Trading and Investment(Forex & Stokes) 2023-2024 | Top Forex Brokers & Best Platforms

Meaning of Investing

Investing is where you buy stocks for a longer time to earn an additional income or profit. You are keeping your money aside for a decent return in the future. Buying and holding a good portfolio comprising stocks and other investment instruments like bonds, mutual funds, etc., can help build wealth over the long term.

Long-term investors mostly opt for stocks with fundamentals that depict a strong growth potential in the long term.

Types of Investing

There are various types of investing styles that are practiced by investors. There are various kinds of investing in the market, and it is important to understand the broad categories so that you can choose your own investing style accordingly.

Active Investing

Active Investing involves fund managers or portfolio managers that manage an investor’s money on their behalf, and they charge a fee against their services. The fees for this can be high as actively managed funds are managed by experts.

Passive Investing

Passive investing is done by investors who like to manage their funds and do not want to depend on a fund manager to do it for them. The cost here is low as an investor does not have to pay any expert or management fees.

Value Investing

Value investing is a form of investing where investors choose to invest in already strong and established firms. Investors shy away from exposing their investment to a high-risk situation and based on the historical performance of a proven company, they look for more stability.

Growth Investing

Growth investing involves more risk as growth investors look for higher returns on capital through their investments. Growth investors would ideally look for high growth rates along with high return potential. Such investments do come with a certain amount of risk and investors must factor in that aspect while investing.

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Difference Between Investing and Trading

• The period of investment here is usually long and it is very similar to running a marathon where you must be patient to achieve your target
• Trading is usually for short-term, and it involves capitalizing on periodic price changes
• Investors may hold on to their investments for even decades and would want to ride out patiently various volatile phases in the market
• Traders embrace the risk of market volatility and like to capitalize on price fluctuations even during volatile markets. Traders may sell a stock in a couple of hours or they may wait for weeks as well, if required.
• The risk involved is lesser as the stocks are held for a longer period and ride out various market ups and downs
• The risk involved is high as the traders use the leverage that can impact the invested capital even with slight movements in prices
• Market volatility in the short term has little impact on investments as investors are ready to hold on to it for long periods
• Trading involves capitalizing on small price movements and it can cause high losses if the price starts to move in the opposite direction and the trader has not used a stop-loss order
• Investing involves growing your capital slowly and gradually by holding on to them.
• Traders aim to make quick profits
• Investors grow their capital with time but also get to enjoy other benefits such as dividends.
• Traders grow their capital by constantly looking for the right opportunities to execute their trades and prepare strategies for a successful trading journey
• Investing involves very little effort on a regular basis as investors are ready to hold on for a long period
• Trading requires a considerable amount of effort as this involves analyzing the markets thoroughly before you take a trade
• Investing requires identifying the right companies with a strong potential to grow in the future and understanding the company fundamentals before you take a long-term position on their shares
• Trading requires substantial analysis. It is popularly known as technical analysis which includes reading the charts and identifying patterns in the price movements of shares. It also includes preparing sound strategies to avoid losses or mistakes. The risk in trading is high with the leverage used and thus a trader needs to be careful
• Investing involves fundamental analysis
• Trading requires technical analysis
• Fundamental analysis requires checking the company’s financials, balance sheets, important ratios, and most importantly, their potential to grow with time
• Trading requires analyzing charts, identifying patterns emerging from price movements, using indicators to generate buying and selling signals, and keeping the daily market sentiment in check.