What are the main differences between retail trading and institutional trading?

<p id="isPasted">Retail traders are those traders who trade individually with their personal accounts in the financial market. On the other hand, institutional traders are entities, who manage their money or trade for several other traders on their behalf. Some examples of institutional traders are Mutual fund houses, insurance companies, pension funds, etc.</p><p>Although a thin line of difference distinguishes trading from investing, i.e. the horizon of investment. Trading is done for a short term, say for some days or weeks, and investing is done for a long term, say for months or years.</p><p>Retail traders have the objective of maximising their money by earning profits from different investment avenues. Some are saving up for retirement, while others are looking to grow their wealth. They make their investment decisions based on personal research, tips from financial advisors, and on the trending securities in the market.&nbsp;</p><p id="isPasted">In the world of securities trading, institutional investors are the heavyweights. They’re the big investors who handle massive amounts of money for other investors.</p><p>Some of the examples of institutional investors are the institutions or houses that deal in pension funds, mutual funds, insurance companies, and hedge funds.</p>