Scalping
Trading style with dozens of small trades daily — small profit per trade, big total.
Scalping is the most intensive trading style — you open and close positions within seconds to minutes, taking small profit (0.1–0.5%) on a large number of trades.
Characteristics:
•Timeframe: 1 min, 5 min, tick chart
•Leverage: high (10–50x) to amplify small moves
•Number of trades: 20–100+ daily
•Screen time: all day
Tools:
•Level 2 order book — direct insight into bid/ask depth
•Time & Sales (tape) — every transaction in real time
•Hotkeys — instant order entry without mouse
Advantages:
•No overnight position carrying — no gap risk
•Small stop-loss per trade
Disadvantages:
•Fees can eat into profit (especially taker fee)
•Mentally exhausting — burnout is common
•Need access to exchanges with zero or low taker fee
•Algorithms (bots) are better at scalping than humans
Best for: experienced traders with clear edge and discipline.