Pros And Cons Day Trading
Last Updated on October 16, 2021 by Oddmund Groette
When I talk to the publisher about the books I have written, he says people are crazy about day trading. I am also fascinated by this fancy for day trading. Is investing too boring? Do we like to “gamble”? Do we need excitement? Punishment/SM (for those who lose)?
Personally, I like day trading better than investing. I am certainly not a “gambler” – I consider myself very rational. If I saw a bigger potential in investing, I would certainly switch.
I think anyone considering daytrading should have a look at the pros and cons underneath.
Pros of day trading:
- High turnover of capital. A good trader is capable of making insane returns on the capital invested (if he or she is good).
- Potentially less drawdown than investing (think about 2008 for example). 2008/09 was, by far, the best months of my day trading career.
- Less risk of having adverse news going against you (most news come outside market hours).
- Leverage – but only if you know what you are doing.
- A great mental and intellectual challenge.
- The law of big numbers is easier to exploit (trade more).
Cons of day trading:
- Does not participate in the long-term upward drift in stock prices exhibited by equities.
- Requires a great deal of time, inappropriate to mix with a full-time job.
- Commissions and gearing can be ruinous.
- Requires a lot of time and preparation.
- Need software resources.
There are too many trying to day trade while having a job at the same time. I say: forget it. You cannot day trade and work at the same time. There is no way that will work, and you end up having an angry boss. You need to treat it as a profession and have a solid plan.
Of course, many in the US West Coast day trade the first hour before they go to the job. That can certainly work. I personally know a couple of guys doing this.
My opinion is that most day traders underperform the market. Lack of consistency, time, resources, weakness of the methodology implemented, commissions, connectivity, automation, etc. makes things very difficult.
However, for those willing to put in the time and effort, there are great opportunities, even with unlimited resources for programming.
Disclaimer: We are not financial advisors. Please do your own due diligence and investment research or consult a financial professional. All articles are our opinion – they are not suggestions to buy or sell any securities.
Hi
It’s great to see that you are back in business in your webpage. I’ve had many good hours reading your words.
Nice webdesign/layout too.
I look forward to once again be a frequentflyer on your site.
Have a nice weekend 🙂
Regards
Espen
Thanks! I’ll write a lot more regularly again, 2-3 times a week.
Hi – please tell me if this is crazy –
I have put aside $30k in a taxable brokerage account with margin. I can afford, at this point, to lose all $30k of it though of course I sincerely hope that does not occur.
I believe I can use that $30k to make at least $900/day … i figure if I can use a $30k stake to make at least $900/day, 200 days/year (there are actually around 250 trading days/year) – that will come to $180k I’m assuming $20/day for the cost of trading and 35% tax burden – so.. I’d net, say, $131k.. something like that..
It just seems, if it were easy to do this, everyone in the world would be doing it.. I’m curious to hear some feedback on this.
Thanks!
Joshua
Hi,
Realistically you would be one hell of a trader if you can manage that without any experience. Actually, I can assure you if you can get those numbers with a retail account I would hire you on the spot. I think your numbers are completely way off. If you can average 100 you should be happy. It takes years to learn trading.