Significant technological advancements in trading and the financial markets have paved the way for a whole new type of trading: Algorithmic trading.

Around 80% of the daily moves made in both the United States Stock Exchange and Forex markets are made by machine-led algorithmic traders. At Alphachain Academy, we are one of the only trading firms offering a comprehensive Algorithmic trading programme. You can check out our course here 

In this guide to algorithmic trading, we’re going to explore the concepts of algorithmic trading as well as detail the potential steps new traders can take to forge their career in algorithmic trading.

There are a multitude of elements that make up a successful trader: Dedication, focus, intelligence, motivation and risk management, just to name a few.

However, whilst these and many more attributes make up a percentage of what makes for a good trader, there is another thing: Mindset, and the trading psychology.

To become a truly successful trader, a trader must possess the right trading mindset and that comes from having a true understanding of Trading Psychology.

In this blog, we’ll take a look at why trading psychology is so important for new, and even experienced traders.

Proprietary Trading is a sought-after trading role job for both beginners and professional traders alike. 

This is because there is no significant amount of capital needed to begin – as traders trade on behalf of a firm’s capital – and because the opportunity for advancement is much faster than other trading types due to the potential profits available.

If you’re a graduate fresh from University, or a beginner trader that can’t afford to part with the copious amounts of capital required to begin trading the financial markets, you may be wanting to start your trading career in Proprietary Trading.

When Twitter first broke onto the social networking scene it was viewed as a fun, microblogging platform where users could share updates about their lives with their friends and family.

Now valued at over $32 billion, Twitter has greatly evolved. It provides breaking news around the clock, and has become a place where celebrities, activists and politicians can connect, inform and educate their audiences. 

But what some traders don’t know is that there’s a hidden side to Twitter, especially reserved for them. Enter: “Fintwit”.

Fintwit is an acronym that stands for financial Twitter. It’s the name given to the online community that primarily uses Twitter to discuss all things financial, from investing to stock trading.

The answer to the question, “Can day trading become a career?” is absolutely, with one hundred percent certainty, yes.

However before you rush to quit your job to day trade, it’s important to consider a number of factors. 

The first is how much experience you have in trading. Ideally, to make the jump from trading as a hobby to trading as a career, you should have been trading for a substantial amount of time. We would not advise making such a lifestyle change based off of a singular successful trade, for example!

You should also have good experience of different market situations, and should know how to trade successfully in these. Different market conditions require different strategies, so it’s important that you have knowledge of these.

If you’re a graduate fresh from University, or a beginner trader that can’t afford to part with the copious amounts of capital required to begin trading the financial markets, you may be wanting to start your trading career in Proprietary Trading.

What makes Proprietary Trading such a sought-after job for beginners and professional traders alike is not only the lack of capital needed to begin, but additional benefits like receiving on the job professional training from experienced traders, not being responsible for trading losses, and receiving a share of any profits made.

In this blog we’ll look at what candidates need to know in order to land their Prop Trader status.

Depending on your type of personality, your daily lifestyle and your financial or your trading goals will depend entirely on what kind of trader you are.

There are many types of traders, and each one is individualized not only by their approach but also by their personality traits.

Some traders enjoy the hurriedness and overnight safety that day trading offers, whilst others prefer the much less stressful, marathon approach to position trading. However, it’s crucial that different traders select the best style for them to maximise their success.

Ever since Bitcoin climbed to almost $20,000 in 2017, the investment environment has changed. We have seen an overwhelming increase in volatility not only for the cryptocurrency sector but also for traditional equities and commodities. Within this article I will focus on explaining more about the different “bubbles” in the cryptocurrency market while laying the foundations for a potential analysis on how this affected traditional markets.

Macro Analysis

Dollar Currency Index (DXY)

Before analyzing Bitcoin’s price action it is important to look at the dollar currency index due to its strong inverse correlation. Last week, I talked about how the DXY was breaking an important resistance and might launch ahead to 95. As can be seen from the chart below, this price action almost took place before reverting. The DXY is now currently testing its former resistance and it is possible that a new support is established in this area. If this were to happen and in addition to the previously mentioned bullish divergence, a case for the DXY going all the way to 95 or even 96 levels is not out of the question. If this were to happen, we could see Bitcoin plummeting sub-10K.

As it has been discussed on previous webinars, Bitcoin is presently showing more and more bearish confluence in terms of potential new resistance. Last time, I discussed how bouncing from the $10,000 level could lead Bitcoin to potential gains if it could break the smaller resistance at $11,000. This and last week, Bitcoin saw a rejection of the $11,000 area alongside a bearish cross from the 20 and 50 EMA on the daily. I have discussed the 20 EMA and its relevancy in terms of Bitcoin’s price action. The 20 EMA has been a strong support through the rally and could potentially serve as a strong resistance now that Bitcoin has broken it to the downside.