Introduction
At age 34, Marco, a professional portfolio manager from Vienna, Austria, tried to prove his skills in the world of futures. Backed by a master’s degree in economics and five years of trading experience, Marco has made a total of $16,472 in withdrawals from two of his OneUp Trader accounts!
Marco didn’t start from scratch, and some would say he had an ‘unfair advantage’ with years of professional experience in asset management under his belt, he came to OneUp Trader looking for a new challenge.
“I want to be successful in something many people say is not possible.” He told us.
Lets take a closer look at how he was successfull at OneUp Trader, what he thought of the program and the appraoch he found success in.
Strategy & Style: Volume-Driven Structure and Setup-Based Execution
Marco is a discretionary trader through and through. He uses a 5-minute chart and the volume profile indicator. His strategy involves checking the trend, whether it is contrarian or momentum, and opening range breakouts.
Before entering any trade, Marco goes through a 3-step routine:
- Mindset – Ensuring mental clarity and emotional discipline.
- Money Management – Pre-defining risk parameters.
- Big Picture – Top-down analysis starting from the daily chart.
This ‘Top-down’ technique is used by many successful traders at the OneUp Trader-funded trader program. Also known as multi-time frame analysis, it gives a good overall picture of the market’s trend and momentum. If someone is trading on the 5-minute time frame with a trend-following strategy, following the longer term on, say, the hourly or daily chart means they are not fighting the big picture trend, they are going with it.
Statistics
Marco’s trading shows a clear edge despite a win rate of only 32.95%. That might sound low, but the numbers tell a different story:
His positive expectancy proves that being “right” isn’t the goal for Marco, managing risk is.
One of the standout metrics in Marco’s performance is his Average Risk-Reward Ratio (RRR) of 2.62. This means that for every dollar he risked, he aimed to make over two and a half in return. Achieving this RRR is only possible when a trader keeps very strict risk management rules.
Pair that with his low win rate of just 32.95%, and it becomes clear that Marco isn’t focused on being right. He’s focused on managing risk. His ability to maintain a positive profit factor with more losses than wins shows strong discipline, trade planning, and emotional control—traits that separate good traders from great ones.
Trade Distribution: Volume and Edge in Gold Futures
Marco’s edge clearly emerged in Gold Futures. The gold market has been rallying, up 29% for the year, and he has taken advantage of that trend. Marco also trades other instruments like Crude Oil Futures which has been plunging, down 35% this year. This shows Marco is able to trade different instruments in different conditions, but he doesn’t spread himself too thin, which we often see traders do. Sometimes, traders can look at too many instruments at the same time and see setups that are not really there as they begin to force their view on the market. Marco only trades two markets, Gold and Crude Oil, and has a very good understanding of how they move.
Win/Loss Ratio
With 236 losing trades vs. 116 winning trades, Marco still came out ahead, showing his strong risk management strategy. We can see this further by looking at the time he holds losers (avg hold: 14 mins), vs winners (avg hold: 33 mins). He has no problem cutting positions that don’t go with him.
As Paul Tudor Jones says:
Mindset and Review
Marco acknowledges that reviewing trades is both his strength and his weakness. Like many high performers, he recognizes that mastery lies in continuous refinement. He admits that taking breaks at the right time is still something he’s working on. He recognizes the dangers of overtrading because it can lead to gambling, which leads to him failing to follow his rules.
Its something all traders should learn from, to always be able to step away on step back in only when the time is right.
What This Means for Other Traders
Marco’s performance was built on:
- A repeatable strategy
- Intentional daily preparation
- Deep technical experience
- Exceptional risk control
- Honest post-trade review
In a space where many traders focus only on the results, Marco proves that consistency and process win the game.
Why Marco Chose OneUp Trader Funded Trader Program
For Marco, the decision to join OneUp Trader wasn’t taken lightly. With a background as a portfolio manager and years of experience in the markets, he needed a platform that matched the professional environment that he was used to. He found exactly that in the OneUp Trader funded trader program.
Marco was impressed by the clean, user-friendly interface, the depth of information available through its FAQs, and the responsive customer support that made the onboarding process smooth and stress-free. In his own words, his overall experience was “very good,” and the platform setup was easy, allowing him to jump straight into trading without wasting any time.
He chose OneUp Trader based on:
- Strong recommendations
- A highly professional website
- Positive user experience and support
Vision for the Future
Short-term, Marco is focused on executing his trades with precision in the funded trading account.
Long-term?
“Keeping motivation high, and never stop improving.”
