Day trading is the stock trading practice where the difference in time between buying and selling ( or between selling and buying if going short ) is less than a day.  Day trading works by exploiting the very small fluctuations that occur throughout the course of the trading day.  By making many small profitable trades the day trader ends up with a large cumulative profit.

 

Day trading is not for the novice or faint of heart.  Relying heavily upon chart patterns, trends and trading volume, highs and lows can be measured in quarter points.  By closing out positions at the end of the day the day trader is not susceptible to stocks reacting to information outside of the business day and then opening in unfavorable directions.

 

This is certainly one field that should be left to the experts.  If you want to still get involved in this field, an investment in a high - powered stock charting software is crucial.  Don't jump right in making real money trades.  Take several months and follow several stocks and pretend you are making trades.  This is your tutorial.  Give yourself some Monopoly money to keep score, write down all your trades on paper as if you had already made them ( do not forget to account for commissions ) and see how you do.  At first you will make lots of mistakes...all traders do.  After a while you will learn the rules and recognize the signals.

 

Do your research.  There are some outstanding books in our Library including some on Day Trading that should be a part of your education.