Showing posts with label Forex trade. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Forex trade. Show all posts

Saturday, November 28, 2009

Bank forex trading is quite simplified today

Today everyone wants to invest in the forex market. But it is not that easy as one might think. Earlier, the forex markets were only restricted to banks. However, now commoners can also bid in this market to increase their fortunes. Banks made use of professional traders to deal in the market on their behalf. Most important thing that determines the success of a person while trading in the forex market is the amount of knowledge and experience possessed by him. If you are able to get the knack of this market, then it can benefit you immensely in your long term trades in this market. This also eliminates the need for you to depend on get rich fast schemes. Forex can make a millionaire out of you, but the only difference is that luck does not determine your wealth, its only your hard work. All the people who have made millions from this market are those who have successfully used the forex trading tools to the best of their advantage. In fact, their learning curve has not even stopped after their forex trading started yielding results. The biggest allure that enthralls all the amateur traders is the incredible amount of intra day profits. Well, these profits can only be earned after a smart evaluation of the market and determining a system that works to earn profits for you.

its very easy to make money out of forex but you have to find a system that has been proved reliable when used by traders in the past. Enough back testing of the system should have been done by traders before you. Also, your personal experience will determine how much you can use the system to your own benefit. Well, using the system before getting the feedback about it from others will ensure that you are taking decisions on the basis of the system without others, which is simply marvelous. This kind of a testing can be done through the demo trading mechanism of a system.

Stop losses are an excellent way to help you in safeguarding yourself against the volatility of the market. If your currency is not yielding a pre-set amount of profits, then you can quit the market immediately.This implies that you leave the market because the warning signals have started to emerge. This way you reduce any chances of making losses and maximise your success rate. That is why, most of the traders stress on the policy of making small profits and not waiting for bigger profits to happen and not quitting a danger ridden market in the same hope. You should be perseverant and stick to a single trading system which will yield you enough profits if you learn it consistently and apply it for your own benefit. The key in bank forex trading is to set your demo account with the system and keep on practicing unless you learn sufficiently well. All you have to do is to choose the right forex trading system and earn profits with all the freedom that you get in operating in the market.

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Get cash back to forex traders on every trade you make

Forex trading has become one of the prominent commodity trading businesses in the world today. Forex or Foreign Exchange trading is one of the oldest methods of commodity trading in the world. But the present mode of trading is quite new and much more advanced. These days, it has become a prominent part of the world economy.

Most traders struggle to find ways to maximize profits in their trades and minimize broker spread fees and risks. There is a simple way to help them dramatically. It is the rebate program. You will get your cash back easily through the rebate program.

You will find many brokers here to reduce your cost and increase your profit. You must understand that no additional fees are tacked on to that clients account as part of the Forex trading rebate service. No increase in the broker spread occurs, as the commission is paid for by the brokerage firm giving a percentage of their spread fee back.

As a forex trader we know that we do trade the forex market pairs, and each pairs caries their own spread rate. If we didn't sign up through any rebate program, then all of the spread profit will go to the broker. As an added advantage, every forex trader should consider cash back/rebates to their trading activity.

Saturday, November 1, 2008

Forex Trading - If It's As Easy As Many Claim Why Do 95% of Traders Lose?

If you read a lot of the vendors online you would think forex trading is a walk in the park and of course its not, that's why 95% of traders lose. The good news however is you can win - if you follow the advice in this article...

Most forex traders fall for vendors telling them they can make money easily, by following their advice or a mechanical forex robot.

These so called forex experts though are anything but and all they have to back up their claims are back tested paper simulations. That's trading knowing the closing prices and it's so easy a child could do it. Don't take this nonsense seriously.

A back tested simulation, means absolutely nothing, in terms of how you will do and in most instances, traders who buy these trading systems get wiped out.

Now in life, you know that to make money you need to make an effort. You need to the basics and learn your art.

Forex trading is EXACTLY the same, you need to know what you are doing and have confidence in your knowledge.

The Good News is

For the effort you need to make, the rewards are huge!

Even better news is - it's proven that everything about successful forex trading can be specifically learned by anyone with a willingness to learn. Now, let's look at a story which will inspire you.

A famous trader called Richard Dennis, set out to prove the point anyone could succeed at trading, with the right mindset and education. He taught a group of people who had never traded before to trade in just 2 weeks - the result?

These traders made $100 million, in just 4 years and went down in trading history as legends.

Learning a successful trading system is easy - applying it is the hard part.

Despite what you may read online about you won't suffer losses for weeks on end - you will. Don't worry though, even the best traders do! The trick is to keep your losses small and stay on course until you hit profits.

You have to lose to win in forex and this is hard for most people, they simply cannot take their losses and trade with discipline.

A simple system applied with discipline, is the key. Keep in mind, if you don't have the discipline to apply your system, you don't have one!

Forex trading is a combination of method and the mindset to apply it.

If you get the right forex education and work smart you can get a simple robust forex trading strategy together in a couple of weeks - then its down to mindset and your ability to stay on course.

While being disciplined is not easy, if you have confidence in what you are doing, you can achieve it.

So forget all the people who tell you forex trading is easy - its not and you would hardly expect it to be with the rewards on offer.

Approach forex trading as a business, learn to take your losses and be disciplined and if your system is soundly based, you will soon be piling up huge profits and enjoying currency trading success.

Friday, July 18, 2008

Automated Forex Trading Systems - Reduce Your Risk Down to Zero

The problem with successfully and profitably trading in the foreign exchange market is not having a proven system for success. Many people lose money when they really don't have to. The truth is that with the right system, you can succeed at anything.

The best system that I've found is a system that automates your forex trades. Automated Forex trading is the most advanced form of Forex trading. Most of the traders faced the problem of being physically present at the trading center for twenty four hours and seven days a week. Automated Forex trading came as a blessing in disguise as this machine can inform the traders about the ideal time for entry and exit of the market.

Before the automated Forex trading system had started most of the traders were at a loss. It was not possible for them to always monitor the market trend for twenty four hours. Monitoring the market trend is utterly necessary so that the rising and falling trend can be studied and immediate decisions can be taken to avoid loss.

It is true that automated Forex trading is done by a machine and a machine can also develop faults. But on the whole it is a very efficient device for beginners as it helps them to learn that which is the ideal time to enter the market and which is the ideal time to exit from the market. In short it means that the entry should be made at the time when the market is rising and exit should be taken before the market falls. Automated Forex trading is a strategy you should employ immediately.

Thursday, July 10, 2008

Forex Trading Facts - Understand These Key Facts to Win Big Profits

Here are some facts that many traders don't consider if you do then you can win at forex and enjoy currency trading success...

Here are your facts in no order of importance they ALL contribute to your success!

Fact 1. Forex Trading is NOT Easy!

Of course it isn't that's why so many traders lose - 95% but the good news is with a bit of effort, you can win and make a lot of money. You simply have to know what you are doing (forget junk robots and mentors telling you it's easy to follow them), if you do you follow them, you will lose.

Understand you need to do it on your own - but if you do put in effort, your rewards can be huge and this does not mean working hard.

FACT 2. The Work Ethic Does NOT Apply

In many jobs you get paid for the hours you work and are rewarded for the amount of time you spend working. In forex trading you get your reward for being right and this means working smart not hard.

You can learn to trade in about 2 week and in 30 minutes a day or less and earn big profits

FACT 3. Being Clever is NOT an Advantage

Simple forex trading strategies work best try and complicate your trading system and it will have to many elements to break and will lose. Keep it simple is wise advice when seeking forex profits.

Fact 3. Discipline is the Key

You need to have iron discipline, this is the hard part of forex trading, to trade through losing periods and stay on course, until a winning run occurs. If you don't have discipline to follow a system - you don't have one!

FACT 4. Picking Trend Direction is Easy

Compared with staying with the trend. When you trade you must execute your trading signal at the correct level and have your stop and trail your stop so you don't get stopped out by volatility - this is much harder to do and many traders get the direction right, only to be stopped out by random volatility and see the trend go back the way they thought and their not in.

This is a major problem and you need to make a study of standard deviation of price, part of your essential forex trading education.

FACT 5. You need to Know Your Trading Edge

A trading edge is personal to you and something you understand, have confidence in, which you know, if you apply with discipline, will lead you to currency trading success.

Following someone else is not an edge! Its personal and if you don't know what yours is, you don't have one.

FINALLY The Good News ...

Forex trading looks easy yet, few succeed but if you understand the above points you are well on your way to achieving forex trading success.

You have to work and you have to work smart to get a forex trading system, you have confidence in and can apply with discipline. If you do this correctly, the rewards can be life changing.

Monday, June 16, 2008

Trading Forex - dollar and inflation

For a number of years US economy has enjoyed a relatively low inflation rate. According to official statements, annualized inflation over last decade or so has been in very low single digits. Depending on the source and method of calculation, the rate has been about 2. That is despite massive infusion of funds into the economy in the form of very low interest rates.

That course of action has been long supported by US financial authorities, the FED. For years the central bank has been concerned with growth, doing everything it could to fight economic slow down and stagnation. It was done in the form of cutting interest rates and seemingly endless liquidity increase. Let's not forget about lending hand in order to bail out large financial institutions from the masses their questionable practises created. In fact, month after month we have been treated to speeches that inflation is under control and not a threat. Until now.

Published inflation figures pertain to the so called "core inflation", compilation of prices on consumer goods, which excludes food and energy. Runaway cost increases in oil/gas and main food commodities are finally being reflected in the number, as their effects trickle down to other areas of consumer goods. Some of the newly released figures are stunning-soaring energy costs pushed inflation up in May at the fastest pace in six months, according to data released Friday by the U.S. Labor Department. Food prices had the biggest one-month leap in 18 years in April. That's something.

Higher energy and commodity prices also fuel inflation pressures in other parts of the world. They are being acutely felt in Asia in particular, as the region continues to function as a commodity importer/manufactured goods exporter. One way countries can offset such inflationary pressures is to allow their currencies to appreciate more rapidly. All of a sudden, within a couple of weeks, the once neglected subject of inflation has catapulted itself onto front pages.

As of this writing in mid June, finance ministers of the of the Group of Eight industrialized countries (G-8) are holding a meeting in Osaka, Japan. Main subject have been inflation causing soaring oil and food prices, which are emerging as serious threats to global economic growth. The ministers are vowing to work together to address the problem. They urged oil-producing nations to increase production to help stabilize the spike in oil prices, and called for aid to address a looming food crisis in developing nations.

In response, Saudi Arabia pledged to increase its daily output by additional 500,000 barrels a day. This is surely to stretch their capacity to an absolute maximum, but in opinions of many this decision should calm energy markets, which, by the way, do not have a shortage of supplies. The recent run up of crude oil price to new high of about $140, is likely to be the extent of the rally for some time.

Where does it leave the dollar? There is no one certain answer, but her is one very possible scenario. Inflationary pressures are likely to cause FED to halt its rate cutting policy, maybe even to start gradual rate increases. That is always appealing to Forex traders. Falling oil prices should also benefit the dollar, as record energy costs have been vilified as the single biggest force behind USD weakness (rightly or not). And one more thing, Treasury Secretary Paulson warned earlier this week that he isn't ruling out intervening in currency markets to stabilize the currency.

So, what is the relationship between US Dollar and inflation? Under current market conditions and in light of most recent fundamental and technical development USD might just get a much needed bust from the much dreaded inflation. This relationship is, however, fluid and unstable. Unchecked, inflationary forces can do just the opposite some time down the road- start another Dollar slide.

Friday, June 6, 2008

Let Your Money Work for You with Automated FOREX Trading

In our modern world of luxury and ease, some financial speculators are finding it advantageous to do FOREX trading the easy way: through automated FOREX trading systems.

Automated FOREX trading is exactly what it sounds like. A highly sophisticated and complicated computer program uses mathematical algorithms to determine when to buy and sell currency, and it makes the trades for you. You put an initial investment into the account, and then let the system do all the work for you.

It may sound risky to let a computer program choose when to buy and sell currency, but automated trading can often be safer than doing it yourself. Humans are subject to error, to misreading charts, and to overlooking data. Humans can also let their emotions get in the way of making smart decisions, like the gambler who loses everything because he just can’t tear himself away from the blackjack table.

An automated trading program has none of those flaws. With the software doing it for you, it’s as if you were always watching every market, noticing every trend, instantly analyzing all available data, and making the smartest decisions.

There is a cost for this, of course. Most brokers that offer it require a minimum investment of several thousand dollars or more, and they may charge a fee on top of that.

But the benefits of automated FOREX trading can be great. Whereas manual trading requires an investor to study the market intensely before jumping in to it, automated trading requires no training at all. Learn the very basics of how the market works so you can tell what your automated system is doing for you, and that’s it. Sit back and let it make your money work for you.

Automated trading is also useful for companies and other institutions that want to diversify their assets but don’t have the time or resources to devote to FOREX trading. If a computer program can do it for you, there’s no need to have one of your employees handle it, right?

It goes without saying that automated trading systems rely on technical analysis rather than fundamental analysis. That is, the algorithms examine past market performance and general trends and base their trading decisions on that, not on external factors such as politics and environmental concerns, which may affect a nation’s currency. Nonetheless, automated trading has proven to be highly effective and accurate for many investors, freeing up their schedules to focus on other things.

Wednesday, May 7, 2008

Forex Trading Mistakes - 6 Common Mistakes Which Will Wipe You Out

Enclosed you will find 6 common mistakes, made by the vast majority of forex traders -make anyone of them and you will join the vast majority who lose money, so here they are avoid them.

1. Trading Expert Opinion

All the forex news you see looks so convincing and today, we have TV channels and lots of resources on the net but there only opinions. They won't help you win. If they did, more traders would win than they did 50 years ago and this is simply not the case - the ratio remains the same. Sure, the news sounds convincing but chances are its wrong, as it reflects the views of the majority who lose.

News is discounted instantly by the market and its how it is perceived that determines the course of events. It's a fact that - most bear trends end when the fundamentals and news is at its most bearish and markets crash, when the news is at its most bullish.

2. Trading a Forex Robot with a Simulated Track Record

You can buy these online and they tell you that you can get rich for a few hundred bucks, you won't be surprised to learn - you can't. Most of these robots have great track records, the problem is there simulated over past data and won't help you make money - there not worth the paper there written on, we can all be rich if we know what happened and could trade it!

Get the right forex education and learn a forex trading strategy yourself to lead you to success. Leave these cheap, losing robots, to dreamers and lazy traders.

3. Trying to Predict Forex Prices In Advance

Prediction is another word for hoping or guessing and that won't get you far in forex trading. You can't predict forex prices in advance so don't try. Act on the reality of price change and trade the truth.

Many gurus sell scientific systems that claim they have found the formula for market movement and all you need do is follow them. If however markets did move to a scientific theory, we would all know the price in advance and there would be no market. Prices move because markets are uncertain not certain!

4. Day Trading or Scalping

A fantastic way to lose money quickly - it doesn't work and the reason is obvious:

It's impossible to predict what millions of traders are going to do, in a few hours. Because of this, all volatility is random and you will lose - period.

Ever seen a day trading system on the net with a real time track record? Neither have I - But I have seen lots of simulated ones!

5. Placing Stops Within In Random Volatility

Another common mistake is placing stops where there almost guaranteed to get you stopped out, as there within random volatility. If you want to avoid this, make learning about standard deviation of price, part of your essential forex education.

Forex trading is all about taking calculated risks at the right time and taking a risk. If you try to restrict risk to much, you actually create it and guarantee yourself to be stopped out.

6. Over Leveraging a Small Account

You can get up to 400:1 leverage with many forex brokers and most traders think the more they leverage they use the better - but they get stopped out quickly and their accounts are soon wiped out.

If you have a small account treat leverage with respect and don't use too much - if you do, you will soon be in the 95% of losing traders.

The above are all common forex trading mistakes and if you make them, you will lose but there easy to avoid and if you learn digest and avoid them, you can get on the road to constructing a forex trading strategy, for long term currency trading success.

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Forex Trading Mindset - Traits Hated In Society but Make You a Winner in Forex!

If you want to win you need to have the right forex mindset, this means taking on character traits that would be frowned upon in society - but in forex can make you a big winner. Here are the character traits that if you take them on could lead you to forex trading success.

1. Don't Mix or Listen to Anyone

If ever you want to find forex traders who are losers visit a forum!

If you are a successful trader you trade in isolation and don't listen or talk to anyone.

In society, know that since stone age times grouping together has been essential for our survival and it's seen man survive and prosper. Were a social animal and seek the reassurance of the pack.

The problem is, if you start mixing and talking in forex trading, your emotions will get involved and you will lose.

Fact is 95% of traders lose, so you gain nothing from others. Stay away from others and be a loner.

2. No one Knows Better than You!

Today, we tend to consult advice about everything and call for an expert if your foxing your car great but is there such a thing as an expert in forex trading?

Maybe, there are people out there who will teach you to trade and give you forex education - but ignore the vast amount of so called experts who tell you they can give you success - they can't.

All over the net, there are experts selling systems which have never been traded, new forex traders buy them and think there going to get rich - get real, no one can give you success, you have to work for it.

In forex trading you are on your own and you know best - arrogant?

Not at all, the fact is, in forex trading success comes from within and your on your own.

3. Make your Own Rules

In life were used to a structured society we know what time we need to be in work not to drop litter in public and to stop at red traffic lights but in the market there are no rules or structure and you have to operate in it.

This causes traders problems, as they have to take responsibility for their actions ( and most traders hate doing this, preferring to blame their brokers, friends or the cat!), they have to make there own rules to survive in the anarchy of the trading environment.

Your rules apply to you and you can do what you want - no one tells you what to do.

Finally

So there you have it you're a loner, a know it all - you decide what you want to do without anyone else telling you or laws you need to obey. In normal society you would have no friends at best and get locked up at worst!

The fact is forex trading mindsets have to be completely different to our normal one and that's why so many traders lose - they can't change, if you can you can enjoy spectacular forex trading success.

Friday, March 7, 2008

Forex Broker Myths 3 Common Myths Believe Them and Lose

I earn a living in providing forex education but for 12 years, I was a forex broker and can tell you the three forex broker myths enclosed, will damage your chances of winning at forex trading so here they are...

1. Forex brokers Hunt Stops

No they don't they don't need to.

Consider this most forex brokers are market makers - this means that they win when you lose. They know over time that an average of 95% of traders will blow their money and that's great odds if you're the dealer.

They don't need to try and get the forex trader to lose; he can do that all on his own.

The story about hunting stops is put about by day traders most of the time. The problem is there not going to win anyway, because their stops are within random volatility and their bound to lose over time - so they pick someone to blame their broker!

It's not true

I have never ever seen a day trader win and I traded in excess of 9,000 clients, it's a mugs game. Instead of blaming their broker, the forex day trader should look at a more logical way of trading.

2. Demo Accounts are Great Way to Learn

Learn what exactly?

Maybe how the mechanics of orders work - but there of no use whatsoever in helping you trade, because the most important part of the trading experience is absent - Money!

Its trading money that creates pressure and you can't get that from a demo account. Try trading real money and it's a lot harder.

So when a broker tells you they can help you trade successfully with a demo account, don't believe them.

95% of traders who make money with demo accounts, burn their money in real time trading.

3. A Broker Can Give You Advice

Never ever take advice from a broker and have a broker assisted account and the reason is obvious:

If brokers could assist you in making money, they would do it for themselves and wouldn't need a salary! They would all be traders instead. Trading success comes from how you trade - your responsible for profits and your currency trading success - don't let anyone tell you any different.

What Makes a Good Broker?

Very simple these 3 points

1. Tight pip spreads

These should be as low as possible why pay more when you don't need to? Pay too much and that is subtracted from your profit and added to your loss hurting your bottom line profits.

2. Security

There is no point in having great services and fees and your broker goes bust! Check how long they have been in business, security of funds etc

3. Trading platform and support

Should be easy to use reliable and you should have 24 hour support.

The above is what a good forex broker should provide and if you want to be successful, avoid the forex broker myths enclosed and choose one based upon the above points.

Monday, March 3, 2008

Automated Forex Trading - Why You Need It

Automated forex trading, also know as a ‘forex robot’, has become a profitable avenue for beginners and experienced currency traders alike. The main problem faced by fx trader’s is having the time to manually implement their trades. Imagine a system which will calculate the ideal time to enter and exit a trade- this is now a reality. Recent developments in automated forex trading systems has resulted in some interesting products indeed.

The Problem

Even the most experienced currency trader will tell you that the main issue with trading forex, is physically having the time to make successful trades 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Unless you are a machine, it is impossible. The main idea behind succeeding in forex trading is predicting trends and acting upon them with precise timing. No one really knows 100% when an extremely profitable trend is going to arrive- we need computer’s and systems to help interpret marketplace data and instruct us what to do. Well that was before automated forex trading systems came along

The Solution

The concept of automated forex trading has been around for some time, but accuracy has always been an issue. Essentially to reliably automate forex trading, a system must be able to pinpoint precisely the most profitable time to enter a trade, and exit a trade when the risks are too great. The technology has arrived and products such as Forex AutoPilot System deliver results with high levels of accuracy.

Automated forex trading is ideal for beginner traders, however it is always advisable to have a basic knowledge on the principles of forex trading before you begin. Also beware of scam products and always seek testimonials and a money back guarantee before you consider purchasing an automated forex trading system.

Friday, February 29, 2008

Rebate or Cash Back On The Forex Market To Consider

Lets talk about The Background. How is it possible that some forex broker giving rebates to their clients? Should there be any lack of confidence because the broker giving out rebates? There shouldn't be any miss judges about broker giving rebates/cash back to their client, especially from a specific ECN broker. ECN brokers gain revenues primarily from their client through their price spread.

You as a forex trader should know that there is always spread between pairs, when you trade the market (either shorting or longing) the broker gets their profit, say for eurusd the spread is 2pips, so when you open a position for the pair, it generate profits for the broker, and the profit should be arround 2pips, if you put 1 full lot($100,000), then the broker should gain ~$20 from the trade it self, whether the trade goes profit or goes losses.

Now this should be worth of considering, there are some Introducing Broker(IB) commission scheme out there, the broker will give 0.3 pips up untill 0.7 pips per trade closed by a client refered by the IB. Based from this commision scheme, there are some IB giving back their commission to the clients refered by them (the IB), and this is what we should call Forex Rebates/Forex Cash Back. Some IB give 0.3 pips cash back, and some could give 0.7 pips Rebates

Okay now we know the background of the Forex Rebates, how should we calculate the generated rebates/cash back when we do sign up an account under some IB Links? To simplify things out, let's do some simple example calculation, assuming you'll get a 0.7 pips rebates/cash back :

1. Every trade worth 0.7 pips
2. Assuming we are using an auto trading program so called "Expert Advisors"
3. We are trading 0.5 Lot ($50,000)
4. Each day the EA(Expert Advisors) could trades arround 20 times a day on a single pair
5. We are trading the EURUSD pair so that the value of 1 pips of 0.5 lot EURUSD is $5
6. The rebates/cash back we gain for a period of 1 month (20 trading days) should be :20 trades * 0.7pips * $5 * 20 trading days = $1,400.00

No matter the clients trade was on profit or was on loss, the client already banked $1,400 out from the cash back he/she made. If we should consider profits annually, it should be 12 months x $1,400 = $16,800

There should be a broaden way of view about the forex rebates offered by some IB, and as a forex trader we know that we do trade the forex market pairs, and each pairs caries their own spread rate. If we didn't sign up through any IB that is offering cash back/rebates, then all of the spread profit will go to the broker. As an added advantage, every forex trader should consider cash back/rebates to their trading activity.

Thursday, February 28, 2008

Forex Trading System - A Simple, FREE Profitable One for Big FX Profits

If you want to buy a mechanical forex trading system there are plenty on the net that you can buy but 99% of them don't work as they have never been traded and come with simulated track records. On the other hand, you can use this free one which is simple and profitable.

The trading system we are going to look at is incredibly simple but don't assume that just because it's simple it doesn't work - it does. You can make big profits with it by incorporating it in to your forex trading strategy.

This system was developed by trading legend Richard Donchian in the late seventies for trading commodities and many traders have used over the years. While it was developed to trade commodities it works well in currency markets because they trend.

The system is called "The four week rule" and it does exactly what its name implies.

Here are the rules:

1) Close short positions and reverse to a long position when a price exceeds the highs of the previous 4 weeks.

2) Close long positions and reverse to a short position when a price falls below the lows of the previous 4 weeks.

That is the system and you couldn't get simpler than that.

The above will work very well in trending markets but in sideways and consolidating markets it will get chopped, so you can consider using a filter. Enter trades on the 4 week rule - but exit the position on a shorter time period and go flat.

1 or 2 week cycles are ones to consider. You would then simply re enter on the next 4 week signal. I have used this currency trading system as part of my strategy for years and it works -most traders won't use it though, despite the fact its proven and it works - Why?

1. It's too simple.

Most people discount it purely on this, although simple systems always tend to beat complicated ones as they are more robust.

2. It takes discipline to follow, as it is not fussy about exact market timing.

Most traders are obsessed with buying low and selling high (even though it doesn't work!) so can't follow it and most traders lack discipline anyway.

3. Its not trendy.

Most forex traders like trendy or mystical systems Fibonacci, Elliot Wave, Neural networks, artificial intelligence etc which are all a bit more glamorous than a system from the seventies, with one parameter. Make no mistake though, this system beats most on the net that are sold and it's free!

While it may be simple, keep in mind many famous traders have used it such as, Richard Dennis, the turtles and many more - if it's good enough for them, it's good enough for you.

You can of course just use the general principle in your forex trading strategy as a currency trading system it is based on the 4 week cycle of price and you will be surprised at how important it is.

To get diversification you can trade currencies with other markets as well and diversify. For example -the energies and interest rate markets are good trending markets to combine with currencies.

The 4 week rule is free and if you are serious about your forex education, take a look at it and it will help you enjoy forex trading success.

Sunday, February 24, 2008

Is Your Stock, Futures or Forex Trading Doing Better Than My Laundromat?

I decided I wanted to buy a Laundromat. I had $50,000 to spend and wanted to ensure it met the following criteria. Firstly, it had to be in good condition, and in a location where it will still be a viable business in 10 years time. Secondly, and more importantly for my objectives, it had to be able to return me a return on investment of 20% per year, over the next 5 years, and require no more than 1 hour of my time a week.

After searching for a while, I found a Laundromat in good condition and in a very nice location for $40,000. The books suggested that it actually made more than 20% per annum, in fact closer to 45%, but at the same time, it involved around 15 hours per week. The owner was providing a laundry service that took her approximately 15 hours a week and she was pretty much running the service, organizing maintenance and emptying the machines of their cash in that 15 hours.

So I looked at it for a while and came up with the following solution. I asked her if she was willing to be my employee, and to basically keep doing what she was doing. She said yes and after negotiating her wage, it turned out that my investment would net me 16% per annum, however my involvement was almost nil. All I had to do was pick up the cash from her each week, and organize maintenance.

To me I had found a good investment. 16% per annum for very little effort is good, but I had to take the situation and tweak it to suit me. If she had said no to my request, and I couldn't find someone else to do the work, then it would not have been a good investment for me at all, simply because I didn't have the time, plus I wouldn't have liked the work involved, it just isn't me.

This is how you must look at your trading business. Does it suit you? Are you expecting to make large returns per year with little attention? Too many people are getting sucked into promises of big fortunes before looking to themselves and their own needs and current resources to fill those needs.

When I was a student of Peter Bain, I remember him getting a request from someone who had just bought his course. His request was almost a demand, and it was 'Peter, I need to make around $5,000 a month; I have $10,000 capital and need to be making it in two weeks. Can you help me do that?' I remember looking through Peter's sales page after seeing that request, and nowhere does it say that you can generate 50% per month using Peter's system, nor does it say, in two weeks you'll be a successful trader. It disturbed me that this was being asked, not too mention how Peter felt.

Peter uses a quote from Albert Einstein that says if you spend 15 minutes a day on a particular topic, in a year's time you'll be an expert. Well Peter suggests an hour a day but I'd like to expand on this.

An hour a day does not include your trading time, or the time taken to scan possible trades, or even to analyze the possible trades that have triggered. It is valuable time that you must use to study. Study the course or the system you are looking to trade by way of back testing, understanding the terminology and reviews of your past trades. It also includes time to study the masters of trading. If you want to be a successful trader then there is nothing better than studying the very people who achieve these successes. What makes them tick? I asked Peter as many questions about his day-to-day activities outside of trading as I did on trading itself. Let's get back to the Laundromat.

You need to be clear on what you can put in to your trading outside of trading itself. Like I said, it's about study. I could have chosen to do the laundry work my self and made a better return, but it was not what I wanted because I wanted to spend that 15 hours a week doing what I was already doing. Ask your self what you want to be making a year from your trading and then what hours you are prepared to put in a week to achieve this? The higher the return you are seeking the more time you'll need to put in, it is as simple as that.

Monday, February 11, 2008

Forex Scalping Systems - How to Make Huge Profits

Forex scalping systems are over the net and it's one of the most popular ways for novice traders to get into Forex trading - but how do you find a system that can make you big regular profits? Let's find out.

Forex scalping systems don't work and never will. Before we go into the reasons why you will always see the disclaimer below on any system sold that claims to have made money.

"CFTC RULE 4.41 - Hypothetical or simulated performance results have certain limitations. Unlike an actual performance record, simulated results do not represent actual trading. Also, since the trades have not been executed, the results may have under-or-over compensated for the impact, if any, of certain market factors, such as lack of liquidity. Simulated trading programs in general are also subject to the fact that they are designed with the benefit of hindsight. No representation is being made that any account will or is likely to achieve profit or losses similar to those shown".

Now - anyone can make money in hindsight but forex trading is a bit more difficult you have to trade not knowing the closing price!

Most vendors who sell forex scalping systems simply make track records up that appeal to the greed of the buyer. The buyer takes the loss in the market and the vendor as a guaranteed profit in his pocket.

Day trading doesn't work and it never will because all short term volatility within a day or a few hours is random and any day traders should look at standard deviation of price in daily time frames.

You have countless millions of people all trading with different motivations and personalities and this huge diverse mass can do anything (and they do) in a short time frame.

As volatility is random this means you cannot use support or resistance levels because they mean nothing in short time frames and if you can't use them, you cant get the odds in your favor and will lose - it's as simple as that.

If You Want to Win at Forex Trading:

You need to get the odds on your side and that means using valid data and getting the odds on your side. You can swing trade or you can forex trend follow the choice is yours but please forget day trading or forex scalping systems - they don't work.

Let me know if you find a forex scalping system that has a real track record, I have been looking for over 20 years and have yet to find one.

Saturday, February 9, 2008

Choosing Online Forex Trading Brokers

n order to trade in the Forex market you will need to find yourself a broker. A broker is executes trades according to your wishes and earns some commission on each trade.

But there are so many brokers out there competing for your business it can be hard to Select out which one is best.

Considering the Fallowing Points when Choosing Forex Broker

A User-friendly Forex Trading Platform System.

Transaction Expenses

Currency Pairs Available

Fast Execution of Orders

Free Tools

Minimum Account Balance

trading margin requirements

Superior Customer Service

A User-friendly Trading Platform. Some brokers require you to download a trading program to your PC in order to make trades. Others let you make trades directly over the web. Pick a few brokers out and sign up for a free demo account. You can trade with play money while you test out their software and see which one works best for you.

Transaction Expenses. In the forex market, brokers are paid via the bid/ask spread. There should be no hidden fees or Expenses to trade. However, there may be additional Expenses to access certain reports and optional services.

Obviously the smaller the spread the better. Pip spreads vary by broker (and also by currency pairs), so shop around for competitive rates.

Currency Pairs Available. All brokers should at least have the big seven currencies ((AUD, CAD, CHF, EUR, GBP, JPY, and USD). But if you plan on trading New Zealand dollars or Danish krones, you should be sure that the broker is able to do so.

Fast Execution of Orders. Currency prices are constantly moving up and down and any delay in the execution of your order can cut into your profits or add to your losses. Of course its possible a delay will help you, but it never seems to work out that way does it? Look for a broker that can consistently execute your trade at the price you see on your screen. An occasional delay is understandable, but if it happens frequently find yourself a new broker.

Free Tools. In order to analyze currency prices, spot trends, and plan entry and exit points you need access to charting and technical analysis tools. Most brokers offer basic services free of charge with an expanded array of tools for an added charge.

Minimum Account Balance. As a small investor you will need a broker that does not require a large balance to open an account. Many brokers today will let you open a mini-account with as little as $300.

trading margin requirements. The lower the margin requirement, the more leverage you have. If a broker allows you to use 100:1 leverage, that means you can trade $100,000 in currency for only $1,000. You can use margin to rack up huge profits. But don't margin yourself too much or you will find yourself wiped out fast.

Tuesday, February 5, 2008

A Killer Forex Strategy: Three Ways to Turn Yourself Into a Profitable Forex Trading Machine

Can you imagine having a killer forex strategy that allows you to extract cash from the biggest market in the world at any time you choose, day or night? You could trade at any time, and from anywhere. You could be sitting trading currency in Dubai or in Denver, making forex profits in the Maldives or in Malta - all with a few clicks of your mouse!

Sadly, for most people, it's really not that easy.

Here's a frightening fact: nearly 50% of foreign exchange traders lose money to the point where they have to stop trading altogether, and go and do something less risky instead.

If you're trading currencies right now, or you're thinking about starting, then you have a 1-in-2 chance of losing your trading pot.

They're not very good odds, are they?

I've been trading currencies for over twenty years, on and off, and mostly without great success. When I discovered that nearly half of all traders lose money over time, I nearly gave up myself!

The one thing that kept me going through the dark days was the knowledge that the foreign exchange trading software that is available now to the individual trader for modest sums, or even for free, are better than the software that professional City forex firms were paying thousands a year for only a decade ago.

I reckoned that the quality of the trading software tools available to us would continue to go up over time, and prices would continue to come down. And one day, we'd have access to some of the best foreign exchange software at silly prices!

I believe that day has now dawned.

As individual foreign currency traders, we now have three options open to us that enable us to "play with the big boys" - and play to win.

Option 1 - Pay For Trade Signals

There are plenty of companies and 'expert' individuals out there who will deliver trade signals to you by phone, SMS or email. I've used a couple of them myself, and they can be pretty good.

Just so we're all clear, trade signals basically come from the market. They are either fundamental (good farm payroll numbers, an interest rate change and so on) or they are technical, from patterns forming on the charts, or a combination of the two.

There are literally hundreds of different signals to choose from, and a service should pass on to you only those they think have the highest probability of creating a profit. By the time you get a trade signal, though, it will simply tell you the currency pair, whether it's a Buy or a Sell, and some idea of stop-loss and profit-take levels.

The problem in this system lies in the information being delivered at the right time, and you being on hand to act upon it. The other problem is cost - some of the better ones will charge you several hundred dollars a month for their service. Of course, this adds to the pressure on your trading account, as you have to make the cost of the FX signal service back before you start to make any money for yourself.

Option 2 - A Managed Forex Account

Here, you hand over your trading capital to a professional forex trading company who will trade for you in the markets.

There are several advantages to this route...

* You are hiring a team of full-time professionals to trade on your behalf

* No matter how good your trading software might be, theirs will be even better!

* You need spend no time at all staring at screens and analysing charts

* If you find a good team, it can work out very profitable for you.

However, there are fees to be taken into consideration. Generally, you will be charged a yearly management fee of between 1% and 3% of your trading capital, and a performance fee (usually charged quarterly) of between 10% and 35% of any profit made.

(If the performance fee seems high to you, think of it this way. Your team of foreign currency traders are trading currencies for a living, and you are benefiting from their expertise. Plus, if they charge you 25% of profits, you're still getting 75% of a sum that would not otherwise have been made. And, last but not least, a performance fee will motivate the team to do well for you - and that's what you want!)

The downside, for me at least, is the lack of control. I get a real buzz from trading, and I don't want to lose that by handing over my trading capital to a professional team.

You'll also need at least $10,000, probably nearer $50,000, in order to get started with a managed account.

Option 3 - Generate Your Own Trade Signals

Years ago, this meant pouring over yesterday's paper charts (for which you had to pay a small fortune to get!) with pencil, ruler, and a stack of charts going back several months.

Nowadays, all that can be done with a good paid charting service such as eSignal, or even for free with BigCharts.

However, it still takes time, and you still need to know what you're looking for, and it takes further time to build up a skill and an affinity with charts before you start making consistent, profitable trades. (And that's if you're in the lucky 50% of traders!)

Recently, a new solution came onto the market that takes away the potentially expensive learning curve, and all this time-consuming analysis, and basically does it all for you.

This is the option I like! Here's how it works.

Step 1 - you download a very inexpensive ($198) piece of stand-alone software. This is what will generate the trade signals for you.

Step 2 - you feed it the latest data from the market you want to trade. All you need to do is take data from your online trading platform (and it doesn't matter which one you use) and feed it into the software.

Step 3 - if it brings back a trade signal, you trade it (or 'paper trade' it if you want to test it first)

Step 4 - your profit-taking limit is hit, and you bank the profits!

Thursday, January 31, 2008

Forex Trading - An Introduction to Using Signals as Trading Tools

Prices in Forex trading are the most unpredictable of any investment class. They change more and faster (commonly) than equities, bonds and even commodities (though they can be crazy too!) This gives non day traders a dilemma - As you can't sit by a monitor all day looking for price moves in real-time you risk losing a lot of money on open trades or not getting into good short window ones. But there is an answer - Use signals and signal services.

Forex signals are buy and sell indicators based on technical analysis. Technical analysis uses historical price and volume data to statistically analyze trends. The aim is to zero in, with a explicit probability, the odds of future price movements.

A signal may be as simple as 'Buy euros now at 1.1901'. Those signals are presented in any number of ways, by email, SMS text message to a mobile phone, IM message etc. Some are just flashing text and/or icons on trader software. The software integrates built-in algorithmic rule sets that use technical analysis formulas and aggregate that data with current market data to produce a trade signal.

For instance, one generally practiced technical indicator is something called MACD (Moving Average Convergence/Divergence). Without getting in particulars here, it uses the moving average - the change in an average price over time. A signal can be triggered when the value of MACD crosses above or below a pre-set trigger threshold. Buy when it moves up over the line, then sell when it crosses below.

Some signal services allow clients to automate the process of Forex trading even further. You can leave standing orders that when a certain signal is generated, carry out the recommendation. You get an email recommending 'Buy euros now at 1.1901' and the broker auto enters the order to do exactly that.

As with any investment instrument, it has to be used intelligently in order to avoid disasters. Totally automating buy and sell instructions is very very risky and can amount to automatically LOSING money. Using a signal service can make your life easier, but never abandon your investments entirely to an automated service.

If you plan to do that, you may as well simply turn your investments over to a broker with the instruction: 'Maximize my returns, but keep the risk down to a reasonable level'. Sensible, but not helpful if you want to control your destiny.

Signal services are certainly useful, however. They can relieve investors of the need to continually monitor prices. They can simplify the sometimes bewildering complexity of charts. They can aid the investor make more informed decisions about when to sell or buy and at what price.

All that comes at a price, of course. Signal services range from $50-$250 per month, though some are cheaper and a few are more. Only the individual investor can decide whether the cost is justified. As with any trading service, if you make more than it costs than you would without it, that's profitable.

But, buyer beware. There are dozens of firms that will be happy to take your money. Whether their analysis, and as a result, their signals, are worth anything is an educational experience in its own right.

At minimum, investors should use order types that help control risk. Stop-loss orders, limit orders and other common types are an essential means of limiting losses and timing buy and sell orders. That technique, commonly employed in stock trading, is even more critical in the volatile world of Forex.

Thursday, January 24, 2008

Forex Trading Strategy - Simple Tips for Huge Gains

If you want a forex trading strategy for success then these simple tips can help you make big gains. There simple to learn, easy to apply and even better will enhance your profit potential.

1. Get a Simple Method You Understand

To make money at trading you need a method you understand and can have confidence in because if you do you will have the discipline to follow it.

Many traders blindly follow others and lose because they haven't the confidence when they hit a period of losses to stay with the system. If you don't have the discipline to follow your forex trading strategy, you don't have one! Many traders are lazy or greedy and don't understand that confidence comes from understanding and learning currency trading for themselves.

2. Be Patient

Many new traders want to trade all the time - they think the more they trade the greater their chances of currency trading success - their wrong. You don't get paid for effort, you get paid for being RIGHT and that's it.

I know traders who trade all the time and lose and others who trade a few times a year and several hundred percent!

3. Look For Breakouts

It's a fact that most big trends develop from new highs or lows. Most traders however can't buy these as they want to wait for a pullback to get in at a better price and miss the trade. You can make money simply by buying high odds breakouts and we have covered this in numerous other articles - check them out.

4. Have The Courage To Accept Big Gains

A paradox of forex traders is that most traders want big gains but can't accept them. Why?

Because they can't deal with volatility, they hit a big potential trend and get a profit, the bigger it gets the more excited they get but the problem is daily swings eat into their open equity and they snatch the profit.

If you are trading long term trends you can see on a forex chart that they last for months or even years and can yield huge profits - but they dip back every so often - if you don't accept this, you wont maximize your profits. You have to accept big short term swings against you, to pile up profits longer term.

5. Don't Diversify

If you are trading a small account and looking for high odds trades don't diversify.

Diversification just means you will dilute your profit potential. Instead risk as much as you can on a high odds trade and have the courage of your conviction. Forex trading success is all about taking calculated risks, with as much as you can afford at the right time.

If you like the buzz of trading or you are not prepared to learn the basics your going to lose but if you incorporate the above trading tips in your forex trading strategy you can make a lot of money and build serious wealth.

Wednesday, January 23, 2008

Our World in View of Foreign Exchange

There is a exchange called the forex market or it is also called foreign exchange market which is the largest market in the world. It is one of the most liquid markets that trade close to a couple trillion dollars a day. It is approximately 30 times the size of the New York stock exchange and the Nasdaq stock exchange combined. The major players in this market are banks, foreign currency dealers and forex investors. Currency is traded directly between these groups. These groups may be hedging currency risk, diversifying or to to speculate.

There is no centralize location for this market. It is traded between parties by means of computer terminals, telephones and exchanges all over the world. The forex market is considered "over the counter" (OTC). Trades are executed through online trading platforms and with brokerages. The currency market has not been made available to the small investor until recently. The size of the transactions were to large for most small investors. The major currency dealers and large banks as well as the occasional forex investor were the only one's with the ability to handle the financial requirements. Today the ability to leverage large positions with a small amount of capital makes this market more liquid and more available to the small investor.

How this market works is this. There are 5 major currencies traded. The US dollar,the British pound, the Swiss franc,the Japanese yen and the European dollar. These currencies are always traded in pairs. An example may be purchasing EUR/USD, these crosses or pairs in the forex spot market means you are buying the european dollar and selling the american dollar hoping the european dollar goes up against the american dollar Likewise the seller of the EUR/USD would be selling the european dollar against the american dollar. This spot market is settled with in two business days. The percentage of US dollar trades is over 80%.

What determines moves in exchange rates? That is supply and demand. Other things that determine rates could be economic news, world disasters, unexpected news releases. All of these things can be factored in to determine movement in the market.

As international trade and foreign investment increases, many shrewd investors will take advantage of such increases to profit.

Many opportunities have arisen with major world event. It is wise to keep up with whats happening in the world so you also will profit in the foreign exchange market. Below are some resources you may find helpful.