What does intraday mean in trading?
In one line: Intraday means within a single trading day. An intraday trade is opened and closed the same day, and an intraday chart shows candles shorter than a day.
A simple example
At 10:15 am ET you buy 20 shares at $61.00. Your Stop loss is $60.40, so you risk $0.60 a share, or $12. At 1:30 pm you sell at $62.10.
You opened and closed on the same day, so it's an intraday trade. Result: +$1.10 a share, +$22, before costs. That's about +1.8 times what you risked. A math example, not a promise.
If you'd held it until tomorrow, it would be a swing trade instead. See Swing trading.
Intraday charts
Any chart with candles shorter than one day is an intraday chart:
- 1-minute, 5-minute, 15-minute
- 1-hour, 4-hour
The "intraday high" is the highest price so far today. The "intraday low" is the lowest. Together they make the day range.
Why it matters
Intraday trading means no overnight risk. You can't be hit by a Gap while you sleep, because you're flat by the close.
The trade-off is speed. Intraday moves are smaller, so costs like the Spread and commissions take a bigger share. And short charts show more noise.
A common mistake
Only looking at intraday charts. A 5-minute chart can show a strong rise while the daily chart is in a clear downtrend. Trading against the bigger chart is one of the most common traps.
Start each day on the daily chart, then the 1-hour, then your entry chart. Mark the last places price turned around on each. See multiple timeframe analysis.
For picking your entry chart, read best timeframe for day trading.
Questions
Is intraday trading the same as day trading?
Yes, mostly. Day trading means making intraday trades: opening and closing within the same day.
What is the best intraday timeframe?
There's no single best. Many beginners use a 15-minute or 1-hour chart for entries because it's slower and less noisy than 1-minute charts.
Do I need $25,000 to trade intraday in the US?
Not anymore. The old pattern day trader minimum was eliminated in 2026. Your broker may still have its own account rules.
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