Trading accounts are opened with a bank or other financial institution and are usually managed by an investment dealer. While stocks are traditionally the most common financial instrument held in a trading account, it can also hold cash, including foreign face values and other financial instruments such as bonds, options, commodities, futures and derivatives.

Trading involves frequent buying and selling of financial instruments with the goal of generating returns that outperform the buy and hold strategy, which is a fairly common strategy in investing. Trading profits are usually made by buying at a low price and selling at a higher price over a short period of time. Trading profits can also be made by selling at a high price and buying at a lower price to cover the position. This is called a "short selling" strategy, which is executed in a falling market.

Trading Account Features
Both individuals and companies can open trading accounts and deposit a certain amount of money to execute trades. The minimum deposit amount is usually set by the financial institution and sometimes even by state regulations.

While trading accounts are typically considered for shorter-term transactions than investment accounts with a broker, there is no specific rule defining the boundary between them. The period of time that an open position is held on a trading account is based on a strategy executed by the trader. A position trader can hold an open position for months to several years. Swing traders typically hold positions open for days to several weeks, while day and scalp traders do not hold positions overnight.

Before opening a trading account, it would be helpful to familiarize yourself with different types of trading accounts and other options available. The easiest way to open a trading account is to visit an online brokerage website. There you will find all the information about the services offered including trading accounts.