To be sure, there are advantages and disadvantages of trading the various asset classes. As we said, stocks are great, especially for beginners, because they’re easy to understand and they are the most followed of all asset classes by the media. Traders can always get their hands on information about stocks due to increased technology. The bad part about stocks is the limited market hours (just 7.5 hours a day in the U.S.) and the ability of large banks and hedge funds to manipulate prices, adversely impacting smaller traders in the process.

Those are just a couple of the issues you’ll have to contend with in stocks, so let’s take a deeper look at futures compared to stocks and why futures trading may be the place to be.

More Hours, More Profits?

One of the great things about futures trading is that you trade 24 hours a day. Compare that to stocks and you’ll see just how limiting stock trading can be, especially if you’re a night owl living in the U.S. Futures can’t be traded 24 hours a day, but if you trade index futures such as Dow, S&P 500 and Nasdaq contracts, the trading day is far more extensive than that of stocks.

Futures trade electronically so there is no need for humans to be awake or present to ensure the market is operating smoothly. And since US stocks are so widely followed on a global basis, even when US markets close, traders in Asia and then in Europe “pick up the slack” and trade US index futures, so the market is moving, even after the sun goes down in New York. In addition, traders that like to stay up late can trade DAX and FTSE index futures to profit from moves in the German and British markets. Try doing that with regular US equities.

Bigger Profit Potential. Period.

The fact of the matter is that trading futures can result in bigger profits faster than trading stocks. Look at the comparison like this. If you’re a retail day-trader, the SEC requires you to have $25,000 in your brokerage and your broker extends you $100,000 in buying power. The amount of leverage you get as a retail day-trader will always be four times your initial capital deposit.

Now $100,000 may sound like a lot of money, and it is, but it’s not a lot of money to trade stocks with. If you’re trading a $50 stock, the most shares you could trade at any time is 2,000. So if you wanted to make $2,000, you would need that stock to move $1 and that could take a while. Seasoned futures can make $2,000 in the blink of an eye with just a couple of ticks. See, that’s the beauty of leverage. When you know how to properly harness and exploit leverage the way good futures traders do, you stand to make more money faster than you would with stocks.

Lots of Versatility

When you’re an active trader of stocks, all you can trade is common stock. Yes, there are choices regarding what sector you focus on, but switching from tech stocks to energy stocks just isn’t the same as being able to go from index futures to crude oil or gold futures. Not to mention, there is no “mini” alternative with stocks. If you want to trade smaller, you simply lower the amount of shares you trade. Doing this obviously lowers your profit horizons, which happens with the Eminis as well, but even the Emini futures pack a bigger profit punch than traditional stocks.

At the end of the day, we’re not going to malign stocks and if that’s where you’re comfortable, stick with it. Chances are, though, as you learn more about the advantages of futures, you’ll want to learn more about this alluring asset class and get into the game yourself.

Let’s Settle the Debate: Futures or Stocks When it Comes to Trading? is a post from: Trading Course - Stock Exchange Trading - Trade Stocks Online

www.todaytrader.com.Day trading in stocks is both risky and difficult. Please consult your financial advisor before attempting to trade actively. TodayTrader is not responsible for any content that may be viewed on this channel. These videos are not meant to be recommendations in the market. Day trading equities requires a retail account balance of at least 000 and must remain at or above this level to trade stocks actively. This website is not a solicitation to buy or sell securities, options, or futures. The purpose of this content is educational only.

Online Trading and Stock Market discussion for the day March 10 is a post from: Trading Course - Stock Exchange Trading - Trade Stocks Online

www.todaytrader.com.Day trading in stocks is both risky and difficult. Please consult your financial advisor before attempting to trade actively. TodayTrader is not responsible for any content that may be viewed on this channel. These videos are not meant to be recommendations in the market. Day trading equities requires a retail account balance of at least 000 and must remain at or above this level to trade stocks actively. This website is not a solicitation to buy or sell securities, options, or futures. The purpose of this content is educational only.

Day Trading Live Online Stocks Learn Live May 6 is a post from: Trading Course - Stock Exchange Trading - Trade Stocks Online

www.todaytrader.com.Day trading in stocks is both risky and difficult. Please consult your financial advisor before attempting to trade actively. TodayTrader is not responsible for any content that may be viewed on this channel. These videos are not meant to be recommendations in the market. Day trading equities requires a retail account balance of at least 000 and must remain at or above this level to trade stocks actively. This website is not a solicitation to buy or sell securities, options, or futures. The purpose of this content is educational only.

Online Trading Stock Market discussion for April 6, 2010 is a post from: Trading Course - Stock Exchange Trading - Trade Stocks Online

www.todaytrader.com.Day trading in stocks is both risky and difficult. Please consult your financial advisor before attempting to trade actively. TodayTrader is not responsible for any content that may be viewed on this channel. These videos are not meant to be recommendations in the market. Day trading equities requires a retail account balance of at least 000 and must remain at or above this level to trade stocks actively. This website is not a solicitation to buy or sell securities, options, or futures. The purpose of this content is educational only.

Online Trading for Stock Market action on Jan 26 is a post from: Trading Course - Stock Exchange Trading - Trade Stocks Online

www.todaytrader.com.Day trading in stocks is both risky and difficult. Please consult your financial advisor before attempting to trade actively. TodayTrader is not responsible for any content that may be viewed on this channel. These videos are not meant to be recommendations in the market. Day trading equities requires a retail account balance of at least 000 and must remain at or above this level to trade stocks actively. This website is not a solicitation to buy or sell securities, options, or futures. The purpose of this content is educational only.

Short Term Day Trading online in the Stock Market May 18 is a post from: Trading Course - Stock Exchange Trading - Trade Stocks Online

www.tradingfives.com Learn to Trade Stocks From the Experts. Why getting an expert stock trading course of proven technical analysis techniques and chart patterns and focusing on only a few may be the fastest way to learn how to trade stocks, futures, and forex pairs.

Learn How To Trade Stocks From The Experts is a post from: Trading Course - Stock Exchange Trading - Trade Stocks Online

www.todaytrader.com.Day trading in stocks is both risky and difficult. Please consult your financial advisor before attempting to trade actively. TodayTrader is not responsible for any content that may be viewed on this channel. These videos are not meant to be recommendations in the market. Day trading equities requires a retail account balance of at least 000 and must remain at or above this level to trade stocks actively. This website is not a solicitation to buy or sell securities, options, or futures. The purpose of this content is educational only.

Short Term Trading Online day Trading Stocks and Help Live is a post from: Trading Course - Stock Exchange Trading - Trade Stocks Online

Live real time trading video from my screen. Learn from my winners and my losers with commentary. Direct access and Level 2 is better than using a broker I think. I use software filters and setups on the chart to determine what trades I enter. Use this video as a virtual coach for your day trading goals. It’s not easy, but this demo shows you that it can be done day after day for small consistent profits. No secrets, just years of wisdom to share with you all.

Watch live online stock trading strategies Dec 12 Part 2 is a post from: Trading Course - Stock Exchange Trading - Trade Stocks Online

www.todaytrader.com.Day trading in stocks is both risky and difficult. Please consult your financial advisor before attempting to trade actively. TodayTrader is not responsible for any content that may be viewed on this channel. These videos are not meant to be recommendations in the market. Day trading equities requires a retail account balance of at least 000 and must remain at or above this level to trade stocks actively. This website is not a solicitation to buy or sell securities, options, or futures. The purpose of this content is educational only.

Online Trading – Day and Swing Positions in the Stock Market Feb 5, 2010 is a post from: Trading Course - Stock Exchange Trading - Trade Stocks Online