after mkt settled a bit futs became an atm. altough liquidity has been cut on er2, dozens new opportunities have emerged in consolidation areas; where before never gyrated much, now it keeps moving up and down a full point countless times....that's where mucho dinero can be made buying and selling the same levels over and over.
Very good markets for some...it takes a very refined methods to trade fast markets with tight stops which comes with much work.
If your definition of day trading is buying the dips then it is hardly surprising that you would find the last couple of months harder than the previous 5. Learning to adapt to changing market conditions is one of the necessary skills to be successful long term. Not all market conditions are conducive to profitably day trading stock indices.