In this market being a day trader is a very safe way to make money.
The market is driven by news so to predict the direction for the market the next day is very risky.
There are many ways to day trade. To me, after 8 years of trading, I found the following methods works for me:
1. Play the gaps. watch for candle sticks that show signs of reversal to short. Since we are in a bear market, shorting is easier, especially there is no news.
2. Pick a number of stocks that you know the behavior and trade them. For example, trading bank stocks GS, JPM, BAC, etc. Learn how they react to news, when Obama talks, etc.
3, Use intra day patterns, key support, resistance , volumes and enter/exit stocks. Trade the volatile stocks like MOS AGU FCX. When the markets turns down, we can make a couple $$ shorting. Look at MOS, FCX today.
4. Trade the ETFs: When the market gaps up, follow the short ETFs such as SRS, SMN, FAZ, SKF and buy them when people are chasing the market. This is a BEAR market. Buy these low.
5. The night before, search for stocks that pulled back from great earnings at key retracement such as ma-50, ma-200, 38%, 50% retrace, etc..know your stocks to make sure you think they have solid fundamentals. If the next day, market looks strong then trade these. For example, SYNA pulled back from almost $28. Follow these. Analysts may come out saying the pull back is overdone. AMZN is a good one to trade on pull back.
Until the market shows sign of reversal, shorting is easier. Day trading helps us to sleep better at night.
We never know what Mitchell will tell her husband Obama to say in the morning. He means well but we are facing a very tough time and Idon't think anyone out there has a solution. We tend to say that guy is no smart, etc....it's not easy but our country will get out of this. I pray daily!