Trading successfully is by no means a simple matter. It requires time, market knowledge and market understanding and a large amount of self restraint. ACM does not manage accounts, nor does it give market advice, that is the job of money managers and introducing brokers. As market professionals, we can however point the novice in the right direction and indicate what are correct trading tactics and considerations and what is total nonsense.
Anyone who says you can consistently make money in foreign exchange markets is being untruthful. Foreign exchange by nature, is a volatile market. The practice of trading it by way of margin increases that volatility exponentially. We are therefore talking about a very ’fast market’ which is naturally inconsistent. Following that precept, it is logical to say that in order to make a successful trade, a trader has to take into account technical and fundamental data and make an informed decision based on his perception of market sentiment and market expectation. Timing a trade correctly is probably the most important variable in trading successfully but invariably there will be times where a traders’ timing will be off. Don’t expect to generate returns on every trade.
Let’s enumerate what a trader needs to do in order to put the best chances for profitable trades on his side:
Trade with money you can afford to lose:
Trading fx markets is speculative and can result in loss, it is also exciting, exhilarating and can be addictive. The more you are ’involved with your money’ the harder it is to make a clear-headed decision. Money you have earned is precious, but money you need to survive should never be traded.
Identify the state of the market:
What is the market doing? Is it trending upwards, downwards, is it in a trading range. Is the trend strong or weak, did it begin long ago or does it look like a new trend that’s forming. Getting a clear picture of the market situation is laying the groundwork for a successful trade.
Determine what time frame you’re trading on:
Many traders get in the market without thinking when they would like to get out, after all the goal is to make money. This is true but when trading, one must extrapolate in his mind’s eye the movement that one expects to happen. Within this extrapolation, resides a price evolution during a certain period of time. Attached to this is the idea of exit price. The importance of this is to mentally put your trade in perspective and although it is clearly impossible to know exactly when you will exit the market, it is important to define from the outset if you’ll be ’scalping’ (trying to get a few points off the market) trading intra-day, or going longer term. This will also determine what chart period you’re looking at. If you trade many times a day, there’s no point basing your technical analysis on a daily graph, you’ll probably want to analyse 30 minute or hour graphs. Additionally it is important to know the different time periods when various financial centers enter and exit the market as this creates more or less volatility and liquidity and can influence market movements.
Time your trade:
You can be right about a potential market movement but be too early or too late when you enter the trade. Timing considerations are twofold, an expected market figure like CPI, retail sales or a federal reserve decision can consolidate a movement that’s already underway. Timing your move means knowing what’s expected and taking into account all considerations before trading. Technical analysis can help you identify when and at what price a move may occur. We will look at technical analysis in more detail later.
If in doubt, stay out:
If you’re unsure about a trade and find you’re hesitating, stay on the sidelines.
Trade logical transaction sizes:
Margin trading allows the fx trader a very large amount of leverage, trading at full margin capacity (in ACM’s case 1% or 0.5%) can make for some very large profits or losses on an account. Scaling your trades so that you may re-enter the market or make transactions on other currencies is generally wiser. In short, don’t trade amounts that can potentially wipe you out and don’t put all your eggs in one basket. ACM offers the same rates regardless of transaction sizes so a customer has nothing to lose by starting small.
Gauge market sentiment:
Market sentiment is what most of the market is perceived to be feeling about the market and therefore what it is doing or will do. This is basically about trend. You may have heard the term ’the trend is your friend’, this basically means that if you’re in the right direction with a strong trend you will make successful trades. This of course is very simplistic, a trend is capable of reversal at any time. Technical and fundamental data can indicate however if the trend has begun long ago and if it is strong or weak.
Market expectation:
Market expectation relates to what most people are expecting as far as upcoming news is concerned. If people are expecting an interest rate to rise and it does, then there usually will not be much of a movement because the information will already have been ’discounted’ by the market, alternatively if the adverse happens, markets will usually react violently.
Use what other traders use:
In a perfect world, every trader would be looking at a 14 day RSI and making trading decisions based on that. If that was the case, when RSI would go under the 30 level, everyone would buy and by consequence the price would rise. Needless to say, the world is not perfect and not all market participants follow the same technical indicators, draw the same trendlines and identify the same support & resistance levels. The great diversity of opinions and techniques used translates directly into price diversity. Traders however have a tendency to use a limited variety of technical tools. The most common are 9 and 14 day RSI, obvious trendlines and support levels, fibonnacci retracement, MACD and 9, 20 & 40 day exponential moving averages. The closer you get to what most traders are looking at, the more precise your estimations will be. The reason for this is simple arithmetic, larger numbers of buyers than sellers at a certain price will move the market up from that price and vice-versa.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
How To Get Started In Forex Trading
The foreign exchange market (FOREX) offers many advantages to investors. But you need to know where to begin. This short guide will give you the FOREX basics, so you can quickly start participating in this fast growing market.
In the past, foreign exchange trading was limited to large players such as national banks and multi-national corporations. In the 1980’s the rules were changed to allow smaller investors to participate using margin accounts. Margin accounts are the reason why FOREX trading has become so popular. With a 100:1 margin account, you can control $100,000 with a $1,000 investment.
A Learning Curve
FOREX is not simple, though, so you’ll need some knowledge to make wise investment decisions. Although it is relatively easy to start trading on the FOREX, there are risks involved. Your first move as a beginner should be to find out as much as possible about the forex market before risking a dime.
Find A Forex Broker
FOREX traders usually require a broker to handle transactions. Most brokers are reputable and are associated with large financial institutions such as banks. A reputable broker will be registered as a Futures Commission Merchant (FCM) with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) as protection against fraud and abusive trade practices.
Open an Account with a forex borker
Opening a FOREX account is as simple as filling out a form and providing the necessary identification. The form includes a margin agreement which states that the broker may interfere with any trade deemed to be too risky. This is to protect the interests of the broker, since most trades are done using the broker’s money.
Once your account has been established, you can fund it and begin trading.
Many brokers offer a variety of accounts to suit the needs of individual investors. Mini accounts allow you to get involved in FOREX trading for as little as $250. Standard accounts may have a minimum deposit of $1000 to $2500, depending on the broker. The amount of leverage (how much borrowed money you can use) varies with account type. High leverage accounts give you more money to trade for a given investment.
Trades are commission-free, meaning that you can make many trades in one day without worrying about incurring high brokerage fees. Brokers make their money on the ’spread’: the difference between bid and ask prices.
Paper Trading Forex Market
Beginning traders are strongly advised get accustomed to FOREX by doing "paper trades" for a period of time. Paper trades are practice transactions that don’t involve real capital. They allow you to see how the system works while learning how to use the various software tools provided by most FOREX brokers.
Most online brokers have demo accounts that allow you to make free paper trades for up to 30 days. Every new FOREX investor should use these demo accounts at least until they are consistently showing profits.
FOREX Software
Each forex broker has its own set of software tools for making transactions, but there are a few tools that are common to all FOREX brokers. Real-time quotes, news feeds, technical analyses and charts, and profit-and-loss analyses are some of the features you can expect to see on most online brokers’ web sites.
Almost every broker operates on the Internet. To access a broker’s online services you’ll need a reasonably modern computer, a fast Internet connection, and an up-to-date operating system. Once your account is set up, you can access it from any computer just by entering your account name and password. If for some reason you are unable get to a computer, most brokers will allow you to make trades over the phone.
There are lots of ways to make money. FOREX trading is just one more potential stream of income — if you are prepared to learn and practice.
In the past, foreign exchange trading was limited to large players such as national banks and multi-national corporations. In the 1980’s the rules were changed to allow smaller investors to participate using margin accounts. Margin accounts are the reason why FOREX trading has become so popular. With a 100:1 margin account, you can control $100,000 with a $1,000 investment.
A Learning Curve
FOREX is not simple, though, so you’ll need some knowledge to make wise investment decisions. Although it is relatively easy to start trading on the FOREX, there are risks involved. Your first move as a beginner should be to find out as much as possible about the forex market before risking a dime.
Find A Forex Broker
FOREX traders usually require a broker to handle transactions. Most brokers are reputable and are associated with large financial institutions such as banks. A reputable broker will be registered as a Futures Commission Merchant (FCM) with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) as protection against fraud and abusive trade practices.
Open an Account with a forex borker
Opening a FOREX account is as simple as filling out a form and providing the necessary identification. The form includes a margin agreement which states that the broker may interfere with any trade deemed to be too risky. This is to protect the interests of the broker, since most trades are done using the broker’s money.
Once your account has been established, you can fund it and begin trading.
Many brokers offer a variety of accounts to suit the needs of individual investors. Mini accounts allow you to get involved in FOREX trading for as little as $250. Standard accounts may have a minimum deposit of $1000 to $2500, depending on the broker. The amount of leverage (how much borrowed money you can use) varies with account type. High leverage accounts give you more money to trade for a given investment.
Trades are commission-free, meaning that you can make many trades in one day without worrying about incurring high brokerage fees. Brokers make their money on the ’spread’: the difference between bid and ask prices.
Paper Trading Forex Market
Beginning traders are strongly advised get accustomed to FOREX by doing "paper trades" for a period of time. Paper trades are practice transactions that don’t involve real capital. They allow you to see how the system works while learning how to use the various software tools provided by most FOREX brokers.
Most online brokers have demo accounts that allow you to make free paper trades for up to 30 days. Every new FOREX investor should use these demo accounts at least until they are consistently showing profits.
FOREX Software
Each forex broker has its own set of software tools for making transactions, but there are a few tools that are common to all FOREX brokers. Real-time quotes, news feeds, technical analyses and charts, and profit-and-loss analyses are some of the features you can expect to see on most online brokers’ web sites.
Almost every broker operates on the Internet. To access a broker’s online services you’ll need a reasonably modern computer, a fast Internet connection, and an up-to-date operating system. Once your account is set up, you can access it from any computer just by entering your account name and password. If for some reason you are unable get to a computer, most brokers will allow you to make trades over the phone.
There are lots of ways to make money. FOREX trading is just one more potential stream of income — if you are prepared to learn and practice.
Forex Technical Analysis
The difference between forex technical and forex fundamental analysis is that forex technical analysis ignores fundamental factors and is applied only to the price action of the market. Forex technical analysis primarily consists of a variety of forex technical studies, each of which can be interpreted to predict market direction or to generate buy and sell signals. The technical analysis works by correlating the results and moves of current markets to create a short-term outlook for currencies. The rolling data that is produced throughout the trading day creates the interest in the markets and informs traders of the strong markets to back.
The Trend is Your Friend
Forex technical analysis is largely based around forex market movement trends, thus creating the widely used phrase ’the trend is your friend’ amongst traders. Buying and selling at the right time is the key in maintaining good levels of profits, following a trend is also about knowing where to entry a trade and more importantly where to exit.
Support and Resistance
Support and resistance is the basic of forex technical analysis. Support and resistance levels are points where a chart experiences recurring upward or downward pressure. A support level is usually the low point in any chart pattern (hourly, weekly or annually), whereas a resistance level is the high or the peak point of the pattern. Buying and selling at the support and resistance points makes a greater profit margin as long as they remain unbroken.
History Tends To Repeat Itself
Another important idea in technical analysis is that history tends to repeat itself, mainly in terms of price movement. The repetitive nature of price movements is attributed to market psychology; in other words, market participants tend to provide a consistent reaction to similar market stimuli over time. Forex technical analysis uses chart patterns to analyze forex market movements and understand trends. Although many of these charts have been used for more than 30 years, they are still believed to be relevant because they illustrate patterns in price movements that often repeat themselves.
The Trend is Your Friend
Forex technical analysis is largely based around forex market movement trends, thus creating the widely used phrase ’the trend is your friend’ amongst traders. Buying and selling at the right time is the key in maintaining good levels of profits, following a trend is also about knowing where to entry a trade and more importantly where to exit.
Support and Resistance
Support and resistance is the basic of forex technical analysis. Support and resistance levels are points where a chart experiences recurring upward or downward pressure. A support level is usually the low point in any chart pattern (hourly, weekly or annually), whereas a resistance level is the high or the peak point of the pattern. Buying and selling at the support and resistance points makes a greater profit margin as long as they remain unbroken.
History Tends To Repeat Itself
Another important idea in technical analysis is that history tends to repeat itself, mainly in terms of price movement. The repetitive nature of price movements is attributed to market psychology; in other words, market participants tend to provide a consistent reaction to similar market stimuli over time. Forex technical analysis uses chart patterns to analyze forex market movements and understand trends. Although many of these charts have been used for more than 30 years, they are still believed to be relevant because they illustrate patterns in price movements that often repeat themselves.
Forex Trading Systems
You should build your own trading system
A trading system on the Forex market is a type of strategy that allows traders to trade with a set of rules. There are many free trading systems and strategies printed in trading articles, journals, books and on trading-related websites. I would have to say that if you are not inclined to learn how to develop your own trading methodology, then perhaps you should consider giving your money for someone else to invest. Give it to someone who is trading a system that he developed and tested himself because he is more likely to have the confidence and courage to follow his own trading system.
Why you need a forex trading system?
1. It’s easy to trade with a system.
2. A good system provides consistent result.
What makes a good trading system?
• It’s simple. Forget complicated systems with lots of rules - it’s a proven fact that simple systems work better - and are less likely to fail, in the brutal world of trading.
• A trading system with profitable expectation.
• It provides good ratio of reward/risk.
• A system of comprehensive risk management including market exposure weightings, stop-loss provisions and capital commitment guidelines that preserve capital during trend-less or volatile periods.
Once you learn how to develop trading systems and strategies, you can then be better equipped to test them as well. By this point you might even find that the system created by yourself is the best one for you, because it becomes the system more suited to your profit objectives while operating within your risk tolerance levels. It is likely that once you develops this level of competence, you will simply acquire other trading systems only to dissect them, grab the parts you likes and add them to your own system. To me, the irony is that for a trader to know which system to purchase, you must first learn how to create a system. And after knowing how to create a system, he will no longer have the need to buy one.
Successful Forex Trading
Forex trading is fast becoming one of the easiest ways to earn large amounts of money on your investment. Then again, it can also be the easiest way to lose all of your money in a short period of time. That is, if you do not know what you are doing. The fact is that even seasoned traders make mistakes and only through the understanding of basic principles and the application of sound strategies can you be assured of earning money in the long run.
One of the most basic things that you have to understand about Forex trading is that there will always be losing streaks along with the winning ones. Having this fact in mind will keep you going during those times that you do not get a good deal. The best way to handle Forex trading is to have a reliable trading system coupled with a rigid money management system.
There are many different strategies employed in Forex trading today. What you should do is either adopt one of them or come up with your own. No matter which path you choose to take, the important thing is that your trading system has been proven or can be proven to be reliable. How would you know that your trading system is reliable?
It is quite simple, really. A reliable trading system is one which gives you more winning trades than losing ones. More than this, your winning trades should be – in general – of greater value than your losing trades. You do not need to be a rocket scientist to figure this one out. More wins with greater value equals profits. No matter how you come up with your trading system, the bottom line is that you get consistent results.
Once you have come up with your trading strategy, try it out first. You can do this by using a demo account before trading live. Using a demo account is advantageous as you will be doing exactly the same thing as live trading – without real money. This way, you can test your strategy and pick out the flaws f there are any.
If, after you have tested your strategy, you are confident that you are getting consistent results, you could go live. Your strategy should not stop there, though. Once you engage in live trading, you must take care to instill strict discipline when it comes to money management. Do not deviate from your strategy once it is put in place. This is perhaps the foremost reason for traders to suddenly lose everything. Always remember that you cannot win all the time and that losses are part of trading. If you have a strategy in place, do not scramble to recoup your losses outside the boundaries of your strategy. The trend is that winning will come soon after your losses.
One rule you should stick to is never trading with more than 2% of your account at risk on a single trade. Whether you win or lose, this percentage is going to get you the long term results that you are aiming for.
One of the most basic things that you have to understand about Forex trading is that there will always be losing streaks along with the winning ones. Having this fact in mind will keep you going during those times that you do not get a good deal. The best way to handle Forex trading is to have a reliable trading system coupled with a rigid money management system.
There are many different strategies employed in Forex trading today. What you should do is either adopt one of them or come up with your own. No matter which path you choose to take, the important thing is that your trading system has been proven or can be proven to be reliable. How would you know that your trading system is reliable?
It is quite simple, really. A reliable trading system is one which gives you more winning trades than losing ones. More than this, your winning trades should be – in general – of greater value than your losing trades. You do not need to be a rocket scientist to figure this one out. More wins with greater value equals profits. No matter how you come up with your trading system, the bottom line is that you get consistent results.
Once you have come up with your trading strategy, try it out first. You can do this by using a demo account before trading live. Using a demo account is advantageous as you will be doing exactly the same thing as live trading – without real money. This way, you can test your strategy and pick out the flaws f there are any.
If, after you have tested your strategy, you are confident that you are getting consistent results, you could go live. Your strategy should not stop there, though. Once you engage in live trading, you must take care to instill strict discipline when it comes to money management. Do not deviate from your strategy once it is put in place. This is perhaps the foremost reason for traders to suddenly lose everything. Always remember that you cannot win all the time and that losses are part of trading. If you have a strategy in place, do not scramble to recoup your losses outside the boundaries of your strategy. The trend is that winning will come soon after your losses.
One rule you should stick to is never trading with more than 2% of your account at risk on a single trade. Whether you win or lose, this percentage is going to get you the long term results that you are aiming for.
Forex Low Cost Options Available
This interesting article addresses some of the key issues regarding forex. A careful reading of this material could make a big difference in how you think about the forex market.
There are discount commission brokerages, charting resources, free news, and free analysis packages concerning Forex. This has become a downright scary situation in which securities regulators are in over their head. Many brokers have different types of accounts to suit the needs of individual investors. Ultimately a measure of market psychology is needed to achieve success.
By using several non-correlated systems. By using numerous automated strategies. You don't need much to get started with forex trading. Make sure that you accomplish your financial goals.
This has become a "trader's market" but only for the adroit. There are dealers who will quote currencies. Many brokers have found that their investors can benefit from following live trading accounts. It is true that they will tell you that a 1 or two pip spread exists on a specific currency pair. However some traders do forex-trading strategies that trade short term on the reactions to different news releases.
Be sure you are in touch with reality as far as your expectations and goals and other practical considerations. This trading method is so effective that your broker will think you can see the future. The majority of traders lose because they cannot control their emotions. Even though this market trades twenty four hours there are better times to trade.
Think about what you have read so far. Does it reinforce what you already know about forex? Or was there something completely new? What about the remaining paragraphs?
This means that by increasing your risk you can also maximize the dollar value of the position you open. Typically the minimum fees of an option trade range anywhere from fifteen dollars to $30 depending on your broker. This has become a strong correlation between a country's equity markets and its currency. Another advantage of the brokers market is that brokers might provide a larger selection of banks.
These rules have been researched and back tested and are then applied to a given market. Make sure that you are comfortable with the risks associated with your forex broker. Another advantage of dealing with a registered fcm is greater transparency of business practices. Additionally the system must be reliable and secure as digital signage can become a key point of contact with the customer. This trading method uses simple trader tools and does not require any costly traders software.
You don't know what point of the investing trend you are entering in. Ultimately a good trader fine tunes their trading system and see how the market reacts. The majority of traders make their decisions to buy or sell on impulse driven by emotions or opinion of others. Make sure you're ready to invest. Never lose more than your margin deposit, which is generally about 1%. There are many of forex systems sell online.
Knowing enough about forex trading to make solid, informed choices cuts down on the fear factor. If you apply what you've just learned about forex, you should have nothing to worry about and will make a lot of money.
There are discount commission brokerages, charting resources, free news, and free analysis packages concerning Forex. This has become a downright scary situation in which securities regulators are in over their head. Many brokers have different types of accounts to suit the needs of individual investors. Ultimately a measure of market psychology is needed to achieve success.
By using several non-correlated systems. By using numerous automated strategies. You don't need much to get started with forex trading. Make sure that you accomplish your financial goals.
This has become a "trader's market" but only for the adroit. There are dealers who will quote currencies. Many brokers have found that their investors can benefit from following live trading accounts. It is true that they will tell you that a 1 or two pip spread exists on a specific currency pair. However some traders do forex-trading strategies that trade short term on the reactions to different news releases.
Be sure you are in touch with reality as far as your expectations and goals and other practical considerations. This trading method is so effective that your broker will think you can see the future. The majority of traders lose because they cannot control their emotions. Even though this market trades twenty four hours there are better times to trade.
Think about what you have read so far. Does it reinforce what you already know about forex? Or was there something completely new? What about the remaining paragraphs?
This means that by increasing your risk you can also maximize the dollar value of the position you open. Typically the minimum fees of an option trade range anywhere from fifteen dollars to $30 depending on your broker. This has become a strong correlation between a country's equity markets and its currency. Another advantage of the brokers market is that brokers might provide a larger selection of banks.
These rules have been researched and back tested and are then applied to a given market. Make sure that you are comfortable with the risks associated with your forex broker. Another advantage of dealing with a registered fcm is greater transparency of business practices. Additionally the system must be reliable and secure as digital signage can become a key point of contact with the customer. This trading method uses simple trader tools and does not require any costly traders software.
You don't know what point of the investing trend you are entering in. Ultimately a good trader fine tunes their trading system and see how the market reacts. The majority of traders make their decisions to buy or sell on impulse driven by emotions or opinion of others. Make sure you're ready to invest. Never lose more than your margin deposit, which is generally about 1%. There are many of forex systems sell online.
Knowing enough about forex trading to make solid, informed choices cuts down on the fear factor. If you apply what you've just learned about forex, you should have nothing to worry about and will make a lot of money.
Is Forex Trading for Everyone?
Successfully trading the Forex market requires you to have the discipline to follow some rules. If you can "stay the course" and follow your system, regardless of what the market is doing, you can make money trading Forex.
As with most forms of financial investing - stocks, futures, etc., there are risks. There are no crystal balls to show you what is going to happen next, so your exposure to these risks is largely controlled by your money management practices.
Casinos operate, normally with extensive profits, based entirely on risk management. They have learned how to take advantage of probability, which is the same concept traders rely upon, and turn the tables in their favor. They have learned that the longer they can keep a gambler in their facility, the better the odds they will end up with the gambler's money.
Many new or inexperienced Forex traders fall victim to the hype surrounding foreign exchange trading. The electronic trading platforms used by retail Forex traders today, with their ability to display hundreds of "indicators" and present price data instantly, confuse many traders and actually lure them into making poor trading decisions.
Like futures, Forex trading offers high leverage. The readily available leverage of up to 400:1 has destroyed many potential trading careers. New traders, unaccustomed to the volatile nature of Forex, often fall into the trap of over-leveraged positions, which easily wipe out trading accounts.
Forex generally has some of the most predictable trends of all the markets over the longer term. However, many traders lose sight of the long term picture and try to trade based upon shorter term price charts. They believe shorter trends offer easy opportunities for profit, when in truth, most seasoned traders won't even look at charts of less than 1 hour.
The volatility of Forex means that a tight stop-loss order will usually result in being stopped-out of many trades. Too many trades ending in this fashion result in your trading account being slowly eroded away. Traders need to keep their "real leverage" (amount of currency controlled divided by their actual account size) at 3:1 or less. This will allow you to relax your stop-loss settings and enjoy more successful trades.
In the currency market, you don't have to worry (normally) about countries going broke. Typically the prices move in large waves, and if you had deep enough pockets, you could wait for the price to recover to profitable levels. The reality is this process could take years, so money management is again key.
Another benefit of this huge market is it's liquid nature. It's trading volume of approximately 2 trillion dollars per day ensure there can be no insider activities. Even the largest of central banks lack sufficient funds to seriously sway the market. Market moving data is released for all to see at the same time. No one has advance information of pending releases.
In conclusion, trading the Forex currency market is no more difficult than the stocks or futures markets and in fact has several advantages. To trade profitably in the currency market, you need to stick to leverage of no more than 3% to 5% and think "longer term". The lower leverage will allow you to ride the fluctuations which are common to Forex, while enjoying the benefits of long term trending.
As with most forms of financial investing - stocks, futures, etc., there are risks. There are no crystal balls to show you what is going to happen next, so your exposure to these risks is largely controlled by your money management practices.
Casinos operate, normally with extensive profits, based entirely on risk management. They have learned how to take advantage of probability, which is the same concept traders rely upon, and turn the tables in their favor. They have learned that the longer they can keep a gambler in their facility, the better the odds they will end up with the gambler's money.
Many new or inexperienced Forex traders fall victim to the hype surrounding foreign exchange trading. The electronic trading platforms used by retail Forex traders today, with their ability to display hundreds of "indicators" and present price data instantly, confuse many traders and actually lure them into making poor trading decisions.
Like futures, Forex trading offers high leverage. The readily available leverage of up to 400:1 has destroyed many potential trading careers. New traders, unaccustomed to the volatile nature of Forex, often fall into the trap of over-leveraged positions, which easily wipe out trading accounts.
Forex generally has some of the most predictable trends of all the markets over the longer term. However, many traders lose sight of the long term picture and try to trade based upon shorter term price charts. They believe shorter trends offer easy opportunities for profit, when in truth, most seasoned traders won't even look at charts of less than 1 hour.
The volatility of Forex means that a tight stop-loss order will usually result in being stopped-out of many trades. Too many trades ending in this fashion result in your trading account being slowly eroded away. Traders need to keep their "real leverage" (amount of currency controlled divided by their actual account size) at 3:1 or less. This will allow you to relax your stop-loss settings and enjoy more successful trades.
In the currency market, you don't have to worry (normally) about countries going broke. Typically the prices move in large waves, and if you had deep enough pockets, you could wait for the price to recover to profitable levels. The reality is this process could take years, so money management is again key.
Another benefit of this huge market is it's liquid nature. It's trading volume of approximately 2 trillion dollars per day ensure there can be no insider activities. Even the largest of central banks lack sufficient funds to seriously sway the market. Market moving data is released for all to see at the same time. No one has advance information of pending releases.
In conclusion, trading the Forex currency market is no more difficult than the stocks or futures markets and in fact has several advantages. To trade profitably in the currency market, you need to stick to leverage of no more than 3% to 5% and think "longer term". The lower leverage will allow you to ride the fluctuations which are common to Forex, while enjoying the benefits of long term trending.
The History of Forex Trading
Many centuries ago, the value of goods were expressed in terms of other goods. This sort of economics was based on the barter system between individuals. The obvious limitations of such a system encouraged establishing more generally accepted mediums of exchange. It was important that a common base of value could be established. In some economies, items such as teeth, feathers even stones served this purpose, but soon various metals, in particular gold and silver, established themselves as an accepted means of payment as well as a reliable storage of value.
Coins were initially minted from the preferred metal and in stable political regimes, the introduction of a paper form of governmental I.O.U. during the Middle Ages also gained acceptance. This type of I.O.U. was introduced more successfully through force than through persuasion and is now the basis of today’s modern currencies.
Before the first World war, most Central banks supported their currencies with convertibility to gold. Paper money could always be exchanged for gold. However, for this type of gold exchange, there was not necessarily a Centrals bank need for full coverage of the government's currency reserves. This did not occur very often, however when a group mindset fostered this disastrous notion of converting back to gold in mass, panic resulted in so-called "Run on banks " The combination of a greater supply of paper money without the gold to cover led to devastating inflation and resulting political instability.
In order to protect local national interests, increased foreign exchange controls were introduced to prevent market forces from punishing monetary irresponsibility.
Near the end of WWII, The Bretton Woods agreement was reached on the initiative of the USA in July 1944. The conference held in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire rejected John Maynard Keynes suggestion for a new world reserve currency in favor of a system built on the US Dollar. International institutions such as the IMF, The World Bank and GATT were created in the same period as the emerging victors of WWII searched for a way to avoid the destabilizing monetary crises leading to the war. The Bretton Woods agreement resulted in a system of fixed exchange rates that reinstated The Gold Standard partly, fixing the USD at $35.00 per ounce of Gold and fixing the other main currencies to the dollar, initially intended to be on a permanent basis.
The Bretton Woods system came under increasing pressure as national economies moved in different directions during the 1960’s. A number of realignments held the system alive for a long time but eventually Bretton Woods collapsed in the early 1970’s following president Nixon's suspension of the gold convertibility in August 1971. The dollar was not any longer suited as the sole international currency at a time when it was under severe pressure from increasing US budget and trade deficits.
The last few decades have seen foreign exchange trading develop into the worlds largest global market. Restrictions on capital flows have been removed in most countries, leaving the market forces free to adjust foreign exchange rates according to their perceived values.
In Europe, the idea of fixed exchange rates had by no means died. The European Economic Community introduced a new system of fixed exchange rates in 1979, the European Monetary System. This attempt to fix exchange rates met with near extinction in 1992-93, when built-up economic pressures forced devaluations of a number of weak European currencies. The quest continued in Europe for currency stability with the 1991 signing of The Maastricht treaty. This was to not only fix exchange rates but also actually replace many of them with the Euro in 2002.
Today, Europe has embraced the Euro in 12 participating countries. The physical introduction of the Euro on January 1, 2002 saw the old countries currencies made obsolete on July 1, 2002.
In Asia, the lack of sustainability of fixed foreign exchange rates has gained new relevance with the events in South East Asia in the latter part of 1997, where currency after currency was devalued against the US dollar, leaving other fixed exchange rates in particular in South America also looking very vulnerable.
While commercial companies have had to face a much more volatile currency environment in recent years, investors and financial institutions have discovered a new playground. The size of the FOREX market now dwarfs any other investment market.
It is estimated that more than USD 1,200 Billion are traded every day, that is the same amount as almost 40 times the daily USD volume on the American NASDAQ market.
http://www.universityforex.com
Coins were initially minted from the preferred metal and in stable political regimes, the introduction of a paper form of governmental I.O.U. during the Middle Ages also gained acceptance. This type of I.O.U. was introduced more successfully through force than through persuasion and is now the basis of today’s modern currencies.
Before the first World war, most Central banks supported their currencies with convertibility to gold. Paper money could always be exchanged for gold. However, for this type of gold exchange, there was not necessarily a Centrals bank need for full coverage of the government's currency reserves. This did not occur very often, however when a group mindset fostered this disastrous notion of converting back to gold in mass, panic resulted in so-called "Run on banks " The combination of a greater supply of paper money without the gold to cover led to devastating inflation and resulting political instability.
In order to protect local national interests, increased foreign exchange controls were introduced to prevent market forces from punishing monetary irresponsibility.
Near the end of WWII, The Bretton Woods agreement was reached on the initiative of the USA in July 1944. The conference held in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire rejected John Maynard Keynes suggestion for a new world reserve currency in favor of a system built on the US Dollar. International institutions such as the IMF, The World Bank and GATT were created in the same period as the emerging victors of WWII searched for a way to avoid the destabilizing monetary crises leading to the war. The Bretton Woods agreement resulted in a system of fixed exchange rates that reinstated The Gold Standard partly, fixing the USD at $35.00 per ounce of Gold and fixing the other main currencies to the dollar, initially intended to be on a permanent basis.
The Bretton Woods system came under increasing pressure as national economies moved in different directions during the 1960’s. A number of realignments held the system alive for a long time but eventually Bretton Woods collapsed in the early 1970’s following president Nixon's suspension of the gold convertibility in August 1971. The dollar was not any longer suited as the sole international currency at a time when it was under severe pressure from increasing US budget and trade deficits.
The last few decades have seen foreign exchange trading develop into the worlds largest global market. Restrictions on capital flows have been removed in most countries, leaving the market forces free to adjust foreign exchange rates according to their perceived values.
In Europe, the idea of fixed exchange rates had by no means died. The European Economic Community introduced a new system of fixed exchange rates in 1979, the European Monetary System. This attempt to fix exchange rates met with near extinction in 1992-93, when built-up economic pressures forced devaluations of a number of weak European currencies. The quest continued in Europe for currency stability with the 1991 signing of The Maastricht treaty. This was to not only fix exchange rates but also actually replace many of them with the Euro in 2002.
Today, Europe has embraced the Euro in 12 participating countries. The physical introduction of the Euro on January 1, 2002 saw the old countries currencies made obsolete on July 1, 2002.
In Asia, the lack of sustainability of fixed foreign exchange rates has gained new relevance with the events in South East Asia in the latter part of 1997, where currency after currency was devalued against the US dollar, leaving other fixed exchange rates in particular in South America also looking very vulnerable.
While commercial companies have had to face a much more volatile currency environment in recent years, investors and financial institutions have discovered a new playground. The size of the FOREX market now dwarfs any other investment market.
It is estimated that more than USD 1,200 Billion are traded every day, that is the same amount as almost 40 times the daily USD volume on the American NASDAQ market.
http://www.universityforex.com
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Trading it for Bigger Profits
Today, we have more news than ever and its delivered in the click of a mouse and many trader want to trade it and make profits - after all it’s the fundamental supply and demand situation that drives forex prices…
No it isn’t!
Supply and demand fundamentals are not important by themselves - it’s how they are perceived that determines price.
Here is a simple equation for market movement to illustrate the above:
Supply and Demand (facts and news) + investor Perception = Price
From the above you can see that it is investors who determine price.
We all have the same facts to look at but we don’t all draw the same conclusions from what we see and this is the problem when trading news stories.
If you could win by trading the news, with today’s quality of it and lightening communications, the percentage of traders who would win would be far greater but the fact is:
The same amount of people who lost in forex trading 50 years ago lose today and this statistic won’t change because you can’t trade news stories in isolation.
The problems with trading news stories are greater today than they have ever been.
Why?
Because we all get the information quickly and it’s instantly discounted by the market, we all have the information at the same time in any corner of the globe online and no one has an advantage of getting it first before the herd.
The problem that is always present and has been since markets started trading is:
You don’t know how the traders are going to view the news because their all driven by their individual motivations and emotions furthermore, the news always reflects the views of the crowd and the crowd is always wrong.
Will Rogers once said:
“I only believe what I read in the papers”
He was joking of course, but it’s surprising how many people read a paper or see a view on CNBC and think they can trade it and win - they can’t.
FACT:
Markets collapse and turn when they are most bullish and rally when they are most bearish - this is nothing to do with the facts but how the investors perceive them.
News stories can be used but it’s not in the way you may think.
If a bullish piece of news fails to push market higher, or bearish news fails to push a market lower, then you may have a trend change at hand.
You need to check and to do this, look at a forex chart and see the technical view of price only. Here you are seeing the reality or the truth in black and white.
This gives you a detached non emotional view of price and you can decide which way to trade. Using the news in this contrary fashion is a great way to spot situations which you can time entry with your technical indicators.
There is an old saying:
“If you can hold your head, when everyone around you is losing theirs you probably haven’t heard the news”
In the above instance you have - but you’re not taking the view of the majority.
If you use news in the above way and combine it with forex charts to time your trading signal, then you have a powerful combination for bigger forex profits.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
