Have you ever seen someone post about making thousands in a single day from trading crypto or forex?

If you’ve been tempted to jump in and try it for yourself, here’s the truth that rarely gets mentioned:

Most beginners blow their entire trading accounts in the first week.

Why?

Because they go in without a plan.

In this beginner-friendly guide, I’ll show you exactly how to start day trading using simple strategies, proven tools, and a risk-managed system.

If you’re serious about trading in 2025 — this is where you start.

What is Day Trading?

Day trading is a trading strategy where a trader buys and sells financial instruments — such as cryptocurrencies, forex pairs, stocks, or indices — within the same trading day to profit from small price movements.

In simpler terms:

You open and close your trade on the same day, often within minutes or hours, so you don’t hold any positions overnight.

The key features of Day Trading:

• Short-Term Focus: Trades can last from a few minutes to a few hours.
• Multiple Trades per Day: Day traders often enter and exit several trades daily.
• No Overnight Risk: Since positions are closed before the market ends (or in crypto’s case, before your trading session ends), you avoid surprises from overnight news or market gaps.
• Leverage: Many day traders use leverage to increase their buying power (e.g., 10x, 20x), which amplifies both gains and losses.
• Technical Analysis: Most decisions are based on charts, indicators, and price action — not long-term news or fundamentals.

For example, let’s say you notice Bitcoin has formed a bullish breakout pattern on the 15-minute chart.

You enter a long trade at $30,000, and set a take-profit at $30,300 and a stop-loss at $29,950.

Price hits your take-profit in 30 minutes. Trade closed.

The same applies to forex pairs like EUR/USD or synthetic indices like Volatility 75.

You made a profit — all within the day.

That’s day trading in action.

Day Trading vs. Other Strategies

Let’s quickly break it down:

• Scalping involves buying and selling within a very short period.
• Day trading is when you buy and sell within the same day to profit from small market moves.
• Swing trading means holding trades for several days or weeks.
• Investing is long-term — months or even years.

Whether you are a crypto or Forex trader, day trading works for you.

Talking about crypto and Forex, we will compare the two to help newbies make an informed decision.

Crypto vs. Forex: Which Market Should You Start With?

I personally trade both, but here’s a quick comparison to help you choose:

Beginner Tip:

• Start with crypto if you want more flexibility or trade on weekends.
• Choose forex if you prefer a calmer, more structured market.
• If you’re starting with $50–$100, either market can work, as long as you manage risk well.

Broker recommendation:

• For crypto, I use Bybit — great for small accounts.
• For forex, I use ExcoTrader — they offer ultra-low spreads on ECN accounts.

Next, we will be looking at the tools that you will need to start trading.

The Tools You Will Need to Start Trading

Here’s your basic toolkit (don’t worry, most of them are free):

1. Charting Platform

Use TradingView to analyze price movements. It’s beginner-friendly and has a free version.

Read this post to know how to navigate the platform.

2. Broker/Trading Platform

• Bybit for crypto (start with as little as $10)
• ExcoTrader for forex (gives you access to MetaTrader 4)
• Alternatives: IC Markets, Eightcap (for traders outside Nigeria)

3. Risk Calculator

Use a tool like the FxCryptoCalculator to calculate your position size and risk per trade.

4. Demo Account

Always practice on a demo account before trading live. Bybit and Exco offer free demos.

Now that I have shown what to trade with, I will let you in on a simple strategy to start trading.

A Simple Strategy to Start Trading (even as a Beginner)

This 3-step strategy is great for beginners:

1. Structure – Look for a break of structure on the 15-minute chart.
   Only count it if the candle body closes above/below the previous high/low.
2. Retracement – Use Fibonacci and wait for the price to pull back to the 0.618 level (golden zone).
3. Confirmation – Use the Stochastic RSI to confirm the entry direction.

A sample trade flow:
Break of structure → Pullback to 0.618 → Stochastic RSI turns in your direction = Entry
Set your stop loss just below the swing low, and aim for 2X or 3X reward.

Your Beginner Action Plan

Here’s your quick-start checklist:

• Choose your market — Crypto or Forex
• Pick your platform — Bybit or ExcoTrader
• Start with a demo account
• Use the FxCryptoCalculator to manage risk
• Stick to ONE simple strategy
• Backtest it
• Journal every trade
• Join the Telegram (crypto & forex) for daily setups and support

Risk Management and Trading Psychology

This is where 90% of traders fail. hence the need for my 2-part series (1 & 2) on it

See, you don’t need to win every trade.

What you need is a strategy that gives you more when you win than you lose.

For example, if you risk 2% per trade and win just 4 out of 10 trades (with a 1:3 RRR), you’ll still come out profitable.

Your focus should be on:

• Backtesting your strategy
• Journaling each trade (there’s a free template linked in the Telegram)
• Having a red-day rule (e.g., stop after 2 losses)

In the next subheading, I took my time to answer some of the FAQs I have gotten from beginners about trading.

Read up and learn.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) About Trading

Final Thoughts: It’s Not About Luck — It’s About Process

Most people quit trading because they start with the wrong expectations.

But now, you know better.

• You know the tools.
• You know how to choose your market.
• You know a strategy that works.
• And you understand the importance of risk management, discipline, and journaling.

So the question is — will you follow through?

If yes, you’re already ahead of 90% of new traders.

Your next step? Stick to the process.

And when you’re ready to level up — I’ll show you how to find high-probability setups and grow with confidence.

Want daily setups and updates?

Join our Discord channel for trade signals, live classes, and beginner support.

See you in my next post.