Hi Jayesh, this question makes me feel very much nostalgic. It reminds me of my old days, when I had started my journey in the stock markets. I always used to have this question behind mind, and I used to ask myself as well as the experts in the markets, that what is the right approach to get started in stock market. Should I start with live trading directly or should I first start with virtual trading and take some experience and then jump into the markets.
Frankly speaking I never got a unanimous answer on this. When it comes to fundamental knowledge of the stock market, I was very confident, however was afraid of putting my hard-earned money in stock markets without having any practical knowledge of trading. As it is rightly said that getting knowledge is one thing and when you apply that knowledge in practical its very different. So, finally I took a call what my heart and mind guided me, and as result I started my journey into markets by trading virtually.
During virtual trading, I used to maintain a checklist, which later helped me a lot in my live trading.
- Doing my homework in advance, where I used to identify stocks and sectors. Understanding the behavior of the markets.
- Maintaining proper risk and reward ratio.
- Started maintaining my trade book.
- Following strict stop-loss and maintaining discipline.
- Not getting greedy and if I was not able to understand the direction of the markets, then I never used to stay away from the markets.
- Analyzing my mistakes and creating a winning strategy for future.
Some of the sites which you can refer for virtual trading.
- Trading View
- Money Bhai
- TrakInvest
- DalalStreet
- Investopedia stock simulator.
So, I personally feel anyone who is new to markets and don't want to risk their capital, they should first start their journey by trading virtually. This will help you build your confidence, allows you to practice techniques and strategies needed to be a successful trader. Once you are confident enough, then gradually shift to live trading.
