At its core, stock trading is simply buying and selling company shares to make money when prices move. If you buy a stock at $60 and sell it a week later at $62, you’ve made $2 per share. That’s stock trading in the simplest sense.

But intraday trading takes this a step further. Instead of holding your shares for days or months, you’re buying and selling within the same trading day. The goal is to catch small but quick price moves and walk away with profit before the market closes.

The big difference from regular trading is that intraday traders don’t worry about long-term growth, dividends, or holding overnight. They care about speed, momentum, and volatility.

Why Traders Can’t Stop Intraday Trading

There are a few reasons traders love intraday:

• No overnight surprises- You’re out before the market closes, so late-night news won’t ruin your position.
• Leverage improves profit potential- Brokers often allow you to borrow funds to take larger trades, but remember, leverage can cut both ways.
• Short selling allowed- You can bet on a stock going down on the same day, which isn’t possible in regular trading.

In short, intraday is fast, risky, and rewarding if done with discipline.

How to Pick the Right Intraday Stocks

With thousands of listed stocks, choosing the right ones for intraday can feel overwhelming. Here’s where smart filtering comes in. Look for these key signs:

• Price Movers: Stocks that are already moving at least 2% up or down compared to yesterday’s close. These are active and have momentum.
• Volume Shockers: Stocks with much higher trading volume today than their average over the past week. This means big players are interested.
• New Highs and Lows: When a stock hits a fresh 52-week high or low, traders tend to pile in, pushing momentum even further.
• Liquidity: Always stick to stocks with enough buyers and sellers. Low liquidity means you may get stuck in a trade.

Once you’ve spotted candidates, use a simple charting strategy. Many traders mark the high and low of the first 15 minutes after the market opens. If the stock breaks above that high on a smaller timeframe, it’s a signal to go long.

If it breaks below the low, it’s a shorting opportunity. Stop-loss orders should always be set just below the last candle to keep risk controlled.

The Takeaway

Picking intraday stocks isn’t about guessing. It’s about watching price, volume, and momentum carefully, then moving fast when the setup looks strong.

The steps are quite simple. You first need to find active movers, confirm high volume, check recent highs or lows, and always set targets and stop-losses before you enter.

Intraday is exciting, but discipline matters more than anything else. If you can stick to your rules, you’re already ahead of most traders.