The 4 best swing trading books for learning how to trade aggressively

The best swing trading books teach you how to be successful with a risky strategy. Insider

• Best overall: "Mastering the Trade" by John F. Carter
• Best for beginners: "Swing Trading as a Part Time Job" by Brett Brown
• Best for swing trading technical analysis: "How to Swing Trade" by Brian Bazim
• Best for swing trading psychology: "The New Trading for a Living" by Dr. Alexander Elder

Swing trading is a trading strategy that involves buying a stock (or other asset) and holding onto it for as little as a day and as long as a few months. Although it is an aggressive strategy, it's less aggressive than day trading, which involves buying and selling an asset all in the same day.

Note: Swing trading may be less risky than day trading, but it still comes with risks — so do not take it lightly. If you're looking for less risky investments, consider holding onto assets for longer periods of time.

Swing trading is difficult to pull off successfully, and it's definitely not for people who are brand new to investing. To help you learn about swing trading so that you can (hopefully) make a profit, we've rounded up the best swing trading books.

Best overall: "Mastering the Trade" by John F. Carter

This book is a good choice for both beginners and people who are already familiar with swing trading. The first section covers basics such as how markets work and pinning the motivation behind your trades.

The second section dives more deeply into swing trading specifically. You'll learn about things like pivot points, scalping, and ways to decipher when an asset is going to gain or lose value. The last section focuses on real-world scenarios, including advice and insights from several successful swing traders.

Mastering the Trade, Third Edition: Proven Techniques for Profiting From Intraday and Swing Trading Setups by John F. Carter

Best for beginners: "Swing Trading as a Part Time Job" by Brett Brown

Brown breaks down the basic concepts of swing trading chapter by chapter. You'll learn how swing trading differs from day trading and position trading, and how swing trading could help you reach your specific goals rather than the other two. You'll also read about how to choose a broker, trade both stocks and options, and identify trends on charts.

Swing Trading as a Part Time Job by Brett Brown

Best for swing trading technical analysis: "How to Swing Trade" by Brian Bazim

There are numerous great books about technical analysis. "How to Swing Trade" is our top pick in this category because it focuses specifically on how to use technical analysis for swing trading. (Some books talk about technical analysis in general, or how to apply it to other types of trading.)

Technical analysis is a tool that uses a company's past performance to predict how it will perform in the future. This book covers many aspects of technical analysis, and it dedicates three of its 15 chapters to different aspects of technical analysis.

How to Swing Trade by Brian Bazim

Best for swing trading psychology: "The New Trading for a Living" by Dr. Alexander Elder

Although this book does not focus solely on swing trading, it is a valuable read for anyone who wants to swing trade. Elder starts the book by diving into reasons you may want to trade and lessons you should learn before trading. He also goes through classic trading topics, such as market indicators and risk management.

Finally, he wraps up the book with tips, homework, and thoughts to help you move forward and become a successful trader.

The New Trading for a Living: Psychology, Discipline, Trading Tools and Systems, Risk Control, Trade Management by Dr. Alexander Elder

Other swing trading books we considered

We considered over a dozen swing trading books before choosing our favorites. The following books don't stand out as much as our top picks, but you may still be interested in reading them. Because swing trading is a complicated and risky strategy, reading more about the topic may be useful.

Frequently asked questions

What is swing trading?

Swing trading is an aggressive trading strategy. Unlike with day trading, you'll hold onto a stock overnight at least once. You may even hold it for a couple of months. Then you use technical analysis to decide when to sell, in hopes of maximizing your profits.

You can swing trade assets other than stocks, too, including crypto, options, forex, and more.

What is the best book on swing trading?

The best book on swing trading will depend on how much you already know about the topic and what you want to learn. "Mastering the Trade" by John F. Carter is Insider's top choice, because it covers a variety of subjects and can be helpful to swing traders of all levels.

Is swing trading still profitable?

Yes, swing trading can be profitable if you have a deep understanding of the market and develop a solid strategy. Because it's risky, it has potential for great gains — but also great losses.