What are the easiest and hardest to trade?

[expensif]

What's the easiest to start with for a newbie?
Is it easier to trade forex than shares? Indices?
Or is every kind of instrument just as hard?

 

[Rhody Trader]

You may get some responses recommending this market to trade, or that one to avoid. I think, however, that you need to evaluate your situation first. What market(s) can you actually trade and in what timeframe(s)? How much time can you (and do you intend to) devote to the trading and during what time(s) of day?

If you can answer that, you can narrow the list of realistic trading options down.

For example, you would have a hard time daytrading US stocks if you can't be active during a sizable portion of the US trading day, but maybe your schedule works out so you could daytrade forex or one of the futures markets.

 

[Rhody Trader]

I agree 1000%. One could say the same about any illiquid market, in fact.

 

[techst]

I would believe that UK stocks are eaiser than forex. Pitch yourself against the less well-informed investors/traders like middle aged englishmen from all career backgrounds like policeman,doctors,accountants,managers of most small uk companies. These types think forex is a brand of condom and will only play the UK stock market. It just tilts the odds in your favor a little.

 

[Bigbusiness]

I mainly trade the US indicies, as I was able to get a lot of intra-day data and charts to work out strategies. It helps having seen this happen lots of times before on FOMC days.

 

[Tuffty]

What are the easiest and hardest to trade?

If one assumes that the markets are fairly efficient then the question is redundant. i.e. there is no thing as easiest and hardest.

 

[Rhody Trader]

Not all markets are equally efficient. Unfortunately, those which tend not to be as efficient also tend not to be overly liquid and should not be considered for trading by newbies.

 

[wasp]

Would have to say UK stocks as the easiest. That much slower and smaller movements allow for 'slow motion' trading to make things easier whilst learning and mistakes aren't tooo costly!

As for hardest, would have to agree with exotic.

 

[expensif]

what about oil or gold?

 

[Rhody Trader]

Oil can be extremely volatile. Just look at some of the recent price moves. Gold tends to be a bit smoother. Again, though, you have to consider timeframe.

 

[millsy500]

On the first steps board, can we make a rule, simple answers to simple questions, instead of having to put up with peoples egos?

Many thanks in advance Millsy