# Scalping

*Trading & Technical Analysis — Finicade finance glossary*

Scalping takes many tiny profits from very short holding periods, sometimes seconds. Its economics are dominated by costs: with a target of a few basis points per trade, the bid-ask spread and commissions consume most of the edge, and one bad fill erases dozens of good ones. It is the retail strategy most directly in competition with professional market makers who are faster by orders of magnitude.

**Also known as:** scalper, high frequency retail trading

**Related terms:** [Day Trading](https://finicade.com/glossary/day-trading), [Bid-Ask Spread](https://finicade.com/glossary/bid-ask-spread), [Slippage](https://finicade.com/glossary/slippage), [High-Frequency Trading](https://finicade.com/glossary/high-frequency-trading), [Market Maker](https://finicade.com/glossary/market-maker)

Source: https://finicade.com/glossary/scalping