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The best plan for January 2022

TOP TIPS FOR TRADING CRYPTOCURRENCIES
If you’re interested in trading the major cryptocurrencies, whether long or short term, there are many factors to consider. Do you have a high risk tolerance; are you open to volatility? Do you want to add more cryptocurrencies to your portfolio, or do you want to progress to a new asset class in time? Do you want to go for a day trading strategy, or do you prefer position trading for a longer-term approach? The following tips are key:

Choose the Trading Style That’s Right for you
Choosing how you want to trade cryptocurrencies is the first decision you need to make before selecting the coins themselves. You need to decide whether to trade via derivatives or use an exchange:

Trading via Derivatives: When you trade cryptocurrencies via financial derivatives such as binary options, spread betting or CFDs (where allowed), you can speculate on their price without having to own the underlying coins.
Trading via an Exchange: Trading via an exchange you have to purchase the assets themselves, storing tokens in a digital wallet until you’re ready to sell. The trading fees you will have to pay can be significant. Most crypto exchanges are unregulated, meaning you have no protection if the exchange is hacked or However, derivatives platforms like IG are FCA-authorized, offering the protection of segregated accounts.
Get a Feel for the Market
Watching the trading patterns is key. Observe the market for a few weeks to get a feel of how the coin reacts to certain times of the day and week, and how it responds to market news and key events. This will help you work out patterns of trading, and how to limit losses and maximize gains.

Decide on a Strategy
Traders can choose strategies such as day trading, where positions are opened and closed within a day for quick profits, or go for a scalping strategy, taking small profits from a large number of trades. Other strategies include trend trading, swing trading, and position trading.

Keeping abreast of cryptocurrency news and watching the patterns of trading is key to gain an understanding of each coin. For more information on how to do this effectively, look at our Guide to Day Trading Bitcoin and Other Cryptocurrencies.

Manage Risks Through Stop Loss and Limit Orders
Risk management is a key consideration when trading cryptocurrencies, particularly as the markets can be so volatile. It is important to set stop losses and limit orders; decide how much you can afford to lose and make sure your trading plan reflects these decisions.

WHAT ARE THE TOP CRYPTOCURRENCIES TRADED WORLDWIDE?
The most popular cryptocurrencies are currently Bitcoin, Ethereum and Litecoin. These dominate the cryptocurrency market and are highly popular among traders and investors.

Bitcoin is inarguably the most famous cryptocurrency to date. Designed by an anonymous individual under the pseudonym ‘Satoshi Nakamoto’ in 2008, it is the biggest by some distance in terms of market capitalization.* It can be used as a medium of exchange, with companies in sectors ranging from travel to gift cards to jewelers having accepted Bitcoin as payment through anonymous transactions.

However, while there are some organizations that accept it as currency, others shy away due to Bitcoin’s dramatic price swings. Driven largely by speculation, the price per Bitcoin rose sharply from $1,151 in January 2017, to an all-time high of $19,783 in December the same year.* It then dropped to below $7,000 by February 2018 and rallied again to around $11,000 over a matter of days, before plunging once more to trade below $4,000. Subsequently, one of the key characteristics of Bitcoin that traders should understand is its potential for extreme volatility.