(5) Placing contingent orders, such as "stop-loss" or "stop-limit" orders, will not necessarily limit your losses to the intended amounts, since market conditions on the NASDAQ or any alternative trading system on which the order is placed may make it impossible to execute such orders. Similarly, using "market orders" can be very risky, since large gaps can occur in price movements of active stocks. You are urged in most instances to use limit orders.

(6) Under certain market conditions, you may find it difficult or impossible to liquidate a position quickly at a reasonable price. This can occur, for example, when the market for a stock suddenly drops, or if trading is halted due to recent news events or unusual trading activity. The more volatile a stock is, the greater the likelihood that problems may be encountered in executing a transaction.

(7) In addition to normal market risks, you may experience losses due to system failures. The firm and its clearing broker rely upon sophisticated computer software and hardware to execute transactions, which are subject to failure due to a variety of factors. In addition, NASDAQ and the alternative trading systems have computer systems that often malfunction. Among other events, you may experience losses due to: system crashes during both peak and low volume periods; the loss of orders on both SOES and SelectNet; and, delayed, conflicting and inaccurate confirmations on orders or cancellations that you initiate.

(8) The use of any margin or leverage in an account can work against you as well as for you. Leverage can lead to large losses as well as gains. You may sustain a total loss of the initial margin funds and any additional funds that you deposit with your broker to establish or maintain a position, and you may incur losses beyond your initial investment. If the market moves against your position, you may be called upon to deposit a substantial amount of additional margin funds, on short notice, in order to maintain you position. If you do not provide the required funds within the time required, your position may be liquidated at a loss, and you will be liable for any resulting deficit in your account.

(9) You should consult your broker concerning the nature of the protections available to safeguard funds or property deposited in your account.

THE RISK OF ELECTRONIC DAY TRADING MAY BE SUBSTANTIAL. THIS BRIEF STATEMENT CANNOT, OF COURSE, DISCLOSE ALL THE RISKS AND OTHER ASPECTS OF ELECTRONIC DAY TRADING. ONLY RISK CAPITAL SHOULD BE USED FOR SUCH TRADING.

Market Volatility back to top

Market conditions, abnormal trading volumes, and other factors may adversely affect system response and access times. For additional information on market volatility please view our info page.

DAY TRADING RISK DISCLOSURE

Day Trading Risk Disclosure Statement - Rule 2361.
Day Trading Risk Disclosure Statement

(a) Except as provided in paragraph (b), no member that is promoting a day-trading strategy, directly or indirectly, shall open an account for or on behalf of a non-institutional customer unless, prior to opening the account, the member has furnished to each customer, individually, in writing or electronically, the following disclosure statement:

You should consider the following points before engaging in a day-trading strategy. For purposes of this notice, a "day-trading strategy" means an overall trading strategy characterized by the regular transmission by a customer of intra-day orders to effect both purchase and sale transactions in the same security or securities.

Day trading can be extremely risky. Day trading generally is not appropriate for someone of limited resources and limited investment or trading experience and low risk tolerance. You should be prepared to lose all of the funds that you use for day trading. In particular, you should not fund day-trading activities with retirement savings, student loans, second mortgages, emergency funds, funds set aside for purposes such as education or home ownership, or funds required to meet your living expenses. Further, certain evidence indicates that an investment of less than $50,000 will significantly impair the ability of a day trader to make a profit. Of course, an investment of $50,000 or more will in no way guarantee success.

Be cautious of claims of large profits from day trading. You should be wary of advertisements or other statements that emphasize the potential for large profits in day trading. Day trading can also lead to large and immediate financial losses.

Day trading requires knowledge of securities markets. Day trading requires in-depth knowledge of the securities markets and trading techniques and strategies. In attempting to profit through day trading, you must compete with professional, licensed traders employed by securities firms. You should have appropriate experience before engaging in day trading.

Day trading requires knowledge of a firm's operations. You should be familiar with a securities firm's business practices, including the operation of the firm's order execution systems and procedures. Under certain market conditions, you may find it difficult or impossible to liquidate a position quickly at a reasonable price. This can occur, for example, when the market for a stock suddenly drops, or if trading is halted due to recent news events or unusual trading activity. The more volatile a stock is, the greater the likelihood that problems may be encountered in executing a transaction. In addition to normal market risks, you may experience losses due to system failures.

Day trading will generate substantial commissions, even if the per trade cost is low. Day trading involves aggressive trading, and generally you will pay commissions on each trade. The total daily commissions that you pay on your trades will add to your losses or significantly reduce your earnings. For instance, assuming that a trade costs $16 and an average of 29 transactions are conducted per day; an investor would need to generate an annual profit of $111,360 just to cover commission expenses.

Day trading on margin or short selling may result in losses beyond your initial investment. When you day trade with funds borrowed from a firm or someone else, you can lose more than the funds you originally placed at risk. A decline in the value of the securities that are purchased may require you to provide additional funds to the firm to avoid the forced sale of those securities or other securities in your account. Short selling as part of your day-trading strategy also may lead to extraordinary losses, because you may have to purchase a stock at a very high price in order to cover a short position.

Potential Registration Requirements. Persons providing investment advice for others or managing securities accounts for others may need to register as either an "Investment Advisor" under the Investment Advisors Act of 1940 or as a "Broker" or "Dealer" under the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Such activities may also trigger state registration requirements.

(b) In lieu of providing the disclosure statement specified in paragraph (a), a member that is promoting a day-trading strategy may provide to the customer, individually, in writing or electronically, prior to opening the account, an alternative disclosure statement, provided that:

(1) The alternative disclosure statement shall be substantially similar to the disclosure statement specified in paragraph (a); and

(2) The alternative disclosure statement shall be filed with the Association's Advertising Department (Department) for review at least 10 days prior to use (or such shorter period as the Department may allow in particular circumstances) for approval and, if changes are recommended by the Association, shall be withheld from use until any changes specified by the Association have been made or, if expressly disapproved, until the alternative disclosure statement has been refiled for, and has received, Association approval. The member must provide with each filing the anticipated date of first use.

(c) For purposes of this rule, the term "day-trading strategy" shall have the meaning provided in Rule 2360(e).

(d) For purposes of this Rule, the term "non-institutional customer" means a customer that does not qualify as an "institutional account" under Rule 3110(c)(4).

(e) 2000, National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. (NASD). All rights reserved. Notices to Members attempt to present information to readers in a format that is easily understandable. However, please be aware that, in case of any misunderstanding, the rule language prevails.

SHORT SALES

NASD Rule 3350 prohibits short sales of NASDAQ securities at or below the current best (inside) bid as shown on the NASDAQ screen when that bid is lower than the previous best (inside) bid (this is referred to as the "bid test"). To determine whether a sale is long or short, you must adhere to the definition of a "short sale" contained in the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) Rule 3b-3, which is incorporated into the NASD's Short-Sale Rule. Under SEC Rule 3b-3 and NASD Rule 3350, the term "short sale" means any sale of a security that the seller does not own or any sale that is consummated by the delivery of a security borrowed by, or for the account of, the seller. To determine whether the seller is long or short overall, the seller must net all positions in the security. This includes netting positions held in accounts that are under common control or traded with a single investment strategy.

An affirmative determination must be made that the shares are available for shorting from our clearing firm. A short sale requested by a customer may or may not be allowed due to numerous market and or operational conditions, and the order may be rejected.

An exception to the NASD up-bid requirement is if you place an order at $.01 above the inside bid when that current bid is lower than the previous inside bid. When entering Short Sales at the market, our trading programs will automatically check for the proper up-bid and determine if the order is enterable, if it is on a down-bid the software will reject the order.