Trading basics
The foundations, without the jargon
Each lesson is short, written by a TradeCaster trader and linked to the glossary terms it uses.
Trading Basics
What Is Day Trading?
Day trading means opening and closing positions within the same session, so no position is carried overnight.
6 min · Elena Cruz · Updated March 2026
Trading Basics
How Day Trading Works
The mechanics behind an intraday trade: order routing, the spread, and why liquidity matters.
7 min · Marcus Obi · Updated February 2026
Trading Basics
Day Trading for Beginners
A realistic starting path: learn the vocabulary, size small, journal everything.
8 min · Priya Raman · Updated March 2026
Trading Basics
Cash vs Margin Account
How settlement and buying power differ, and where each account type limits your activity.
5 min · Elena Cruz · Updated January 2026
Trading Basics
The Pattern Day Trader Rule
What counts as a day trade, how the classification is triggered, and how traders work around it.
5 min · Elena Cruz · Updated February 2026
Trading Basics
Market Orders vs Limit Orders
Speed versus price control, and when each order type helps or hurts.
5 min · Marcus Obi · Updated March 2026
Trading Basics
Bid vs Ask
The two prices on every quote and what the gap between them tells you.
4 min · Marcus Obi · Updated January 2026
Market Structure
Understanding Volume
Volume shows participation. Relative volume shows whether today is unusual.
6 min · Amara Bell · Updated March 2026
Market Structure
Understanding Float
Why the number of freely tradable shares changes how violently a stock moves.
5 min · Dana Whitfield · Updated February 2026
Market Structure
What Causes a Trading Halt?
Volatility halts, news halts, and why the resumption is the risky part.
6 min · Ray Okafor · Updated March 2026
Trading Basics
How Short Selling Works
Borrowing to sell first, plus the specific risks that do not exist when going long.
7 min · Ray Okafor · Updated February 2026
Risk Management
Trading Risk Management
The framework that decides whether a strategy survives a losing streak.
8 min · Elena Cruz · Updated March 2026