Realistic returns expectations of successful day trading

500% is exceptional year, right?

What kind of market conditions are good for day traders to achieve 500%? Lots of intra-day volatility with stock indices trading up 1% and down 1%?


To reach 500%, normally you need to do either Option or Future, much higher leverage.
 
So called gurus like Timothy Sykes or Ross Cameron cannot be making over 500% gains yearly because, if they were, they would not bother teaching students how to trade for a couple of thousands a piece? That is how they make their monies now! If you charge a student $3,000 x 100 students is $3,000,000, they can have even just 25 students and make a decent amount each year before taxes. If you had a trading system able to generate 500% gains yearly, you would not be sharing it but, keep trading it for those huge profits! You will be a billionaire in a short period of time! The best hedge funds with top traders managing the monies make around 20% per year on average and have losing years once, in a while. Think the so called day trading gurus can do better? I highly, doubt it!
The guys like Cameron who consistently make big returns off their *trading* (aside from yes, big money from their *trading services*) can't become billionaires despite their high % annual returns because their styles of trading aren't infinitely scalable. Cameron generally seems to trade < $10, low-float stocks, for example, so there's a limit as to how much size he can put on.

I've also heard a couple other very successful daytraders say that they and others they've seen start getting a mental/emotional block when their risk goes above say, $1,000 per trade. It just becomes too stressful, and they don't need that. They're fine making whatever they're making (typically somewhere comfortably in the six figures annually) relative to their lifestyles, and they usually diversify into multiple revenue streams at that point (almost always at least separate swing trading accounts). You'd think they could just shift their psychological baseline the more demonstrably successful they get -- but maybe that's easy in theory and hard in practice.

So anyway, what they typically do is "zero out" their accounts at say, the start of every year to whatever beginning balance they need to trade comfortably. They may be making X00% annual returns, but it's not being compounded.

As to why anyone would want to share a "system" that generates huge (actual trading) profits vs. keeping it to themselves? The ones I've seen are primarily discretionary traders, not algorithmic traders... so they aren't really "sharing"(/selling) a proprietary "system," but rather more of a method or approach. And from what I've seen, at least, even if their methods are fairly specific, they're really just different versions/combination of the same underlying methods & concepts that have been shared/taught/sold for years by others -- but put into their own "unique" package.

And even then -- I think many here would agree that: 1. Most traders won't study and learn a given method to the depth required to master it. 2. Even if they do learn a method to a sufficient degree, they won't execute or practice it properly -- they'll break rules. 3. They also won't be able to overcome the numerous other challenges that can make or break a trader -- risk control, money management, psychology, failure to adapt to changes in the environment, etc.

So in the end -- if say, the failure rate for traders in general is ~95%, I'd *guess* that the failure rate for students in any given "proven-successful" method is maybe say, 90%, lol. So not really enough to have an effect on anyone's edge (that was never truly proprietary anyway)... and especially long-term, because most traders will inevitably fail due to #3 above.

All that being said -- some bigger players, algos and even just competing services do apparently play off consistently successful traders who are widely known... or at least, their general approach. I've seen allegations that some algos actually sub to certain trading services to do that.
 
Well I'm not a day trader but I want to try to response the thread.

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It wouldn't have been hard to realize that the price will fall after the red arrow bar. And ok, let say that I will short one lot of CL at the top of next bar (Blue dot bar), with a stop loss of $1000 (I need at least an account of 50K). 5 days passed and I decide to buy at pink dot bar, with a return of $6000. $6000 per week, and the year have 52 weeks.

Ok the perfect trader doesn't exist, and I will have losses, soo let say that I have in my year about 30 good weeks and 10 weeks with losses of $3000.
30 * $6000 = $180000
$180000 - $30000 = $150000.

Ok I made 300% in a year:D:D:D
 
Bullshit. That was Trump's tariff announcement on Aug 1st. Your hindsight is keen.

I don't know what happened in August 1st. I only look volume and price range of the red arrow bar and there was selling.

Was it a coincidence that the next day Trump decided things? I don't know.

Díganle a Trump que mande a los marines a sacar el narcotráfico de Venezuela please it's not a meme:confused::D:D:D:D jajajajja
 
Ok the perfect trader doesn't exist, and I will have losses, soo let say that I have in my year about 30 good weeks and 10 weeks with losses of $3000.
30 * $6000 = $180000
$180000 - $30000 = $150000.


If the 10 weeks with loss occurs sequentially you are toast!
If the 30 good weeks each don't (at least) meet your number you are on the hamster wheel. What the market offers, is almost always different from what you want or expect.

I'll assume your ability to spot trades IN REAL-TIME exists... Nonetheless, you'll need a large dose of luck to CONSISTENTLY get those blue and pink dot executions. Unfortunately, luck is not controllable or dependable.

These type of what-if's are worthless.
LEARN TO TRADE WELL: money takes care of itself.
Most here, will not understand.
 
If the 10 weeks with loss occurs sequentially you are toast!
If the 30 good weeks each don't (at least) meet your number you are on the hamster wheel. What the market offers, is almost always different from what you want or expect.

I'll assume your ability to spot trades IN REAL-TIME exists... Nonetheless, you'll need a large dose of luck to CONSISTENTLY get those blue and pink dot executions. Unfortunately, luck is not controllable or dependable.

These type of what-if's are worthless.
LEARN TO TRADE WELL: money takes care of itself.
Most here, will not understand.

I'm not day trader but I was only trying to make an idea about returns of a supposed trader with this numbers. I tried to make realistic executions and I'm sure that sell or buy only ONE LOT, in a daily chart where are 800K lots per day traded and where you can buy ask or sell bid to a fast execution, I will lost $1000 by the execution time. $20 and it's a lot.

I don't understand why you and all here have to talk like if anybody here doesn't know how to trade but ok. Thanks to quote my post
 
What's the point of this whole thread? Asking how much you can make if you become a successful day-trader is like asking what a gold-mine would be worth if you struck gold on a weekend prospecting trip.Or how much your land would be worth if you struck oil. Or how much you could sell your ideas for if you suddenly decided to invent a better smart-phone.

There are successful day-traders. 99% of traders reading this will never join them.
 
500% is not exceptional, quite normal for successful day traders for small account. i know a few day traders, who consistently make 500% for many years.

What you said doesn't make sense. If they regularly make 500% annually then why would they still have small accounts? Sounds anecdotal.
 
What you said doesn't make sense. If they regularly make 500% annually then why would they still have small accounts? Sounds anecdotal.

there is a post in this thread that has answered your question. some traders start each year with same amount of capital.
 
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