Has the rise of AI really made it harder for individuals to win at scalping and day trading? — The option of swing trading and how to interpret the 'what percentage are …

“AI dominates trading,” “Individuals can no longer win.” Have you ever felt anxious at words like these?

When looking at social media or videos, you might come across claims that “because AI is moving the market, individual scalping is no longer viable.”
On the other hand, there are also advertisements claiming that “if you leave it to AI, you can easily make a profit.”

Have you ever had the experience of stopping in your tracks, not knowing which one to believe?

Are you confused because the more you look into it, the more contradictory the information becomes?

If there is a page that says “most people lose,” there is also a page that says “more people are making a profit.” The figure that “AI execution is X percent” also sometimes spreads without a clear source.

It is hard to say that any of them are wrong, but you also don’t know how to verify them. Don’t you think it’s natural to feel that way?

What I aimed for in this paid article is not to decide on one thing, such as “you can’t win because of AI” or “swing trading is safe.” It is to separate and present “what can be verified” and “what cannot be verified” based on official documents and summaries of surveys. Therefore, for those who want to know the answer to “which trading style should I do,” the content may be different from your expectations.

First, let’s start with “what could be verified.” I will provide this much for free.

Let’s align our terminology. Scalping is a method of repeating trades in a few seconds to a few minutes, day trading is a method of settling within a day, and swing trading is a method of holding for several days to several weeks.

With that in mind, I will share what I was able to verify as of October 2026.

• I could not confirm any statistics directly showing that AI is putting individual scalping at a disadvantage

• According to a survey by the BIS (Bank for International Settlements) in April 2025, electronic trading accounted for approximately 59% of foreign exchange trading, which is almost unchanged from approximately 60% in April 2022. While electronic trading accounts for a certain percentage, it cannot be said that it has surged in the past three years

• Most algorithmic trading is for institutional investors to split up large orders, and it is categorized as something separate from AI that predicts the market

However, this does not mean that there is no influence from AI. Don’t you think the impression changes significantly when you separate what can be said from what cannot be said?

So, setting aside the AI discussion, are there reasons why scalping is prone to being disadvantageous? If you don’t use AI, how are other options viewed? And why do the figures for “what percentage are winners” look so different?

What you will learn in this article

You can read the rest of this in the paid article. This is not an article that recommends specific trading styles or methods, nor does it predict future price movements. It is an article for reviewing your own perspective on trading while checking the sources of the figures.

• How to view the cost aspect of scalping: I will verify the burden of the spread incurred each time you trade using a hypothetical example. You can also check how the magnitude of the burden changes depending on the number of trades and the price range. I will also introduce the opposing view

• Reasons why swing trading is said to be suitable, and its weaknesses: In addition to costs, time usage, and expert views, I will also organize both sides of points to be careful about, such as gaps, swaps, and loss cuts

• How to interpret the “what percentage are winners” figures: I will present three surveys from Japan, Europe, and Brazil in a single chart, along with the population of “who was counted”

• Why numbers vary: Key points to check when looking at statistics, such as survivor bias and differences in the definition of ‘winning’

• Three things to check when you hear ‘it’s because of AI’ or ‘what percentage’

This is written for those who:

• Are concerned about the narrative that ‘individuals can’t win because of AI’

• Are confused because the ‘what percentage are winners’ figures look different on every page

• Want to calmly understand the differences between scalping, day trading, and swing trading, including their strengths and weaknesses

This is not an article recommending trading, nor does it guarantee profits or results. The paid content is a summary based on public documents, surveys, and papers available as of October 2026.

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Disclaimer

This letter is for informational and educational purposes only and does not recommend the use of any specific financial products, currency pairs, trading styles, methods, or services, nor is it intended as investment solicitation or advice. This letter is a summary based on public documents, surveys, and papers available as of October 2026. The surveys and research introduced are based on specific periods, regions, products, and populations; they do not represent the performance of all individual investors in Japan today, nor do they guarantee future results or profits from individual FX trading. In FX trading, losses may exceed the margin. Please make investment decisions and take responsibility for them yourself.

With the rise of AI, is individual scalping and day trading now difficult?

‘AI dominates trading,’ ‘Individuals can no longer win.’ Have you ever felt anxious at such words? Conversely, have you been confused by advertisements claiming that ‘if you leave it to AI, you will easily make a profit’?

Scalping is a method of repeating trades in seconds to minutes, day trading is a method of settling within a day, and swing trading is a method of holding for several days to several weeks.

In conclusion, as of October 2026, no statistics could be confirmed that directly show AI is putting individual scalping at a disadvantage. I will organize three points: (1) Scalping has a structure that tends to be disadvantageous in terms of costs. (2) Swing trading also has weaknesses. (3) ‘What percentage are winners’ depends on who is counting, and it cannot be determined as a single figure.

I will present what can be confirmed and what cannot be confirmed separately. This is a summary of public documents and surveys available as of October 2026 and does not recommend any specific trading style or method.

Which trading style—scalping, day trading, or swing trading—is closest to the one you use?