What Percentage of Day Traders Make Money – Statistics 2024

Day trading is the buying and selling of stocks, forex, options, etc. Day traders choose their position before the market closes and reap the rewards. It is a high-risk and high-rewards venture. Around 1% – 20% of traders earn a profitable margin at the end of the day. The low success rate often discourages the newbies who learn new ways from an online course or television. 

Studies have shown that around 97% of day traders have lost their money in two years. Here’s a statistical look at the day trading reality in 2024 history, busting myth, gender ratio, success rate, and realistic profit margins.

Day Trading Statistics 2024

• Around 80% of the traders quit within a couple of years
• Day traders have the mindset to sell the winners at a 50% higher rate.
• 40% of day traders quit their field within the first month due to losses.
• Only 1% of the day traders make a profit. Most day traders with past performance have a successful career in the later years.
• Most day traders increase the amount of trading and take more shots. It is the opposite result with the unprofitable traders.
• Many urban people with a poor financial background invest in lottery-type stocks.
• The introduction of the lottery in Taiwan in April 2002 caused a 25% drop in the traders in Taiwan.
• The number of searches indicates that it will produce decent results within a few weeks.
• Individual investors invest more when they earn more through day trading.
• Individual traders overweight the stocks they belong to or have employment in the industry.
• Traders sell the winners immediately. However, the same trader holds the losers for the time being.
• More young men trade in the market than women. Unmarried men have more presence in the trading market than unmarried men.
• Day traders who spent ten years playing in the market with the wrong skill set continue their journey regardless of the outcome.
• The trader’s economic conditions and aspirations (financial goals) tend to hold riskier stocks in the bucket.
• Only 1.6% of the traders are profitable.
• 12% of day trading activity accounts for successful players.

AI In Trading Market to hit USD 50.4 Billion by 2033:

The AI in Trading Market is expected to grow substantially, reaching an estimated value of $50.4 billion by 2033. This growth is driven by a strong Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 10.7% from 2024 to 2033, mainly due to the rising use of algorithmic trading enabled by AI technologies such as machine learning and natural language processing. These free AI stock trading bots allow traders to quickly and accurately analyze large datasets, leading to improved trading efficiency, better risk management, and optimized portfolio performance. North America held over 40.9% market share in 2023, driven by advanced technological infrastructure, high concentration of AI technology firms

Who Are the Most Successful Traders of All Time?

Trader Name	Year	Trading Income in USD
Jesse Livermore	1877-1940	$100 million
William Delbert Gann	1878-1955	$100,000
George Soros	1930-Present	$6.7 billion
Jim Rogers	1942-Present	$300 million
Richard Dennis	1949-Present	$200 million
Paul Tudor Jones	1954-Present	$7.5 billion
John Paulson	1955-Present	$3 billion
Steve Cohen	1956-Present	$10 billion
David Tepper	1957-Present	$20.6 billion
Nick Leeson	1967-Present	$1.4 billion (Lost)

Jesse Livermore’s trading career peaked in 1929. He earned $100 million from trading practices. He used his funds and system and never traded from third-party capital. The genius had A-class observation skills and traded in trending stocks. He waited for the market reaction when the stock prices went upwards. Jesse’s success story had downfalls, where he lost his fortune for following his cemented rules.

Nick William Leeson is the only one who lost $1.4 billion due to fraudulent activities and unauthorized and speculative trades. The law enforcement imprisoned William for monetary crimes. He is the reason for the collapse of 230-year-old Barings Bank, the United Kingdom’s oldest merchant bank. 

Jesse taught the world a trader can make money from the market trends. Nick Leeson took an unconventional route and ended the oldest UK merchant bank.

Masters of the Traders in India: Who Made the Most Money Through Trading?

Trading Name	Net Worth in USD
Premji and Associates	$25 billion
Radhakrishnan Damani	$18.3 billion
Rakesh Jhunjhunwala	$5.8 billion
Raamdeo Agarwal	$1 billion (2019 data)
Mukul Agarwal	$62.2 billion
Sunil Singhania	$3.69 billion
Ashish Dhawan	$800 million
Ashish Kacholia	$3.98 billion
Vijay Kedia	$10 million
Ramesh Damani	$14.9 million

Premji and Associates and Mukul Agarwal have earned $25 billion and $62.2 billion from the stock market. Several Indian traders have turned a few thousand dollars into a million within a few weeks. Of course, nobody knows the trade practices and strategies applied by the geniuses. Trading is a volatile business model for an individual. Many traders follow successful people’s patterns and invest in them.

Day Trading Gender Ratio: What Percentage of Men and Women Trade? 

Gender	Gender Ratio in Percentage (%)
Male	90%
Female	10%

Men make up 90% of the traders in the market. Only 10% of the women take the risk in the day trading market. Men take risks throughout their lives to some extent. Meanwhile, women take less risk when it comes to money. Many women across the globe have given the field a try before dropping the shoes on the stage.

How Many Traders Quit Within Five Years?

Particulars	Number of Years	Day Trading Quitters in Percentage
Most day traders are new to the market.	First Day	100%
40% of the new traders stick to the plan for one month only.	One Month	40%
80% of the traders put an end to the trading chapter within two years.	Two Years	80%
It takes five years even for a tough cookie to leave the day trading market.	Five Years	7%

Most new-day traders lose money in the first month. Nobody would invest in a losing bet. New traders get attracted to the “get rich quickly” courses online and earn an income in the first month. 40% of the new traders call it quits after thirty days. Only 7% of the day traders remain in the business after five years.

What Proportion of Day Traders Are Profitable?

Number of Young Traders	Number of Professional Traders
2000	100
40 or 4% success rate	20% success rate

A company recruited 2000 new traders for the company. They have given them training and knowledge to yield results. Only 4% of the new day traders had success in the business. The remaining 1920 members left the field in a few months. Day trading has a success rate of 4% compared to the rest of the fields. Almost 5% of the traders who had a run for ten years with a negative track record call quits.

Who Earned $1 Billion in 1 Day?

George Soros made wealth from the stock market and trading strategies. He managed several clients’ money and helped them generate income in New York from 1969 to 2011. Soros had the knowledge and strategy that led to the shortage of the British pound in 1992. He made a profit of $1 billion as a result. Soros made the headlines for breaking the Bank of England.

George’s wealth went from $25.2 billion to $8 billion in 2018. The trader hasn’t lost touch because he donated the money to Open Society Foundations in 2018. Soros has donated $18 billion to the foundation. The Hungarian-American hedge fund manager earned $1 billion in 24 hours by breaking the Bank of England.

Year	Wealth History in USD
2015	$24.2 billion
2016	$24.9 billion
2017	$25.2 billion
2018	$8.0 billion
2019	$8.3 billion
2020	$8.3 billion
2021	$8.6 billion
2022	$8.6 billion
2023	$6.7 billion
2024	$6.7 billion

Why Day Trading Doesn’t Work?

Winning Odds in Percentage	Loss Odds in Percentage
1%	99%

Day trading depends on market values and global government policies. Every stock market in the world has day traders. However, the odds don’t change and remain 99:1 globally. Most young traders with a poor financial background test the waters for a profitable income. Nevertheless, the disappointing outcome crushes the expectations and ends the short run.

Most new traders end the journey within three months as their money runs out from the bank account.

What Are the Profit Margins of Individual Traders?

71 trades are profitable – 60 × $0.09 × 6,000 shares = $21,600

Around 33 trades are losses – 33 × $0.03 × 6,000 = $5,940

The Gross Profit: $21,600 – $5,940 = $15,660

Commission Rate: $25 per trade. 

The profit is 93 total trades × $25 commission rate = $2,325

New traders can start with $10,000 and make a $500 profit off the investment. Only 1% – 20% make worthwhile profits from the market.

Day Trading Statistics 2024 Frequently Asked Questions (F.A.Q)

What is Day Trading Individual’s Longevity?

Many young day traders invest their capital and test the waters. Some approach an institution to leverage their knowledge base and tools. Many institutions or hedge funds allow the employees to invest in the investor’s capital in the market. Individual traders remain profitable regardless of disadvantages.

What Is the Average Salary of a Day Trader in the USA?

An average day trader has a starting salary or income of $50,000 – $100,000 yearly. The candidate’s experience, knowledge, tools, and previous track records create a better opportunity.

What is Swing Trading?

Swing traders purchase the stocks and hold them for days. They don’t sell the stocks until they reach the expected upward or downward trend. Swing trading is less stressful and requires a fundamental understanding of the market. 

Do Day Trading Courses Work?

Thousands of self-proclaimed experts have started to sell courses around the “day trading” topic. Nobody knows if they work unless they invest their money in the market and find the answer. 40% of the new traders exit the field within 30 days. 80% of the young traders leave the scene within two years. The day trading statistics indicate that the courses may not have helped the newbies.

Is Day Trading Good for Beginners?

Day trading is a skill-based field for the candidate to generate an income from the market. Beginners can start trading in the market using a thousand dollars. However, you are more prone to losing money instead of generating due to unforeseen circumstances and knowledge. Consider your capital gone if you plan to learn and generate income within 30 days.