Scalping traders are most successful on Prop firm leaderboards | Forex Factory

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Scalping traders are most successful on Prop firm leaderboards

  • #1
  • First Post: Jan 31, 2024 7:15am Jan 31, 2024 7:15am
I have verified the leaderboards of some of the most popular prop firms, and I discovered that the most successful traders (the top 10–20) are scalpers who remain in the trade for between 10 - 15 minutes per trade. Unless those leaderboards are fake, what do these statistics tell us? Is it telling us that scalping is the easier way to make money in forex trading, or is it telling us that scalping is the only way that one can make money in trading?
Claud Lepathy
US30 Strategy B All Time Return: -6.6%
  • #2
  • Jan 31, 2024 2:57pm Jan 31, 2024 2:57pm
Predicting the smaller timeframe movement is far more reliable than trying to predict where the price will be in a week or month's time, IMO.

A lot of my positions don't even last a minute and the only instrument I trade is US30.
  • #3
  • Feb 1, 2024 6:48am Feb 1, 2024 6:48am
Because if you know how to trade, is actually Easier, better, and faster than waiting a stupid amount of times just to find/forecast a signal AND then waiting for the trade to develop

Trading is juts finding a unbalance in price and jump in, if you did it right it doesn't take long for the price to go straight ahead to your target.. that's all, you can be done in a few minutes per day and move on
  • #4
  • Feb 1, 2024 7:27am Feb 1, 2024 7:27am
Based on my 10 years of experience as a E-mini trader (just trading my own money) and extensive back testing (programmatically), I can say that yes scalping works more reliably than any other form of trading. There is no need to catch big movements if scalping can help you make N number of points every day. However, the focus and discipline probably matters the most in this form of trading.
  • #5
  • Feb 1, 2024 11:30am Feb 1, 2024 11:30am
Quoting havo
Because if you know how to trade, is actually Easier, better, and faster than waiting a stupid amount of times just to find/forecast a signal AND then waiting for the trade to develop Trading is juts finding a unbalance in price and jump in, if you did it right it doesn't take long for the price to go straight ahead to your target.. that's all, you can be done in a few minutes per day and move on
agree 100%
  • #6
  • Feb 6, 2024 6:38pm Feb 6, 2024 6:38pm
Quoting ClaudLepathy
I have verified the leaderboards of some of the most popular prop firms, and I discovered that the most successful traders (the top 10–20) are scalpers who remain in the trade for between 10 - 15 minutes per trade. Unless those leaderboards are fake, what do these statistics tell us? Is it telling us that scalping is the easier way to make money in forex trading, or is it telling us that scalping is the only way that one can make money in trading?


Yes you are right just get the blues that is what really matters
Thobad
  • #7
  • Feb 6, 2024 6:44pm Feb 6, 2024 6:44pm
Quoting ClaudLepathy
I have verified the leaderboards of some of the most popular prop firms, and I discovered that the most successful traders (the top 10–20) are scalpers who remain in the trade for between 10 - 15 minutes per trade. Unless those leaderboards are fake, what do these statistics tell us? Is it telling us that scalping is the easier way to make money in forex trading, or is it telling us that scalping is the only way that one can make money in trading?
Once you understand when market create an Imbalance and rebalancing the imbalance, moving from premium to equilibrium then from equilibrium to discount, and knowing your PDA level then attack one PDA then get some blue digit out
Thobad
  • #8
  • Feb 7, 2024 2:40am Feb 7, 2024 2:40am
Agree
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It takes a lot for me to IGNORE you, but you can try.
  • #9
  • Feb 7, 2024 5:52am Feb 7, 2024 5:52am
Quoting ClaudLepathy
Unless those leaderboards are fake, what do these statistics tell us?

They tell us that you (and many others posting in forums) have slightly misunderstood what a “scalper” is. Holding open positions for as long as 10 minutes actually has nothing to do with “scalping” at all. But everyone here knows exactly what you mean, of course, and regarding the intraday trading techniques you’re actually talking about, you’re entirely right.

There’s a simple mathematical reason for it, to do with the square-root proportionality between chart-speed and volatility.

The people who believe in “noise”, rather than in volume and volatility, maybe don’t quite understand it, but that’s their loss.
  • #10
  • Feb 8, 2024 2:24am Feb 8, 2024 2:24am
Imagine, that you are a profitable trader. Your succes rate is 50% and when you lose, you lose 1%, when you win, you win 2%. We assume, that the market is the same in M1, M5 and H1 H4 D1 timeframes. Similiar.
When you trade in H4, you have a 15 oppurtunity in every month. You can catch like 12 of them. Then you lose 6% and win 12%, it's 6% profit.
When you trade in M1/M5 you have a 15 oppurtunity in every week! You can catch like 12 of them. Its 6 x 4 = 24% profit a month.

More trade, more win, more %. Simple. And the mental pressure, when you in position for a day or for an hour! Its less.
  • #11
  • Feb 17, 2024 7:42pm Feb 17, 2024 7:42pm
I think it is because Drawdown limit and trading time limits of the many propfirms favors scalpers since scalping timeframes(15 minutes and below) playout quickly with small drawdown
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  • #12
  • Edited 6:12am Feb 18, 2024 6:00am | Edited 6:12am
Quoting ClaudLepathy
....what do these statistics tell us? Is it telling us that scalping is the easier way to make money in forex trading, or is it telling us that scalping is the only way that one can make money in trading?
as so many so often you mix up causality and correlation.
Statistics only tell you about correlation - nothing whatsoever about causality.
(So the numbers don't "tell" you whether a or b - or a myriad of other possibilities - is a valid interpretation. They only give you a hint where it might be interesting to start scientific research...
Everything that can be read here is at best: anecdotal...)
  • #13
  • Feb 23, 2024 4:33am Feb 23, 2024 4:33am
Only with Scalping can make good profit in trading,for long term!
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  • #14
  • Mar 9, 2024 7:20am Mar 9, 2024 7:20am
Quoting Tobad
{quote} Once you understand when market create an Imbalance and rebalancing the imbalance, moving from premium to equilibrium then from equilibrium to discount, and knowing your PDA level then attack one PDA then get some blue digit out
i'm pretty sure none of them use ICT
  • #15
  • Oct 22, 2025 3:36am Oct 22, 2025 3:36am
Have to agree, the shorter time you spend on the charts, the better. However long-term holders are interested in the amount of pips they can catch which is usually over 500-1000 PIPS. Indices are volatile therefore you can easily scalp, same with Gold.

I'm still in a debate with myself whether i opt for scalping or swinging trades, which fits me best and my schedule and will make me a profitable trader in the long run.
  • #16
  • Oct 24, 2025 12:45pm Oct 24, 2025 12:45pm
Quoting ClaudLepathy
I have verified the leaderboards of some of the most popular prop firms, and I discovered that the most successful traders (the top 10–20) are scalpers who remain in the trade for between 10 - 15 minutes per trade.

They are, sometimes - but have you also noticed that they’re all there only very temporarily?

Scalpers can have some very occasional brilliant patches of results, and shoot right up to the top of those leader boards … briefly.

They’re very, very rarely the solid performers who make a steady living, are they? Why do you think that might be?
  • #17
  • Oct 27, 2025 10:50pm Oct 27, 2025 10:50pm
Quoting ClaudLepathy
I have verified the leaderboards of some of the most popular prop firms, and I discovered that the most successful traders (the top 10–20) are scalpers who remain in the trade for between 10 - 15 minutes per trade. Unless those leaderboards are fake, what do these statistics tell us? Is it telling us that scalping is the easier way to make money in forex trading, or is it telling us that scalping is the only way that one can make money in trading?
Good point. Most prop firm leaderboards favor scalpers because they can show profits quickly within short evaluation times. That does not make scalping easier, just faster to display results. Many swing traders and position traders perform well too, but their trades take longer to mature and might not show up high on the daily stats.
https://topasiafx.com
  • #18
  • Dec 7, 2025 5:05am Dec 7, 2025 5:05am
It's not that scalping is the only way, but it's the optimal way to beat the rules. Prop firm leaderboards are skewed by volume, and the trailing drawdown rule is the real killer for swing traders. Scalpers close fast and manage that drawdown much easier.

If you are a positional trader and want a fairer shot, you need a firm with different options. FXIFY is one that offers a static drawdown option in their two-phase challenge, which seriously reduces the pressure compared to the typical trailing drawdown.
  • #19
  • Dec 10, 2025 3:17am Dec 10, 2025 3:17am
Those leaderboards might be from challenges on demo accounts, so the spreads and commissions could be unrealistically low.
  • #20
  • Jan 6, 2026 3:16am Jan 6, 2026 3:16am
I think the leaderboard argument is a bit misleading. Scalpers often show up near the top not because scalping is “easier,” but because prop firm rules favor short-term trading.
Tight daily drawdowns, profit targets, and time limits push traders to grab quick wins and avoid holding risk. Scalping fits that environment really well. That doesn’t mean it’s low effort though — execution, spreads, slippage, and mental fatigue make scalping tough to do consistently.

Also, many swing or position traders can be profitable, but they don’t always shine on short-term leaderboards, especially during evaluation phases.
Bottom line: scalping works well for prop challenges because of the rules, not because it’s some magic strategy. The “best” style still depends on the trader, their psychology, and the firm’s conditions.
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