Trading Insights
Check out our latest day trading guides, tutorials, and resources.
How to Identify Stock Trend Reversals
What is a Trend Reversal? A trend reversal is simply a change in the direction of a stock's price trend. In layman's terms, the asset's price moves in the opposite direction, signaling the end of a downtrend and the start of an uptrend, or vice versa. As would...
Market Makers vs. ECNs
Introduction When you place an order to trade stocks, there are typically two ways in which it can be processed: by a market maker or by an electronic communications network (ECN). Market makers and ECNs are critical for keeping the market running smoothly and play...
Inverse Head and Shoulders Pattern: The Complete Guide
In this article, we'll be detailing the inverse version of the well-known head and shoulders chart pattern so you can start effectively incorporating it into your trading. An inverse head and shoulders pattern is a technical analysis pattern that signals a potential...
Float Rotation – What It Is and Why it Matters
Float rotation describes the number of times that a stock’s floating shares turn over in a single trading day. For day traders who focus on low-float stocks, float rotation is an important factor to watch when volatility spikes. In this guide, we’ll explain what float...
Level 1 vs. Level 2 Market Data
Successful trading relies on having good information about the market for a stock. Price information is often visualized through technical charts, but traders can also benefit from data about the outstanding orders for a stock. This type of data is known as Level 1...
What is a Shelf Offering?
Have you ever seen a stock exhibiting normal trading behavior and then all of a sudden the stock price drastically drops out of nowhere? This type of price action could be related to the announcement of a shelf offering or the execution of an “at-the-market” sale from...
How to Recognize a Short Squeeze
Short squeezes can introduce a lot of volatility into stocks and send share prices sharply higher. These squeezes offer opportunities for trading, but they often require different strategies and more caution than traditional breakouts. In this article, we’ll take a...
Intraday vs. Overnight Buying Power
Introduction For traders who trade on margin, understanding your buying power is essential to staying on the right side of margin requirements. Buying power controls how much money you can deploy at any time. Importantly, buying power changes between market hours and...
Bearish Pennant Patterns
There are different chart patterns that stock traders can use to help them make informed trading decisions. In this guide, we will focus on the bearish pennant pattern. This formation often signals a downtrend and can be used to predict price movements. We will...
Head and Shoulders Chart Patterns
A head and shoulders chart pattern typically indicates a reversal at the end of an uptrend. It includes three peaks with troughs between them and can be followed by a significant breakdown. In this guide, we’ll highlight what traders need to know about head and...
How Do Market Makers Make Money?
If you've ever traded stocks, you've probably used a market maker. Market makers are the middlemen of the stock market, and in most cases, these are firms, individuals, and or large corporations that facilitate transactions. For example, if you wanted to buy shares...
How Long Can You Hold a Short Position?
Investors can hold onto long positions for years or even decades without running into problems. But most short positions are much shorter in duration – a few months to a few years at most. There are several practical limitations that limit how much time traders can...
How to Interpret Level 2 Data
Level 2 data is important for traders because it shows the full range of open orders for a stock, not just the current best bid and ask price. Using Level 2 data, you can identify potential trades before they become apparent on technical charts or get additional...
Doji Candlestick Patterns
A Doji is a type of candlestick pattern that often indicates a coming price reversal. This pattern consists of a single candlestick with a nearly identical open and close. In this guide, we’ll explain what the doji candlestick is and how traders can interpret it. How...
How Does Inflation Affect the Stock Market?
Inflation can have a big impact on the stock market, leaving unprepared investors in for a bumpy ride. In this article, we’ll explain why inflation impacts the stock market and take a closer look at how the stock market has reacted to inflation in the past. What is...