Swing trading captures price moves over days to weeks, making it ideal for those who can't monitor markets all day.
| Aspect | Intraday | Swing | Long-term |
|---|
| Holding Period | Hours | Days-Weeks | Months-Years |
| Screen Time | Full day | 30 min/day | Monthly review |
| Capital Needed | High (margins) | Medium | Any amount |
| Stress Level | Very High | Moderate | Low |
| Skill Required | Advanced | Intermediate | Basic |
- Use weekly chart for overall direction
- Use daily chart for entry timing
- Trade in the direction of the larger trend
- In uptrend: Wait for price to pull back to support/moving average
- In downtrend: Wait for price to rally to resistance/moving average
- Bullish engulfing at support
- Bounce off 20/50 EMA with volume
- Breakout from consolidation pattern
- RSI divergence at key levels
- Stop-loss below recent swing low (longs)
- Stop-loss above recent swing high (shorts)
- Risk per trade: 1-2% of capital
- Target: Minimum 1:2 risk-reward
- Moving Averages (20/50 EMA) - Trend direction & dynamic S/R
- RSI (14) - Overbought/oversold & divergences
- MACD - Momentum shifts
- Volume - Confirms breakouts and trends
| Time | Activity |
|---|
| 7:00 PM | Scan for setups after market close |
| 7:30 PM | Set orders for next day (AMO) |
| 9:15 AM | Check if orders triggered |
| 3:00 PM | Review positions, adjust SL |
| Weekend | Weekly review & planning |