Day trading is defined as the buying and selling of a security within a single trading day. This can occur in any marketplace but is most common in the foreign-exchange (forex) market and stock market. Typically, day traders are well educated and well funded. They utilize high amounts of leverage and short-term trading strategies to capitalize on small price movements in highly liquid stocks or currencies. Day traders serve two critical functions in the marketplace - they keep the markets running efficiently via arbitrage and they provide much of the markets' liquidity (especially in the stock market). This article will take an objective look at day trading, who does it and how it is done.
The Controversy
Search "day trading" on Google and you will see why there is controversy! The profit potential of day trading is perhaps one of the most debated (and misunderstood) topics on Wall Street. Countless internet scams have capitalized on this confusion by promising enormous returns in a short period. Meanwhile, the media continues to promote this type of trading as a get-rich-quick scheme that always works. The truth lies somewhere in the middle. There are those who engage in this type of trading without sufficient knowledge (or some even admittedly for a gambler's high!); however, there are day traders who are able to make a successful living.
Many professional money managers and financial advisors shy away from day trading, arguing that in most cases the reward does not justify the risk. They often cite that no day trader is world renown, whereas icons like Warren Buffett and Peter Lynch (see The Greatest Investors) are a testament to the success that can be attained by more traditional forms of investing. Conversely, those who do day trade insist there is profit to be made. They say the success rate is inherently lower as a result of the higher complexity and necessary risk of day trading, combined with all the related scams.
Overall, the street remains divided on the issue. At the very least they agree that day trading is not for everyone and involves significant risks. Moreover, it demands an in-depth understanding of how the markets work and various strategies for profiting in the short term. Now we'll take a look at the various aspects of day trading.
Characteristics of a Day Trader
This article will focus on professional day traders - that is, those that trade for a living, not simply as a hobby or for a “gambling high”. These traders are typically well-established in the field and have in-depth knowledge of the marketplace. Here are some of the prerequisites to day trading:
Knowledge and Experience in the Marketplace
Individuals who attempt to day trade without an understanding of market fundamentals often end up losing money.
Sufficient Capital
One cannot expect to make money day trading. Day traders use only risk capital, which they can afford to lose. Not only does this protect them from financial ruin, but it also helps eliminate emotion from their trading. A large amount of capital is often necessary to capitalize effectively on intra-day price movements.
A Strategy
A trader needs an edge over the rest of the market. There are several different strategies that day traders utilize, including: swing trading, arbitrage as well as trading news, among others. These strategies are refined until they produce consistent profits and effectively limit losses.
Discipline
A profitable strategy is useless without discipline. Many day traders end up losing a lot of money because they fail to make trades that meet their own criteria. As they say, “Plan the trade and trade the plan.” Success is impossible without discipline.
Day Trading for a Living
There are two primary divisions of professional day traders: those who work alone and/or those who work for a larger institution. Most day traders who trade for a living work for a large institution. The fact is these people have access to things individual traders could only dream of: a direct line to a dealing desk, large amounts of capital and leverage, expensive analytical software and much more. These traders are typically the ones looking for easy profits that can be made from arbitrage opportunities and news events. The resources to which they have access allow them to capitalize on these less risky day trades before individual traders can react. Individual traders often manage other people's money or simply trade with their own. Few of them have access to a dealing desk; however, they often have strong ties to a brokerage (due to the large amounts of commission spending) and access to other resources. However, the limited scope of these resources prevents them from competing directly with institutional day traders; instead, they are forced to take more risks. Individual traders typically day trade using technical analysis and swing trades - combined with some leverage - to generate adequate profits on such small price movements in highly liquid stocks.
Trading
Day trading demands access to some of the most complex financial services and instruments in the marketplace. Day traders require:
Access to the Trading Desk
This is usually reserved for traders working for larger institutions or those who manage large amounts of money. The dealing desk provides these traders with instantaneous order executions, which can become important, especially when sharp price movements occur. For example, when an acquisition is announced, day traders looking at merger arbitrage can get their orders in before the rest of the market, taking advantage of the price differential.
Multiple News Sources
In the move "Wall Street" Gordon Gekko says that 'information is the most important commodity when trading’. News provides the majority of opportunities day traders capitalize on, so it is imperative to be the first to know when something big happens. The typical trading room contains access to the Dow Jones Newswire, televisions showing CNBC and other news agencies, as well as software that constantly analyzes various other news sources for important stories.
Analytical Software
Trading software is an expensive necessity for most day traders. Those who rely on technical indicators or swing trades rely more on software than news. This software typically contains many features, including:
Automatic pattern recognition - This means that the trading program identifies technical indicators like flags, channels and even more complex indicators like Elliott Wave patterns.
Genetic and neural applications - These are programs that utilize neural networks and genetic algorithms to perfect trading systems to make more accurate predictions of future price movements. (see Neural Trading: Biological Keys to Profit.)
Broker integration - Some of these applications even interface directly with the brokerage, which allows for instantaneous and even automatic execution of trades. This is helpful for eliminating emotion from trading and improving execution times.
Back testing - This allows traders to look at how a certain strategy would have performed in the past in order to predict more accurately how it will perform in the future (although past performance is not always indicative of future results).
Combined these tools provide traders with an edge over the rest of the marketplace. It is easy to see why, without them, so many inexperienced traders lose money.
Conclusion
Although day trading has become somewhat of a controversial phenomenon, its prevalence is undeniable. Day traders, both institutional and individual, play an important role in the marketplace by keeping the markets efficient and liquid. Some argue that individuals should stay away from day trading, while others argue that it is a viable means to profit. And although it is becoming increasingly popular among inexperienced traders, it should be left primarily to those with the skills and resources needed to succeed.
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