Here are some very compelling reasons why we prefer to trade e-mini YM to stocks (off the top of my head).

-I can day trade without needing $25,000+ in the account! I have two accounts with about 10K in them.
-Comissions are decent $4/round turn trip on the YM
-Tax Reasons - You don't have to list every sale on your return! (for people in the USA)
-It's liquid enough. Market orders are instant. No weird fills
-The spreads are never going to be huge like they can get on stocks
-Focusing on one instrument day in and day out is less complicated and more productive
-I can sleep in! As I dont have to wake up at 6am and scan for stocks to trade
-Share size allocation is easier. I trade from 3-8 contracts depending on the setup
-I've held a stock that plunged 20 pts due to random company event. While econ reports move the futures. It's never been THAT bad!
-There are always shorts avilable!
-Comissions are reasonable (I pay around $4.10/round trip)
-No uptick rule (not that its going to be lasting too much longer)
-The $5/tick range of the YM makes for lower slippage(ES, ER too volitale=bad slippage)

I started day trading again a few years ago with stocks. I lost money pretty cosistantly..then I joined an e-mini trading group that focuses on the YM.. on my bad weeks I break even. This is fine with me, I was used to losing 2k a day!

Anyway. If your new I think you should concentrate on one thing and not jump all over the map! just my 2 cents..

If anyone has any more reasons to add, then feel free!

RW

[syswizard]

Interesting. Philly boy, eh ? Who were you daytrading through in the Philly area...just curious....as I am located in the area.
A friend of mine who lost in daytrading, has a similar success story...he came back using options.
It appears that the pressure-to-trade in the daytrading arena is one big source of blow-ups and losses.

[syswizard]

Sorry. Have to say: "that's a very lame response".

[The Bear]

Walker X, I'm curious why you said this:

-No uptick rule (not that its going to be lasting too much longer)

Do you have some information on this from a reliable source?

[trader273]

Originally Posted by rwalkerx

-No uptick rule (not that its going to be lasting too much longer)

Please show some sort of proof where you got this information.

[TinGull]

There's no verified source anywhere saying the uptick rule is coming into play with the futs we trade.

[The Bear]

Ya, I don't think it is possible for them to introduce the uptick rule. The futures market (which is a true zero sum game) may not function properly, and I highly doubt they would implement the rule just to test it out, to simply 'see' if the rule did anything good for the market.

[ezduzzit]

The thread starter's comment as regards the uptick rule wasn't that futures trading was going to get hit with it but instead that it was likely to be eliminated sometime in the foreseeable future from stock trading.

I recall having read that myself in a couple of places other than forum threads in the past few months. So, while it may have some merit, I don't know anyone that could put any realistic deadline to it.

Happy Trading