Day Trading for A Living - Pros And Cons of Trading for A Living | Kotak Securities (2024)

FAQs

What are the pros and cons of day trading? ›

Can you really make a living from day trading? It is possible to earn money with day trading and make a living from it and generate high income - but the chances are extremely low. A maximum of three percent of all traders achieve long-term profits; the vast majority lose large sums of money.

However, day trading is a very risky form of investing. A day trader's profits may not even cover their transaction costs, including taxes and other fees, and losses are much more likely. In fact, many financial advisors and professional brokers believe that the risks far outweigh potential gains.

Unlike day traders, long-term investors may benefit from lower tax rates on their profits. If an investment is held for more than a year before being sold, the profits are considered long-term capital gains and are taxed at a lower rate, which can be 0%, 15%, or 20% depending on the investor's income.

The overwhelming majority of day traders lose money. While a select few are able to generate steady profits, these are generally people who had careers in the financial industry or who have devoted themselves to studying markets. Successful day traders apply themselves to the practice as a full-time job.

"To survive you have to be a mixture of physicist and drug dealer, otherwise you become a sitting duck." In this high-pressure world, traders turn over quickly. "If you're not producing," says Handa, "you're gone." The average professional life-span of a trader, says Handa, is from 2 to 5 years.

Many people have made millions just by day trading. Some examples are Ross Cameron, Brett N. Steenbarger, etc. But the important thing about day trading is that only a few can make money out of day trading and the rest end up losing their entire capital in day trading.

It is estimated that 80% of day traders quit within the first two years, and nearly 40% quit within one month. After three years, only 13% remain, and after five years, only 7% remain.

A classic Buffett quote indicates that he is no fan of day trading: “If you aren't willing to own a stock for 10 years, don't even think about owning it for 10 minutes.” This emphasis on holding a position for the long term means a very low level of trading activity.

Traders fail due to being undercapitalized.

Sometimes the market is easier to trade and you make money right away. But usually, there is a learning curve which means losing some of your capital at the start. After that learning curve, you still need enough capital so that the risk on any single trade is small.

How long should a day trader stay in a trade? ›

Yet there are differences between a pattern trader and a day trader. Pattern traders typically hold their positions over a few days up to several weeks. On the other hand, day traders close their positions within the same trading day.

Advantages of Swing Trading

Because of the longer time frame (from days to weeks as opposed to minutes to hours), swing traders do not need to be glued to their computer screen all day. They can even maintain a separate full-time job (as long as they are not checking trading screens all the time at work).

The defining feature of day trading is that traders do not hold positions overnight; instead, they seek to profit from short-term price movements occurring during the trading session.It can be considered one of the most profitable trading methods available to investors.

The opening period (9:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. Eastern Time) is often one of the best hours of the day for day trading, offering the biggest moves in the shortest amount of time. A lot of professional day traders stop trading around 11:30 a.m. because that is when volatility and volume tend to taper off.

Consequences of excessive day trading include but are not limited to financial loss, educational or career problems, mental health issues such as depression, anxiety or ADHD, physical health issues, deterioration of relationship, neglect of personal hygiene, sleep issues or insomnia, failure to perform responsibilities ...

Starting day trading with $1,000 requires careful planning and strategy. The first step is to choose the right broker and trading platform. Look for a reputable forex broker that offers low commissions, competitive spreads, and user-friendly trading platforms.

While day trading offers an entrepreneurial career route and a high profit potential, there exist some limitations and risks to the profession. These include high financial loss, emotional pressure, lack of access to certain markets, time commitment, and regulatory requirements.

Assuming they make ten trades per day and taking into account the success/failure ratio, this hypothetical day trader can anticipate earning approximately $525 and only risking a loss of about $300 each day. This results in a sizeable net gain of $225 per day.