Forex

Forex Signals

2007-12-11T10:20:00.000-08:00

One of the disadvantages of FOREX trading is the time investment needed to monitor the markets for advantageous entry and exit points. It's possible to sit in front of a computer monitor for hours watching the markets.
Of course, you can use automated orders such as limits and stops. These allow you to walk away from your computer with the knowledge that your losses will be kept to a minimum, but by doing so, you may miss out on potential profits because your limit order kicks in too soon.
If you don't have the time to watch your computer monitor and still wish to achieve as much profit as possible, consider signing up for a FOREX signal service. These services monitor and analyze the market for you and send their findings directly to your computer desktop, email, or SMS on your cell phone or pager.
Companies that offer FOREX signals do so on a paid basis, so you have to sign up and pay a monthly or yearly fee. Some brokers may offer this service as an extra which integrates into their trading software. You can receive signals as a popup on your screen or by any of the other methods described above.
There are usually a limited number of currency pairs that are available for FOREX signals. Most services offer signals on EUR/USD, USD/JPY, GBP/USD, USD/CHF, but specialized services may offer other currency pairs.
FOREX signals are primarily based on technical analysis of market conditions. Most companies use a combination of indicators to identify main trends and entry and exit points. The results are sent to subscribers who have the option of acting on them or passing. Some services will even execute the trade for you.
Using a variety of technical studies, various types of signals can be derived from currency charts. The SMA (Simple Moving Average) indicates buy signals when currency prices rise above the average line. Sell signals occur when the price falls below the moving average line.
MACD (Moving Average Convergence Divergence) studies have a signal line that is used to generate a buy signal (above the line) or a sell signal (below the line).
Volume indicators are used to determine market interest. High volume (especially near the bottom of the market) can indicate the start of a new trend while low volume indicates investor uncertainty.
Bollinger Bands indicate potential changes in the market. Sharp price changes tend to occur when the bands tighten while prices that touch one band tend to go all the way to the other band.
Other indicators like volatility and momentum can be used to reinforce signals provided by other sources. Taken together they form a relatively reliable source of information about how the market is behaving.
Are signals a sure thing? Of course not, otherwise we would all be millionaires. Signals can give you good advice about which currencies to trade, but no signal service will guarantee their information is 100% accurate. Reputable services will show you their track record, however, and let you see for yourself how they have done in the past.
FOREX signals cost anywhere from $50 to $200 a month. It's up to the individual trader to decide if the cost is worth it. Don't think that signals can take the place of trader education – they are advice, and if you don't have the knowledge to analyze the advice, you should go back to the books before using a signal service.

Forex Tools

2007-12-11T10:19:00.001-08:00

There are many tools available to the FOREX trader for analyzing the market as well as for buying and selling currencies. Software tools are a necessary part of FOREX because of its volume and volatility. Software can be used to automate some of the trading procedures and safeguard against losses.
In order to make rational, successful trades, the FOREX trader needs information – lots of information. Current exchange rates are the tip of the iceberg – the trader needs historical data as well as current information about political and economic conditions that could affect currency prices. All this information is provided by many FOREX brokers on their web sites.
Successful FOREX trading relies on making accurate assessments of current political and economic conditions. Being able to predict whether a currency will fall or rise against another currency allows the FOREX trader to profit from currency movements.
There are two basic trading methods for buying and selling currencies. Reactive trading means the trader responds to changes in the political or economic climate. Speculative trading means the trader makes buying decisions based on predictions on how the market will respond to current events. While most FOREX trading is speculative, both types of trade require up-to-the-minute information and an analysis of current and historical conditions.
Traders rely on both fundamental and technical analyses. Fundamental analysis is based on news information about political conditions, economic policies, trade patterns, interest rates and unemployment rates. Technical analysis relies on historical charting to identify trends and patterns over time. Information needed for both types of analyses is available in real time on the Internet. Most online brokers offer live news feeds and streaming rates for observing minute by minute changes in the market.
The Risk Probability Calculator (RPC) can be used to identify trades that have more potential gain than potential loss. The RPC can also help you target exit points to end the trade.
Pivot Points can be used to predict movements of currency prices. They are calculated as an average of the currencies high, low and closing prices. Pivot Point Calculators tell you whether prices fall in the normal trading range or extreme trading ranges.
Pip value calculators are used to tell you the value of each pip (smallest currency unit) according to various sized lots. Pip calculators can tell you the actual profit or loss that will result from movements in the FOREX.
Once a trader has decided which currency pair to trade, he logs on to his online account provided by his broker. The desired currency pair is entered and the current exchange rate appears on the screen. The amount of the trade is entered (how much currency you wish to buy). Some brokers may give you the option of specifying the amount you wish to risk. This automatically enters a 'stop loss rate' into your order.
After the details of the trade are entered, you will be taken to a confirmation screen where you can accept the current price on screen. You may be given the option of 'freezing' the quoted price, meaning the price of your transaction is exactly what you see on screen without any slippage. Accept the rate and your deal is running.
Just as you can enter a 'stop loss rate' to automatically sell the currency if it falls below a certain rate, you can enter a 'take profit rate' to automatically sell the currency when it reaches a certain level. If you don't enter a 'take profit rate' you need to monitor the movement of the currency to decide when to close the deal and take either your profits or your losses.

kinds-of-forex

2007-12-11T10:09:00.000-08:00

Spot Market. Currency spot trading is the most popular foreign currency instrument around theworld, making up 37 percent of the total activity (See Figure 3.1). The features of the fast-paced spotmarket are high volatility and quick profits (as well losses). A spot deal consists of a bilateral contract whereby a party delivers a specified amount of a givencurrency against receipt of a specified amount of another currency from a counterparty, based on an agreedexchange rate, within two business days of the deal date. The exception is the Canadian dollar, in whichthe spot delivery is executed next business day. The two-day spot delivery for currencies was developedlong before technological breakthroughs in information processing. This time period was necessary tocheck out all transactions' details among counterparties. Although technologically feasible, thecontemporary markets did not find it necessary to reduce the time to make payments. Human errors stilloccur and they need to be fixed before delivery. By the entering into a contract on the spot market a bank serving a trader tells the latter thequota – an evaluation of the currency traded against the U.S. dollar or an other currency. A quotaconsists from two figures (for example, USD/JPY = 133.27/133.32 or, which is the same, USD/JPY= 133.27/32). The first from these figures (the left part) is called the bid – price (that is a price atwhich the trader sells), the second (the right part) is called the ask - price (the price at which thetrader buys the currency). The difference between asks and bid is called the spread. The spread, asany currency price alteration, is being measured in points (pips). In terms of volume, currencies around the world are traded mostly against the U.S. dollar, becausethe U.S. dollar is the currency of reference. The other major currencies are the euro, followed by theJapanese yen, the British pound, and the Swiss franc. Other currencies with significant spot market sharesare the Canadian dollar and the Australian dollar. In addition, a significant share of trading takes place in thecurrencies crosses, a non-dollar instrument whereby foreign currencies are quoted against other foreigncurrencies, such as euro against Japanese yen.The spot market is characterized by high liquidity and high volatility. Volatility is the degree towhich the price of currency tends to fluctuate within a certain period of time. For instance, in an activeglobal trading day (24 hours), the euro/dollar exchange rate may change its value 18,000 times "flying"100-200 pips in a matter of seconds if the market gets wind of a significant event. On the other hand, theexchange rate may remain quite static for extended periods of time, even in excess of an hour, when one

How to Find a Broker for the FOREX Trading Market

2007-12-11T10:06:00.001-08:00

It's not always easy to know what to look for in a broker in any market, much less a market as complex as the FOREX. But, if you want to trade in FOREX you need a broker. While it might be tempting to simply ask the brokers what they can do for you, you can't always depend on them to give you a straight answer. Here are a few things to consider when choosing your broker. You will want a broker that has low spreads. Since FOREX brokers don't charge a commission, this difference is how they make money. Low spreads will save you money. Along with this, you should be looking for a broker attached to a reputable institution. Unlike equity brokers, FOREX brokers are usually attached to large banks or lending institutions. The broker should also be registered with the Futures Commission Merchant (FCM) as well as regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Once you've narrowed your choices down to brokers that won't cost you too much, and that are reputable, consider the trading tools that they are offering you. FOREX brokers have many different trading platforms for their clients, just like brokers in other markets. These often show real-time charts, technical analysis tools, real-time news and data, and may even offer support for the various trading systems. Before you commit to any one broker, request free trials of their tools. Brokers generally provide technical as well as fundamental commentaries, economic calendars, and other research to help you make good trades. Shop around until you find a broker who will give you what you need to succeed. The next item that you will need to evaluate carefully is the number of leverage options your potential broker has. Leverage is a necessity in FOREX trading because the price deviations in the currencies are set at fractions of a cent. Leverage is expressed as a ratio between the total capital that is available to be traded and your actual capital. For example, when you have a ratio of 100:1, your broker will lend you $100 for every $1 of actual capital you have. Many brokerage firms will offer you as much as 250:1. If you have low levels of capital you will need a brokerage with high levels of leverage to make reasonable profits. If capital is not a problem, any broker that has a wide variety of leverage options would be a good choice for you. A variety of options will let you vary the amount of risk you choose to take. For example, less leverage (and therefore less risk) may be preferable if you are dealing with highly volatile (exotic) currency pairs. Along with different levels of leverage, look for brokers that offer different types of accounts. Many brokers will offer you two or more types. The smallest account is known as a mini account and it requires you to trade with a minimum of around $300. The mini account also generally offers a high amount of leverage. The standard account allows you to trade at a variety of different leverages, but it requires minimum initial capital of $2,000. And finally, there are premium accounts, which often require significant amounts of capital. They also generally have different levels of leverage available to the traders who use them, and often offer additional tools and services. You will need to make sure that the broker you choose has the right leverage, tools, and services for the amount of capital that you are able to work with.

How To Choose a Forex Trading System That Works and Suits You

2007-12-11T10:04:00.001-08:00

There are so many different trading systems you could use to trade the forex market, some better suited to certain people than others. For example some people may find it easier to comprehend and take into account fundamental factors as opposed to looking at a screen covered in technical indicators, and vice-versa.The first logical step in determining what type of trading system would best suit you is actually being aware and understand the widely known methods of analysis used in trading the currency market. Once you are aware of the tools that are available, you can generally tell what type of analysis suits you. For example some of the main technical analysis methods which are popular include:Pivot pointsChart patternsFibonacci retracementsCandlestick patternsAnd some fundamental factors which are widely used include analyzing:Interest ratesTrade balancesUnemployment ratesGross domestic product (GDP)You may now actually be able to develop your own system by combining certain methods of analysis together, giving you a method which you are comfortable with. On the other hand you may decide that you would like to trade someone else’s system, either way, that brings us to the next step which is determining the profitability of a trading system.Determining ProfitabilityMost people would think that back testing is the best way to determine a systems profitability. However back testing doesn’t always give you a true idea of how profitable a system is. The reason for this is because when you’re back testing your system on historical charts, you are only seeing the obvious setups which have occurred, and not always seeing the ones that are less obvious. These less obvious ones sometimes can produce losses, which is why back testing isn’t always the best method to implement.A better method of determining profitability is by trading your system in real-time with a demo account. This would give you a true understanding of what your system is capable of. This would also allow you to familiarize yourself with your trading platform at the same time. When determining profitability you must look at it in terms of expectancy and opportunity.Expectancy & OpportunityThese two factors together will be able to tell you what you could expect to make over a period of time. Expectancy is calculated with the following formula:(Probability of winning × average win) – (Probability of losing × average loss)This will give you a figure which is the average amount you can expect to make per trade. This shouldn’t be a negative amount, if it is you should look at some other method of trading since you cannot make money on a system that produces a negative expectancy. Obviously the higher this figure is the better. Now to the opportunity factor.The opportunity factor is how often you are able to trade using your system. By multiplying your expectancy figure with your opportunity factor it will tell you how much you could expect to make over a period of time. The more opportunity you have to trade, the more money you should expect to make. This now brings us to the last component of a trading system, money management.Money ManagementWithout proper money management you will end up as a statistic. In other words one of those 90%+ of traders who loose their money. Money management tells you how much of your account balance to risk per trade. The whole point of money management is to ensure your survival over the long term, and to preserve your capital.The most common form of money management is the percent risk model which tells you not to risk more than x percent of your account balance on any one trade. A range between 1-3% is generally an accepted amount which has been a reliable percentage to use in order to make money in the long term.ConclusionBy taking into consideration the above factors you will be able to determine if a trading system best suits you, and with some simple mathematical calculations you will be able to determine its profitability

Forex - You Need A Real System!

2007-12-11T10:01:00.000-08:00

Although it has been some years since I was actively involved in trading, I have just returned to the markets and have begun to trade a small account on my own behalf. This has perhaps given me a slightly skewed perspective of the markets, almost like a new entrant, but one with a lot of experience.There have been some big changes whilst I have been inactive, not least in the number of online brokerages fighting for every dollar.But many things stay the same, at the heart of which is one, I guess, unbreakable truth. Trading is basically a very simple business, with any trading stocks, options, FOREX, whatever only really involving three steps:1. Find several possible trades evaluate them and decide which to go for,2. Calculate how much to trade, and decide at what points to enter and exit the market3. Keeping an eye on, or monitoring, open market positionsNow, these three steps were basically all there was to it a few years ago, and they still And, guess what, people are still getting totally bogged down right here, at this early stage of the trading process, generally, for one of two reasons.The first possible reason is that they simply are not aware that these are the steps involved in the trading process, or (the second reason) they have no clearly defined rules for actioning these steps. Thus, less experienced, more nervous, traders can often take hours to evaluate a small number of potential trades.Experienced day traders, on the other hand, are fully aware that, with little time available to execute their trading, they must have a process plan and they must stick to it.A day trader will set out his (or her) plan of action something like this:1. Recognize the opportunity, enter the market2. Stay in the trade for as long as possible if it is going for him or3. Get the heck out of there with minimum losses, as soon as it is clear it is going to go the wrong wayThat s it! That s essentially what a day trader in any market was doing years ago, and that is what a day trader is still doing today, with little or no change to their working practices brought about by the vastly more advanced technology of today.Savvy day traders learn very quickly that they must plan ahead of time, so that they are in prime position to take full advantages of the opportunities that occur in real time.Thus, day trading, which on paper at least is a pretty dangerous and risky manner of working markets is, in fact, one of the most disciplined trading schools! By the nature of market movements and the way they operate, day traders simply cannot afford to run their trading business on a wing and a prayer!

A Look at Online Forex Brokers

2007-12-11T10:00:00.000-08:00

An online forex broker is a firm that facilitates retail trading using Internet technologies. Global Forex Trading (GFT), one of the popular online forex brokers. It provides retail traders with a free demo trading account, allows users to open a live account, gives live help, provides software called DealBook FX 2, and allows viewing of account documents. (DealBook FX 2 can be downloaded for the demo trading account).Gain Capital Group's Online Forex offers 200:1 leverage. In some cases, the total return on investment is higher due to leverage. For example, with $1000 cash in a margin account, the investor can control up to $200,000 in notional value. Of course, trading on leverage magnifies both the investor's profits and losses. GCI Financial Ltd. offers commission-free online trading in forex. GCI offers Internet trading software, fast and efficient execution, and 0.5% margin requirements. This broker offers USD or Euro denominated trading accounts. The spreads are 3 pips in EUR/USD and USD/JPY, and are 4 to 5 pips for other major commissions. Clients can hedge by opening positions in the same currency in opposite directions. Risk to the investor is limited to the deposited funds. Market analysis and research, real-time charts, and forex trading signals are available at no charge.ACM, part of the REFCO group, offers 3 pip spreads on all major currencies, which works out to between 0.02% and 0.03% on the dollar value. They also offer commission-free trading, and forex trading with a 1% margin, which means that a trader can control $1,000,000 with $10,000 in his account.There are many online forex brokers that offer free demo accounts for potential forex traders to practice trading. It is only a matter of registering and starting demo trading to get a feel for forex trading. In addition, at most sites, traders can find free forex news to assist them with their trade strategies.

Simple Forex Trading System - Follow this Simple Forex Trading System For Faster Forex Profits

2007-12-11T09:57:00.000-08:00

Follow this simple Forex trading system for faster profits and faster results. Only a select group of 10 percent of Forex traders consistently perform winning trades. This article will discuss a simple Forex trading system for you to implement to fast track your Forex education and profits.
Simple Forex Trading System One: Generally currencies always trade well and the price always is the leading indicator so be sure to look for convincing clues and follow the lead.
Simple Forex Trading System Two: Your indicators are really your best friend. You must believe in what they are telling you 100 percent of the time with no exceptions. Analyze the clues that they are giving you and act upon them. Never second guess them.
Simple Forex Trading System Three: Always draw pivot points on your 15 minute chart with no exceptions.
Simple Forex Trading System Four: The area between never points is never the place to trade. The best trade are always made in and around the pivot points. Avoid all other areas at all costs.
Simple Forex Trading System Five: After 2am New York time is the busiest time on the Forex market as it's when the major rallies for the Euro begins.
Simple Forex Trading System Six: If you are anxious to follow one signal that you have been given then by all means one signal is all you need. However, for a clearer signal and clue wait for more.
Simple Forex Trading System Seven: Always be aware for combinations of price patterns as well as obvious price patterns when looking for clues.
Simple Forex Trading System Eight: The most successful Forex traders only think one way, in one direction. If the trend is up then buy the dips and if the trend is down then sell the rallies. Forex trading does not need to be any more complicated than that.
Nine: Make sure you get the best Forex trading system education that you can. Avoid free Forex trading system courses and find one that you can budget for. Also be sure to expand your Forex trading education throughout your Forex trading career.

Trading Forex With The Right Software

2007-12-11T09:55:00.000-08:00

The trading software is one of the more overlooked aspects of trading Forex online. For those who are not familiar with the Forex market, it is extremely fast-paced and volatile. That is why all brokers claim that their software offers the minimum latency in providing real-market updates. Unfortunately, this is a very generous statement and it does not take into account the client's internet connection or his geographic location.
The client's connection to the web is obviously the most important factor regarding receiving real-market updates from the broker. It really should be the best connection that one can afford, whether it is cable, satellite or ISDN. Cable is the preferred connection, as it is more secure and offers greater bandwidth.
And then there is geography. It is common sense that Broker X who is located in Toronto can establish contact with Client A located in Montreal much faster than Client B, who is located all the way down in Mexico City. The fact is that all internet connections are affected by distance. The farther a client is away from his broker, the more delay he will receive as a result because of the physical limitations imposed on wiring. Thus, always research your broker's geographic location before selecting it as the right one for you. For best results, always choose a broker who is closer to you.
Any decent broker will offer its trading software for free. Some will even offer different versions of its software for traders of different skill levels. Usually, "advanced" versions loaded with extra features are available for free to those who request them.
Trading software comes in two flavours- web based and client based software. If your broker offers both kinds, great! Each has its own advantages, but it is the general consensus that web-based software is better.
Web based software operates completely on the broker's server and is interfaced through a web browser like Internet Explorer or Mozilla Firefox. This creates a lot of flexibility for the client, as he can access his Forex account anywhere providing he has access to an ISP and a browser. Security with web based software is not an issue, as all exchanges between the client and the broker take place over secured sockets and are heavily encrypted.
Client-based software is downloaded onto the computer and executed from there. It is faster and more convenient to access, and is more "homely" in the sense that it will blend into your desktop environment. However because client based software resides on your computer and stores sensitive information like name and passwords locally, it is very vulnerable to hackers. If they managed to sneak pass your firewall through Trojans or some other backdoor virus, they can do great harm to your bank account.
If you are just starting off with Forex, be sure to take these factors into consideration when selecting the best broker. Analyse the features of the provided software to make sure that they're right for you. So with all that said, good luck and happy trading!