Scalping with a small account, how realistic is this?

First off I don’t scalp however I’m just wondering, for those fascinated by it or have tried it, don’t you guys get eaten up by fees? Especially if you’re trading a $300 account or even smaller? That account can’t possibly last longer than a few days?

Beginner trader, small account, and scalping? That’s a crazy combo, no? :open_mouth:

3 Likes

That is correct if you’re adding small amount and your strategy is scalping for the trading then the amount will be used in few days but if you are following the strategy properly then you might ending up with profits as well.

I think trying to build a small $300 account to a big account is a little unrealistic. Can it be done?? Maybe with a lot of patience and exellent trade management but in most cases highly unlikely.

There is nothing wrong with scalping on a small account if you are scalping using a micro account on the spot FX market. There your fees are the spread and once the trade goes positive you spread or fees are paid. However if you are trading micro mini accounts on the futures market yes fees will be a problem. That of course depends on the broker you are using.

It is almost impossible to position trade using the timeframe of a day because your stop loss size will be far more than the 2% risk you should be using with your trade management.

My advice to someone with a $300 account. Get a second job, save some more money,add that to your account until you have a much larger account size to trade.

Cheers

Blackduck

6 Likes

The smaller the amount is, the less the profit there will be for scalping.

3 Likes

What is your thinking here?? Because it doesn’t make sense.

Lets say for example if you take a scalp trade on a micro account where your pip size is approximately 0.10 per pip. You risk 5 pips to make 10 pips that means you risk .50 to make a dollar.

Blackduck

3 Likes

Guys she’s only asking if it’s possible and bouncing the idea around so don’t take it too seriously. Of course it’s highly improbable, unrealistic, but not impossible.

My advice is to save your money and wait till you have a larger amount. Scalping is best done with big accounts so you can scoop up a few pips on multiple lots. Your stop can’t be too tight so obviously you need some cushion, which of course takes equity.

Another strategy (which i know you won’t like) is to go all in on the $300 and aim to double the account so you have more to work with. I did this on a 7k account in the early part of my trading career to build seed money. It worked and the 14k account grew slowly over the next few years. If I didn’t take that initial shot things would have never gotten off the ground. Although I think this strategy is only suited for experienced and non risk-averse traders :slight_smile:

3 Likes

I didn’t think we were taking it too seriously. However one must be honest and realistic.

Cheers

Blackduck

3 Likes

If your strategy is perfect, you can earn money from a small amount using scalping. So, make a strong strategy and earn profit with your small amount.

1 Like

All great points. I bring it up because I see this combination so much. Someone who wants to scalp but also want it with a small account… and maybe they even have a goal of trading full time. Real lofty goals which made me wonder how doable the whole thing actually is. Like you said, maybe if a pro trader is managing it, then yes. Otherwise… :woozy_face:

Whoa. How many years did it take? 3? Although that works well for a $7k/$14k account but not sure if it’s the same for a $300/$600 one. :sweat_smile:

imo it is very realistic to scalp no matter the account size as long as u know what ur doing and u use a fixed % of ur account risk per trade.
my definition of scalping is waiting for 1hr setup to occour and then take ur entry on 5m thus having a smaller SL and increasing ur RR. ofc all this with higher timeframes bias in mind(top down aproach). it s what i actually do a lot of times specially when close to a resist or support(that i think it might break) or when i have more time to monitor.
scalping doesn t necessarily mean watching 1 and 5m charts only and take 100 trades per day imho atleast.
cheers

2 Likes

I think this is the right strategy, in my experience, it works

1 Like

Scalper should start trading with a small amount. Scalping looks easy at first, but it also requires experience.

Scalping isn’t suited for a small account but…:thinking: $300 isn’t a small account and this’s doable with the said account IF AND ONLY IF you done perfecting your entries and you’re disciplined regarding your risk management.

Its too little capital to expect realistic results without excess risk which will ultimately end in blowing the account.

I second what someone higher up said about saving and starting with realistic capital.

If the trader can only manage a sub 1k balance then trading may not be the most appropriate first step in this journey. Get a job, save then start properly.

I am also vocal about scalping not being suitable for beginners.

1 Like

I’ve deposit $280 and made $500 profit in 2 weeks but then over traded my account and lost it in 2days.its not how much u deposit,it’s how much patience you have with a good strategy,entry and exit points but it’s possible

7 Likes

When you find / develop that “perfect strategy” please, please, please let me know

2 Likes

scalping sometimes profitable , there is no way to deny , but sometimes it causes a great risk , if you want to bring regular profit by scalping , you have to make sure good knowledge and experience.

2 Likes

Depends on your definition of scalping. I think for someone with a small account it may be ideal to trade intraday timeframes because you the faster the timeframe the smaller you can afford to have your stop loss set and hence risk less per trade. Also probably best for people with small accounts to find a broker that allows them to trade 0.001 lot size.

1 Like

Whoa. How many years did it take? 3? Although that works well for a $7k/$14k account but not sure if it’s the same for a $300/$600 one.

It took a few months to double… That’s what i mean by going all in on a few trades to try to get your balance up. It’s an all or nothing shot :slight_smile: It works for any account balance assuming you can get the proper size increments with your brokerage. It’s about percentage gain at the end of the day. Attached a double from a 2k deposit this week in the futures market.

TransactionHistory-(17-08-2020)-(20-08-2020) (1).csv (1.0 KB)

1 Like

You get the same result if you take your $300 to a casino and put it all on black.

Good luck if you did it but it’s certainly a strategy that I would not pursue.

Cheers

Blackduck

2 Likes