conditions at any given time.
You may have heard the trading adage “buy low, sell high.” This maxim is a basic expression of incentives for buyers and sellers, but it can be difficult to understand because highs and lows can be relative. at the market.
Simply put, when you buy something, you want to spend as little as possible. When you want to sell something, you want to make as many deals as possible. While this is generally good wisdom, it also has the added aspect of property and longing for the property.
Going long on an asset means buying an asset and making a profit on its upward movement. In contrast, a short sale of an asset (short selling) is essentially the sale of an asset with the intention of buying it back if the price of the asset falls below the price at which it was sold, and profiting from the price decline. However, short selling is a little more complicated than this simple description and involves selling borrowed assets that are later repaid.
Cryptocurrency Trading Styles
Day Trading
Day Trading is also known as “Intraday Trading”. It involves entering a position and exiting the position into the market within the same day.
Benefits of Intraday Cryptocurrency Trading:
- Quick results.
- Get profits within a day.
- Somewhat better risk control
Drawbacks of Intraday Cryptocurrency Trading:
- Short-term gains in appealing can lead to addictive, and obsessive behavior.
- Money loss can be faced.
- Compressive trading strategies are difficult for intraday.
- Can cause a lot of stress and mental pressure
Swing Cryptocurrency Trading
Swing trading is short-to intermediate-term trends that can range anywhere between 1 & 30 days.
Benefits of Swing Cryptocurrency Trading:
- Easier than Intraday trading
- The lesser risk involved, Longer-term decisions
- Requires less time to manage
- Comparatively less stressful than intraday trading
Drawbacks of Swing Cryptocurrency Trading:
- It requires more preparation & research while making decisions
- It requires more discipline in sticking to a strategy
Position Cryptocurrency Trading
Position trading is also known as Trend trading. It entails buying and holding an asset for longer periods of time.
Benefits of Position Cryptocurrency Trading:
- Easier to learn
- Less stressful than intraday trading & swing trading.
- Can start small & build over a period of time.
- Easier to predict the overall trends of the market.
- Less time-consuming.
Drawbacks of Position Cryptocurrency Trading:
- Holding money to certain positions, less is available for other opportunities.
- Keeping positions open over a long period of time is very risky.
- Profits are long-term.
Margin Cryptocurrency Trading
Margin trading is a trading method, not a trading strategy. A trader who uses borrowed capital to open a position on a trading platform, taken from the traditional stock market.
Benefits of Margin Cryptocurrency Trading:
- Results from margin trading are greatly amplified.
- The reward can be much larger.
Drawbacks of Margin Cryptocurrency Trading:
- If the trade goes wrong, then you can lose a lot more.
Risk management
It’s hard to talk about crypto trading without talking about risk management when trading cryptocurrencies. This is another important part of your journey to success. Risk in cryptocurrency trading refers to the possibility of undesirable outcomes.
You may have heard that trading cryptocurrencies are risky, and it’s true, but so is trading other financial instruments, including stocks and bonds. What is different is the level of risk.
There are many types of risks and this section describes the risks associated with trading cryptocurrencies.
Market Risk:
Perhaps the most common risk is that the market price of a particular asset, or the cryptocurrency market as a whole, will move unexpectedly, adversely affecting your market position.
Liquidity Risk:
Refers to a situation where you cannot leave your position. This usually happens when a buyer for the asset cannot be found.
Legal Risk:
Refers to situations where government regulations or policies adversely affect an asset or trading platform. This can create liquidity issues if the asset purchaser is unable to acquire the asset. Even if the trading platform is banned in your jurisdiction, you may still lose your funds stored on the exchange.
Operational Risk:
Inherent risk if a trader is unable to complete a trading activity such as exiting or opening a position. This may be due to trading platform failures or trading application malfunctions.
Systematic Risk:
Refers to the loss due to the suspension of the entire trading system. Although closely related to market risk, this is more serious as it is caused not only by market downturns but also by failures of critical systems in the market. Consider the financial crisis of 2008. This was a systemic failure that caused the market to collapse.
Now that you know the types of risks you are most likely to face, consider them each time you make a trading decision.
Cryptocurrency Trading vs Stock Trading
Stocks and cryptocurrency are two very distinct types of investment vehicles. While both are liquid assets that belong in your speculative portfolio, that’s where the similarities end. These are two entirely different kinds of securities that should be kept in separate portions of your portfolio.
Stocks are the ownership stakes of a publicly traded corporation. Each share of stock you purchase gives you a percentage stake in the company. This ownership is proportional to the number of shares issued by the company.
Investors can profit by selling their shares to other investors. The difference between what you paid for the asset and what you get when you sell it is called capital gain. Apart from that, the benefits of owning shares are entirely dependent on the particular company. Stocks can also increase in value by paying dividends to shareholders and exercising voting rights.
Cryptocurrencies are digital assets that exist only on the Internet. This means that it has no physical components and exists only as an online ledger record that tracks ownership. This is in contrast to the US dollar, which has both a physical component (dollar bills can be withdrawn and held) and a digital component (dollars can only be owned as an entry into a bank account that proves ownership). One unit of cryptocurrency is called a token, just like one unit of stock is called a stock.
Summary
Risk management is also an important aspect of trading. Before you enter into trading, it is important to know how much you can afford to lose if cryptocurrency trading goes against you. This can be based on many factors such as Your Trading Capital. For example, a person may only want to risk losing his 1% of total trading assets in total or per trade.
Trading is itself a dangerous endeavor. It is almost impossible to predict future market activity with certainty. Ultimately, it’s important to make your own decisions based on the information available and your own judgment and make sure you’re properly educated.
Furthermore, trading strategies vary greatly from person to person based on preferences, personality, trading capital, risk tolerance, and more. Trading comes with great responsibility. Any person involved in a transaction should assess their own personal circumstances before deciding to trade.
Further Reading: Click on the below link to read relevant articles.
FAQs
What is the best Cryptocurrency exchange for beginners?
Binance has some of the lowest trading fees on the market, offers a complementary mobile app for users to track asset prices on the go, has a comprehensive educational resources section, and has the widest range of payment methods. In addition, it complies with strict safety standards. These are all factors that make it ideal for beginners.
What is the best cryptocurrency trading strategy?
Depends on your goals. If you are looking for short-term profits, scalping and day trading are the best strategies. If you’re looking for long-term profits instead, consider position trading or long-term holding of coins (HODL).
Is trading cryptocurrencies profitable?
Crypto trading is profitable, but only if done right. By following the steps, strategies, and tips shared in our guides, you’ll be in a better position to trade profitably. And one golden rule: plan your trades and Trade your plan.
What is the best app for cryptocurrency trading?
Some of the best cryptocurrency trading apps include Cash App, Gemini, Crypto Pro, Block Fi, Binance, Kraken, Coinbase, and Robinhood. There are thousands of apps you can use to trade cryptocurrencies, but the best cryptocurrency trading apps have low fees and are secure.
What is the best app for cryptocurrency trading in India?
- Bitbns
- Bybit
- Binance
- CoinDCX
- WazirX
