Scalping Trading Strategy: High Leverage, Little Time and Few Pips at a Time (2024)

The technique of scalping is a very popular one among Forex traders, one loved and encouraged by some online brokers, and which is made possible by exploiting the high leverages that are typical of this market.

What Scalping Is and How to Scalp

Scalping consists in using very high leverages — typically 1:1000 or even 1:3000 — to open trades on pairs with a low spread, aiming at a small target in terms of pips, usually compensating the higher risk exposure with tighter stop-losses.

Because of its unique features, a typical scalping trade lasts a few seconds to a few minutes, allowing traders to place more trades and invest more capital during the course of the day. Stop-losses and take-profits are usually quite tight, which makes it easy for the pair to reach one or another in a relatively short period of time.

This technique is quite easy to use and, when mastered, it certainly allows traders to earn (as well as lose) a very consistent percentage of their equity in a single day by placing multiple trades, but still controlling their risk exposure in a very precise way. For instance, it is not uncommon to see traders earn or lose up to 15-20% of their equity in a single day by placing several trades of this kind, although professional traders do not usually risk that much unless conditions appear particularly favorable.

Why Some Online Forex Brokers Love Scalpers

Some FX brokers love scalpers and encourage the use of this technique by their traders because, as you already know, Forex brokers are being compensated with the difference between the bid and the ask price. This means that their earnings are proportionate to the product of spread and your current exposure and so, the more you trade, the more they earn.

However, it has to be said that not all online brokers have the ideal conditions for scalping, which are very high leverage and reasonable spreads (no more than 1-2 pips on EUR/USD and other main pairs).

Moreover, not every broker allows you to place your stop and limit orders exactly where you want them, especially if you want to place them very close to the current price of the currency pair, say, at a distance of only 5 or 6 pips.

This partially limits your possibilities as a scalper, but it also has the very positive effect of protecting you against the high volatility of this market. Placing a stop/limit order at just 5 or 6 pips is typically not something you want to do, especially when you factor in the spread which can already be 2-3 pips: this would mean that, if the pair went just another 2 pips down, you would trigger a stop-loss and lose on a potentially profitable trade.

When you use scalping, you typically want to give the pair a little more room to swing back and forth a little before it has the possibility of reaching your take-profit objective. Many traders use SL and TP levels from 10 to 20 pips each, which are still considered quite tight compared to other trading strategies, especially those in the long term.

Scalping Trading Strategy: High Leverage, Little Time and Few Pips at a Time (2024)

FAQs

Scalping Trading Strategy: High Leverage, Little Time and Few Pips at a Time? ›

Using high leverage and making trades with just a few pips

pips
A pip, an acronym for "percentage in point" or "price interest point," is a tool of measurement related to the smallest price movement made by any exchange rate. Currencies are usually quoted to four decimal places, meaning that the smallest change in a currency pair would be in the last digit.
https://www.investopedia.com › answers › pipandcurrencypair
profit at a time can add up. Scalpers get the best results if their trades are profitable and can be repeated many times over the course of the day. Remember, with one standard lot, the average value of a pip is about $10.

Is high leverage good for scalping? ›

High Leverage: Many scalpers use leverage to amplify their trading capacity, which increases both potential profits and potential losses.

How many pips are good for scalping? ›

Forex scalpers usually aim to scalp between 5-10 pips from each position, aiming to make a more significant profit by the end of the day. Forex scalping is a form of arbitrage trading​​. Get tight spreads, no hidden fees and access to 10,000+ instruments.

What is the most profitable 1 minute scalping strategy? ›

One of the favored indicators for 1-minute scalping is Moving Averages, particularly EMA (Exponential Moving Average). It helps in identifying the short-term trend direction in a given asset. Scalpers use it to find entry and exit points, optimizing their trades for quick profits.

What is the best scalping strategy time frame? ›

However, this could equally result in magnified losses if the trade moves in an unexpected direction. What is the best timeframe for scalping? As scalping is a very short-term strategy, popular timeframes for carrying out scalping in trading can be anywhere between one and 15 minutes, although some may choose longer.

What is the most successful scalping indicator? ›

Best Indicators For Scalping
  • Bollinger Bands. ...
  • Parabolic SAR (Stop and Reverse) ...
  • Relative Strength Index (RSI) ...
  • Parabola. ...
  • Moving Average. ...
  • Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) ...
  • Exponential Smoothing. ...
  • Volume-Weighted Average Price (VWAP)
Nov 28, 2023

How many trades do scalpers do in a day? ›

The nickname for traders that employ the scalping strategy is “scalpers.” Scalpers can place anywhere from a few to one hundred-plus trades a day, always attempting to turn a small profit with each individual trade.

Is 50 pips a day possible? ›

Earning a consistent 50 pips a day in forex trading is an ambitious but achievable goal. While the forex market is highly dynamic and unpredictable, traders who employ effective strategies and risk management techniques can work towards this target.

Is 100 pips a day possible? ›

Making 100 pips a day in forex may be possible, but not everyone can do it. You will have to be an experienced trader who can use more advanced strategies. To achieve this goal you can combine different strategies, such as scalping and swing trading.

What is the average profit of a scalper? ›

Scalpers typically make trading decisions based on three factors. First, they set a target profit amount per trade. This amount is relative to the size of the price of the stock although most scalpers look for gains in the $0.10 to $0.25 range.

What is the easiest scalping strategy? ›

The Forex 1 minute scalping strategy is a good starting point for Forex beginners, as it is quite a simple strategy to follow. This scalping Forex strategy involves identifying an opportunity, opening a position, aiming to gain a few pips and then closing the position.

What are the best hours for scalping? ›

How many hours of sleep are enough for good health?
Age groupRecommended amount of sleep
3 to 5 years10 to 13 hours per 24 hours, including naps
6 to 12 years9 to 12 hours per 24 hours
13 to 18 years8 to 10 hours per 24 hours
Adults7 or more hours a night
2 more rows

What is the best trading pair for scalping? ›

Major currency pairs, such as EUR/USD, GBP/USD, and USD/JPY, are characterized by high liquidity. This makes them suitable for scalping strategies as traders can quickly enter and exit positions without significant slippage.

What is the 5 minute scalping strategy? ›

Scalping is the process of entering and exiting trades multiple times per day to make small profits. The process of scalping in foreign exchange trading involves moving in and out of foreign exchange positions frequently to make small profits. The 5-Minute Trading Strategy could be used to help execute such trades.

Is scalping harder than day trading? ›

Scalping requires a lot of focus and quick reflexes, as traders need to be able to spot opportunities and act on them quickly. The downside of scalping is that it can be very stressful and requires a lot of discipline. Day trading, on the other hand, involves buying and selling securities within a single trading day.

How long should scalping last? ›

Scalping vs Day Trading

The difference in time frame: while scalpers trade in an exceptionally short time frame, typically 1 to 2 minutes in the market, day traders trade the market with a long time frame, usually 1 to 2 hours in the market.

Which option is best for scalping? ›

Best scalping strategies
  • Stochastic oscillator strategy.
  • Moving average strategy.
  • Parabolic SAR indicator strategy.
  • RSI strategy.

Is 1/500 leverage good for a beginner? ›

If you are a beginner trader , it is not recommended to use such high leverage as it requires a lot of experience and discipline to manage effectively . Even experienced traders can have their accounts blown if they are not careful and do not have a solid risk management plan in place .

What leverage do most traders use? ›

In the markets of forex, the common leverage used is 100:1, considered high. What this essentially means is that for each $1,000 in your trading account, you are permitted to trade till $100,000 of currency value.

What is the best leverage for $10? ›

Here's a general guideline for determining optimal leverage based on account size: Account Size: $10 - $50 Recommended Leverage: 1:100 or lower. Account Size: $100 - $200 Recommended Leverage: 1:200 or lower.

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