1. Most day Traders don’t make any money
It’s true: academic studies like this one show how hard it is to make a profit through day trading. As the study notes, 8 out of 10 day traders lose money – and while heavy day traders earn gross profits, that money is not enough to cover Transaction Costs.
2. You’re irrational
No matter how level-headed you think you are, when it comes to money, we have inherent behavioral biases that are nearly impossible to overcome. Academic studies have covered these at length – hindsight bias, loss aversion and plain old greed can lead us to make bad decisions when it comes to managing our money and buying and selling stocks.
3. You need to have money to burn
Or, at least you need to have enough money so that any losses won’t financially destroy you. The same goes for your emergency fund. And borrowing money to day trade is also pretty risky business.
4. You don’t get to keep all the money
As the academic paper referenced earlier found, most heavy traders don’t earn enough to cover their transaction costs. That’s because every time you buy or sell a security, you’re paying for the privilege. Transaction costs can vary depending on what platform you use.
5. You can’t predict the future
Day trading is essentially market timing. You make money when you anticipate what others are going to do and act first. Hit the buy or sell button too late and you can lose more money. The thing is, nobody can predict the future – you need to be able to handle the uncertainty and to stay calm in the meantime.
6. Avoid trading during the first 15 minutes of the market open
Those first 15 minutes of market action are often panic trades or market orders placed the night before. Novice day traders should avoid this time period while also looking for reversals. If you’re looking to make quick profits, it’s best to wait a while until you’re able to spot rewarding opportunities. Even many pros avoid the market open.
7. Have a selling plan
Many rookies spend most of their time thinking about stocks they want to buy without considering when to sell. Before you enter the market, you need to know in advance when to exit, hopefully with a profit. “Playing it by ear” is not a selling strategy, nor is hope. As a day trader, you’ll set a price target as well as a time target.
8. Keep a journal of all your trades
Many pros swear by their journal, where they keep records of all their winning and losing trades. Writing down what you did right, or wrong, will help you improve as a trader, which is your primary goal. Not surprisingly, you’ll probably learn more from your losers than your winners.
9. Practice day trading in a paper-trading account
Although not everyone agrees that practice trading is important, it can be beneficial to some traders. If you do open a practice account, be sure to trade with a realistic amount of money. It’s not helpful to practice trade with a million dollars if the most you have in your account is $30,000. Also, if you do practice trade, think of it as an educational exercise, not a game.
10. Never act on tips from uninformed sources
Most pros know that buy or sell signal based on tips from uninformed acquaintances will almost always lead to bad trades. Knowing what stocks to buy is not enough. You also have to know when to sell, and by then the tipster is long gone.
