Entrevista a Adrian Nardelli: Las decisiones que permiten a un scalper mantener el control

After a losing trade, Adrián Nardelli closes his screens and leaves his office. He has learned that staying at his desk to recover a loss can lead to revenge trades; a practical rule shaped by years of deciding when to enter the market and when to step away.

So, who is Adrián Naedelli? Adrián is an Exness Team Pro trader, scalper, and educator who trades live with his community. In this interview, he talks about how he prepares for the market, why some sessions end without a trade, and how execution affects his scalping.

What does your preparation look like before you start trading?

I usually work from my home office, where I can focus without much outside noise. My preparation begins the night before by looking at important news scheduled for the next day. In the morning, I review what happened in the markets, including developments during the Asian session and observations shared by my community. Then I answer emails and organize my day.

Before an entry, I check the instruments I trade on my usual timeframe and then on a higher one, such as a one-hour chart. If the broader direction does not support the setup, I discard it. I also check for high-impact economic news because a sudden move can quickly change the conditions for a scalp.

What helps you get into the right state of mind?

The routine itself. At around 10:15, I open a live trading room and analyze the market with my community of about 500 people before the market opens. That helps me focus and follow the rules I teach. If I tell them to stop after a loss, they can see whether I do the same.

Golf has taught me something similar. Before a shot, you follow a routine and picture what might happen. Before a trade, I consider two or three possible market moves and how I would respond. I cannot decide what the market will do, but I can decide how I will react.

Has that routine changed over the years?

Sí. Earlier in my career, I traded while holding a full-time job. I would try to open a quick trade and then return to work. I never gave enough attention to the preparation beforehand.

Now I protect my mornings from errands that could distract me. I spend more time preparing than managing a trade. A scalp trade may last only minutes, but the decisions around it begin much earlier. The change also allows me to spend mornings with my daughter. I do not show much of that time on social media, but I value it.

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When do you feel the most pressure as a trader?

Definitely after entering a position. Before opening a trade, I have my analysis and an idea of what I want to happen. Once I am in the market, I have to accept that I do not control it. The pressure is following the response I planned when price deviates from what I expected. Sometimes that means closing the position and accepting the loss.

Earlier in my career, I wanted my analysis to be right all the time. Experience taught me that I can prepare carefully and still be wrong. I have to respond to what happens.

How do you distinguish a controlled decision from an emotional one?

A controlled decision has conditions written down before I place an order. I encourage my students to keep their setup and checklist in front of the screen, along with a clear idea of where they would enter, where they would exit if things go wrong, and what they expect from the trade.

An emotional decision can begin with an entry that doesn’t match my setup. I recognise it quickly because I find myself managing the trade defensively. After a loss, I may be tempted to recover money instead of waiting for the next valid setup. Emotions don’t disappear when I place an order, so I return to my plan, including my stop loss and profit target.

When is doing nothing the better decision?

Quite often. In scalping, price can approach my entry zone and move away before I can enter. If I chase it, I may need a wider stop loss and accept that the relationship between risk and potential return has changed. That is no longer the trade I planned, so I let it go.

Markets can also move sideways for days. I see traders increase their position size out of frustration when there are few opportunities. Some live sessions consist entirely of analysis. That can still be time well spent.

Why does execution quality matter so much to your approach?

A trade’s quality matters more to me than the number of orders. Because my trades are short, the entry price matters. If an order executes away from my planned price, the distance to my stop loss and my potential return can change immediately.

In my opinion, a good execution has two parts. I control whether I follow my plan and place the order at the right moment. I also need to consider the broker's execution conditions. That said, I value the execution I have experienced with Exness, but I also understand that slippage can still occur, especially when markets move quickly or liquidity thins. That is one reason I avoid trading around scheduled high-impact news.

What do you look for when assessing spreads?

The spread is one of the costs of trading. For a scalper, a wider spread can eat into a meaningful piece of a short trade's potential return or increase its loss. That’s why I look beyond the spread shown during a calm period. I want to understand how costs behave when the market is active and whether the account's spread and commission structure suit my approach.

I also look at account options. Tight spreads with a separate commission may suit my approach better than another cost structure. I pay attention to what happens with the instruments I trade at the times I actually trade them. Spreads can widen as market conditions change.

How do you set your risk limits?

I try not to risk more than 1% of my account in a day. Because I usually make no more than one or two trades, a single trade often uses that daily risk allowance. The limit keeps me from increasing position size to recover a loss immediately.

Given my trading style, I value Exness’s Negative Balance Protection: if trading takes an account below zero, the negative balance is reset. Yes, you can still lose the funds in the account but it gives you that added protection. Where available, Exness’ 0% stop out level also helps; it means positions are automatically closed at a 0% margin level or when equity reaches zero. That is separate from the stop loss I set for a trade. Neither feature replaces my limits on position size and daily risk; they complement them.

What do you do after a difficult trade or session?

I end the live stream, turn off my screens, and leave the office. Sitting in front of the chart after a loss used to tempt me to trade again to recover it. Now, I might go and see what my daughter is doing, cook a meal, or go for a walk. Changing my surroundings helps me to accept that the session is over.

Earlier in my career, I kept a trading journal. I wrote down what motivated an entry and how I reacted to a loss, not only the result. That helped me recognize what I needed to change. I no longer use a journal as regularly, but I still apply what it taught me.

What took the longest to learn about trading psychology?

Patience. I began with swing trading, where a small difference in the entry price would not affect my approach as much. Moving to shorter trades meant learning to wait for the price and conditions I had planned. There was no single moment when I mastered that. The cost of entering too early added up. Over time, I accepted that I do not need to trade constantly.

Sport also helps me disconnect from the markets. I play golf, box, and sometimes walk alone while listening to music or a podcast unrelated to trading. Those breaks help me come back with less anxiety. Trading has also taught me to accept being wrong, respond more calmly to setbacks, and carry some of that patience into everyday life.

Adrián’s answers were translated from Spanish and edited for clarity. They are presented in his voice but are not verbatim quotations.