Oz2

I know this is a broad question and yes I understand the risk and all involved in day trading but my real question is. If I wanted to actively buy and trade stocks online, how do I do it without having to pay a lot of commission fees and all that stuff? I want to start investing and looking for some help. Any info would be great. Thanks.

ekal42o

uh.... the only way u avoid a lot of commissions is either u dont trade frequently, which obviously is not an option, or you find a low commission based trader... fees shouldnt be a problem bc im assuming you would trade for greater than $20 profit... there is risk bc you have to anticipate which direction the stock is heading, however the benefit with day trading is you can keep re-using the same stocks... this is actually something i am considering to make money this summer

ekal42o

http://www.investopedia.com/terms/d/daytrader.asp

there is a link to their definition of it. however, i dont see how most people lose money... for the most part the trading day is cyclical with its ups and its downs. the key is to wake up early and listen to what people on bloomberg or cnn have to say about the market. as a day trader you also want to use stocks that have a high volume (750k+). i cant think of anything else but hope this helped

WyattH

If you are new to investing, be prepared to get burned on day trading.

Zecco offers nearly free equity trades, I believe.

Mike in Atlanta

Long term investing is what you do with your retirement funds.

Day trading is what you do with your Vegas money.

Unless you are a very intelligent, astute student of the markets, and have a great deal of time to devote to watching the markets, you can take a beating in day trading. I knew several people who considered themselves geniuses in '98-'00, quit their jobs, and day-traded full time. Nearly all of them were looking for jobs in '00 when the market crashed. Anyone can make money in a strong bull market. The question is, do you know how to make money through the economic cycles?

WyattH

Also, not everyone makes money on normal investments and stock picks. Still a lot of losers there. Being able to pick some good stocks and hold them for a while not only takes knowledge, but some luck - - and time. The up days outnumber the down days.

But on a day to day basis - there is NO logic and little you can do to understand, predict, and move about it. Even the best picks, if you can find them, have down days.

I wish you luck.

WyattH

Yes, if you ride the waves up and get out and back in at the bottom each time, it's great. But how abouts do you plan on going and figuring out the crests of these waves?

sahtt

Try it with a little money. Come back and talk to us. It's not easy and most people have 10-15 years experience before even attempting it full-time that have any luck.

WyattH

To make matters worse, you have no cash flow. You only get cash when you sell. On day trading, you get no dividends (as I understand).

So, the more you spend living, the less you will make (or lose, haha), later. I could not live like that. Knowing that $1 I spend now will be worth more later. It's the case for everyone, but I think a day trader would feel it more than anyone.

bat711

You also need $25,000 minimum.