The 1 Minute Trader | The Story of the Scalper who Achieved a 230% Return in 1 Year

Key Concepts

• Forte's trading journey from financial hardship to top performer in the 2025 US Investing Championship.
• Evolution of trading strategies from initial "buying opening range" to swing trading, and ultimately to scalping.
• Emphasis on a disciplined, analytical, and psychologically resilient mindset.
• The critical role of risk management, where a lower win rate is offset by minimizing losses and maximizing gains.
• Meticulous self-analysis through video review and adaptation to market conditions.
• The importance of protecting one's trading "edge" and maintaining self-belief.

Early Life and Introduction to Markets

Forte, a top performer in the 2025 US Investing Championship with a 230%+ return, shared his journey on the Traine Podcast, hosted by Richard Mglin. His early life was marked by financial hardship after his family immigrated to the US in 2005-2006, with his father taking ownership of a restaurant under a profit-sharing agreement. This experience fostered a strong work ethic but also resentment towards perceived limitations on his childhood. He found an escape in competitive video games like League of Legends, developing confidence and communication skills despite exhibiting toxic behavior.

His initial exposure to the stock market came through a high school personal finance class and a trading competition. He achieved remarkable success by allocating his entire $100,000 (paper money) into Tencent, ignoring diversification advice, and realizing a 50% return. This success was repeated in a subsequent competition, leading a teacher to seek his advice, which sparked a realization that experts don’t always possess superior knowledge.

College and Initial Trading Endeavors

Forte attended Ohio State University, initially pursuing computer science (failing calculus twice) before switching to architecture. He became disillusioned with architecture due to the perceived lack of financial motivation among professionals. A theft of $3,000-$5,000 in cash led to a period of apathy and a return to video games. He rediscovered stock trading through a friend and a Bloomberg terminal, initially drawn to replicating the success of top traders. He read books by Warren Buffett (which he found unhelpful) and Jesse Livermore, and began experimenting with day trading using options. In 2020, he achieved initial success with a "buying opening range" strategy, turning $600 into a five-figure sum. This strategy involved buying stocks that gapped up in the morning, setting a stop-loss, and holding until the end of the day.

Evolution of Trading Strategy and Drawdowns

The "buying opening range" strategy ceased to be effective in late 2020/early 2021. Forte then transitioned to swing trading, studying books such as How to Make Money in Stocks by William O’Neal and Trade Like a Stock Market Wizard by Mark Minervini. A significant drawdown in 2021, where he lost approximately $30,000, forced him to re-evaluate his approach, attributing the loss to a difficult market environment and a flawed strategy. He continued to experiment with swing trading, finding occasional success with stocks like ELF. He also briefly supplemented his income with profits from slot machines, highlighting the importance of a financial safety net.

Current Scalping Methodology and Performance

Forte’s shift to scalping was driven by the inability to consistently profit from swing trading. He learned the technique from a successful trader in his Discord community, initially struggling for six months before achieving consistent results. He executes approximately 150 trades daily, but emphasizes that "not every day is tradable," advocating for sitting out when market conditions are unfavorable, echoing Jesse Livermore’s advice: “You don’t make money by trading every single day. You make money by sitting.” He views the one-minute chart as representing 390 “days” of trading, highlighting the importance of selective trading.

In the 2025 US Investing Championship, Forte’s scalping performance involved 36,000 trades, with 106,348 winners and 20,362 losers, resulting in a 44.5% win rate and a risk-reward ratio (RR) of 1.58. He notes the precariousness of his strategy, as a drop in win rate below 38.8% would result in losses. He is hesitant to reveal specific details about his current scalping strategy, fearing that public disclosure would diminish its effectiveness, referencing a perceived "stock market police" that eliminates profitable edges.

The Trader's Mindset, Discipline, and Lifestyle

Forte describes a lifestyle centered around day trading, waking up and trading immediately, foregoing coffee, and finding enjoyment in the process regardless of wins or losses. He incorporates a post-market nap around 4 PM to maintain performance. He emphasizes the importance of discipline, comparing trading to a fun activity like gaming, but stressing the serious financial consequences. His mentality is always one of inevitable victory: “My mentality is always I know I'm going to win. It's it's like I believe that victory will come to me.” He acknowledges the emotional toll of trading for a living, particularly the devastation of drawdowns, such as a recent 10-12% drawdown. He highlights the importance of having a separate income source to reduce financial pressure and maintain a rational mindset, and the need for self-belief against external opinions.

Risk Management and Self-Analysis

Forte challenges the common perception of high batting averages (80-95%) in day trading. He reveals his win rate is often below 50%, but profitability is maintained by minimizing losses and maximizing gains on winning trades. He states, “Your losses have to be incredibly small while you try to let your winners work,” and “A lot of the time when I take a loss, I often get out at break even. I don't lose much money.”

He meticulously reviews his trades using video recordings that display P&L, the one-minute chart, Level 2 data, and time & sales. He focuses on identifying mistakes and improving future execution, emphasizing the need for rapid analysis and adjustment. His trade review process involves watching playback, identifying mistakes, and immediately adjusting strategy for the next trading hour. For market condition assessment, he evaluates price action and follow-through, taking a break (days or even weeks) if multiple trades result in losses. He observed a correlation between market volatility (specifically the Trump tariff situation in March-April of a previous year) and his trading profitability.

Protecting the Edge and Key Perspectives

Forte expresses concern about revealing too much detail about his strategies, fearing they could be exploited by others or rendered ineffective by algorithmic trading. He argues that a high win rate is less important than effective risk management and maximizing gains on winning trades. Discipline, especially during drawdowns, is paramount for long-term success. Continuous self-evaluation and trade review are vital for identifying weaknesses and improving performance, as "Trading doesn’t make progress. Good judgment makes progress." Recognizing and adapting to changing market conditions is key to profitability. He advises aspiring traders to "Be open-minded. Anything could happen."

Technical Terms and Concepts

• PDT (Pattern Day Trader) Rule: A SEC rule restricting the number of day trades an investor can make within a five-business-day period.
• Risk-Reward Ratio (RR): The ratio of potential profit to potential loss on a trade.
• Level 2 Data: Real-time market depth information showing buy and sell orders.
• Times and Sales: A record of every trade that has occurred for a particular security.
• Scalping: A trading strategy involving making numerous small profits on tiny price changes.
• Swing Trading: A trading strategy that involves holding positions for several days or weeks to profit from price swings.
• ELO: A rating system used in competitive games, like chess and League of Legends, to measure relative skill.
• Overhead Supply: The amount of shares available for sale at a given price level.
• Gap Up: When a stock's opening price is significantly higher than the previous day's closing price.
• VWAP (Volume Weighted Average Price): A trading benchmark that gives more weight to prices traded at higher volumes.
• 9 EMA (Exponential Moving Average): A type of moving average that gives more weight to recent prices.
• ECN (Electronic Communication Network): A trading venue that matches buy and sell orders electronically.
• Slippage: The difference between the expected price of a trade and the actual price at which it is executed.
• Bid-Ask Spread: The difference between the highest price a buyer is willing to pay (bid) and the lowest price a seller is willing to accept (ask).

Conclusion

Forte's journey underscores the transformative power of resilience, adaptability, and rigorous self-analysis in the demanding world of trading. His success, particularly in scalping, is not attributed to a high win rate but to a disciplined approach of minimizing losses and maximizing gains, coupled with continuous learning and a strong psychological foundation. His story highlights that consistent profitability stems from a deep understanding of market conditions, meticulous trade review, and an unwavering belief in one's strategy, even when it deviates from conventional wisdom.