Day trading is a trading approach where a trader buys and sells the same financial instrument within the same trading day, aiming to profit from short- term price movements. All positions are typically closed by the end of the day to avoid overnight risk. How it works in practice
- Focus on liquid instruments: Day traders usually trade highly liquid stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), options, or futures to ensure fast entry and exit.
- Short-term analysis: Decisions are driven mainly by technical analysis, real-time price action, and market microstructure rather than long-term fundamentals.
- Fast execution: Trades can be opened and closed within minutes or seconds, often requiring real-time data feeds, robust trading platforms, and low-latency order execution.
- Risk controls: Traders commonly use strict risk management, including stop-loss orders, position sizing limits (often 1–2% of capital per trade), and predefined profit targets.
- Typical patterns: Strategies include momentum trading (exploiting strong intraday moves), scalping (tiny, frequent profits from small price changes), and mean-reversion (betting prices revert to a short-term average).
- Margin considerations: In many jurisdictions like the United States, day trading in a margin account can trigger pattern day trader rules, which may require maintaining a minimum account balance (for example, $25,000) and impose other margin constraints.
Key terms to know
- Pattern day trader: An account that executes four or more day trades within five business days, subject to higher margin requirements and the need to maintain a specified balance.
- Intraday timeframes: Common horizons range from seconds to hours; longer intraday holds are less common in day trading.
- Liquidity and spreads: Narrow bid-ask spreads and high liquidity reduce slippage and make it easier to enter/exit quickly.
Risks and considerations
- High risk of rapid losses: Short-term moves can reverse quickly, leading to significant drawdowns.
- Costs can erode profits: Trading commissions, slippage, and data/technology fees add up for frequent trades.
- Psychological demands: Requires discipline, focus, and the ability to manage stress and avoid overtrading.
If you’d like, I can tailor this to a specific market (stocks, options, futures, or forex), explain common day-trading strategies in more detail, or outline a beginner-oriented checklist for getting started.
