当新交易员选择进入哪个市场和如何进行第一首交易时有很多选择。但是错误选择错误会产生滚雪球效果，降低你信心的同时还吞噬你的血汗钱。（见《你应该规避的10个常见交易错误》）。经纪人和金融媒体不顾客户是否符合标准的积极营销使这个工作更加的困难。
这也为什么你要在外汇、期货和股票市场之中做选择之前要做准备工作。最开始，你应该避免期权交易，因为那需要高超的技巧。外汇市场吸引新手的原因是小的账户额度和高达50：1的杠杆。尽管500美元或者更少的保证金让它十分有吸引力，但是下列原因让它对新手也十分危险：
首先，外汇经纪人通常让自己的市场和交易与客户账户相反。这将产生利益冲突，这可能导致在午夜停止运动、大规模滑点、订单不能执行和连续盈利后的账户限制。最终，这些操作提供的限制数据将毫无疑问的提供一个接近100%的失败率。
其次，新的交易员不应该接触杠杆，因为他们不理解它是如何运行的，也不知道他有多少方式杠杆可以在一夜之间摧毁一个小账户。事实上，即使在小账户爆发引起的大规模趋势中，在走势正确的方向会感觉良好但是错误的方向也会使你的账户爆仓。(欲了解更多,请看:<外汇杠杆:一把双刃剑>)。
股票市场的第一步
股票市场为只要满足账户需求的新交易员提供最好的机会，这是具有欺骗性的。你可以用500美元账户在许多经纪商处交易，但是任何小于25000美元的账户都会引起SEC模式日交易规则生效。这表明在传统的交易周中同一股票只能进行4次操作，超过次数账户将会被标记并处以90天的限制。
这条规则产生了风险管理障碍，给实时学习增加了相当大的负担，因为它很自然的把入市选择变少，将减缓急速退出。（阅读更多：《创建一个成功交易计划的4个关键因素》）。在需要时打破规则使退出一个亏损账户更加困难。反过来，损失增加交易员信心丧失。
围绕规则降低交易频率有一种方法，每周一重新开始并密切关注总体执行到周五收盘。但是学习曲线就会受到影响，因为交易员需要通过反复尝试调整策略，通过高频率小金额交易控制风险并学习。在这种方式中，他们可以用股本进行数百次的实时交易。
自从2001年它变成法律以来交易员用三种方式应付这条规则。第一条，他们在账户金额超过25000美元之前在限制内交易。第二条，他们积累股本然后交易股票。第三条，他们放弃股票并完全转入Globex，完全专注于标准普洱500指数和纳斯达克100期货指数。
选择期货指数
可以在Tradestation开立5000美元和Interactive Brokers开立10000美元的期货账户，并且交易员可以持有每笔少于6000美元的隔夜账户。Globex期货交易一天24小时,增加机会和风险,特别是在这个快节奏的电子环境。学习期货交易的风险更大，因为每笔交易的最小额度不会让你像股票一样降低费用。
单个交易中的一点在标准普洱500和纳斯达克100的价格分别是50美元和20美元。在一个交易日中，标准普尔500指数可以轻易跨越20到40点，纳斯达克100指数可以狂飙40到80点。自从2009年低谷后这个运动就变得容易了，因为需要在更高价格的更多点数生成相同比例的运动。
考虑到每一点的高价格，带有完美技术的微型交易可能达到四位数亏空，除非使用严格的止损策略。反过来，对大多数新的交易员来说需要排除长期仓位，因为他们无法处理下跌带来的心里和资金影响。（相关阅读:《交易心里和纪律的重要性》）
总结
新交易员应该进入那些提供大量机会但是保持低风险的市场。外汇、股票和期货这个几个主要市场提供不同的优缺点。
First Markets & Strategies For New Traders
New traders have many choices when deciding which markets to play and how to enter their first positions. But picking the wrong ones can have a snowball effect, undermining confidence while bleeding precious capital. (See: Top 10 Trading Mistakes You Should Always Avoid). Brokers and the financial media make this task even harder, with their aggressive marketing for new clients regardless of whether those clients meet the criteria.
This is why you should do your homework before choosing between currencies, equities and futures markets. At first, you should avoid options because they require advanced skills. Novices are drawn to the forex markets because of the low account size requirements and leverage that can reach 50:1. (For more, see: Top 7 Questions About Currency Trading Answered). Despite the attraction of a minimum stake of $500 or less, it's still a dangerous choice for new traders for the following reasons:
Firstly, currency brokers typically make their own markets and trade directly against client accounts. This generates conflicting interests that play out in midnight stop runs, massive slippage, orders that don’t execute and account restrictions after winning streaks. As a result, it’s no surprise that the limited data provided by these operations suggests a nearly100% washout rate.
Secondly, new traders shouldn’t touch leverage because they don’t understand how it works or the many ways it can destroy a small trading account overnight. In fact, even a small blowup on the other side of the world can trigger massive cross-currency trends that feel great when positioned on the right side of the trade but end careers when caught on the wrong side. (To learn more, see: Forex Leverage: A Double-Edged Sword).
First Steps In The Stock Market
Equities markets offer the best opportunities for new traders as long as they meet account requirements, which can be deceptive. You can trade with a $500 account at many brokers, but anything less than $25,000 brings the SEC’s pattern day trading rule into effect. This states that positions can be opened and closed in the same session only four times in a typical trading week. The account is flagged when exceeded and placed on severe 90 day restrictions.
This rule creates risk management obstacles that can add a considerable burden when learning how to trade in real time because it’s natural to make poor entry choices, which can be mitigated through quick exits. (Read more in: 4 Key Elements To Create A Successful Trading Plan). Break the rule and it becomes more difficult to exit a losing trade when needed. In turn, the loss grows and the trader’s confidence evaporates.
Lowering trade frequency offers one way around the rule - starting fresh each Monday and keeping one eye on total executions until Friday’s close - but the learning curve will suffer because traders need to fine-tune strategies through trial and error, benefiting from high frequency but small size to control risk. In that way, they can work through hundreds of scenarios in real time and with real money at stake. (See: The Vital Importance Of Defining Your Trading Edge).
Traders have dealt with the rule in three ways since it became law in 2001. First, they work within its restrictions until the account size exceeds $25,000. Second, they accumulate the stake first and then trade equities. Third, they pass on the stock market entirely and head over to Globex, focusing totally on the S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 index futures.
Choosing Index Futures
Futures accounts can be opened for $5000 at Tradestation and $10,000 at Interactive Brokers and the trader can hold an overnight position for less than $6000 per contract. Globex futures trade 24 hours a day, increasing opportunities and risk, especially in this fast-paced electronic environment. Learning to trade carries greater risk with futures because the one contract minimum won’t let you ratchet down exposure in the same way as buying small equity shares.
One point on a single contract is worth $50 on the S&P 500 and $20 on the Nasdaq 100. The S&P 500 can easily traverse 20 to 40 points on a typical trading day while the Nasdaq 100 grinds through 40 to 80 points. This ease of movement has increased considerably since the 2009 low because it takes more points at higher prices to generate the same percentage movement.
Given the high value of a single point, a minimum-sized position with perfect technicals could be in the hole by four figures, unless highly disciplined stop loss strategies are employed. In turn, that rules out longer term positions for the majority of new traders because they can’t handle the psychological or monetary impact of the drawdown. (For related reading, see: The Importance Of Trading Psychology And Discipline).
Bottom Line
New traders should enter markets that offer the greatest opportunity for learning their craft while keeping risk at a minimum. All major venues, including currencies, equities and forex offer distinct advantages and disadvantages in this discovery process.
本文翻译由兄弟财经提供
文章来源：
http://www.investopedia.com/articles/active-trading/041515/first-markets-strategies-new-traders.asp