What are the brutal truth for day trading?

<p id="isPasted">Its just like a game of chess... you can piece together, different moves from a chess strategy book but in the end you have to adapt to your opponent.</p>

<p id="isPasted"><strong>The vast majority of traders lose money</strong></p><ul><li>Most traders fail: Statistics from various studies show that 70% to 95% of day traders lose money and stop within the first few months.</li><li>The market is a zero-sum game: Day traders primarily trade against highly advanced institutional algorithms and experienced professionals, who are far more sophisticated than individual retail traders. Your trading capital essentially becomes their profit.</li><li>Many "gurus" are selling a dream: The social media lifestyle of quick money and luxury items is almost always a marketing tactic. Many of these influencers make more money from selling courses and "signals" than from actual trading. If they had a genuinely foolproof strategy, they would not sell it. </li></ul><p><strong>Day trading is a full-time, high-stress job</strong></p><ul><li>It requires deep commitment: Unlike the myth of making a few quick trades, consistently profitable day traders spend hours researching, planning, and staying focused on the market. There are long periods of boredom with little to no trading opportunities.</li><li>Emotions are your biggest enemy: Greed, fear, and impatience are psychological traps that cause most traders to lose money. Successful traders focus on discipline and process, not feelings.</li><li>Heavy mental toll: Watching your own money fluctuate by the minute is emotionally draining and can lead to stress, poor decision-making, and burnout. </li></ul><p><strong>The cost of doing business is substantial</strong></p><ul><li>Costs eat into profits: Even with "commission-free" trading, brokers profit from price differences (the "bid-ask spread"), which adds up over hundreds of trades. You also need to pay for high-speed internet, real-time data feeds, and specialized software to be competitive.</li><li>Taxes are a major expense: In many countries, day trading profits are taxed as short-term capital gains, which are often at a higher rate than long-term investment gains.</li><li>Beginners have a low margin for error: Starting with a small amount of capital forces you to take on oversized risk for meaningful gains, which can lead to your account being wiped out by a single bad trade. </li></ul>