Markets & Types of Traders

Markets are different “stores” where prices are quoted. Common ones: stocks (shares of companies), ETFs like SPY (a basket you can trade like a stock), options (contracts tied to an underlying price — more complex, Module 6), futures (agreements on future delivery/price — advanced), forex (currency pairs), and crypto (digital assets). Each has different hours, costs, and risks.

In Metro Camp we mostly practice with familiar names like SPY, QQQ, and IWM on the Sim Capital desk. SPX (the S&P 500 index itself) is watch-only — you generally trade products that track it (like SPY), not the index number as a stock. That detail matters so beginners do not feel lost on the desk.

Trader styles are about how long you hold: Scalpers hold seconds to minutes — very fast, stressful for most beginners. Day traders open and close within the same session — no overnight hold (usually). Swing traders hold days to weeks — more time to think, still risky. Position/investors hold much longer. There is no “correct” style — but beginners often do better starting slower (learning structure first) rather than scalping.

Timeframes are the “zoom level” of a chart: a 5-minute chart shows short moves; a daily chart shows the bigger story. Even a day trader can glance at a daily chart for context — like checking the neighborhood before focusing on one street. Metro’s later default stack is Daily → 1H → 15m → 5m. You do not need to memorize that yet; just know higher timeframe = bigger picture.

As a first-time student, your job is not to master every market this week. Your job is: finish Module 1 language → Module 2 candles → Module 3 structure → then unlock Sim Capital after Module 3’s quiz. That order exists so you are not clicking “buy” before you can read the chart.

Risk reminder (again on purpose): different products can lose money differently. Options can expire worthless. Crypto can gap wildly. Leverage can magnify losses. Metro keeps practice educational and simulated. If you ever move to real capital later, that is outside this camp’s desk — and you should treat education as incomplete until you have process, journaling, and risk rules.

Before you take the Module 1 quiz: make sure you can explain trading in one sentence, tell long from short, bullish from bearish, and name at least two trader holding styles. If you can, you are ready. If not, re-read 1.1–1.3 — unlimited — then quiz when it feels clear.