Trading Roadmap 2025🚀

Most of the people jump into trading without actually mastering all crucial topics hence I have divided the roadmap into few tiers with each tier having sub topics - if you already know any topic then feel free to skip to other topic.

->Tier 0–1: Basics, market knowledge & charting (for beginners)
->Tier 2–3: Risk, psychology & manual trading skills.
->Tier 4: Validating strategies (before risking real money).
->Tier 5–6: Python, algos, and building full execution systems.
->Tier 7: Quant research, alpha generation, prop-level scaling.

Bookmark this and don't forget to go through all the sub-parts🙌 Tier 0:- Orientation and Getting Started

1) Essential Beginner Portals (Zerodha Varsity, Investopedia, Coursera)

Most of the beginners overcomplicate things from day 1.
Before touching charts or code, learn the basics of markets, instruments, and trading concepts from structured sources.
These three will cover everything you need to build your foundation:

-> Zerodha varsity - It covers stock, futures, options, risk management and fundamentals of stock market in the most beginner friendly way. Even though it is written by Indian broker the concepts are universal

-> Investopedia (free reference library) - Think of it as a trading dictionary and concept explainer, best for understand fundamental and widely used technical and financial terms.

->Coursera free courses (optional but useful) - If in case you prefer video learning check out Financial markets by Yale and Trading basics by University of Geneva

2) Top Books to Understand How Markets Work (Global Perspective)

Before diving into strategies or indicators, you need to understand how markets actually function - the participants, instruments, and mechanics that drive price. These books will give you that foundation (without drowning you in theory):
-> A beginner's guide to stock market by Mathew Kratter

No non-sense intro about technical terms deals with more of the why behind market mechanism
->Reminescence of a stock operator by Edwin Lefevre

3) Classic trading book which teaches about market participants and how professionals think
-> Market wizards by Jack D Schwager - Interviews with legendary traders ( Seykota, Tudor )

Note:- You dont need to read all of them these are just for introduction so go ahead with either of them just to get a grasp of market mechanism

4) Free Platforms to Track Markets (TradingView, Yahoo Finance, Finviz)

Before you start analyzing or trading, you need tools to see the markets in real time - prices, charts, and basic data. These free platforms cover everything you need to stay updated globally:

-> Trading view is probably the most widely used charting tool with much to offer even for free versions, you can easily watch any chart for domestic, international markets and do basic strategy backtesting.

Yahoo Finance (News & Global Stock Data)
->Easy way to check prices, fundamentals, and financial news quickly.
->Covers US, Europe, Asia, and Indian markets.
->Useful for beginners to track earnings dates, company profiles, and historical data (can also export for analysis).
-> Most of the things on yahoo finance are free.
These tools can help you for basic ideation and market watch for multiple markets.

5) Choosing a Global Broker & Data Provider (Interactive Brokers, Binance, Zerodha)

The broker you choose determines what markets you can access, your costs, and your data quality. Here are the most widely used, reliable options for different needs:
Interactive Brokers (Global All-Rounder)

->Access to stocks, futures, options, and forex across the US, Europe, Asia.
->Professional-grade data feeds, APIs for algo trading, and low fees for active traders.
->Best choice if you plan to scale into multi-asset or algorithmic trading.
Binance (Crypto-Focused)

->Largest crypto exchange by volume, with hundreds of trading pairs.
->Offers free historical & live data APIs for building trading systems.
->Advanced traders can use Binance Futures for leverage (with caution).
Zerodha (Indian markets)

->For traders primarily active on NSE & BSE.
->Clean interface, low fees, and Varsity (its free learning portal).
->Offers Kite Connect API - useful if you plan to build algos for Indian markets.
Note:- Though brokers is not a very crucial part of trading learning it surely affects the trading experience as I have myself felt smoothness in trading ensures better psychology during trading.

Other things you can evaluated yourself while choosing other broker is market segments you want to trade, api automation facility and fees and regularisation ( try to avoid unlicensed brokers)

6) News & Economic Calendar Resources (Bloomberg, Reuters, ForexFactory)

Markets move because of news, events, and economic data - earnings, central bank decisions, and global events. Even if you’re a technical trader, staying aware of these is crucial to avoid surprises.
Bloomberg (Gold resource for global financial news)

->Website is free for most headlines, but Bloomberg Terminal (paid) is for serious professionals which is the best offering in the business.
->Great for tracking global equity, bond, and currency markets.
Reuters (Fast News Updates)

->Reliable source for real-time global news - faster than most mainstream outlets.
->Essential for major market-moving events like central bank announcements.
ForexFactory (Economic Calendar)

->The go-to economic calendar for traders worldwide.
->Lists upcoming data releases (CPI, NFP, rate decisions) with expected impact levels.
->Helps you avoid trading into high-volatility events unintentionally.
Note:- Even if you’re purely technical, these resources help you stay out of bad trades during high-risk events and understand why markets move when they spike unexpectedly.