Meet Alvaro Capelo: Gamer. Entrepreneur. Trader.
From world-class gaming to trading small caps, Alvaro Capelo thrives on competition. With a sharp edge, a growing YouTube channel, and a passion for doing what few can, he’s turned years of grind into consistent profits.
In this month’s Trader Spotlight, Alvaro shares what’s working, how he found his edge and why real-life trading events can be game-changing.
1. Tell us a little about yourself. Outside of trading, what do you enjoy doing?
I’m an entrepreneur at heart. I have several ongoing projects, most of them related to trading, and I run my own YouTube channel. I’ve been a gamer for as long as I can remember and even reached high competitive levels. In games similar to Counter-Strike, for example, my team was once runner-up in a world championship.
2. What do you enjoy most about trading?
What I enjoy most about trading is that everyone tries it, but very few succeed. That’s due to many reasons—mainly because most people aren’t truly competitive and aren’t willing to go through years of struggle to make it. I also love being right. It’s tough when you trade strategies that aren’t based on anything solid, but everything changes once you find a way to get on the right side of the price action and realize it’s possible to maintain a green P&L almost all day. Of course, being right also has to coexist with the reality that we trade in a somewhat random environment, so things won’t always go your way.
3. What’s working for you as a trader right now? Are there specific patterns, strategies, or market conditions you prefer?
I trade small caps, primarily short. I look for stocks with large gaps and decent volume and try to short them until they fade. As for patterns, I keep it simple: first gap day, VWAP reclaim, and what I call the “point of no return”—the last best price I can sell from, after which I expect to stay in profit for the rest of the session.
4. Finding your advantage is key to long-term success. How did you discover yours, and what adjustments did you make along the way to refine your approach?
Over the years, I’ve followed and interviewed several traders on my YouTube channel. One of them is a Spanish trader who spent eight years struggling with futures and then, in just one year, achieved incredible results with small caps. We talked, and he shared the basics of his strategy and edge. I started applying it, made some adjustments, and eventually found my own profitability too.
5. Many new traders struggle with information overload. If you had to break down trading success into key principles, what would they be?
Know your edge and why it works. Don’t get stuck in a losing trade. And when everything aligns in your favor—press with more size.
6. Would you like to share any memorable stats, such as your best or most exciting trade?
After ten months trading small caps where I mostly broke even without major losses, the last three months have been my most profitable. In March, I started with $1,500 and ended above $6,000. In April, I grew a $5,000 account to $32,000—mainly by applying the three principles above, especially the last one.
7. You’ve been part of the Zimtra community for a while now. What made you stay with us?
The locates are great, and meeting the team in person gave me a lot of trust. Zimtra is a fantastic option for those who can’t get past the PDT rule, and your commission costs are among the lowest I’ve seen.
8. Zimtra is hosting an exciting event with Stocks Trading Club in Madrid soon. Why are events like this important for the community, and why should traders attend?
People don’t realize it, but events like these give you the chance to sit next to someone who makes in one day what you make in a year. And that person is probably not even smarter than you. You can talk to them and ask key questions that might steer you in the right direction, because a large portion of social media content is just marketing—and it won’t help you become profitable.