If I religiously sat and stared at one instrument all day every day, then I would have quit along time ago. But since I subscribe to the notion that there is always something moving even on the slowest of days, and I have various ways of trading those movers, I know there will always be opportunity. I honestly don't see how I could justify being an ES or a SPY trader over the last few weeks. It would drive me crazy knowing I was missing out on stocks which are really moving. I will do an occasional index trade, but I only seem to get signals when the market is somewhat volatile. I think the folks who are truly hard workers who think daytrading is dead just aren't diversified enough in their approaches to different market conditions. Then you obviously have those who dabbled a little, got their asses kicked, and always come up with all sorts of reasons why it isn't their fault.
The only things that is different for stocks are changing from fractions to pennies, the pdt rule and shorting is much easier.
since the government is trying to shut down the money market funds which has about 3 trillion in assets. imagine how easy it would be to destroy the day trading business with an ftt or with regulations. http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/02/07/markets-money-idUSL2E8D7BWH20120207 http://www.theatlantic.com/business...ut-money-market-funds-out-of-business/252722/ http://www.icifactbook.org/fb_ch2.html