Does consistent profitable day trading exist ?

[GT326]

What:
I started my day trading journey around four years ago. After all ups and downs, I am still not consistently profitable.

Why:
The reason I started day trading was that one day, I wanted to replace this with my full time job. As an analytical person, I have put lot of research and even 0.5% daily profit is good enough for me to sustain my family needs.

How:
I only do regular long and short trading. I don’t do options. I have tried all indicators and strategies in this forum. I researched so many YouTube videos. I have analyzed countless hours of charts. After all of that, I am nowhere near consistent profitability. In fact, I am 35% down in my account from where I started.

Where do I stand now:
Currently I have no study/strategy that I can rely on. I am at the point where I started questioning my self if day trading is for me or I should leave this for good. Am I chasing a mirage that doesn’t exist ? Does consistent profitable day trading exists ?

 

[rewardiaz]

I’ve been in your shoes and I still have doubts every day. The key: respect your risk-to-reward ratio. Tight stops protect your wallet.

If a trade doesn’t go your way, exit and move on find another entry.

Print this and stick it to your screen: ‘Respect my stop loss.’
Also, most indicators shared here aren’t designed for day trading, they’re better for swing/long setups. However, check the internals the admins and Merry have put together.

https://usethinkscript.com/threads/todays-premarket-news.21883/

Also, the admins here are masters at reading news, news that shapes the tides of the market. For me, that’s mentally overwhelming and it clouds my chart analysis. But having a solid support/resistance setup helps me understand the news they discuss.

This indicator is awesome. Read here.
https://usethinkscript.com/threads/ehlers-key-levels.21699/

 

[onemantrading]

In the end it’s the trader. How am I behaving as a trader? Am I sticking with the plan? Do I have a plan? Do I go animal mode and just try to squeeze a trade out no matter what?
Risk, position size, stops… am I prioritizing these?
In the end… it’s all psychology and the man in the mirror.

 

[GT326]

Thanks @rewardiaz for kind words. At present I don’t have a strategy that I can rely on for strict entry/exit. I will take a break, clear my mind, re-access and then see if I would continue to day trade.

@onemantrading Good if it is working out for you but sometimes no matter what you do, things don’t go your way.

 

[XeoNoX]

Yes, day trading can absolutely be profitable—though most consistently successful traders today rely on computerized algorithms. Human traders who remain profitable over the long term are relatively rare. The term “day trading” is often misunderstood as needing to trade every single day; in reality, meaningful opportunities don’t always appear daily.

At its core, success in day trading comes down to sound risk management and a solid strategy. In fact, it’s entirely possible to maintain profitability with a win rate of around 40%, provided your strategy is well-structured and your risk management is strong. Backtesting plays a crucial role in refining these elements before trading live.

Unfortunately, social media platforms—such as Discord, YouTube, Twitter, and others—are full of exaggerated claims and misleading content that can easily confuse or discourage aspiring traders. I have seen a few good threads in this forum, but I would also suggest checking out Tastytrade on YouTube if you’re interested in futures or options (they're usally more swing trading style). You might also look into Warrior Trading by Ross Cameron (his style is Day Trading Stocks), however, be careful because his trading style may not suit everyone, his educational content though is very informative.

Ultimately, long-term success in trading requires discipline, consistency, and the diligence to follow your strategy as precisely as an algorithm would.