Best buys · 5 picks

The trader's desk

Chart space, a desk that is not buried under stands, and power that does not cut out with a position open. None of it makes anyone profitable. All of it removes a way to lose money that has nothing to do with the market.

The screen

A 27-inch 1440p monitor

For charts, pixels beat refresh rate. At 27 inches, 1440p is where two charts side by side stay readable, and it is the price sweet spot. This pick is a specification, not a brand: whichever one is cheapest today from a store we trust.

Buy it for: Anyone running more than one chart at once.
Skip it if: Your desk is under 30 inches deep. A 24-inch sits better.

What to look for, the cheaper option and the step up →

The monitor arm

Ergotron LX

The arm the cheaper ones are copies of. It holds its position for years, clears the desk, and a pair of them is how a two-screen setup stops taking over the room.

Buy it for: Two or more screens, or one on a shallow desk.
Skip it if: Your monitor has no VESA mount on the back. Check before buying.

What to look for, the cheaper option and the step up →

The backup power

APC Back-UPS 600VA

Enough battery to close a position and shut down cleanly when the power goes. Not glamorous; the cheapest insurance on the desk.

Buy it for: Anyone who trades from home, anywhere the power flickers.
Skip it if: You run a multi-GPU workstation. Size up to a bigger unit.

What to look for, the cheaper option and the step up →

The shortcut pad

Elgato Stream Deck

A block of programmable keys with their own small screens. Layouts, screenshots, the trading journal and the platform's hotkeys go on physical buttons you can find without looking.

Buy it for: Anyone who switches layouts or runs the same routine every session.
Skip it if: Your platform's keyboard shortcuts already cover everything you do.

What to look for, the cheaper option and the step up →

The chair

Herman Miller Aeron

The office chair the others are measured against, with a twelve-year warranty and a large refurbished market. For hours at a desk, it is the cheapest thing per hour on this shelf.

Buy it for: Full days at the desk, and anyone whose back has started to complain.
Skip it if: You sit for an hour a day. Save the money.

What to look for, the cheaper option and the step up →