I also got to almost $2 million after a couple hundred trades, but then just started pushing buy every time and went back down to $100k. I helped my dad get up $40k on etrade in the 4 months just before 9/11, pleaded with him to collect his winnings in August, and then it all trickled away in the weeks afterwards. Stock trading is just a casino where the odds are 2% in your favor each day, but only the rich can play. I think hackers make good traders because of their contrarian nature, and ability to stay cool and read signs that most people are too impatient/impulsive to see.