[Steve]

How many hours a day are people day trading for their job spending at their desks? I know it will vary but I’m interested to see if I’m around the norm or not.

Me personally, I’m spending around 6-8 hours a day at the moment with around 1 hour doing pre market doing research and analysis (mainly of overnight events), then around 4-5 hours actually trading, plus I try and do 1-2 hours post market reviewing my trades and learning, though I’m not so consistent here (I know I need to get better).

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[BTC Ben]

I trade altcoins and mostly during the weekend so I go heavy then, we’re talking upwards of 12 hours with a lot of planning and researching.

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[Jamie Ilis]

I only trade for approx 3 hours a day now. I used to spend a lot longer on it but now I know what I’m targeting (opening range breakout in the SP 500 E-mini futures in first 20 minutes) I don’t need be glued to my screen all day. Using custom alerts on my trading app has also saved me from too much aimless research.

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[The General]

Yeah, it really depends on the person but I’d say your schedule seems pretty solid. I know a lot of day traders who spend up to 10 hours a day, depending on the type of asset they’re trading and how active the market is. Personally I’m in that 6-8 hour range too.

When the market’s open, I’ll spend about 4-5 hours actively trading. It can get intense sometimes if there’s a lot of movement.

So I’d say you’re right in line with the norm, just keep at it with that post-market review.

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[Christian Harris]

I’m a swing trader, spending 99% of my time sitting on my hands.

Once I’ve drawn all my S&R areas on my favourite charts using a daily timeframe, I set price alerts and walk away. I hardly touch my charts again.

That’s it.

I only trade when prices hit the prices I am interested in. Otherwise, I find myself overtrading, which I believe is where most day traders go wrong.

So, as far as logging into my brokers and actually placing trades, I’d say it takes about 30 minutes to 1 hour per week.

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[Christian Harris]

Just to add a little visual context to my comment.

Here’s my Nasdaq-100 chart.

• I’m already in a few long positions targeting the ATH at 20,758.
• I won’t be placing any more long trades until/if price retraces to 18,297.
• I have set a price alert, so I don’t even need to look at the chart.
• Patience is the name of the game for big wins. Always try to buy ‘cheap’. No FOMO.

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[Author]

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