How the HELL do traders make money daytrading? Makes no sense.

First off, is it true that first/second year traders are given only about $50,000 of the firm's money to trade? Given that stocks rarely go up more than a few percentage points a day, how the HELL do they make any money doing daytrading?

If they buy a stock at 10AM and sell it in the afternoon after going up 1-5%, which is still hard to predict unless you're really really good at it, that still isn't much after deducting commissions and what you owe the firm.

Even if the 50k was upped to 100k, it's STILL NOT MUCH to live on. How the HECK do traders make ANY money??

Someone explain this to me. Given $50k, potentially how much can a trader make in a year, ASSUMING 100% of every stock he picks goes up a few percentage points and he never has a losing stock.

23 Comments
 

This isn't how most traders (at respected prop shops/hedge funds/banks/etc.) trade, ergo, the reason for having a disconnect. If there is a place that only give $50k (kind of doubt that if it is a well capitalized firm), that is likely for the margin account, so they can be dealing with significantly more size than you could with your own personal account.

 

well, if we are talking about prop traders, it also depends on the firm. Example, RBC's prop team in Toronto is very chill and laid back. The boss is a super cool guy and the traders take home 1/2 of what they make. Obviously the first year is "meh" because you are building your "reserve", but then, the flood gates are opened and you get to trade a boat load. The guy who sat next to me, 25 yrs old, econ major, made a mil overall and took home 500k every year, now that's good money. But, not everyone is this good, so the business is risky and exit ops don't really exist.

Remember: "There is never a good ex-trader" :)

 

OP

You are looking at one interval [open, close] and not the intervals where most traders make money. For example, let n equal hours greater than open but not equal open then you get this interval [open+n, close] during open +n stock prices go up and down thus, the daily close % of open is not the true maximum profit traders can make.Also, the function of the stock market is not linear it is at best trigonometric. Don't forget traders can also short stocks where F(x) is decreasing and margin it to the max while F(x) is rising. In conclusion, fuck your couch

 
balbasurOP

You are looking at one interval [open, close] and not the intervals where most traders make money. For example, let n equal hours greater than open but not equal open then you get this interval [open+n, close] during open +n stock prices go up and down thus, the daily close % of open is not the true maximum profit traders can make.Also, the function of the stock market is not linear it is at best trigonometric. Don't forget traders can also short stocks where F(x) is decreasing and margin it to the max while F(x) is rising. In conclusion, fuck your couch

LMAO FUCK YOURSELF

 
balbasurOP

You are looking at one interval [open, close] and not the intervals where most traders make money. For example, let n equal hours greater than open but not equal open then you get this interval [open+n, close] during open +n stock prices go up and down thus, the daily close % of open is not the true maximum profit traders can make.Also, the function of the stock market is not linear it is at best trigonometric. Don't forget traders can also short stocks where F(x) is decreasing and margin it to the max while F(x) is rising. In conclusion, fuck your couch

Woah. Trigonometric Markets.

I win here, I win there...
 

I kind of agree with the poster. I have worked at an algo shop and now a macro trading shop.

I simply do not understand trading shops who have 30 traders who are only allowed to trade intra-day positions. In other words they cannot carry any overnight risk.

I am of the impression if you flip a coin a few times you might come on top in the short run...but flip it 2k times and your gunna probably come up flat.

 

Also worth pointing out is that traders can make money no matter which direction the market moves...up or down...not just up.

Regards

"The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they're ignorant, it's just that they know so much that isn't so." - Ronald Reagan
 
awpyou guys seem all to be really smart! perfect forum to get advice. Especially if you are as knowledgeable when you weight in on important decisions for people in this forum. Way to go!

Coming from you, I couldn't in a million years believe this wasn't said in a condescending manner, lol.

Regards

"The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they're ignorant, it's just that they know so much that isn't so." - Ronald Reagan
 

You're confusing everyone. If the analyst is given $50K, that means he's working for a firm. If he ups that to 100K, it doesn't mean he gets $50K as compensation. That just means he has a 100% return for the firm. It's all about the firm trying to see if he has potential and what he can do with the capital he was given. In essence, it's a test.

"If they buy a stock at 10AM and sell it in the afternoon after going up 1-5%"

Most day traders don't wait that long. If they do, they can probably look for another job while they're waiting for the stock to go up. They usually buy and then sell within a couple minutes. Some people are event-driven traders, meaning they wait for some good news and trade on the rally or the bounce. That can generate huge profit.

For example, and I'll be conservative in my example. They have 50K, and they trade the bounce five times for a 1% gain each time. That's 2.5K profit for the day. Say you have 200 trading days and you do that the whole time. That's 500K a year, and remember, I'm being conservative.

 

I was also wondering the same. How do traders make money? Is it even their own money or do they just skim off the top form their customers?

Clara

 

The market is doing great in 2013. That´s why it pays to trade the best bicks. Some stocks look great for a nice & profitable morning trade. Source: MomentumStockPick com

 

You can't even flip with 50k. It has to be a test or trial period otherwise the firms a joke. Your better off pan handling.

-Gorilla A. ------------------- “I've forgotten who I had lunch with earlier, and even more important, where.” ― Bret Easton Ellis, American Psycho
 

Ut dignissimos pariatur doloremque. Et modi maiores deserunt et qui. Veniam animi sed aspernatur. Doloremque necessitatibus sit maxime aut est earum. Inventore ut alias sint a perspiciatis aut similique quaerat. Ab labore officia ut quae illum exercitationem.

Animi id debitis asperiores voluptatem. Facilis excepturi est et quidem necessitatibus. Praesentium accusantium vitae error dolor voluptatem. Dicta eveniet similique deleniti accusamus.

Aut ipsum commodi esse culpa minus. Blanditiis libero voluptatum placeat eum perspiciatis optio. Quidem quo et illo sunt id rerum omnis optio. Culpa nobis occaecati aut vel non.

Aspernatur veniam fuga voluptatem ad aut. Et et quis vel commodi a ipsam. Dolore rem doloremque sit alias ut magnam. Quidem nam sint ut cumque eaque. Qui et et totam. Eius ipsam est laborum. Sit et ut ullam vel.

 

Aut veritatis magni dolor neque. Dolorem consectetur culpa consequatur et quia qui rem rerum. Modi dolores esse nostrum hic omnis. Veniam impedit rerum dolorem harum itaque ducimus sequi. Maiores minima omnis nesciunt rem quis tenetur.

Consequatur voluptas et veritatis et. Qui explicabo et ullam veritatis sint et dicta. Optio atque asperiores harum tempore.

Quidem officiis dolor omnis impedit distinctio. Ad iste voluptatem quisquam ut.

Career Advancement Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Evercore 01 99.4%
  • Moelis & Company 01 98.8%
  • JPMorgan 01 98.2%
  • Guggenheim Partners 01 97.7%
  • Morgan Stanley 07 97.1%

Overall Employee Satisfaction

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Morgan Stanley 01 98.8%
  • Evercore 01 98.2%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.6%
  • Banco Santander 01 97.1%

Professional Growth Opportunities

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Moelis & Company No 99.4%
  • Evercore No 98.8%
  • Morgan Stanley 05 98.2%
  • JPMorgan No 97.7%
  • BMO Capital Markets 12 97.1%

Total Avg Compensation

June 2026 Investment Banking

  • Vice President (14) $434
  • Associates (43) $259
  • 3rd+ Year Analyst (8) $210
  • 2nd Year Analyst (22) $179
  • Intern/Summer Associate (13) $156
  • 1st Year Analyst (75) $151
  • Intern/Summer Analyst (65) $101
notes
16 IB Interviews Notes

“... there’s no excuse to not take advantage of the resources out there available to you. Best value for your $ are the...”

Leaderboard

1
redever's picture
redever
99.2
2
Secyh62's picture
Secyh62
99.0
3
BankonBanking's picture
BankonBanking
99.0
4
kanon's picture
kanon
99.0
5
DrApeman's picture
DrApeman
98.9
6
dosk17's picture
dosk17
98.9
7
CompBanker's picture
CompBanker
98.9
8
GameTheory's picture
GameTheory
98.9
9
Betsy Massar's picture
Betsy Massar
98.9
10
numi's picture
numi
98.8
success
From 10 rejections to 1 dream investment banking internship

“... I believe it was the single biggest reason why I ended up with an offer...”