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13 Best Trading Books for Beginner and Advanced Traders

• 11 mins read ●
• Published: 27 May 2022
• Last Updated: 11 December 2023

Many people are looking for different ways to succeed in trading. Some take an online course, a private mentor or decide to set a predetermined budget they can afford to lose in order to learn how to trade.

But in all cases, trading books are a great addition to any method or trading strategy you decide to take. These books can provide in-depth information, from technical analysis and trading psychology to understanding the dynamics of the markets and picking the right financial instrument.

To offer more specific insights into trading books, we have divided them into four categories + a bonus one.

Top Technical Analysis Trading Books

Top forex trading books, top stock trading books, top trading psychology books, bonus: additional trading books we recommend.

So, if you are looking for the best trading books you can find out there, then you’ve landed on the right page. Below, we have listed the top 13 trading books of all time for beginner and advanced traders.

Top 13 Trading Books of All Time

As expected, there are many trading books out there that can help you expand your trading knowledge.

Some of the books are fictional and tell you stories of other traders’ experiences, while other books are more practical and show different techniques and trading strategies to succeed as a trader . Of course, there’s no right or wrong, and it all depends on what you are looking for. 

So, with that in mind, here is our list of picking the right book for you based on the price, level, user reviews, and popularity:

• The Art and Science of Technical Analysis
• Charting and Technical Analysis
• Technical Analysis of the Financial Markets
• The Art of Currency Trading
• Day Trading and Swing Trading the Currency Market
• Fundamentals Of Currency Trading
• Reminiscences of a Stock Operator
• A Beginner’s Guide to the Stock Market
• Learn to Trade Momentum Stocks
• The Daily Trading Coach
• The Disciplined Trader
• How to Day Trade for a Living
• Market Wizards

Here are the top trading books about technical analysis:

1. The Art and Science of Technical Analysis: Market Structure, Price Action, and Trading Strategies

Author: Adam Grimes

The art and science of technical analysis is a must-read for every trader who wants to become a technical analysis expert. The book was published in 2012 by Adam Grimes and offers insights into profitable technical analysis, chart patterns , and trading strategies. 

Price: ranges from $40-$95 (e-book or print)

Best for beginners who want to learn the basics of technical analysis

Level: Beginners and intermediate

Amazon score: 4.7 out of 5

Why did we choose this book?

“ Rather than remain safely high on cliche and low of detail, the book is rich with specific set-ups and engaging commentary. “

2. Charting and Technical Analysis

Author: Fred McAllen

Another top-notch book about technical analysis is Charting and Technical Analysis by Fred McAllen. In this book, McAllen provides lots of information about technical analysis strategies, entry and exit levels, and setting stops and taking profits. Though the reviews indicate that the quality of the images is poor, it is still one of the favorite trading educational books you can find in the market.

Price: $14.95 (paperback), $49.95 (hardcover)

Best for traders who want to expand their technical analysis knowledge

Level: All levels

Amazon score: 4.6 out of 5

“Very concise, short and straight to the point: I’ve loved that about this book! It contains the most important advices that one as a beginner investor in stocks can have. It doesn’t make it complicated but very simple so one does not get lost in between the charts and the bunch of information. “

3. Technical Analysis of the Financial Markets: A Comprehensive Guide to Trading Methods and Applications

Author: John J. Murphy  

Technical Analysis of the Financial Markets is considered a classic book to learn about… you guessed it – technical analysis of the financial markets. With 576 pages to read, this is a detailed book that contains everything you need to know about technical analysis, including chart construction, chart analysis, chart patterns , and technical indicators . 

Price: $49.99 (hardcover)

Best for all types of traders who are looking for a comprehensive technical analysis book

“ The bible of TA, must for every trader even if you don’t believe it works because thousands do and they move the markets since algos predict those reactions and drive momentum. “

Here are the top trading books about forex and foreign exchange trading

1. The Art of Currency Trading: A Professional’s Guide to the Foreign Exchange Market

Author: Brent Donnelly  

The Art of Currency Trading is a comprehensive book that helps traders understand how the forex market works and how to trade currencies profitably. Written by Brent Donnelly, who has been a successful interbank forex trader for more than two decades, the book covers a wide variety of topics, including different trading strategies, fundamental analysis tips, and techniques to become a successful trader. 

Price: $36.99 (hardcover), $39 (Kindle)

Best book to understand the forex market

Level: Beginners

“The Art of Currency Trading is the best book on general trading principles I know. It contains non-BS guidance on technical analysis, behavioral finance, risk management, and more.”

2. Day Trading and Swing Trading the Currency Market

Author: Kathy Lien 

If you plan to focus on day and swing trading in the foreign exchange market, this book could certainly be helpful for you. Kathy Lien’s book focuses on both technical and fundamental analysis and suggests different strategies to make short-term profits when trading currency pairs. 

Price: $35.62 (used) – $99.95 (new)

Best for forex day and swing traders

Amazon score: 4.1 out of 5

“ Day Trading and Swing Trading the Currency Market gives forex traders the strategies and skills they need to approach this highly competitive arena on an equal footing with major institutions. “

3. Fundamentals Of Currency Trading: Mastering Technical Analysis, Fundamental Analysis, Trading Psychology and Risk Management

Author: Karen Foo 

This book, written by Karen Foo, is not as popular as many trading books, but it certainly covers all aspects of forex trading. So, if you’re going to read one book about forex trading, then this book could be the book of choice for you.

In this book, Karen Foo shares her insights on technical and fundamental analysis, trading psychology, and risk management . Foo also explains the process of finding a forex brokerage firm, creating a forex trading plan template , and how to find useful websites for forex traders. 

Price: $28.8 (paperback)

Best overall book to learn forex trading 

Amazon score: 4.8 out of 5

“Fundamentals Of Currency Trading book is a must-read for anyone looking to take their currency trading to the next level.”

Below, you can find the top stocks trading books:

1. Reminiscences of a Stock Operator

Author: Edwin Lefèvre

Published in 1923, the Reminiscences of a Stock Operator remains, until today, a must-read book for any trader who wants to enter the trading arena. The book, which was written by one of the greatest traders of all time, Edwin Lefèvre, tells the story of Jesse Livermore, who allegedly earned and lost millions of dollars at the beginning of 20 century. 

Though the book is fictional and does not contain many practical trading tips, it is a valuable book for stock traders and investors. 

Price: $12.94 (paperback)

Best trading fiction book

“Reminiscences of a Stock Operator is the most widely read, highly recommended investment book ever.”

2. A Beginner’s Guide to the Stock Market: Everything You Need to Start Making Money Today

Author: Matthew R. Kratter

If you are a beginner who wants to start trading stocks, then this book is for you. The author Matthew R. Kratter, a former hedge fund manager, explains the essential things you need to know to make the first steps in the stock market.

Inside the book, you will find explanations about how to find a brokerage firm and open a trading account, place an order, read stock price quotes, and more.

Price: $6.99 (paperback)

Best overall book to learn stock trading 

Amazon score: 4.4 out of 5

“ This is truly a great book for someone who is interested in trading but does not know much about it. It’s easy to follow and gives sensible logical advice.” 

3. Learn to Trade Momentum Stocks

Learn How Trade Momentum Stocks is another excellent book by Matthew R. Kratter that shows a unique investment strategy – finding and trading momentum stocks. At just 76 pages, this is a short stock trading book, offering readers a new trading strategy to trade the markets. By finding the current financial trends in the stock market, Kratter’s book explains how this trading system works and what is the magic formula to evaluate the intrinsic value of stocks and better understand value investing. 

Best to learn how to trade momentum stocks

Level: intermediate and advanced

“ This was a simple to follow book on momentum trading. An easy way to decide if the subject interests you. “

Below you can find the top trading psychology books:

1. The Daily Trading Coach: 101 Lessons for Becoming Your Own Trading Psychologist

Author: Brett N. Steenbarger 

In The Daily Trading Coach, Brett N. Steenberger showcases his ways to control emotions and overcome the challenges traders face in reaching their targets. It is a simply written book with 101 lessons that provide lots of information and tips to help you become a successful trader. 

Price: $27 (Kindle), $28.11 (hardcover), and $9.99 (MP3)

Best for trading psychology tips

“ The beauty of this book is that it teaches you to coach yourself. The author is a trader and psychologist, and he coaches professional traders. His goal with this book is to teach his readers how to coach themselves to success with the same techniques he teaches the pros to use. “

2. The Disciplined Trader: Developing Winning Attitudes

Author: Mark Douglas

The Disciplined Trader, written by Mark Douglas, is considered one of the most classical trading books that explain the complexity of the psychology of trading and the importance of mental discipline required to succeed in trading.

In this book, Douglas explains the causes why the vast majority of traders cannot maintain consistently profitable trading methods and suggests different techniques to develop a disciplined trading routine. Much like another famous trading book, The Intelligent Investor, the Disciplined Trader provides unique investment strategies and the basic principles to trade successfully. 

Price: $26.58 (hardcover), $30.49 (Kindle)

Best for developing trading discipline

Level: All level

“ Mark Douglas hits a home run with this book. It’s a must have for traders to advance their trading by dealing into the “Why” of the decisions we make as traders. “

3. How to Day Trade for a Living: A Beginner’s Guide to Trading Tools and Tactics, Money Management, Discipline and Trading Psychology

Author: Andrew Aziz

How to Day Trade for a Living, written by Andrew Aziz, is a favorite of many who have read it and is considered one of the most comprehensive and practical trading books out there.

Aziz, a Canadian trader and official Forbes Business Council member, covers all aspects of day trading , including chart patterns, risk management, discipline, and trading psychology .

Though the book primarily focuses on the stock and futures markets, it is a precious book for all traders who need tools and guidance on how to control their trading emotions and maintain a disciplined trading strategy.

Price: $15.99 (paperback)

Best book for day traders 

Amazon score: 4.5 out of 5

“ Very well laid plans for beginners who want to begin their career in trading. Breaking myths and misconceptions for impulsive traders. More than buying and selling, it’s more important how you deal with your risk and rewards. “

4. Market Wizards: Interviews with Top Traders

Author: Jack D. Schwager

The Market Wizards, which was originally published in 1989, is a collection of interviews with dozens of successful traders who share their insights and stories about the trading world.

This book includes a T-bond futures trader who succeeded in leveraging $25,000 into $2 billion in a single day . It is a classic read that has gained success and positive reviews over the years and is said by many to be one of the most valuable books for traders. 

Due to the success of Schwager’s first book, he has published four more books since then with the same concept of interviews with successful traders: The New Market Wizards, Stock Market Wizards, Hedge Fund Market Wizards (2012), and The Little Book of Market Wizards (2014).

Price: $26.73 (hardcover), $16.00 (Kindle)

Best for getting insights from successful traders

“A must read for any serious investor. This book is filled with wisdom from start to finish – for both novice and advanced traders. One will also find that much of this wisdom applies to any career.”

In this bonus section, we share additional trading books on swing trading, futures trading and options trading. Check them out in your free time to level up your knowledge.

Swing Trading Books

Swing trading is the most popular way for individual traders and investors to make extra income in trading. To help you get your hands on one or two books needed to start swing trading, you can find the best swing trading books in this blog post:

10 Most Recommended Swing Trading Books for All Levels of Traders

Futures Trading Books

Futures trading is the most liquid and advanced market out there, but it also provides a sophisticated type of trading with access to exchanges, a wide variety of assets, and asset trading with different expiration dates. To learn more about this, you can find the best futures trading books in this blog post:

Top 8 Futures Trading Books in 2023

Options Trading Books

Options trading is perhaps the riskiest and yet the most exciting form of trading.  As an options trader , you first need to recognize that options are meant for hedging and as a protection tool for an investment portfolio. Unlike futures trading, which has a narrow range of books, there are many options trading books for new and experienced investors. Learn more in this blog post:

10 Best Options Trading Books in 2023

Over to you

To sum up, each of the books above can help you improve your trading skills and expand your knowledge, no matter which market you decide to focus on.

By reading trading books, taking an online course , and watching stock movies and trading documentary films , you can gain the knowledge to start your trading journey. Furthermore, you can also sign up for our trading academy , where you can discuss with our professional trading coaches and watch real live trading examples.

Risk Disclosure: The information provided in this article is not intended to give financial advice, recommend investments, guarantee profits, or shield you from losses. Our content is only for informational purposes and to help you understand the risks and complexity of these markets by providing objective analysis. Before trading, carefully consider your experience, financial goals, and risk tolerance. Trading involves significant potential for financial loss and isn't suitable for everyone.

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18 Best Books for Stock Traders 2024: Rated & Ranked

The best trading books ever written!

Our hand-picked list of the best books for traders includes The Encyclopedia of Chart Patterns, Technical Analysis Explained, Technical Analysis of the Financial Markets, Dark Pools, and Reminiscences of a Stock Operator.

Editors Picks: 5 Essential Books for Traders

☆ Research You Can Trust ☆ My analysis, research and testing stems from 25 years of trading experience and my Financial Technician Certification with the International Federation of Technical Analysts .

• Encyclopedia of Chart Patterns
• Technical Analysis of the Financial Markets
• Technical Analysis Explained
• Reminiscences of a Stock Operator

As a professional market analysis, this hand-picked list contains only high-quality books I have personally read. I also include publications recommended by the Chartered Market Technician and the International Federation of Technical Analysts , of which I am a member.

To be a top trader, you must read the best books covering technical analysis, quantitative analysis, backtesting, and forecasting. Traders also need to understand trading techniques from successful traders.

1. The Encylopedia of Chart Patterns

The Encyclopedia of Chart Patterns by Tom Bulkowski details the reliability and success rates of 65 chart patterns and shows you how to trade them; for any serious pattern trader, this is an indispensable book.

It is an indispensable resource for traders and investors looking to increase profitability by taking advantage of stock chart patterns . This comprehensive reference book contains in-depth explanations and detailed illustrations of more than 65 pattern types, including how to trade highly profitable patterns like the Head and Shoulders , Double Bottoms , Wedges , Flags , Triple Bottom , and Triangle .

The book begins with an introduction to charting basics, including recognizing trends, support, resistance levels, and other technical analysis tools . It then dives into a discussion of the various pattern types, offering clear descriptions of how to identify them in the markets and practical advice on when it is appropriate to act.

Complete with decades of chart pattern testing , The Encyclopedia of Chart Patterns is a critical resource for trading success.

2. Technical Analysis of the Financial Markets

Technical Analysis of the Financial Markets is the best trading book because it teaches you every aspect of charting and technical analysis and provides deep insight into how finance works.

John Murphy’s “Technical Analysis of the Financial Markets” is a comprehensive guide to using technical analysis to trade stocks, bonds, and commodities.

The book covers everything from interpreting charts and trend lines to advanced techniques such as Elliott Wave analysis. Murphy provides real-world examples to illustrate how technical analysis can be used to identify and trade market opportunities.

He also includes several helpful appendices, including one that lists all the indicators and oscillators used in the book.

A very valuable contribution to the understanding of technical analysis of the financial markets, this book is a must-have for the technical trader.

This book is a prerequisite reading for any serious or professional technical analyst and is a core IFTA exam syllabus for the (International Federation of Technical Analysts).

Tip: If you want to trade the financial markets using technical analysis, our stock charting service is TradingView .

3. Technical Analysis Explained

Everything a stock trader needs to know about the financial system is contained within Technical Analysis Explained, an absolute classic and must-study book for serious traders. Martin Pring’s Technical Analysis Explained is a comprehensive guide to understanding and using technical analysis to predict and trade future stock prices.

This book is one of the bibles of technical analysis and one of the best. Pring is a popular technical analyst, and the depth of the value of this book is unmistakable.

This book is a prerequisite read for any serious or professional technical analyst. It is the core IFTA exam syllabus for the (International Federation of Technical Analysts) of which I am certified.

The book covers all the basics of technical analysis, from trendlines and channels to oscillators and candlestick charts. It also explains in-depth some of the most popular technical indicators, such as moving averages, OBV , MACD, and RSI. Pring includes numerous case studies to illustrate how technical analysis can be used to predict price movements. Overall, “Technical Analysis Explained” is an excellent introduction to technical analysis for investors of all experience levels.

4. Dark Pools

One of the best books for traders is Dark Pools because it enables you to understand you cannot compete with the machines. Machines make 80% of stock trades; how can you compete? Dark Pools is an excellent book detailing how robots manage your investments and that AI algorithms execute 80% of all trades.

A dark pool is a private securities market, typically operated by a broker-dealer, where participants can trade large blocks of shares anonymously, thus reducing the market impact of their trades.

The book Dark Pools tells the story of the rise of these mysterious markets and the battle between the New York Stock Exchange and the upstart electronic exchanges to control them. It also tells the stories of people who have made and lost fortunes in this shadowy world.

Where are your investment retirement accounts, IRAs, and 401Ks invested? In the stock market. So, you must get an understanding of the current state of the stock market and what drives price fluctuations.

Scott Patterson educates us all on the rise of machines and the artificial intelligence algorithms that run on them. While the book lacks details on how AI actually works, the discussion around the rise and impact of AI trading is enlightening and shocking.

As our stock market statistics research article discussed, Bot’s or AI algorithms are estimated to be responsible for 80% of stock market trading. Learn more about AI and what you can do about it in this excellent book.

5. Reminiscences of a Stock Operator

Reminiscences of a Stock Operator is a legendary stock trading book covering how markets really work behind the scenes. The book details fear, greed, market making, and manipulation by one of the greatest investors of the 19th century.

The book offers advice on when to buy and sell stocks, deal with losses, and stay disciplined in the market. It also includes anecdotes about Livermore’s personal life and trading experiences.

This book is great for traders interested in the legendary stock trader Jesse Livermore’s experiences during the 1920s and the great depression.

Reminiscences of a Stock Operator is, in my opinion, one of the most important books on stock trading, and it is still relevant today.

Livermore’s life was a story of riches to ruins and back again, which unfortunately ended with him committing suicide. The life of Livermore and the behavior of financial markets is well worth the time you invest in this classic book.

6. Forecasting Financial Markets

“Forecasting Financial Markets” by Tony Plummer is a guide to forecasting financial markets intended for individual and institutional investors.

The book begins by discussing the importance of forecasting and describes different forecasting methods, including technical analysis, fundamental analysis , and sentiment analysis.

Each method is explained in detail, with examples of how it can be used to predict market trends . The book also includes a risk management section covering position sizing, risk tolerance, and hedging. Overall, “Forecasting Financial Markets” provides a comprehensive overview of financial forecasting and is a valuable resource for investors of all levels of experience.

7. Cloud Charts

The book Cloud Charts is about trading with the Ichimoku Technique. Author David Linton is a trader, respected technical analyst, and the author of two other books on technical analysis.

The Ichimoku Technique is a technical analysis method that relies on four indicators to determine when to buy or sell a security. The Ichimoku Technique can be used to trade stocks , futures, commodities, and forex.

The book describes how cloud charts work and how they can be used together to make trading decisions.

It also includes case studies of how the technique is used for trading various securities. Overall, the book provides a comprehensive guide to using the Ichimoku Technique for trading success.

Recognized as an authority on Cloud Charts, David Linton’s book on Ichimoku Techniques is core IFTA reading.

8. Quantitative Trading Systems

Building a robust trading system is essential to success if you are serious about trading. This is precisely what Quants (Quantitative Analysts) do for their day job.

Quantitative Trading Systems Practical Methods for Design, Testing, and Validation by Dr. Howard B. Bandy is a book about developing and using quantitative trading systems in the financial markets.

The book covers many topics, from basic concepts to more advanced strategies. One of the key points made by the author is that a successful quantitative trading system is not simply a set of mechanical rules but must be tailored to the individual trader’s risk tolerance and investment goals.

The book includes numerous examples and case studies to illustrate the concepts discussed.

9. Japanese Candlestick Charting Techniques

From the man who introduced candlestick charting to the West, this is the updated 2nd edition of the original.

The book “Japanese Candlestick Charting Techniques” by Steve Nison is a guide to understanding and using candlestick charts to predict stock prices. The book starts by introducing candlesticks and explaining the different parts of each candle.

It then discusses using candlesticks to identify trends, reversals, and price patterns. The book includes several case studies to help illustrate how candlesticks can be used in real-world trading situations.

Candlestick charts are used routinely today and are essential to building your charting methodology. Candlesticks give insights into short-term supply and demand scenarios and enhance the speed of pattern recognition.

If you are interested in Japanese Candlestick charting, read our guide to candlesticks or learn more about  automated candlestick pattern recognition services .

10. R N Elliott’s Masterworks

The book “R N Elliott’s Masterworks, the Definitive Collection” by Robert Prechter is a compilation of the work of R N Elliott, the father of Elliott Wave Theory.

The book contains Elliott’s most important articles and covers everything from the basics of Elliott Wave Theory to advanced topics.

Overall, the book provides a comprehensive overview of Elliott Wave Theory and is a great resource for anyone interested in learning more about this unique approach to market analysis.

I had the pleasure of hearing Robert Prechter speak on socioeconomic theory at the IFTA World Conference in 2014, and he is a giant in the industry. This book compiles R.N. Elliott’s original writings on the Wave Principle and presents it to you in a single, all-inclusive book.

Devour the three ground-breaking works, long out of print, in which Elliott first described the Wave Principle to the world.

If you like Elliott Wave Theory , you will love TradingView’s automated Elliott Wave pattern recognition. Try the Elliott Wave indicator for free at TradingView .

11. Breakthroughs in Technical Analysis

David Keller’s “Breakthroughs in Technical Analysis” is a guide to understanding and using technical analysis to trade the financial markets.

David Keller’s “Breakthroughs in Technical Analysis” is a guide to understanding and using technical analysis to trade the financial markets. The book begins by explaining the basics of technical analysis, including price charts, trendlines, and momentum indicators.

It then discusses more advanced topics such as chart patterns, Elliott wave analysis, and Fibonacci retracements . The book includes numerous real-world examples to illustrate how technical analysis can be used to identify trading opportunities.

It is a comprehensive guide for traders of all levels of experience.

The recommended section in this book is the GANN theory section developed by W.D. Gann.

This is usually a critical piece of the CFTE and CMT exams, but it can also be challenging to learn as the esoteric concepts, in theory, are more like taking a step into the twilight zone.

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12. Winning on Wall Street

Marty Zweig’s classic Winning on Wall Street provides a depth of stock trading knowledge that remains timeless and incredibly useful today. In “Winning on Wall Street,” Marty Zweig offers readers a guide to investing and achieving success in the stock market. Zweig provides an overview of the stock market and explains how to read stock charts to make informed investment decisions.

He also discusses specific stock investing strategies, including buying low and selling high, using stop-loss orders, and diversifying one’s portfolio. Zweig provides real-world examples of how investors can use these strategies to succeed in the stock market.

A must-have book for the serious investor, covering economic, fundamentals, and technical analysis. While it may seem outdated, this book is worthwhile and a must-read. It gives excellent insights into how the market works .

Martin Zweig’s work in this book inspired the big picture and macroeconomics section in my Liberated Stock Trader Pro investment training course .

This book is strong in the logical, systematic evaluation of the state of the business environment and its effect on the stock market. The only downside is there are not enough charts; some systems are hard to calculate manually and require a lot of effort to maintain.

13. Market Wizards

Market Wizards is the perfect book for traders wanting to be inspired by different trading systems and the strategies of professional stock traders.

In Market Wizards, Jack D. Schweiger interviews many successful traders to learn what makes them successful. He finds that successful traders share many common traits, including discipline, risk management, and a deep understanding of the markets.

Schweiger also identifies three key factors contributing to success: temperament, skill, and luck. While luck cannot be controlled, he finds that disciplined traders with a good understanding of the markets can increase their chances of success.

Audiobooks are an excellent way to learn about trading, as they provide a first-hand account of the trader’s thought process and how they approach the markets. “Market Wizards” is an essential read for any trader looking to improve their performance.

This book is packed with good interviews with successful stock market traders; this book is a worthwhile addition to your bookshelf. Do not expect solid strategies, but expect insights into how stock market institutional investors operate.

This book is worth buying, with well-selected interviews and easier reading than its predecessor.

The only downside is that it is low on specific strategies and rules to incorporate into your market approach; the interviewees would not want to give away anything useful in case they lose their edge.

14. Secrets for Profiting in Bull and Bear Markets

In Secrets for Profiting in Bull and Bear Markets, Stan Weinstein discusses the factors affecting stock prices and how to capitalize on them.

First released in the 1980s, this classic investment book covers the Technical Analysis approach to the stock market in a very practical and usable way.

He offers advice on when to buy and sell stocks and tips on money management and risk assessment. Weinstein also provides excellent insights into how to short stocks in bear markets.

The explanations of Bull and Bear Markets and combining price breakout with volume increases to improve the chances of success are excellent.

However, the book is quite old and, therefore, a little dated. It does not use more modern indicators or ways to leverage current technologies to achieve your goals.

15. Trade Like A Stock Market Wizard

In “Trade Like a Stock Market Wizard” by Mark Minervini, the reader is taken through a day in the life of a professional trader. Minervini shares the techniques he has used to achieve consistent success in the markets, and he provides readers with a wealth of information that can be applied to their own trading strategies.

One of the key points that Minervini makes is that traders should focus on trading stocks that are liquid and have a large volume. He also recommends using technical analysis to identify trendlines and support and resistance levels, and he provides readers with numerous charts and examples to illustrate his points.

Overall, “Trade Like A Stock Market Wizard” is an excellent guide for those who want to learn how to trade professionally. Minervini’s years of experience as a trader come through loud and clear in this book, and readers will benefit from his insightful tips and advice.

Minervini was featured in the Stock Market Wizards Series. This book is an excellent practical guide to applying technical analysis and how to apply it in the real world.

Practical, usable, and readable, this extremely valuable book explodes myths about the PE Ratio , Valuations, and Wall Street Ratings Services. Packed with insights and strategies, this modern book must be on your bookshelf.

16. Hedge Fund Market Wizards

Hedge Fund Market Wizards is the best book to learn about advanced hedge funds’ stock trading tactics and strategies. Hedge Fund Market Wizards is a compilation of interviews with some of the most successful traders in the hedge fund industry. The traders share their insights and trading strategies, providing a unique perspective on how they have achieved success.

One trader, for example, relies on technical analysis to make trading decisions, while another focuses on fundamentals. Some traders use a combination of different techniques. However, what unites these traders is their dedication to their craft and willingness to learn from their mistakes.

A mixture of interviews with top traders on topics as far-reaching as trading Futures , Trading T-Bills, aggressive trading, stock selection, and psychology.

The books provide interesting insights into the minds of the traders interviewed and how they operate to achieve that profit. This is a classic book that provides insight into the minds of Wall Street.

The focus is definitely on interviewing and insights into trading styles, which can make it interesting to read and take a break from too many number-crunching and technical analysis books .

The people interviewed provide no practical insight into specific trading systems or actions, yet it is still a good read.

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17. The New Market Wizards

The New Market Wizards is a one-of-a-kind market trader book that interviews money market and options traders about how they found success.

With very diverse interviews this time, the book would appeal to investment firm insiders, but I feel this will have less value to the independent investor who focuses on the stock market.

Some key trading strategies discussed in the book include trend following, charting, and market timing. Many traders interviewed in the book use technical analysis to help them make trading decisions. They also use various other methods, such as gut instinct and computer models, to help them make informed decisions about when to enter and exit trades.

Overall, “The New Market Wizards” is a helpful guide for anyone interested in successfully learning to trade the markets. The traders featured in the book share a wealth of information and offer valuable insights into their own trading strategies.

Interesting insights on Options Trading, Foreign Exchange (FOREX), and Automated Trading; this book provides insights outside the realms of the stock market.

Finally, a rather weak trading psychology section at the end leaves one wondering what the point was.

Tip: Interested in Trading Forex or BitCoin? Read our TradingView Review .

18. The Liberated Stock Trader

Last but not least, my book, Liberated Stock Trader, A Complete Stock Market Education, is perfect for beginner traders. The book is accompanied by 16 hours of in-depth stock investing lessons, which help build a complete picture of how the stock market functions.

Designed as a complete education, the book covers everything you need to know to get started in investing in stocks. Fundamental analysis, technical analysis, stock screening, risk management, and psychology are all covered.

Investing in stocks means mastering fundamental financial analysis, the foundation for profitable long-term growth , dividend, and value investing strategies.

You must learn stock screening to find great companies and build a balanced portfolio to grow wealth.

What makes it different is that 16 hours of instructor-led video are included, which turns this training from a book to a full stock market seminar training.

Premium stock market education is expensive; this training course is extremely cost-effective—well-rounded education for those who want to take the stock market seriously.

Best Trading Books Summary

The best trading books are Technical Analysis of the Financial Markets, Reminiscences of a Stock Operator, Dark Pools, and Quantitative Trading Systems. These five books will help you understand how trading the financial market works.

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Table of Contents

10 Best Stock Trading Books for Beginners [2024]

Navigating the stock market as a beginner can be daunting or even risky without the right strategies and investing techniques. To assist you, we’ve compiled a guide featuring the 10 best stock trading books , designed to equip beginners with the knowledge to make informed trading decisions .

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Beginners’ corner:

• What is Investing? Putting Money to Work
• 17 Common Investing Mistakes to Avoid
• 15 Top-Rated Investment Books of All Time
• How to Buy Stocks? Complete Beginner’s Guide
• 10 Best Stock Trading Books for Beginners
• 6 Basic Rules of Investing
• Dividend Investing for Beginners
• 5 Passive Income Investment Ideas

#1 “A Beginner’s Guide to the Stock Market”

How to make money on the stock market, if you have never traded before? Well, why not start from Kratter’s “ A Beginners Guide to the Stock Market ” which will give you a basic rundown on everything you need to know when you first start trading on the stock market. Learn how to avoid gambling away your hard-earned cash or making costly beginner mistakes and start making money on the stock market today. Among its many lessons, this book will teach you:

• Where to open up a brokerage account;
• How to buy your first stock;
• How to create passive income;
• What to consider when picking stocks; 
• How to spot a stock that is about to blow up;
• How to trade momentum stocks;
• Insider tricks used by professional traders;
• What to never do when buying value stocks.

#2 “Pit Bull: Lessons from Wall Street’s Champion Day Trader”

“ Pit Bull: Lessons from Wall Street’s Champion Day Trader ” takes the reader on the journey of Martin ‘Buzzy’ Schwartz whose career as a trader on Wall Street rightfully earned him the nickname ‘Pit Bull’. The book is an exhaustive true story of how Schwartz made his millions, the mistakes and triumphs along the way and the lessons learnt throughout. 

A riveting insider’s account for beginners and experts alike on the tricks, strategies and attitudes required to become a winner.

#3 “Reminiscences of a Stock Operator”

Another book based on true events, recounts the life of Jesse Livermore, his dizzying ride through trading in small bucket shops to making and losing millions on Wall Street and what failure taught him along the way. 

While published almost 100 years ago, its vivid and engrossing portrayal of success and failure has lessons that remain relevant to the present day. A truly timeless tale, “ Reminiscences of a Stock Operator ” has remained the most recommended and read investment trading book ever. 

As told by the man himself, “There is nothing like losing all you have in the world for teaching you what not to do. And when you know what not to do in order not to lose money, you begin to learn what to do in order to win. Did you get that? You begin to learn!”

#4 “Technical Analysis of the Financial Markets”

John J. Murphy’s “ Technical Analysis of the Financial Markets ” is considered by many as the ultimate handbook for technical analysis, providing everything you need to know about trading using technical analysis. It gives a comprehensive overview of:

• Reading charts;
• Understanding indicators; 
• How to track and analyse market behaviour.

This book is a revised version of Murphy’s earlier release “Technical Analysis of Futures Markets”, which includes new material on candlestick charting, Intermarket relationships, stocks and stock rotation, with examples and over 400 charts to help apply theory to practice.

#5 “Secrets for Profiting in Bull and Bear Markets”

Another go-to for the fundamentals of technical analysis in trading is “ Secrets for Profiting in Bull and Bear Markets ”. Weinstein outlines various strategies to profit in both bull and bear markets, employing both fear and greed to become a better trader. With case examples and sample questions after every chapter, the reader will be thoroughly prepared to take on the stock market! What’s more, Weinstein will lay out:

• His personal philosophy on investing;
• The best time to buy;
• Knowing when to sell;
• The rules of short selling

#6 “The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine”

Having spent 28 weeks on The New York Times best-sellers list, the most well-known book on this guide has to be Michael Lewis’s “ The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine ”, compellingly sensationalised by the critically acclaimed 2015 film of the same name. 

The book offers a highly engaging look into the years preceding the eventual collapse of the United States housing bubble in 2007 and 2008. Though the story is full of mindbending and ridiculous financial schemes, the author has opted for a personality-driven narrative which makes the book more accessible and fun to absorb. 

Though an entertaining story, at its core the book is an exploration of what makes a successful trader. It delves into the psyche of short-sellers and how they used their strategy to exploit the weaknesses of the market. 

#7 “How to Make Money in Stocks”

Even though “ How to Make Money in Stocks: A Winning System in Good Times and Bad ” was first published in 2009, a year after the market meltdown, it still managed to sell a whopping two million copies. Here William O’Neill presents his CANSLIM Investing System – a seven-step guide to maximizing gains and minimizing risks, supported by 125 years of research on the best-performing stocks.  

He believes that market timing, trading and interpretation of stock charts can help significantly in your investing. You’ll be sure to find proven tricks:

• For recognizing winning stocks; 
• Tips for spotting the best stocks, mutual funds and ETFs. 

All in all, this book provides great strategies for investing in stocks, as well as a list of common investor mistakes to avoid making along the way.

#8 “Trading in the Zone”

Rather than presenting the reader with numbers and charts, this book is all about the psychological aspect of trading, about how to overcome your flaws to become a more objective trader.

Douglas suggests that most of the mistakes that a trader might make “will stem from attitudes about being wrong, losing money, missing out, and leaving money on the table. … the truth is that the typical trader wants to be right on every single trade. He is desperately trying to create certainty where it just doesn’t exist.”

“ Trading in the Zone ” equips the reader with various tools to control their ingrained mental habits and emotions and instead look at a particular trade from a purely risk and reward point of view. To accept the risk by accepting “the consequences of one’s trades without emotional discomfort or fear.” 

#9 “Market Wizards”

Certainly a must-read for any aspiring trader, “ Market Wizards ” offers insights into the minds of the most successful traders the world has seen. You’ll hear straight from the experts from this interview-style book, featuring investing superstars including Bruce Kovner, Paul Tudor Jones and Jim Rogers. To make it all the more appealing, the author has condensed their responses to a set of principles you can apply to your personal trading career. 

Though it makes for a captivating read, the real value of the book lies in the commonalities as well as the differentiators it uncovers between the interviewees. Revealing once more that success on the market is determined by a sound methodology and mental state, rather than luck or extreme wits. 

#10 “The Little Book that Beats the Market”

In another New York Times bestseller, “ The Little Book that Beats the Market ”, Joel Greenblatt does more than just set out the basic principles of stock market investing. Rather, the reader is presented with a reasonably straightforward investing strategy called the ‘ magic formula ’. In fact, you can test out the formula online here .

Greenblatt’s use of simple language and humor are guaranteed to make the reading experience enjoyable and accessible. You’ll learn:

• How to use this low-risk tool and beat the market at a wide margin;
• How to view the stock market;
• How to start looking at the earning yield rather than the dividend yield when making investments;
• Why this too will keep working even after everyone knows about it.  

FAQs about Stock Trading Books

Why should i buy a stock trading book.

Trading in stocks is all about method,  research and a sound mental state. Tricks to gain the right insights and techniques are best found in quality trading books. Don’t gamble your hard-earned money away and learn from experts and investing success stories to make educated decisions on how to triumph on the stock market.

How do I choose the best stock trading book for me?

It is important to set your goals and determine your level of knowledge in the field. What do you want to learn more about? Is it market trends, the right stocks to invest your money in or best tricks to outsmart the market? Would you rather start from textbook style basics or an autobiographical success story? 

Are vintage stock trading books still worth a read?

Though the market has changed quite a bit, the principles of smart trading have stayed the same. In fact, many of today’s prominent investors have been influenced to think in line with the theories found in these books, thereby affecting the market with their purchases. Old books on trading will help you see the fundamentals – the big picture, to help you contextualise the technical information you might find on the internet and in more current books.

Which books on stock trading should I avoid?

Avoid any books that boast a get-rich-quick scheme, while appealing, most include dangerous investment strategies and scams a beginner might not be able to suss out. It’s also smart to be wary of authors without an impressive resume on the subject. 

What price range should I expect from quality books on trading?

The price of a book always depends on which retailer you opt for, the cheapest of which is often Amazon. The price for trading books ranges anywhere from $7 to $45, with the majority being under $15. Usually, the best bargain for a new book will be the bestselling one, as older books can be a rare and expensive find online. In addition, it’s always smart to keep an eye out for vintage steals you can find both online and in second-hand bookshops. 

Disclaimer: We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn advertising fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated websites. We also receive a commission as a part of our lead generation strategy (at no cost for our readers).

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Written by Sam Levine, CFA, CMT , Blain Reinkensmeyer Edited by Carolyn Kimball Fact-checked by Steven Hatzakis

There are many stock trading books out there that can help new investors expand their stock education . This list highlights 20 top stock market books every trader should read. Many of the titles promise the moon and the stars. I’m sorry to say not one of these books in isolation will make you an instant billionaire (sorry), but this collection can serve as a foundation for the market wisdom you will pick up with experience.

1. A Random Walk Down Wall Street

Book: A Random Walk Down Wall Street Author: Burton Malkiel

Currently in its thirteenth edition, this book deserves much of the credit for the growth of index ETFs and passive investing in general. It’s a fantastic read for people interested in the question of whether markets can be predicted and comes to some startling (and hotly debated) conclusions. Indexing, diversification, trends, bubbles, the value of patience coupled with time, and many more core concepts are covered in thorough detail.

2. The Little Book of Common Sense Investing

Book: The Little Book of Common Sense Investing Author: John Bogle

John Bogle founded the Vanguard Group, known for providing the lowest cost funds in the industry, specifically the very first index fund. Jack's message is simple: Keep costs low and invest in market indexes for the long run. Jack's other book, Common Sense on Mutual Funds , is another bestseller and breaks down mutual fund investing. Another great book with a similar message can be found in Jeremy Siegel's Stocks for the Long Run .

3. How to Make Money in Stocks

Book: How to Make Money in Stocks Author: William O’Neil

This is a classic by William O'Neil that details the ins and outs of his “CANSLIM” system for finding future big winners in the stock market and how to time entries and exits. It combines fundamental and technical analysis and is one of the best how-to-guides for stock investing.

4. The Most Important Thing Illuminated: Uncommon Sense for the Thoughtful Investor

Book: The Most Important Thing Illuminated: Uncommon Sense for the Thoughtful Investor Author: Howard Marks

Using his Oaktree Capital client memos as a foundation, Howard assembled a collection of the 21 most important things to know about investing. The book introduces multiple keys to long-term success including, "second-level thinking," the price/value relationship, patient opportunism, and defensive investing.

5. Reminiscences of a Stock Operator

Book: Reminiscences of a Stock Operator Author: Edwin Lefèvre

This book is a true page-turner. It is a breathtaking recount of how a young boy managed to amass one of the largest fortunes of his time by speculating, even though he did go broke a few times in his career. Though this book describes how people traded in a bygone era, there is some timeless advice for investors (“I've always made my money from sitting, not thinking") which will help your trading for years to come. It’s one of the top stock trading books of all time. Yes, I said that.

6. Buffett: The Making of an American Capitalist

Book: Buffett: The Making of an American Capitalist Author: Roger Lowenstein

This book conveys insight into the ways and means of the Oracle of Omaha. Warren Buffett's thoughts are insightful and his methods may yield fruitful rewards for investors with enough patience to learn them, understand them and apply them correctly.

7. Intermarket Analysis: Profiting from Global Market Relationships

Book: Intermarket Analysis: Profiting from Global Market Relationships Author: John Murphy

According to the author, financial markets are interrelated, so your forecasts need to account for how other markets are faring. For example, bond prices are linked with stock prices, and petroleum prices will certainly affect the airline sector. This book provides a framework for taking the biggest of big-picture views of the markets.

8. Trade Your Way to Financial Freedom

Book: Trade Your Way to Financial Freedom Author: Van Tharp

Don’t dismiss this book because of its over-the-top title. This is a gem that encompasses investor psychology and system construction. While it may not give you the "Holy Grail" (an unbeatable method to the markets) for trading, it will give you the basics you need to construct a winning system. There is something for everyone in this book.

9. The Intelligent Investor

Book: The Intelligent Investor Author: Benjamin Graham

The foundation for value investing and being successful in the market, Benjamin Graham's classic has sold over 1 million copies and deserves a spot on every investors' bookshelf. Let’s put it this way: When Warren Buffett writes an introduction to a book, it’s worth reading.

10. One Up on Wall Street

Book: One Up on Wall Street Author: Peter Lynch

This is an investment classic that will give the individual investor hope of beating the big players. Peter Lynch explains how Wall Street may not be able to find the best investing opportunities from the start and shows step-by-step how the individual investor can find the next winner.

11. The Little Book That Still Beats the Market

Book: The Little Book That Still Beats the Market Author: Joel Greenblatt

This book covers the basic principles of investing in the stock market. It breaks down the author's proven "magic formula investing" method of outperforming the market by investing in quality companies at discounted prices. The quotation marks are there because there isn’t a “magic formula” for beating the market, but there are some key principles of value investing that every investor should know.

12. Liar's Poker

Book: Liar's Poker Author: Michael Lewis

An interesting, though perhaps not profitable, narrative of how Wall Street works, or at least did in the Eighties. It’s so good that I reread it every few years. Just remember that in the Eighties, a million or billion dollars was a lot of money.

Other Michael Lewis great reads: The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine and Flash Boys . Basically anything Lewis ever wrote is a great read. I’d read his shopping lists if they were published.

13. Fooled by Randomness

Book: Fooled by Randomness Author: Nassim Taleb

This book, which would go well with "The Black Swan," explains how randomness plays a larger role in our lives than we might think. For traders, this would imply that risks are usually larger than we might perceive.

14. Alchemy of Finance

Book: Alchemy of Finance Author: George Soros

Alchemy of Finance explain's the author's theory of reflexivity and how it relates to the market. Though it may not provide a direct system for trading, it is extremely thoughtful and deepens one's understanding of how the financial markets work. The book may be a bit dense but it is rewarding for those who are willing to finish it.

15. Japanese Candlestick Charting Techniques

Book: Japanese Candlestick Charting Techniques Author: Steven Nison

This book introduces candlestick charting, which some investors may find useful in their trading. It sure helps to make charts more visual!

16. Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds

Book: Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds Author: Charles Mackay

This is also an investing classic. Tulipomania, the South Sea bubble and the Mississippi Land scheme are covered in this book, showing how herd mentality worked to create bubbles in past eras. It may serve as an interesting read as well as a guide for dealing with future bubbles.

17. Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits

Book: Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits Author: Philip Fisher

Warren Buffett credits Phillip Fisher with much of his success. In the age of quantitative finance, this book is a must-read for those who want to understand how to evaluate a company away from the raw numbers. The poignant introduction to the latest edition by Phillip Fisher’s son, Kenneth, is worth the price of admission on its own.

18. Irrational Exuberance

Book: Irrational Exuberance Author: Robert Shiller

One of the best stock market books in history treats stocks and other investment assets the same way as tulips and Beanie Babies. As the winner of the 2013 Nobel Prize in Economics, Robert Shiller understands the markets and has spent his career studying their movements. Irrational Exuberance explores how trends turn into booms and ultimately bubbles that burst.

19. Technical Analysis Explained, Fifth Edition: The Successful Investor's Guide to Spotting Investment Trends and Turning Points

Book: Technical Analysis Explained, Fifth Edition: The Successful Investor's Guide to Spotting Investment Trends and Turning Points Author: Martin Pring

A scintillating narrative of how one of the darlings of the hedge fund world rose and how it fell. A reminder for traders to keep their minds focused on risk and their circle of competence.

20. Encyclopedia of Chart Patterns

Book: Encyclopedia of Chart Patterns Author: Thomas Bulkowski

An extremely detailed work that rivals "Technical Analysis of Stock Trends" and should provide traders with a complete understanding of chart patterns. The hard work is to apply the knowledge.

What is the best book to learn about the stock market?

Stock Investing for Dummies is an excellent choice for beginners. It covers all the necessary information to get started and organizes it well enough for you to find information quickly when you’re stumped.

What is the best book to read on stock trading?

The best single book on stock trading is Martin Pring’s Technical Analysis Explained . It explains complicated trading concepts using simple analogies that are easy to follow.

What books do professional traders read?

Most professional traders will agree with this list:

• Technical Analysis of the Financial Markets , by John Murphy
• Reminiscences of a Stock Operator , by Edwin LeFevre
• Irrational Exuberance , by Robert Shiller
• The Intelligent Investor, by Benjamin Graham, and
• A Random Walk Down Wall Street , by Burton Malkiel

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About the Editorial Team

Sam Levine is a writer, investor and educator with nearly three decades of experience in the investing industry. His specialty is making even the most complicated investing concepts easy to understand for beginning and intermediate investors. He holds two of the most widely recognized certifications in the investment management industry, the Chartered Financial Analyst and the Chartered Market Technician designations. Previously, he was a contributing editor at BetterInvesting Magazine and a contributor to The Penny Hoarder and other media outlets.

Blain Reinkensmeyer has 20 years of trading experience with over 2,500 trades placed during that time. He heads research for all U.S.-based brokerages on StockBrokers.com and is respected by executives as the leading expert covering the online broker industry. Blain’s insights have been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and the Chicago Tribune, among other media outlets.

Carolyn Kimball is Managing Editor for Reink Media Group and the lead editor for content on investor.com. Carolyn has more than 20 years of writing and editing experience at major media outlets including NerdWallet, the Los Angeles Times and the San Jose Mercury News. She specializes in coverage of personal financial products and services, wielding her editing skills to clarify complex (some might say befuddling) topics to help consumers make informed decisions about their money.

Steven Hatzakis has led research at Reink Media Group since 2016 and brings over 20 years of experience with the online brokerage industry. Steven has served as a registered commodity futures representative for domestic and internationally regulated brokerages and holds a Series III license in the US as a Commodity Trading Advisor (CTA).

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Beat The Stock Market

So, what’s so special about this book, you may ask?

This book is unique because each interview uncovers their powerful mindset on why they trade the markets and why they choose to trade that way.

This book will equip you with the necessary trading principles to last long in this trading business.

In the end…

You’ll realize that it’s not about copying a trader’s method to be successful but about continuously honing your skill in one field that you believe in.

Because both of us can be two different traders but still be successful.

A line I could never forget is from Ed Seykota’s interview:

“I feel my success comes from my love of the markets. I am not a casual trader. It is my life. I have a passion for trading. It is not merely a hobby or even a career choice for me. There is no question that this is what I am supposed to do in my life.”

Read this book, and it’ll change the way you see trading as a newbie trader.

(Though I highly suggest you watch the film Floored to better relate with the book)

The next best trading book you’d never want to miss as a newbie trader is…

How to Make Money in Stocks

It’s hard to fully make sense and practically apply the strategies taught in this book, especially when you trade other stock markets.

I love this book because of the timeless principles shared to help you make better decisions as a trader and also the trading concepts shared are backed by William O’Neil’s research.

Let me give you an example…

“History demonstrates most bull markets last two to four years.”

“Old news will often have the opposite effect on the stock market from what it had when the news first broke.”

“What seems too high in price and risky to the majority usually goes higher eventually, and what seems low and cheap usually goes lower.”

From technical to intangibles, the amount of priceless information you’ll get from this magical book is invaluable!

If you’re a stock trader, this can definitely be one of the best stock trading books for beginners out there.

Now, what about if you’re a “wounded” trader?

What’s the best trading book for you?

Discover in the next section below…

Best Trading Book for Wounded Traders To Get Back On The Green

If you’re still here eager to learn how to trade even though you’ve probably already blown a couple of trading accounts or kept on losing money…

I applaud you.

It tells me that you’re willing to own up to your mistakes and use them as a stepping stone towards becoming a successful trader.

I know it’s hard right now.

But the learning opportunity you’ll get at this stage will forever change your life and trading career.

Nonetheless, in times of darkness, this book will be your savior…

Trading in The Zone

Ask any trader what the best trading book is, and I can almost guarantee you that they will at least mention this book.

So, what makes this book so famous?

This book breaks down everyday trading habits that repeatedly harm traders to the tiniest detail and teaches you how to conquer them.

This book also opens a door towards knowing more about who you are as a person.

One of the lines I’ll never forget in this book is this:

“Probably one of the hardest concepts for traders to effectively assimilate is that the market doesn’t create your attitude or state of mind; it simply acts as a mirror reflecting what’s inside back to you.”

Trading In The Zone is worth both your time and money, and you’ll always learn something new whenever you re-read this book.

The next book you’d never want to miss at this stage is…

The New Market Wizards

I know you’re thinking…

“Why is this book not recommended for newbies?”

I find that the book has many advanced technical concepts a new trader might find hard to grasp.

But as a trader who’s done the hard work in the past and experienced losses…

This book will widen your horizon when it comes to managing risk, managing trades , and choosing systems to trade.

One line that left an impression on me was:

“You have to enjoy trading because if trading is a source of negative emotions, you have probably already lost the game, even if you make money.”

The teachings of this book can be applied to different markets around the world, but this could also be one of the stock trading books for beginners that must be read first.

Finally, if you’ve reached the “Pro Trader” stage, then you’d love the next section…

Best Trading Books to Gain That Extra Edge In Trading

At this point…

You most likely do not trade mainly because of the money anymore, but you trade towards continuous growth and improvement of:

• Your skill as a trader
• Your performance
• Your risk control
• You as a person in general

So here’s the thing:

What trading books should you focus on as a trader who has experienced many ups and downs in trading?

Statistical trading books.

That’s right. You’d want to focus on concepts backed by statistics so that you can incorporate them with your current trading plan or adopt a new one.

In this case, you can never go wrong with Andreas Clenow’s book.

Following The Trend

The best thing about this book is that it gives you a complete, simple, and backtested working trend-following strategy.

Learning a new concept from a book followed by statistical evidence to back it up is one of the most powerful things you can get from a trading book!

The only downside?

This book caters mainly to trend-followers in the futures market.

So, how about for mean reversion traders?

In this case, you may want to check out Howard Bandy’s book:

Mean Reversion Trading Systems

As you’d expect, this book gives you a variety of backtested mean reversion strategies.

The best part?

It gives you the code used in the tests so that you can test it out yourself!

The difference, of course, is that the previous book is for trend-followers, while this book is for mean reversion traders.

With that said, let’s do a quick recap on what you’ve learned today…

• It’s crucial to learn how to use books and apply fast than read fast and apply slow.
• The 1 st edition of Jack Schwager’s Market Wizards and William O’ Neil’s How to Make Money in Stocks will help traders discover whether trading is or isn’t for them.
• Mark Douglas’ Trading In The Zone and Jack Schwager’s New Market Wizards is an outstanding book for wounded traders seeking answers on how to recover from their losses.
• Focusing on books backed by statistics will help leverage a pro trader’s consistency

Now here’s what I’d like to know…

What other trading books would you recommend?

Do you agree to the book recommendations above?

Let me know in the comments below!

Leave a reply

Thanks for your advice. I will try to read this books

You’re welcome, make sure to apply the learnings fast!

I’ve read plenty of books regarding price action and that’s what laid the foundation for me to be a successful trader. And reading books also keep your mind active which is a very essential trait for a trader. But most price actions books are hard to understand because they are written by traders and not authors. So I find blogs are efficient because of their ability to give precise information. https://www.investonaire.com/blog , an amazing blog to start your journey.

Thank you for sharing, Patrick!

Thanks for the info.

It’s our pleasure, Jared!

I’ll add price action trading secret by rayner Teo. With the bunch of valuable trading tips and strategies offered by rayner and tradingwithrayner.com. I believe that book would be worth investing in.

Definitely, Mohammed!

Thank you for your kind words, Mohammed!

Thank i will read all books and apply slowly Thank for giving such a knowledge

Great to hear that Manthan, you’re welcome!

You are most welcome, Manthan!

Your choice of books is great and perfect. I will read the books which I have not read

Sure, Srinivas. Enjoy reading!

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• Best Overall
• Best for Beginners
• Best for Beginners, Runner-up
• Best for Intermediate Investors
• Best for Understanding the Stock Market

The Best Investing Books of 2024: Guide to Trading

Paid non-client promotion: Affiliate links for the products on this page are from partners that compensate us (see our advertiser disclosure with our list of partners for more details). However, our opinions are our own. See how we rate investing products to write unbiased product reviews.

Investing is a crucial part of building wealth, but it can be difficult to know where to start. And once you begin investing, there's always more to learn. Personal finance books about investing can be great learning tools, regardless of where you are in your journey.

The following investing books cover what you need to know about making your money work for you, whether you're a beginner, intermediate investor, or someone looking to branch out into a new type of investing.

Best Investing Books of 2024

• Best overall: "Cashing Out: Win the Wealth Game by Walking Away" by Julien and Kiersten Saunders
• Best for beginners: "Broke Millennial Takes on Investing" by Erin Lowry
• Best for beginners, runner-up: "Clever Girl Finance: Learn How Investing Works, Grow Your Money"  by Bola Sokunbi
• Best for intermediate investors: "How I Invest My Money" by Joshua Brown and Brian Portnoy
• Best for understanding the stock market: "Mastering the Market Cycle: Getting the Odds on Your Side" by Howard Marks
• Best for real estate investors: "The Book on Rental Property Investing" by Brandon Turner
• Best for day trading: "How to Day Trade for a Living" by Andrew Aziz

Compare the Top Investing Books

The best investment books are valuable resources for anyone interested in expanding their market and trading knowledge beyond blog posts and webinars. Investing books provide reliable, accessible information from reputable sources. 

Here are the best investment books as picked by Business Insider editors in 2024. 

Best Overall: 'Cashing Out: Win the Wealth Game by Walking Away' by Julien and Kiersten Saunders

Couple Julien and Kiersten Saunders are creators of the blog rich & REGULAR and YouTube channel Money on the Table . Together, they paid off $200,000 of debt in five years, started investing in real estate, and joined the F.I.R.E. movement .

Not only is "Cashing Out" great for people who want to retire early, but it's also a strong source of inspiration and a guide for how to make your money work for you. It's particularly useful for BIPOC readers, as the Saunders talk about how "traditional" wealth-building advice doesn't always apply to Black people the same way it does their white counterparts.

Best for Beginners: ' Broke Millenial Takes on Investing' by Erin Lowry

This is Erin Lowry's second book in her "Broke Millennial" series. The book debunks common myths about investing, like that you need to be debt-free to get started. Lowry explains how to start investing even if you don't think you have enough money.

Learn about how to invest while paying down debt, choose the best investment platforms , and avoid scams. Lowry even dives into choosing investments that align with your values and religious beliefs.

Best for Beginners, Runner-up: ' Clever Girl Finance: Learn How Investing Works, Grow Your Money'  by Bola Sokunbi

This book is geared toward women, which is valuable because many view investing as a "man's game." The first chapter explains why investing is important, specifically for women. Then, Sokunbi breaks down how the stock market works, different types of investments, common mistakes to avoid, and more.

She also includes personal anecdotes from herself and others throughout the book, making this a light, easily digestible read.

Best for Intermediate Investors: ' How I Invest My Money' by Joshua Brown and Brian Portnoy

This book is a good option if you already grasp the basics of investing. "How I Invest My Money" shares experiences from 25 financial experts about how they invest, build wealth, and make other financial decisions. They explain how and why they make their choices, from practical reasons (like strategy) to personal details (like family background).

Reading 25 different perspectives can help you see that there's not necessarily one correct way to invest — everyone has different goals, and their investing strategies should reflect them. You may resonate with one or a few of these experts and apply their insights to your choices.

Best for Understanding the Stock Market: ' Mastering The Market Cycle' by Howard Marks

It's common for investors to put money into the stock market — but how do you know which stocks to buy, when to buy, or when to sell?

Marks doesn't give clear-cut answers to these questions. Instead, he helps you make those decisions by providing an in-depth explanation of market cycles. Numerous factors affect why a stock (or another asset) may rise or dip in value. By understanding how these cycles work, you can make informed investing decisions.

Best for Real Estate Investing: 'The Book on Rental Property Investing' by Brandon Turner

Investing in real estate can be a great way to diversify your portfolio. There are several ways to invest in real estate , and a common one is to buy a home and rent out the property.

"The Book on Rental Property Investing" tops our list of the best real estate books. Turner helps beginners learn how to become successful real estate investors by explaining types of rental properties, finding a location, choosing the right lender, and more.

Best for Day Trading: ' How to Day Trade for a Living' by Andrew Aziz

Day trading is a risky investment strategy that we don't recommend to most people. You buy a stock or other asset, then sell it in the same day to maximize on any upward movements that occurred during the day. There are a small number of people who day trade and make money, though. "How to Day Trade for a Living" is one of the best day trading books to teach you the ropes.

Andrew Aziz is a big name in the day trading world, and "How to Day Trade for a Living" hits multiple topics for new day traders. Aziz explains how day trading works, how to choose stocks, how to choose a day trading platform, and more. He gives a good comprehensive overview of multiple parts of day trading.

Other Investing Books we Considered

We considered numerous books on investing when narrowing down our top picks. The above books are our favorites, but it's smart to keep learning so you can become a better and better investor over time. You also might like some of the following books:

• "Warren Buffet's Ground Rules"  by Jeremy C. Miller
• "I Will Teach You To Be Rich" by Ramit Sethi
• "You Can Be a Stock Market Genius" by Joel Greenblatt
• "Unshakeable: Your Financial Freedom Playbook" by Tony Robbins
• "The Little Book of Common Sense Investing" by John C. Bogle
• "Beating the Street" by Peter Lynch
• "Millionaire Teacher: The Nine Rules of Wealth You Should Have Learned in School" by Andrew Hallam
• "The Automatic Millionaire" by David Bach
• "The Intelligent Investor" by Benjamin Graham
• "Common Stocks and Uncommon Profits" by Philip Fisher
• "Margin of Safety" by Seth Klarman
• "The Bond King" by Mary Childs

Investing Books: Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

At Personal Finance Insider, our top investing book is "Cashing Out" by Julien and Kiersten Saunders. We chose this book mainly because it talks about factors that can impact BIPOC investors, while a lot of financial advice can cater to white clientele. However, any of the books on our list are good options.

"Mastering the Market Cycle" by Howard Marks is a good book for understanding the ups and downs of the stock market . Once you understand cycles, you can decide what to invest in and when.

If you have $1,000 to invest, you may want to open an IRA with one of the best online brokerage . You'll talk with the broker about your risk tolerance, which can help you decide how to invest your money.

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Top 10 Best Trading Books

The Top 10 Best Trading Books!

Trading books play an important in the lives of traders, offering invaluable knowledge and advice that can enhance their trading strategies.

These books are resources that guide traders in identifying profitable swing trading setups. By learning from the shared experiences and strategies traders can gain insights into recognizing potential entry points and making well-informed decisions.

Trading books also offer valuable information on exit points, which is a key aspect of trading. Understanding when to exit a trade can make a big difference in profitability. These books provide traders with effective exit strategies, enabling them to maximize their gains and limit their losses.

Investment strategies are another important topic covered in these books. Traders can learn different approaches to investing and develop a systematic approach to trading. By incorporating proven strategies outlined in these books, traders can improve their trading skills and increase their chances of success.

Managing assets and investments is also important, especially for part-time traders with multiple responsibilities. Trading books offer valuable advice on efficient asset management, risk management, and portfolio diversification. These books provide flexible approaches and techniques that can be implemented within limited time constraints. By following the actionable advice given in these books, part-time traders can optimize their trading performance and increase profitability.

Basically, if you are looking to expand your knowledge of the financial markets and continue down the path of personal excellence and trading success, we encourage you to check out these books!

Trading in the Zone – Mark Douglas

“We have to be careful about what we project out into the future, because nothing else has the potential to create more unhappiness and emotional misery than an unfulfilled expectation.” Mark Douglas

Trading in the Zone is probably the number one go to read for mindset and the markets. It is an easy read that resonates with most traders because it encompasses a lot of the mental struggles traders go through with how they approach the markets, the fears they have and the tribulations they go through while learning to execute trade strategies.

Addressing our fears, and the inherent dissonance that attracts a trader to the market, Trading in the Zone helps traders accept the emotions associated with trading, and help create a set of rules and guidelines with which to succeed. The author delves into multiple models of mental state. Conflicting beliefs, addressing varying fears about the markets and ourselves. All of these put together for the framework for how the individual trader can assess their own mental state and adapt to the needs of the trader over the fears and desires of the individual.

Traders really enjoy how understood they feel while reading this book, it really resonates with the set of emotional highs and lows they experience. Trading in the Zone also really puts into perspective for most traders what they must accept about the markets and themselves in order to succeed. Many traders even re-read Trading in the Zone at various times throughout their journey, and often say they learn something new each time. Trading in the Zone is accessible to all levels of experience in the markets.

Buy "Trading in the Zone" on Amazon

The Mental Game of Trading – Jared Tendler

“The problem is that because of variance, monetary results alone are unreliable measures in the short term of how you played”. Jared Tendler

Trade like a robot. Often an expression amongst traders is to completely remove emotions from the trading equation. In the Mental Game of Trading, Tendler takes a different approach, and instead teaches traders how they can use their emotions as signals and clues to instead improve their trading.

The Mental Game of Trading uses an inchworm approach to trading, seeking to incrementally and consistently improve and execute your best strategies, while also seeking to mitigate losses by identifying and systematically removing your worst features. Using a simple approach to separate our trades in A B and C setups we can quickly map our best strategies, and our best mindsets into repeatable endeavors. 

By using our emotions as a guide, rather than trying to suppress them, we can analyze and address our best and worst trading days, and then seek to replicate the best ones, and avoid mistakes when we have the makings of a bad day. Traders learn the tools to map their own fear and greed to execute even better in the markets.

Traders enjoy how this book allows them to apply logic to their emotions and analyze them and work through them. The introspection also helps traders to get off tilt - an emotional state that allows people to trade aggressively while making a lot of mistakes. This book is appropriate for all trading levels of experience.

Buy "The Mental Game of Trading" from Jared Tendler

Reminiscences of a Stock Operator – Edwin Lefèvre

“There is nothing like losing all you have in the world for teaching you what not to do. And when you know what not to do in order not to lose money, you begin to learn what to do in order to win.” Edwin Lefèvre

A fictional piece of writing based on the legendary trader Jesse Livermore, Reminiscences of a Stock Operator is one of the favorites amongst traders. Through its story telling following the life of a trader in the early 1900s, it highlights the highs and lows, gains and losses, being right and still being wrong, of a tape reading trader. 

One of the things people like about this book is the story telling. Unlike many trading and self-help books that delve into research or more lecture-like concepts, this one brings you through the lessons of market psychology, the highs and lows experienced by many traders  carry you through the story, absorbing the reader in the emotions of the trader. This book teaches the lessons of hype, patience, struggle, timing and momentum.

Ultimately Jesse Livermore lost his fortune and committed suicide. A cautionary tale for both greed and risk management, because being right at the wrong time is still being wrong.

Learn more about "Reminiscences of a Stock Operator" 

Thinking in Bets: Making Smarter Decisions When You Don’t Have All the Facts – Annie Duke

“The secret is to make peace with walking around in a world where we recognize that we are not sure and that’s okay. As we learn more about how our brains operate, we recognize that we don’t perceive the world objectively. But our goal should be to try.” Annie Duke

Annie Duke is a poker player turned consultant, who analyzes process based decision making. Using her years of experience in analyzing the probabilities in poker hands, she teaches how to embrace uncertainty and make the best decisions possible with available information. If a poker hand has a 75% win rate, and you lose, it doesn’t mean you made the wrong choice to play the hand. But our biases and our minds will trick us into thinking we should make decisions based on one time results, not based on long term probabilities. In trading over the course of hundreds or thousands of trades, these biases based on single trade results can lead us to make poor decisions that ultimately lead to losses.

We don’t need 100% certainty all the time, and we can certainly never control for that in the markets. By changing our thinking to process based decisions over longer periods of time, we can alleviate some of the biases that cause us to make poor decisions.

Traders enjoy this book because it helps mitigate the fear of being wrong vs making the wrong decisions. Losing trades are inevitable in trading, but developing winning strategies over longer periods of time help traders manage risk, make good decisions and stay in the game for the long term. This book is appropriate for all levels of traders and is ideal for those who want to improve their outlook on uncertainty and fear through a data driven approach.

Check out "Thinking in Bets" on Amazon

Atomic Habits – James Clear

“It is easy to get bogged down trying to find the optimal plan for change: the fastest way to lose weight, the best program to build muscle, the perfect idea for a side hustle. We are so focused on figuring out the best approach that we never get around to taking action. As Voltaire once wrote, ‘The best is the enemy of the good.’” James Clear

Not a book specifically about trading or the markets, Atomic habits is still a favorite amongst traders. As most traders ultimately realize, the discipline required in trading is also reflected in everyday life. To improve performance, health and overall productivity, Atomic Habits emphasizes the use of micro improvements day by day in order to drastically improve overall success.

This idea is based on the compound interest, one investors and traders are very familiar with. That compounding gains over time leads to exponentially higher gains than simple addition. Improving our habits by just fractional amounts every day can lead to greater success longer term than trying to take on big moves every day that eventually fizzle out.

One of Clear’s main techniques is called habit stacking, where people use their existing habits, making coffee, brushing their teeth, and workouts to add new useful habits that will increase their odds of continued success. A simple example would be leaving a glass by the sink in the bathroom, and improving your hydration by drinking a glass of water every time you already use the bathroom. Traders can use the same mentality and habits to increase the odds of success in their trading and actions. By trying to make small incremental improvements to their trading rather than periodically making big moves, or entirely adjusting strategies frequently in order to find the next big thing.

This book is suitable for beginners, and those looking to up their game through meaningful yet incremental habits.

Buy "Atomic Habits" on Amazon.com 

Markets in Profile: Profiting from the Auction Process – James Dalton

Euphoria, greed, fear, patience anxiety. The market runs on human psychology charted over time. In Markets in Profile, James Dalton seeks to use the psychology and irrationality of market participants to create opportunity for investors. 

Markets in Profile teaches a volume profile trading strategy, not a book on improving your mental game as a trader. However, the use of the psychology of the markets increases our potential to see things differently, to understand how investors and traders think and act in the face of emotion, and can improve our risk management and relieve our biases and emotional reactions. 

Ultimately this is both a guide in understanding our own emotions as they relate to investing, and how we can use them to create a comprehensive trading strategy, as well as an understanding of auction theory, how participants in the markets position themselves through the reading of the buys and sells.

This book is a bit more advanced, and readers would do well to have an initial understanding of markets and technical analysis in order to get the most out of this book.

Although the book is very specific to market profile, traders who are not interested in the strategy of market profile still have much to learn from this book and its views of the overall perception of the market.

Buy "Markets in Profile" on Amazon.com

The Playbook – Mike Bellafiore

Written by the founder of SMB capital, The Playbook focuses on building and implementing a playbook for various market environments. This book is recommended for traders that already have a footing in the markets and a background in technical analysis. Both technical and personal, this book uses real world trade examples to show you how to analyze and refine your trading strategies to develop your own playbook. While it goes through examples of technical analysis, it is not a teaching system, rather it teaches you how to journal, reflect, learn and question your own strategies through the real world anecdotes of other traders in order to help you refine your trading.

Traders enjoy The Playbook because it helps them organize their trade setups, and create rules around them which helps improve overall execution and ultimately profitability. Beginners might have a bit more trouble with the density of the book, publishing quality and that it requires an underlying knowledge and fascination with the trading floor.

Pick up "The Playbook" on Amazon.com

Best Loser Wins – Tom Hougaard

“Winning traders seem to be much more trusting of the prevailing trend. This attitude adjustment may seem trivial, but it literally makes the difference between the winning trader and the losing trader.”

In Best Loser Wins, Hougaard focuses on the leap required to go from understanding technical analysis to becoming a good trader via understanding execution. The underlying messages of the book are that A) without the ability to let go of biases, and execute according to what the market gives you, you will likely be in a constant cycle of searching for the next best thing, constantly “learning” your way to frustration in trading, and B) that we often do most things as a way to avoid pain. He recognizes that most people spend their lives learning, but to become a truly successful trader, you must spend your time doing, experiencing, facing your fears and leveling up.

Traders resonate with some of the tools and analogies Hougaard uses in his book that provide strong visual cues. The first where he pins charts of previous trading mistakes above his setup as a reminder of what can go wrong. The second is his analogy of trading with surfing: “When you are out there, sitting outside the impact zone, waiting to paddle in, you don’t paddle when there are no waves. You are patient. When the right size waves builds up, you get ready. You are one with the sea. You roll with its flow. You surrender.”

Recognizing that our minds love visuals to hold on to, Best Loser Wins anchors these messages with visuals in order to help cement them into our learning. 

Buy "The Best Loser Wins" on Amazon.com

Trading For A Living – Alexander Elder

“The desire for constant action irrespective of underlying conditions is responsible for many losses in Wall Street even among the professionals, who feel that they must take home some money everyday, as though they were working for regular wages.”

Differentiating itself from only the technical side, or only the mental aspect of trading, Trading for a Living attempts to do it all: teach market trends and strategies while also touching on discipline and psychology. An overview of all the aspects day traders will encounter on a day to day basis making a living from trading. Trading for a living dives into where the market spends its time, in ranges, and helps traders understand the strategic needs of developing patience and plays for where the market spends most of its time, and then how to capitalize on breakouts and breakdowns. Given that traders often feel pressured to be constantly working and clicking to make money, this book gives a real world look at the expectations of the market, and how those expectations hurt us, when they can be helping us find more profitable setups.

Trading for a Living is organized into 11 parts starting with trading psychology and journaling, then sliding into crowd psychology and how that translates into charting, trends, consolidation, supports, resistances and other indicators. Then finishes off with risk management and record keeping. There is even a study guide to help encourage you to test your knowledge. This text is a lot more dense and concept heavy than many of the other books, traders are encouraged to take it slow and take notes, not expecting to go through it all in one go as a quick read.

Pickup "Trading For a Living" on Amazon

Options as a Strategic Investment – Lawrence McMillan

A very dense book of 1000+ pages this is a very technical and in depth book. This is for the very serious trader who wants to build a business in trading options and varying option strategies. And also to the interested investor keen on learning everything option related. It seeks to understand options, their underlyings, varying option strategies and be able to consistently grow in the options space. From understanding how options are priced, to how to pick options for your strategy this book covers it all and is considered the “Bible” of options trading. Not recommended for beginners.

Here is "Options as a Strategic Investment" on Amazon.com

Wrapping it Up

The list of our favorite books isn't the extent, rather its the beginning of the many different resources that have influenced our trading over the years. We hope that you enjoy a few of these titles and would love to hear about any other books you may recommend. Good luck and good trading!

Our Trading Book FAQs

Best Trading Books of all time: My Top 10 Picks for 2024

Bonus Material:

According to Amazon, there are over 30,000 books on trading when you search for “ stock trading books ” on their website.

However, many of these books are an expensive business card for the author and little more than a vanity project. Additionally, the majority of trading books contain too much theory and few practical takeaways.

In this article, I will provide an overview and review the very best trading books available on the market today. This will ensure you read the right trading book for you, and more importantly, prevent you from wasting time.

The 10 best stock trading books in 2022

• Think & Trade Like a Champion
• Reminiscences of a Stock Operator
• The UK Trader’s Bible
• One Good Trade
• Unknown Stock Market Wizards
• The Art of Execution
• Flash Crash
• The Market Maker’s Edge
• The Sleuth Investor
• Short Selling

NOTE: I have distilled all the best learnings from the trading books included in this article (and more) into an actionable trading handbook. You can get the handbook for free by clicking the button below.

1. Think & Trade Like A Champion by Mark Minervini

It would be wrong not to list Think & Trade Like A Champion at number one. It’s a must-read for any stock trader, and it follows on from his excellent first book, Trade Like A Stock Market Wizard .

Mark Minervini follows specific trading patterns and his ideas are influenced by both Stan Weinstein and William O’Neil, authors of Stan Weinstein’s Secrets for Profiting in Bull and Bear Markets , and How To Make Money In Stocks respectively.

In fact, all four of these books should be read because they ingrain the concepts of risk management and trend following. These are notions that most traders learn the hard way, and it’s much cheaper to learn from others’ mistakes.

Much of my own trading is soaked in these four books and I have read (and re-read) these books several times.

2. Reminiscences of a Stock Operator by Edwin Lefevre

Reminiscences of a Stock Operator is a classic. Published in 1923, it is a fictionalised account mixed with fact-based on the life of Jesse Livermore. Jesse was a stock trader and speculator in the US market and racked up (and lost) fortunes several times. The book is worth its weight in gold for trading psychology and understanding human emotions.

“There is nothing new in Wall Street. There can’t be because speculation is as old as the hills. Whatever happens in the stock market today has happened before and will happen again.”

Sadly, Jesse’s mental health deteriorated. In 1940 he entered the Sherry Netherlands Hotel, drank two old fashioneds, and shot himself after losing his fortune for a third time.

3. The UK Trader’s Bible: The Complete Guide to Trading the UK Stock Market by Dominic Connolly

Dominic Connolly wrote The UK Trader’s Bible in 2005, and although it’s a little dated, I’ve included it because the book focuses on the one thing in trading that matters: what moves prices. The book uses real examples in long and short CFD trading and offers real insights into the mind of a successful trader.

Situations such as dual-listed arbitrage, bid opportunities, intraday news, rights issues, are all included. The UK Trader’s Bible contains a wealth of ideas and I would especially recommend this book for anyone interested in trading CFDs.

Additionally, it contains professional trading insights that a hedge fund would use. It is not the most basic of texts for retail traders, but a highly recommended read.

4. One Good Trade: Inside the Highly Competitive World of Proprietary Trading by Mike Bellafiore

One Good Trade is a proprietary trading book from Mike Bellafiore, founder of day trading firm SMB Capital in the US. Both prop traders and full-time traders see their income derived from their ability to consistently take money out of the market volatility through profits. It is mentally and emotionally challenging, but highly rewarding for those who succeed.

One Good Trade is an excellent read for those who are considering making the step to full-time trading and/or those wishing to take a more professional approach to trading both stocks and forex.

SMB Capital uses a mixture of both technical and fundamental analysis in order to make money and this is a thoroughly enjoyable trading book. Many profiles of successful and failed day traders are included, along with principles that we can learn from and apply for ourselves.

5. Unknown Stock Market Wizards: The Best Traders You’ve Never Heard Of by Jack Schwager

Jack Schwager is the author of the famous market wizards series that profiles top traders. He started off with Market Wizards (1989), before releasing The New Market Wizards (1992), and Stock Market Wizards (2001). All of these books deserve a place on any trader’s bookshelf, but with the final book being released 20 years ago, they’re beginning to decline in relevance.

The financial market is fast-paced, it changes, and those traders who don’t adapt are weeded out of existence. So I’m delighted that Jack has now released Unknown Market Wizards which highlights how traders today are making money in various ways. 

This book series is inspiring as it shows what is possible if you’re willing to sit at the table and learn. Unknown Market Wizards includes a trader who turned just $2,500 into $50 million, and an advertising executive who achieved a 58% average return over a 27-year trading period. 

Unknown Market Wizards is a great read and also covers the human side of trading – something that discretionary traders must deal with on a daily basis.

6. The Art of Execution: How the World’s Best Investors Get It Wrong and Still Make Millions by Lee Freeman-Shor

At the time of publication, Lee Freeman-Shor manages over $1 billion in high-alpha and multi-asset strategies. Lee has been ranked as one of the world’s top fund managers in 2012, and has produced a book of great importance.

The Art of Execution documents the findings of a period spanning seven years from June 2006 to October 2013, a period including the worst stock market crashes in living memory. 45 of the world’s top investors and their investment strategies were studied with all of their trades documented and analysed, and the book is the result of its findings.

As it turns out, the execution of strategy is far more important than the idea. Read my  book summary for The Art of Execution  for the findings.

The Art of Execution is a well-recommended book by many private investors and a necessary read for any investor wishing to improve their returns trading stocks.

7. Flash Crash: A Trading Savant, a Global Manhunt, and the Most Mysterious Market Crash in History by Liam Vaughan

Flash Crash is the tale of Navinder Singh Sarao who was able to create a fortune of $70 million trading financial markets from his bedroom at his parent’s house. 

Nav was a trading prodigy who was one of the biggest players in the E-mini (a traded futures contract one-fifth of the side of a standard S&P futures contract) and when electronic traders started eating into his profits he built his own system to compete.

The FBI knocked on his door in 2015 – the book is an enjoyable and factual read of one of the most thrilling investigations in recent history.

Some see Nav as a folk-hero who fought back against Wall Street and high-frequency short term traders, whereas others believe he cheated. Read the book and decide for yourself.

8. The Market Maker’s Edge: A Wall Street Insider Reveals How To: Time Entry and Exit Points for Minimum Risk, Maximum Profit; Combine Fundamental and Technical Analysis; Control Your Trading Environment Every Day, Every Trade by Josh Lukeman

Josh Lukeman was an institutional market maker who concentrated on technology stocks. This book was published in 2000 so it’s antiquated, but the content is timeless. It also wins the award for the longest title of a book I’ve ever seen. 

The Market Maker’s Edge covers a solid grounding in risk management, including practical tips on position sizing, candlestick and chart patterns, cutting losses, and managing your mindset. It also covers fundamental and technical setups to trade, some of which still work today. 

One excellent part of the book is the emphasis on taking responsibility for your results. Regardless of your trading success, it is down to you and nobody else. Victims blame others; winners take responsibility and hold themselves accountable. Various emotions and how to deal with them are covered, such as anxiety, greed, regret, and underconfidence.

I originally bought The Market Maker’s Edge because I thought it would give me insights into the SETSqx platform on the London Stock Exchange. It didn’t. However, I found this book useful and would recommend it for anyone wanting to learn more about trading. You can read  my summary here .

9. The Sleuth Investor: Uncover the Best Stocks Before They Make Their Move by Avner Mandelman

It’s quite possible this book appealed to me because I studied History at university. The author believes an edge can be gained by speaking to company employees, using scuttlebutt, talking to suppliers, and in some extreme cases even carrying out surveillance on business activities.

One example used in The Sleuth Investor is a mining company that was highly profitable. Yet when Avner visited the local mine, he found people unwilling to talk to him, and eventually found out the entire company was fraudulent. He said nothing to anyone, shorted the stock, and waited for the eventual collapse. 

The Sleuth Investor’s main thesis is that the Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH) is not always correct. EMH may work in general, and for large stocks, but alpha can be generated by those willing to dig deep and do some work. 

It’s an entertaining book and an easy read, so it definitely earns a spot on the top 10 trading books.

10. Short Selling by Amit Kumar

Books on short selling are rare. Great books on short selling are even rarer.  Short Selling is a complete text in both the fundamentals and market mechanics of a short – the latter being necessary to understand before one opens a short position. 

The Short Selling book looks at ideal stocks to short, as well as risks, and the perils of shorting expensive stocks. Charting is a necessary skill when shorting.

Shorting is an advanced trading strategy and one most retail traders lose when trading, but understanding how shorting works and the stocks shorters target can make one a more effective trader and investor.

What is the best book for learning trading?

There is no single definitive “best book” for learning trading. There are various types of trading and one book is not the best fit for all.

It would be like asking “what is the best car?” Many would be tempted to say Lamborghini or Ferrari, but these cars are useless if you’re wanting to drive off-road.

This is why someone who wants to scalp will get little use from a swing trading book, and vice versa.

This list compiles 10 books that cover a variety of trading disciplines and each one of them will help you on your trading journey.

Can I learn trading from books?

Yes, you can. You can learn the theory of trading and you can learn much from reading about trading greats and their trading methodologies.

But to truly learn and understand trading, you need to apply your knowledge in the market with real money and start actively trading. Books will teach you so much but doing will teach you so much more.

What is the number 1 rule in trading?

The number 1 rule in trading is cut your losses .

Most traders blow their accounts because of too big a position size and unexpected volatility. These result in large losses and kill trading accounts before the traders have had a chance to allow their edge to play out.

If you can’t cut your losses, you’ll fail in trading. Sorry, but that’s how it is.

We’ve come to the end of the top 10 best stock trading books (although not all of these are best sellers). There are many great books on trading that are not on this list and yet to be published. But if you want a free trading handbook on the UK stock market, you can download mine below.

Download the free ebook now

Enter your email to receive my free UK stock trading handbook, packed with professional techniques to manage risk and consistently profit on AIM stocks.

If you’re interested in forex trading and cryptocurrency then the trading psychology books are more than suitable for you.

Honorary recommendations 

• Trade Your Way To Financial Freedom by Dr Van Tharp
• Japenese Candlestick Charting Techniques by Steve Nison (world’s most expensive book?)
• One Up On Wall Street by Peter Lynch
• Technical Analysis of the Financial Markets by John Murphy
• Pit Bull by Martin Schwartz
• The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham (the father of value investing)
• Trading In The Zone by Mark Douglas

Disclaimer : This article contains Amazon Associate links which may see the website receive a commission on any book bought from Amazon. The prices come at no extra cost however if you’d rather add to Jeff Bezos’ billions rather than my own non-existent billions, you can go directly to Amazon instead.

About The Author

Michael taylor.

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• Trading Education

Trading Books

Day trading books can teach you about strategy, risk management, psychology, and a great deal about technical analysis. Unfortunately, librarians and book retailers aren’t day traders. This makes tracking down the best books somewhat challenging. Fortunately, this page has broken down and collated the best books for beginners, top books for particular assets, as well as detailing how different formats can best suit your individual needs.

Alternatively, we have compiled a list of the brokers with the best training academies and educational content in 2024. Learning packages include trading guides, webinars and events, plus how-to guides.

Brokers With The Best Education & Learning Guides

The best brokers offer plenty of educational resources and special support to clients who want to learn more about trading. These are the top brokers for traders that want to get started or take their trading to the next level:

The Best Brokers for Beginners

Best eBooks For Day Traders

Etx ebook library.

ETX Capital deliver a broad library of ebooks for traders to use. From technical analysis to global trends, there are ebooks that can help you whether you trade forex, commodities or stocks. All the resources are free and are well worth making use of.

Day Trading Books For Beginners

When you decide to take the plunge into trading, you swiftly realise how complex strategies, charts, patterns, platforms, and fees can get. This is all the more reason to utilise the resources around you to hit the ground running. The best books for beginners keep it simple and offer step by step guides on how to choose stock, implement strategy and manage your capital and risk.

Below are 3 of the top books for beginners.

1. A Beginner’s Guide To Day Trading Online, Toni Turner

Written by a trader and educator, the book gives clear direction and is also up to date with industry developments. You’ll get a detailed overview of risk management, technical analyses, plus how to set up a trading plan. Recent Editions have been renamed “ A Beginner’s Guide To Short Term Trading ”

The book is also a fantastic learning tool because it’s packed full of quizzes and checklists. The author also runs through all the basic jargon, whilst somehow managing to keep you engaged. It’s great for the day trader specifically because it distinguishes between short term and long term trading, the benefits, the risks and the concepts you need to focus on.

“A Beginner’s Guide to Day Trading Online” on Google Books

2. Start Day Trading Now: A Quick And Easy Introduction To Making Money While Managing Your Risk, Micheal Sincere

Written from the perspective of an experienced trade, this book centres on technical analysis and also offers some invaluable money management lessons. It initially centres on charts, patterns, and indicators. You’ll then be walked through the practicalities of making your first trade.

You also get the benefit of hearing from interviews with experienced traders, hopefully enabling you to avoid any of the pitfalls they fell down at. Plus, at less than 200 pages this book is an easily digestible read for the aspiring trader.

“Start Day Trading Now: A Quick And Easy Introduction To Making Money While Managing Your Risk” on Google Books

3. Day Trading For Dummies, Ann C Logue

Although the author’s not a trader, her book is diverse, covering a wide range of topics, making it ideal for those who want to get a broad initial understanding. This book is less of a guide and more information on every day trading topic under the sun. You won’t get detail, but that also means you shouldn’t get lost. This all makes it one of the best books on trading for beginners.

If you had to answer ‘what’s the best books for beginners?’ All of the texts above would top the list. They give you the platform you need to start, as well as somewhere you can turn to for answers as you get going.

Remember, good day trading books for beginners keep it straightforward. They walk you through the entire process, from choosing a stock and strategy, to psychology and risk management.

“Day Trading For Dummies” on Google Books

For those looking for more detailed books that offer in-depth technical analysis, advanced strategies, and comprehensive information on all things day trading, there are a number of books you can turn to.

Below we have collated the top 10 books, taking into account reviews, ease of use and comprehensiveness.

1. High Probability Trading: Take the Steps to Become a Successful Trader, Marcel Link

This book centres on the notion of only making trades when the odds are in your favour, so it delves into how you set up your trades, and what to look for to know exactly what to trade and how much.

The author calls on years of successful experience in the markets and you can benefit from his trial and error approach to avoid future mistakes yourself. It’s well written and to the point, making it worthy of a spot on this list.

“High Probability Trading: Take the Steps to Become a Successful Trader” on Google Books

2. The Truth About Day Trading Stocks, Josh DiPetrio

Whilst many books sing about the potential riches, Josh DiPetrio emphasises day trading is not a get rich quick scheme. His writing is easy to follow and you can tell he genuinely wants to make you aware of the dangers, and advise you on how to manage them.

There are some essential lessons you can glean from this book and you get the resounding feeling you’re getting the truth from the first chapter until the last.

“The Truth About Day Trading Stocks” on Google Books

3. Mastering The Trade, John Carter

This is one of the top books because there is so much detailed instruction on how to set up trades. He leaves no stone unturned as he breaks down numerous strategies and different markets. It’s also well established as one of the go-to psychology books.

If you’re looking for a crystal clear guide to what, how, why, when and where, then this is the book you need. It’s also considered one of the best emini books, calling on real life examples to prove points.

“Mastering The Trade” on Google Books

4. Day Trading and Swing Trading the Currency Market: Technical and Fundamental Strategies to Profit from Market moves, Kathy Lien

One of the best selling day trading books, you get to benefit from the experience of one of the most highly regarded analysts in the forex world. If you haven’t seen her on Bloomberg or CNN, then you’ll enjoy her to the point style.

You’ll gain an insight into conducting accurate market analysis, plus the author’s a solid source of trade ideas. If you’re looking for one of the best forex books, then look no further.

“Day Trading and Swing Trading the Currency Market: Technical and Fundamental Strategies to Profit from Market Moves” on Google Books

5. The Disciplined Trader: Developing Winning Attitudes, Mark Douglas

A lot of good books focus on technical analysis, strategy and risk management, but not so many focus on the complexities of trading psychology. As this book aptly highlights, you can have all the best strategies in the world, but without discipline, you’ll struggle to turn a profit.

The book details why not yielding to your emotions is harder than it sounds and offers you a multitude of tips for keeping calm and getting in the right headspace. You’ll also get on advice on how to document your trade performance and minimise risk.

“The Disciplined Trader: Developing Winning Attitudes” on Google Books

6. Digital Day Trading, Howard Abell

Although not quite making the top 5 books, this text deserves a look in. If you’re looking for an easy to understand book that doesn’t waste words, then this is a sensible choice. The author focuses on market philosophy and delves into his own trading psychology. You’ll also benefit from three interviews with successful day traders, picking up an array of useful tips.

The only thing to point out is that this book was written during the highly volatile period of the dotcom boom, so some information may be outdated.

“Digital Day Trading” on Google Books

7. The Stock Trader: How I Make a Living Trading Stocks, Tony Oz

If you want strategies you can take from the book and apply with ease then this is a good choice. You get a number of detailed strategies that cover entry and exit points, charts to use, patterns to identify, plus a number of other telling indicators.

This book gets glowing reviews and is written in an engaging way, giving it appeal to a wide audience. It’s not surprising then it’s thought to be up there with the best trading books of all time.

“The Stock Trader: How I Make a Living Trading Stocks” on Google Books

8. Range Trading, Micheal Young

If you’re looking for a specific, honed strategy, then this book deserves your attention. The book explains why most strategies such as scalping struggle to overcome high intraday costs and fees. It then offers you a tried and tested alternative, known as ‘range trading’.

This is a self-proclaimed step by step guide, taking a complex system and making it easy to follow. If you’re looking for a high level of detail and an alternative approach, then you’ll see why this one of the best intraday trading books around.

“Range Trading” on Amazon

9. The Simple Strategy, Markus Heitkotter

If you’re looking for widely regarded forex and options books, then this won’t disappoint. The success of this book comes from the clear instructions you get around entry and exit rules, how to capitalise on small intraday trends, plus advice on the software you do and do not need.

In addition, it’s been written so you don’t have to be a rocket scientist to get through it. The author also keeps it light-hearted and engaging throughout, making it one of the must read trading books.

“The Simple Strategy” on Google Books

10. Day Trading Grain Futures: A Practical Guide To Trading For A Living, David Bennett

If you’re looking for specific futures trading books then this deserves a look in. There are no mincing words, it offers you practical advice from page one on how to trade futures effectively.

Firstly, you’ll hear why the author prefers day trading and why the grains futures market specifically. Then you’ll get clear strategies, built on timeless trading concepts, that don’t rely on highly technical and complex indicators. You can also apply the philosophies and strategies found here to any number of intraday markets.

“Day Trading Grain Futures: A Practical Guide To Trading For A Living” on Google Books

Live Webinars And Trader Courses

ETX Capital are currently offering a range of educational tools to traders. They are free to enrol for any traders who have made a deposit of any size. More details can be found here .

Courses are delivered by in-house experts at ETX, and an independent trading company. This ensures a rounded service for those who have enrolled. Most courses and webinars are delivered online.

Alternative Formats

Thanks to the wonders of technology you can now get day trading audiobooks and ebooks. Audiobooks are ideal for listening to whilst you’re driving, on the treadmill, or when you simply want to block out the noisy kids. They also allow you to take notes whilst you listen, or apply the information in real-time on your platform.

You can also get books in pdf, as free downloads. Just like ebooks, having these open in a separate window whilst you trade allows you to easily follow instructions and put into practice what you’re reading. You’ll also have something you can quickly refer back to with just a click of the mouse.

Trading Log Books

These popular day trading books are an extremely useful tool that many people overlook, to their detriment. They will allow you to keep a detailed record of all your trades. These can then be used to check back to when you’re looking for patterns, or when you want to backtest a potential strategy. Some essentials to note down are the following:

• Equity symbol
• Entry price
• Total purchase price (including commission)
• Number of shares purchased
• Initial stop loss
• Profit target
• Total sale price (including commission)
• Profit/loss (total sale -total purchase)
• Profit/loss % ({total sale – total purchase}-1)

Trading Order Books

These serve a different purpose from the bestseller trading books outlined above. An order book is an electronic list of buy and sell orders for your specified security or instrument, organised by price level. You’ll be able to see which brokerages are buying or selling the stock and whether the market is being pushed by institutions or retail investors.

This will help you make informed and accurate decisions. They are also useful because they reveal order imbalances, giving you an indication as to the assets direction in the short term. If for example, there was a significant imbalance of buy orders, this may signal a move higher in the asset as a result of buying pressure.

Different Markets, Different Texts

If you want day trading books for the UK, Europe, U.S, and Canada then all of the books above will be relevant and applicable to markets close to home. But, if you’re looking to delve into markets on the other side of the world, you may want to look for books specific to that region.

If you’re looking to get into the Indian stock market, for example, you’ll want books specifically for day trading in India. One of the best books on day trading in India, which is also written by Indian authors is ‘Intraday Trading Ki Pechan ’ , by Ankit Gala & Jitendra Gala. Alternatively, ’How To Make Money Trading With Charts’ by Ashwani Gujral also scores highly in recent reviews of trading books.

If you want books with an Australian slant and also written by an Australian author, then you may want to look at ‘Why Gold Matters ’ , by Peter J. August. ‘Adaptive Analysis for Australian Stocks’ by Nick Radge also scores highly in reviews.

Final Chapter

Finding online books, in general, is relatively easy, but finding the right one for your needs isn’t always straightforward. Before you make your purchase, consider precisely what you want to learn. Are you looking for strategies books, books on forex, psychology, or for beginners? Do you want a step by step guide, or do you just want to hear stories and advice from successful traders?

Once you know that, decide what format will make the information easy to digest and straightforward to apply, hardback, ebook, pdf or audiobook. It’s also always worth checking reviews of the supposed ‘best trading books’, just to be sure you’ll get precisely what you’re looking for.

Alternatively, see our list of the trading brokers with top-rated learning tutorials and training academies. Most of the educational content available at these brands is also free.

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Best Day Trading Books

• Investing in Stocks
• Investing Books
• by warren buffet
• by Jim Cramer
• BInary Options Books
• Day Trading Books
• Forex Trading Books
• Hedge Fund Books
• Wall Street Books
• Financial Crisis books

A thorough day trading education can save you from costly errors and build your confidence. We've put together a list of several great books available to assist novice or experienced traders hone their craft and analyze stocks for better returns. These books share a wealth of information to get you started or perfect your day trading strategy , but remember, experience is the best teacher.

• Quick Look at the Best Day Trading Books:
• Interactive Day Trading: Ultimate Trading Guide by Satish Gaire
• Technical Analysis of Financial Markets: A Comprehensive Guide to Trading Methods and Applications by John J. Murphy
• A Beginner's Guide to Day Trading Online by Toni Turner
• Japanese Candlestick Charting Techniques: A Contemporary Guide to the Ancient Investment Techniques of the Far East by Steve Nison
• Technical Analysis Explained, Fifth Edition: The Successful Investor's Guide to Spotting Investment Trends and Turning Points by Martin J. Pring
• The Simple Strategy: A Powerful Day Trading Strategy for Trading Futures, Stocks, ETFs and Forex   by Markus Heitkoetter
• The Mental Strategies of Top Traders: The Psychological Determinants of Trading Success by Ari Kiev
• Trading In The Zone: Master the Market with Confidence, Discipline, and a Winning Attitude by Mark Douglas

The Best Books for Beginner Day Traders

Books for expanding your understanding of strategy and charting, books on trading psychology, learn from the best day trading books, frequently asked questions.

As a new day trader, you want to look for books that spell out basic trading and analysis concepts , teach chart reading and more.

1. Interactive Day Trading: Ultimate Trading Guide

Interactive Day Trading: Ultimate Trading Guide” is a day trading book that covers everything from getting started, technical trading, indicators, company fundamentals, various ways of finding stocks, & a step-by-step trading checklist to help you minimize loss. It also includes a video course & quizzes to help traders master each concept. 

 This book is unique because it includes a lot of visuals, is written in laymen terms & includes a video course where the author explains each topic in depth. What we liked about this book was that, instead of a long list of information, the author gives actionable strategies.

Paperback edition: Buy it now Kindle edition: Buy it now

2. Technical Analysis of Financial Markets: A Comprehensive Guide to Trading Methods and Applications by John J. Murphy

This landmark bestseller was written in 1999 but is still a top seller on Amazon.

This easy-to-comprehend reference guide goes deep into technical analysis and trading theory and includes charts and graphs to illustrate its points.

"Technical Analysis of Financial Markets " teaches you how to read charts and the importance of technical analysis , and covers candlestick charting, intermarket relationships and stock rotation.

The author offers a study guide that includes quizzes to help you understand and digest the information.

Hardcover edition: Buy it now Kindle edition: Buy it now    

3. A Beginner's Guide to Day Trading Online by Toni Turner

This accessible, easy-to-read best-seller teaches you how to make money day trading.

It teaches you the basics you need to know to master the market, including decimalization of stock prices, precision entries and exits and reviews different trading products including E-minis and exchange-traded funds (ETFs).

In " A Beginner's Guide to Day Trading Online,"  Toni Turner shares her day trading experiences and offers straightforward guidance and direction.

Paperback edition: Buy it now Kindle edition: Buy it now    

Once you’re comfortable with the basics of day trading and ready to move from paper trades to make real money, check out these in-depth trading strategy and charting guides.

1. Japanese Candlestick Charting Techniques: A Contemporary Guide to the Ancient Investment Techniques of the Far East by Steve Nison

This classic offers page after page of practical candlestick charting techniques and shows how they can be applied to almost any market and combined with other technical analysis techniques.

Steve Nison, the author of " Japanese Candlestick Charting Techniques: A Contemporary Guide,"  is one of the foremost technical analysts in the world and introduced the Japanese candlestick technique to the western world.

Paperback edition: Buy it now Hardcover edition: Buy it now Kindle edition: Buy it now    

2. Technical Analysis Explained, Fifth Edition: The Successful Investor's Guide to Spotting Investment Trends and Turning Points by Martin J. Pring

The bible of technical analysis, this book is on its 5th edition since the original published 30 years ago.

Pring's straight talk blends theory with technique and offers strategies for future profits in " Technical Analysis Explained."

The book offers a practical step-by-step guide to incorporating technical analysis into your trading strategy for portfolio growth.

Paperback edition: Buy it now Hardcover edition: Buy it now eTextbook edition: Buy it now        

3. The Simple Strategy: A Powerful Day Trading Strategy for Trading Futures, Stocks, ETFs and Forex by Markus Heitkoetter

Heitkoetter boasts that he can teach you a powerful day trading strategy in 60 minutes and after just 88 pages.

This easy, straightforward read outlines the author’s strategy of clear entry and exit rules and shows you how to take advantage of small intraday trends.

" The Simple Strategy" assumes you have a working knowledge of charting and outlines strategies.

Paperback edition: Buy it now Kindle edition: Buy it now Audiobook edition: Buy it now          

Your knowledge of charts and analytic techniques can shipwreck you if you don’t have the right mindset. It’s important to gain confidence and understanding of the psychology behind successful day trading.

1. The Mental Strategies of Top Traders: The Psychological Determinants of Trading Success by Ari Kiev

This careful analysis of the characteristics of successful traders dives deep into the sometimes-contradictory traits of their willingness to take on risk in a very tight and controlled manner.

"The Mental Strategies of Top Traders "   shows how you can cultivate those same characteristics.

Hardcover edition: Buy it now Kindle edition: Buy it now          

2. Trading in the Zone: Master the Market with Confidence, Discipline, and a Winning Attitude by Mark Douglas

Douglas is a master of trade psychology. He dives into the mental habits that hold traders back and causes them to lose money in " Trading in the Zone. "

He exposes the myths of the markets, teaches traders to look beyond random outcomes, and understand the realities of risk .

No amount of understanding of charts will teach you the psychology to be a successful trader, but this book does.

Hardcover edition: Buy it now Kindle edition: Buy it now Audiobook edition: Buy it now

Audio CD edition: Buy it now        

You never want to go out and navigate the day trading waters without a good guide and these books will help you set and chart your course. Then get out there and let your experience help you gain the right knowledge and mindset for success.

What are good day trading books for novices?

How to Day Trade for a Living , A Beginners Guide to Day Trading and Reminiscences of a Stock Operator are good options for new traders.

What makes day traders fail?

The number one reason is a lack of knowledge.

How can I learn about day trading?

You can get a great education about day trading by reading day trading books.

Best Day Trading Books

Master the art of day trading with these expert-recommended reads, selected from top financial publications and ranked by how often they're endorsed..

6 Best Books on Investing

Those looking to build their wealth should consider these best books on investing.

• Newsletter sign up Newsletter

The best books on investing break down one of the biggest barriers for folks wanting to build wealth: knowledge, or the lack thereof.

Most people might think that money is the largest hurdle for those wanting to start investing in the stock market . But with funds and apps that let you get started for as little as $1, you can invest with your pocket change.

Instead, what is arguably the greatest obstacle facing both beginning and seasoned investors alike is not knowing what to do.  

Unfortunately, investing is not part of most educational curricula, so it's up to investors to create their own course, so to speak. The good news is that it's never been easier to do so thanks to the plethora of engaging investing books available.

The bad news is that the abundance of choices can be a little overwhelming. This article will help you narrow it down.

Here, we look at six of the best books for investors, from quick reads you can knock out on your morning commute, to hefty tomes that leave nothing uncovered. And if you want to buy any of these books on investing for yourself or someone in your life who's just getting started, we've included links to purchase pages. 

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If You Can: How Millennials Can Get Rich Slowly

• Author: William J. Bernstein
• Purchase: Amazon.com / Barnes & Noble

Starting with the easiest – or certainly the shortest – read, William Bernstein's primer is one of the best books on investing for those looking to start their journey toward building wealth. At less than 50 pages, you could finish it over breakfast and have your first trade placed by lunch. 

Bernstein proposes a strategy that's so straightforward a 7-year-old could do it. The whole process, Bernstein explains, takes only 15 minutes per year and has been shown to outperform 90% of financial professionals over the long run.

Best of all: you can get this book for free. Bernstein's website, Efficient Frontier , allows visitors to download If You Can in Kindle and Adobe Acrobat formats at no cost. (But at about six bucks, a paperback version won't break the bank and lets you support the author in the process.)

Sponsored Content

The Psychology of Money

• Author: Morgan Housel

Many people think of investing and personal finance as mathematical disciplines where decisions are made in complex spreadsheets, but this isn't the reality.

"[Decisions] unfold at the dinner table or in a meeting room, where personal experiences and individual perspectives intersect with pivotal opportunities for decision-making," says Heather Yetman , a certified financial planner and financial advisor at Cross Coastal Advisors. This is why she recommends Morgan Housel's The Psychology of Money to her clients.

"It underscores a crucial point," she says. "Success in managing finances is not solely dependent on what you know; it hinges on how you behave."

In his book, Housel uses 19 short stories to illuminate the "often unconventional ways people perceive and handle money, offering valuable insights into deciphering one of life's most critical subjects," Yetman says.

Winning the Loser's Game: Timeless Strategies for Successful Investing

• Author: Charles Ellis

"Investors cannot win, that is, beat the market," says Michael Rosen, managing partner and chief investment officer at Angeles Investments . "But investors can, and do, lose by underperforming the market for a myriad of reasons."

This is why you shouldn't focus on winning so much as not-losing, and the best way to do this, Rosen says, is by investing in low-cost index funds . "Invest in regular intervals, and let (your) money compound," he says. "It's a strategy that is simple, boring and the key to investment success."

It's also the strategy put forth in Charles Ellis's book Winning the Loser's Game: Timeless Strategies for Successful Investing . The book, which has been updated over the years, explains how markets work in a way any investor can understand.

"Ellis is one of the great thinkers and practitioners in the investment world, and every investor would be well-served to follow his timeless advice," Rosen says.

How to Buy Stocks

• Author: Louis C. Engel

Technology has changed the way we invest, from the advent of robo advisers and digital wealth platforms to fractional share investing, but the fundamentals of what a stock is and how you should invest in the market remain the same.

How to Buy Stocks by Louis Engel is "a timeless classic on investing" that "incorporates everything an investor would need to know to get started," says Andrew Crowell , a financial adviser and vice chairman of wealth management at D.A. Davidson.

In one of the best books on investing available, Engel creates a fictional company called Acme through which he illustrates the process of becoming a publicly traded company.

"Taking the reader step-by-step from business concept to capital raising, Engel expertly but straightforwardly illustrates how capitalism and the financial markets work," Crowell says. "It's an excellent primer for individuals who want to begin investing or simply want to have a better understanding of how the system works."

The Intelligent Investor: The Definitive Book on Value Investing

• Author: Benjamin Graham

As the entertainer and humorist Will Rogers once quipped, "I'm not so much interested in the return on my money as I am in the return of my money."

Those new to investing will often enter the stock market excited by the prospect of making extreme wealth, says Mark R. Parthemer , national chief wealth strategist and Florida regional director at Glenmede. "However, the reality is that a paradigm shift may be appropriate – and is oftentimes necessary."

Benjamin Graham's book does a "spectacular job" of teaching both new and seasoned investors the true risks involved with investing and how to manage those risks, Parthemer says. "Graham does not endeavor to teach investors how to analyze stocks, but instead aims to teach them how to create and execute a thoughtful investment policy."

He does this by explaining that an investor's intelligence shouldn't be measured by her IQ, but rather by how well she uses an emotional framework and analytical tools. "Put another way, you need to combine traditional investment principles with investors' individual attitudes," Parthemer says.

The book covers all facets of investing. "The second chapter on inflation is especially poignant today, making this a must read, or re-read," Parthemer says. "In fact, in his preface to the fourth edition, Warren Buffett proclaims that this is the best book on investing ever written."

The Bucket Plan: Protecting and Growing Your Assets for a Worry-Free Retirement

• Author: Jason L. Smith

If you're looking for a resource that can help you take control of all aspects of your financial life – be it investments, insurance, legacy, taxes, Social Security , retirement income or healthcare – The Bucket Plan: Protecting and Growing Your Assets for a Worry-Free Retirement is the book for you, says Christian Cordoba , a certified financial planner and founder of California Retirement Advisors.

"In today's financial landscape, the onus is on you to be a good steward of your money," he says. If we learned anything from the major stock market declines in 2000 to 2002 and 2008 to 2009, not to mention the "COVID-19 cliff dive," it was the reminder that risk from the "sequence of returns” (explained in the book) "can wreak havoc upon one's livelihood and standard of living in retirement."

Retirees and near-retirees don't have the luxury of being able to gamble their life savings with a "buy and hope" strategy, Cordoba says. "The Bucket Plan provides a simple yet sophisticated approach to provide for your "now," "soon" and "later" goals simultaneously," and is written so that any investor, regardless of experience, can implement it.

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Coryanne Hicks is an investing and personal finance journalist specializing in women and millennial investors. Previously, she was a fully licensed financial professional at Fidelity Investments where she helped clients make more informed financial decisions every day. She has ghostwritten financial guidebooks for industry professionals and even a personal memoir. She is passionate about improving financial literacy and believes a little education can go a long way. You can connect with her on Twitter , Instagram or her website, CoryanneHicks.com .

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The 6 Best Books on Becoming an Options Trader

J.B. Maverick is an active trader, commodity futures broker, and stock market analyst 17+ years of experience, in addition to 10+ years of experience as a finance writer and book editor.

Amanda Bellucco-Chatham is an editor, writer, and fact-checker with years of experience researching personal finance topics. Specialties include general financial planning, career development, lending, retirement, tax preparation, and credit.

For many people, options trading is a strange and mysterious investment practice. Fortunately, there are numerous educational books on the subject that demystify options and help traders profit from them. Here are five of the most notable titles:

Options as a Strategic Investment by Lawrence McMillan

Widely deemed the Bible of options trading, Lawrence McMillan’s 1980 classic, “Options as a Strategic Investment,” provides traders with practical option trading strategies designed to minimize risk and maximize profit potential. Its 1,000-plus pages contain information on specific options strategies and market conditions in which they tend to work best. The book dives deep into using options as a hedge and explains how tax laws apply to option trading profits or losses. McMillan also offers detailed advice on trading index options, trading options on futures, and measuring market volatility.

Option Volatility and Pricing by Sheldon Natenberg

This book has long been read by options market professionals and has been called the "bible" by options traders. Understanding how market volatility relates to options pricing is key to helping traders evaluate fair values in the options market. Sheldon Natenberg’s “Option Volatility and Pricing” provides a clear explanation of theoretical option pricing models, complete with examples of specific trading strategies that have shown historic profitability, in various market conditions. Natenberg's easy-to-follow descriptions help readers understand the key concepts involved in trading options, such as risk management, the relation of options to their underlying assets, volatility, and options pricing.

Fundamentals of Futures and Options Markets by John Hull

Options trading is particularly popular with traders who regularly trade the commodity futures markets. John Hull's "Fundamentals of Futures and Options Markets," which is considered a companion text to his book “Options, Futures and Other Derivatives,” offers a clear understanding of the futures and options trading markets. Widely recognized as an authority on derivatives , futures and risk management, Hull has served as a consultant to many of the best-known investment banking firms. Consequently, his book contains actionable information on swaps and other derivative instruments, trading interest rate futures and strategies for estimating the time value of options.

Trading Options Greeks: How Time, Volatility, and Other Pricing Factors Drive Profits by Dan Passarelli

To truly master options trading, one must cultivate a robust understanding of the “Greeks", which refer to the following Greek terms:

• Delta — option price movement in relation to underlying asset price movement
• Theta — the time value of options
• Vega — volatility-related option price changes
• Rho — option price movements caused by changes in the risk-free interest rate, commonly equated with the yield on U.S. Treasury bills

Passarelli's book explains the impact that each of these factors has on option values, and presents various option trading strategies that seek to profit from changes in any or all of the “Greeks.” This lets traders accurately evaluate option pricing and identify profit opportunities.

The Option Trader's Hedge Fund by Dennis Chen and Mark Sebastian

“The Option Trader’s Hedge Fund,” co-authored by hedge fund manager Dennis Chen and options trading coach Mark Sebastian, offers options traders a  business model that can help them earn consistently profitable returns. The 2012 book provides a step-by-step primer for setting up a short option investment portfolio, designed to generate a steady income from selling, or writing, options.

Options Trading Crash Course by Frank Richmond

Billed as the "#1 Beginner's Guide to Make Money With Trading Options in 7 Days or Less!," this book is perfect for beginners to learn the ropes and get to trading in record time. The book is geared toward those raring to go, so be cautious: the depth of the material is more superficial and less extensive or in-depth than the other books in this list. But, that can also make it a much easier read for some newbies.

Lawrence G. McMillan. " Options as a Strategic Investment ." Penguin.

Sheldon Natenberg. " Option Volatility and Pricing: Advanced Trading Strategies and Techniques, 2nd Edition ." McGraw-Hill Education.

John C. Hull. " Fundamentals of Futures and Options Markets ." Pearson Prentice Hall.

Dan Passarelli. " Trading Options Greeks: How Time, Volatility, and Other Pricing Factors Drive Profits ." John Wiley & Sons.

Dennis A. Chen, Mark Sebastian. " The Option Trader's Hedge Fund: A Business Framework for Trading Equity and Index Options ." FT Press.

Frank Richmond. " Options Trading Crash Course: The #1 Beginner's Guide to Make Money With Trading Options in 7 Days Or Less! " Independently Published.

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Best Stock Trading Platforms for Beginners of May 2024

Written by Sam Levine, CFA, CMT Edited by Carolyn Kimball Fact-checked by Steven Hatzakis Reviewed by Blain Reinkensmeyer

Are you ready to start investing, but aren’t quite sure where to begin? It’s easier than ever to get started with your first broker account. Brokers continue to roll out or enhance beginner-friendly features such as fractional shares, practice accounts (also called paper trading or simulated trading), and basic investor education.

I opened accounts and entered trades at 17 online brokers and chose the top five that I recommend the most for beginners. All the online brokers on this list are easy to use and offer great investor education. But, after spending a year testing, I’ve found they each have unique strengths that will appeal to different investors. Here are my faves for 2024 and why they made it onto my shortlist.

Why you can trust StockBrokers.com

Since 2009, we've helped over 20 million visitors research, compare, and choose an online broker. Our writers have collectively placed thousands of trades over their careers. Here's how we test .

Best Trading Platforms for Beginners

• Fidelity - Best overall for beginners
• Merrill Edge - Best research for beginners
• E*TRADE - Best trading app for beginners
• Charles Schwab - Outstanding market research
• Interactive Brokers - Best for global investors
• Robinhood - Best for Ease of Use
• Ally Invest - Best for Ally Bank customers

Best overall for beginners

Fidelity is a winner for beginners, thanks to its plethora of educational resources that includes a Learning Center stocked with videos, infographics, and even podcasts. Fidelity also offers an innovative Youth Account – a first-of-its-kind brokerage account for teens aged 13 to 17. Read full review

• Excellent research and mobile app
• Top-notch education
• Decades of reliable client service
• No dedicated mobile app for active trading

Best research for beginners

Merrill Edge offers $0 trades with industry-leading research tools and customer rewards. Learning about investing is a pleasant experience, thanks to excellent organization, quality and in-house curated content. Its Stock Stories and Fund Stories do phenomenal jobs presenting information in a friendly way. Read full review

• Portfolio Story, Dynamic Insights, and the Stock and Fund Stories are groundbreaking features
• High-quality proprietary research
• Some site elements slow to load
• No crypto, futures, forex or penny stocks

Best trading app for beginners

Earning a recommendation based on its trading platform alone, E*TRADE is great for any beginner stock trader. Power E*TRADE is easy to use and offers features including paper (practice) trading and note-taking. Its educational content, though plentiful, can be a challenge to navigate. Read full review

• Watch lists are the best in the business
• Smooth mobile navigation
• High-quality high-net-worth Morgan Stanley proprietary research
• Cryptocurrencies not currently available
• Margin rates are high compared to other brokers

Outstanding market research

Charles Schwab is a terrific all-around choice for everyday investors that offers a thorough educational experience and support for beginners, with its Choiceology podcast a standout. Paper (practice) trading is not available, however. Read full review

• TD Ameritrade’s excellent thinkorswim trading platforms now available
• Trading-friendly app and browser enhancements
• Exceptional high net worth services
• No cryptocurrency trading
• Mutual fund fees are complex

Best for global investors

Beginners and foreign stock aficionados will enjoy using Global Trader, which allows fractional stock trades, options trading and convenient access to foreign shares. Everything is clearly laid out and easy to operate. I’d rank Global Trader above many apps from beginner-focused brokers. Read full review

• Astounding array of customizable tools
• Allows trading in foreign markets
• Convenient apps for individual investors
• Restrictive trading permissions
• Main platforms might feel cold

Best for Ease of Use

Robinhood is very easy to use and its educational content is a joy to read. But, in today’s competitive market for your investing dollars, there are several more compelling options among brokerages. Read full review

• Famously easy to use
• Extensive crypto support with zero commissions and no markups or markdowns
• Learn section has some excellent writing
• Charges $5 monthly fee for data and research that’s free at many other brokers
• Limited investment choices
• Not enough tools for active trading

Best for Ally Bank customers

For current Ally customers looking to invest in stocks, Ally's universal-accounts experience and easy-to-use website offer a convenient solution. Its website is far stronger than the mobile app. Read full review

• Excellent banking via Ally Bank
• Universal account management
• $0 stock and ETF trades alongside a $0 minimum deposit
• Trails industry leaders in areas including platforms, tools, research, and education

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Winners Summary

Best overall for beginners - fidelity.

Fidelity, our 2024 winner for Best Overall Broker, is also my top pick for beginners. Our testing found that Fidelity has two beginner-friendly mobile apps, an extensive investor education library and high-quality independent research. Fidelity is easy to use and allows fractional trades of stock and ETF shares. It also offers a Youth account, which netted our Best Innovation award in 2022. Read review .

Screenshot tour of Fidelity's market research

Screenshot tour of Fidelity's educational resources

Best research for beginners - Merrill Edge

If you’re interested in investing in individual stocks or funds, my testing found that Merrill Edge’s Stock Stories and Fund Stories do phenomenal jobs presenting highly relevant info in a friendly way. I don’t think there’s a better way for everyday investors to learn how to research stocks than starting with Merrill’s Stock or Fund Stories. If I had these available when I taught stock investing at a business school, I would have used them in my class.

Once you’ve mastered the Stories and are ready to take a deeper dive into the numbers, Merrill has an extensive selection of Bank of America Securities and third-party research at the ready. Read review .

Screenshot tour of Merrill Edge's market research

Screenshot tour of Merrill Edge's educational resources

The Stock Story feature on the Merrill Edge mobile app.

Best trading app for beginners - E*TRADE

Our testing found that E*TRADE has the best trading app for beginners and has one of the best trading websites, too. New investors will appreciate the intuitive layouts and well-organized menus of portfolio and market information.

The same can’t be said for its investor education, which we found to be a mixed bag in our testing. E*TRADE does not allow clients to buy fractional shares, but does offer paper trading on its advanced trading platform, Power E*TRADE, at no cost. Read review .

Screenshot tour of E*TRADE's market research

Screenshot tour of E*TRADE's educational resources

Pricing and fees comparison

Here's a comparison of pricing across beginner trading platforms. To compare all our collected data side by side, check out our online broker comparison tool .

Beginner education comparison

Here's a comparison of the most popular educational features offered by beginner trading platforms. To compare all our collected data side by side, check out our online broker comparison tool .

Trading platforms tested, data findings

As part of our research process, we create a list of features, set strict definitions for each so our testing is uniform, collect the data, then extrapolate the resulting data to see how common each feature is across the industry as a whole. Here's our findings. To compare all our collected data side by side, check out our online broker comparison tool .

What is a trading platform and how does it work?

A trading platform, otherwise known as an online brokerage account, allows you to buy and sell investments via computer or mobile app. The brokerage holds your investmenta and deposited cash for you and provides activity reports and account statements. It also credits any interest accrued and dividends to your account. To open an online broker account in the United States, you will need a Social Security number and you will be required to enter basic financial information such as your name, address, phone number, and trading experience.

In the United States, brokers are regulated by both FINRA and the SIPC. The SIPC insures $500,000 per account including up to $250,000 in cash against theft or the firm going belly-up. It’s important to remember, however, that insurance does not protect any investor against losses due to market fluctuations.

How much money do you need to start investing?

Most trading platforms in the United States don’t require minimum account balances. Now you can open an account, fund it with a dollar or two, and buy a fraction of a share of stock. You can also practice investing with no money at all at a broker that offers virtual trading, also called paper trading. See our top broker picks for paper trading .

Which type of trading is best for beginners?

Beginners should consider starting off with swing trading, which means holding an investment for more than one day and less than a couple of months. It’s less time-consuming and stressful than day trading. Stocks are particularly good for beginners to test the waters. Wait until you have more experience before using options, short selling, and buying on margin.

Learn more: Are penny stocks worth investing in? Read our guide, Best Brokers for Penny Stock Trading . Not sure if trading is right for you? Check out our guide on how to invest on our sister site, investor.com.

Can I teach myself how to trade?

Yes, you can teach yourself to trade, provided you have realistic expectations and stay at it through a full market boom-and-bust cycle. Don’t invest more than a fraction of your trading capital at once, and keep a trading journal noting why you entered and exited each trade and how well that trade performed. Most traders fail because they focus on chasing the upside more than managing risk. Dive deeper: Learn more about trading journals for stock trading on our sister site, investor.com.

How do beginners trade stocks?

• Open a self-directed brokerage account.
• Decide how much money you can afford to risk.
• Deposit or transfer the money to your new account.
• Learn how to place an order and view your stocks at the broker you’ve chosen.
• Practice trading, either through a virtual portfolio or very small amounts of your own money with each trade.
• Keep a trading journal.
• Read, read, read. Here's a list of the best stock trading books on our sister site, investor.com.
• Follow market news and practice forming your own opinions.
• Monitor your results closely and adjust when it’s not working. Stay with it.

What is paper trading?

Paper trading, or virtual trading, is a trading platform feature that enables the trading of stocks, ETFs, and options with virtual currency (fake money). This helpful learning tool is popular with beginners and is a great way to practice stock trading without risking real money. Dive deeper: Best brokers for paper trading .

What are fractional shares?

A fractional share is a portion of a full share of a publicly traded company. Fractional shares enable investors with smaller budgets to buy a stake in companies with high stock prices. For example, instead of spending over $87 to buy one Amazon (AMZN) share, a trader could purchase a $10 fractional share – and then own a proportional fraction of that share. A real-world example is Charles Schwab's Schwab Stock Slices, which are fractional shares of any company in the S&P 500 and carry a minimum purchase of $5. Other brokers that offer fractional trading include Fidelity, Interactive Brokers, Webull, SoFi Invest, and Robinhood.

What is a market order?

A market order is an order to buy or sell a security (such as stock) at the current best-available market price. Market orders are the most common type of order, as they are the fastest and easiest way to buy and sell shares.

What is a limit order?

A limit order lets you buy or sell a security at a pre-specified price or better. Since limit orders are fixed to a prespecified price, they will only fill when the limit price is reached. Limit orders are best when you know the exact price you want to buy or sell a stock.

Is online trading safe?

Online trading is safe if you use a regulated online stock broker and never invest more than you are willing to lose. Trading stocks online is inherently risky. Start with a small amount of money, read investing books, and keep it simple by buying and holding for the long term rather than trying to time the market.

Our Research

Why you should trust us.

Sam Levine, CFA, CMT , the lead writer for StockBrokers.com, has over 30 years of investing experience and actively trades stocks, ETFs, options, futures, and options on futures. He's held roles as a portfolio manager, financial consultant, investment strategist and journalist. He holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and the Chartered Market Technician (CMT) designations and served on the board of directors of the CMT Association.

Blain Reinkensmeyer , head of research at StockBrokers.com, has been investing and trading for over 25 years. After having placed over 2,000 trades in his late teens and early 20s, he became one of the first in digital media to review online brokerages. Blain created the original scoring rubric for StockBrokers.com and oversees all testing and rating methodologies.

For this guide:

• Whenever possible, we used our own brokerage accounts for testing. For several brokers, we used a test account that was provided to us.
• We collected more than 3,000 data points (196 per broker).
• We tested each online broker's website, browser-based trading platform (where applicable), downloadable desktop trading platform (where applicable), and of course, the mobile app (or apps in the case of several brokers).

How we tested

Our research team rigorously tests the most important features sought by beginning investors and traders, including the quality and variety of educational resources, ease of use of any available trading platforms and the availability of of market research and commentary suitable for novices. We also looked at which brokers offer unique features like webinars, live seminars, videos, progress tracking, paper trading (aka a stock market simulator) and interactive educational elements such as quizzes.

StockBrokers.com uses a variety of computing devices to evaluate trading platforms. Our reviews were conducted using the following devices: iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, MacBook Pro M1 with 8 GB RAM running the current MacOS, and a Dell Vostro 5402 laptop i5 with 8 GB RAM running Windows 11 Pro. In testing platforms and apps, our reviewers place actual trades for a variety of instruments.

As part of our data check process, we sent a data profile link to each broker summarizing the data we had on file and the data they provided us last year, with a field for entering any data that had since changed. For the brokers that filled out these profiles, we audited the information for any discrepancies between our data and the broker’s data to ensure accuracy.

As part of our review process, all brokers had the opportunity to provide updates and key milestones in a live meeting that took place in the fall. Meetings with broker teams also took place throughout the year as new products rolled out. Insights gathered from these calls helped steer our testing efforts to ensure every feature and tool was assessed.

Trading platforms tested

• Ally Invest review
• Charles Schwab review
• eToro review
• E*TRADE review
• Fidelity review
• Firstrade review
• Interactive Brokers review
• J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing review
• Merrill Edge review
• Public.com review
• Robinhood review
• SoFi Invest review
• tastytrade review
• TradeStation review
• Tradier review
• Vanguard review
• Webull review

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Popular stock broker reviews, about the editorial team.

Sam Levine has over 30 years of experience in the investing field as a portfolio manager, financial consultant, investment strategist and writer. He also taught investing as an adjunct professor of finance at Wayne State University. Sam holds the Chartered Financial Analyst and the Chartered Market Technician designations and is pursuing a master's in personal financial planning at the College for Financial Planning. Previously, he was a contributing editor at BetterInvesting Magazine and a contributor to The Penny Hoarder and other media outlets.

Carolyn Kimball is managing editor for Reink Media and the lead editor for the StockBrokers.com Annual Review. Carolyn has more than 20 years of writing and editing experience at major media outlets including NerdWallet, the Los Angeles Times and the San Jose Mercury News. She specializes in coverage of personal financial products and services, wielding her editing skills to clarify complex (some might say befuddling) topics to help consumers make informed decisions about their money.

Steven Hatzakis is the Global Director of Research for ForexBrokers.com. Steven previously served as an Editor for Finance Magnates, where he authored over 1,000 published articles about the online finance industry. Steven is an active fintech and crypto industry researcher and advises blockchain companies at the board level. Over the past 20 years, Steven has held numerous positions within the international forex markets, from writing to consulting to serving as a registered commodity futures representative.

Blain Reinkensmeyer has 20 years of trading experience with over 2,500 trades placed during that time. He heads research for all U.S.-based brokerages on StockBrokers.com and is respected by executives as the leading expert covering the online broker industry. Blain’s insights have been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and the Chicago Tribune, among other media outlets.

15+ Trading Books for Free! [PDF]

* If you have doubts about how to download free books from InfoBooks, visit our guide to downloading books .

The stock market is a subject that may sound complicated for many people, but in reality if studied well and correctly, it can be simple for those who are attracted to this sector. We invite you to stay and read our collection of trading books in PDF format , which aims to make this subject available to our entire community.

Trading is a relatively new form of investment that has grown a lot in recent years. In part, thanks to technological advances that have put knowledge in the hands of a large number of people. Let’s see, then, some general aspects that you can deepen later in our selection of trading books.

We can define trading as a controlled process of buying and selling different assets or financial instruments (stocks, currencies, commodities, companies) that are listed on the market and that is done through an online platform. The objective of trading is to obtain a profitability or economic gain in the short or medium term.

Trading operations consist of buying an asset at a low price and then selling it at a higher price or vice versa. In this sense, there are different types of trading that we are going to mention below:

Day Trading: it is a short-term investment in which operations are opened and closed on the same day.

Scalping: like day trading, it is a short term investment, however the operations are carried out in a few minutes during several moments of the day.

Swing trading: this is a medium-term investment. In this case, trades can be left open for 10 days.

Other types: social trading and trend trading.

We give you, then, access to more than 15 trading books in PDF format so you can learn everything you need to know about the interesting world of buying and selling financial assets.

You can download each of them easily and free of charge.

Here we present our complete selection of Trading Books:

A Practical Guide to Swing Trading

Larry Swing

Constructing the best trading strategy: A new general framework

Philip Z. Maymin and Zakhar G. Maymin

Forex Trading for Beginners

Introduction to Trading System Development

David Cardoza

Swing Trading Strategy for Steady Profits

Trading Strategy Guides

The Wizetraders-Guide to Effective Day Trading

How to Trade On Binance For Beginners

Internet Cash Archive

9 Advanced and Profitable Trading Strategies

Roman Sadowski

How to Swing Trade

Brian Pezim

Momentum Strategies in Intraday Trading (Presentation)

Matthew Creme, Raphael Lenain, Jacob Perricone

Swing Trading: The Definitive Guide

Basics Of Stock Market

Ronak Nangalia, Sohrab Kothari

Introduction to Options-The Basics

Introduction To Stock Options: The Basics

Mark D. Wolfinger

Options Trading Cheat-Sheet

Jyoti Bansal Analysis

Beginner's Guide to Forex Trading

Jayesh Mehta

30 rules to master swing (Article)

Stock Market

Trading Basics understanding the Different Ways to Buy and sell stock (Article)

Securities and Exchange Commission

Here ends our selection of free Trading books in PDF format. We hope you liked it and already have your next book!

If you found this list useful, do not forget to share it on your social networks. Remember that “Sharing is Caring” .

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10 Best Brokerage Accounts and Online Trading Platforms for 2024

E veryone wants to invest with the best broker, but how do you decide which brokers qualify for that title? GOBankingRates identified the best brokerages and online trading platforms to help you choose the right one for you.

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10 Best Brokerage Accounts at a Glance

Here’s a table so you can quickly compare the best online brokerages’ fees and minimums:

In-Depth Look at the Best Online Brokerages

Overall, most of these firms have excellent trading capabilities, service and low costs. Many also run promotions offering free trades, cash bonuses or discounted products and services. Keep reading to learn details on each.

E-Trade was one of the pioneers of online trading , and it scores high across all reviewed categories, making it a top online broker for 2024.

Why we chose it: At E-Trade, you can buy or sell stocks, bonds, options, futures, exchange-traded funds and mutual funds, and you can open regular brokerage, retirement, managed or college-oriented accounts. There’s no minimum for brokerage accounts and equity trades are free. E-Trade offers a wide range of tools and research for seasoned traders and no commissions on stock and ETF trades.

• Extensive account options and trading capabilities
• User-friendly online and mobile interfaces
• Access to financial advisors and other products beyond online trading
• No access to crypto trading
• Margin rates are high vs. competitors

Costs and fees: Stock & ETF: $0; Options: $0.65; Futures: $1.50

Account minimum:

To learn more about E-Trade, visit its website .

Charles Schwab

Charles Schwab is a large online broker that has acquired TD Ameritrade and integrated its world-class trading platform, thinkorswim.

Why we chose it: Charles Schwab boasts $0 stock and ETF trades — as well as no account minimums. There are multiple trading platforms available for beginners and advanced traders. The thinkorswim trading platform is well-designed with a myriad of tools for advanced traders and most of these tools are baked into the thinkorswim mobile app as well.

• Multiple trading platforms for varying levels of experience
• No account minimums
• Extensive network of branches across America
• Low-fee access to thousands of mutual funds as well
• There’s a fee for an outbound full account transfer
• No crypto trading available

Costs and fees: Stock & ETF: $0; Options: $0.65; Futures: $2.25

Account minimum: $0

To learn more about Charles Schwab, visit its website .

Fidelity has been a household name for its line of mutual funds , but the firm is also one of the best overall online brokers in the business.

Why we chose it: Fidelity offers everything for investors — from retirement accounts to mutual funds to options trading and access to a wide range of financial services. But for traders, Fidelity offers access to Active Trader Pro, a professional trading platform with built-in research and analysis tools. While Fidelity doesn’t offer an Active Trader Pro mobile app, the standard Fidelity app has some great charting features and tools for managing trades on the go.

• No account fees or minimums
• Fantastic trading and research tools
• Limited trading fees
• Fees for add-on services, like account management, can get high
• No futures trading available

Costs and fees: Stock & ETF: $0; Options: $0.65

Account minimum: None

To learn more about Fidelity, visit its website .

Interactive Brokers

Interactive Brokers has always been known for its advanced trading platform for experienced traders, but you don’t have to be an expert to use it.

Why we chose it: Interactive Brokers’ commissions are as low as $0 with the IBKR Lite account. Interactive Brokers also offers an advanced IBKR Pro account and advanced charting and planning options. Traders will enjoy some of the industry’s lowest fees on options and futures trades — as well as rock-bottom crypto trading prices. IBKR offers some of the lowest margin rates around, too.

• Advanced trading platform well-suited for experienced traders
• Very low/no commission costs
• Excellent research tools
• May overwhelm beginner stock traders
• Inactivity fee may apply for IBKR Pro users

Costs and fees: Stock & ETF: $0; Options: $0.65; Futures: $0.85

To learn more about Interactive Brokers, visit its website .

Ally Invest

Ally Invest offers a self-directed trading platform with an intuitive design and access to a wide range of trading tools.

Why we chose it: Ally Bank has extended its service to offer investment accounts — including a self-directed trading account, robo-advisor and wealth management. Its self-directed trading account may not be the best platform for professional traders but casual traders will have more than enough charting and analysis tools to enjoy a seamless trading experience. As with most other brokers, Ally offers commission-free stock and ETF trades, as well as low options contract pricing — at $0.50 per contract.

• No commissions on stock and ETF trades
• Well-designed charting tools
• $4.95 trade fee for anything under $2 per share
• No futures trading 

Costs and fees: Stock & ETF: $0; Options: $0.50

To learn more about Ally Invest, visit its website .

Merrill Edge

Merrill Edge is the online brokerage side of venerable Merrill Lynch, now a Bank of America company.

Why we chose it : Merrill Edge is the self-directed investing platform with no account minimums and no commissions for stocks, ETFs and options trades. Research and investing insights are available on both the web app and mobile app — a boon for advanced traders that monitor trades on the go. Since Merrill is owned by Bank of America , Member FDIC, you can also earn Preferred Rewards through your linked Merrill Edge account if your account balances remain over $20,000.

• Backing of two of America’s most prestigious financial firms — Merrill Lynch and Bank of America
• Detailed stock trading tools and charts
• High-quality research
• No cryptocurrency or other advanced investment options, such as forex

To learn more about Merrill Edge, visit its website .

Firstrade isn’t as large as some of the other firms on the list, but its top-notch features and benefits make it a solid contender for being one of the best brokerage accounts.

Why we chose it: There are no account minimums at Firstrade, along with no commission on most trades. Featuring both a user-friendly website and a mobile app, Firstrade lets customers buy and sell stocks, options, fixed-income securities, ETFs and over 11,000 mutual funds for no charge. The firm also provides research from noted industry experts like Morningstar.

• Commission-free trading for most assets
• Access to high-grade research
• Slick mobile app interface
• No professional management or robo-advisor options

Costs and fees: Stock & ETF: $0; Options: $0

To learn more about Firstrade, visit its website .

TradeStation

TradeStation was originally designed for professional traders, but its platform is now open for novice investors as well.

Why we chose it: TradeStation offers an advanced trading platform with free stock and ETF trades and lost-cost options and futures trading. TradeStation’s trading tools and market research sweeten the deal. The online broker also provides many educational services. Whether you’re a rookie or advanced investor, the company provides content that can help you master your investing skills.

• Advanced mobile and online trading tools for active investors
• Free trading of stocks and ETFs
• Free market research and insights
• No commission-free mutual fund trading
• Inactivity fee may be assessed

Costs and fees: Stock & ETF: $0; Options: $0.60; Futures: $1.50

To learn more about TradeStation, visit its website .

SoFi is an online bank that offers multiple ways to invest, including self-directed accounts and a robo-advisory service.

Why we chose it: SoFi offers a simple-to-use trading platform with no commissions on stock and ETF trades. You can also dabble in alternative assets, such as pre-IPO investing, commodities, private credit and more. In addition to a trading account, you’ll have access to SoFi financial planners, career coaches and other member perks.

• Fractional shares available
• Can no longer trade crypto
• No futures trading
• Basic charting

To learn more about SoFi, visit its website .

Tastytrade is a well-designed advanced trading broker that specializes in options and futures trading.

Why we chose it: Tastytrade has been around since 2017. Its founders developed the top-rated Charles Schwab trading platform thinkorswim first then sold it off and launched tastytrade. It quietly became a favorite of active traders — with an emphasis on options trading design. Advanced traders will love the flexibility and layout of tastytrade, as well as the proprietary live video feeds of traders. It might be a steep learning curve for some but is one of the best options trading platforms around.

• Free stock and ETF trade
• Low-cost options and futures trading available
• Advanced web and mobile platforms
• Live trader video fees
• Might overwhelm new traders
• Lacking in some basic educational content

Costs and fees: Stock & ETF: $0; Options: $1 to $2.50; Futures: $1.25

To learn more about tastytrade, visit its website .

How We Picked the Best Online Brokerages

GOBankingRates determined the best brokerage accounts by analyzing 23 of the largest and up-and-coming online brokers, using the following criteria:

• Cost to trade equities, such as stocks and ETFs
• Cost to trade options
• Number of account types available including basic brokerage account, retirement account, managed or guided account and college education investing account
• Number of different investment vehicles available, including stocks, futures, options, ETFs, mutual funds, bonds and, if available, cryptocurrency, which was counted as an additional point rather than as a point against brokers
• Opening minimum investment requirement
• Available promotional offers
• Access to a financial advisor
• 24/7 phone customer service
• Live chat with a human representative
• Mobile app availability
• Educational resources, such as webinars, blogs and courses that teach investing and trading
• Research and tools, such as multiple trading platforms, in-depth market analysis, and screener tools for stocks, ETFs and bonds

Each broker was scored based on these individual categories, which were then summed up for a final score. Available promotional offers, 24/7 phone customer service, live chat and mobile availability were weighted by a quarter while all other categories were weighted in full.

Tips for Choosing the Best Online Brokerage

Now that you have a list of the best brokerage accounts and online trading platforms, you’re armed with information to choose the right one for you. The final step is to match your investment needs and experience with the services and capabilities of each individual broker. For example, frequent traders might gravitate toward a broker with extensive research capabilities, advanced trading programs and low or no commissions. But a novice investor might need an online broker that provides access to financial advisors and educational tools, excellent customer service and professional management capabilities.

Never assume that any broker — even one on the top 10 list — has all the features you’ll need. For example, some firms might allow cryptocurrency trades, whereas many do not. A firm might offer free IRAs, charge for those accounts or not even offer them. Do a thorough review of both the costs of using a particular broker and the benefits before making your choice.

• An online broker provides its services through either a web-based or mobile interface.
• Account minimums can vary from $0 to $10,000 or more. Most of the best online brokers have $0 account minimums -- though you might need at least $5 to place a trade.
• Most online brokerages are low-cost, but some charge higher fees for additional services. For example, many firms charge fees for transferring out or closing an account -- or for other banking services, such as sending wire transfers .
• A robo-advisor is an automated portfolio management program that allocates your funds according to your chosen investment objectives and risk tolerance. Funds are typically spread across a number of broad segments of the market using ETFs and are rebalanced regularly.
• The best brokerage account depends on your needs, like trading frequency, investment types and user experience. Some of the top brokerage accounts to consider are E-Trade, Charles Schwab and Fidelity.
• Many millionaires use brokerages that offer a wide range of personalized services and advanced trading platforms. Firms like Charles Schwab and Fidelity are popular among high-net-worth individuals.
• It is safe to keep more than $500,000 in a brokerage account as long as the brokerage is a member of the Securities Investor Protection Corporation, which protects your account up to $500,000.

John Csiszar and Andrew DePietro contributed to the reporting for this article.

Data is accurate as of May 9, 2024, and is subject to change.

Editorial Note: This content is not provided by any entity covered in this article. Any opinions, analyses, reviews, ratings or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author alone and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any entity named in this article.

GOBankingRates is a personal finance and consumer interest rate website and an online marketing company serving top-tier banks, credit unions and other financial services organizations. Some companies mentioned in this article might be clients of GOBankingRates, which serves more than 100 national, local and online financial institutions. Rankings and roundups are completely objective, and no institution, client or otherwise, paid for inclusion or specific placement. Any opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the author alone and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by the companies included in the article. All fees and rates are subject to change at the issuers’ discretion. Some interest rates might be short-term or promotional offers only, and it is possible additional terms and conditions must be met to obtain the interest rates listed. Rates and availability might vary by region. Verify terms and conditions before opening an account.

GOBankingRates bases its assessment of “best” and “top” products on the above-stated parameters to create a baseline for comparison. This assessment is an approximation of “best” and “top” designed to help consumers find products that might be appropriate for them. There could be other options available as well. Consumers should consider various options appropriate for their circumstances.

This article originally appeared on GOBankingRates.com : 10 Best Brokerage Accounts and Online Trading Platforms for 2024