Swing trading is a short-term or medium-term trading policy aimed at acquiring income due to the result of value changes. Equally, as a principle, the point of view according to the economic asset is held for many days, after which it is sold. Directly “fluctuations” of the value of the asset from the 1st sense to another and also provided the name of this method of trading.
The main thing is to carefully observe the price changes of different varieties of significant securities, to enter the operation in the optimum degree with the purpose of you and also through a certain period to exit together with the benefit. But certain traders, due to their strategy, have all chances to keep the deal open for months.
Swing trading series stands out from long-term trading strategies. It is often used by institutional investors who, as well as the principal, hold their assets for many years. Such traders try to use the rise as well as fall in the value of the asset, investing funds only when the price of the asset reaches a modern or adult period and also increases significantly.
What is swing trading?
Swing trading is a method, with the support of which a trader can acquire a successful short-term income, taking into account the characteristically limited short-term boundaries in which such operations are disclosed, as well as the conditional complexity of their options and management. Swing traders are obliged to scrutinize value charts and other information to establish the movement of the asset price. In this way, before entering a transaction, the trader tries to establish if the cost, or rather in general, will move further, to acquire a possible income from the proper movement.
This means that swing traders are obliged to study together with the technological consideration and also to apply these methods in the property of management to make conclusions. They are also required to have an understanding of the underlying consideration, examining the underlying properties of the asset to support their technical assessment.
Swing trading strategies
Swing trading policy implies “buying” a significant document if traders assume that the exchange will increase, or “selling” an asset if they assume that the value will decrease. Swing traders have all the chances to use staggered trading, if the value fluctuates back and forth, going from overbought capital to the whim of oversold.

Price Action policy for swing trading purposes
Price action is a policy that allows monitoring of price charts as well as significant information without the use of industrial indicators. Since swing trading is considered a type of short-term trading, traders should have the skill to review price charts as well as trend swings to establish optimal entry and exit points. Tracking the highs and swings in candlestick charts, traders trading according to the Price Action method, have a chance to detect patterns, including trends and reversals, which can help them to better understand the situation in the trade and the likely turn of rate changes.
Swing trading in Forex
In conjunction with the wobbles inherent in most of the world’s monetary units, certain traders want to make swing trading strategies in Forex to capitalize on collapses. They can be the result of financial or socio-political volatility in one or many countries. For example, traders can buy at low rates and then sell if the price of currency units increases on the verge of their resumption, probably with the help of state-owned major banks or international lenders. Learn more about trading in Forex trading.
Equally how to trade promotions in the swing order
Swing traders tend to perceive ups and downs in stock trading, if there is a different price movement. Swing trading is especially effective in trading promotions in the power of its volatility and this, as well as it is affected by almost all financial characteristics and news information. To get more data, read our guide to 5 effective strategies for swing trading promotions.
Swing trading on margin
When swing trading on our platform, traders must trade using margin, also called leverage. This means that you only need to deposit a certain percentage of the full value of the trade to open a position and enter the financial markets. The amount of margin depends on the asset you want to trade but can be as low as 3.3%. If you choose to leave a position open overnight on margin positions, the trader may have to pay a holding cost, depending on the direction of the trade and the applicable holding rate.
We offer spread betting and CFDs – leveraged products that can be used in a variety of short and long-term trading strategies, including swing trading. This is useful for traders wanting a larger position amount, but it is important to remember that gains and losses increase equally. If the market moves in the opposite direction to your position, this will result in a much larger capital loss as the full value of the position will be reflected, not just the margin requirement.
Technical indicators for swing trading
- Relative Strength Index (RSI) is a popular momentum oscillator, which is used to determine the further direction of market movement, as well as to determine whether an asset is overbought or oversold. The standard period for this indicator is 14 days but can be shortened depending on the trading strategy, particularly for swing trading.
- Simple Moving Average (SMA) is probably the most popular technical indicator for identifying trends. It is adjustable for different time horizons, so swing trading using moving averages can be used for both short-term and long-term trading strategies.
- Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) is used to identify new trends on price charts and determine whether they are bullish or bearish. It is a momentum indicator that calculates the strength and dynamics of a trend in the financial market.
Swing trading vs day trading
Swing trading is considered a medium-term trading policy, in which case the period as well as day trading on the forex market belongs only to the short-term stage. If swing traders can keep their views for many days or months, then day traders buy and sell assets only to cover their views until the end of any day. For this reason, unlike day traders and scalpers, swing traders are not so important to stick to the screen, as it is not necessary to regularly observe the rapid movement of the value.
Swing traders must be in the direction of directions that change over many days or months, as opposed to not very large value movements over many minutes or seconds. This means that it is necessary to regularly observe the trading patterns and financial news to have an understanding of the direction in which the stock exchange can move. The presentation of industrial indicators in price charts is then what provides the trader with data regarding this, if it is necessary to enter, and also to choose from the view. The independence of swing trading is considered to be a factor in this, and this policy is considered to be one of the most common. Swing traders must have the ability to instantly examine charts and information, as well as to use meaningful data to clearly understand if to buy or sell. Less experimental traders will probably find it difficult to master this skill, in such a case period as well as high-end traders have the necessary skill to earn income from this. But it is not always likely to instantly enter and also get out of large asset sizes.

Swing vs position trading
The main difference between swing trading and position trading on the forex market is the period in which the economic asset is held. In the case of swing trading is oriented to fixation of value fluctuations upward and downward during a short period, often during many days or months, in this case, position trading activity implies the longest moment of the period. Position traders, as well as the principal, acquire assets and also hold them for many months or even a year, due to the trend of rate changes.
How to swing trade
Swing trading is available through our derivative products, so read about spread betting and CFDs to see which product is best for you. In particular, spread betting is our most popular product and allows traders to trade tax-free* in the UK. By opening a live account, you’ll have access to our forum with spread betting charts, stock market data, and a range of exclusive trading tools where traders of all experience levels can share information about the financial markets, including tips and strategies for swing trading.
- To start swing trading now, open a live deposit account and select the asset you want to trade on.
- Alternatively, you can open a demo account to practice your swing trading strategies with virtual funds of £10,000.
Swing trading as a part-time job
For day traders this is often a continuous activity, for this reason, they can concentrate only on their trades and also allocate more periods to improve their strategy, in this case, the period as well as swing traders have to combine selling together with the main activity. This is associated with the fact that swing traders do not need a full period to observe the value charts in search of small price movements, for this reason, their more ability to trade housing or in the process as a hobby.
Swing trading platform
Our reward-based Next Generation swing trading platform comes bundled with recommendations as well as updates for economic bazaars. In particular, swing traders can make the most of our value modeling tools, industry pointers as well and drawing tools to make the information as clear as possible. Price Action strategies in swing trading are particularly easy to follow with the support of our customizable chart views and timeframe structure. Familiarize yourself with our online swing trading concept by taking a look at our platform trading tutorials.
Swing trading app
You can also practice swing trading strategies with our mobile trading app for iOS and Android devices. Learn more about the Next Generation mobile app, which features customizable trading charts and adaptable layouts. The app can also be used on tablet devices for traders on the go.
Benefits of swing trading
- This style of trading suits those who have a full-time job and cannot devote several hours a day to trading. It also means that swing traders will have a different form of income in case of losses.
- You can set wider stop loss orders, which should help to reduce the number of premature closures.
- Day traders often need to stay calm and stay on the screen for several hours a day, which is less important for swing trading as the process is at a slower pace.
- Swing trading can be a more efficient use of capital by holding positions for higher profits rather than opening new positions every day. However, in this case, traders must consider the costs of holding positions.
Drawbacks of swing trading
- Traders must be proficient in technical analysis to determine entry and exit points. While this is natural for professional traders, those new to swing trading may need additional practice in analyzing price charts.
- Since the position is held overnight or over several nights, depending on the trader’s time horizon, there is a risk of a gap. Certain economic indicators may affect the price of an asset overnight.
- Holding a position for a longer period can lead to greater profits, but can also lead to greater losses due to leverage.
- Swing trading requires patience and can be quite stressful if a trade starts to develop in an unfavorable direction.
Summary: can you make a living swing trading?
Swing trading is an alternative strategy for those who prefer short-term trading, but cannot devote several hours a day to it. Even though it requires a deep understanding of technical analysis, it can bring higher profits compared to day trading. As in any other type of trading, there are risks here. Swing traders, especially beginners, should be sure that they understand technical indicators well, as well as fundamental market indicators based on which they make trading decisions. In addition, a swing trader should carefully consider the possibility of setting a stop loss in case of urgent news that affects the direction of market movement, which he prefers. Learn more about money management in swing trading.