5 Best Day Trading Stocks

2025-04-089minsHuman written

Written byFrederick A Bravey

Financial Researcher

Edited byFei Chen

Financial Researcher

Content

Key Takeaways

You can profit from day trading by picking stocks with high volatility and strong trading volume.
Stocks stand out due to their price swings, market interest, and liquidity, perfect for quick trades.
Day trading thrives on fast moves, so understanding each stock’s unique edge is key to your success.
Risks are part of the game, but these picks offer big opportunities if you time them right.

Introduction

Day trading can be a lucrative way to approach the stock market. Many investors use a day trading strategy and turn a hefty profit from doing so. Although the markets are crashing, an unavoidable aspect of trading, below are 5 of my best day trading stocks that I have consistently gained from.

After years of scanning markets and testing strategies, I’ve learned that the best day trading stocks share a few traits: they’re volatile, liquid, and tied to hot trends.

My experience has shown me how to spot these winners, and I’m here to share that with you. In this article, you’ll discover stocks that could turbocharge your day trading game, let’s dive in and find your ideal day trading stocks.

What is day trading?

In a nutshell, day trading is all about buying stocks, and selling them within the same day. It is a short-term trading strategy, as opposed to long-term trading, that can make you daily gains or losses.

The upside to day trading is that you’re not holding a stock for weeks or months, you’re in and out fast, aiming to pocket gains from quick market movements.

It’s a high-energy game that needs stocks with action i.e. high liquidity, volatility, and trading volume, not sleepy ones that barely budge.

Think of it like surfing, you need waves to ride, and these stocks fit that criteria perfectly. In layman's terms, we're looking for stocks that can produce the biggest waves.

List of the best day trading stocks

Here is my list of best day trading stocks, entirely selected based on past experience and thorough backtesting.

Tesla (TSLA)

NVIDIA (NVDA)

Palantir Technologies (PLTR)

CarMax (KMX)

Riot Platforms (RIOT)

Why these day trading stocks?

How did I pick these as the best day trading stocks for you? I used a clear set of must-haves:

Volatility: Daily price swings of 2-5% or more to give you room to profit. This is significantly important as you want to capitalize off relatively good swings compared to huge swings or no swings at all.
Volume: High average daily trading volume (millions of shares) for easy entry and exit. This allows day traders to easily enter/exit the market without having to wait too long for a buyer or seller.
Momentum: Ties to trending sectors or news that keep traders buzzing, especially for news sentiment traders who can easily capitalize off a stock's news fueling further volatility.

These are the top aspects of a stock you need to pay attention to before day trading. By using these aspects, you can identify which stocks to day trade with. These factors ensure you’ve got stocks that move fast and let you enter & exit trades quickly.

Tesla (TSLA)

Recently, Tesla has taken a pounding in the stock markets, mostly due to Elon Musk's unpopular approach to the US government's DOGE department and off-the-cuff statements regarding other nations.

Regardless, Tesla stock remains a strong contender for day traders. Whether you're going long, or shorting the stock, it fulfills each of the criteria listed above. The company has high daily volume, high volatility, and is easily influenced by external, non-fundamental, factors.

Key features:

Average daily volume: 80-100 million shares.
Volatility: 3-5% swings on big news days.
Sector: EV and clean energy.

Pros	Cons
A lot of trading activity and investor sentiment toward Tesla's stock. Elon's unpopularity across other industries has pushed Tesla's stock to act highly volatile. The stock has a very high trading volume, generating a highly liquid opportunity.	Due to the closeness of Elon with Tesla's stock price, a single tweet (on X) could enhance the stock price's volatility against you. A very speculative stock that's closely aligned with news and media compared to fundamentals.

What sets Tesla apart? Its unpredictability and fanbase make it a volatility machine. If you love fast-paced trades, TSLA’s a great stock to profit from and perfect for beginner traders.

NVIDIA (NVDA)

Nvidia stands as a guiding beacon among stocks as the giant they wish to aspire to. The company saw a surge in its stock price throughout 2024, but slowed in Q1 of 2025 due to Trump's tariff uncertainty.

However, Nvidia still remains a great day trading stock as it offers very high trading volume, coupled with a modest average volatility range of <5%. The company, although speculative, has displayed strong fundamentals to support its current market valuation.

Key features:

Volume: 40-50 million shares daily.
Volatility: 2-5% average swings, especially during product launches and announcements.
Sector: Semiconductor industry with high growth potential.

Pros	Cons
The adoption of AI is growing the demand for Nvidia products and services, generating high momentum. Very strong fundamentals are able to support Nvidia's current market valuation. Nvidia's trading volume is incredibly high, enabling day traders such as yourself to easily enter/exit a trade.	Nvidia's stock price may seem too expensive and deter traders from entering due to its cost. The stock is still very speculative, although backed by strong fundamentals, but speculation on Nvidia's 2025 revenue growth is still high.

Nvidia stands as a great stock to day trade with, and finding stocks like Nvidia are great contenders to consider. Although a lot of speculation may haunt Nvidia's future growth, the industry's outlook still remains positive.

Palantir Technologies (PLTR)

Palantir is leading the charge in developing AI infrastructure and technology on behalf of the US government. Palantir’s average trading volume of approximately 61.5 million shares ensures strong liquidity, facilitating rapid trades with minimal slippage.

Fundamentally, Palantir’s AI-driven growth remains robust, with Q3 2024 revenue up 30% year-over-year to $725 million and U.S. commercial revenue surging 44%, alongside raised full-year guidance.

Key features:

Volume: 50-60 million shares daily.
Volatility: 3-6% swings during announcements of new contract deals.
Sector: Big data and AI, an important future industry.

Pros	Cons
Highly influenced by large contract announcements. This generates a highly volatile daily trading session for Palantir Due to Palantir's speculative nature, the stock's price is easily influenced by news & market sentiment, increasing the stock's volatility. The stock industry has massive potential, that can drive stock prices higher, increasing your long positions.	Despite strong growth, Palantir’s price-to-sales ratio remains historically high, recently cited around 20x forward sales. Current tariff uncertainties under Trump’s administration, contributing to a $1.8 trillion tech sector drop this week, directly pressure Palantir.

Palantir is a leading AI infrastructure company, deeply embedded into the US government via its military contracts making it a great AI stock to day trade. Although the fundamentals are not quite strong yet, the company certainly has a strong future ahead.

CarMax (KMX)

CarMax is a lesser-known stock that can offer day traders a great stock to capitalize on. The company specializes in the used-car market KMX delivers the volatility, liquidity, and catalysts that make it a sleeper hit for intraday action.

Daily moves of 2-5% aren’t uncommon for CarMax making it a great day trading stock. In combination with an average daily trading volume of over 1.8 million shares. CarMax is the used-car giant, thriving as vehicle demand enters a very volatile time.

Key features:

Volume: 1-2 million shares on average traded daily.
Volatility: 2-3% average daily swings.
Sector: The reselling car industry could grow further with growing inflation concerns.

Pros	Cons
Consistent trading volume enables day traders to easily enter/exit a trade. Can take advantage of economic uncertainty, with the increase in cost of living increasing the amount of 2nd hand car sales.	Less prone to large market swings compared to more popular stocks such as tech stocks. Declining prices in used cars can impact the company's overall profitability, and may influence day traders going long.

CarMax can be considered a relatively stable stock to day trade with, as it has a high daily trading volume and less prone to unexpected high swings. As a day trading stock, CarMax certainly made our list.

Riot Platforms (RIOT)

Riot Platforms (RIOT) is a powerhouse in Bitcoin mining and digital infrastructure, leveraging its energy-efficient operations to capitalize on cryptocurrency volatility.

With an average trading volume of around 50-60 million shares, Riot offers robust liquidity, enabling swift trades with minimal slippage, perfect for day traders chasing fast moves.

Full-year 2024 revenue hit $376.7 million, a 34% jump from 2023, bolstered by its pivot into AI and high-performance computing (HPC) using excess power capacity.

Key features:

Volume: 20-30 million average shares traded daily.
Volatility: 5-10% swings tied to Bitcoin price fluctuations and tariff news.
Sector: Bitcoin mining and AI/HPC, a volatile yet high-growth intersection.

Pros	Cons
Bitcoin price surges and mining output spikes create explosive intraday trading opportunities. Riot’s AI/HPC pivot taps into a booming sector, leveraging its 600 MW of unutilized power at the Corsicana Facility. High trading volume and volatility make it a day trader’s playground for quick profits.	Bitcoin’s notorious volatility and halving events (cutting block rewards) pressure mining profitability, amplifying stock swings. Tariff uncertainties under Trump’s policies, contributing to a $1.8 trillion tech sector drop this week, weigh on Riot’s outlook.

Riot Platforms stands as a leader in Bitcoin-driven infrastructure, with its strategic shift into AI/HPC adding a forward-looking edge.

While fundamentals are solidifying, its fate remains tied to crypto’s wild ride and macroeconomic turbulence.

Conclusion

Day trading offers a thrilling, fast-paced way to profit from the stock market, and despite recent market turbulence, stocks like Tesla (TSLA), NVIDIA (NVDA), Palantir (PLTR), CarMax (KMX), and Riot Platforms (RIOT) stand out as top picks for seasoned traders.

Each brings a unique edge, Tesla’s news-driven volatility, NVIDIA’s AI-fueled momentum, Palantir’s government-backed growth, CarMax’s sleeper stability, and Riot’s crypto-charged swings.

Backed by years of market scanning and backtesting, these stocks deliver the action day traders crave, whether you’re riding short-term surges or shorting dips. With volumes ranging from 1.8 million to 100 million shares daily and fundamentals bolstered by innovation, they’re built for quick entries and exits.

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes a stock good for day trading?

A stock can be considered great for day trading if it resembles these three critical traits: volatility, high trading volume, and strong momentum. Ideally, you want to day trade stocks that have a 2-10% daily price swing, >1 million daily traded shares, and strong industry momentum such as AI and big tech.

Are the best day trading stocks risky?

Absolutely, high reward comes with high risk. Stocks primed for day trading, like TSLA or RIOT, can deliver big gains from their wild swings, but those same 5-10% daily moves can wipe out capital if the market moves against your position.

What indicators are great for day trading?

When day trading fast-moving stocks like Tesla (TSLA), NVIDIA (NVDA), or Riot Platforms (RIOT) as of April 7, 2025, the best indicators, Moving Averages, RSI, VWAP, Bollinger Bands, and MACD work together to pinpoint entries, exits, and momentum shifts on 1- to 15-minute charts, thriving in volatile conditions.

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