Let's make it cost of 80% / 20% of gross revenue: if business #1 has net profit of 100% and business #2 has net profit of 25%, which one would you choose? Why do you think people day trade, scalp and even HFT? What's their reasoning?
Absolutely serious. Same question to you: what do you think is the reason people trade more frequently, when they could speculate intermediate-term with monthly/weekly charts only and play golf the rest of time?
because most retail (hft have different costs) are dumb noobs and have no knowledge of probabilities and costs .
Did you just claim that ALL day traders, scalpers and HFT traders are dumb noobs who have no knowledge of probabilities and costs?
Most of them , the ones who hang around forums have different agenda ,most of them are pretenders and marketing merchants peddling something on the forums.
Why is the risk of failure inherently greater in the case of more frequent trading? What if day trader places less % of his capital on the risk every time and is exposed to market for much shorter time, even in this case day trading is more risky? And remember, we are comparing two already profitable approaches, with day trading approach being stated as yielding a few times more net profit.
How do you know that? Do you have comprehensive stats showing average IQ and level of understanding of risk and probabilities among day traders as well as comprehensive stats about what % of those who talk about it on forums are pretenders and/or marketers?
These are all theoretical hindsight assumptions , in practical trading risks are greater with phsyche and emotions and perfect execution.There are no such profitable traders making 100 % on this forum. In fact 95 % of them lose , because they have irrational visions , like yourself , about trading risks.