Friday, 23 March 2012

How to Make $300 a Day in the Forex Market

How to make $300 a day in the forex market ? There are many ways, you can do that only if you know how to make 30 pips daily. 1 pip on the standard lot is equal to $10 so 30 pips means making $300. What you need is a forex strategy that can make you 30 pips per day.
The simplest forex strategy that can make you 30 pips daily is scalping. Scalping is the strategy of entering and exiting the market quickly in order to make 15-30 pips per trade. You will only need two winning scalping trades per day to make at least 30 pips.
So what you will be needing is a good scalping system that has proper entry, exit and stop loss rules. You should master that scalping system on your demo account and make consistent 30 pips daily. If not, replace the system with another one. It is better to look for a scalping system that does not take more than 2 hrs to make 30 pips daily. This way, you don't have to stay glued to your computer monitor.
Whatever, scalping the market manually can be a time consuming and tiring process. There are many trader who haven't mastered scalping even after years of trading experience. But, you can use a scalper robot that can do the work for you automatically. You just need to set the proper settings, test them and then let the scalper robot trade on your live account. Scalping is done when the volatility in the market is low. Use a proper stop loss so that in case of a loss, your account doesn't get blown out.
But suppose, you are new to forex trading and you don't know scalping and have no idea how to make a scalper robot work. What should you do? There is a very simply strategy available for those people who don't have the time to learn forex trading and don't have the time to trade forex.
Subscribe to a good forex signals service by a pro trader. Now a days, most of these pro traders are selling their live signals via sms as well as emails. They also provide you with the trade copier software that when installed on your account will automatically copy the live trades being made by these pro traders.
Most of these pro traders make somewhere between 30-50 pips. So, subscribing to these forex signals by pro traders and using a trade copier software can make you an easy 30 pips daily or $300 in dollar terms.

Forex Day Trading Signals - Useful Forex Trading Strategy Based On Fibonacci Sequence

What forex day trading signals do you use to enter and exit the market?
How do you know that they are not going to give you a false entry signal?
How can you use these signals to exit your trade?
Let's look at Fibonacci first of all. This 750 year old "natural order" of numbers reflects the birth of rabbits in a field, the number of rinds on a pineapple, the sequence of sunflower seeds. So how do we apply it to forex trading?
First of all we need to understand that Fibonacci is a commonly traded forex day trading signals indicator. The ratio given by the Fibonacci numbers are converted into a percentage. The Fibonacci sequence of numbers is 1,1,2,3,5,8,13,21,34,55,133,222 etc. adding the left number to get the next number in the sequence. When we apply Fibonacci to our charts, we take a particular market move of say 50-100 points and plot the Fibonacci ratio levels.
This brings out levels of potential support and resistance on to our charts. The top of the move is considered "0%" of the move and the start of the move is considered as "100%". We then have Fibonacci "retracement" levels at 23.6%, 38.2%, 50% and 68.1%. These "retracement zones" can give us forex day trading signals.
If the price has moved down say 70 pips and then retraces we can say that the strongest Fibonacci point of resistance is at 23.6% and if the price is going to stop and reverse back to the original direction after the correction. If we break the 23.6%, then the 38.2% is the next strongest resistance level then the 50%. If we hit the 23.6% resistance line and the price "bounces" back downwards, we can start thinking about whether this was just a correction - a Fibonacci retracement.
It is not enough just to know the price has hit the line of resistance and bounced back though. We should also try to get an indication that the strength and momentum of the market is also in favour with our theory. For this, we could have a slow stochastic oscillator, a MACD and a RSI just as an example to give us an indication of the weight of our reentry into the trade or late entry based on the retracement idea.
You would be surprised at how accurate the Fibonacci method of trading is in terms of how history repeats itself again and again in the forex market. It is very tempting to exit a trade when the price turns the other way, however it is worth utilising Fibonacci to ensure it is not a minor (23.6%) retracement and allowing the trade to run it's full course.

Trading Without Indicators - Tips to Currency Trading

Trading without indicators is also known as Trading Naked or trading with only price action. Most professional traders actually trade naked depending on only price action. Technical analysis is the art of predicting the future price action in the short term based on the past price action. What is on the left of the chart is history and what is on the right of the chart is a mystery.
Many pro traders only use price action to solve the mystery that lies ahead on the right of the chart. Most indicators that are used in technical analysis are lagging in nature. Lagging means that the trading signals generated with these indicators will be a little late, price action would have already moved ahead.
So many pro traders simply avoid the indicators in trading and solely depend on using price action in making their trading decisions. For example, some would use candlestick patterns to predict the price action as well as other chart patterns.
There are other traders who are the masters of using fibonacci levels in their trading while there are some traders who solely trade depending on the pivot points. Now, it is always a good idea to confirm a trading signals using a second method before you make a trading decision based on that signal. Here comes the use of indicators. For these fibonacci levels, pivot points and chart patters on their own are not considered to be sufficient.
There are a lot of subjective things in trading. If you ask two traders to make a trendline on the same chart, both of them will come up with two different trendlines. Given the same trade setup, two traders will decide to make two different entries into the market. You need to keep these facts in mind. Trading is an art plus a science.
You cannot never be 100% sure in trading. This is why you will keep on hearing over and over again, markets are always unpredictable. So what you need to master is how to read the charts correctly. There are a number of high probability chart patterns that tell about the possible reversal in the market. You should master a few of them and then only trade them.

Currency Trading Signals - Learn to Earn the Right Way

What are currency trading signals ? Simply put it's your method of timing a currency trade - when to buy or sell. Sounds simple right? Not really. Understanding the logic or technology behind the signal is what is actually most important. Lack of understanding this may be the difference between making money and not. To put it another way, how did this software deduce that it's time to alert you one way or the other? If you can't explain this and apply this logic to your trades, you may as well be trading using the "pin the tail on the donkey" method. Do you know with 100% certainty that you can trust this company's logic behind the signal?
If you have decided to use a currency trading signal software, apply this logic to the logic it's using to base its signals on. In other words, there are some whose logic behind the signal is emotionally driven and others that are logic-driven. If you've ever seen the original Star Trek, best to adopt a Spock-like approach to choosing a currency trading signal software.
Now that you are clear about what the signal is, the logic behind the signal, now you can develop a currency trading strategy. These things don't happen overnight. Anyone can open up a foreign exchange online account, but not everyone can make money. In fact, the majority lose money each day.
Having a strategy can help you decide when to enter the signal upon which you base when to buy or sell. Indeed it's all cyclical. You need to understand the logic behind the signal to base your strategy upon to know when to put your signal in effect.
Before you implement the use of a currency trading signal software, I highly recommend you understand the components of Forex trading. As I stated earlier, anyone can open an online account and begin trading. Not everyone is going to make money. There are classes taught on trading in foreign currencies. There are myriad of software available that can chart and graph the trends in the currency market. The key is to master a forex trading strategy.
By understanding all there is to know about Forex trading, the logic behind the currency trading signal software you have decided to buy and implementing a strategy, you're in a much better position to be on the winning side of that $3 Trillion a day pie.

Friday, 9 March 2012

Arbitrage Trading Strategies

What is Arbitrage Trading ?
Arbitrage trading is buying or selling a security within the trading day that takes advantage of value differences within the market the security is being traded in. Every day the stock market is open arbitrage trades are being made all throughout the day.
An arbitrage trader will purchase a security and sell the same security (or one closely related) at the same time. Trade company attempt to profit off of the value differences in the different markets. They may use the difference between CME futures and the NYSE for their trade. Often when news or events occur it can move the index higher or lower. Both markets will not move at the same time or for as strong a move. They will be unequal in price for a given amount of time. This is where arbitrage traders attempt to make their profit.
The markets most often used for Arbitrage trading are the S&P futures in conjunction with the stocks of the S&P 500. On most trading days they will develop a lag or disparity between the pricing of the two. Often this occurs when the most highly trades stocks of the indexes or the NYSE and the NASDAQ develop lag time with the S&P futures. This can be either the stocks lagging behind the S&P futures or the S&P futures lagging behind certain stocks. The S&P futures are traded on the CME market.
An example of a good arbitrage trading is when a stock gets ahead of the futures in price and an arbitrage trader sells the stock and purchases the futures for the stock. The traders winds up holding a similar investment that they started with while taking profit on the price spread between the two markets.
There are other ways to make arbitrage trades as well. One of the easiest trades to spot is when a heavily traded company releases very popular news. The stock begins to rise in price on the NASDAQ as the traders are buying up shares of the company. While this is happening an arbitrage trader will buy call options for the stock on the AMEX if they are available. They will only buy if the call options have not begun to rise. By doing this the trader can make money when the stock rises on the AMEX to catch up with the price on the NASDAQ. This sounds easy in theory but the differences in price will only last for a few seconds. An arbitrage trader needs to be quick.

Importance of Finance News in Stock Trading

The stock market is regulated largely by financial conditions; therefore being aware of finance news is of primary importance if you wish to enter the stock trading. The volatility of the financial world is well-known and economic activities throughout the world get driven by financial conditions. For a stock trader, it is important to keep a track of the latest global stock market news.
The stock market is also very sensitive for trading company to stimulating events, such as terrorist attacks, civil uprisings, political unrest, natural disasters, diplomatic failures and fluctuations in oil prices. All these events ultimately have a direct bearing on financial conditions of a company, a country, or even globally and being in touch with finance news is the best way to analyze and speculate effectively.
Investors in the stock market should keep a track of fluctuations in the prices of shares based on the market situation and other factors. If they find that share prices of the stocks that they are holding are likely to change drastically, they should immediately take action to avoid losses. Keeping track of finance news and latest market news will enable them to be prepared for any drastic changes in share prices.
Finance news can be obtained from different sources, such as the Internet, which can easily be described as the most convenient and best one. There are many sites such as "Google Finance" and "Yahoo Finance" that provide live stock news and information about most active stocks so that you can study the live market updates and the latest share market information.
You can also get finance and business news from news channels on the TV that caters entirely to business and market news. Along with news about different events that have a direct bearing on the markets and information regarding stock prices, and performances of stock exchanges, you can also find opinions from some market experts.
The other sources for finance news are newspapers, especially the business newspapers that have detailed information regarding the finance markets, expert advice regarding the correct choice of stocks and any changes in statutes that affect the market.
Business magazines and business portals can also help you with updates regarding stock predictions, acquisitions and mergers, corporate initiatives, market news and economic forecasts. You can study all these factors and also avail information regarding the performances of trading companies from business magazines and portals, which provide quarterly or annual balance sheets.

Inside Candle Signal Trading

What exactly is "inside candle signal trading"?
Before I proceed to explain, I think it would only be fair to briefly talk about candlestick charts and how they came about.
The combined power of western technical's and candlesticks when used correctly is a force to be reckoned with when analysing a potential trade.
Although the western trading world has recently become familiar (since the 1980's) with candlestick trading methods, the Japanese have been using these charting techniques for hundreds of years to trade rice contracts.
Candlestick patterns give an instant and visual indication as to who is in charge of the prevailing market i.e. "bulls or the bears".
Candlestick patterns must never be traded on their own, no matter how tempting the situation may look to a trader. Candlestick patterns are very effective in giving advance price reversal signals and that is it, it will not give any indication of the size of the reversal.
Western technicals usually play an important part in the final decision, and guide the trader in deciding, if he should go with the reversal indicated by the candlestick pattern or not.
In Technical analysis, whenever the price gets overbought or oversold, traders look out for a variety of trading signals to put on a trade.
Traders use candle patterns to help them find early price reversals, however there is a powerful candlestick pattern that for some reason is not spoken of very much, and many traders fail to observer it for their signal trading, or trade analysis, this is the "inside candle reversal pattern".
An inside candle is a candle that forms inside the previous candle, the inside candle's highs and lows must never exceed that of the previous candle, this powerful reversal pattern however, is valid only if it is has resulted soon after an overbought or oversold situation presents itself - otherwise it is not a valid inside candle!

Thursday, 8 March 2012

Trade The News - Profiting From Trading With Low Latency News Feeds

Experienced traders recognize the effects of global changes on Foreign Exchange (Forex/FX) markets, stock markets and futures markets. Factors such as interest rate decisions, inflation, retail sales, unemployment, industrial productions, consumer confidence surveys, business sentiment surveys, trade balance and manufacturing surveys affect currency movement. While traders could monitor this information manually using traditional news sources, profiting from automated or algorithmic trading utilizing low latency news feeds is an often more predictable and effective trading method that can increase profitability while reducing risk.
The faster a trader can receive economic news, analyze the data, make decisions, apply risk management models and execute trades, the more profitable they can become. Automated traders are generally more successful than manual traders because the automation will use a tested rules-based trading strategy that employs money management and risk management techniques. The strategy will process trends, analyze data and execute trades faster than a human with no emotion. In order to take advantage of the low latency news feeds it is essential to have the right low latency news feed provider, have a proper trading strategy and the correct network infrastructure to ensure the fastest possible latency to the news source in order to beat the competition on order entries and fills or execution.
How Do Low Latency News Feeds Work?
Low latency news feeds provide key economic data to sophisticated market participants for whom speed is a top priority. While the rest of the world receives economic news through aggregated news feeds, bureau services or mass media such as news web sites, radio or television low latency news traders count on lightning fast delivery of key economic releases. These include jobs figures, inflation data, and manufacturing indexes, directly from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Commerce Department, and the Treasury Press Room in a machine-readable feed that is optimized for algorithmic traders.
One method of controlling the release of news is an embargo. After the embargo is lifted for news event, reporters enter the release data into electronic format which is immediately distributed in a proprietary binary format. The data is sent over private networks to several distribution points near various large cities around the world. In order to receive the news data as quickly as possible, it is essential that a trader use a valid low latency news provider that has invested heavily in technology infrastructure. Embargoed data is requested by a source not to be published before a certain date and time or unless certain conditions have been met. The media is given advanced notice in order to prepare for the release.
News agencies also have reporters in sealed Government press rooms during a defined lock-up period. Lock-up data periods simply regulate the release of all news data so that every news outlet releases it simultaneously. This can be done in two ways: "Finger push" and "Switch Release" are used to regulate the release.
News feeds feature economic and corporate news that influence trading activity worldwide. Economic indicators are used to facilitate trading decisions. The news is fed into an algorithm that parses, consolidates, analyzes and makes trading recommendations based upon the news. The algorithms can filter the news, produce indicators and help traders make split-second decisions to avoid substantial losses.
Automated software trading programs enable faster trading decisions. Decisions made in microseconds may equate to a significant edge in the market.
News is a good indicator of the volatility of a market and if you trade the news, opportunities will present themselves. Traders tend to overreact when a news report is released, and under-react when there is very little news. Machine readable news provides historical data through archives that enable traders to back test price movements against specific economic indicators.
Each country releases important economic news during certain times of the day. Advanced traders analyze and execute trades almost instantaneously when the announcement is made. Instantaneous analysis is made possible through automated trading with low latency news feed. Automated trading can play a part of a trader's risk management and loss avoidance strategy. With automated trading, historical back tests and algorithms are utilized to select optimal entry and exit points.
Traders must know when the data will be released to know when to monitor the market. For instance, important economic data in the United States is released between 8:30 AM and 10:00 AM EST. Canada releases information between 7:00 AM and 8:30 AM. Since currencies span the globe, traders may always find a market that is open and ready for trading.
A SAMPLE of Major Economic Indicators
Consumer Price Index
Employment Cost Index
Employment Situation
Producer Price Index
Productivity and Costs
Real Earnings
U.S. Import and Export Prices
Employment & Unemployment
Where Do You Put Your Servers? Important Geographic Locations for algorithmic trading Strategies
The majority of investors that trade the news seek to have their algorithmic trading platforms hosted as close as possible to news source and the execution venue as possible. General distribution locations for low latency news feed providers include globally: New York, Washington DC, Chicago and London.
The ideal locations to place your servers are in well-connected datacenters that allow you to directly connect your network or servers to the actually news feed source and execution venue. There must be a balance of distance and latency between both. You need to be close enough to the news in order to act upon the releases however, close enough to the broker or exchange to get your order in ahead of the masses looking for the best fill.
Low Latency News Feed Providers
Thomson Reuters uses proprietary, state of the art technology to produce a low latency news feed. The news feed is designed specifically for applications and is machine readable. Streaming XML broadcast is used to produce full text and metadata to ensure that investors never miss an event.
Another Thomson Reuters news feed features macro-economic events, natural disasters and violence in the country. An analysis of the news is released. When the category reaches a threshold, the investor's trading and risk management system is notified to trigger an entry or exit point from the market. Thomson Reuters has a unique edge on global news compared to other providers being one of the most respected business news agencies in the world if not the most respected outside of the United States. They have the advantage of including global Reuters News to their feed in addition to third-party newswires and Economic data for both the United States and Europe. The University of Michigan Survey of Consumers report is also another major news event and releases data twice monthly. Thomson Reuters has exclusive media rights to The University of Michigan data.
Other low latency news providers include: Need to Know News, Dow Jones News and Rapidata which we will discuss further when they make information regarding their services more available.
Examples of News Affecting the Markets
A news feed may indicate a change in the unemployment rate. For the sake of the scenario, unemployment rates will show a positive change. Historical analysis may show that the change is not due to seasonal effects. News feeds show that buyer confidence is increasing due the decrease in unemployment rates. Reports provide a strong indication that the unemployment rate will remain low.
With this information, analysis may indicate that traders should short the USD. The algorithm may determine that the USD/JPY pair would yield the most profits. An automatic trade would be executed when the target is reached, and the trade will be on auto-pilot until completion.
The dollar could continue to fall despite reports of unemployment improvement provided from the news feed. Investors must keep in mind that multiple factors affect the movement of the United States Dollar. The unemployment rate may drop, but the overall economy may not improve. If larger investors do not change their perception of the dollar, then the dollar may continue to fall.
The big players will typically make their decisions prior to most of the retail or smaller traders. Big player decisions may affect the market in an unexpected way. If the decision is made on only information from the unemployment, the assumption will be incorrect. Non-directional bias assumes that any major news about a country will create a trading opportunity. Directional-bias trading accounts for all possible economic indicators including responses from major market players.
Trading The News - The Bottom Line
News moves the markets and if you trade the news, you can capitalize. There are very few of us that can argue against that fact. There is no doubt that the trader receiving news data ahead of the curve has the edge on getting a solid short-term trade on momentum trade in various markets whether FX, Equities or Futures. The cost of low latency infrastructure has dropped over the past few years making it possible to subscribe to a low latency news feed and receive the data from the source giving a tremendous edge over traders watching television, the Internet, radio or standard news feeds. In a market driven by large banks and hedge funds, low latency news feeds certainly give the big company edge to even individual traders.

Wednesday, 7 March 2012

Tips on Scalping the Forex

Scalping the forex requires some great skill and knowledge of where the market is going. Deciding to trade in Forex demands good judgement and brain storming behind every trade you make.So here are some solutions and tips for you to master scalp trading in the forex:
- For the beginner, very important to keep in the back of your head that if you a gambling man or woman go to the casino you just might have better luck on a slot machine. What that means is that you might invest in the market without preparation and just gamble your money away.
- Forex tips are not so simple. You need a collection of tips to be a master trader. You need an abundance of tips foreseeing the market.
- Forex Robots. I only know of two that are good. But the rest I don't trust. You should avoid them because they are made for you to win in the beginning lose. I only trust two robots for me. Plus without the robot you can actually learn to make trades yourself. The robot waits for the right opportunity to make a trade for you.
- Get the right training of technical analysis. Scalping the forex you need to learn technical analysis for situations of knowing when to trade and when not to trade.
- The most competent way to trade the forex is to put to use the forex charts. Follow the daily price change. Educate yourself with the charts and try spot chart trends.
- Scalping the forex can be a back breaker can bring your money high risk of losing it all. But with the right tips and education your scalp trade can be a success.
- Find the currency you most would like to trade. The stable market is EUR/USD. Study it, comprehend its trends and patterns. Decide on amount of money that if you lost it all you will still be able to sleep at night. Just in case of beginner losing it all and you and your family won't suffer a significant loss. Best thing scalping the forex is to learn without the risk by using demo accounts for a few months. When you finally get your own strategy test it out on demo accounts. And if it's all good then perform your strategy on a trade.
- You searching to make quick money? It's not in the forex. Just like every well planned attacked it must be well thought out with a stoploss in case things don't your way, and a Target profit in case things do go your way when scalp trading.
- The best advice I can give is: Trading is like a fine aged wine. It takes time, but the time is worth the wait. Keep that in mind when scalping the forex.
- Scalp trading tips are very useful to the beginner trader. Gather a few together and you probably can make a good trade. Scalping the forex trader usually stays in the market from a few minutes to four hours. They not in it for the long trip up or down. Get in quick, make some money, get out.
- Most importantly is the tips you getting is from a legit source. If not get ready to lose your shirt.
Out there are so many tips for scalping the forex. Or even software for scalp trading. Just keep you eyes open and remember the rules when you trade. Don't trade with money you can't afford to lose. I personally think that is the best advise anyone can get. Good luck scalping the forex.

3 Easy FOREX Trading Strategies For Beginners

1. Currency Analysis
One of the easy Forex trading strategies for beginners is the use of currency analysis to predict market movements and currency fluctuations. There are two different methods used to analyze currency, and these are technical analysis and fundamental analysis. Technical analysis involves the price of the currency pairs and is used to help identify any trends and measure the price volatility of the currency to detect the trading signals. Fundamental analysis looks at outside and government factors that could impact the value of the currency, such as the unemployment rate and the stability of the current political situation of the country that offers the currency.
Either type of currency analysis strategy can be a good match for beginners, because the analysis is not overly complex and the trading signals are usually fairly clear and pronounced. Some beginners may do better analyzing the technical aspects of a currency while others prefer using fundamental analysis instead. Either way currency analysis Forex trading strategies are a good choice for many beginners in the Forex market, after the trader has successfully traded using a dummy account.
2. Day Trading Strategy
Day trading is one of the most common and most popular Forex trading strategies, and it can be ideal for many beginners to this market. With this strategy you will not hold any trading positions overnight. Instead traders will buy during the day and liquidate all of the positions held by the end of the same trading day. The longer you hold a position the higher your risk of losing on the trade. Day trading allows you to make many small trades during the day, without taking on higher risks with your positions. Currency prices are constantly fluctuating through the day, and taking advantage of these small price fluctuations can be easy to do and very profitable. This is true for beginners and experienced traders both. The price fluctuations are small, but over the course of many trades these smaller profits can add up to a much larger amount.
3. Support and Resistance Levels
Support and resistance levels are commonly used as Forex trading strategies, and this is an easy strategy for beginners to learn and follow. Each currency will have price fluctuations through the day and week, and these fluctuations will help identify any future price movements and trends for the currency. You can research and analyze the past price movements of a currency to identify the support and resistance levels of the specific currency. This method may also be called range trading, and to be successful you must identify the typical range of the currency trading activity. If a currency generally moves between $1.08 and $1.20 through the day then the $1.08 is the support price, and this is when the trader wants in. When the price gets close to $1.20, the resistance point for the currency, then the trader will usually get out of the position and cash in. This strategy involves identifying the support and resistance points but this is not usually difficult. Researching the currency fluctuations for the past week or two will help you set these points.

Candlestick Charting - The Number One Forex Trading Tool

Forex trading has been hugely impacted by the accessibility of the internet. Not only have financial institutions been able to get more accurate and up-to-date information, but the amateur forex trader has been able to access the same information with a few mouse clicks. It is therefore vital to use the best tools for the job and candlestick charting undoubtedly are one of the best tools available.
Candlestick charting was introduced initially by the Japanese within the rice industry, however, over the last couple of decades they have lit the imagination of forex traders all over the world and have almost become a universal standard. As someone once said "You can't do today's job with yesterday's methods and be in business tomorrow." Candlestick charting is definitely the most powerful tool available today.
Structure of a Candlestick
It is true that candlestick charts hold the same information that bar charts do i.e. a high price, a low price and the opening and closing prices. The actual body of the candlestick shows the opening and closing prices. In the early days of candlestick charting, if the body was black then opening was higher than the closing. If it was empty then the opening price was lower than the closing. Nowadays candle bodies are coloured, green for upward movement and red for downward. The use of colours makes the charts much easier to read.
Candlesticks show high and low prices for a given time period by using vertical lines which appear above or below the candlestick body. These lines are also known as shadows
So what are the main features of candlestick charting that separate them from other charting methods? Listed below are the two main features.
Visual appeal
This is one of the most important features. At a glance, the trader can quickly understand what is going on within a particular forex market. No matter what the time scale being used, the trader will be able to see the market movement and whether it is the sellers of the buyers who have dominated a given session.
Readability
Any trader who has mastered the basics of candlestick charting will quickly be able to identify the opening and closing price for a given currency pair. Candlestick chart show the same information as a bar chart, but in a prettier, graphic format. It is very important to be able to use the support and resistance levels together with the opening and closing prices.
Other advantages of candlestick charting include the following:
  • Trading patterns change over time. That is why no system will always work. But candlestick patterns are not a system hence candlestick patterns always work.
  • Candlesticks get you into price action much earlier than the majority of indicators. This means that the traders using candlestick patterns can enter trades earlier than those traders relying on indicators.
  • Candlesticks are the fastest form of price prediction there is.
  • Candlestick trading is very reliable. Providing that the patterns are properly picked, and
  • the poor ones weeded out, the probability of success is extremely high.
Anyone who seriously investigates the use of candles will learn that there are many patterns and candlestick formations that provide very useful information for traders.
The forex market is extremely volatile so it is important to remember the words of Warren Buffet said "Look at market fluctuations as your friend rather than your enemy; profit from folly rather than participate in it."
Mastering candlestick charting is undoubtedly one of the most important skills that a forex traders needs to possess. This single tool will do more than any other to improve success for those who put in the effort to learn how they work and implement them into your
Kaz Kowalski has been providing specialist project management support on a number of high profile projects in blue chip companies across a variety of industries including Banking, Information Technology and Telecommunications. This experience has proven valuable in evaluating various marketed income streams. He strongly believes that running a Home Forex Business is the most satisfying and profitable means of achieving financial freedom. His passion for Forex trading drives him to let as many people as possible be aware of the enormous achievable potential of running a home Forex business.

Tuesday, 6 March 2012

Forex Trading Strategies - Let Price Action Guide You to Profits

Has this happened to you? You check all your indicators and they're in agreement - go along now and the pips are yours for the taking. You've checked the news calendar and there are no major announcements. You click to buy and sure enough the market moves in your favor ratcheting up the pips.
But suddenly the market whipsaws around and you're drawn down into the red until you stop is hit with a final sickening thud. What went wrong?
To answer that, we need to see how the market works. Movement in the forex market is driven by the action of a number of large players - commercial banks, central banks and major trading companies who place trades worth billions of dollars and can move the market by the size of their trades.
Price emerges as a result of the fight between the buyers and sellers in the market and the trend indicates the sentiment of the major player.
It makes sense that following the trend is the way to go. But how do you divine the trend from the barrage of information about the market? Most traders resort to technical indicators.
Many popular indicators and oscillators use moving averages. This is useful as a general guide but suffers from a major drawback.
Indicators are only to guide to what happened in the past, not what's happening now. And as forex markets are highly liquid and so highly volatile, you can appreciate how this can lead to many unprofitable trades.
Once effective solution is to focus on price action - what's happening to prices in real time. For this you need to look at what's happening on your charts. To do this you can study the patterns, whether candlesticks or bars. Once you learn to divine the mood of the market from these patterns, you'll understand the forex market like a pro.
The forex market is a jungle that can wreak havoc on your emotions. That's why you need a system in trading company place, a solid proven forex trading strategy that you can use with calm assurance whatever's happening in the market. Just make sure you system includes price action.

Market Conditions Of Forex Trading

Along with fundamental and technical analyses, another mandatory component which plays a decisive role in making a forex investment is the understanding of market conditions. Owing to its extreme susceptibility towards volatility, conditions in the forex market are seldom constant and in fact are subject to severe fluctuations. The trick for successful forex investing therefore depends on the trader's knack of interpreting the ongoing market condition accurately and taking relevant decisions as per the existing situation.
At any given point of time, the prevailing market condition in the forex market could be broadly described as being trending, ranging or choppy. Because of being distinctly varied, all three conditions demand the application of different techniques while trading forex and there is no 'one solution fits all' kind of method. This wisdom is particularly important for novice and aspiring traders who often make the error of predicting the condition and placing the order based on their personal predictions.
Many traders who indulge in forex investing based on their judgment or lack of it often tend to lose out on profits and thus arises the concept of good and bad market conditions - the former being when the trader gains and the latter existing when the trader loses out on his investment. However, a better course of action under the circumstances would be to first determine the trend and then place orders instead of vice versa as this would be the best form of cushioning against losses.
Since this method also implies going as per the fluctuations, the possibility of profits would be greatly enhanced and there would seldom be a situation when the market condition could be termed as being bad. The fact that it is courtesy of this technique that the forex managed accounts service weave success stories out of their client's portfolios is proof enough of its authenticity in practical trading. Of course, managed forex accounts are handled by a number of experts as compared to an individual trader but the basic principle of studying the market condition with the mind and not the heart is evident here.
Some of the most commonly observed patterns as regards existent market condition in the forex market are -
· There is often a vast difference observed between the close price of the currency pair on Friday and its opening price on Monday. Some traders follow free forex signals to help them in expecting the currency pair moves.
· Short term trends are often the result of daily events.
· It is only occasionally that the price of the currency pair moves in a straight line, it often follows a zigzag pattern.
· High volatility is an inherent characteristic of the forex market and the reason could be anything between a dramatic political or economic upheaval and a simple violation.
· Currencies are often correlated due to which either they tend to follow each other or move in totally opposite directions.
· Certain habits of currencies like revisiting certain price levels repeatedly and making small retracements while on their way up are regularly observed.
· Timeframe for trading in a particular currency pair is essential as a different time for the same pair may indicate opposite trends.
· Currencies trade between horizontal and non-horizontal support and resistance areas.
A trading system which bears in mind these general market conditions is often the one which is sufficiently adapted to adjust to sudden fluctuations and therefore attempts to minimize the losses of the trader.

Forex Mac Trading

The Forex market has a wide variety of traders from all around the globe. For this reason, there are endless types of Forex trading platforms, there are endless types of Forex trading strategies, and there are endless types of Forex brokers. One thing that is not widely available is a solution for Forex Mac users.
There is no debating that Microsoft has a huge lead on Apple in terms of market share for computer operating systems. However, many people will claim that Macs are more reliable machines both hardware and software and since Forex traders need reliability, is it a little strange that Forex Mac platforms barely exist.
So what is a Mac head to do when he wants to trade Forex? Well to simplify it, there are two basic solutions available to the Mac Forex trader and there is one more option, but it is a dangerous one. More on that later.
The first option is a Web-based trading platform. Many brokers, at least the serious ones, have a Web based alternative to their downloadable native trading platform. These Web based solutions are generally Java based and work for Forex Mac users as well as PC users.
The average Web based utility has pluses and minuses compared to the native client, but it is an ideal solution for the Mac Forex trader.
The second option is a slight workaround and is not as good as the first. You can run Windows on your Mac with Parallels software, which enables you to install Windows applications on your Mac. In this way you can have a Mac Forex trading platform. It is not ideal because the machine works slower when running Windows, which will have a direct effect on your trading executions. Not something you want from a Forex trading platform.
The third solution, which is not as recommended as the first two is two use Forex robots, which are installed on the broker's computer and can therefore work perfectly as a Forex Mac solution. It is not recommended because Forex robots require a lot of research before choosing one, since there are many such services that are not exactly legitimate.

Trading Time For Money - What is the Solution?

Most people today spend long hours working a "JOB" (just over broke) to make ends meet. It is often normal for both husband and wife to work full time to complete this task. Spending long hours at work often puts a burden on families trying to find time for children, spouses, extended family, friends, rest & relaxation. All this can create a very stressful existence.
It's a fact today that companies are downsizing, dropping benefits and sometimes even closing the doors. Jobs are not as secure as they have been in the past. Trying to create the lives and the freedom we have longed to have for our families has become very difficult.
Albert Einstein is known for saying that doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity. This statement rings so true in this situation. It's easy to become complacent and just settle for a life less than what we had wanted for ourselves. However, getting up and working long hours, only to come home, grab a bite to eat, and watch a bit of TV so that we can fall into bed and start over again in the morning is not a life. It is an existence!
What most people would love to have is time freedom and the ability to earn an income that will secure their futures and allow them to enjoy their family and friends. This is now possibly through the in-home business model.
Thousands of people start their own in-home business each week. Some are successful, many are not. There is every kind of opportunity on the internet that you can imagine. They promise to make you rich if you just buy their system. And of course it will do all the work for you, while you sleep.
If it sounds too good to be true, it most likely is. Investigate these opportunities with a fine tooth comb before you spend your hard earned money. Remember anything worth doing takes work.
Of all the opportunities on the internet, one of the most solid and viable ways tn earn residual income from home may be network marketing. Even Robert Kiyosaki and Donald Trump believe that network marketing is the best way an average person can create residual income and secure their futures. At least with network marketing you can start part time while having the "security" of your current job as you build your own business.
Because all opportunities are not a fit for everyone, it is important to do your own do diligence to see if the opportunity and the company is a fit for you.

Monday, 5 March 2012

Forex Fundamental Analysis Tutorial

In this tutorial you will learn how to implement fundamental analysis in your trading style. This is what some people called institutional Forex trading system.
You should learn the basic macroeconomic factors that influence global market. This is called fundamental analysis.
There is a great controversy between traders that use only technical analysis and traders that use only fundamental analysis. For me this is only academic. If there is information out there you should carefully watch it. Do not rely only in technicals or fundamentals. Use both. When you have a solid technical pattern that is supported by fundamentals then the chance that you are right is imminent. When technicals and fundamentals show in different directions then you should watch out. Do not be trigger happy with your Forex trading. Wait and see. Forex is not for prophets. You use scientific analysis in order to maximize the chance that you correctly recognize what the market has to give you. Analyze thoroughly, have a solid technical pattern, know the fundamental support of your analysis and you have a nice trading decision. Seize your risk tolerance and you will be a winner.
Every nation has it's central bank which is responsible for the well being of the economy. Central banks watch some economic factors that affect the economy and adjust their economic policy accordingly. These factors are announced regularly and the exact time of the announcement is known in advance. These factors are the fundamental indicators of the economy. The most important central banks are FED of USA, ECB of European Union, BOJ of Japan and BOE of United Kingdom. There are many fundamental indicators but there are few of them that are called the "market movers". They are called so because when they are announced they provide to the market the necessary steam to move. That happens because they have a great impact on economy and to traders' positions also.
The most important thing you have to know about fundamental analysis is the market expectation of an indicator. Some analysts provide a probable number of the indicator to be announced. This has an impact to the market and traders are positioned accordingly. When the indicator is announced it affects the market only when it is much different that the market expected. That happens because every available to the public information is already taken into account. When the new information is announced then it has impact on the market only if it is different than expected.
Build up your plan. Know in advance what important fundamental indicators are to be announced the following week. Learn the expected number if it is available and try to forecast what will happen if it comes in better of worse figure. This is difficult for the beginners but after studying it will be easy.
There are many fundamental indicators. US indicators have the greatest impact on market. European Union's indicators have less impact unless they are much different than expected. Watch out for central banks head officers speaking out and giving clues about inflation and interest rates. Today these are the two drivers of the economy. Words like vigilant or very vigilant about inflation from central bank's heads have great impact on the currencies.
When the inflation is up central banks try to keep it low by leveraging interest rates. When interest rates are up then the currency is supported. Learn what economic indicators reflect the inflation and the decision of central bank about interest rates and you have an extra tool in your arsenal in order to trade.
Always watch out what the market already knows because all these information are reflected to the prices of the market. When fresh important information comes out learn it and position accordingly.
There is plentiful information about fundamental indicators in the internet. Visit Bloomberg economic calendar and Yahoo economic calendar. Use keywords like "Forex fundamentals", or "Forex economic calendars" and you will find what you need. Study the meaning of these indicators and the relationships between them. Most Forex providers have a built in economic calendar with their trading platforms. The time on these economic calendars is frequently GMT. Learn your time zone and the difference between your zone and GMT and you will know the exact time the indicator will be announced. In these economic calendars market consensus, if available, is already reported. Study carefully the economic indicators. You will eventually have a great guide to help you in your trading.

Reduce Investment Risks With an Automatic Forex Account

If you're seeking a safe way to invest for the future, consider opening an automatic forex account. Forex trading is a currency market that allows the trading of various currencies based on the exchange rates. Forex stands for "foreign exchange" market, and currencies are paired together and measured in terms of their value differences. An example is if the Canadian dollar exchange rate is more than the U.S. dollar. In this case one would be investing based on the difference between the two....and it really doesn't matter if the person trading lives in the U.S., Canada or anywhere in the world!
Exchange rate movements are monitored 24/7 through online venues similar to the stock market. So if you're new to forex investments, then an automatic forex account may save you much time and money in the long run.
What is an Automatic Forex Account?
It is an online investment system that basically completes trades for you. This allows you to invest money into forex trading without having to learn all the aspects of trading and without having to sit by your computer waiting for trading opportunities around the clock. If you wish to do full-time forex trading, then you probably won't mind learning the ropes about forex investments. But if you work another job and only wish to invest in forex for a part time venture, then having a team of experts handling investments for you is the way to go.
Taking the Risks
You really must ask yourself, "Who should take the risk?" More risk means more money, but also the possibility for a great loss! You must determine if you want to take a lot of risks and increase your moneymaking potential, or decrease your risk and enjoy a steady profit over many years. Automatic forex accounts can help you reduce risk and invest for the long term, similar to many stocks, bonds, money market accounts, etc.
The reason there's less risk is because the forex trading company that provides the automatic account is taking the risk for you. Instead of investing their own money, they pool money from many online users and then study forex trading and market movements over a long period of time. The company takes some risks, but also studies to see patterns in the market.
For example, a trading venue might complete ten trades and come out victorious for six or seven of those trades on average. If this pattern continues over a long period of time, then the company can know its risk factors as well as the return on investment to be expected. So the overall performance is what counts...and the individual investors have more stability by allowing experts to do the trading for them through an automatic forex account.
Guaranteed Rates
Some companies that offer an automatic account are able to guarantee a certain rate of return over a period of time. This gives you security knowing that you will receive your money back with interest. The returns can be fairly large with a company that understands the market well!
Shop for a fund management system that fits your needs and budget. Most will require a minimum of $500 to open an automatic forex account, but you can start with more if so desired. Some allow you to refer other investors and earn a percentage of their profits as well. You're free to use an offshore company (e.g. YaFund) for your account if you feel they can offer better services.
Whether you choose a company within your own country or an offshore investment option, be sure to avoid the hype in advertising and look for a reliable, trustworthy company. You can enjoy forex online without the stress of learning all the ins and outs of forex trading. Start looking for a fund management company today so you can begin earning a substantial return!

Forex AutoPilot Activation Problem - How to Solve it and Make More Money on Forex?

If you've made the decision to get the Forex Auto Pilot automatic trading system by Marcus Leary you may have stumbled upon a problem in activating the software. I have no idea why this problem happens to so many people, whether it's something wrong with the copy of Forex Auto Pilot which they downloaded or whether it's something to do with the way they installed it, but if you've experienced this problem, don't despair. Here are some steps you should take to try and solve this annoying issue.
1. Read the user guide - Many users don't take the time to read the users' manual and so install the software incorrectly. Don't make that mistake. Take some time and read the whole thing through to avoid making silly mistakes.
2. Reinstall the software - If you have problems with Forex AutoPilot, I suggest removing the installation from your computer and reinstalling the system. You may have made some error in the initial installation and so you need to do it over again.
3. Seeking help from the support team - If all else fails, you should exercise your right and get support from the Forex Auto Pilot team. They should have all the answers that you seek. A simple email should do fine. They mostly answer within 2-3 business days. If your Trading Company won't be able to help you, they could supply you with an already activated version so you could just start using the software immediately and easily.
That should care of the activation problem, but it should also serve as a lesson that you need to not rely upon a single tool but try a few. You should also educate yourself on the market and how to make the most in it.

Forex Trading Strategy- How to Resolve Conflicting Signals

Traders become indecisive when his methods get in conflict and they cannot make a decision. This problem can be solved very easily. There can be a situation when the methods are clear but a trader can't take an action according to them. This situation is much more difficult to deal with since it's a psychological one.
Intellect + emotions = problems.
It can be said that problem of indecisiveness comes from intellect whereas problem of paralysis comes from emotions. By intellectual problems I mean when a trader doesn't have enough information for making a decision.
Let's consider a real life example. For sake of example let's say we are using a trading strategy that utilizes a combination of moving averages and Bollinger bands. We use bouncing of moving average off the Bollinger band as a signal.
We can encounter a situation when moving average approaches the Bollinger band but instead of bouncing it moves along with the band. Now we have a conflict of methods. The direction of moving average shows us buy signal but having at the upper Bollinger band gives us the sell signal.
This is a situation when trader can get uncertain about the trade. It is quite easy to solve this kind of problem. This situation needs one more additional method or rule to give us the final answer. The rule can be something like: if moving average doesn't change its direction when approaching the Bollinger band - it's a signal to open a position along the moving average direction. Once we applied one more rule the decision making process becomes easy. Studying the trading method that is being used can solve this type of indecisiveness. We can draw the following conclusions from the above example:
1. The less number of methods a trader uses the less chance of getting conflicting signals.
2. The less number of indicators he uses the less number of additional rules he has to employ to resolve the conflicting signal.
And one general conclusion: The best trading strategy is a simple one. Don't forget that any conflicting signals carry some emotional charge that influences a trader's psychology in a negative way. So it can be harmful for his trading even if he solves the problem successfully.
It's a traders dream to have a strategy that would make decisions for him. In other words a strategy that would give only clear signals in any circumstances. A simple trading strategy actually can accomplish that.

Solving Forex Trading Problems - Is FAP Turbo the Solution?

A lot of the Forex traders use an automated currency program since it can improve their investment performance by being more profitable and faster. The FAP Turbo is an important factor in your Forex market success with great features. FAP Turbo consumers multiplied their investments even to the point of getting a 670% income return in the last year alone. This is a great achievement for a Forex robot.
The goal of the FAP Turbo is to get excellent trades in the Forex market. And with the Artificial Intelligence installed to implement self decision making to increase productivity growth. Which means that you don't have to prompt it for continuous operation. Even if trading is productive or not, it gathers actual changes in market conditions every 15 minutes in order to keep the trader updated.
The analysis of the basic principles on Forex currency trading can make you a fortune. Constant and authentic results are produced by the FAP Turbo but consumes time to measure the dependability and efficiency of a certain method or tool. The more time used for this process the more improvement in trading configuration the robot gets in order to achieve the goal of financial success.
Doing the preliminary configurations on the FAP Turbo can minimize problems to be encountered later on. Even in the rare case that you encounter a problem with the Forex robot, a technical support team is available for consultations. Troubleshooting Guidelines provided by the technical support are easy to follow and understand.

Trading Company vs Direct Sourcing in China

China is the future for any manufacturer or service provider. That is no secret. So do you buy directly, do you buy through a trader, a broker, an exporter? Do you source yourself and then involve someone there?
The answer is that it all depends on your personal preferences. In my case I use both.
What I do is I source the item myself through normal channels, websites, contacts, directories, etc. Since I have experience I will normally know in which region to locate the item I am looking for. Once I get the item I negotiate directly. Once the deal is closed, then I involve one of my Hong Kong Agents in the operation.
Why do I source myself: in order to save time.
Since I have been doing this for so long I more or less know a lot of the costings as well as where the items are cheaper or of better quality. Also it is good to be able to compare the correct price with different vendors. Ultimately though one saves time in response.
Why do I involve an agent if it is going to cost me more: In order to make more money and to "cover my back".
In order to make more money? Confused! Don't be. You got to remember that China is complicated, it is easy to find the supplier and negotiate the price. However the possible headaches if they come, will come once the deal is signed, that is: quality problems, inspection problems, material delay, organising the shipment, sampling, and so on.
The 3-10% which your agent will charge (depending on the value of the operation) will mean that he takes care of all the handling of your deal. If he takes care of all the possible problems or situations that may arise, that means I have time on my hands to concentrate on what brings revenues and cash to my business, that is, sales, sales, sales and more sales.
Most business people will tell you that today more than ever before, time is money. You need to have that time in your hands to be able to increase your sales efforts.
In order to cover my back? Yes. There can be different payment terms involved in the operation. I know that if my Hong Kong agent is involved then I will do the payment to him and then he will do to the factory. If something goes wrong with the shipment or if the goods are faulty or if there is a short shipment then he is liable to pay me. Since he is earning a commission from you, it is also his responsibility to take care of payment safety.

Friday, 2 March 2012

Accurate Forex Trading System Reviews

Finding the most accurate forex trading system is something that's always an ongoing endeavor for most traders, and it doesn't involve any humans. That's because the kind of precision and round the clock monitoring required can only be provided by automated forex trading robots, and not error-prone humans. These relentless robots can be left on indefinitely as long as the market is open.
They're not swayed by emotions like fear or greed, and they don't make mistakes. Trading company won't miss a single price movement or fail to act on it, as long as the monitoring code has been programmed into the robot. This may seem like some Terminator-style metal robot, but it is just simple software that can be downloaded, installed on desktops and left running round the clock with an internet connection.
The robot aka software has a program that tells it to perform certain market-related actions when it receives a signal. This signal can be either a generated one from an internal system or received externally, and if the robot is integrated with a platform, it can even enter or exit trades. In a nutshell, the robot gets a signal based on which it can enter or exit trades without requiring any human supervision or intervention.
The million-dollar question, of course, is whether the robot can be as (or more) effective than the trader? Is it more profitable, and does it involve less risks? It's a subjective question depending on the kind of trades involved and how the robot operates, because there's scope for plenty of choice when shopping for automated forex trading robots.
Each one uses a custom-built system created by an expert (or experts) and functions in a distinct manner. For instance, some will just notify the trader about an entry or exit for a trade via SMS, email or IM. Some have the capability to enter/exit trades without human supervision.
For those simply curious about it, there are free robots that can be downloaded off the net. Professional traders, though, will have to buy a more efficient one. When buying automated forex trading robots, it's best to get one which has a free trial period and offers free upgrades when a new version comes out. It is also important to check up on its history, and see how many trades and pips it can provide on average in a month. I personally made more than 8 times on my money using a Forex automated trading robot.

2012 ETF Trend Trading Reviews

First, let's get an objective and fact based review of the basic ETF Trend Trading Mentorship course:
1. Quick Start Manual is where experienced ETF traders may start if already familiar with trading ETFs and want to get a quick overview of Big A's rules so they can start trading.
2. Main ETF Trading Manual - This manual offers a complete method in step by step detail beginning from what the definition of ETFs are, their history all the way to how you should select and trade ETF's.
3. Big A's Mentorship DVD's - The DVD's covers the core training of the ETFl trend trading system is reviewed on DVD clearly so you can see how Big A selects and trades specific ETFs.
4. Best List of ETF's - Big A's top ETF picks are listed and explained as to why they're potentially profitable.
5. ETF Scanning Software - Big A's desktop software allows traders to pick the best ETF's that demonstrate a pattern of movement to follow.
6. Trading Support - Big A's mentorship program would not be a real program if you could not be held accountable to the rules of trading ETFs. The system offers 7 day unlimited email support for six months.
7. Training and News Webinars - Each month members will view two webinars held by Big A for the latest news, reviews and updates.
8. Members Forum - Big A's personal blog demonstrates trading strategies currently working as well as related news and updates to his own LIVE trades.
The new ETF Trend Trading "Master Mind" Accelerated course allows members to get all that was presented above in the ETF Trend Trading Mentorship course as well as:
1. Trading Webinars - An additional four (six total webinars) that are LIVE and last one hour in duration each month.
2. Phone Consultation - Accelerated members also get a total of 8 thirty minute training calls, with Big A.
3. Lifetime Member - The standard membership lasts six months whereas accelerated members receive lifetime mentorship training to the above.
The fact that the ETF Trend Trading Accelerated course is reserved specifically for those eager to learn the ETF Trend Trading training at a much quicker and more long term pace as well as direct consultation with course founder: Big A. What sets this ETF trading course apart from many other high expensive trading courses is that you're learning comes from a real trader who is living what he teaches as opposed to a big marketing corporation.
The core principles of the ETF Trading system is put forth within the basic or standard mentorship program. However, traders who wish to continue to learn and master the technical analysis trading principles and software can upgrade to Big A's ETF Master Mind course. Members who decide to sign up to the basic ETF Trend Trading Mentorship course can upgrade to the Master Mind course.

Pivot Point Trading Strategy - Two Specific Setups To Watch For

Pivot point trading can greatly simplify Forex day trading. Pivot points provide good reference points at which to enter or exit trades as well as give an indication of the market bias.
You can either go online and download a pivot point calculator or use the free one referenced in the resource box below.
Simply get the High, Low, Close, Open figures from the daily chart by checking the previous day's candle values and enter them into the calculator.
You can then draw horizontal lines on your chart marking the Central Pivot Point and then the other reference levels such as S1, S2, R1, R2 (S for support, R for resistance).
When pivot point trading it is also a good idea to put the mid reference points in also, M1, M2, M3, and M4 as price often will respect these levels.
The Indicators You Need For The Setup
It is good to have the 15 minute, 60 minute, and 4 hour charts displayed.
After marking the pivot point levels on your 15 minute chart, also show the following on the three time frames:
  • The 200 EMA (Exponential Moving Average)
  • Do Fibonacci calculations on the most significant highs and lows on the three time frames
  • Mark significant previous support and resistance on the 60 minute and 4 hour charts with a horizontal line

Time Of Day
Look for this setup around two time periods:
  • London Open (700 GMT)
  • London Close (1500 GMT)
The Asian session does not generally cause price to make new highs or lows. Trading orders and flows build up after the open of the European session in Frankfurt and take on new momentum once London opens an hour later.
Similarly, price action often slows considerably around the time of London closing.

Look For This Setup At London Open
Check to your trading company if price is anywhere near M4 or M3 on the upside or M1 or M2 on the downside on your 15 minute chart.
Next consult your higher time frames, the 60 minute and 4 hour to see if any of those M levels coincide with a Fibonacci retracement or extension level, or the 200 EMA, or a previous support resistance line.
If you get a combination of those factors, there is a high probability price will test the M levels and then reverse and go in the opposite direction for the day.
Of course, nothing is guaranteed but the more factors you have coinciding at a specific level around a pivot point, the more likely price will react at that point.
Check to see where a 20-30 stop will put you and whether there are other levels of support and resistance nearby to offer protection and start taking profit as price approaches the other pivot levels either on the way up or on the way down.
Remember, pivot point trading suggests that when price is around M4 or M3 you are in a sell area and when price is around M1 or M2 you are in a buy area.

Look For This Setup At London Close
Now we come to the other end of the trading day which also lends itself to pivot point trading.
Often price will have done its run for the day by the time of London close and a retracement can be expected. However, you need to consider other factors.
Again check to see if price has reached a key level by the end of London close. This level could be around a pivot point which also coincides with your other indicators:
  • 200 EMA
  • Fibonacci retracement extension levels
  • Previous strong support or resistance
Next check your Average True Range indicator for the last 5 or 10 days and see what kind of range price has been moving in. This will vary according to the currency pair. The EUR/USD cross for example often puts in between 76 and 100 pips per day.
Now check the range of the current day's trading. Has it equaled or exceeded the average range for the last few days?
If so, and if price is at a strategic pivot point which also matches with other indicators, you can enter a high probability trade and catch between 20 and 30 pips on the retracement.
These two pivot point trading strategies occur with surprising frequency a number of times a month.
Practice these methods, get your eyes used to looking for the combination factors surrounding pivot points, and trade with confidence.

Forex Margin Trading Explained

Forex margin trading allows traders and investors to work with greater volumes of currencies that they actually own themselves by borrowing. If a trader or an investor sees a particular opportunity in the FX markets and wishes to take advantage of this opportunity that other investors and traders potentially do not see, they will want to take advantage of margin trading.
Generally, you are only able to trade what you have, but with margin trading you can trade in trading company more than that. If a trader or an investor predicts that they will yield large returns after taking advantage of a particular Forex opportunity (a certain shift in the exchange rates), they will probably be happy to increase the risk of their trade or investment in order to yield these large returns. They can add risk to the trade by borrowing and investing more money into the trade.
Margin can be defined as the amount of money that is required to keep all of your active orders open, in your Forex trading account. So margin trading is simply trading on margin (trading on money that does not belong to your account).
Let's take a look at an example and demonstrate how margin trading actually works in currency trading. Let's say that we have one Forex trader with 1,000 USD in their Forex trading account, with a margin capacity of 5% (margin capacity being the minimum percentage of equity that they are allowed to maintain). This will mean that the trader or investor will be able to work with a whole 20,000 USD, being able to borrow 18,000 USD. So, the margin capacity of 5% means that the they will be able to trade up to 20 times more than they actually have in their Forex account. When using this borrowed money, the money will usually come as short-term credit and is generally interest-free. The total transaction of the trade is also used as collateral for this loan - collateral being the borrower's pledge of specific property to a lender in order to secure the repayment of a loan.
Of course, margin trading adds a huge amount of unnecessary risk to Forex trading and can be an effective way to increase your losses, too. However, it can also be an effective way to increase your profits, if used both effectively and in moderation. You should really consider margin trading, until you have a good amount of Forex trading experience.
Let's return to the previous example, with the Forex trader who has 1,000 USD in their account. Let's say they wish to buy 20,000 USD worth of JPY at an exchange rate of JPY 100/USD 1. This would put the trader or investor at JPY 2,000,000. Now, if the broker's own loan horizon is only 1 month and Japan's economy takes a quick turn for the worse, JPY will begin to devalue to an exchange rate of JPY 150/USD 1 and they must now pay back the borrowed money (which will equate to 18,000 USD). However, their holdings are only worth the value of 13,333.34 USD (since JPY 2,000,000 / JPY 3,000,000 = 0.666667 and 0.666667 x 20,000 USD = 13,333.34 USD).
This sounds negative, however on the other hand there is also another opportunity to make a lot of money if you flip the situation around. But the example is given simply to address the amount of risk that margin trading actually brings to the table.
In conclusion, margin trading is a way in which Forex traders and investors can maximize and really magnify both their profits and their losses, by exchanging greater volumes of currencies than they actually hold themselves. It presents more opportunities to Forex traders, however these opportunities also come with more risk. In the stock market, stock brokers will usually only provide a 50% margin capacity and they will also provide maintenance margin requirements, for e.g. if a trader or investor's stock value falls below 30% in equity, the broker will immediately demand payment from them. These maintenance margin requirements are said to be positive for both brokers and traders, because it means that the broker will get their money back and the investor will not be able to accumulate unmanageable amounts of debt

Thursday, 1 March 2012

Fundamental Analysis and Forex Trading

Fundamental analysis is not for every person looking at forex trading. It requires an extended period of learning fundamental concepts and their impact on the forex market.
To learn a fundamental style of trading company completely would require years of experience. So how can you take advantage of fundamental concepts without having those years of experience?
So what does fundamental analysis do? Fundamental analysis uses "economic indicators" and other news related information to determine an impact on forex prices. These "economic indicators" are published at regular intervals and many of the International Banks use this data to forecast forex trends. The economic indicators measure how well an economy of a country is doing. This data can then be used to compare the economy of one country with another. The status of an economy will influence its exchange rate, so fundamental analysis provides us with ways to measure potential forex trends.
When this data is made available to the public there is a reaction from investors and speculators. Information in the form of news and economic indicators is vaguer than that of technical indicators. There is a lot of gray area in this type of analysis. The market will ultimately react to how people think the economic data compares to the current market situation.
Economic indicators usually reveal information that "Should cause a currency to go up in price" or "may cause a currency to go down." The words "should and may" in the quotes above reveal the ambiguity of the fundamental data.

How to Pick Trading Solutions That Keep You in Profit

How long have you been searching for the perfect trading solutions to combat your stock market woes? There seems to be an endless stream of trading solution claims that will over promise and under deliver. And every second you spend searching, you're losing more and more money in this nasty market. But, which trading solutions will bring you true financial solace and perpetually keep you in profit now and for years to come?

Here are a few key factors you should look for when selecting a profitable trading solution for your trading company :

1. Automation
 If your market positions are being handled manually by either yourself, a broker or money manager, your money WILL, at some point, fall victim to opinion, ego, fear or greed. This happens more often than not. Automating your trades and allowing an algorithmic based system to manage your positions, takes the emotion out of trading and always keeps you on the right side of the market. Automated trading solutions cut losses quickly and let winning trades run consistently maximizing your profits.

2. Trend Following
 The only thing that maters when trading is price action, period. So, when searching for trading solutions, make sure it FOLLOWS THE MONEY.

3. No Bots
This is important. Robots trade the same stocks over and over. This system is flawed and it is futile to try to encode the market. Robots don't work. But these types of trading solutions have brought scam'ers out in droves because they are easy to sell, especially in a volatile market. Don't believe the hype. Look for a dynamic system that can catch any opportunity in any market and are not locked in to certain stocks, ETF's or forex pairs.

4. Ease of use
Good trading solutions need to be easy to use. "Set it and Forget it " is what you're looking for. The idea is to be able to get the right picks, place them at the right time and have your exits automated by an algorithmic system that manages your positions from the breakout to the end of the trend, so can spend your time doing what you love.

Algorithmic Trading Solutions

If you are interested in trading currency or trading it more effectively if you already do so, it is highly recommended that you consider algorithmic trading solutions. This article is meant to establish some insight on this highly effective means of trading.
You can either trade yourself, or hire a broker to trade for you, but it should be established early on that no trading regiment is an adequate substitute for algorithmic trading solutions. The reason being is that this software is designed with the sole purpose of both keeping a constant beat on the market and the trends and changes which occur within it, as well as taking over your campaign when you are absent or busy and trading on your behalf accordingly.
I heartily endorse algorithmic trading solutions as being the best method of trading simply because they follow, are programmed for, and live by the golden rule in trading company: follow the trends. This, however, is an understatement for what the better and best of these programs are capable of, as many of these programs stick to various up and down trends like honey.
The end result is that you land on the winning sides of your trades the vast majority of the time. Algorithmic trading solutions or programs respond faster and more efficiently than any broker or single trader could ever do, and they do this tirelessly around the clock 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, almost all of which the forex market is open in some location for. Even if it is painfully obvious to you that it's your own money at risk to profit from or lose completely, there is no trader who can keep this up for more than a few days, let alone forever. This is why so many traders, roughly a full third in fact now in 2009, are beginning to go the route of the auto trading solution.