The FINRA and NYSE instituted regulations intended to limit the amount of trading that can be done in accounts with small amounts of capital, specifically accounts with less than 25,000 USD Net Liquidation Value. A Pattern Day Trader is someone who effects 4 or more day trades within a 5 business day period. Pattern Day Trader Question | Page 2 | Elite Trader Mar 01, 2015 · Personally I am against the Pattern Day Trader rule for the following reasons: 1. It should be the brokerages, not the government, that decides on the amount of margin required. In turn, the SEC makes requirements from the brokerage what kind of overall capital buffer it needs - and then it's the broker's problem how they solve it.