Investing Archives | Page 64 of 221

Sep

2023

What Are Separately Managed Accounts? How Do They Work?

What Is a Separately Managed Account (SMA)?

By Rebecca Lake | Growing Wealth, invest, Investing | Comments Off

A separately managed account (SMA), also referred to as a managed account, is an investment account that is like a customized portfolio of individual securities. An individual investor owns those securities — which may include stocks, bonds, and other investments — but a professional money manager oversees the account.

High net-worth investors who want to build customized portfolios often use separately managed accounts (or SMAs), which allow them to keep their assets separate, versus pooling funds alongside other investors through a mutual fund or exchange-traded fund (ETF).

Understanding what an SMA is, as well as the differences between these accounts and mutual funds and other types of pooled investments can help you decide if an SMA is the right approach for you.

How SMAs Work

Investors pay a financial professional to manage the separately managed accounts they own. The portfolio manager handles day-to-day decision making, but the investor retains control over the overall SMA investment strategy. That includes making initial decisions about which securities to hold inside a separately managed account.

A wealth management firm may give SMA investors several portfolio options to choose from. These portfolios can include a mix of different securities that reflect a specific investment strategy or goal. For example, SMA investing may focus on:

• Increasing tax efficiency

• Generating current income

• Managing interest rate risk

• Delivering above-average returns through trend trading

• Promoting ESG (environmental, social and governance) principles

Within the portfolio there may be stocks, bonds, cash or cash equivalents, or other assets. Stock investments may include small-cap stocks, as well as mid-cap, or large-cap companies. It would be up to the investor to choose which strategy to follow, based on their individual needs, risk tolerance, and objectives.

Recommended: What Is Market Capitalization?

The fees for separately managed accounts are typically based on a percentage of the assets under management, or AUM. Often, the management firm uses a tiered structure in which the fee decreases as the account balance climbs. So, in some cases, the more you invest in a separately managed account, the less you’ll pay as a percentage of assets for professional management.

Wealth managers may also charge fees based on the type of investment strategy. For instance, you may pay one management fee for an equities-based strategy but a different fee if you focus on fixed income. Generally, separately managed accounts do not carry trading or transaction fees the way there would be in a traditional brokerage account.

How Can SMAs Benefit an Investor?

Separately managed accounts can yield some benefits to investors who can afford them. Generally, SMA investing may be a good fit for higher net worth investors who want to take advantage of professional asset management while still being able to decide what happens with their portfolios.

SMAs sit at the opposite end of the spectrum from robo-advisor accounts. Robo advisors, or automated platforms, typically offer an investing strategy that’s driven by an sophisticated algorithm on the back end. While robo services can vary from company to company, generally the algorithm creates pre-set portfolio options that investors can choose from, based on individual preferences.

Here are some of the key benefits associated with separately managed accounts.

Control, Transparency, and Customization

While an asset manager may make investment decisions on an investor’s behalf, the investor still has the final say on what happens with their portfolio inside a separately managed account.

For instance, if you’re offered a prebuilt portfolio you may be able to exclude certain securities or request that others be added to align with your investment goals. Or you may be able to work with your advisor to hand-pick all the securities that are held inside an SMA, or to change the direction of the strategy in the case of a recession or other market event.

Either way, you always directly own the securities held inside your account.

Tax Benefits

Managing tax liability in an investment portfolio matters. The more tax efficient your portfolio is, the more of your returns you get to keep. With separately managed accounts, a financial advisor or wealth manager can implement tax-loss harvesting strategies to help you get the most from your investment dollars.

Cost

As mentioned, with separately managed accounts, fees are typically asset-based. That means you typically won’t pay commission fees, and since you’re investing in individual securities versus pooled investments (like mutual funds or ETFs), you don’t have to pay fund expense ratios either.

Compared to the fees associated with investing in mutual funds or trading in taxable brokerage accounts, SMAs can be more cost-friendly for investors.

💡 Quick Tip: When you’re actively investing in stocks, it’s important to ask what types of fees you might have to pay. For example, brokers may charge a flat fee for trading stocks, or require some commission for every trade. Taking the time to manage investment costs can be beneficial over the long term.

What Are the Drawbacks of SMAs?

While separately managed accounts may work well for some types of investors, they aren’t necessarily a good fit for everyone. Here are some of the downsides of SMAs to keep in mind.

Investment Minimums

Separately managed accounts typically have higher minimum investment requirements, which may be a barrier to entry for some investors. You may need $50,000 to $100,000 or more to open a separately managed account. The reason being that SMAs provide a highly customized investment portfolio for the investor: hands-on investment management.

By contrast, the investment minimums required to open a traditional self-directed brokerage account can be quite low, depending on the type of account and the institution. Again, this is because a professional manager is not involved.

So if you’re just getting started with investing, you may not qualify for a separately managed account.

Less Diversification

Since separately managed accounts hold individual securities, it’s harder for them to offer the same level of broad-based diversification as a mutual fund or exchange-traded fund (ETF), which could hold hundreds or thousands of different stocks.

SMAs vs Pooled Investment Funds

The main similarity between separately managed accounts and pooled investment funds, e.g. mutual funds and exchange-traded funds, is that SMAs are portfolios of many securities, and the portfolio of a mutual fund or ETF also includes many securities. But SMAs are customized based on the individual investor’s wishes, and managed by a professional investment manager who adheres to the investor’s strategy.

Comparing SMAs and Mutual Funds

With an SMA, your portfolio includes individual securities that you own. A mutual fund, on the other hand, is a pooled investment that includes money from multiple investors.

When you invest in a mutual fund, you don’t get to choose what the fund holds. That’s the job of a fund manager, who decides what to buy or sell, based on the fund’s objectives. So a fund may hold a mix of stocks, bonds, cash or other securities. You, along with the other investors who have pooled their money in the mutual fund, share in the fund’s returns or its losses.

Compared to separately managed accounts, mutual funds can have a much lower initial investment to get started: a hundred dollars versus tens of thousands of dollars (depending on the fund).

And instead of paying an asset-based management fee, mutual funds charge expense ratios. This expense ratio reflects the annual cost of owning the fund.

The Difference Between SMAs and ETFs

The difference between separately managed accounts and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) is similar to the difference between SMAs and mutual funds. Instead of building a portfolio that’s composed of individual securities and managed by a financial professional, you’re pooling money into a fund along with other investors.

This fund can hold hundreds of securities and have specific goals. For example, there are ETFs that invest in gold, in commodities, in biotech, and more.

Many investors begin by putting their money into exchange-traded funds or mutual funds, and then move some of their portfolio into a separately managed account once it grows larger.

The Takeaway

Separately managed funds are a popular way for high net worth investors to have some control over their professionally managed funds when building an investment portfolio. However, if you can’t meet the high minimum investment requirements for a separately managed account, you may want to consider investing in ETFs or mutual funds instead.

Ready to invest in your goals? It’s easy to get started when you open an investment account with SoFi Invest. You can invest in stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), mutual funds, alternative funds, and more. SoFi doesn’t charge commissions, but other fees apply (full fee disclosure here).

Invest with as little as $5 with a SoFi Active Investing account.

FAQ

How are SMAs customized?

With an SMA, you can work with your financial advisor and/or investment manager to pick all the securities that are held inside an SMA. You can choose to exclude certain securities or ask that others be added to align with your investment goals. You can also request to change the direction of the strategy in the case of a market event like a recession.

What type of due diligence do you need to do before investing in SMAs?

An investor should do thorough due diligence on the money manager they’re considering working with before setting up an SMA. Investigate the manager’s investment philosophy, approach, and process, inquire about their compliance history, and ask to see performance data, including quarterly returns. Inquire about all the fees involved, including transaction expenses. And finally, find out how the investment manager is compensated and what their incentives are.

What is the difference between a separate account and a separately managed account?

A separate account and a separately managed account are the same thing: an investment vehicle that holds securities and is owned by an investor and managed by a professional financial advisor or money manager. These accounts are sometimes referred to by either name.

Photo credit: iStock/adamkaz

SoFi Invest®
INVESTMENTS ARE NOT FDIC INSURED • ARE NOT BANK GUARANTEED • MAY LOSE VALUE
SoFi Invest encompasses two distinct companies, with various products and services offered to investors as described below: Individual customer accounts may be subject to the terms applicable to one or more of these platforms.
1) Automated Investing and advisory services are provided by SoFi Wealth LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser (“SoFi Wealth“). Brokerage services are provided to SoFi Wealth LLC by SoFi Securities LLC.
2) Active Investing and brokerage services are provided by SoFi Securities LLC, Member FINRA (www.finra.org)/SIPC(www.sipc.org). Clearing and custody of all securities are provided by APEX Clearing Corporation.
For additional disclosures related to the SoFi Invest platforms described above please visit SoFi.com/legal.
Neither the Investment Advisor Representatives of SoFi Wealth, nor the Registered Representatives of SoFi Securities are compensated for the sale of any product or service sold through any SoFi Invest platform.

Financial Tips & Strategies: The tips provided on this website are of a general nature and do not take into account your specific objectives, financial situation, and needs. You should always consider their appropriateness given your own circumstances.

Investment Risk: Diversification can help reduce some investment risk. It cannot guarantee profit, or fully protect in a down market.

Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs): Investors should carefully consider the information contained in the prospectus, which contains the Fund’s investment objectives, risks, charges, expenses, and other relevant information. You may obtain a prospectus from the Fund company’s website or by email customer service at [email protected]. Please read the prospectus carefully prior to investing.
Shares of ETFs must be bought and sold at market price, which can vary significantly from the Fund’s net asset value (NAV). Investment returns are subject to market volatility and shares may be worth more or less their original value when redeemed. The diversification of an ETF will not protect against loss. An ETF may not achieve its stated investment objective. Rebalancing and other activities within the fund may be subject to tax consequences.

Tax Information: This article provides general background information only and is not intended to serve as legal or tax advice or as a substitute for legal counsel. You should consult your own attorney and/or tax advisor if you have a question requiring legal or tax advice.

SOIN0723144

Sep

2023

Cyclical vs Non-Cyclical Stocks: Investing Around Economic Cycles

By Rebecca Lake | Growing Wealth, invest, Investing | Comments Off

Cyclical investing means understanding how various stock sectors react to economic changes. A cyclical stock is one that’s closely correlated to what’s happening with the economy at any given time. The performance of non-cyclical stocks, however, is typically not as closely tied to economic movements.

Investing in cyclical stocks and non-cyclical stocks may help to provide balance and diversification in a portfolio. This in turn may help investors to better manage risk as the economy moves through different cycles of growth and contraction.

Cyclical vs Non-Cyclical Stocks

There are some clear differences between cyclical vs. non-cyclical stocks, as outlined:

	Cyclical Stocks	Non-Cyclical Stocks
Perform Best During	Economic growth	Economic contraction
Goods and Services	Non-essential	Essential
Sensitivity to Economic Cycles	Higher	Lower
Volatility	Higher	Lower

A cyclical investing strategy can involve choosing both cyclical and non-cyclical stocks. In terms of how they react to economic changes, they’re virtual opposites.

Cyclical stocks are characterized as being:

• Strong performers during periods of economic growth

• Associated with goods or services consumers tend to spend more money on during growth periods

• Highly sensitive to shifting economic cycles

• More volatile than non-cyclical stocks

When the economy is doing well a cyclical stock tends to follow suit. Share prices may increase, along with profitability. If a cyclical stock pays dividends, that can result in a higher dividend yield for investors.

Non-cyclical stocks, on the other hand, share these characteristics:

• Tend to perform well during periods of economic contraction

• Associated with goods or services that consumers consider essential

• Less sensitive to changing economic environments

• Lower volatility overall

A non-cyclical stock isn’t completely immune from the effects of a slowing economy. But compared to cyclical stocks, they’re typically less of a roller-coaster ride for investors in terms of how they perform during upturns or downturns. A good example of a non-cyclical industry is utilities, since people need to keep the lights on and the water running even during economic downturns.

💡 Quick Tip: Look for an online brokerage with low trading commissions as well as no account minimum. Higher fees can cut into investment returns over time.

Cyclical Stocks

In the simplest terms, cyclical stocks are stocks that closely follow the movements of the economic cycle. The economy is not static; instead, it moves through various cycles. There are four stages to the economic cycle:

• Expansion. At this stage, the economy is in growth mode, with new jobs being created and company profits increasing. This phase can last for several years.

• Peak. In the peak stage of the economic cycle, growth begins to hit a plateau. Inflation may begin to increase at this stage.

• Contraction. During a period of contraction, the economy shrinks rather than grows. Unemployment rates may increase, though inflation may be on the decline. The length of a contraction period can depend on the circumstances which lead to it.

• Trough. The trough period is the lowest point in the economic cycle and is a precursor to the beginning of a new phase of expansion.

Understanding the various stages of the economic cycle is key to answering the question of what are cyclical stocks. For example, a cyclical stock may perform well when the economy is booming. But if the economy enters a downturn, that same stock might decline as well.

Examples of Cyclical Industry Stocks

Cyclical stocks most often represent companies that make or provide things that consumers spend money on when they have more discretionary income.

For example, that includes things like:

• Entertainment companies

• Travel websites

• Airlines

• Retail stores

• Concert promoters

• Technology companies

• Car manufacturers

• Restaurants

The industries range from travel and tourism to consumer goods. But they share a common thread, in terms of how their stocks tend to perform during economic highs and lows.

Examples of Non-Cyclical Industry Stocks

Non-cyclical industry stocks would be shares of companies that are more insulated from economic downturns than their cyclical counterparts. It may be easier to think of them as companies that are probably going to see sales no matter what is happening in the overall economy. That might include:

• Food producers and grocers

• Consumer staples

• Gasoline and energy companies

Cyclical Stock Sectors

The stock market is divided into 11 sectors, each of which represents a variety of industries and sub-industries. Some are cyclical sectors, while others are non-cyclical. The cyclical sectors include:

Consumer Discretionary

The consumer discretionary sector includes stocks that are related to “non-essential” goods and services. So some of the companies you might find in this sector include those in the hospitality or tourism industries, retailers, media companies and apparel companies. This sector is cyclical because consumers tend to spend less in these areas when the economy contracts.

Financials

The financial sector spans companies that are related to financial services in some way. That includes banking, financial advisory services and insurance. Financials can take a hit during an economic downturn if interest rates fall, since that can reduce profits from loans or lines of credit.

Industrials

The industrial sector covers companies that are involved in the production, manufacture or distribution of goods. Construction companies and auto-makers fall into this category and generally do well during periods of growth when consumers spend more on homes or cars.

Information Technology

The tech stock sector is one of the largest cyclical sectors, covering companies that are involved in everything from the development of new technology to the manufacture and sale of computer hardware and software. This sector can decline during economic slowdowns if consumers cut back spending on electronics or tech.

Materials

The materials sector includes industries and companies that are involved in the sourcing, development or distribution of raw materials. That can include things like lumber and chemicals, as well as investing in precious metals. Stocks in this sector can also be referred to as commodities.

Cyclical Investing Strategies

Investing in cyclical stocks or non-cyclical stocks requires some knowledge about how each one works, depending on what’s happening with the economy. While timing the market is virtually impossible, it’s possible to invest cyclically so that one is potentially making gains while minimizing losses as the economy changes.

For investors interested in cyclical investing, it helps to consider things like:

• Which cyclical and non-cyclical sectors you want to gain exposure to

• How individual stocks within those sectors tend to perform when the economy is growing or contracting

• How long you plan to hold on to individual stocks

• Your risk tolerance and risk capacity (i.e. the amount of risk you’re comfortable with versus the amount of risk you need to take to realize your target returns)

• Where the economy is, in terms of expansion, peak, contraction, or trough

For example, swing trading is one strategy an investor might employ to try and capitalize on market movements. With swing trading, you’re investing over shorter time periods to reap gains from swings in stock prices. This strategy relies on technical analysis to help identify trends in stock pricing, though you may also choose to consider a company’s fundamentals if you’re interested in investing for the longer term.

How to Invest in Cyclical Stocks

Investors can invest in cyclical stocks the same way they do any other type of stock: Purchasing them through a brokerage account, or from an exchange.

One way to simplify cyclical investing is to choose one or more cyclical and non-cyclical exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Investing in ETFs can simplify diversification and may help to mitigate some of the risk of owning stocks through various economic cycles.

The Takeaway

Cyclical stocks tend to follow the economic cycle, rising in value when the economy is booming, then dropping when the economy hits a downturn. Non-cyclical stocks, on the other hand, tend to behave the opposite way, and aren’t necessarily as affected by the overall economy.

Investing around economic cycles is a viable strategy, but it has its potential pitfalls. Investors who do their homework may be able to successfully invest around economic cycles, but it’s important to consider the risks involved.

For a limited time, opening and funding an Active Invest account gives you the opportunity to get up to $1,000 in the stock of your choice.

FAQ

What are indicators of cyclical stocks?

A few examples of indicators of cyclical stocks include the earnings per share data reported by public companies, which can give insight into the health of the economy, along with beta (a measure of volatility of returns) and price to earnings ratios.

What is the difference between cyclicality vs. seasonality?

While similar, cyclicality and seasonality differ in their frequency. Seasonality refers to events or trends that are observed annually, or every year, whereas cyclicality, or cyclical variations can occur much less often than that.

How do you mitigate the risk of investing in cyclical stocks?

Investors can use numerous strategies to mitigate the risk of investing in cyclical stocks, such as sector rotation and dollar-cost averaging.

Photo credit: iStock/Eoneren

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Sep

2023

Buy Side vs Sell Side

By Kate Ashford | Growing Wealth, invest, Investing | Comments Off

The buy side and sell side are two fundamental aspects of the financial markets. As it sounds the buy side refers to investment companies (including pension funds, hedge funds, money managers) that buy securities for their clients. The sell side is involved in the creation, selling, or issuing of the securities that the buy side then purchases.

Within the buy side and sell side there are different roles and dynamics at play.

Buy Side vs Sell Side: Key Differences

Buy side and sell side are like two faces of the financial and capital markets coin, but there are some key differences between the two.

Buy Side	Sell Side
Buy-siders do their own research, but their reports are proprietary and only available to buy-side clients.	Sell-siders do their own research and reports and make them publicly available.
Buy-side research analysts tend to build a list of sell-side analysts in relevant sectors from which to get reports, technical analysis, and information they rely on.	Sell-side analysts dig deep in their research, get narrow in their focus, and typically develop an area of strong expertise.

What Is the Buy Side?

The buy side is the part of the capital market that buys and invests large quantities of securities as part of money management and/or fund management. On the buy side, professionals and investors invest in securities, including common shares, preferred shares, bonds, derivatives, and other products that are sold — or issued — by the sell side.

Think of the buy side as the firms that purchase investment securities for their own funds or accounts or for investors.

For instance, a fund management or asset management firm might run a fund or set of funds. Naturally, they look for assets that match the fund’s objectives. A buy-side portfolio manager might learn of a new tech product that sounds promising. After doing research on the company and determining whether it was a wise investment, the PM might purchase shares of that company.

💡 Quick Tip: Before opening an investment account, know your investment objectives, time horizon, and risk tolerance. These fundamentals will help keep your strategy on track and with the aim of meeting your goals.

What Is the Role of a Buy-Side Analyst?

Both the buy side and the sell side employ ranks of analysts that in some ways do similar work — but with different aims.

Buy-side analysts do extensive research before recommending whether their firm should purchase a certain security. The goal of a buy-side analyst is to be right as often as possible — because being correct corresponds to profit for their firm and their clients.

In addition to gathering their own information and conducting analysis on a given sector, buy-side analysts get to know the best analysts on the sell side whose research is relevant and reliable.

The relationship between buy-side and sell-side analysts can be seen as mutually beneficial. The more trustworthy a sell-side analyst’s research is, the more likely the buy-sider will be to recommend purchasing securities from the sell-side firm. Thus the buy-side indirectly plays into the sell-side’s compensation.

Buy-Side Goals

The goal of the buy side is to beat their benchmark indexes, and generate financial returns for clients.

Buy-siders put capital to work. They typically have a pool of funds they use to invest in securities. Professionals on the buy side typically work in portfolio management, wealth management, private equity, hedge funds and sometimes venture capital. Buy-side companies work to identify and buy underpriced, undervalued, or high-potential securities for clients in order to make the highest profit on their trades.

Buy-side investors can place large-scale transactions to keep trading costs low. They also have access to a wide variety of trading resources to help them identify, analyze, and quickly make a move on investment opportunities, often in real time. Buy siders must disclose their holdings in a document called a 13F, and this information is available publicly each quarter.

What Happens on the Buy Side

The role of the buy side is to:

• Make decisions about investments (whether to buy, sell, or hold securities)

• Do research on investment opportunities

• Recruit investors and their capital

• Conduct valuations and financial modeling

• Get the best return on capital in order to grow assets under management

What Is the Sell Side?

The sell side of finance deals with creating, promoting, and selling securities that can be traded to the public. The sell side handles all activities related to selling securities to the buy side. That can include underwriting for initial public offerings (IPOs), providing clearing services, and developing research materials and analysis.

Professionals on the sell side represent companies or entities that need to raise money. They do it by selling or issuing securities. The sell side is made up primarily of advisory firms, banks, or other kinds of companies that facilitate selling of securities for their client companies.

What Happens on the Sell Side

The role of the sell side is to:

• Advise corporate clients on large transactions and financial decisions

• Help clients raise capital, be it debt or equity

• Advise clients on corporate mergers and acquisitions

• Market, promote, and sell securities

• Provide research on listed companies (called equity research)

• Conduct valuations and financial modeling

• Create liquidity for securities that are listed

Sell siders keep close track of the performance of specific companies they track, keep track of stocks, and model and project future financial performance and trends. They come up with research recommendations and target prices and sell ideas to clients.

Sell siders spend a lot of time analyzing balance sheets, quarterly results, and any other data they can find on a company. Sell-side analysts aim to give deeper insights into trends and projections; they issue reports and recommendations which are used to make investment decisions for clients.

Professionals focused on the sell side often have jobs in investment banking, sales and trading, equity research, market making, and commercial or corporate banking.

What Is the Role of a Sell-Side Analyst?

The job of a sell-side analyst is to vet different stocks or other assets and sell them to the buy side. In that sense, sell-siders are an essential part of the marketing of different securities.

Typically a sell-side company employs many analysts who help shape the security offerings across sectors and industries. An analyst who covers a certain sector goes deep in that area, talking to a range of people who are knowledgeable about each company and its products — including customers, suppliers, competitors — and building models that help assess a company’s status.

Sell-side analysts are the ones who rate a company’s stock as buy, sell, or hold. It’s generally taken as an evaluation of the stock’s performance rather than the company’s.

An analyst’s success hinges to a large degree on their access to the best and most useful information about a stock, its price target, and their estimates about the stock’s performance. Taken together, the estimates of different analyses are sometimes called the consensus estimate. That’s how buy-siders evaluate the merits of different securities and whether to buy.

Sell-Side Goals

Sell-side companies make money through fees and commissions earned when they sell — which means the more deals they make, the more buy-side firms earn. Market making firms are part of the sell side and help provide the liquidity the market needs to make transactions happen.

Investment banks tend to dominate the sell side of the financial markets; they underwrite stock issuances, sell to institutions and individuals and take proprietary positions in securities.

The most high-profile sell side activity is underwriting IPOs, acting as a buffer between companies going public and the investing public set to buy IPO shares.

How Do the Buy Side and Sell Side Earn a Profit?

Because buy-side firms raise money from wealthy investors and institutions and invest on their behalf, buy-siders profit from management and/or performance fees.

Meanwhile, sell-side firms earn money from the commissions they get from facilitating deals, and from marketing, selling and trading securities.

The Takeaway

The capital market is made up of the buy side and the sell side. Whereas the buy side aims to get the best value from investments in order to bring in greater returns for clients, the sell side aims to help clients raise capital through the sale of securities.

Invest with as little as $5 with a SoFi Active Investing account.

FAQ

Is the buy side more lucrative than the sell side?

Careers on the buy side are generally considered higher paying than on the sell side. This is in part due to the amount of risk a buy sider takes on when selecting securities, and the premium placed on making a profit.

Do people move from the buy side to the sell side?

People do move from one side to another, but the more common transition is from the sell side to the buy side, owing to the allure of higher compensation and in some cases better hours.

Are traders on the buy or sell-side?

Traders are on the sell side. Traders are considered market makers in that they provide liquidity in the markets.

Phot credit: iStock/filadendron

SoFi Invest®
INVESTMENTS ARE NOT FDIC INSURED • ARE NOT BANK GUARANTEED • MAY LOSE VALUE
SoFi Invest encompasses two distinct companies, with various products and services offered to investors as described below: Individual customer accounts may be subject to the terms applicable to one or more of these platforms.
1) Automated Investing and advisory services are provided by SoFi Wealth LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser (“SoFi Wealth“). Brokerage services are provided to SoFi Wealth LLC by SoFi Securities LLC.
2) Active Investing and brokerage services are provided by SoFi Securities LLC, Member FINRA (www.finra.org)/SIPC(www.sipc.org). Clearing and custody of all securities are provided by APEX Clearing Corporation.
For additional disclosures related to the SoFi Invest platforms described above please visit SoFi.com/legal.
Neither the Investment Advisor Representatives of SoFi Wealth, nor the Registered Representatives of SoFi Securities are compensated for the sale of any product or service sold through any SoFi Invest platform.

Financial Tips & Strategies: The tips provided on this website are of a general nature and do not take into account your specific objectives, financial situation, and needs. You should always consider their appropriateness given your own circumstances.

SOIN0823032

Sep

2023

man with laptop and tablet at table mobile

Day Trading Strategies for Beginners

By Inyoung Hwang | Growing Wealth, Investing | No Comments

Day trading is a type of active trading where an investor buys and sells stocks or other assets based on short-term price movements. Day trading is often thought to differ from a buy-and-hold strategy typically used by long-term investors.

With day trading, the investor is not necessarily looking for assets that will make money over the long-term. Instead, a day trader seeks to generate short-term gains.

Investors should know, though, that day trading is an incredibly risky strategy and there’s a high chance of losing money.

What Is Day Trading?

Day trading incorporates short-term trades on a daily or weekly basis in an effort to generate returns. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) says that “day traders buy, sell and short-sell stocks throughout the day in the hope that the stocks continue climbing or falling in value for the seconds or minutes they hold the shares, allowing them to lock in quick profits.”

A long-term investor, conversely, may buy a stock because they think that the company will grow its revenue and earnings, creating value for itself and the economy. Long-term investors believe that that growth will ultimately benefit shareholders, whether through share-price appreciation or dividend payouts.

A day trader, on the other hand, likely gives little credence to whether a company represents “good” or “bad” value. Instead, they are concerned with how price volatility will push an asset like a stock higher in the near-term.

Day trading is a form of self-directed active investing, whereby an investor attempts to manage their investments and outperform or “beat” the stock market.

7 Common Day Trading Strategies

Some common types of day trading strategies that you may want to research include technical analysis, scalping, momentum, swing trading, margin and so on. Here’s a closer look at them.

1. Technical Analysis

Technical analysis is a type of trading method that uses price patterns to forecast future movement. A general rule of thumb in investing is that past performance never guarantees future results. However, technical analysts believe that because of market psychology, history tends to repeat itself.

Support and resistance are price levels that traders look at when they’re applying technical analysis. “Support” is where the price of an asset tends to stop falling and “resistance” is where the price tends to stop climbing. So, for instance, if an asset falls to a support level, some may believe that buyers are likely to swoop in at that point.

2. Swing Trading

Swing trading is a type of stock market trading that attempts to capitalize on short-term price momentum in the market. The swings can be to the upside or to the downside and typically from a couple days to roughly two weeks.

Generally, a swing trader uses a mix of fundamental and technical analysis to identify short- and mid-term trends in the market. They can go both long and short in market positions, and use stocks, ETFs, and other market instruments that exhibit volatility.

3. Momentum Trading

Momentum trading is a type of short-term, high-risk trading strategy. While momentum trades can be held for longer periods when trends continue, the term generally refers to trades that are held for a day or several days, on average.

Momentum traders strive to chase the market by identifying the trend in price action of a specific security and extract profit by predicting its near-term future movement. Looking for a good entry point when prices fall and then determining a profitable exit point is the method to momentum trading.

4. Scalp Trading

In scalp trading, or scalping, the goal of this trading style is to make profits off of small changes in asset prices. Generally, this means buying a stock, waiting for it to increase in value by a small amount, then selling it. The theory behind it is that many small gains can add up to a significant profit over time.

5. Penny Stocks

Penny stocks — shares priced at pennies to up to $5 apiece — are often popular among day traders. However, they can be difficult to trade because many are illiquid. Penny stocks aren’t typically traded on the major exchanges, further increasing potential difficulties with trading. Typically, penny stocks sell in over-the-counter (OTC) markets.

6. Limit and Market Orders

There are types of orders that day traders quickly become familiar with. A limit order is when an investor sets the price at which they’d like to buy or sell a stock. For example, you only want to buy a stock if it falls below $40 per share, or sell it if the price rises to over $60. A limit order guarantees a particular price but does not guarantee execution.

With a market order, you are guaranteed execution but not necessarily price. Investors get the next price available at that time. This price may be slightly different than what is quoted, as the price of that underlying security changes while the order goes through.

7. Margin Trading

Margin accounts are a type of brokerage account that allows the investor to borrow money from the broker-dealer to purchase securities. The account acts as collateral for the loan. The interest rate on the borrowed money is determined by the brokerage firm.

Trading with this borrowed money — called margin trading — increases an investor’s purchasing power, but comes with much higher risk. If the securities lose value, an investor could be left losing more cash than they originally invested.

In the case that the investor’s holdings decline, the brokerage firm might require them to deposit additional cash or securities into their account, or sell the securities to cover the loss. This is known as a margin call. A brokerage firm can deliver a margin call without advance notice and can even decide which of the investor’s holdings are sold.

Best Securities For Day Trading

Day traders can work across asset classes and securities: company stocks, fractional shares, ETFs, bonds, fiat currencies, cryptocurrencies, or commodities like oil and precious metals. They can also trade options or futures — different types of derivatives contracts.

But there are some commonalities that day-trading markets tend to have, including liquidity, volatility, and volume.

Liquidity

Liquidity refers to how quickly an asset can be bought and sold without causing a significant change in its price. In other words, how smoothly can a trader make a trade?

Liquidity is important to day traders because they need to move in and out of positions quickly without having prices move against them. That means prices don’t move higher when day traders are buying, or move down when they’re starting to sell.

Volatility

Market volatility can often be considered a negative thing in investing. However, for day traders, volatility can be essential because they need big price swings to potentially capture profits.

Of course, volatility could mean big losses for day traders too, but a slow-moving market typically doesn’t offer much opportunity for day traders.

Volume

High stock volume may indicate that there is a lot of interest in a security, while low volume can indicate the opposite. Elevated interest means there’s a greater likelihood of more liquidity and volatility — which are, as discussed, two other characteristics that day traders look for.

Day Trading Basics — How to Get Started

Before starting to day trade, some investors set aside a dollar amount they’re comfortable investing — and potentially losing. They need to figure out their personal risk tolerance, in other words.

Getting the hang of day trading can take some time, so newbie day traders may want to start with a small handful of stocks. This will be more manageable and give traders time to hone their skills.

Recommended: How Many Stocks Should I Own?

Good day traders can benefit from staying informed about events that may cause big price shifts. These can range from economic and geopolitical news to specific company developments.

Here’s also a list of important concepts or terms every prospective day trader should know.

1. Trading Costs

If you’re utilizing day trading strategies, it’s wise to consider the cost. Many major brokerage firms accommodate day trading, but some charge a fee for each trade. This is called a transaction cost, commission, mark up, mark down, or a trading fee. Some firms also charge various other fees for day trading or trading penny stocks.

Some platforms are specifically designed for day trading, offering low-cost or even zero-cost trades and a variety of features to help traders research and track markets.

2. Pattern Day Trader

A pattern day trader is a designation created by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). A brokerage or investing platform will classify investors as pattern day traders if they day trade a security four or more times in five business days, and the number of day trades accounts for more than 6% of their total trading activity for that same five-day period.

When investors get identified as pattern day traders, they must have at least $25,000 in their trading account. Otherwise, the account could get restricted per FINRA’s day-trading margin requirement rules.

3. Freeriding

In a cash account, an investor must pay for the purchase of a security before selling it. Freeriding occurs when an investor buys and then sells a security without first paying for it.

This is not allowed under the Federal Reserve Board’s Regulation T. In cases where freeriding occurs, the investor’s account may be frozen by the broker for a 90-day period. During the freeze, an investor is still able to make trades or purchases but must pay for them fully on the date of the trade.

4. Tax Implications of Trader vs Investor

The IRS makes a distinction between a trader and an investor. Generally, an investor is someone who buys and sells securities for personal investment. A trader on the other hand is considered by the law to be in business. The tax implications are different for each.

According to the IRS, a trader must meet the following requirements below. If an individual does not meet these guidelines, they are considered an investor.

• “You must seek to profit from daily market movements in the prices of securities and not from dividends, interest, or capital appreciation;

• Your activity must be substantial; and

• You must carry on the activity with continuity and regularity.”

5. Capital Gains Taxes

Another important tax implication to note is that the IRS differentiates between short-term and long-term investments for capital gains tax rates. Generally, investments held for over a year are considered long-term and those held for under a year are short-term.

While long-term capital gains may benefit from a lower tax rate, short-term capital gains are taxed at the same rate as ordinary income.

A capital loss occurs when an investment loses value. In certain circumstances, when a capital loss exceeds a capital gain, the difference could potentially be applied as a tax deduction. Some brokerages may also offer automated tax loss harvesting as a way to strategically offset investment profits.

6. Wash Sale Rule

While capital losses can sometimes be taken as a tax deduction, there are certain regulations in place to prevent investors from abusing those benefits. One such regulation is the wash sale rule, which says that investors cannot benefit from selling a security at a loss and then buy a substantially identical security within the next 30 days.

A wash sale also occurs if you sell a security and then your spouse or a corporation you control buys a substantially identical security within the next 30 days.

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Which Day Trading Strategy Is Best for Beginners?

There’s no single answer that’s going to be correct for every trader. But investors might want to stick to the simpler strategies to get a hang of day trading. For instance, they could take a try at technical analysis to try and determine which trades may end up being profitable. Or, they could stick with swing trades to test the waters, too.

Perhaps the most important thing to keep in mind is that day trading is, as mentioned, incredibly risky.

💡 Quick Tip: How do you decide if a certain trading platform or app is right for you? Ideally, the investment platform you choose offers the features that you need for your investment goals or strategy, e.g., an easy-to-use interface, data analysis, educational tools.

Best Times to Day Trade

As mentioned, day traders seek high liquidity, volatility and volumes. That’s why when it comes to stocks, the first 15 minutes of the trading day, after the equity market opens at 9:30am, may be one of the active stretches for day traders.

The stock market tends to be more volatile during this time, as traders and investors try to figure out the market’s direction and prices react to company reports or economic data that was released before the opening bell. Volume also tends to pick up before the closing bell at 4pm.

For futures, commodities and currencies trading, markets are open 24 hours so day traders can be active around the clock. However, they may find less liquidity at night when most investors and traders in the U.S. aren’t as active.

Day Trading Risk Management

The SEC issued a stern warning regarding day trading in 2005, and that message still holds value today. They noted that most people do not have the wealth, time, or temperament to be successful in day trading.

If an individual isn’t comfortable with the risks associated with day trading, they shouldn’t delve into the practice. But if someone is curious, here are some steps they can take to manage the risks that stem from day trading:

1. Try not to invest more than you can afford. This is particularly important with options and margin trading. It’s crucial for investors to understand how leverage works in such trading accounts and that they can lose more than they originally invested.

2. Investors and traders often benefit from tracking and monitoring volatility. One way to do this is by finding one’s portfolio beta, or the sensitivity to swings in the broader market. Adjusting one’s portfolio so it’s not too sensitive to sweeping volatility may be helpful.

3. Day traders often benefit from picking a trading strategy and sticking with it. One struggle many day traders contend with is avoiding getting swept up by the moment and deviating from a plan, only to lock in losses.

4. Don’t let your emotions take the driver’s seat. Fear and greed can dominate investing and sway decisions. But in investing, it can be better to keep a cool head and avoid reactionary behavior.

Is It Difficult To Make Money Day Trading?

While it may feel like it’s easy to make a couple of lucky moves and turn a profit from some trades, it isn’t easy to make money day trading. Again, it’s very, very risky, and new traders would do well not to assume they’re going to make any money at all. That said, there are professional traders out there, but they use professional-grade tools and experience to help inform their decisions. New traders shouldn’t expect to emulate a professional trader’s success.

The Takeaway

Day trading involves making short-term stock trades in an effort to generate returns. It can be lucrative, but is extremely risky, and prospective traders would likely do well to practice and learn some tools of the trade before giving it a shot. They’ll also want to closely consider their risk tolerance, too.

Again, while stock investing can be an important way to build wealth for individuals, it’s crucial however to know that the consequences of risky day trading can be catastrophic. Investors need to be disciplined, cautious and put in the time and effort before delving into day trading strategies.

For a limited time, opening and funding an Active Invest account gives you the opportunity to get up to $1,000 in the stock of your choice.

FAQ

What is day trading and how does it differ from other trading strategies?

Day trading involves making short-term trades with stocks or other securities in an effort to make a profit. Other strategies may involve longer-term investments, which are not bought and sold on a daily or weekly (or monthly) basis.

Are there any risk management techniques specific to day trading strategies?

Traders can do many things to try and limit their risks, and that can include working with different brokers or platforms, incorporating thinking patterns or rituals before making trades, setting up stop-losses, and diversifying their portfolios.

Are day trading strategies suitable for all types of markets, such as stocks, forex, or cryptocurrencies?

Day trading can be done in many asset classes and markets, which can include stocks, forex, and even crypto. But each asset is different, and the markets may not behave the same ways, either. As such, traders may want to do some homework before jumping in.

How much capital is typically required to implement day trading strategies?

It’s generally recommended that traders start with at least $25,000 in their brokerage accounts before day trading.

Are there any specific timeframes or market conditions that are more favorable for day trading strategies?

Perhaps the best times of the day for day traders are immediately after the markets open, and shortly before they close. There may also be more market action on certain days of the week (Mondays, for instance) which create good conditions for day traders.

Sep

2023

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