Traditionally, day trading was largely reserved for professional traders employed by banks or investment firms. However, with the introduction of online brokerage platforms, day trading has grown in popularity among individual investors. According to the Bloomberg Intelligence reports, individual investors accounted for a record 24% of US equity trading volume in the first quarter of 2021, up 5% from 2020 and nearly tripling from 2010.
While many financial experts warn that day trading can be risky for common people, professional day trader Ultra Calls believes that everyone can succeed, but that success requires dedication and discipline. “When I first began trading, I had some huge hits but also suffered some significant losses. That’s when I noticed you have to be completely vigilant in the stock market, and you can be successful 90% of the time if your strategy is strict,” he says. “That’s how I capitalize. I cut losses fast and let winners ride until they die.”
Before dabbling with trading, Ultra Calls worked as a specialist in the eye care industry. Even though he was a director of five locations, Ultra Calls had bigger dreams. As he explains, he was fortunate to meet a surgeon who did swing trading, which had piqued his interest. “I was always a big dreamer—wanted more from myself, so I got my feet wet and got into the markets,” Ultra Calls says. “I lost about 90% of my account until I became successful—from $10,000 to $1,400, and then I turned $1,400 into millions in just a couple years.”
Today, Ultra Calls is a full-time professional trader and founder of Sapphire Trading, an online trading chat room dedicated to helping new traders gain their footing in the world of day trading. Ultra Calls believes that it’s hard to succeed in the trading world alone, and that’s why he offers free coaching services through Sapphire Trading.
Ultra Calls explains that most new traders keep forgetting that, on top of educating themselves and finding the right strategy, they need to keep their heads cool, minds focused, and emotions in control. He says that emotions are the trader’s biggest enemy, which he experienced firsthand. “My most painful failure was the time when I kept buying shares and averaging down multiple times on one stock and ended up being down over $500,000,” Ultra Calls says. “I realized I was revenge trading because I wanted to make it back, but it only kept sinking. That’s when I told myself I would cut losses quickly from now on and wait for price action to prove the move.”
“It’s easy to get carried away when the market is hot, and that’s why you need to train your mind to always keep emotions in check,” Ultra Calls adds. “When it comes to trading success, emotions and hot-headedness are your number one enemy, and when you conquer that, nothing can stand in your way.”
