Most of the people I know who've been profitable day-trading have earned less than they would have in an index fund. They consider themselves successul because

Most of the people I know who've been profitable day-trading have earned less than they would have in an index fund. They consider themselves successul because they're up 17% since 2014. Of course the market is up 22%, so they've actually lost money relatively to everyone else. It's also easy to make a net return when the market is up. The trick is not losing your shirt when the market tanks.