We hear the pros and cons of trading short term vs. long. If a traders wants to sit in front of their computer for long hours day after day then they can trade short term. If traders love to trade and want to have a life in addition to trading they should look at using larger time frames.
When a trader is first learning it is helpful to see the entry and exit signals come quickly so it can be beneficial to trade with shorter time frames. Putting in the hours watching charts is one of the more important ways currency trading learned to trade. Once a trader can spot the entry signals for getting in and out of the market we suggest that they migrate to the larger time frames. Some of the thing we find helpful in getting to the larger time frames more quickly are to practice simulated trading, demo trading, and visualization trading. By simulated trading a trader can get one years worth of experience in 30 days. By demo trading a trader can learn how the market looks and feels in real time. By visualization trading a trader may internalize the signals of spotting the entry and exit signals by taking advantage of some down time when they cannot be in front of a compute.
We are not saying one method is better than another. We think a well-rounded trader can trade either long or short term whatever time permits and when the market is giving good signals. We see a natural migration to the longer time frames but it does take some getting use to. At each stage of development a trader can improve their skills and move on to larger time frames and still be able to trade short term once in awhile.
We feel that when a trader can leave a trade open over night or longer they are beginning to understand the market and getting in tune with its movements and how the indicators work. This is a good feeling so enjoy it if you have it and look forward to it if you do not have it yet.