Who is a Stock Trader?
A stock trader is someone who works for themselves or for a firm, buying and selling stocks. They may also buy and sell bonds and other financial instruments. Stock traders typically focus on making profits by taking advantage of price fluctuations on individual stocks in the market. They may buy or sell shares for short-term trades lasting just seconds or longer term trades with a holding period of several weeks.
A stock trader is a professional, and some stock traders are known as financial advisors if they have clients of their own that they trade for. These types of stock traders also act as an adviser or money manager to their clients. Professional stock traders may work independently or as an employee in the office of a large bank corporation, or on the floor of a trading exchange.