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In today's volatile market, trading is like doing brain surgery on an epileptic patient without anesthesia. The advantage traders have is that they can be selective on which stocks to trade, whereas surgeons have to take ALL patients (with insurance, at least).

Not yet six figures. I left my last job last month to join a broker/dealer as a manager/trainer. I'm training a few new traders and I only trade some mornings and the close when conditions look ripe.

Sure, you are...Bob.

Caught a good scalp this morning in QLGC. Bought 1000 shares at 41.55 and sold at 42.5. Later, I made three 25 cent plays for 500 shares apiece (but I should have held my initial lot until 44).

So you're telling me you couldn't find a one point scalp in QLGC over the past ten days when it moved up over 10 points?

Yes, I agree. But remember, there ARE some illiquid stocks that have very large spreads.

As I wrote in a previous post, there are momentum scalpers and specialist (or bid/ask) scalpers. I know exactly what I'm talking about. The only reason I insult daniel_m is because he comes off as a pompous know-it-all and we trade barbs all the time. For your info, momentum scalpers look to...

RealTick or First Alert

You probably don't trade any stocks over $20. There are many, many stocks on NYSE and Nasdaq that move more than 1 point a day. Capturing a 1 pt. move out of a 4 pt. daily move (for a volatile $50+ stock) is a scalp. Quit talking out of your ass.

Okay, let me clarify. The amount of the scalp also depends on a percentage of the stock's price and the daily range. For example, one point on WCOM is not a scalp, but one point on MSFT could be (if it's an intraday move).

They try to make the spread I guess. It's more interesting to watch paint dry, I think.

Maybe LongJohnSilver is Robert...

It's tough to scalp MSFT but if you look for range breakouts/breakdowns you can do it. Just be prepared to have wider stops (i.e., 20 cents).

What a bunch of savages...

You're correct, tntneo. There are momentum scalpers and "specialist" scalpers who look to make the spread and don't require momentum. Range traders would also fall into the latter category.

"True scalping" has no size requirement. The principle is the same for 100 shares or 10,000 shares. Scalping is ALL based on momentum. The goal is to buy into strength when you see a move develop and sell when the move dissipates. Whether the move lasts for a few cents or a few quarters is...

It's in the eye of the beholder and depends on your experience. For daniel_m, a .90 cent profit is a once in a lifetime grand slam home run. For me, it was a very good scalp.

I said LESS than a point. I'd think that covers pretty much everybody in the world, from penny scalpers to quarter scalpers, from minute trades to hourly trades.

Depends on your definition of scalp. I view scalping as anything under a one point move so you CAN scalp MSFT. Trading for one or two pennies with 10K shares of penny stock is scalping to the most extreme and it's a waste of time (to me). You just can't accurately see the move and any...

Were you a bad kid?