Saturday, October 3, 2009

Forex Markets: Rules for Trading

Being new to trading in Forex markets can be a little intimidating. Although many people desire to learn about trading in the Forex, those who begin learning about the trading system find the rules and strategy tactics to be overwhelming at times. While there are rules that you will simply learn along the way, such as price limits and such, there are a few steadfast rules you should know before you make your first move in the Forex market. Use these three rules to help you get started and successfully maneuver throughout the foreign exchange market.

Don’t Over Leverage Your Portfolio

When you are just starting out in the Forex, it can be really easy to get caught up in the leverage of the market. The great thing about leverage is that someone who is not investing as much as other larger traders can play with the “big boys” and potentially makes a good profit. An investor can expect to only need to back their investment up to 4% in most cases. This can get some people in trouble however. When you choose to abuse this system, you can end up with a lot of debt. You should never over leverage your portfolio. Be responsible when trading and remember that you are trading larger amounts that you probably have in your portfolio. Keeping yourself grounded is the best way to make sure you use the Forex market to your best potential.

Know When to Quit

Another simple rule for trading in the Forex market is to know when to quit. In turn, this can also mean knowing when to let things stay as they are. There are no way around having occasional trades that have a negative impact on your finances. Not every trade you make will be a hugely successful one. If life were fair, this may not be true, but in the foreign exchange market, where things change by the minute, there is no way to guarantee every trade will reap rewards. Keep in mind that even the most seasoned foreign exchange market traders have bad trades. Your ultimate goal in trading in the Forex should be to try to come out with more wins than losses.

To make it easier to come out ahead at the end of the day, you should always know when to fold on a deal. Never let deals that you know are losing simply happen because you are praying something will change or to save your pride. Be sure to get out losing the least amount of money as possible. This is a strategy every great trader uses. Watch your trades closely so you can get out when you should. If you have researched the trade before, you will know what the breaking points likely are and be able to make this decision easily. Knowing when to leave well enough alone, alone, is another thing you must learn. Learn to be patient with your trades, especially if they are not in a negative position.

Research Trades

Researching trades beforehand can seem very boring. However, you should never make an order in the Forex market without knowing exactly what you expect to happen. You can look at trends and the history in order to get a better idea of what to expect. If you simply go out into the market with no background on the issues, you will likely lose a lot of money. So, take the time to do a little research before you begin.

Place Stop Loss Orders

You should always be familiar with a stop loss order before you begin trading in the Forex market. The stop loss order is something that should be places right along with your entry order. This type of order protects you from a potential loss getting out of hand. If the market takes a dive, you will be protected with the stop loss order. You must figure out however, before placing the order, at what point you would want to cut your losses. You should always do this way before placing an order. Although you may find that many traders do not utilize the stop loss order process, you will find that the more successful traders use it often.

How to Guarantee Failure in Forex Trading

Forex trading – it’s one of the most exciting new ‘games’ in town. The stakes are variable enough that almost anyone can play, and the potential winnings are high enough to tempt even the most conservative into the running. There’s something romantic and dashing about trading in money – a cachet that stock, bonds and mutual funds just don’t have. With trillions of dollars changing hands everyday, it seems like everyone’s got a fail-safe method that will make you rich overnight. Here are nine failsafe facts that will guarantee that you fail in forex trading.

There is a failsafe method to make money on every trade.

Just like there’s no such thing as a free lunch, there’s no such thing as a failsafe method. You WILL lose money on some trades, it’s inevitable. Expecting to always win is a guarantee that you will hang on to trades long past the point that an experienced trader would have found an out.

You don’t need to know anything about the market to make money in it.

Not knowing your playing field is a sure way to hit every bump and hole in it. It’s not enough to read a few articles from your dealer. You need to make a concentrated effort to understand the forces that drive the market so you’ll know the best times to make a move.

You can play a winning game by making frequent trades with small profits.

If your goal is to make a few hundred dollars a day, you may be ahead of the game, but you’re seriously limiting your profit potential. The only people getting rich on frequent tiny trades are the dealers taking commission on them.

You don’t need a plan to make money in the currency market – making money IS a plan.

Trading without a well-thought out plan is like jumping out of a plane without a backup chute. Your plan is what keeps your eye focused on your goal, and gets you through the inevitable losses. Currency trading isn’t a short-term game, but most new traders (95%) quit within the first year because they didn’t have a plan to follow.

If you stick with a losing trade long enough, it will turn around.

Sticking with a losing trade is a good way to lose more money. When a deal isn’t going the way that you expected, it’s hard to admit that you were wrong and get out – but it’s the best way to avoid losing even bigger money. Winning on one trade isn’t going to make you rich overnight. Consistently knowing when to get out – whether it’s to cut your losses or grab your winnings – is the way to be a successful currency trader.

Where there’s smoke, there’s fire.

Rumors are just that – rumors – 99% of the time. If you want to win at the game, base your trades on reality, not hearsay. On the other hand, rumors can alert you to look at what’s really happening and make a decision based on the movement that you see.

The more currencies you trade, the better your chances are of scoring a big profit.

The more you know about a currency, the easier it is to predict how and when it will move. The more intimately you understand the way it behaves, the better your chances are of consistently making successful trades in that currency. If you’re trying to focus on too many different currencies, you’ll be spreading yourself too thin to really get to know any one of them.

Thinking long-term and trading short-term is a sure way to make money in the long run.

That’s one of those logical fallacies that sound good on the surface. Look at it more closely though. If you’re trading in the short term, then you need to keep your eyes on the short term rather than trading to what you think the market will be in a week. Today is today – if you make your best trade today every day, you’ll consistently be ahead of the game.

The way to make money in forex is to always have a trade in motion.

Sometimes there just isn’t a trade that’s going to profit you. Making a trade just to make a trade is a sure way to do yourself no good – and possibly a great deal of harm.

5 Forex Trading Strategies

When considering forex trading as a profit making venture, it is important to work out winning strategies beforehand if at all possible. Making decisions regarding your forex trading and developing a strategy can be seen as your foundation. With your strategy you will optimize your risk with respect to the expected reward, or put the odds in your favor. Trading strategies should be disciplined and limit risk, while placing you at the most favorable advantage in the market. One strategy is the simple moving away average, which is based on a technical study over twelve periods, with each period fifteen minutes in length. This is a good example of a trading decision that is arrived at through strategy.

A simple algorithm is used in this strategy. When currency price crosses above the twelfth period, simply move away it is a signal to stop and reverse. In this way a long position will be liquidated and a short position will be established, both using market orders. This system will keep trades always in the market, with either a short position or a long position after the first signal.

Another strategy is of support and resistance levels. This is another technical analysis strategy and derives support and resistance. The idea is that the market tends to trade above support levels and trade below resistance levels. If either a support or a resistance level is broken, then the market will follow through is the direction given. These levels can be determined by analysis of the chart and assessment of where the chart has encountered unbroken support or resistance in times past.

Anther strategy that many see as exotic is called the balloon strategy. A balloon option is an option that balloons, or increases in size when triggers are reached. For example, if an investor believes that the dollar will gain strength against the Euro in the near future and is currently trading at 100, the investor will see 110 as being strong resistance, but the investor also believes it will be broken. So, rather than buying straight dollars at 100 for the next six months the investor will purchase at “at the money” balloon call with a 110 trigger and multiple of two. The investor will then own a 100 call in USD110mm. But if the dollar and Euro ever trade at or above 110, the 110 call will double to USD 20mm.

The double bottom is another strategy worth looking at. The double bottom is significant to the short term trader as double bottoms indicate a possible major change in sentiment and trend. The pattern is used on all times frames, and many powerful intraday and long term bull markets are conceived from this setup. Double bottoms reflect strong support levels. When prices fail to break support in the down trending markets on more than one occasion we see powerful changes of trend. These reversal signals are meaningful. The most common entry point where a trader will open on a double bottom trade is on a move through the high of the two troughs. This high will represent secondary resistance, and when penetrated confirms a price reversal. The stops are placed around the lows of he patters because a move below lows negates the pattern premise.

Another good potential strategy is the ichimoku chart. These charts are following indicators, which identify support and resistance levels and create trading signals in a way that is similar to moving averages. A big difference however between the two is that the Ichimoku chart lines shift forward in time, creating wider support and resistance zones and decreasing the risk of trading false breakouts. They are calculated using information on trend existence, direction, support and resistance.

The four main lines are:

Turning Line = (Highest High + Lowest Low) / 2, for the past nine days

Standard Line = (Highest High + Lowest Low) / 2, for the past twenty-six days

Leading Span 1 = (Standard Line + Turning Line) / 2, plotted twenty-six days ahead of today

Leading Span 2 = (Highest High + Lowest Low) / 2, for the past fifty days, plotted twenty-six days ahead of today’s date.

Whichever strategy you choose to use, devote as much study as possible to increase your chances of gain and profit.

Friday, May 22, 2009

10 Tips for your success in Forex trading

1. Implement a trading plan.

If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. A trading plan is especially crucial in Forex trading to stay ‘in-control’ against the emotional stress in speculative situation.

Often, your emotions will blind and lead you to the negative sides: greed causes you to over-ride on a win while fear causes you to cut short in your profits. Hence, a well organized operation has to be predetermined and strictly followed.

2. Trade within your means

If you cannot afford to lose, you cannot afford to win. Losing is a not a must but it is the natural in any trading market. Trading should be always done using excess money in your savings.

Before you start to trade in Forex, we suggest you to put aside some of your income to set up your own investment funds and trade only using that funds.

3. Avoid emotion trading

If you do not have a trading plan, make one. If you have a trading plan, follows it strictly! Never ever attempt to hold your weakened position and hope the market will turn back in your favor direction. You might end up losing all your capital if you keep holding. Move on, stay within your trading plan, and admit your mistakes if things do not turn as you want.

4. Ride on a win and cut your losses

Forex trader should always ride till the market turns around whenever a profit is show; while during losing, never hesitate to admit your mistakes and exit the market. It is human nature to stay long on loses and satisfy with small profits – this is why as we mentioned earlier that a strictly followed trading plan is a must-have.

5. Love the trends

Trends are your friends. Although currency values fluctuate but from the big picture it normally goes in a steady direction. If you are not sure on certain moves, the long term trend is always your primary reference. In long run, trading with the trends improves your odds in the Forex market.

6. Stop looking for leading indicators

There aren't any in the Forex market. While some firms make a lot of money selling software that predicts the future, the reality is that if those products really worked, they wouldn't be giving the secret away.

7. Avoid trading in a thin market

Trade on popular currency pairs and avoid thin market. The lack of public participation will cause difficulties in liquidate your positions. If you are beginners, we suggest the big five: USD/EUR, USD/JPY, USD/GBD, USD/CHF, and EUR/JPY.

8. Avoid trading in too many markets

Do not confuse yourself by overtrading in too many markets especially if you are a beginner. Go for the major currency pairs and drill down your studies in it.

9. Implement a proper trading system

There is hundreds of trading systems available on line. Pick one that you are most comfortable with and stick with it. Stay organized in your trades and fully utilized stop-loss or limit functions in your trades.

10. Keep learning

The best investment is always the investment on your brain. Without a doubt, Forex trading needs much more than just a few guidelines or tips to be successful. Experience, knowledge, capital, fortitude, and even some help of luck are all crucial in one’s success in the FX market. if you lose in a trade, do not lose the experience in it. Learn from your mistakes and regain your position in the next trade.

Sunday, April 19, 2009

FOREX BROKERS POLICIES

• Available Currency Pairs – You should confirm that the prospective broker offers the minimum of seven major currencies, that is, (AUD,CAD, CHF,EUR, GBP,JPY and USD).

• Transaction Costs – Transaction costs are calculated in pips. The lower the number of pips required per trade by the broker, the greater the profit that the trader makes.

• Margin – The lower the margin requirement (meaning the higher the leverage), the greater the potential for higher profits and losses. Margin percentages vary from .25 and up. Low margin requirements are greater when your trades are good, but not so great when you are wrong. Be realistic about margins and remember that they swing both ways.

• Minimum Trading Size Requirement – The size of one lot differ from broker to broker, spanning 1,000, 10,000, and 100,000 units. These brokers usually offer a mini-lot, which is one-tenth of a lot. Some broker even offer fractional unit sizes which allows you create your own unit size.

• Rollover Charges – Rollover charges are determined by the difference between the U.S interest rates and the interest rates of the other country. The greater the interest rate differential between the two currencies in the currency pair, the greater the rollover charge will be.

• Margin Account Interest rate – Most brokers pay interest on a trader’s margin account. The interest rates normally fluctuate with the prevailing national rates. If you decide to take an extended break from trading, the money in your margin account will be accruing interest.

• Trading Hours – Nearly all brokers align their hours of operation to coincide with the hours of operation of the global Forex market: 5:00pm EST Sunday through 4:00pm EST Friday.

HOW TO CHOOSE AN ONLINE FOREX TRADER

Before trading Forex you need to set up an account with a Forex broker. What exactly is a broker? In simplest terms, a broker is an individual or a company that buys and sells orders according to the trader’s decisions. Brokers earn money by charging a commission or a fee for their services. Deciding on a broker requires a little bit of research on your part, but the time spent will give you an insight into the services that are available and fees charged by various brokers.

When selecting a prospective Forex broker, find out with which regulatory agencies each dealer is registered. The Forex market is label as “unregulated” market, and it basically is.

In the United states a broker should be registered as a futures commission Merchant (FCM) with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and a NFA member. The CFTC and NFA is here to protect the public against fraud, manipulation, and abusive trade practices

Saturday, April 18, 2009

WHAT IS FOREX TRADING

Foreign exchange (FOREX) is the arena where a nation’s currency is exchanged for that of another. The foreign exchange market is the largest financial market in the world, with the equivalent of over $1.9 trillion changing hands daily: more than three times the aggregate amount of the US Equity and Treasury markets combined with other financial markets.

The foreign exchange market is the place where currencies are traded. Currencies are important to most people around the world, whether they realize it or not, because currencies need to be exchanged in order to conduct foreign trade and business.

Forex trading is quite simple: You buy one currency while simultaneously selling another, that is, you are exchanging the sold currency for the one you’re buying. Your goal is to buy currency and resell it for a better price- this is where you or your trader or your forex trading robots are making profits.

Forex trading is done by managed forex accounts through forex brokers. Forex accounts are essentially foreign exchange currency accounts. You employ specialized groups that can manage forex accounts for you. But in case you have the time and education to monitor currency market- then you can trade yourself. This is how all forex traders are doing.

INVEST IN FOREX TRADING FOR PROFIT

A wonderful way to diversify your investment portfolio is to learn Forex Trading. Many new investor have discovered the world of foreign exchange trading to be an exciting new challenge. One that is filled with reward that are beyond what they were achieving as stock traders.

The unique thing about the Forex market is that it never closes. If you feel like trading till 2am it’s not a problem. Unlike with other markets, such as the stock exchange, you can continue dealing with the currency trading without worries over it closing at the end of the day.

Learning Forex does not require you to have a degree in Economics or that you study the markets for years. The Forex trading websites have made it easy for you to become successful. Forex brokers will give you access to the market for your currency trading.

Just like stock brokers, they can provide you accurate information and advice on how to deal with Forex trading strategies. Advice includes all the aspects of the Forex trading market which extend to research approaches and technical analysis to improve the members trading performance.

Naturally, because this market has apparently been proving a great return on investment, large financial institutions have been proactively monopolizing the market. However, with the trading firms, individuals also have the opportunity to earn money through forex trading brokers.