What is a day trade?

A day trade is when a trader opens (buy/short sell) and closes (sell/buy-to-cover) a position in the same day. Please note that extended hours trading activity does count towards day trading. It is considered a day trade so long as a sell/buy to cover is executed following a buy/sell short of the same security on the same day. It is not considered a day trade if you sell/buy to cover and then buy/sell short so long as you do not close your purchase/short thereafter.