profitable daytrading is possible, but probably not worth the effort

[robbie380]

Quote from david Lee:

Most of these stocks are very thinly traded. Although you claim last quarter you have 53% win rate. But the win is only 25c and the loss is -12c on avg per contract. a stop order can easily cost 5ticks spread or even more on these stocks. I think you have to try very hard to exit on limit order for the losing trades. Maybe stop orders are never used.

If your machine is not "auto-scalping" over there, I think you still need it to generate good picks (easy to scalp) during the day.

what are you talking about? are you high? have you traded stocks before? i don't want to be rude but you are acting as if you have no clue at all.

and seriously wtf...tick? contract? are you just screwing with me and acting really really dumb? i mean seriously you have to be if you say that etn, spy, axp, dia, itg, and so on are thinly traded. :eek:

 

[robbie380]

Quote from FerdinandAlx:

What I find interesting is that your wednesdays lag significantly behind the other days of the week. What's the reason for this? Do you get hammered every tuesday night ?

lol i dunno...i'd have to go back and check. i probably got whacked on something on a wednesday. but i could have been drunk too!

 

[ehsmama]

Quote from dozu888:

Based on my observations and experience, profitable daytrading is achieveable, but it takes a lot of effort.

1) must spend hundreds if not thousands of hours of screen time to get to a point where one is technically proficient

2) must spend another hundreds if not thousands of hours to practise psychological fitness

3) market is mostly random.. it can be predicted to a very small extent. this determines that long strings of losers are inevitable and it takes incredible psychie to be able to trade thru such losing streaks.

4) considering the above, daytrading is probably below average on the scale of reward/effor ratio among all the professions. True, to be a good doctor/lawyer/professional, one needs to put in just as much effort, if not more.... but at least the reward is more predictable.

therefore, HATS OFF to those who can do it consistently.

You got it all wrong man. You Don't have to sit all day in front of computer to daytrade.
I do long term, short term and daytrading. I make most returns on my money(in % terms) thru daytrading. I make about 3-5 trades a week in my daytrading account. Sometimes, I make more money in a daytrade (because you can take a huge position based on low risk profile of a daytrade) that I made in a year when I was working in a so called well paid I.T. job. So, I think those who malign daytrading ignore the possibilities that exist.
I hardly spend 2-3 hours ( And that too if I want to) in front of screen,
And as a full time trader if you can't do that then what else do you do whole day, when everybody else is busy at work anyway.

 

[NihabaAshi]

Quote from ehsmama:

You got it all wrong man. You Don't have to sit all day in front of computer to daytrade...

I think dozu888 was talking about the time and energy involved in the beginning as a day trader.

In contrast, I think you are talking about the time and energy of a veteran trader.

I still remember when I first started trading full time...countless of hours learning about the markets and trading...

Very little social life.

However, as a veteran trader, I'm much more efficient and spend no where near as much time and energy like I did when I first started trading...

Now I have a normal social life and trading is like a 8 to 5 job except I have a lot of trading days where I only trade a few hours (that's all that is needed).

Also, less time and energy is needed to study the markets.

Mark

 

[ksonsinc]

I have to say daytrading is the best thing that can happen
But also remmember to be a successfull daytrader u have to have a lot of knowledge and experience and screen time where you learn the patterns the market behavior charts hi low etc
Screen time and if you could find a mentor would be good
When i first started daytrading i did not have knowledge about futures E-mini pivots points gaps etc as i have always traded the Nasd stocks and times are not the same as they were in 1999 , 2000.
I have failed couple of time and every time i learn a lot and wished i had the knowledge i have before i started day trading
When i was daytrading i use to make $200 sometime $300 in few hours and then i use to be like i have to trade till 4 a clock and end up loosing.
If every day when i was up and should have just closed my computer it would have been better it would have saved me from blowing my account and i would have been doing very good by now
There is no job like trading : - >
The Ksonsinc Trader

 

[robbie380]

Quote from NihabaAshi:

I think dozu888 was talking about the time and energy involved in the beginning as a day trader.

In contrast, I think you are talking about the time and energy of a veteran trader.

I still remember when I first started trading full time...countless of hours learning about the markets and trading...

Very little social life.

However, as a veteran trader, I'm much more efficient and spend no where near as much time and energy like I did when I first started trading...

Now I have a normal social life and trading is like a 8 to 5 job except I have a lot of trading days where I only trade a few hours (that's all that is needed).

Also, less time and energy is needed to study the markets.

Mark

yeah i agree with that 100%. i put in tons of time learning the market to start. at the same time i was working at a shoe store to make sure i had income. now i feel like the less "work" i do the better i trade. i still enjoy reading and watching about market stuff outside of the office but i don't force feed it anymore.

 

[Tasker_182]

Quote from BSAM:

Hold up a second. Let's get back off topic. If all day traders realized how easy it is to make money as a bum on a street corner, would most give up and get out on a corner? And if that happened, wouldn't that make being a bum a much riskier prospect? (More competition.....profits divided.)

As it stands now, looks like dressing like a little ol' lady takes about 15 minutes. Learning to trade takes at least 3 to 5 years screen time for most.

Next time I pull up to a traffic light and a bum approaches me, I'm gonna say: Hey, did you used to be a trader?

And he/she would say, "Yes and it taught me to do this well, because now I only follow the price actions as it is handed to me out the window. I no longer use the signal indicators, I only take what the (car) market gives me. I do not anticipate what the (car) market will do. I am on the opposite side of you so thank-you for your gift on this fine day", as he/she strolls away around the corner into their benz. LOL

T_182

 

[newguy05]

Quote from pneuma:

I don't understand.

Sure day trading is a job, that i get. But, you can make as much or more using much longer time frames and much less work.

Why do you want to work so much, when you don't have to?

For example, I look at my computer for trading purposes for 30-40 min per day; in fact my entire trading day could be completed in 60 min. I use one monitor to place orders on my brokers platform and software to help make decisions. I spend the next 23:20 doing whatever the fk i want. QED

Last year I tripled my account, and thats comparable with previous years (same capital at the start of every year).

All power to those who want to live infront of 4 LCD's and track every tick, but i have more important things to do.

can someone answer that?

 

[FanOfFridays]

Quote from rcanfiel:

It is called belief and opinion, in spite of the overwhelming evidence.

Oh boy. Here we go.

Of all people, you're the last one to talk about other people's belief in the face of overwhelming evidence to the contrary. What about all your faith-based beliefs that you're squawking about in P & R?

Just because you can't do it doesn't mean others can't.

 

[lescor]

Quote from newguy05:

can someone answer that?

Can you make as much or more on the same capital base? Maybe. Can you do it with the same capital base and less risk? I doubt it. Daytrading lets you control your risk more, you can play a much tighter game. It also allows you to use your capital more efficiently by utilizing higher leverage for short periods of time where you can greatly limit your downside but still have great upside. You obviously will also be able to capture much more opportunity that is short lived and that the end-of-day trader never sees. And with professional leverage you can trade by commiting only a fraction of your assets to your account, yet have the capital needed to make good money while having the rest diversified into other things.

But it does require more time. It's up to you to determine if your time is more valuable than the potential gains. There's also nothing saying you can't combine both styles of trading.