Why the Time Question Matters to New Traders
One of the questions that aspiring traders ask themselves, perhaps even before starting an educational journey, is the following: how much time will trading activity take up? It's a question that is particularly close to their hearts because the shared hope is the same as it has always been: to earn without the slightest effort, which in this case means without wasting too much time. A first truth is that there is no gain without commitment and dedication. In trading, as in life in general, there are no free lunches.
This does not imply the need to abandon any reflection on time. On the contrary, it is very interesting because it reconnects, somewhat unexpectedly (for beginners), to another very interesting topic: the trader's personality and how it influences the choice of strategy.
How Trading Style Determines Time Commitment
The truth is the following: day trading time — the hours needed to trade profitably — depends on the trading style, and the trading style depends on one's personality.
In some cases, it is possible to adopt a distinctly part-time approach: investing only at certain times, when conditions are favorable. Another approach, on the other hand, involves a more or less constant presence, almost as if it were a job. The latter case concerns the so-called scalpers, i.e., those traders who ride volatility, open and close positions at a relentless pace, trying to exploit every single opportunity that the market puts before them. For them, needless to say, the day is almost entirely devoted to trading.
Automated Trading as a Way to Save Time
It is inevitable, however, that professional traders, regardless of their approach (even the least scalper of all), must dedicate more than a few hours a day. There is, however, a way to minimize one's presence and, at the same time, earn. There is no trick, just the combination of human intelligence and technology.
This method is called "automated trading". The trader, at least in the operational phase, is replaced by a software called a robot. This executes orders in total autonomy based on the indications that the user himself, the person in flesh and blood, has given it. It's obvious: some time is needed to decide, more time to set up, and even more to verify that everything goes according to plan, but the savings in terms of hours are substantial.
Investing Within Your Own Limits
The advice, however, is to invest in a manner consistent with one's possibilities. Also because trading is also a receptacle of anxiety-provoking events, and in these cases, the ability to tolerate declines. New traders still weighing their daily schedule can start with three essential questions new traders should ask themselves first.
