Scalp Trading During the Recession


Caroline Klaus | Updated: 30-09-2022 15:03 IST | Created: 30-09-2022 15:03 IST
Scalp Trading During the Recession
Image Credit: Unsplash

Success in the money markets depends on your trading strategy, knowing where, when, and what to look for, and even the investment apps in the UK you're trading on. Furthermore, market conditions may not always be ideal, and sometimes you're expected to make a profit in harsh bear conditions such as a recession. While different strategies can work sometimes, an excellent one is the scalping technique, but that's only if you know how it works. 

Scalping is a trading strategy that aims to take advantage of slight price changes that happen regularly throughout the day by quickly buying and reselling securities as they fluctuate. And day traders implementing this technique are also not looking to hold their investments for long periods to see benefits. However, how do you make it work for you when the market is in a recession? Keep reading as we explore different possibilities at your disposal. 

How Does Scalping Work?

Scalping in a recession is much like scalping in the regular markets, only that opportunities are farther in between, and your risk tolerance is lower than usual. However, the principles we discuss here are the same in all conditions. 

In scalping, you assume that stocks will go through the entire initial stage of their movement but are not 100% sure where they will turn after that. In some instances, some stop to move while others push on, creating new opportunities. Furthermore, as a scalper, it will not be uncommon for you to make hundreds of small trades daily to optimize your profits while avoiding significant losses that can wipe out any small gains. 

In addition, any trade that offers a risk-to-reward ratio of one to one is a scalp. For instance, if you enter a position for $50 with a stop of $45, the risk is $5, which also means that you will reach your one-to-one reward ratio at $55. So in most scalp trades, you stand to lose the exact amount you will gain, which is not too bad if we do say so ourselves. 

Types of Scalping

1. Market Making

Market making is one of the more challenging scalping strategies in the world of scalping. A trader tries to capitalize on a specific stock spread by simultaneously posting a bid and an offer, also known as asks. They provide liquidity to the market while benefiting from placing principal trades on their accounts. However, it only works in particular situations, and the fierce competition from other market makers means strategies rarely play out as expected. 

2. Large Purchases

This strategy involves making a significant stock purchase, which you quickly sell for a profit after a slight market shift. As a trader utilizing this strategy, you require to be highly liquid and only trade in stocks that are easy to buy and sell. 

3. The Traditional Method

This scalping strategy is much like investing in shares. You enter a position at your own time and exit as soon as you see the first exit signal while at or near your one-to-one reward risk ratio.

Regardless of the scalping strategy, you implement during your trading, it's essential to remember that the aim is to make small incremental profits that end up to a significant lump sum. It also involves holding positions for seconds and a few minutes at the most, making it the fastest form of trading. Furthermore, the slightest misjudgment or slip of your attention can end up in error, costing you days' worth of work. 

As such, always stay calm even when losses are piling up or facing a bad market from a recession's effects because how you react today might determine if you get to trade tomorrow.  

Final words

No one ever wants to hear of a recession; it reduces everyone's output and usually marks a challenging time for all industries, including trading. However, unlike some sectors, traders have different strategies to help mitigate the effects of a recession. Day trading and scalping, in particular, is one way a trader can tighten their belt and take advantage of every slight movement in the markets despite the times. So if you pay close attention to signals in the market, know what they mean, and act fast. You will be well on your way to scalping out of the next recession.

(Devdiscourse's journalists were not involved in the production of this article. The facts and opinions appearing in the article do not reflect the views of Devdiscourse and Devdiscourse does not claim any responsibility for the same.)

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