Traditionally, only professionals have been able to trade stocks. Trading has basically been a "private club" that only a few people could join. That's changed because of day trading. For the first time, amateur traders have the tools (real-time quotes and order execution) to compete with professionals.
Day trading is good because it is quick.
One of the best things about day trading is how fast it is. Now, technology is far enough along that day traders can get and look at real-time price quotes tick by tick and send an execution order directly to the NASDAQ market maker by sending it electronically. Order execution by computer is quick. In seconds, confirmations are sent. Getting out of trades is just as easy and quick as getting into them.
Day trading can be controlled.
One of the best things about day trading is that you can control it. Day traders always decide how they want to trade. They work for themselves. They look at the financial data, figure out what the trends are, and decide for themselves whether to buy or sell. The price change doesn't have to worry day traders. They watch the prices on the market tick by tick. During trading, the trader always knows the best BID or ASK price for a stock.
Getting a "flat"
Day traders close all of their trades at the end of the trading day and go home "flat." Day traders do not need to worry about a "long" or "short" position - because they do not have overnight positions. Day traders don't have any overnight risk exposure if they don't have any open positions.
