Strange article in many ways. First, he doesn't sound like a day trader :
“I was ready to ride it all the way back to the top again,” said Mr. Phillips
Day traders don't normally think like this.
As oil rose again, Mr. Phillips bet the Brent benchmark price would go all the way back up to $100 a barrel. Then came August, and the start of a summer commodities rout that has hit day-trading investors like Mr. Phillips hard"
The oil market was down trending all summer...all of July into August...right until the end of August... It never began to rise again until then. Whoever wrote this article should probably done a little research. Phillips let his "belief" that oil was going up trump what the actual price action was saying in this case. He basically stepped in front of a falling knife. The tough part for him was his initial call being short was right big time. If he had continued to follow it, and let the prices action dictate what to do instead of letting his "belief" get the best of him, he would have done great.
As far as this article claiming day traders were struggling ? The group of day traders I talk to all for the most part are having a great run since The beginning of August. Volatility is their friend. When markets don't move they struggle. The last two months have been day traders paradise.
This article is basically a joke. Wrong on most fronts.