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Day Trading Rules and Cash Accounts

May 14, 2020

Day trading in a cash account is generally prohibited. Day trades can occur in a cash account only to the extent the trades do not violate the free-riding prohibition of Federal Reserve Board’s Regulation T. In general, failing to pay for a security before you sell the security in a cash account violates the free-riding prohibition. If you free-ride, your broker is required to place a 90-day freeze on the account.

At TradeStation, you can day trade in a cash account with settled funds only, therefore avoiding the free-riding prohibition.

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