The best stocks for day trading are typically those that exhibit high levels of volatility within intraday time frames. However, trading on these short time frames comes with significant risks—aspiring day traders must ensure they possess the necessary skills and knowledge to navigate these risky trades effectively. Without proper expertise, the likelihood of incurring losses can far outweigh the potential for profit.
For those with the skill and experience to capitalize on intraday price movements, this curated list highlights some of the best stocks for day trading. We’ve prioritized stocks with notable intraday volatility, high trading volume, and strong viral appeal. Continue reading to discover more.
Here are the 12 best stocks for day trading in 2025:
Tesla Inc (TSLA)
Nvidia (NVDA)
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD)
GameStop Corporation (GME)
Block, Inc (SQ)
Zoom Video Communications, Inc. (ZM)
Roku, Inc. (ROKU)
Moderna, Inc. (MRNA)
NIO Inc. (NIO)
Plug Power Inc. (PLUG)
Virgin Galactic Holdings, Inc. (SPCE)
Beyond Meat, Inc. (BYND)
How we chose the best stocks for day trading
The best stocks for day trading are typically those that are most volatile. While volatility can be a nightmare for investors who are positioned in the wrong direction, the ability to read market movements on intraday time frames can prove extremely profitable for a small number of skilled traders.
That said, here are some of the key reasons why we chose our 12 best stocks for day trading:
Accessible trading
Volatile price action
Recognizable brand
High trading volume
The 12 best stocks for day trading: Examining top market movers
1. Tesla Inc (TSLA)
Tesla, Inc. (TSLA) is known for several standout features that contribute to its unique position in the automotive and energy industries, including its autonomous driving technology and powerful batteries for electric vehicles (EVs).
Perhaps above all else, Tesla is known for being Elon Musk’s car company. Musk’s celebrity status gives TSLA stock consistent trading volume, and price action is naturally volatile as Tesla sits at the intersection between artificial intelligence technologies and automotives. Ultimately, the speculative nature of the EV market means that its incumbents are usually more volatile than alternative automotive investments.
Key highlights:
Pioneer in EV market
Enthusiastic customer base
One of the fastest-growing tech stocks of recent years
2. Nvidia (NVDA)
Nvidia Corporation (NVDA) is a leading semiconductor company specializing in the design and production of GPUs (Graphics Processing Units). NVDA stock has gained immense attention for its pivotal role in powering artificial intelligence applications, gaming technology, and data centers. Nvidia’s dominance in these high-growth markets has contributed to its reputation as a favorite among day traders. The stock’s significant price swings, driven by AI advancements and macroeconomic factors, offer ample trading opportunities for those with a sharp eye for intraday trends.
Key highlights:
Global leader in GPU technology
Key player in AI and machine learning
High intraday price volatility with frequent trading volume
3. Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD)
Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD) is a semiconductor company that has gained recognition for its contributions to the technology industry. AMD stock has been extremely volatile in recent years, as tech companies have continually made high after high and seen significant crashes during periods of consolidation. Ultimately, AMD stock represents a bet on the future of semiconductor manufacturing, but it can also provide some solid returns for intraday traders thanks to the market volatility.
Key highlights:
Producer of highly competitive CPUs and GPUs
Has successfully grown market share in recent years
Significant volatility in stock price
4. GameStop Corporation (GME)
GameStop Corporation (GME) is a video game and consumer electronics retailer that has gained attention for various reasons, including a viral short squeeze that occurred after GME stock was promoted in the Wall Street Bets forum on Reddit. Since that moment in Q1 2021, GME has been what’s known as a ‘meme stock’ because its market value has decoupled from the company’s performance.
GameStop’s status as a meme stock means that it is highly volatile compared to alternative investments in stocks and shares. The viral appeal of GME stock and the popularity of the company’s story mean that it has a high trading volume among retail investors to this day, and the stock price is still significantly above its pre-Wall Street Bets price level.
Key highlights:
Traditional brick-and-mortar video games retailer
Recent shift to e-commerce
Extreme volatility in stock price, a ‘meme stock’
5. Block, Inc (SQ)
Block, Inc (SQ) is a financial technology (fintech) company that provides a range of products and services, although it is primarily focused on payment processing for businesses and individuals alike. The company, formerly called Square, was the creator of Cash App, which is a peer-to-peer mobile payment service.
Square’s founder, Jack Dorsey, was also founder of Twitter and SQ stock has been a popular choice among traders thanks to its prominent products and well-known founder. SQ stock has high trading volume and significant volatility on the daily time frame, giving traders plenty of opportunity to generate profits.
Key highlights:
Diverse product portfolio and ecosystem of interconnected services
Cryptocurrency integration
Volatile stock price
6. Zoom Video Communications, Inc. (ZM)
Zoom Video Communications, Inc. (ZM) is a technology company known for its video conferencing platform, which gained widespread popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Zoom was one of the fastest-growing apps during this period and the platform saw a 2,900% increase to its total user count.
Since then, ZM stock has been particularly volatile, with a multi-year downtrend following a rapid appreciation up to its all-time highs. Despite its poor performance on the yearly time frame, ZM regularly moves in increments of 5% on the daily timeframe. This has made it one of the best stocks for day trading in 2024.
Key highlights:
Market leading video conference platform
Gained market share during COVID-19
Volatile price action
7. Roku, Inc. (ROKU)
Roku, Inc. (ROKU) is a company that specializes in streaming platforms and devices for television. The ROKU stock price reached its all-time high in 2021 and then started a significant downtrend, but it now looks like it could begin to recover. For day traders, ROKU stock is known for moving by 10% or more over the course of a week, which can produce significant returns when traded consistently.
Key highlights:
Focus on streaming devices
Diverse product portfolio
Significant volatility in stock price
8. Moderna, Inc. (MRNA)
Moderna, Inc. (MRNA) is a biotechnology company that gained significant attention for its role in developing and producing mRNA-based vaccines. MRNA stock regularly moves by ~9% on the inter-day time frame, which makes it a great pick for day traders. Ultimately, Moderna has become a globally recognized brand in the healthcare industry thanks to its COVID-19 vaccine, which could mean that its stock volume remains high among traders and investors alike.
Key highlights:
Pioneer in mRNA technology
Rapid vaccine development during COVID-19 pandemic
Strong stock price performance in recent years
9. NIO Inc. (NIO)
NIO Inc. (NIO) is a Chinese electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer that has gained attention for its innovative approach. NIO has implemented a unique Battery-as-a-Service (BaaS) model that allows NIO users to purchase electric vehicles without the battery, reducing the initial cost.
NIO stock has been in a consistent downtrend since its IPO, but speculators remain positive on its long term prospects thanks to the growing EV market and technological improvements being made by the company. On balance, NIO is a favored choice among day traders thanks to the fresh market structure and innate volatility of the stock.
Key highlights:
Specializes in the design and manufacturing of electric vehicles
Diverse product portfolio, including Batteries as a Service (BaaS)
Significant downside since IPO, known for volatility
10. Plug Power Inc. (PLUG)
Plug Power Inc. (PLUG) is a company specializing in hydrogen fuel cell technology. While the company performs well within its industry, the PLUG stock is a great pick for day traders thanks to the regularity and predictability of its price movements. Since 2021, PLUG has repeatedly skyrocketed and retraced within a macro downtrend, which may serve day traders well as long as they time their plays correctly.
Key highlights:
Market leader for hydrogen fuel cell systems
Expanding into commercial vehicle manufacturing
PLUG stock is popular among speculators
11. Virgin Galactic Holdings, Inc. (SPCE)
Virgin Galactic Holdings, Inc. (SPCE) is a company in the aerospace industry that aims to provide commercial space tourism services. By commercializing space travel, Virgin Galactic has positioned itself at the forefront of a brand-new emerging industry. SPCE stock is inherently volatile due to the speculative nature of the business model, regularly moving by 5-10% on the daily time frame.
Key highlights:
Specializes in commercial space tourism
Global reach and tourist hub ambitions
SPCE stock is popular among speculators
12. Beyond Meat, Inc. (BYND)
Beyond Meat, Inc. (BYND) is a company known for producing plant-based meat substitutes. BYND has become a highly volatile stock due to the speculative nature of the business model. BYND expanded rapidly during its early years, but demand has since dropped off and the stock price finds itself near all-time lows. On the daily time frame, BYND regularly moves in increments of 10% or more.
Key highlights:
Specializes in plant-based meat substitutes
Rapid global expansion
Volatile stock price
The best stocks for day trading: a quick overview
5-day change* 24h volume* Market cap* Tesla Inc (TSLA) +11.7 $51.5 million $1.33 trillion Nvidia (NVDA) -4.37% $93.4 million $3.39 trillion Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD) -8.73% $22 million $209.2 billion GameStop Corporation (GME) +4.37% $12.2 million $12.63 billion Block, Inc (SQ) +2.11% $3.54 million $60.6 billion Zoom Video Communications, Inc. (ZM) +2.48% $1.26 million $26.2 billion Roku, Inc. (ROKU) +1.73% $1.23 million $12.2 billion Moderna, Inc. (MRNA) -2.00% $2.34 million $16.2 billion NIO Inc. (NIO) +0.65% $29.3 million $8.92 billion Plug Power Inc. (PLUG) +1.11% $23.5 million $2.27 billion Virgin Galactic Holdings, Inc. (SPCE) +0.55% $1 million $183.4 million Beyond Meat, Inc. (BYND) -9.50% $3.2 million $264.1 million
*Data collected on December 11, 2024
The bottom line: What is the best stock for day trading right now?
There are some great stocks out there that could serve a skilled day trader well, but it’s important not to just ‘ape’ into any old stock, thinking that profits are inevitable. Traders should consider the time frame in which they’d like to trade, as well as common volatility increments in their chosen time frame.
Each of these stocks should present-day traders with regular opportunities in lower time frames. The top three are well-known companies with viral appeal, which makes for great trading thanks to stacked order books and high trading volume.
If you want to explore a more traditional approach to trading, we suggest you check out our list of the best stocks to buy, which we update every month. We've also prepared 3 day trading computer & monitor setups to accommodate all types of traders.
If you are curious about diving into the work of cryptocurrencies, check out our selection of the best day-trading cryptos.