> **Definition**
>
> Market swings occur as traders and investors continuously act and react to upward and downward trends.

## What Is Swing Trading?

Swing trading seeks to generate profits from short- to intermediate-term price movements. Swing traders try to identify pockets of support or resistance, entering when the countertrend ends and the dominant trend resumes.  

Unlike [day traders](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/d/daytrader.asp), who often make many trades and close out all positions at the end of each day, swing traders look for bigger moves and hold their positions for longer periods.

### Key Takeaways

*   Swing trading targets short- to medium-term price movements over days to weeks.
*   Technical analysis tools include momentum oscillators such as the Relative Strength Index and the Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) indicator.
*   Most swing traders are individual traders, not institutional investors.

![Swing Trading](https://www.investopedia.com/thmb/i7FAX_XJIngkENWcFISKvctDeJU=/1080x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/Investopedia-terms-swing-trading-b9db461c5db14f2b8fd3a7278578f281.jpg)

*Positions are held for a few days to several weeks. — Madelyn Goodnight / Investopedia*

## Understanding Swing Trading

The fundamental principle of swing trading comes from the fact that markets rarely go straight up or down. Instead, they swing back and forth as they get to where they're going. Along the way, they establish higher highs and higher lows in an uptrend and lower highs and lower lows in a downtrend. This is due to [market psychology](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/m/marketpsychology.asp), which creates natural swings as traders and investors continuously act and react.

One of the keys to successful swing trading is using technical analysis to understand market cycles and patterns to identify turning points in these counter-trend moves. Commonly used tools include moving averages, momentum oscillators such as the Relative Strength Index, the [Moving Average Convergence Divergence](https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/122414/what-moving-average-convergence-divergence-macd-formula-and-how-it-calculated.asp) (MACD) indicator, and [support and resistance](https://www.investopedia.com/trading/support-and-resistance-basics/) levels formed by price action.

Swing traders try to enter positions at key support and resistance levels, with many choosing to wait until the reversal is underway before entering a trade. They also have well-defined targets for the trade, often seeking to exit just before or just as the move ends. While many swing traders target volatile stocks with wide price fluctuations, others choose stocks with more stable trends.

Because swing traders are looking to enter at reversal points and usually have well-defined profit targets, assessing each trade's risk/reward ratio is essential. While a trend trader might enter a rising market and hold on for as long as the market's going up, swing traders must determine beforehand exactly where they'll enter and exit, placing a tight [stop-loss order](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/s/stop-lossorder.asp) to minimize any losses.

For instance, depending on a particular method's win-loss ratio, many swing traders wouldn't risk $1 per share on a trade without a reasonable expectation of earning $3 from the win. On the other hand, risking $1 only to potentially make $0.75 is unwise unless your win-loss ratio is extremely high.

> **Important**
>
> Swing trading occupies a middle ground between day trading and position trading, which is driven more by fundamentals and involves holding on to positions for weeks or months at a time.

## Swing Trading Strategies

**Trend Pullbacks**: The trend is your friend, as the saying goes. This is why entering a short-term pullback from a strong trend, just as it reverses and the dominant trend resumes, is one of the most successful swing trading strategies. Early in a trend, swing traders may look to enter at a touch of the 8-day moving average, while others might want to wait for a bounce off the 20-day.

**Support and Resistance Trading**: This strategy recognizes critical price levels where an asset has previously met resistance or support. Traders anticipate prices will continue to bounce off these levels and thus set entry and exit points within zones of support and resistance.

**Breakout Trading**: The [breakout](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/b/breakout.asp) approach targets assets showing considerable price consolidation in a narrowing range, entering the trade when prices break above resistance or below support levels.

**Fibonacci Retracement**: Following a substantial price movement, traders may anticipate a partial retracement before the price resumes its initial movement direction. [Fibonacci retracement](https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/05/fibonacciretracement.asp) uses the "golden" ratios of 23.6%, 38.2%, 61.8%, and 161.8% to find potential reversal points. Fibonacci levels offer stronger signals when they align with other support or resistance, such as moving averages or previous reversals.

**Chart Patterns**: Experienced swing traders identify particular chart formations that signal reversals or trend continuations and offer built-in entry points that limit risk by clearly illustrating when a trade has failed. These include head-and-shoulders formations, double tops and bottoms, and flags and pennants.

> **Fast Fact**
>
> Though not derived from Fibonacci numbers, 50% and 100% are levels that are often considered just as significant.

## Example of Swing Trading

Let's follow a hypothetical swing trade in Apple Inc. (AAPL) based on the price chart shown:

![Image](https://www.investopedia.com/thmb/4AqmmeBqcEweFS42NJvjWjVCvjI=/1500x0/filters:no_upscale():max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/dotdash_Final_Swing_Trading_Definition_and_Tactics_Sep_2020-01-4a6d22bec15342ed8ad60170afda74ca.jpg)

*— Image by Sabrina Jiang © Investopedia 2020*

An experienced swing trader has been monitoring Apple stock. The stock has been trading sideways, roughly between $185 and $195, while forming a classic bullish [cup-and-handle pattern](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/cupandhandle.asp) in June and July. The pattern suggests an upside breakout, and the trader is looking for an opportunity to go long on a move over the short-term peak formed in late July.

Before committing to a trade, the trader analyzes other technical factors:

1.  They confirm that the longer-term trend has been bullish since at least May, with the stock rising from below $165 to the current range.
2.  The rectangle shallow pullback after the rally suggests accumulation, with neither buyers nor sellers able to take decisive control.
3.  Volume appears to be relatively stable.
4.  The stock is holding above its major moving averages.

In mid-July, the trader notices a possible breakout, with AAPL pushing decisively above $195 on increased volume. This technical signal aligns with their other observations, so they enter a long position at $196, setting a stop-loss at around $185 (just below the bottom of the handle formation). The stock then rallies more than 15% before consolidating.  

The trader sets a [profit target](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/p/profit-target.asp) between $205 and $210. As anticipated, AAPL continues its strong uptrend through the summer, surpassing the initial price target and climbing to $230 by early September. Rather than exiting the trade at the initial target, they decide to move up their stop-loss and ride the momentum, using the 20-day moving average as a [trailing stop](https://www.investopedia.com/terms/t/trailingstop.asp).

By mid-September, AAPL begins showing some signs of weakness, pulling back from its peak. This is the first significant pullback since the breakout, but the stock finds support around $216 (visible as the horizontal blue line on the chart). When the stock briefly rallies again in early October back toward $230, the trader recognizes certain warning signs:

*   The rally doesn't make a significant new high above the September peak
*   Technical indicators like RSI are showing negative divergence
*   Volume on the rally is lower than during the original advance

When AAPL drops below the $216 support level in mid-October, the trader exits their position at $215, capturing a gain of $19 per share, or 9.7%.

> **Important**
>
> Swing traders often use multiple indicators for confirmation. A trader might decide to go long when a stock reaches oversold levels on the Relative Strength Index (RSI), demonstrates positive divergence with the MACD, and also approaches a significant support level.

## Advantages and Disadvantages of Swing Trading

Pros

*   Less time pressure than day trading
    
*   Maximizes short-term profit potential by capturing the bulk of market swings
    
*   Can rely solely on technical analysis, simplifying the process
    
*   Avoids pattern day trader restrictions
    

Cons

*   Swing trade positions are subject to overnight and weekend market risk
    
*   Abrupt reversals can result in substantial losses
    
*   Can miss out on longer-term trends in favor of shorter-term moves
    
*   Demands more investment of time than long-term investing
    

## The Bottom Line

Swing trading leverages technical analysis and a market's natural ebb and flow to capture profit. By identifying zones of support and resistance in a trend or consolidation, swing traders hold on to positions for several days or weeks in order to fully capture the trend's momentum.

Unlike long-term investors who weather prolonged downturns or day traders who chase minute-by-minute volatility, swing traders occupy a middle ground. Yet swing trading demands both technical competence and emotional restraint—requiring traders to follow predetermined strategies rather than succumbing to hope, fear, or greed when positions move against them.

> **Article Sources**
>
> 1.  Schwab. "[Using Fibonacci Retracement Levels on thinkorswim](https://www.schwab.com/learn/story/using-fibonacci-retracement-levels-on-thinkorswim)."
>     
> 2.  Alexander Elder, via Google Books. “[Come Into My Trading Room: A Complete Guide to Trading](https://books.google.com/books?id=mna7CdjGdcYC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false),” Pages 191–192. John Wiley & Sons, 2002.