Monthly Profit For Daytraders

[jrj4774]

Hello All,

I'm new to the trading world, and I just finished my month. Every time I google " Average daily gains" on google, it states below

"Average daily gains in stock trading vary widely, but for day traders, a reasonable target is often between 0.033% and 0.13% per day. This translates to roughly 1% to 4% monthly profit for successful day traders."

Can someone tell me how to calculate my monthly gains? Based on Excel pivot it average .22% gain/loss% , and I'm not sure if I believe that or not. I trade daily, with about 22k daily. I know some days are barely making anything, but at least I got out and I'm happy with it. No Regrets. I always said to myself there's always another day to trade, at least I got back my money for the next trading session and to improve on it.

Thank you in advance,
jrj4774

 

[halcyonguy]

600 / $270,000 is 0.22% , not 3%
you don't add up %'s . you calc it from the $$ totals

if you used 270k and only made 600, you should look for a different hobby.
it is possible to use 2000 , buy some options , make $50 a trade , and make $600. spend a couple months learning about options and the greeks.

 

[whoDAT]

Hello All,

I'm new to the trading world, and I just finished my month. Every time I google " Average daily gains" on google, it states below

"Average daily gains in stock trading vary widely, but for day traders, a reasonable target is often between 0.033% and 0.13% per day. This translates to roughly 1% to 4% monthly profit for successful day traders."

Can someone tell me how to calculate my monthly gains? Based on Excel pivot it average .22% gain/loss% , and I'm not sure if I believe that or not. I trade daily, with about 22k daily. I know some days are barely making anything, but at least I got out and I'm happy with it. No Regrets. I always said to myself there's always another day to trade, at least I got back my money for the next trading session and to improve on it.

Thank you in advance,
jrj4774

View attachment 25359

You should take the total net gain (gain-loss) for the month of July divided by the total in your account on July 1.

You started with $22,000 on July 1. You had $598 in gains for the month. 598/22000 = 2.72%

I would also make sure to subtract out trade costs, if not already done in your daily gain/loss. If it cost you $20 each trade times the 15 trades, you'd want to subtract that $300 from your gain.

 

[jrj4774]

@whoDAT Thank you so much for responding and providing insight on the calculations. When you say it COST me each trade times, is that the commission portion or another factor? I did have a minor lost for the the month, but it was like Disallowed Loss - $1.29. I have additional funds in the account, but I only buy one lot in this account to manage risk reward. My balance from July 1st has change till end of the month, just cause I moved money around to fund other trades in other accounts.

Attached is a screenshot from account.

I know I'm not on track to make millions lol, but at least it's something each month. Correct? Based on your respond, 2.72% is within the range of "monthly profit for day traders". Or am I way off?

Thank you,
jrj4774

 

[jrj4774]

600 / $270,000 is 0.22%
if you used 270k and only made 600, you should look for a different hobby

@halcyonguy Thank you for the encouragement, I will take this comment and I hope to improve on it

 

[whoDAT]

@whoDAT Thank you so much for responding and providing insight on the calculations. When you say it COST me each trade times, is that the commission portion or another factor? I did have a minor lost for the the month, but it was like Disallowed Loss - $1.29. I have additional funds in the account, but I only buy one lot in this account to manage risk reward. My balance from July 1st has change till end of the month, just cause I moved money around to fund other trades in other accounts.

Attached is a screenshot from account.

I know I'm not on track to make millions lol, but at least it's something each month. Correct? Based on your respond, 2.72% is within the range of "monthly profit for day traders". Or am I way off?

Thank you,
jrj4774

View attachment 25360

Correct. Commissions and Fees can be a big part of your overall performance.

As a model calculation: Let's say you have $122K invested. $100K of that is in a S&P index, and you have $22K in a day trading account on July 1.

If you are focusing on your monthly return for your day trading account. The starting point on July 1 was $22K. You increased that to $22,598 - you made $598 in the month. But if it cost you $100 in "Commissions and Fees" then you really only made $498 in the month.

Take what you made (net) and divide by what you started with. In the example where there were $100 in commissions and fees then you made 498/22000 = 2.26%

Good luck on this journey. Its a long and bumpy.

 

[useThinkScript]

I know I'm not on track to make millions lol, but at least it's something each month. Correct? Based on your respond, 2.72% is within the range of "monthly profit for day traders". Or am I way off?

SPY had a solid month with a 5.14% gain in July, hitting a 52-week high on July 31.
Sadly, no; underperforming by 53% is not within the range of a decent July profit for day traders.

That said, you’re still doing better than most—over 80% of new daytraders lose money, so you're 100% ahead of the game!

Complete answer to your question:
Daytraders typically shoot for a monthly gain between 1% and 10%, depending on market performance and how experienced they are.

Profitable daytrader's goal is to beat the market.
Otherwise, you might as well throw your cash into a solid ETF and let it ride.

Diversifying is key. Keep your main investments in long-term growth, and use the money that you have deemed expendable to improve your day trading skills.