Find my broker

🎯 Strategy and practice · Intermediate · 8 min read · Lesson 27 of 42 · Free with an account

Day trading explained: what day traders do, how much time it takes and the real risks

Day traders open and close all positions on the same day. No overnight risk, many opportunities, and also more costs, more stress and more decisions. Studies of retail day traders in several countries have found that only a small minority make consistent profits.

By the Africa.Forex Academy · Updated

A day trader's routine

  1. Before the session: check the pre-session brief, news and key levels.
  2. Pick 2–3 instruments to focus on, for example EUR/USD, gold and US500.
  3. Trade only your setups during the best hours (London open and the London–New York overlap).
  4. Stop after your daily loss limit or a set number of trades.
  5. After the session: journal every trade, with screenshots.
Loading the rest of the lesson…

Questions people ask

Can I day trade with a small account?

Technically yes, with micro lots. But risk per trade still needs to be small, so profits will be small too while you learn.

Read next

Educational content only, not financial, investment or tax advice. Trading forex and CFDs carries a high risk of losing money. Look up any term in the trading glossary.