Exploring the World of Day Trading

Are you looking into a career in day trading? In the past, the tools for day trading were available only to professionals. But thanks to the power of the Internet, everything you need to get started is now conveniently online. If you have a nose for business, guts and a sharp instinct for how the market shifts, the maybe day trading is the job for you.

What is day trading? Basically it is daily, online stock trading with very short investment. The individuals who do this day in and day out are called traders, not investors in the traditional sense. A day trader is someone who will buy a stock that has high volume and liquidity and will sell that same stock within a few minutes up to a few hours.

Day trading happens only during the day. Those who do day trading usually stay glued in front of the computer and monitoring which stocks have a fast turnover. During the day trading, they quickly buy a large number of stocks at a time and sell it once they see the stock gain within the day. Day traders will make a purchase of a stock, hold it for only minutes watching constantly for the stock to go up or down, selling if it goes down only two or three cents and holding if it goes up to about five or six cents and selling. The stock is almost never held over night as there are many other opportunities and a stock that takes hours to move is not worth holding.

Day trading can be a very high paced and stressful lifestyle. There are millions of day traders across North America but it can be a very fast way to lose everything. Some people are making over $5000.00 a day but it takes months and sometimes years to learn and master day trading.

The broader meaning of the term day trading includes those who trade daily from their homes or offices, through Internet brokerages. These day traders might buy and sell stocks in minutes, but might also hold some overnight or longer. The latest buzzword for this is "swing trader," those who keep a stock within in a few days before finally selling them. To some, particularly the so-called bandits, day trading is just a numbers game. They do little research and just watch for moving stocks with good spreads. Others are more scientific about it, relying on news and technical analysis to catch everyday price fluctuations.

Day trading requires a certain amount of capital. Generally, day trading should have enough trading capital to buy at least 1000 shares of any given stock on any particular day. There are very few stocks priced under $20 that have the degree of liquidity necessary to make them suitable for day trading. This means that a novice day trader should normally have day trading capital of at least $20,000 to start. In addition, the new day trader should treat this as 100% risk capital and should not have to unduly worry that the whole amount of this capital may be lost very quickly.

You must also be aware that not all stocks are suitable for day trading. Day trading should never trade unlisted or thinly traded (low volume) stocks. These stocks have poor liquidity and hence a higher price volatility. This may make it hard for you to exit your day trading position quickly at a fair price. Trade only high volume, well-known stocks.

Michael Sanford has a wealth of trading knowledge available at the stock market and day trading resource center.

In The News:


Google News
Updated : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 11:50:43 GMT

Thai protest leaders released on bail, vow new rallies - AFP


GulfNews
Thai protest leaders released on bail, vow new rallies
AFP - 20 hours ago
BANGKOK (AFP) - Leaders of Thai anti-government protests were granted bail Friday after surrendering to police and immediately vowed new rallies, raising fears of mounting turmoil days after deadly street clashes.
Video: Raw Video: Tear Gas Fired at Thai Protestors AssociatedPress
PAD leaders surrender to Thailand police United Press International
The Associated Press - Washington Post - New York Times - International Herald Tribune
all 2,495 news articles

Publ.Date : Fri, 10 Oct 2008 15:31:03 GMT

Palin violated ethics law, inquiry concludes - International Herald Tribune


Washington Post
Palin violated ethics law, inquiry concludes
International Herald Tribune - 1 hour ago
By Serge F. Kovaleski NEW YORK: Sarah Palin, the Republican vice-presidential candidate, abused her powers as governor of Alaska by pressuring subordinates to try to get her former brother-in-law, a state trooper, fired, according to an investigation ...
Palin ethics lapse cited Los Angeles Times
Alaska probe finds Palin 'abused her power' Indian Express
Baltimore Sun - Boston Globe - New York Times - Reuters
all 4,043 news articles

Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 09:58:28 GMT

Paulson Indicates Need to Purchase Bank Equity `Soon as We Can' - Bloomberg


Ottawa Citizen
Paulson Indicates Need to Purchase Bank Equity `Soon as We Can'
Bloomberg - 7 hours ago
By John Brinsley and Rebecca Christie Oct. 11 (Bloomberg) -- US Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson indicated that pumping government funds into banks is a priority and said financial markets will remain volatile.
US to buy shares in struggling banks Los Angeles Times
Obama welcomes Paulson plan to buy equity in firms Reuters
MarketWatch - International Herald Tribune - Bizjournals.com - Washington Post
all 2,114 news articles

Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 04:21:05 GMT

Stevens's Reputation 'Sterling,' Powell Says - Washington Post


Washington Post
Stevens's Reputation 'Sterling,' Powell Says
Washington Post - 8 hours ago
By Del Quentin Wilber Former secretary of state Colin L. Powell told jurors in the corruption trial of Sen. Ted Stevens yesterday that the powerful Alaska Republican had a "sterling" reputation among the nation's military and political leaders.
Reporter's Notebook: Powell Takes the Stand for Stevens FOXNews
Powell says Sen. Stevens' integrity "sterling" Reuters
CNN - Kansas City infoZine - The Miami Herald - ABC News
all 2,865 news articles

Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 03:13:53 GMT

Mugabe Hands Ministries to His Party - New York Times


Voice of America
Mugabe Hands Ministries to His Party
New York Times - 52 minutes ago
By CELIA DUGGER JOHANNESBURG - In a step likely to lead to the collapse of a painstakingly negotiated power-sharing deal, Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe, in office for 28 years, has unilaterally declared that his party will retain the most powerful ...
Mugabe 'gives Zanu-PF key posts' BBC News
Zimbabwe's Mugabe hands key ministries to his party Reuters
United Press International - AFP - Aljazeera.net - The Associated Press
all 1,687 news articles

Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 10:57:49 GMT

Morgan Stanley, Goldman May Gain Investment From US Treasury - Bloomberg


Wall Street Journal Blogs
Morgan Stanley, Goldman May Gain Investment From US Treasury
Bloomberg - 7 hours ago
By Christine Harper Oct. 11 (Bloomberg) -- Morgan Stanley and Goldman Sachs Group Inc., the biggest independent US investment banks, may reap cash infusions as part of Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson's plan to buy stakes in financial institutions, ...
As Stock Falls, Morgan Looks to Japanese Bank New York Times
Morgan Stanley hangs on Mitsubishi's $9bn pledge guardian.co.uk
Forbes - New York Post - New York Times Blogs - Barron's
all 895 news articles

Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 04:30:39 GMT

McCain calms supporters, urges respect for Obama - Los Angeles Times


The Associated Press
McCain calms supporters, urges respect for Obama
Los Angeles Times - 2 hours ago
'NO MA'AM': Sen. John McCain takes a question from a supporter who called Democratic rival Barack Obama an Arab at a town hall meeting in Lakeville, Minn.
McCain-Palin's hot rhetoric risks GOP backlash San Francisco Chronicle
McCain Lauds and Attacks Obama in Same Day New York Times
Boston Globe - Washington Post - Minneapolis Star Tribune - Reuters
all 460 news articles

Publ.Date : Sat, 11 Oct 2008 09:04:20 GMT

Clickbank Affiliate
Work From Home


PARLOT::Ebooks, Scripts, Websites, and more...

Adsense websites

ISO 4217 in Forex Trading

ISO 4217 is an international standard describing three letter codes... Read More

Forex Trading Can Be Like Day-trading

Forex trading, or foreign currency trading, has become a bit... Read More

Trading Tips No 1: Learn How to Trade The Moment of Truth

So you have learned how to trade the markets by... Read More

Getting a Forex Trading Education

Many Americans are interested in getting involved in forex trading.... Read More

The Secrets of the Super-Traders

The first and perhaps most important "secret" is to realize... Read More

Risk and Stock Trading Fees: The Two Barriers To Overcome If You Want A Successful Trading Career.

You know the old joke:"How do you make a million... Read More

Forex Scams: How to Spot Them A Mile Away

In recent years, investors have witnessed increased number of investment... Read More

Forex Made Easy for Everyone

Forex made easy is as simple as you would want... Read More

How Do Other Countries Devalue Their Currencies?

Countries devalue their currencies only when they have no other... Read More

Two Timeless Rules in FOREX Investing

RULE #1) ~ Cut your losers; let your winners ride.One... Read More

What I Learnt Losing £60,000 My First Year as a Full-time Trader

During my first year as a local (independent trader) on... Read More

A Beginner?s Guide to FOREX

FOREX is the abbreviation for the Foreign Exchange market. FOREX... Read More

What is Forex Trading?

Forex, or Foreign Exchange, is the simultaneous exchange of one... Read More

Online Futures Trading - Advantages and Disadvantages

What Is Online Futures Trading?A futures contract is an agreement... Read More

Facts of Day Trading

Are you thinking of entering the fast-paced world of day... Read More

Assessing the Opportunities Presented by the New Iraqi Currency

Could it be possible that you are staring right into... Read More

Experience

Throughout our course on futures trading, we have tried to... Read More

Welcome to the World of Currency Trading

Indeed large multinational and individual banks and other major financial... Read More

Trading Timeframes

Long TermLong term traders will work from end of day... Read More

Creativity in Trading

"Is it important to be creative in your trading?"I'm not... Read More

What are Your Options Regarding Forex Options Brokers?

Forex option brokers can generally be divided into two separate... Read More

Forex Options Market Overview

The forex options market started as an over-the-counter (OTC) financial... Read More

Where is the Market Going?

If you ask me whether the market will have moved... Read More

The Seven Most Traded Currencies in FOREX.

Currencies are traded in dollar amounts called "lots". One lot... Read More

Momentum Trading: A Practical Day Trading Strategy to Get Profits from Hot Stocks

Momentum day trading can be extremely profitable when done correctly...Day... Read More