👤 One Prop Trader a Day – Episode 11
About Nicola
Nicola Fattoruso is a 23-year-old Forex swing trader from Italy. It took him three years of consistent failure, pressure from family and friends who didn’t understand what he was building, and constant uncertainty about whether any of it would actually pay off – before he became consistently funded. His approach today is the opposite of the typical retail mindset: no glued-to-the-screen day trading, no rigid routine, no chasing setups. He prepares his market outlook on Sundays, monitors macro and fundamentals during the week, and waits for the market to come to him. As he puts it – a million-dollar account wouldn’t change the way he trades.
Q Quick intro – who are you, age, where are you from, and what do you trade?
A My name is Nicola, I’m 23 years old, I’m from Italy, and I trade the foreign exchange market – Forex.
Q When did you become a funded trader? What changed for you at that point?
A I became consistently funded after three years. What changed was simple – I finally knew exactly what I was doing and how. No more guessing.
Q How did you feel when you became a funded trader for the first time?
A I felt excited, unstoppable – like nothing could touch me. Then reality kicked in pretty quickly and I understood that wasn’t the case.
“Prop firms are pure mathematics. You can’t be profitable 100% of the time – that’s not how it works.”– Nicola Fattoruso
Q How many times did you fail before getting funded? What kept you going?
A Many times. Honestly, I still fail sometimes – and that’s just part of the business. Prop firms are pure mathematics. You can’t be profitable 100% of the time, that’s not how it works. What kept me going was passion. I genuinely love what I do, and that always pushed me forward.
Q What was your lowest point in trading? Did you ever consider quitting?
A My lowest point was dealing with pressure from my parents, my friends – people around me who didn’t understand what I was building, and the uncertainty of not knowing if any of it would actually work out. But no, I never seriously thought about quitting. Not once.
Q Did trading ever affect you mentally or emotionally?
A Absolutely. We all go through emotional rough patches – we’re not machines. I actually think a good trader isn’t someone who stops feeling emotions, because that’s impossible. Anyone who says otherwise is lying. A good trader is someone who knows how to manage their emotions and, more importantly, knows how to recognize them in the moment.
Track Nicola’s Funded Track Record
Verified Challenge-Passed and Payout certificates documenting Nicola’s funded journey with The Trading Pit.
Q What does your trading style look like today?
A I’m a swing trader. My focus is on macro and fundamental analysis. I study the bigger picture and let the market come to me.
Q What’s a typical trading day for you?
A Being a swing trader, I don’t need a rigid daily routine. I usually prepare my market outlooks on Sundays. During the week I’m mostly monitoring – I stay ready and alert for entry triggers, but I’m not glued to the screen all day.
Q Do people around you understand what you do?
A Not really – or at least not everyone does. For a lot of people, trading is just the latest trend. And honestly, given the way trading is sold on social media, I completely understand why they think that. But it doesn’t bother me.
Q How has trading impacted your lifestyle?
A Trading is the fastest way to lose money – but it’s also one of the best ways to make unlimited amounts of it. It’s had a big impact on my life, but I’m also scaling things back a bit now. I see trading as a skill, but the most important skill is knowing how to manage your income. I’d call it trading in a more passive form.
“A good trader isn’t someone who stops feeling emotions. A good trader is someone who knows how to manage them and recognize them in the moment.”– Nicola Fattoruso
Q What keeps you motivated to continue trading?
A I love what I do. The flexibility – choosing where I work, when I work – is genuinely great. I’ve met incredible people all over the world. What drives me is the possibility of becoming more and more free.
Q What would you tell your younger self when you first started trading?
A Keep believing in the process. Don’t stop. And invest heavily in your network. Having people around you who actually live off trading and can mentor you – that’s been one of the most important things in my journey.
Q If I gave you a $1,000,000 funded account today, what would you do in the first 7 days?
A Honestly? I’m not sure. I’d probably take some positions if the market gave me a reason to – but if it didn’t, I’d do nothing. A million or a thousand dollars doesn’t change the way I trade.
