1-min EMA RSI MACD scalp
A fast intraday scalp on one-minute NIFTY bars. When price moves above its 9 EMA with RSI over 60 and the MACD histogram positive, it buys the at-the-money call; the mirror setup buys the put. Each trade has a fixed 20-point stop and 40-point target on the option premium, aiming for twice as much on winners as it gives up on losers.How it trades
Results
PRE-BUILT · DEFAULTSWhere it made and lost money
In this test the scalp only worked when the day had a real trend. On 318 trend-day trades it made ₹33,275 before costs, as momentum signals were followed through and the 40-point target came before the 20-point stop. Quiet sessions were the opposite: 314 trades lost ₹1,18,676 with a 28% win rate, because one-minute signals in a narrow range reversed and premium decay ate the rest. Choppy days lost ₹12,506. Higher volatility did not help: trades after India VIX closed above 14.5 lost ₹61,132, while calm days below 11.5 broke even.
About this strategy
- Build one-minute bars of the NIFTY near-month future with a 9-period EMA, 14-period RSI and the MACD (12, 26, 9) histogram.
- Long setup: close above the EMA, RSI above 60 and histogram above zero. Short setup: close below the EMA, RSI below 40 and histogram below zero.
- When a setup switches on between 09:20 and 15:00, buy one lot of the ATM call (long) or put (short) of the nearest weekly expiry at that bar's close. Skip options priced at 20 points or less.
- Exit when the option falls 20 points (stop) or rises 40 points (target).
- Hold one trade at a time, at most six a day, and stop for the day once the session has lost ₹5,000; an open trade also closes at that limit.
- Close anything still open at 15:15.
Why traders use it
Each indicator checks a different side of momentum: the EMA confirms direction, RSI past 60 or 40 shows strength, and the MACD histogram confirms acceleration. Requiring all three is meant to filter out weak moves. The fixed 2:1 reward-to-risk on the premium means the strategy can break even winning only about a third of its trades, a common pitch for one-minute scalping systems.
The year in plain words
On NIFTY from 1 Oct 2025 to 30 Sep 2026 with default settings, the scalp made 974 trades and won 32%. Wins averaged ₹2,323 and losses ₹1,265, close to the planned 2:1, but the win rate fell just short of what that ratio needs, leaving a ₹1,07,972 loss before costs and a profit factor of 0.87. The stop was hit 578 times against 256 targets. October, November and January were profitable; May to September all lost money. With nearly a thousand round trips, costs matter: after ₹20 per order and bid-ask slippage the loss was ₹1,68,321.
What the settings do
Risks
- One-minute signals are noisy, and a 20-point stop on an ATM option is often reached by normal fluctuation.
- Hundreds of trades a year make brokerage and bid-ask spreads a large share of every rupee won or lost.
- Fills are assumed at the last traded price on the signal bar; real fills on fast one-minute moves can be worse.
- Several losing trades in a morning can hit the ₹5,000 daily limit before any winner arrives.
Who it suits
Active intraday option buyers comfortable with high trade frequency and low win rates, with fast execution and a clear daily loss limit. It is a useful reference for how indicator-stacked scalps behave once costs are counted.
Questions traders ask
What is the 9 EMA RSI MACD scalping strategy?
It combines three momentum checks on one-minute charts: price above or below the 9 EMA, RSI beyond 60 or 40, and the MACD histogram on the same side of zero. When all three agree, the trader buys the ATM call or put with a fixed points stop and target on the option.
Is one-minute option scalping with EMA, RSI and MACD profitable?
Not in this test. On NIFTY from 1 Oct 2025 to 30 Sep 2026 it lost ₹1,07,972 before costs and ₹1,68,321 after ₹20 per order and bid-ask slippage (statutory charges not included). Past results do not guarantee future ones.
What win rate does a 2:1 reward-to-risk need?
In theory just over 33% to break even before costs, because each win pays twice what a loss costs. In practice time exits and partial moves shift the averages, and here a 32% win rate with wins of ₹2,323 against losses of ₹1,265 was not enough.
Why does the strategy only enter when a setup switches on?
If it entered whenever the conditions held, a stopped-out trade would be re-bought on the very next bar of the same move. Requiring the setup to switch on fresh means each trade follows a new signal.