15 Apr: My Honest Take: Can You Make $100 with $5,000 Daily? + Evaluation of Trading Day
🐊 VS 🦆 Week 7 Day 4
In premarket, I saw a 199.50 trading opportunity for AAPL (8AM). But I hesitated because I am left with 5,000 USD for trading.
The remainder of my trading funds has been withdrawn and reinvested in safer havens like gold, as a precaution against instability in this increasingly volatile market, where trust in the US dollar, stocks, bonds, and eventually yields is gradually eroding currently.
Yes, times have changed. I traded with $5,000 in both bull and bear markets before and I survived. Can I Do It Again With Just $5,000? In what looks like an upcoming bear market in the beginning of a US-China trade war? In a world where trading rules have changed from technicals, fundamentals, macros based to ... Trump based?
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I have the next week to think about it and try to plan how 100 profit a day might work. It is definitely a challenge on choppy days like today though. Here are the whys, broken up into 3 Acts.
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Act 1: The Golden Strategy
Everyone’s heard it from YouTubers, trading gurus on small account challenges:
> “If I just make $100 a day, that’s $2K a month. $24K a year. I’m free.”
>"If I am disciplined and skilful, I can make $100 a day in any market given any condition."
>"I just need $5,000 to start making my way up to $100,000 a year."
Yes, in theory, a $5,000 account turning $100 per day sounds brilliant — until reality shows up with an intraday chart that looks like scrambled eggs and a market that forgot its own direction.
Today was that day.
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Act 2: Choppy Market Shenanigans
Let’s set the scene for today:
No major news.
Fed speakers were quiet.
Earnings weren’t spicy enough.
And the market? A toddler with a crayon — drawing sideways.
So how’d the $100 plan do?
If you were:
SCALPING TSLA EARLY — Congrats, you might’ve made it! There was an A+ setup from 9.36AM to 10.18AM, where price climbed steadily from 247 to 255 at least.
PLAYING OPTIONS — You either got theta-slapped or filled at the top.
SWINGING PUTS OR CALLS? Likely got sliced on both ends.
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Act 3: Can It Be Done?
Different traders will have their own answers of what works and here is my honest take:
Can you WIN 100 daily With $5,000? (2% return ..)
Technically: YES. If you trade like a sniper, not a sprinkler.
No. If you’re chasing every candle and praying with hope on red MFI.
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Can $100/Day Be Done with $5,000 Capital?
✅ Short Answer: Yes — but only with high precision and discipline in scalping shares, options and swing trading.
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1️⃣ Share Scalps
Risk: $20–$40
Target: $100 in 1–3 clean trades
Best For: Fast traders who can cut losses quickly
Stability: Most reliable strategy, especially in trending markets
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2️⃣ Options (1DTE or Intraday)
High Reward: Fast profits when price moves sharply
High Risk: One bad fill or chop can wipe out gains
Requires: Experience + mental focus
Avoid: When market is slow, pinned, or IV is high but not expanding
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3️⃣ Swing Trades
Not Ideal in Chop Zones
Options Swinging = Chaos Mode: Overnight risk, macro headlines, unexpected reversals
Better Used: In strong trending markets, not indecisive ones
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Bonus Read: Swing Trading in a Chop Zone
Since you didn't make a trade all day, could you try swing trading before the close for an opportunity to profit the next day?
Short Answer: Nope.
Why?
No news = Market Makers have full control.
Price action is fake-friendly.
Breakouts get sold, breakdowns get reversed.
If there is bad post market or overnight news like from the link below, the trade is toast tomorrow.
Best Time to Swing Trade:
1..Earnings week.
2. Major macro events.
3. When volatility has a real cause, not just a caffeine spike.
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🦆🧓 Ducky Trading Grandma's Tip:
> "The $100 dream works if you treat it like surgery — not roulette."
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Final Verdict:
Is $100/day Really Possible?
My answer is still 'Yes' — but NOT every day, and NOT in every condition.
My answer is still 'Yes' — but NOT every day, and NOT in every condition.
On capital protection mode, it is more logical to aim for $1,000 a month than to fixate on $100 a day.
Today’s market was like an unripe avocado: looked good, tasted weird, didn’t deliver.
So the dream stays alive for another day by not trading, unless it was that TSLA clean scalp at 9.31AM…
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Conclusion :
I'm no expert full time professional trader with plenty of funds as backup —just sharing my notes with total beginners while learning from experts and figuring things out as I go. If I were more confident or professional, I might have kept more funds for trading, but Trump's constant shifts are making me nervous.
So I can’t trade like how full time traders do. I have a full-time job and commitments to fulfil. This is every cent of my hard-earned money from not quitting when I really wanted to. It’s everything I’ve saved up for investing. So for now, it’s strictly about protecting capital—with just $5,000 left for trading until the next safe window returns.
Today* was another choppy, no-trade day for me, but I’m hopeful tomorrow brings better opportunities! If not, I’m perfectly happy paper trading and keeping my money in the CSOP US Money Market Fund. There’s no need to keep up or impress anyone with wins! 🍀
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PART 2
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*Why Today was a No-Trade Day:
Final Market Breakdown – Apr 15 (4PM)
AMZN: Fake push, no follow-through. Death by sideways.
NVDA: Spiked and died. Total range = noise trap.
AAPL: Rejected hard after high. No trend, just whips.
GOOGL: Dumped early, late squeeze, still lower overall = MM coin flip.
TSLA: Only clean move was 9:36–10:18 AM. Post that = box range until 3:30 PM.
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Trading Diary, Tue 14 Apr
It is dangerous to trade in choppy situations like today.
Stocks Tracked: AMZN, NVDA, AAPL, TSLA, GOOGL
Time Window: Full day observation, post-morning setup
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Why This Was a Chop Day:
No Strong Follow-Through:
Most stocks (AMZN, GOOGL, AAPL) showed fake breakouts followed by sharp reversals.
Most stocks (AMZN, GOOGL, AAPL) showed fake breakouts followed by sharp reversals.
> Chasing green candles… next candle eats you alive.
Range-Bound Price Action:
TSLA and NVDA moved in tight boxes.
TSLA and NVDA moved in tight boxes.
> "High of day" and "low of day" were visited multiple times — clear sign of liquidity traps, not trend development.
No Catalyst + No Clear Trend = Market Maker Paradise
> Some MMs (Market Makers) thrive in uncertainty. Without news, they print candles just to fish for your stops.
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Why Chop Zones Are Dangerous:
1. False Signals Galore:
Indicators like VWAP, EMA, and MFI flash green/red but have no meaning in chop.
Indicators like VWAP, EMA, and MFI flash green/red but have no meaning in chop.
> You’ll enter “good setups” that immediately reverse.
2. Harder to Place Risk:
You don’t know where to put a stop — too wide = bad R:R, too tight = stopped out instantly.
You don’t know where to put a stop — too wide = bad R:R, too tight = stopped out instantly.
3. Death by a Thousand Cuts:
You lose small… again… and again… and again. Confidence fades before the real move even happens.
You lose small… again… and again… and again. Confidence fades before the real move even happens.
4. Options Get Crushed:
> Premium decays faster than your patience.
No trend = no expansion = instant IV kill = losses even if you're technically right.
No trend = no expansion = instant IV kill = losses even if you're technically right.
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Final Thought:
> In Chop Zones, even the best traders can bleed quietly.
Don’t fight the noise — stand back, save capital, and wait for clean directional flow.
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🍪☕ Kind reminder to self watching charts all day with no action taken:
You’re not lazy or fearful. You’re strategic.
You are disappointed that you didn't buy a cookie today, but you have saved your money for cheaper and more delicious cookies around the corner.
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Disclaimer: Community is offered by Moomoo Technologies Inc. and is for educational purposes only.
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Believe in your trades. It is ok to be wrong, it's not ok to stay wrong.
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Learning From Buffett: Investing Wisely Amid Market Volatility Triggered by Trump's Tariffs
CasperTheG : 197 now
Mai Hiam la Bro OP CasperTheG : AAPL was a clean short set up from opening bell bro. Hope you got a good trade!
Jennifer-Lashley : This is a very rational analysis, I completely agree with your point of view, thank you for sharing!![[undefined]](https://static.moomoo.com/nnq/emoji/static/image/default/default-black.png?imageMogr2/thumbnail/36x36 "undefined")
![[undefined]](https://static.moomoo.com/nnq/emoji/static/image/default/default-black.png?imageMogr2/thumbnail/36x36 "undefined")
![[undefined]](https://static.moomoo.com/nnq/emoji/static/image/default/default-black.png?imageMogr2/thumbnail/36x36 "undefined")
Mai Hiam la Bro OP Jennifer-Lashley : Appreciate your kind words of encouragement! Thank you for visiting and making your way through a longer read. Wishing you safe trades and good fortune too
TWIMO (151403908) : likely miss or forego big wins if only aiming for 100... but i don't know better...
Mai Hiam la Bro OP TWIMO (151403908) : My account has turned smaller.
Hope your trades went OK today!
TWIMO (151403908) Mai Hiam la Bro OP : not even paper trading. i see no reason to risk money and spend time in a casino like environment....
Mai Hiam la Bro OP TWIMO (151403908) : Happy to hear.
I am still figuring it out. There are still opportunities daily but they can go south quickly.
TWIMO (151403908) Mai Hiam la Bro OP : you have good analysis though.