fewer trading

USAGE SUMMARY

The phrase "fewer trading" is not correct in standard written English.
The correct term would be "less trading" since "trading" is an uncountable noun in this context. Example: "The market has seen less trading activity this week compared to last week."

⚠ May contain grammatical issues

News & Media

Human-verified examples from authoritative sources

Exact Expressions

2 human-written examples

For high-speed traders, rising prices are actually a part of the problem: climbing stock markets tend to be calmer stock markets, providing fewer trading opportunities for high-speed firms.

The New York Times

The decline in stock market volatility is giving short-sellers fewer trading opportunities, and a sputtering economy has raised the risk of default by once highflying companies that issued convertibles, insiders say.

The New York Times

Human-verified similar examples from authoritative sources

Similar Expressions

58 human-written examples

Fewer new-car sales meant fewer trade-ins.

The New York Times

"There are fewer trade union issues, so logistically it's easier to get clearances.

Independent

America may well be heading for more green subsidies and fewer trade-distorting ones.

The Economist

It was one fewer trade he had to make or free agent he had to sign.

The New York Times - Sports

In the end, Wall Street may make less on each trade, and have fewer trades as well.

The New York Times

In Europe fewer trade-displaced workers find new jobs quickly, but those who do take less of a pay cut.

The Economist

Ameritrade said its customers made an average of 12percentt fewer trades a day in March than in February.

The New York Times

The old pricing structure required CyberX2 traders to make 250 trades to qualify for the $12.95 price, while customers who made fewer trades were charged $14.95.

The New York Times

The company said this week that its customers made 21percentt fewer trades on an average day in December than they did in the month a year earlier.

The New York Times

Expert writing Tips

Best practice

When discussing trading volume or activity, remember that "trading" is generally treated as an uncountable noun. Therefore, use "less trading" instead of "fewer trading" to ensure grammatical correctness.

Common error

Avoid using "fewer" with uncountable nouns like "trading". "Fewer" is for countable items. Instead, use "less" to accurately describe a reduction in trading activity. For example, say "There is less trading today" not "There are fewer trading today".

Linguistic Context

The phrase "fewer trading" functions as a determiner ("fewer") modifying a noun ("trading"). However, according to Ludwig AI, it is grammatically incorrect in standard English because "trading" is treated as an uncountable noun and should therefore be used with "less" instead of "fewer".

Expression frequency: Uncommon

Frequent in

News & Media

100%

Less common in

Science

0%

Formal & Business

0%

Encyclopedias

0%

Ludwig's WRAP-UP

In summary, while the phrase "fewer trading" appears in various sources, Ludwig AI indicates that it's not grammatically correct. The core issue is the incorrect use of "fewer" with the uncountable noun "trading". The more appropriate phrase is "less trading" or alternatives like "reduced trading" or "declined trading volume". The expression is most often used in news and media contexts to describe a reduction in market activity. Remember to use "less" with uncountable nouns to maintain grammatical accuracy.

More alternative expressions

Phrases that express similar concepts, ordered by semantic similarity:

less trading activity

Replaces "fewer" with "less" to correct the grammatical issue with uncountable nouns and uses the noun "activity" to be more explicit.

reduced trading

Employs "reduced" as a participle adjective to modify "trading", indicating a decrease.

declined trading volume

Substitutes "fewer" with "declined" and adds "volume" to specify the aspect of trading that has decreased.

lower trading frequency

Replaces "fewer" with "lower" and uses "frequency" to focus on how often trading occurs.

decreased trading opportunities

Shifts the focus to the opportunities for trading rather than the trading itself, implying a reduction in those opportunities.

limited trading

Uses "limited" to describe the extent of trading, suggesting a restriction or decrease.

scarce trading

Emphasizes the rarity or infrequency of trading, indicating a significant reduction.

thin trading

Describes the trading market as "thin", meaning there is not much activity.

sluggish trading

Uses "sluggish" to describe the trading market as moving slowly, indicating a decrease in activity.

muted trading

Employs "muted" to suggest that trading activity is quiet or subdued, indicating a decrease.

FAQs

Which is correct, "fewer trading" or "less trading"?

"Less trading" is the correct phrase because "trading" is treated as an uncountable noun in this context. "Fewer" is used for countable nouns.

How can I rephrase "fewer trading" to be grammatically correct?

You can use alternatives like "less trading activity", "reduced trading", or "declined trading volume" depending on the context.

What does it mean when there is "less trading" in the market?

It indicates a decrease in the volume or frequency of transactions. This could be due to various factors, such as low volatility or market uncertainty.

Can "fewer trading opportunities" be used instead of "fewer trading"?

Yes, "fewer trading opportunities" is a grammatically sound alternative that focuses on the reduction in available chances to trade, making it a suitable substitution.