For the average investor, day trading can be a daunting proposition because of the number of risks involved. The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) highlights some of the risks of day trading, which are summarized below:

  • Be prepared to suffer severe financial losses: Day traders typically suffer severe financial losses in their first months of trading, and many never make a profit.
  • Day trading is an extremely stressful full-time job: Watching dozens of ticker quotes and price fluctuations to spot fleeting market trends demands great concentration.
  • Day traders depend heavily on borrowing money: Day-trading strategies use the leverage of borrowed money to make profits. Many day traders not only lose all of their own money, they wind up in debt.
  • Don’t believe claims of easy profits: Watch out for hot tips and expert advice from newsletters and websites catering to day traders and remember that educational seminars and classes about day trading may not be objective.6

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