Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Forex Education - 10 Novice Trader Mistakes That See Them Wiped Out Quickly

Here as part of your forex education are 10 common reasons new traders get wiped out. Make any of these mistakes and you will lose too. So avoid these common mistakes...

1. Buying a Forex Robot With a Simulated Track Record

If you want to win ignore the vast number of forex robots - they cost very little, promise a lot and wipe you out. There gains are all simulated going backwards knowing the data and this does not help going forward!

2. Day Trading and Scalping Systems

Day trading doesn't work as all volatility is random and you can't win. If anyone shows you a track record where they have won, it's normally just a simulation. Don't fall for the hype of day trading.

This applies to both points 1 and 2, there is no expert who can give you success, as success comes from within and having confidence in what you are doing.

3. Using to Much Leverage

You can get 200 or even 400:1, in terms of leverage but to use all of this is madness on a small account. Use maybe 10 - 20:1 - that is enough for most traders.

Leverage up to much and Volatility will get you.

4. Starting with a small amount

You get traders starting with $50 - 100, this is not really an investment at these levels, it's a gamble. Look to start with $500 -1000 minimum and preferably $5,000.

5. Believing You can Trade With low Risk

If you believe many people online, you would think you can trade with the odd loss here and there - but you can't! You will face many consecutive losses and they can last for weeks on end ( this happens to the best traders ) and you need to have the confidence and discipline, to take them until you hit a home run.

6. Predicting Market tops and Bottoms

Try and predict and you are hoping and guessing and your prediction will be as accurate as your horoscope. You can't predict in advance, so don't try, trade the reality of price change only.

7. Trading News

Those stories on CNN, CNBC and on all the other news channels are great stories but that's all they are stories and opinions. They reflect the majority who lose, follow them and you will lose to.

8. Trading too Much

You understandably want to be in on the action but most traders' trade to much and end up trading all the time - this will wipe you out, so have patience.

9. Trying to be too complicated

While some traders don't do any preparation and learn the basics and lose another major set think that being complicated and putting in effort means success - it doesn't. Forex trading is simple and you need to have a simple system and the discipline to apply it and that's all.

Make a system to complicated and it will break, in the brutal world of trading.

10. Know Your Trading Edge

You need to know what your trading edge is. Specifically, the reason you will win while the vast majority 95% lose and you need to have the confidence to apply it with discipline for success. If you don't know what your edge is, you don't have one and you need to continue your forex trading education until you do.

You can win at forex trading but you need to do the basics and get a simple system with an edge you can apply for huge gains. If you do this, then currency trading success can be yours.

Forex Education - 5 Key Points to Lead You to Currency Trading

If you want to win at forex trading, then you can it's a learned skill. That's the good news however 95% of traders lose and you must understand the following key points and make them part of your essential forex education. If you do, you will win...

Here are your key points, in no particular order of importance - there all important.

1. Forex Trading is NOT Easy!

Most traders just think they can buy $100 buck robot or get a mentor and someone will lead them to success. This is naïve and you know, if you want success at anything you need to work at the basics and do your homework.

Don't believe the sire fire systems or forex robots which never have a real track record, just a back tested simulation and keep in mind trading forward is what counts and that's hard.

Sure it's hard but that's why forex trading offers such huge rewards in terms of the effort you put in.

2. You are Responsible

If you accept you are responsible for your destiny, you will put in the effort to get the right forex education. You will learn a simple forex trading strategy which is robust, you understand and can have confidence in. If you have confidence then you will be able to acquire the next key trait.

3. Discipline is the Key

When you trade forex you are going to lose, the market is going to make you look a fool but that's life in forex and doesn't mean you can't win - you can.

What you must do is, have the discipline to apply you forex trading strategy through periods of losses, until you hit a home run. To win you must learn to lose gracefully in the short term and keep your eyes on the long term prize.

Many traders believe they can trade with little or no drawdown. They listen to the so called experts but the truth is - you will have to face weeks of losses at a time and discipline is needed in these periods, for you to emerge a winner.

4. You Need to Trade in Isolation

In society we are taught to agree with the crowd but in forex trading this leads to disaster, as 95% of traders lose money. You have to stay away from the herd and even when your emotions are telling you to conform, you need to stand aside. Get sucked into the herd mentality and you will end up with the 95% of losers.

5. Patience

Not only do you need patience to wait for the right opportunities, you also need patience to take your losses and more importantly, to run your profits.

Many traders get so excited when they have a profit, they move to soon to protect it or bank it; whereas if they hung on they could have made huge gains.

Becoming a Winner

If you want to become a winner in forex, you need all the above attributes and if you do achieve them, you will be on the way to currency trading success. They can lead you to a great second income or even a life changing one, in around 30 minutes a day.

The key point of this article on forex education is:

You can win with a simple system and more importantly, the right mindset and this is what most traders fail to achieve.

Saturday, September 27, 2008

Forex Software System Trading

Selecting your first piece of software to start trading the currency markets can certainly be a mind boggling task. But, not to worry, I am here to give you a hand. If you are even reading this article I am sure you have already stated checking into the different software systems that are available. When I first began trading and was reading each of these products marketing material it really did not make my task any easier, but just more confusing because there are so many of them and each one does something a little different.

The fact of the matter is that none of them on there own is going to supply you with the same information the professional traders are able to accumulate with one piece of software. The reason for this is these systems for the most part sell for around one hundred dollars or so and the brokerage firms have spent millions of dollars refining their software.

What you are able to do with these products are purchase different combination of software that examine the market in distinctive fashions and simulate what the big boys are using. What is he talking about? Don't fret; I am going to explain it. First, what all of the commercial available software products do GREAT is collect currency data. Why, because it is easy to program a data feed into a piece of software. The hard part is the next two steps in the programming function.

After collecting the information the programmers next determine what facts are important to them and what is not and eliminate what they do not consider critical. The final stage is to make a decision or recommendation on the software's preprogrammed evaluation tools. Getting confused, I told you earlier not to agonize, it really is not that complicated once you understand what these software systems are actually trying to accomplish.

The vast majority of these systems can be one of the following; trend based, concentrate on day trading, signal orientated, function on a specific formula the professional trader has been profitable in the past with or a few other possibilities. But, none of them are comprehensive taking into account everything mentioned above. Why, because they cost a hundred dollars that's why. If you wanted one that did everything all of these systems do differently it would cost millions to program them and nobody would buy it..

That's great isn't it, you have told me all of that and none of the system can make me a profitable trader! That's not what I said, you just have to read a little further, because in FACT they can make you an extremely lucrative currency trader, you just need to know how to use them. The final piece of software in this puzzle is the human brain. The human brain, the greatest piece of software ever invented, of course that is until ET shows up, then it will come in second.

No more joking around, I am going to tell you how to do this. What you really want is the same system that the professional traders use, right? Of course, well too bad, they aren't any, but you can make your own. Above I told you the commercial systems were great at collecting data, which they are. One big step out of the way, after all, you could have never got that information nearly as quickly and as comprehensively as they do. Next, I told you they element figures not considered important by that particular program and they do that. One more thing you don't have to be concerned with. Third I told you they then use the data according to the preprogrammed function, which they do, which could be signals, trends, formulas or experience. The last and final step is to take that information and you MAKE the final decision on what to trade and when to trade.

That is exactly what the professional system do, with one big exception and that is they make recommendations or actually function as an automated trading systems using all of the above possibilities, where as your systems can only make one type of recommendation. But, if you combine those systems and make the FINAL decision yourself then you have the same software as the large brokerage firms have spent millions on.

Your going to need one more thing to make this work, don't start crying, it is FREE. What you require is a RSS feed from one of the major news agencies such as CNN or Reuters regarding business. If you don't know what a RSS feed is then do a search on Google and find out. Now you know everything that is essential and I am going to give you one example of how to use all of the above to make big money. Why only one example, I am not a training course, if you want more than one example sign up for one of them. Or figure it out for yourself using a demo account from a brokerage firm. If you don't know what a demo account is too bad, hit Google one more time.

Enough of the messing around, this is what you what to know. I am being serious now. Let's say you have a trend system and a signal system on your desk top along with the RSS feed and your brokerage trading platform all functioning at the same time. Now all of a sudden the signal system starts going crazy telling you something in the market is changing. What do you do? You check with your trend system and verify there is the trend line is changing. Now you have a signal and a trend telling you it is time to buy. What next, check the RSS feed and see if you can find the news coverage which you receive in real time just like the big boys and find out why the currency is moving. Once you have all three of the indicators functioning consecutively you can be pretty sure this is a HUGE buying opportunity. Please tell me exactly how many of those chances do you need a month to be a rich person, don't bother, I am going to tell you, NOT TOO MANY!

There it is, your own million dollar Forex Trading System for two or three hundred dollars. How you going to beat that? Your are not going too. Don't lose sleep over this if you did not understand everything I said above, once you get the systems and start playing with them you will understand. Also don't be concerned about being the first one in the market and the last one out, you never are. Do NOT start testing what I told you with a REAL money account, use a DEMO account. Use the DEMO account for at least a month until everything becomes very simple, it is not that hard to begin with and you are making good money with the demo and then go to the real money account. That's all for now, I hope this helps. Seriously, just read the above and follow it and you will be fine.

Forex Trading Applications

There are a lot of companies online that are offering forex trading applications. If you are new to this industry, you can try out demonstration versions. These demos will help you learn more about forex before you actually start to do business with other traders. These demonstration versions are known as micro- or mini-accounts by a few companies. If you want to avail of such accounts, you will have to settle a certain amount. The lowest amount that companies charge for their demo trading applications is approximately $200. On the other hand, there are some companies that are offering their demos for free.

Online forex trading software is not that hard to use as long as you know the basics. The following instructions will show you how to do it:

1. Follow the company's directions on how to download the software. This is fairly simple, especially if you already have knowledge regarding computer and Internet use. The software has to be downloaded to your PC before you actually use it. After you have downloaded the application, you can proceed with the set up of your account.

2. You can learn forex trading easily with the help of demonstration versions. You will be able to acquire more knowledge if you create your own account. Your account will ask you to give your user name and your password. The providers of these demo accounts usually ask for payments, in order to keep your account running. This charge serves as the first deposit for the setup of your account.

3. To make forex trading work to your advantage, you have to be aware of what is going on in the market. Through the online tutorials of your account, you will learn how to study this type of trade. In order for you to acquire comprehensive knowledge, you have to read the demo's tutorial manuals carefully and thoroughly.

4. After you have studied the market, you might want to put your learning to test. You can start trading with other traders. However, you have to remember that you should start out small since you are new to the industry. You can support your business with graphs and charts. You can also utilize real time information and updates. These will help you keep track of the changes within the market. As you go along the trade, you will learn a lot of things from forex trading applications.

Tuesday, September 23, 2008

The Way of Consistent & Profitable Forex Trading Technique

Introduction

I have spent countless hours of Trading Forex, spend a heck amount of time reading all kinds of materials, saving and testing all kinds of Indicators. I have loss quite a lot of money before, and have throughout time, learned and unlearned, have the patient, to go through all the difficult time and good time.

I have developed and distributed freely my profitable trading system in some forex forums.

Later, when I am capable to develop an EA, my analysis of the whole Forex Trading system has changed, especially when it involves BackTesting and ForwardTesting of the EAs.

The Problem with normal EAs

I have tested numerous EA, commercial, non-commercial and especially my own EAs based on ALL KINDS of Trading Systems and Rules, backtested and forwardtested. The Result? Almost all EAs fail miserably during RANGING times. In fact, the amount of losses in the RANGING time, even though is quite small compared to gain during TRENDING time, but it is those SMALL LOSSES that will eat up the profit in the long run. A tweak here and there in backtesting will work beautifully, but when forwardtesting, again, if fails miserably.

Nonetheless, there are, I believe, few EAs in the market that work but One has got to really test it out OR One got to fully understand the Rules and When to Intervene into the EA OR the owner of the EA will create A Technical Support Team to support the operation of the EA and this defeat the purpose of having an EA.

That's why I have spent a lot of time in analyzing all kind of trading systems, developed all kinds of EA based on those trading systems including my own, until I finally spend a lot of my time in studying the BEHAVIOUR of the Correlation and the Pseudo Hedge of EURUSD and USDCHF Pairs. That SIMPLE thing is finally found! The rest is history to be taught.

Why Correlated Hedge And Why it works Consistently and Profitably

Correlated Hedge is a term I used to define a trading system or technique based on pairs correlation and trade based on the movement of its cross pair. But, somehow, the information regarding this trading technique or system has never been described properly and it is always painted into believing that this technique is not profitable or drawdown keeps getting higher, or it will never close the trade at the most acceptable amount of waiting time because sometimes it takes months to be in profit zone.

Analyze this. Or Rather do this - in your demo account - BUY EURUSD (or SELL EURUSD) at any price and at the same time BUY USDCHF(or SELL USDCHF) with the same lot no. Then wait. If it goes negative, hold the trade and just wait. Wait until the combination of both trades shows positive pips and if the profit level is to your satisfaction, close the trade. And then, repeat. Repeat this process, again and again.

You will find, no matter what, in a month, or in a year, your equity will gradually increased from time to time (doubling your equity is not a problem with proper Lot No calculation) - the only thing is - you have to have the Patient to wait because sometimes, to close or to achieve profitable trades it can come close to several months of waiting and the drawdown amount can scare a lot of people.

The reason why it works consistently following the market cycle is because for those correlated pairs, the correlation between the two is 94 - 98% 'negatively' correlated almost all the time (refer mataf.net) - and it is at that 'small' percentage of time when it is discorrelated that the profit taking takes place.

Summary

The KAS Correlated Hedge EAs has proven time and again, consistent profitable trade throughout time, utilizing the principal of Correlated Hedge described and one of the best part is, it has minimal drawdown. Its strength come from its calculated algorithm that will take profit at its optimum level, taking hedge to prevent huge drawdown and releasing the hedge at optimum time, so that the 'waiting' time is no longer a pain in the ass. The EA has been tested throughout time and it is robust and consistent enough. This KAS Correlated Hedge EA is truely a Winner.

It is stress free, it is automated and with proper configuration, you are set to your financial freedom, finally.

Auto Forex Enterprise - Your Path to Financial Independence

Thanks to the internet, practically anyone with a computer and a stable internet connection can trade currency. If you're thinking about getting into the forex market or you are currently trading in the market already, you should think about forex automated trading software to turn your ordinary campaign into an auto forex enterprise.

Forex automated trading software can save you a great deal of hardships and help to put you on the same level as the experienced traders. There are a number of programs in this niche which have somewhat given automated trading software a bad name. There are, however, a handful of gems mixed in whose publishers have taken the time to tweak and polish. These are the products I'm referring to when I mention forex automated trading software.

While the traditional stock market keeps set hours each day, the forex market occurs over a large number of international markets and consequently keeps much longer hours. This is a distinct advantage this market has over the stock exchange, but you've got to be able to stay on top of it at all times to completely take advantage of it. In fact, to be successful, it is a necessary that you stay on top of the market at all times. While this is impossible to do yourself, you have a couple of other options. You can hire someone to keep watch over your campaign, or you can turn your manual campaign into an auto forex enterprise. The software keeps a vigilante watch over your account and makes trades for you without you having to be there. With the entry of a bit of guidance information as far as what you want to trade and gain from the program, the program works largely independently of you but to ensure that you'll always be on the right side of your trades, thus minimizing your losses and maximizing your profits.

The program also constantly analyzes changes and trends in the market to accurately predict where it will go next. The most accurate signal generators are almost flawless, so that you can trade ahead of the curve and maximize your profits and again constantly be on the winning side of most of your trades.

Monday, September 22, 2008

How Many Kinds of Main Strategies are There in Forex Trading?

There may be dozens of strategies in Forex trading. Let's just talk about the roots.

Nature Of Market:

Every thing in the universe has its NATURE. So is Forex market. So is every currencies pair in this market. For example, GBP/JPY always moves faster, and its wave range is longer than other pairs, such as a hundred pips during a day or even a hour. EUR/GBP generally waves narrowly several pips only within a day. For American, EUR/USD and GBP/USD like to sleep in day and dance at night. AUD/USD and NZD/USD look like twin, they commonly act in the same style, if one of they goes north, another one does not like to go south. But EUR/USD and USD/CHF are doomed to be enemy, while one of them flies up like a hydrogen balloon, the counterpart mostly will drop like a lead ball. And so on, so on.

Once we find this kind of "Nature of Market", we can develop and figure out some strategies for particular currencies pairs, just follow their nature, predict their moving direction and range. Then we will get our own trading strategy and system.

Fundamental Trading:

In Forex market, many professional analysts like to use a kind of method to predict the future. It is so-called "Fundamental Analysis". Based on this method, they develop many kinds of strategies to trade Forex. These are strategies of forecasting the future price movements of currencies based on economic, political, environmental and other relevant factors and statistics that will affect the basic supply and demand of whatever underlies the foreign currencies.

If you like to try Fundamental Trading, you need learn and understand a lot of finance knowledge. Actually, not only finance knowledge, you need to be interested at many things of this world, including politics, economy, geography, culture, diplomacy, even military affairs. And you need to study the core underlying elements that influence the economy of a particular entity. For example, when the USA's GDP or employment report is strong, you begin to get a fairly clear picture: the general health of America's economy is good. So the US dollar should be stronger than other currencies. But how far can the US dollar go? Fundamental Trading may not answer this question very accurately. You may need to come up with other precise tools as to how best to translate this information into entry and exit points for a particular trading strategy.

Hedge:

In finance, a hedge is an investment that is taken out specifically to reduce the risk in another investment. Hedging is a strategy designed to minimize exposure to an unwanted business risk, while still allowing the business to profit from an investment activity.

In FOREX, there are two kinds of similar "hedging" strategies:

1, Buy and Sell the same currencies pair, same lots, same timing. Then let it go. While one of those orders goes north, the counterpart will go south. After the winner takes profit, we can wait for the loser turning around. In a yo-yo market, this method works well.

For example, buy 2 lots GBP/USD at 2.0003, at the same time sell 2 lots GBP/USD at 1.9997. While the rate rises up to 2.0053, we close the buy order and take profit 50 pips. Now, the sell order will draw down around 50 pips. Let's wait for the rate falling down, it will fall down usually, especially in yo-yo market environment. If the rate drops down to 2.0037, close the sell order, the sell order will lose 40 pips. Does it hurt? No. Don't forget the 50 pips we have taken at the buy order. Totally, we can get 50-40=10 pips. Furthermore, if the rate keeps falling, let's say down to 2.0027, we can take 50-30=20 pips, etc.

Some people would doubt it... doesn't this "strategy" sound like hedging flat for nothing, just paying double spread? Why bother? Well, they are right, because we forgot mentioning the key point: timing of closing orders. When to close the winning order to set a foundation and when to close the losing order to lock the profit, there are some tricks inside. Experienced traders use technical analysis skills to decide this vital timing. Believe it or not, those experienced traders say that this method helps them screening false signals out.

This kind of "Yo-Yo Hedge" can work at any currencies pair.

2, Buy (or sell) unequal lots of special currencies pairs and buy unequal quantities of another kinds of currencies pairs which usually move in the opposite direction. This seems a "Semi-Hedge" trading strategy. It is created based on "Correlation" between some particular currencies pairs. So it is not suitable for every currencies pair.

Actually, this kind of hedge has another feature: earning SWAP! You earn interest daily on the held position which can yield up to 50% per year of your full account balance.

There are several pairs can do it. Such as EUR/USD Vs. USD /CHF, GBP/USD Vs. USD/CHF, AUD/USD Vs. NZD/USD, EUR/JPY Vs. CHF/JPY, GBP/JPY Vs. CHF/JPY.

Let's take the EUR/USD and the CHF/USD pairs.

These pairs are historically negatively correlative 93-98% of the time. That is when one pair goes up the other goes down, and vice versa, up to 98% of the time. In a high leverage account (as high as 400:1 or 500:1), you could earn 50% SWAP interest in a year. How? Let's say you have $5,000 in your account and a 10% risk margin set. If the net interest we receive is 1.25% annually, this 1.25% interest will be enlarged to 50% per annum, by the 400:1 leverage.

And, this return does not include the buy low/sell high profits.

But, if the base of this kind of hedge collapses, it means the "Correlation" does not exist any more, for example the "Correlation" drops under 50% or lower, there will be a disaster.

Arbitrage:

Some people call "Arbitrage" as a risk free strategy. But other people call it as a trick which looks like the cat pawing chestnuts from a fire. But in theory, its risk is minimum in deed. We introduce three types of arbitrage strategies here:

1, Triangle Arbitrage: Searching for two highly fast-moving pairs (like EUR/USD and USD/JPY), the price of a not-so-fast moving pair like EURJPY should always be derived by multiplying (or dividing, etc) the fast-moving pairs. So for example, if EUR/USD is 1.4871 and USD/JPY is 108.24, the logical price of EUR/JPY should be 1.2 x 120 = 160.96. But at the same time, the real EUR/JPY rate is 160.90. The slower moving pair lags behind the logical price, then profit opportunity comes.

In practice currencies are quoted with a bid ask spread, so a trader should be careful that he is actually buying at the quoted ask price, and selling at the quoted bid price. Other transaction costs, such as commissions, might also invalidate the apparent free lunch.

More pairs:

AUD/CAD CAD/JPY AUD/JPY

AUD/CAD GBP/CAD GBP/AUD

AUD/CAD USD/CAD AUD/USD

AUD/CHF CHF/JPY AUD/JPY

AUD/CHF GBP/CHF GBP/AUD

AUD/CHF USD/CHF AUD/USD

AUD/JPY EUR/JPY EUR/AUD

AUD/JPY GBP/JPY GBP/AUD

AUD/JPY USD/JPY AUD/USD

AUD/USD GBP/USD GBP/AUD

AUD/USD USD/CAD AUD/CAD

AUD/USD USD/CHF AUD/CHF

AUD/USD USD/JPY AUD/JPY

CAD/JPY EUR/JPY EUR/CAD

CAD/JPY GBP/JPY GBP/CAD

CAD/JPY USD/JPY USD/CAD

CHF/JPY EUR/JPY EUR/CHF

CHF/JPY GBP/JPY GBP/CHF

EUR/AUD AUD/CHF EUR/CHF

EUR/AUD AUD/JPY EUR/JPY

EUR/AUD AUD/USD EUR/USD

EUR/AUD GBP/AUD EUR/GBP

EUR/CAD AUD/CAD EUR/AUD

EUR/CAD GBP/CAD EUR/CAD

EUR/CAD USD/CAD EUR/USD

EUR/CHF AUD/CHF EUR/AUD

EUR/CHF GBP/CHF EUR/GBP

EUR/CHF USD/CHF EUR/USD

EUR/GBP GBP/AUD EUR/AUD

EUR/GBP GBP/CAD EUR/CAD

EUR/GBP GBP/CHF EUR/CHF

EUR/GBP GBP/JPY EUR/JPY

EUR/GBP GBP/USD EUR/USD

EUR/JPY GBP/JPY EUR/GBP

EUR/JPY USD/JPY EUR/USD

EUR/USD GBP/USD EUR/GBP

EUR/USD USD/JPY EUR/JPY

GBP/JPY USD/JPY GBP/USD

2, Hedging Arbitrage:

This technique is the safest ever, and the most profitable of all hedging techniques while keeping minimal risks. This technique uses the arbitrage of roll over interest rates (SWAP) between two brokers.

One broker which pays or charges roll over interest at end of day, and the other should not charge or pay this kind of roll over SWAP interest. The main idea about this type of Hedge Arbitrage is to open a position of currency (Fore example, the highest SWAP GBP/JPY) at a broker which will pay you a high interest for every night the position is carried, and to open a reverse of that position for the same currency with the broker that does not charge interest for carrying the trade. This way you will gain the interest or SWAP that is credited to your account, risk-free.

3, Netting Arbitrage:

The main idea behind the strategy is, using differences between cross rates (such as EUR/USD, GBP/USD, and EUR/GBP) at different markets.

For example, suppose you had opened the following positions:

buy 1 lot EUR/USD at 1.4867;

sell 1 lot EUR/GBP at 0.7600;

and sell 0.76 lot GBP/USD at 1.9586.

The netting/clearing gives the following results:

Long EUR from the first pair and short EUR from the second pair gives zero exposure in EUR.

Long position in GBP from the second pair and short position from the third pair gives zero exposure in GBP.

Short position from the first pair ($148,670.00) in USD and long position from the third pair ($195,860.00*0.76) in USD gives you $183.60 profit without open positions and exposures.

Simple? Not really for small traders, may be for those "big brothers" only. Because it is really hard to play spread, slippage, stop loss hunting or so on games against brokers.

Carry Trading:

Carry trading is a well known trading strategy which an investor sells a certain currency with a relatively low interest rate and uses the funds to purchase a different currency yielding a higher interest rate. Then this investor can make profit from the difference of these two interest rates.

JPY is currently considered to be the most popular currency to use as the low interest yielding currency in the carry trade, because its interest rate is the lowest of the world almost at 0. And GBP is currently considered to be the high yielding currency. So are NZD and AUD.

When we buy these currencies pairs: GBP/JPY, AUD/JPY, GBP/CHF, USD/JPY, or EUR/CHF;

Or sell: EUR/AUD, EUR/GBP, AUD/NZD;

Both actions can yield positive SWAP roll over interest. If combining with some kinds of hedge trading, we can make as high as 100% profit annually and keep the risk low.

The big risk in a carry trading is the uncertainty of exchange rates. Also, these transactions are generally done with a high leverage, so a small movement in exchange rates can result in huge losses unless hedged appropriately.

Martingale:

Originally, martingale referred to a class of betting strategies popular in 18th century France. In Forex trading, the strategy let the trader double his/her order lots after every loss, so that the first win would recover all previous losses plus win a profit equal to the original investment. In the example below, you bought 1 lot EUR/USD at 1.4650. Unfortunately, the rate drops. You play it in martingale way, "double down", buy two lots, you need the EUR/USD to rally from 1.4630 to 1.4640 to break even. As the price moves lower and you add four lots, you only need it to rally to 1.4625 instead of 1.4640 to break even. The more lots you add, the lower your average entry price. Even though you may lose 100 pips on the first lot of the EUR/USD if the price hits 1.4550, you only need the currencies pair to rally to 1.4569 to break even on your entire holdings. Once the rate goes up one more pip, you will win a lot.

EUR/USD Lots Average or Breakeven Price

1.4650 1 1.4650

1.4630 2 1.4640

1.4610 4 1.4625

1.4590 8 1.4605

1.4570 16 1.4588

1.4550 32 1.4569

The Martingale strategy needs a very strict money management and you must understand that in the beginning money will be coming slowly, but if you lose the patience and raise risk level up to much, you may not hang on to the end to see the turn-around.

Anti-Martingale:

The anti-martingale strategy is the opposite of the better known martingale approach. This approach instead increases order lots after wins, while reducing them after a loss. Using an anti-martingale risk management scheme will increase profits during time periods when a trading approach is working well, while automatically decreasing exposure during portions of the cycle where trading is unprofitable. This is believed to decrease the risk of ruin for trading.

Grid:

Basically the trader sets a series of entry limit orders X pips from the current price, for example 15 pips. Some experienced traders like to use the Fibonacci Series Numbers (0, 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, ...) or Golden Section Numbers to make this grid. Once price hits the level the limit order is executed. Then every 15 pips there is another order at limit price executed. And so on. In a yo-yo market, while the price moves up or down, there always be some limit orders executed. Once the order is taken profit, and the price moves to its original level again, a new limit order shall be executed again, then repeat the same process. Just open orders and take profits in a set of "grid". It is simple and easy, but hard to deal with when and how to close all orders, especially the Stop Loss. Some experts say we do not need stop loss, but will you take the chance to hold your all positions till "Margin Call?"

Day trading:

This refers to the practice of buying and selling currencies pairs such that all positions will usually be closed within the same Forex the trading day. The day trading idea comes from stock market. Day traders rapidly buy and sell stocks throughout the day in the hope that their stocks will continue climbing or falling in value for the seconds to minutes they own the stock, allowing them to lock in quick profits. Day trading is extremely risky and can result in substantial financial losses in a very short period of time. Under the rules of NYSE and NASD, customers who are deemed "pattern day traders" must have at least $25,000 in their accounts and can only trade in margin accounts.

But in Forex market, every one can be a day trader to do day trading. Actually, more than day trading, they can do "scalping".

Scalping:

Scalping is a trading style where small price gaps created by the bid-ask spreads are exploited. It normally involves establishing and liquidating a position quickly, usually within minutes or even seconds. It means trying to get a few points (1~3 pips only, no greed, no long term) off the market every time. This strategy is based on a fact: approximately 70 to 80% of the time, the market is in a consolidation pattern. What this means is that for the majority of time the market is not making significant moves. For example, after the USA market is closed and before the Europe market is open, the Forex market tends to range in a consolidation channel for hours at a time before making another significant move in one direction. This kind of market behavior pattern is ideal for Forex scalping. Every time you enter the market, wait 10 or 20 minutes, once you have several pips gain then cash it and go.

Scalping has some features:

1, Lower exposure, lower risks. Scalpers are only exposed in a relatively short period.

2, Smaller moves, easier to obtain. The normal wave of the market will give you several pips easily.

3, Large volume, adding profits up. Since the profit obtained per share or contract is very small due to its target of spread, they need to trade large in order to add up the profits. Scalping is not suitable for small-capital traders.

But be careful, not every broker welcomes this kind of scalping strategy. If you scalp it too quick and thin, let's say you just hit 1 pip every 2 or 3 minutes then run, and repeat it again and again within a day, every day, you must feel high, eh? But the broker may be not happy and bans you. You will be kicked out because of your successful scalping!

Break-Out:

Using the Bollinger Bands indicator on a chart, we will find every Forex currencies pair is waving in a "band", or a channel. By finding major support and resistance levels with technical analysis, a Break-Out strategy trader will buy this pair at the lower level of support (bottom of the band/channel) and sell them near resistance (top of the band/channel). Till now there is not a Break-Out yet.

Once the price breaks the upper range line with larger-than-average volume, or the opposite: the price breaks the lower range line with larger-than-average volume, the chance is coming. The idea of this strategy is that when a currencies pair breaks out of the channel, it usually experiences a large price movement in the direction of the breakout. So buy it at the price breaks the upper range line and continue to hold it until the rate has risen a distance comparable to the height of the range. If it goes down instead, stop losses as it penetrates the upper range line. Or, sell it at the price breaks the lower range line, and continue to hold it until the rate has fallen a distance comparable to the height of the range. If it goes up instead, stop losses as it penetrates the lower range line.

Pivot:

Besides Support and Resistance levels, many foreign exchange traders like to use another indicator to analyze and predict currency pairs' price changes, it is so-called: the Pivot Point. To calculate and analyze pivot is a subset of technical analysis, with this bench mark, traders can locate the rotation point of the trend, and this is very helpful for deciding when and where to buy or sell.

Classical Pivot Point, Support and Resistance Formulas are as follows:

Look at any one chart, the pivot is an average of the previous bar's high, low, and closing prices. In the following formula, "H" represents the previous bar's high, "L" represents the previous bar's low, and "C" represents the previous bar's closing price.

Current Bar's Pivot Point (P)=Previous Bar's (H+L+C)/3

First level of support and resistance can be calculated as follows:

First Resistance Level (R1)=(2*P)-L

First Support Level (S1)=(2*P)-H

Likewise, the second level of support and resistance:

Second Resistance Level (R2)=P+(R1-S1)

Second Support Level (S2)=P-(R1-S1)

Since many currency pairs tend to fluctuate between Support and Resistance levels, and these levels are calculated based on Pivot points, so when a trend or breakout trader knows where the pivot point is, it will enable him/her to find out key levels that need to be broken for a move to qualify as a breakout.

News Trading:

The system is developed based on economic news events from around the world. Nearly half of those announcements have moved the market significantly. Before a big news is coming, we can buy and sell some currencies pairs at the same time, same lots, set stop loss prices for them. After the news is released, especially for the big one, both sides of buy order and sell order will jump significantly. No matter which order is a winner, just let it go. And the loser will hit the Stop Loss, just let it be. The winner's gain minus the loser's loss, it is your news trading profit. For example, Non-Farm Payrolls/Employment Report - The NFP is the most influential news release of every month. It's announced on the first Friday of the month at 8:30am EST for the prior month. We can put a buy order and a sell order at market prices for GBP/USD, at 8:29 am EST. Don't forget, set 30 pips Stop Loss level for them. Wait 2 minutes only, the news is announced, it is a big one! Then the sell order jumps over 100 pips, and the buy order drops like a brick. The brick hits the Stop Loss and the pain is over. Totally, your gain could be 100-30=70 pips. Quick and easy, cool enough?

Trend Following:

It is so simple, just follow the trend. Buy it is the most difficult strategy because no one can tell you 100% for sure what is the right TREND. Go to look at a weekly chat of USD/CAD, if you had shorted this pair in September 2001 and held it till September 2007, you know what the trend means.

The most famous trend analysis tool seems the Wave Principle. In the 1930s, Ralph Nelson Elliott discovered that stock market prices trend and reverse in recognizable patterns. Elliott isolated five such patterns, or "waves," that recur in market price data.

Another trend analysis guru should be W. D. Gann. In 1908, Gann discovered what he called the "market time factor", which made him one of the pioneers of technical analysis. To test his new strategy, he opened one account with $300 and one with $150. It turned out to be wildly successful: Gann was able to make $25,000 profit with his $300 account in only three months; meanwhile, he made $12,000 profit with his $150 account in only 30 days! After his results were verified, he became famous on Wall Street as one of the best forecasters of all time.

Back to the chat of USD/CAD, now, please tell me, how to follow the trend? Will USD/CAD continue the trend which is going south further to 0.6000, or, another trend going north reversely back to 1.6000?

Forex and the Concept of Leverage

Aside from the high amount of trading volume and potential profitability, the one single factor that has been enticing more traders into the Forex market versus the stock market is Leverage. Interestingly enough, many people enter the currency exchange market without a clue as to what leverage actually is. Hopefully, this content will give you some insight on what it is and how it works.

In the simplest of terms, leverage is defined two different ways:

Definition #1 - the use of borrowed capital or some other financial instrument, such as margin, in order to increase the potential return of a person's investment.

Definition #2 - the method of a business or corporation wherein they use an amount of their current debt to finance their assets. If a company's debt factor considerably exceeds their equity, they are labeled as being highly leveraged.

Relative to the first definition, when you're involved in currency trading (or stocks for that matter), leverage is normally created when you use various financial instruments, such as futures or options for example. Let's say that you have $1,000 in your Forex account to invest. You could do one of two things. You could waste that $1,000 on ten shares of Microsoft stock, or take that same $1,000 and invest it wisely in five different options contracts of 100 shares each. In so doing, that $1,000 of yours now controls 500 shares instead of only 10. To me the choice is obvious.

Now, relative to the second definition, most companies will use their debt to finance their assets and operations. When they do this, they create significant in that they can now invest in other business operations and their equity is undisturbed. For example, if a handful of investors take $5 million and invest it into the company that equates to a company equity factor of $5 million. This money is what finances company operations.

It follows then that if this particular company invests using the concept of debt financing, and if they use the concept to go out and borrow $20 million, then they now have a total of $25 million to invest in other business operations. This also benefits their shareholders due to the fact that values are also increased.

So let's apply the concept of leverage to the Forex market. In the Forex market, currency movements are monitored in what is called pips (a.k.a. points), which equates to the smallest movement that a currency makes. The pips are normally indicated by the 2nd or 4th decimal place within the price, depending on whether a two-decimal or a four-decimal place price is indicative of how a particular monetary unit is listed.

However, looking at this, you'll soon realize that these "movements" are relegated to mere fractions of a cent. To illustrate this, let's look at an arbitrary example of the British Pound (GBP) and the United States dollar (USD). If there is a movement of 100 pips in the GBP/USD price from 1.9500 to 1.9600, this means that the exchange rate moved only $0.01 (or 1 cent).

Forex Trading and Home Business

Forex, ie foreign exchange market has become very popular due to its immense size, liquidity, currencies moving in strong trends plus, an easy online access, relatively low starting capital and a big leverage.

All this is very attractive to many sorts of investors, speculators and also amateur people, especially online success chasers who imagine easy and fast profits. BUT it has its pitfalls and the Internet hype sellers and scammers make the situation even more dangerous.

Forex has enormous profit potential but since there is a substantial leverage involved working both ways, the same is the loss potential - the higher the profits, the higher the risk involved. And that is exactly the core of success in forex which is hidden from people seeking fast online profits.

People lacking basic character streaks like discipline, risk evaluation ability, experience and even basic information and training fall prey to false promises and start trading their last money on forex expecting quick riches.

It is necessary to be aware of the fact that trading currencies is not easy. If it was, no one would lose money and everyone would already be a millionaire. Many traders with years of experience still incur periodic losses. Everyone interested in trading forex must realize that trading takes time to master and there are absolutely no shortcuts to this process.

Yes, of course, it is possible to make it a long-term, profitable and sustainable source of high income and even a proper home business BUT the following are the basic rules for success in forex trading:

1. Discipline: it seems easy but the lack of discipline is the profit killer no 1. It is important to set your own rules and goals and stick to them. Do not panic if not everything goes the way you imagine and strictly keep the rules. One of the basic situations is losses: If you know you can lose only $1000, the discipline will help you stop trading if it happens, and not borrow and go on and on... Also, it is the discipline which helps you avoid magic profit calculations.

2. Responsible risk-taking and risk-evaluation ability: forex trading is an investment method not a casino. It is not possible to invest properly if you are not able to take up a calculated risk, if you are not able to calculate an acceptable risk, and if you are not able to even recognize a risk. The good news is that you can develop this ability.

3. Spare money: never trade your last money, always invest either profit or a reasonable amount of money you can lose. Always behave responsibly and never borrow money to trade.

4. Thorough education and training, incl practical training: it is imperative that before you start trading live, you get proper education and training, that you acquire working knowledge and develop your own working system on which you can build your investment strategies, routines and practice.

5. Never trade in a live-or-die situation or under any stress: many gurus say that you can make instant riches from forex investing your last money. It is one of the biggest lies I ever heard. Unless you feel absolutely comfortable, knowing what you are doing and why, enjoying the trading, you cannot trade successfully. Any stressed, unbalanced or anxious mind and brain is not able to evaluate situations correctly, react competently, and it is a paved road to failure and losses.

6. Always do your homework: another hype you can hear around says that everyone can trade just following someone else's advice and instructions. I can tell you only one word as an answer: rubbish. You must realize that you must be able to evaluate every situation, every trend, every forecast, create all the analysis, follow necessary trends, incl, of course, hearing specialized analysts BUT the decision and the money is yours only, so the responsibility is yours. The better your homework, the higher and more reliable your profits.

7. Learn from your mistakes and remain flexible: you must know that you will make mistakes, you will even lose in some trades but you must be a great trader and you must know it. When you make a mistake you must analyze the situation, find out why it happened and see to it that you will not repeat the same mistake in the future. You must not despair and fall into depression. You must stay positive and simply do better next time.

Plus a little closing note to only make you aware of these important topics which, however, exceed the scope of this basic informational article:

- yet another risk is here: it is vital to choose the right market-maker, big enough to allow you to make full use of currency moves. I stress a market-maker and not a broker,

and also,

- avoid managed accounts.

In case you are interested in mastering forex trading and start with the above points seriously, you are on the right way to trading success.

Saturday, September 20, 2008

Forex Education - 5 Key Points to Lead You to Currency Trading Success

If you want to win at forex trading, then you can it's a learned skill. That's the good news however 95% of traders lose and you must understand the following key points and make them part of your essential forex education. If you do, you will win...

Here are your key points, in no particular order of importance - there all important.

1. Forex Trading is NOT Easy!

Most traders just think they can buy $100 buck robot or get a mentor and someone will lead them to success. This is naïve and you know, if you want success at anything you need to work at the basics and do your homework.

Don't believe the sire fire systems or forex robots which never have a real track record, just a back tested simulation and keep in mind trading forward is what counts and that's hard.

Sure it's hard but that's why forex trading offers such huge rewards in terms of the effort you put in.

2. You are Responsible

If you accept you are responsible for your destiny, you will put in the effort to get the right forex education. You will learn a simple forex trading strategy which is robust, you understand and can have confidence in. If you have confidence then you will be able to acquire the next key trait.

3. Discipline is the Key

When you trade forex you are going to lose, the market is going to make you look a fool but that's life in forex and doesn't mean you can't win - you can.

What you must do is, have the discipline to apply you forex trading strategy through periods of losses, until you hit a home run. To win you must learn to lose gracefully in the short term and keep your eyes on the long term prize.

Many traders believe they can trade with little or no drawdown. They listen to the so called experts but the truth is - you will have to face weeks of losses at a time and discipline is needed in these periods, for you to emerge a winner.

4. You Need to Trade in Isolation

In society we are taught to agree with the crowd but in forex trading this leads to disaster, as 95% of traders lose money. You have to stay away from the herd and even when your emotions are telling you to conform, you need to stand aside. Get sucked into the herd mentality and you will end up with the 95% of losers.

5. Patience

Not only do you need patience to wait for the right opportunities, you also need patience to take your losses and more importantly, to run your profits.

Many traders get so excited when they have a profit, they move to soon to protect it or bank it; whereas if they hung on they could have made huge gains.

Becoming a Winner

If you want to become a winner in forex, you need all the above attributes and if you do achieve them, you will be on the way to currency trading success. They can lead you to a great second income or even a life changing one, in around 30 minutes a day.

The key point of this article on forex education is:

You can win with a simple system and more importantly, the right mindset and this is what most traders fail to achieve.

Thursday, September 18, 2008

Trading Plan For Forex -Tips For Developing A Systematic And Consistent Winning Blueprint

If you trade forex, you need a trading plan if you wish to become a consistent winner and to be able to make trading decisions fast and accurately.

Here are the most important tips a forex trader can use to develop a trading plan:

1. Are You A Day Trader Or A Swing Trader, or How Often Are You Going To Trade?

The day trader will benefit by trading the short and sometimes almost instantaneous trade signals that bring in profits. Your trading plan will need to either concentrate on momentum or on recognition of price patterns that recur within short time frames. Many day traders trade on price levels, fibonacci or retracements only- without indicators. If you are a swing trader, your trading system will involve trading signals over a longer period, and may involve indicators such as bollinger bands, price levels, longer term momentum, overbought and oversold indicators such as stochastics and so on. The most important thing is your system must be built around your trading profile- and what type of trader you are.

2. What Amount of Risk Are You Going To Tolerate.

Your trading plan will include a trigger that will automatically set in to cut your losses short if the trade goes against you. What amount of risk or losses are you going to tolerate before you cut loss?

2. How much Gains or Profits Are You Aiming For?

A gain is a gain irrespective of its quantum, and where there are no commissions involved in trading, the smallest gain represents a profit. Is your trading plan going to be built upon a fixed amount of gains each trade signal will produce or a flexible amount? In other words, are you aiming for a fixed risk-reward ratio system or a flexible system, and able to take more risks as long as there is reward in sight? Set stops for the initial trade and a trailing loss as the trade progresses.

3. System Decay

All systems do decay especially if they are built upon indicators and need to be optimised or re-tuned or tweaked after they show signs of losing their effectiveness. That is why price-action trading systems do not make use of indicators except price itself and work continuously and are so popular among forex traders. Be on the look out to consider tweaking your system and your trading plan once it shows signs of ineffectiveness or when your trades are affected.

4. External Factors- How Sensitive Is Your Trading Plan?

Your trading plan can be affected by adverse changes by your broker's policies. For example, changes to the trading platform from your broker can affect your charting features, or if there is a change of the spread, this can adversely affect your gains and losses, and make your trading plan go awry. Developments in monetary policies can adversely affect your trading plan especially if it is built upon "razor thin "gains that you are willing to take irrespective of the risk. Watch out always for news releases that impact upon financial matters.

There are trading plans developed by professional forex traders that you can follow. If you choose to go the way of "canned" trading plans developed by others, make sure they are actual traders who have out their trading plans to work in the market. Go for trading blueprints developed by actual forex traders who are known to be making profits, and consider plans that are easy to follow and robust under most trading circumstances. Your success or failure as a trader depends greatly on your trading plan. Give it your maximum attention and consideration.

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Forex Killer Review - Will it Kill Your Bank Account?

This morning I went searching for Forex Killer reviews. I thought I'd take a look at the very first 10 reviews and find out what they happen to have in common. The very first review I ran across is, of course, positive. The second was a positive review as well. The third review was a positive as well. I was starting to see a pattern here that none of these reviews really went into very much detail.

The very next review I read was by an individual that had taken a few trades using the Forex Killer software signals. He was up a number of pips on the few trades he taken to which I believe was less than 10 so he seemed very excited in his review.

Okay. So it was clear to me now that after going through the first 10 Forex Killer reviews that everyone was going to have something good to say about Forex Killer. That means it Forex Killer must be great right? Well, not necessarily. Not a single one of the reviews that I saw was written by anyone who remotely resembled a real Forex trader. The proof that they offered that Forex killer was the greatest thing since sliced bread and worked like a charm was usually a few days on the demo account.

One good thing I can say about Forex Killer is it least it is some type of trading system and typically having some type of trading system is better than not having any trading system at all. Having a trading system can help you eliminate guesswork and keep your emotions under control during live trading.

When looking through the Forex Killer literature I noticed that there was a picture of a statement showing two months worth of live trading. At first glance this was extremely impressive especially since it displays a $100,000 account becoming an account worth over $600,000. If you've not traded Forex before and even if you have it would be very easy to be impressed by these numbers. Truthfully, however, a two month track record is way too short to allow anyone to evaluate a Forex trading system. I can say with great certainty that even a bad Forex trading system can have two good months. So for me, as an experienced trader, this was not impressive.

The point I'm trying to make here is if Forex Killer is the end-all and be-all in Forex trading then why not show a track record with a longer period say three to five years for instance. After all, if you created a software that it had brilliant performance for three to five years wouldn't you show the entire track record? Of course you would.

Please understand that I am not saying that you cannot make money with Forex Killer. What I am saying is that you should do yourself a favor and investigate further before buying any Forex trading system software. Even after you do that you should still paper trade using a demo account until you feel comfortable with the results. Want to know more about Forex Killer software?

Forex Killer - Forex Trading For Cheats

The Foreign Exchange Market (Forex Trading) is known as the largest liquid market in the world. Far surpassing any other financial market it boasts upwards of 1.3 t r i l l i o n dollars in an industry that is gaining momentum as we write this article. It is also known as Forex, Foreign Currency Exchange or even FX.

Any one involved in the world of finances where speculation plays an important role in determining whether an asset should be brought or sold does knowing that there is an element of risk involved in any transaction he or she engages in. Having said that, of all financial markets, Forex is indeed the safest in terms of risks, for reasons which we will cover more fully below.

Currencies had always been exchanged based on a fixed valuation but in 1971, a floating mechanism was put in place where currencies were valued according to supply and demand. Thus was born the Foreign Exchange Market, aka Forex. This of course meant that attempts to subvert and influence currency values became a thing of the past making this financial world a much safer place to navigate in.

Forex relies on a network of computers linked to one another in one giant web or electronic network. Since currencies are largely influenced by market as well as political and socio economical forces, they tend to fluctuate against one another and it is this fluctuation that is predominant in the appeal Forex Trading has.

This web of sophisticated computer network is becoming so advanced that Forex Trading is no longer reserved for central banks and or large financial conglomerates. Indeed, armed with personal computers, at home traders are discovering the financial possibilities that this market offers.

Available 24 hours a day and 5 days a week, Forex is ideally suited for anyone interested in opening a home business, provided of course the right tools are used in this endeavor. Whilst trading risks are involved, they certainly do not compare with stock trading risks for example since Forex, aided by the right tools is in fact much more predictable!

In fact Forex is the biggest source of potential profits legally available today. Currency fluctuations happen on a regular basis and these tendencies make currency trading a powerful means for profit.

The interpretation of such currency fluctuation is what makes a forex trader successful and whilst in the past, knowledge and expertise was indispensable for any one to be able to trade on the foreign exchange market, today things are different.

Indeed knowledge and data analysis and interpretation are still at the chore of this industry but today, specifically designed software programs give even the complete beginner the necessary tools to start trading immediately and do so just like the pros.

And when if comes to Forex software, none comes even close to Forex Killer, designed by one of Forex best known specialists who has created the ultimate forex automation software available on the maker today.

Forex Killer is easily available and can be used by complete novices with no prior knowledge of the Forex Industry., its algorithm is so complex that it makes recommendations on what should or should not be bought!

In fact Forex Killer is so advanced and above everything else around, that it has been nominated by CNN as the number one cash flow generation online opportunities today. If you are looking for a serous business to get your teeth in, Forex Killer gives you an ideal opportunity to do so.

Forex Training: What To Look For In A Forex Training Program

Should new Forex traders take Forex trading courses or join a Forex training program? Definitely yes; by now you have probably heard that only 5% of traders achieve consistent profitable results when trading the Forex market. The main reason for this is the lack of education. Don’t get me wrong here, taking a Forex training program or a Forex trading course won’t guarantee profitable results, nothing can, but choosing the right Forex training program or Forex trading course will definitely put the odds in your favor.

Before spending any amount of money on any Forex trading course or Forex training program there are some important aspects you need to take in consideration. There are many training programs available, but not every one of them suits the needs of every trader.

The first thing you should be looking in a Forex training program is the content of the material. Unfortunately, most courses or training programs focus or spend most of the time on basic concepts. Though these basic concepts are important, spending most of the course on them won’t help the trader to make consistent results.

The following subjects are what I consider the most important aspects of trading and every training program or trading course should address:

Forex trading basics.

Review basic concepts such as: margin, type of orders, a little background, bid/ask, rollover, etc. You need to make sure you understand every single concept to perfection.

Main drawbacks of Forex traders.

Being aware of the common mistakes made by Forex traders and knowing how to handle them will prevent new traders from making those mistakes.

Technical and fundamental analysis.

These are the two main approaches adopted by Forex traders. Knowing how to properly apply each concept will definitely put the odds in your favor.

The three pillars of Forex trading. I consider that these three subjects have the most impact on every trader trading account.

Forex trading system development.

Having the right system is a must if you want to have consistent profitable results. Having a system that doesn’t fit you will cause a series of problems that will make your trading account vanish away (second guessing the system, not following your system, etc.)

Money management.

This is considered by many successful traders to be the most important single aspect of trading. Money management helps to increase your profits geometrically and at the same time limit your losses (i.e. a good risk reward ratio of about 2:1 will make you money in a Forex trading system that is right only 38% of the time.)

Trading psychology.

Being aware and knowing hot to handle the psychological barriers that affect every trader decision will put the odds in your favor.

Other important aspects every training program should include are:
Developing habits for success (such as discipline patience, taking responsibility of every action, commitment, etc.,) understanding and taking our trading as a business, risk and trade management.

Another important aspect you should take into consideration when choosing a Forex training program is the mechanics of it, getting to know how the training program works.

A good course will have the following:

A live conference room, where you can apply everything learned under live market conditions.

One-on-one feedback, every trader has different needs and requires special attention. For instance a trader wanting to improve the system and requires individual feedback from the instructor about it.

Online trading course, a course that could be accessible through internet. A plus is a course where you are able to access the course at the convenient time for you, so you don’t have to change your lifestyle.

A forum, where members can talk just about everything related to the Forex market and the Forex training program.

Trading the Forex market is no easy task. It requires a lot of hard work. Making the right decision will definitely put the odds in your favor. Take your time when doing your diligence because it is a big and important step in a trader’s trading career.

Friday, September 12, 2008

Great Advice For Forex Beginners

The thousands of individuals who have resolved to enter the forex market should know that they should educate themselves first before they start. It is crucial to know the basics of forex trading to get into profit, but this knowledge is no guarantee. You need to know more than the basics to even have a fighting chance of being successful.

There are many methods to learn forex trading. You can join online services, enroll in a forex trading school, become an apprentice of a forex mentor, download an ebook, join a trading group, read books or do it alone. However, doing it alone involves a lot of risks especially for beginners.

From experience it is always best for novice traders to get training from a mentor or join a forex trading team. You are going to benefit from experienced instructors who are already trading forex in real time and compare notes, trends, charts, buy / sell decisions and more. You can check yourself against other people who have more experience than you. In this way, you are familiarized with real market trading. You are given the chance to see the actual processes and decisions which you can later on employ.

In the end you will come up with your own strategy and trading methodology that works for you and is suited for your own risk level, temperament, trading goals and trading experience.

Here are a couple of guidelines that new traders can follow to achieve success in the forex markets.

You need to know proper charting and mapping. Most forex brokers will supply you with a charting platform, but you need to know how those charts work and how to interpret them. You will need to be able to read forex market charts.

Discipline yourself. Traders who are disciplined by strictly following their developed methods even when losing period’s strike, have a greater chance of making it in the long run.

Update your knowledge continuously. Successful traders are studying the forex market night and day and are constantly looking for new information and education all the time.

Trade in a team, this helps making decisions easier and could be the # 1 reason you find success. If you are trading in a highly specialized team who knows what they are doing you can measure yourself and your trading decisions against them and keep each other accountable for your trades.

Focus on what you do and do not jump around. This is probably the single biggest mistake that traders make, they jump from one opportunity and from one trading system to the next. They never stick with a single one and learn to trade that system well. There are thousands of ways to trade the market with an unlimited number of ways to combine signals, charts and trading methodologies. But do not try to trade and test each one of the thousands out there, stick with one that works and work it inside out until you can do it blindfolded. Once you are so familiar with it that you can do it in your sleep, you will start to learn when conditions for your system are right and be able to trade your chosen system with confidence and profit.

Online Forex Trading Advice

Technological Advances

FOREX has changed dramatically in the last 10 years due to technological advancements. With real-time streaming technology and faster computer systems, almost anything is available at the click of a button. I would like to go over a few of the benefits of online FOREX trading. Consult with your broker to determine if trading online is right for you.

Take a class

If you are new to the world of technology or online FOREX trading, you may want to consider taking an online FOREX trading class. I recommend you get the course by Peter Bain. Click here to learn more. There are a wide variety of options out there if you are looking for a quick easy way to improve your skill set.

Many will include a free trial of their particular software and tips on how to make the most out of your trades. Consult your broker to see if they recommend a particular company or program. Most are free, and you can be well on your way to trading within hours!

Try it before you buy

Before you spend any money on an online FOREX trading program or subscription, ask about free trial offers. Many companies will allow potential customers to try out their software and tools before making an investment. This is a quick and easy way to begin trading immediately. Spend some time reading through the system tutorials and practice a few test trades. There will no doubt be a learning curve, and you want to make sure that you don’t have a large investment riding on that curve. If you have a friend or family member that is in the online FOREX trading market, find out what program or system they use. They may be willing to walk you through a trade and give you their opinion on the program. This is an excellent way to find out if a program is really worth it or not.

Practice makes perfect

One of the best ways to get a feel for the market or a particular program is to try it out. No one wants to experiment with their own money however; so many companies have come up with an innovative way to take all the risk out of trying a new program. It’s called simulation trading and the premise is simple. The program is an exact copy of the broker or trading systems real-time trading program. The main difference is that they allow you to “play” the market just as you would if you were actually investing. You can do a simulation with a set amount of money, usually around $100,000 dollars. You can practice setting bid and ask prices, and using their various analysis tools.

The benefits of such a system are two-fold. First, you get a feel for the program itself, so that you can determine if it is right for your needs and skill level. Second, you get to practice trading in the market. You can practice using the various tools and research available to you to make good trading decisions. Don’t worry if you don’t get it right away- since its play money, you don’t lose anything!

The amount of time needed to understand the system will vary depending on your level of experience. Many programs offer similar functions, so if you are simply in the market for a different program you may be able to switch over quickly.

Benefits of online FOREX trading

1. Real-time access- this is one of the great benefits of online FOREX trading. Most brokers and trading companies offer their clients real-time quotes and data. This is very important when making decisions. Currencies are a very volatile market, and things can change at anytime. So having your thumb on the pulse of the market is very important to long term success.

2. 24-hour availability- another great feature about online FOREX trading. In today’s hectic world many traders find it difficult to manage their portfolio during normal business hours. The internet allows traders the ability to access their portfolio virtually anywhere and anytime. This is great for part-time traders that have a full-time day job.

3. Speed of transactions- can’t be beat! With a good computer and a high speed connection you can process a transaction within minutes. This is a far cry from having to call up your brokerage firm or worse yet make an office visit. This is perhaps the main reason that day trading has become as popular as it has!

In Summary

Brokerage firms have become very skilled in online FOREX trading over the past 10 years, and can serve as your guide into the technological world. Be patient with yourself during the learning process, and keep your eye on the prize. The more research and preparation that you partake in before trading; the better your chances are for success. So keep an open mind, and explore all the benefits that online FOREX trading has to offer.

Wednesday, September 10, 2008

Discover Some Magic To Beat The Forex: The Elliott Wave Theory For Forex Markets

One of the best known and least understood theories of technical analysis in forex trading is the Elliot Wave Theory. Developed in the 1920s by Ralph Nelson Elliot as a method of predicting trends in the stock market, the Elliot Wave theory applies fractal mathematics to movements in the market to make predictions based on crowd behavior. In its essence, the Elliot Wave theory states that the market – in this case, the forex market – moves in a series of 5 swings upward and 3 swings back down, repeated perpetually. But if it were that simple, everyone would be making a killing by catching the wave and riding it until just before it crashes on the shore. Obviously, there’s a lot more to it.

One of the things that makes riding the Elliot Wave so tricky is timing – of all the major wave theories, it’s the only one that doesn’t put a time limit on the reactions and rebounds of the market. A single In fact, the theories of fractal mathematics makes it clear that there are multiple waves within waves within waves. Interpreting the data and finding the right curves and crests is a tricky process, which gives rise to the contention that you can put 20 experts on the Elliot Wave theory in one room and they will never reach an agreement on which way a stock – or in this case, a currency – is headed.

Elliot Wave Basics

• Every action is followed by a reaction.
It’s a standard rule of physics that applies to the crowd behavior on which the Elliot Wave theory is based. If prices drop, people will buy. When people buy, the demand increases and supply decreases driving prices back up. Nearly every system that uses trend analysis to predict the movements of the currency market is based on determining when those actions will cause reactions that make a trade profitable.

• There are five waves in the direction of the main trend followed by three corrective waves (a "5-3" move).
The Elliot Wave theory is that market activity can be predicted as a series of five waves that move in one direction (the trend) followed by three ‘corrective’ waves that move the market back toward its starting point.

• A 5-3 move completes a cycle.
And here’s where the theory begins to get truly complex. Like the mirror reflecting a mirror that reflects a mirror that reflects a mirror, the each 5-3 wave is not only complete in itself, it is a superset of a smaller series of waves, and a subset of a larger set of 5-3 waves – the next principle.

• This 5-3 move then becomes two subdivisions of the next higher 5-3 wave.
In Elliot Wave notation, the 5 waves that fit the trend are labeled 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 (impulses). The three correcting waves are called a, b and c (corrections). Each of these waves is made up of a 5-3 series of waves, and each of those is made up of a 5-3 series of waves. The 5-3 cycle that you’re studying is an impulse and correction in the next ascending 5-3 series.

• The underlying 5-3 pattern remains constant, though the time span of each may vary.
A 5-3 wave may take decades to complete – or it may be over in minutes. Traders who are successful in using the Elliot Wavy theory to trade in the currency market say that the trick is timing trades to coincide with the beginning and end of impulse 3 to minimize your risk and maximize your profit.

Because the timing of each sequence of waves varies so much, using the Elliot Wave theory is very much a matter of interpretation. Identifying the best time to enter and leave a trade is dependent on being able to see and follow the pattern of larger and smaller waves, and to know when to trade and when to get out based on the patterns you identify.

The key is in interpreting the pattern correctly – in finding the right starting point. Once you learn to see the wave patterns and identify them correctly, say those who are experts, you’ll see how they apply in every facet of forex trading, and will be able to use those patterns to trigger your decisions whether you’re day trading or in it for the long haul.