You’re Not a Day Trader—You’re a Bag Holder with Commitment Issues

Let’s get something straight:

If you’re holding a position overnight that started as a day trade—you’re no longer a day trader. You’re a swing trader. And that’s fine. But stop pretending you’re still playing the day trading game. You Can't Have It Both Ways

You don’t get to use day trading indicators, day trading setups, and then suddenly throw all of it out the window because your stop loss "almost hit" or you "think it'll come back tomorrow."

That’s not how this works.

A day trader is in and out the same day. That’s the job. Sometimes in seconds, sometimes minutes, maybe even a couple hours. But by 4 PM (or 8 PM at the latest for after-hours), that position is done. Closed. Win or lose. That’s the code.

If You're Holding Bags, You’re Swing Trading—Own It

Holding a loser overnight, praying for a gap-up, ignoring your risk plan?

Congratulations, you're no longer a day trader. You’re a swing trader with no strategy. Or worse—a bag holder in denial.

And that’s the root of 90% of blown accounts in day trading: Traders who can’t take a loss.

They think if they just “give it more time,” the chart will magically correct itself.

No. That’s emotion talking. That’s ego. And that’s not trading—it’s wishful thinking with a brokerage account.

The Role of the Stop Loss

Every real day trader operates with a stop loss in mind. Period.

• Large or small doesn’t matter—it just has to be defined.
  

• It's not optional. It's your exit strategy.
  

• If you don’t have one, then you don’t have a strategy at all.
  

Day trading is a game of controlled risk. You’re not supposed to hope your position turns around. You’re supposed to have already decided what happens if it doesn’t.

You’re Learning the Wrong Playbook

Here’s the killer: So many of you are studying day trading strategies, but you’re trading like swing traders.

You’re digesting scalp setups and VWAP reversals, then holding stocks overnight because your ego won’t let you lock in a loss. You’re memorizing intraday signals but treating your account like an investment portfolio.

You’re mixing rules from two completely different games. No wonder you're confused. No wonder your results are garbage.

Swing Trading Isn’t Evil—It’s Just Different

Let’s be clear—swing trading has its place.

If you have a swing strategy, planned entries, broader time frames, and you’re okay managing overnight exposure—go for it.

But that’s not what most “overnight bag holders” are doing. They’re holding bags out of desperation. They’re clinging to positions they promised themselves they’d exit. They’re making excuses instead of taking action.

The Real Benefit of Day Trading? Peace of Mind.

When done right, day trading gives you something priceless: Mental freedom.

You close out your positions. You take the win or take the loss. You go live your life.

Swing traders? They carry that stress through dinner, through sleep, through tomorrow. They’re checking premarket hoping their gamble paid off.

That’s not peace. That’s torture.

Final Thought

Call it what it is.

If you're staying in trades after hours, you're a swing trader. And if you're doing it without a plan, you're not even that—you’re just a bag holder with hope as your strategy.

So stop lying to yourself. Either trade like a day trader, or learn how to swing trade. But don’t mix the two. That’s how you get wrecked.

This blog will keep calling it out. Want real growth? Want real accountability?

Filter off. Let’s get to work.

– Bullish Bob