Scalping

Scalping – An ultra-short-term strategy that seeks many small profits. Scalpers open and close trades in seconds or minutes, capturing tiny price differences. In automated trading, scalping EAs rapidly execute dozens or hundreds of orders per day during high-liquidity periods. For instance, a scalping EA in MQL5 might use OnTick() to check for small bid/ask spread opportunities and place OrderSend() calls to enter and quickly exit trades once a few pips profit are reached (often with very tight stop-losses). In cTrader’s Automate API, one could use PlaceLimitOrder() or ExecuteMarketOrder() repeatedly with code like OnBar() or OnTick() to scalp frequent moves. Python frameworks like Backtrader can also simulate scalping strategies by running tick or 1-minute data feeds and placing orders when small threshold moves occur. Scalping is relevant to robots because computers can react faster than humans to grab many tiny gains, though it demands low-latency execution and careful risk control.

⬅ Robots Glossary