Quote from illiquid:
Why would someone want to target a single tick move? The only answer a screen trader could give is a lower standard for entry -- is that your priority? To enter as often as you can? Putting it differently, which 1/4 points would you consider "safer" bets than others? If you felt there was a high probability for ES to move 3 points, would you consider that a better entry than a place where you only think a 1 point move would occur? Would you still just settle for your 1/4 then?
Profitable floor traders end up making money with avg profit per contract in the sub-1 point range, but beyond lower commission costs, that is with a mindset of operating continuously as market-makers, often letting positions build up against them, as opposed to setting very tight stops. When the market goes one-way for 30 handles, you know these guys are puking up by the close.
I am assuming you do not want to trade this mindset, and want to limit your risk with tight stops; in this case, you MUST find opportunities that will yield far more than a single tick. Just because smaller moves occur more frequently does not make them "easier" to trade. Do the homework, find those rarer times when the market will run a few points or more -- then and only then, if you want to limit your risk, just close too soon. Your catch-22 is basically the fact that, if you get to the point where you can identify "good" entry points to open a trade, it should yield you much more than just 1 tick.