Trading is a highly unpredictable venture. You always encounter possibilities of making a wrong move and losing everything. With your investments at stake, you wouldn’t take chances on your key sources of information, would you? While observing these market trends, you should be able to use the information to propel your productivity and profit goals. With so much information to process, fewer trading screens would slow you down and cost you a fortune. Access to a wide range of information wouldn’t be possible without having at least a dual monitor, a 6 monitor setup, or more options. So how can you set up your trading screens in a way that makes your work easier and more efficient? Here is the practical guide to building effective trading screens:
Get Enough Monitors with the Right Sizes for Your Trading Station
Unless you are following market trends for fun, fewer monitors may compromise your trading capacity. So how many monitors do you really need? You could do with anything from 2, 3 or a 6 monitor setup. Depending on the volume of numbers, Charts, indices, and data you are dealing with, the number and size of monitors you choose determine visual output. When viewing trading data, you are looking at volumes of text and graphics that have to be clear.
The number of screens and their size will determine how much data you will be able to view separately on the windows. The more the data, the more the screens and the larger your monitors need to be. The best monitor is one that gives you a clear view of the data in the quickest way possible. The ideal size of screens can range between 14 inches and 34 inches. If your data is voluptuous then you need nothing short of a 6 monitor setup.
Calibrate Your Screens
Your screens’ functionality is affected by their image and color settings. Whether it’s a 6 monitor setup or a dual setup, your image and color settings would be better if they match. Trading screens should be well customized so that your visual output is efficient. For effective trading, your screens should give you comprehensive visuals so that you can respond to trading opportunities in time. If your current image and color settings are not clear, then you should modify them.
The color settings also apply to the backgrounds against which text and graphics will be displayed. Most financial platforms have dark backgrounds but this can change depending on the type of images, text, or charts that are displayed. Graphic symbols are better in white against a dark background. A block of text however should be in black against a white background to avoid straining the eyes. Therefore, depending on what you intend to do with your trading screens, you will calibrate them accordingly for effective trading.
Consider PCs and 6 Monitor Setup Panels That Meet Your Trading Needs
Setting up your trading screens does not happen on a daily basis. It is something that happens once in a while whenever you feel the need to upgrade your trading station to meet your needs. Your trading screens will have to be connected to a PC for them to run. If your PC is slow, even if you have the best monitors, your productivity will be set back. Therefore, while shopping for LCD panels, you should also invest in the fastest computer you can afford.
For LCD panels, you should consider one with a good response time, great contrast ratios for color production, and a wider viewing angle. For example, if your interest is more in wide viewing mode, then IPS (In-plane Switching) or Vertical Alignment monitors would work for you. The IPS panels are the highest in terms of quality but expensive. They are ideal for great chart displays and would work well for a 6 monitor setup. The Twisted Nematic LCDs are cheaper and faster but their color reproduction is not that good.
Invest In the Best Internet Connection
Productive trading is achieved by real-time tracking of the stock markets. With stocks trading, time is of the essence and even the slightest delay in streaming data can cost you a fortune. To keep up with any slight change in the trading exchange, you have to invest in the fastest internet connection you can get. Key decisions of buying and selling stocks and forex exchange depend on your level of information about the markets. You therefore cannot be able to make this decision with slow internet connectivity. If you cannot trade because of a lack of information, then what’s the point of doing it anyway?
Your 6 monitor setup or more monitors can be useless to you if you are operating on unreliable internet service. Your trading screens should be connected to a steady internet connection so that you do not react to outdated updates and lose your investments. It is safer to go the extra mile and have a backup connection plan other than your main internet service. There are times when power outages and internet service experiences downtime. You wouldn’t take that chance, would you?
Final Thoughts
Modern trading has evolved into a highly competitive venture as everyone is on the lookout for seizing market opportunities. This means closely observing money market trends, analyzing trading history, watching business news updates, and being ready to make a move. Well-organized trading screens can help you get information efficiently and make your trading decisions easier. With this guide, you can optimize the effectiveness of your trading screens by setting up your workstation functionally.