The stock market is trending higher in 2024, and folks who invest in popular index funds are likely sitting on double-digit returns since Jan. 1. That’s a pretty good gain, and many Americans are content with their performance. But admittedly, there’s a segment of more active investors who are looking for much more out of their portfolios.
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More active investors look for the best day-trading stocks and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in pursuit of quicker and more substantial gains, sometimes logging double-digit returns in a single trading session rather than across six months of buy-and-hold strategies. That level of performance is not typical and is never an easy task, but if you happen to be correct, then the profits can be life-changing.
The following seven stocks and ETFs all have tremendous daily trading volume north of 20 million individual shares changing hands each session. Furthermore, they all have compelling, headline-driven reasons to buy or sell, depending on your persuasion.
The best day-trading ETFs tend to be plays on big-picture trends, while the best day-trading stocks naturally have more to do with a unique company and its short-term outlook. But both kinds of trades offer the potential for volatility — which can be good if you’re right, and painful when you’re wrong. So make sure you do your own research for the latest news and numbers before entering into a position in any of these popular day-trading investments:
| Day-Trading Stock or Fund | Average trading volume |
| GameStop Corp. (ticker: GME) | 43.6 million shares |
| Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ) | 39.2 million shares |
| Nvidia Corp. (NVDA) | 460.7 million shares |
| ProShares UltraPro Short (SQQQ) | 131.1 million shares |
| Tesla Inc. (TSLA) | 90.3 million shares |
| iShares MSCI Brazil ETF (EWZ) | 21.7 million shares |
| Paramount Global (PARA) | 21 million shares |
GameStop Corp. (GME)
Average trading volume: 43.6 million shares
You simply can’t talk about day-trading stocks without starting a list with GameStop. The first “meme stock” of note for many investors, GME has been closely followed since an army of small-time traders took to social media to disrupt the way Wall Street works and sparked a massive short squeeze back in 2021. With iconic social media investor Roaring Kitty publicly announcing a new bullish bet on the stock earlier this year, GME is once again making waves and enjoying tremendous trading volume. Just tread lightly, because the volatility has a history of moving in both directions in this quintessential day-trading stock. Also, keep in mind that the 2021 peak was short-lived, so there’s a real chance the biggest gains are behind us. But even if you believe that’s the case, there’s nothing to say you can’t engage in day trading to the downside via short-selling or option trades on GME instead.
Invesco QQQ Trust (QQQ)
Average trading volume: 39.2 million shares
This ETF that’s tied to the Nasdaq’s top 100 stocks is another popular short-term vehicle for investors looking to make a directional bet on the market. The tech-heavy index has more than 50% of its holdings in that leading sector, including stocks such as Apple Inc. (AAPL) and Microsoft Corp. (MSFT), and historically has a lot more “wiggle” than a traditional index like the Dow or S&P 500. That bent toward volatility over stability is what day traders look for, meaning the QQQ ETF has long been among the top funds on Wall Street for both daily trading volume as well as options activity.
Nvidia Corp. (NVDA)
Average trading volume: 460.7 million shares
If you like the high-octane nature of tech stocks, then there’s perhaps no better option for day trading than chipmaker Nvidia. The company is a classic case of “buy high, sell higher” as it has raced up in dramatic fashion. NVDA is currently sitting on five-year gains of more than 2,800% and 12-month gains of about 230%, and it is currently challenging Microsoft for the No. 2 largest U.S. stock by market capitalization. Volume and options trading are regularly red hot, with NVDA one of the few stocks that regularly tops nine figures in daily trading volume — a feat even more impressive considering a single share is worth more than $125 right now.
[READ: 7 Best Copper Stocks to Buy Now]
ProShares UltraPro Short (SQQQ)
Average trading volume: 131.1 million shares
It’s worth noting that the prior investments so far have all focused on upside opportunities for day traders. However, playing the downside of the market is also a popular short-term strategy — either as a hedge during times of trouble or for a quick gain if Wall Street hits a snag. SQQQ is far and away the most popular way for bearish day traders to invest, offering inverse exposure to the aforementioned Nasdaq-100 ETF — and 3X “leverage” on top of that to provide triple the change in daily share price. This is obviously an incredibly risky strategy, but SQQQ regularly tops the list of most active ETF options and daily share-trading volume, so there are clearly folks who find value in this approach. Just be careful that you’re day trading with a short time horizon, because research shows markets consistently trend up in the long term, so it can be quite costly to be on the wrong side of the trade for months or years at a time.
Tesla Inc. (TSLA)
Average trading volume: 90.3 million shares
Speaking of downside investments, one of the worst-performing large-cap stocks of 2024 is embattled EV manufacturer Tesla. Shares are down about 30% since Jan. 1 thanks to a host of factors, including tech issues around its much-anticipated Cybertruck, social media rants by founder Elon Musk on his recently acquired X platform, and hard numbers for TSLA that include a massive Q1 earnings miss that spooked investors. The long-term promise of EVs is unarguably still there, and it’s hard to imagine Tesla disappearing anytime soon. But day traders who have used options to play the downside of this stock have been richly rewarded, and TSLA remains one of the most popular short-term bets and one of the most liquid stocks on Wall Street in 2024.
iShares MSCI Brazil ETF (EWZ)
Average trading volume: 21.7 million shares
A very different investment — but one that has also allowed investors to capitalize on the downside of a specific corner of the market — EWZ is the leading ETF tied to Brazil. If you’re not familiar with recent news trends there, the country had a very sluggish close to 2023 and more recently was hit by a disastrous period of flooding that resulted in soaring food prices and fears of broader economic disruption. This ETF is down more than 20% year to date as a result, including a more than 13% decline in the last 30 days alone — a trend that risks putting it at its lowest levels since its pandemic-era bottom. Brazil is a country with a history of volatility in its markets and corruption in its government, so it’s very difficult to predict where things will go from here. But based on surging volume this summer, investors are betting that whatever the next move is for EWZ, it may be big.
Paramount Global (PARA)
Average trading volume: 21 million shares
Entertainment giant Paramount has been dominating the news lately thanks to a host of factors. For starters, it is a reasonably big player in the current streaming market through its Paramount Plus offering — smaller than behemoth Netflix Inc. (NFLX), but running alongside key competitors Hulu and Max with more than 70 million subscribers. Beyond interest in the general streaming landscape, PARA has also been closely watched on news of a potential acquisition by privately held Skydance Media — a deal that recently fell apart after the two could not agree on terms. Is that a bad thing for Paramount shareholders without the buyout premium? Will someone else swoop in and make an offer? Can PARA keep growing and thriving regardless? These are the questions everyone is asking, which has resulted in big interest on both sides of the trade lately.
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7 Best Day-Trading Stocks and ETFs originally appeared on usnews.com
