Trading has been an existing concept as individuals have traded shares, bonds, shares for profits.
Cryptocurrency which was created in 2009 (bitcoin being the first)offered an alternative for traders and investors, it's volatility and rapid fluctuations made trading with little capital possible, opposed to forex tading, were you need a large capital to get huge returns from little pip growth. (you could also leverage on your broker, but this increses the risk, and the chances of losing you profits quickly)
When venturing into cryptocurrency trading, always consider the dynamics;
- It is a decentralized protocol, with little to no regulations, this increses the risk as it is not supported by any financial or banking sector and the value is subsceptible to manipulations.
- It is restricted in some countries and seemed illegal. This restrictions limits it's circulation in those states,
https://cryptocurrencyfacts.com/2018/02/10/some-us-banks-block-buying-crypto-with-credit-cards-and-more/- It is a 24/7 market, meaning the market never closes, even during weekends.
- You'd need a wallet and an exchange, I would suggest using
https://cryptocurrencyfacts.com/exchanges/coinbase/ or
https://www.gdax.com/.
You could also buy on other. With this you can buy/sell and store your assets.
As a a newbie to trading you might want to consider a few tips;
- Start small, always start with a small capital and practise without the pressure of huge losses.
I would also suggest you practise with a demo account before live.
- Consider the risks, the volatility in cryptocurrency offers a the possibilities of huge gains and also the risk of losses.
Always take a holistic approach.
It's also advisable to use more than one exchange, (check out this list of exchanges
https://themerkle.com/top-5-altcoin-exchanges/ )
This would allow you to practise arbitrage trading, which is basically utilizing the fact that currencies have different values on different exchanges (due to difference in trading volume).
And always stick to what you know, there are a lot of digital currencies, checking out every new one can be stressful and confusing.
I'd advise you go for the top currencies in coinmarketcap.com as it reduces the risk. But always keep an eye out for potential.
Happy trading