Yes—your occasional, own-money swing trading fits personal investing and does not by itself violate F-1 work restrictions, as long as it does not become paid work or a trading business.

(e)(1)-(2)

Any other nonimmigrant in the United States may not engage in any employment unless the nonimmigrant has been accorded a nonimmigrant classification which authorizes employment or the nonimmigrant has been granted permission to engage in employment in accordance with the provisions of this chapter. A nonimmigrant who is permitted to engage in employment may engage only in such employment as has been authorized. Any unauthorized employment by a nonimmigrant constitutes a failure to maintain status within the meaning of section 241(a)(1)(C)(i) of the Act.

(f)-(h)

The term employee means an individual who provides services or labor for an employer for wages or other remuneration but does not mean independent contractors as defined in paragraph (j) of this section or those engaged in casual domestic employment as stated in paragraph (h) of this section; The term employment means any service or labor performed by an employee for an employer within the United States, including service or labor performed on a vessel or aircraft that has arrived in the United States and has been inspected, or otherwise included within the provisions of the Anti-Reflagging Act codified at 46 U.S.C. 8704, but not including duties performed by nonimmigrant crewmen defined in sections 101 (a)(10) and (a)(15)(D) of the Act.

Because starting your own business constitutes work, while in F-1 status a student must qualify and apply for optional practical training (OPT) if they plan to do so. OPT, and thus the business, must relate to a student’s program of study and can occur either before (pre-completion OPT) or after the completion of a program of study (post-completion OPT).

Investors

Investors typically buy and sell securities and expect income from dividends, interest, or capital appreciation. They buy and sell these securities and hold them for personal investment; they're not conducting a trade or business. Most investors are individuals and hold these securities for a substantial period of time.

Traders

Special rules apply if you're a trader in securities, in the business of buying and selling securities for your own account. The law considers this to be a trade or business, even though a trader doesn't maintain an inventory and doesn't have customers. To be engaged in business as a trader in securities, you must meet all of the following conditions: You must seek to profit from daily market movements in the prices of securities and not from dividends, interest, or capital appreciation; Your activity must be substantial; and You must carry on the activity with continuity and regularity. The following facts and circumstances should be considered in determining if your activity is a securities trading business: Typical holding periods for securities bought and sold; The frequency and dollar amount of your trades during the year; The extent to which you pursue the activity to produce income for a livelihood; and The amount of time you devote to the activity. If the nature of your trading activities doesn't qualify as a trade or business, you're generally considered an investor and not a trader.

Instructions, Part I

Use Form 6781 to report: • Any capital gain or loss on section 1256 contracts under the mark-to-market rules, and • Gains and losses under section 1092 from straddle positions. A section 1256 contract is any: • Regulated futures contract, • Foreign currency contract, • Nonequity option, • Dealer equity option, or • Dealer securities futures contract.