Definition of 'Pattern Day Trader'An SEC designation for traders who trade the same security four or more times per day (buys and sells) over a five-day period, and for whom same-day trades make up at least 6% of their activity for that period.An individual deemed a pattern day trader must hold a minimum of US$25,000 in equity in his or her account before being allowed to day trade. This $25,000 equity amount must be maintained in the account at all times because it addresses the additional risks inherent in leveraged day-trading activities and ensures that customers, before continuing to day trade, cover any losses incurred in their accounts from the previous day. Definition of 'Swing Trading'A style of trading that attempts to capture gains in a stock within one to four days. Swing traders use technical analysis to look for stocks with short-term price momentum. These traders aren't interested in the fundamental or intrinsic value of stocks, but rather in their price trends and patterns.To find situations in which a stock has the extraordinary potential to move in such a short time frame, the trader must act quickly. Therefore, swing trading is mainly used by at-home and day traders. Large institutions trade in sizes too big to move in and out of stocks quickly. The individual trader is able to exploit such short-term stock movements without having to compete with the major traders. Definition of 'Wide-Ranging Days'A description of the price range of a stock on a particularly volatile day of trading. Wide-ranging days occur when the high and low prices of a stock are much farther apart than they were the day before. Some technical analysts identify these days by using the volatility ratio.Wide-ranging days mean the most to traders after a strong day of trading. One of these days after a sharp up- or downtrend can indicate that the trend will reverse. Extreme wide-ranging days generally portend a major reversal. |
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