Forex Trading Strategy - An Easy to Learn Method

If you want a Forex trading strategy which can make you big gains, in just 30 minutes a day then, you will love the method enclosed which is also very easy to understand and can be learned quickly. Let's take a look at the Forex trading method in more detail...

If you look at any currency chart, you will see short term price spikes which are caused when greed pushes prices to far to the upside or fear, pushes prices to far to the downside. These price spikes from fair value never last long and prices soon come back to more realistic value from these overbought or oversold levels. The aim of the Forex trading strategy we will look at here is to, sell into greed and buy into fear and make quick profits. This method is known as Forex swing trading.Let's look at a simple Forex swing trading strategy which makes big gains and in our example, we will look at selling into greed in a bull market but of course, the same logic will work in a bear market when prices are oversold.

• Watch for an accelerated up trend and a short sharp price spike - as soon as it occurs, look to see how overbought the market is.
• To find out how overbought the market is use some momentum oscillators which will show you how overbought the market is and the best ones in my view are - the MACD, the RSI and the stochastic. These indicators are all easy to learn and will allow you to see how overbought the currency is.
• You then need to wait until momentum diverges from price and you want a set up where the price is still rising and momentum is falling - this is known as divergence and warns that the price is about to turn. When divergence occurs, execute your trading signal and go short and place a stop above nearby resistance.
• Set a downside target where you want to take profit and this should be above the support level you expect prices to pull back too. Never wait for support to be tested in case prices turn back up and eat your profit. Set your target and get out the market and wait for the next signal.
• Always keep in mind, the more overbought the market is and the steeper the price rise, the bigger the fall, so only trade markets which are at extremes.

Forex Trading From Home

Forex trading from home, offers one of the few ways where traders can start with small amounts of money and build wealth quickly. While many traders aspire to this, very few succeed and it's not because they can't learn to do it - anyone has the potential to make big gains but most fail due to getting the wrong education. Below you will find some simple tips which will give you, a roadmap to Forex trading success so follow them and currency trading success can be yours.The first point should be obvious which is you need to do your homework and learn your art but most traders fail to do this and lose. They buy cheap Forex software and think these automated systems will give them an income each month with no effort, all for the cost of a good meal out for two! Of course they lose and you have to accept that if you want to win at FX trading, you are going to have to learn the basics but for the amount of work you have to do, huge gains can be yours.

When trading Forex you need to keep things simple and not complicate your trading so forget about trying to follow news, judge economic numbers and guess where prices may go and use Forex charts.The advantage of using charts is - you don't need to guess or predict anything, you just follow the price action and trade the reality of the price change. The reasons behind the moves on the charts are unimportant to you because you just want to make money by locking into and following price trends.Learning to spot chart formations that offer trading opportunities is a learned skill and the even better news is - the best systems in financial trading are simple! Forget about all the gurus and geeks, who tell you complex systems are better there not, simple systems are more profitable because they are more robust and have fewer parameters to break.

You can learn a simple chart based system in a few weeks and then you need to get the right mindset to win. The problem for most traders is their emotions prevent them from winning. They hate to lose so run losses and when they get profits they take them early. To win you need to keep losses small and take them. If you fail to do this, you will never win at currency trading. If you have an ego and want to be right all the time don't trade currencies.

Four Elements Of Any Good Trading Market

There are four elements which must be present in any good financial market, whether you are trading in the stock, bond, futures, currency market or any other market. These four elements are liquidity, transparency, low trading costs and market trends.

Liquidity

There are always two sides to a trade, a purchase and a sale, and in its simplest form liquidity refers to the ease with which traders can buy and sell. To be truly liquid traders must also be able to trade in substantial volume without this having any marked effect on prices.

If a market lacks liquidity then traders will often encounter delays in meeting orders to buy, frequently leading to a significant variation between the price when an order is placed and when it is executed. In addition, it may be hard to sell in a market that is not sufficiently liquid.

Fortunately the currency exchange market (especially when trading in major world currencies such as the USD and GBP) is extremely liquid and a huge number of trades are conducted each day on the Forex money market with a trading volume that far exceeds that of other markets.

Transparency

A market is said to possess transparency when traders can access accurate information at all stages of the trading process.

Information is the key to many things in life and the world's various markets are no exception. There are many examples, especially in the world stock markets, of companies and individuals which have run into difficulty because the parties to a trade did not have access to accurate information.

The foreign currency exchange market is without doubt the world's most transparent market and this is especially true when it comes to pricing.

Low Trading Costs

Markets carry trading costs which inevitably lower a trader's profits or increase his losses. However, when a market can keep its trading costs low it becomes attractive to traders and encourages both an increased number of trades and an greater trading volume.

The absence of commission and other usual trading costs, together with the tight spread of prices, in currency trading mean that trading costs in the Forex market are kept very low.

Market Trends

In many markets it can be difficult to know just when to enter the market and when to exit it (when to 'buy' and when to 'sell'). As a result, it is important to have some way of assessing the present state of a market and to predict its future direction.

In the foreign currency exchange market this is achieved by employing various forms of technical analysis which examine the past performance of the market and identify trends which can then be used to predict its future.

Most markets display trends of one form or another, but in some markets these are far more clearly defined than in others, making it far easier for traders to enter and exit the market. The foreign currency market displays a particularly strong trending characteristic.

Main Types Of Order In The Foreign Exchange Market

Market Order

The simplest form of order is the market order in which the trader simply buys or sells a currency pair at the current market price. Because of the enormous size of the market and its high liquidity there is little if any delay or slippage in the market and market orders are in essence guaranteed.Limit Order

A limit order allows the trader to set the price at which he wants to take his profit and close out his position. For example, where a trader has bought GBP/USD at 1.9450 he might place a limit order at 1.9465 so that, if the price rises to this level, his position would automatically be closed and he will take his profit.

Stop Loss Order

A stop loss order is another form of limit order but in this case it indicates the maximum loss which a trader is prepared to take. In our example above the trader could place a stop loss order at 1.9430 so that he would limit his losses to 20 pips if the market turned against him.

Entry Order

An entry orders is an order which is only filled when the market meets certain conditions which are specified in the order. An entry order can take the form of either a limit entry order or a stop entry order.

Limit Entry Order

Let's start by assuming that the market price for the GBP/USD is 1.9740-45. This means that a trader can enter the market to sell at 1.9740 or buy at 1.9745. A trader could place a limit entry order to sell above the current market price at a level of say 1.9750 and this order would then only be executed if the market price reached this point. Similarly, he could place an order to buy at a price below the current market price - in this case below the buying price of 1.9745. So, were the trader to place a limit entry order to buy at 1.9730 this order would only come into effect if the price dropped to this point.

A limit entry order is commonly used where a trader believes that a currency is trading within an upper and lower range and is expecting a reversal in the currency's price movement.

Stop Entry Order

A stop entry order is frequently used when a trader believes that a currency which has been trading within an upper and lower range is about to break out of that range and he wants to either buy at a price above the present market price or to sell at a price below the current market price.

Our GBP/USD trader above, who can enter the market to buy at 1.9740 or to sell at 1.9745, might place an order to sell at say 1.9735. In this case the trader believes that the currency will reach this level and then continue to fall. Alternatively, he might place an order to buy at say 1.9750 again believing that the market will reach this level and continue to move in the same direction.

A stop entry order is commonly brought into play when a trader foresees large movements in the market.

How To Make Money In Foreign Exchange

The forex, or foreign exchange market is the world's largest trading market in which world currencies can be sold and purchased and, despite the fact that it has been around for very many years, the market that we see nowadays has been born out of significant changes in the 1970s when free exchange rates and floating currencies came in.

The foreign exchange market has no 'home' and trading can be carried out from just about anywhere on the globe, including from your own home computer. The market is effectively open 24 hours a day because as trading is closing in one country trading in another country on the opposite side of the world is opening. This means that you can trade at whatever time suits you whether that is during the morning or during the night. You will find that there is always someone somewhere who is happy to take your business.

The key when it comes to making money in foreign exchange trading is to start by learning the ropes of currency trading and this means locating a high quality forex training course. It is not all that difficult to make money with foreign exchange, but you will certainly lose your shirt if you do not know precisely what you are doing. So, you need to take the time to learn the business before you start and then need to make sure that you spend a little of time trading through a dummy trading account before you start trading with your own money.

Once you do start live trading start slowly and stay away from day trading until you have found your feet as this section of the trading market can be very volatile and is influenced by a large number of external factors. Also, set yourself firm trading limits and do not go outside them. In other words, never trade with money that you cannot afford to lose because, although you will surely make money, you will also encounter your fair share of losing trades while you get the hang of things.

Finally, ensure that you are using the best trading software you can afford and do not be afraid to ask for help if you find that your are stuck!

Calculate Interest On Forex Trades

One of the great things about Forex trading is your ability to trade using leverage, effectively borrowing sometimes as much as 1,000 times your capital to make a trade. But borrowing money for currency trading is exactly the same as borrowing money for any other purpose and you will have to pay interest on your loan.Currency transactions involve both buying and selling currencies however and this means that interest payments due on money which you borrow to fund a sale can be offset by interest earned on the currency you buy. If this seems a bit confusing we will take a look at an example in a minute but, first, let's take a moment to look at the subject of interest rates in general to see the wider picture as it affects the foreign exchange market.Central banks set interest rates to meet a country's monetary policy and interest rates raise or lower the cost of a currency. High interest rates will make it expensive to buy a currency and low interest rates will make a currency more affordable

What Goes Into Making A Successful Forex Trader?

It does not really matter what we do in life, which includes foreign exchange trading, but, whatever we do, one thing that will have more affect on our success than anything else we do will be setting goals.

It is a simple fact that the human mind works best when it is given a roadmap to follow and, by setting a goal, you start building your roadmap by clearly defining the end point of your journey. However fixing a destination is not sufficient and you will also need to define the route which you are going to follow to get to your destination.

Why Most Forex Traders Use Technical Analysis

Fundamental analysis is a difficult art requiring considerable knowledge and experience and the ability to handle and analyze enormous amounts of data. As if this were not enough, there is also considerable disagreement in many quarters about just what data is and is not important when it comes to fundamental analysis and, even when it is agreed that certain data is relevant, there is often further argument about just how much weight should be attributed to each factor in the equation.

Today there is also a second form of analysis which is widely used and which is known as technical analysis. While proponents of technical analysis would probably tell you that it is no easier and in many ways more difficult an art to master than fundamental analysis, the truth of the matter is that it is a lot easier to learn technical analysis and this in no small measure explains why so many traders are adopting it in preference to fundamental analysis and are opting for technical analysis training. Which method is better is of course a whole different argument.

In considering technical analysis it is necessary to understand its three underlying principles:

All sorts of things will produce movements in currency prices, including political and economic events, but the forces which produce currency price movements are not important. As far as technical analysis is concerned it is simply the price movements themselves which are important and not the reasons for them.

A currency price will follow a trend which can be identified by looking at the patterns which emerge in the market over time.

A currency price not only follows a trend in terms of looking at historical market data, but will continue to follow this trend in the future. In effect this principle reflects the technical analyst's view of human psychology and a belief that currency price movements are a consequence of the manner in which people have reacted, and will continue to react, in certain circumstances.

What Is Day Trading?

In very simple terms a day trader buys and sells with a very short investment horizon which is typically measured in minutes with trading positions being opened and closed within the same trading day. Day trading is particularly suited to high volume, volatile markets such as the forex but is certainly not limited to currency trading. It is for example very commonly seen in the equity markets, although it tends to be seen on the more volatile exchanges such as the NASDAQ, rather than the NYSE or AMEX.The principle is simply to spot an opportunity and then profit from it quickly getting in and out of the market with just enough time to make your profit and too little time to risk the market turning against you. For example, you might open a position at 11:00 am and close it out just a few minutes later at 11:07 am to take a small but quick profit and repeat this process as many as a hundred times in a single trading session.Day trading in its truest form (buying and selling with a very short investment horizon) is a risky business and is not something which you should try unless you know exactly what you are doing as, while it can be very profitable, it can also produce very large losses very quickly.

Advantages Of Automated Forex Day Trading

The Forex market is the largest trading market in the world with a steadily growing trading volume which has risen from some $500 billion dollars to $2 trillion in the last twenty years. It is also an incredibly liquid market which is not tied to any particular trading floor and operates around the clock across the world making it effectively a permanently open market. As one market closes another is opening and you can effectively follow the markets around the world as you trade and even all but eliminate the fact that the market in your home country will close for the weekend.

It is no wonder therefore that Forex trading attracts a wide and growing variety of both big and small traders each of whom enjoys a wide choice of trading strategies based upon the myriad of factors which affect foreign exchange rates. For many traders coming into the market it is the fact that there are so many different things that affect currency exchange rates which they find most attractive as it allows them to use a huge range of different tools when working in this extraordinarily exciting market.

Perhaps the greatest influence today however on the future growth of the market and its popularity lies in automation which has never been easier to accomplish and which brings with it many more advantages than disadvantages.

Automated Forex trading allows trades to be conducted in real time anywhere in the world and virtually eliminates the losses so often seen in manual systems which are trying to operate in such a fast moving and volatile environment. Anyone who has traded using a manual system will know only too well the frustration of a row of losses caused by nothing more than a simple time delay in buying and selling and will appreciate the value of automated currency trading.

5 Reasons For Becoming A World Currency Trader

The foreign currency exchange market offers today's investor many advantages and here are just reasons why you might want to become a world currency trader.

A Market Which Never Closes

Many of the trading markets around the world are situated in fixed locations and operate within strict trading hours, often limited to just five or six hours a day between Monday and Friday. The Forex market however is open 24 hours a day.

This means that traders can not only take advantage of international events and react literally as they happen, but they also have the ability set their own trading hours. If you prefer to work in the mornings then that's fine but, if this doesn't suit you, then you can choose to trade during the afternoon, late evening or even in the middle of the night if you want to.Low Trading Costs

In many markets, like the equity market, traders not only have to pay a spread (the difference in price between buying and selling a stock) but also have to pay a commission to the broker. On small trades this commission can typically be about $20 and this can rise rapidly to over $100 for larger trades.

Because the foreign currency exchange market is a wholly electronic market many of the traditional trading costs are eliminated and you are in affect reduced to paying nothing more than the spread. In addition, the extremely liquid nature of the global currency exchange market means that spreads are normally much tighter than those seen in other markets.

The Ability To Trade On High Leverage

In most markets where a trader has an opportunity to trade on leverage the leverage offered is often quite low. In the case of equity markets, for example, professional equity day traders will normally operate on a leverage of about ten times their capital. In the Forex market by contrast it is quite common to find that traders are permitted to trade at one hundred to two hundred times their capital.

A downside of high leverage is that it can of course lead to high losses as well as high gains. However, within the foreign currency market, risk management is extremely tightly controlled.

Limited Slippage

In currency trading trades are executed immediately using real-time prices at which firms will buy or sell the currencies quoted. In almost all cases this means that the price you see and the price you pay are the same.

This is not often the case in other markets where there can be often considerable delays between placing an order and that order being executed during which time the price will often move against you.

The Chance To Profit In Both Rising And Falling Markets.

Equity markets follow rising and falling trends (cycling between Bull and Bear markets), but the Forex market does not suffer this cycling which comes from structural bias in the market.

World currency trading always involves two currencies so that if you are down on one currency then you are up on the other. There is therefore always the potential for making a profit whether the market is rising or falling.

Fundamental Analysis

It is generally said that information is the basis of profitable Forex trading but, though correct and timely information is indeed vital for currency trading, it is the examination of this information that is the real key.There are currently two main forms of analysis used in Forex trading (fundamental and technical analysis) and in this short article we are going to examine precisely what is meant by fundamental analysis. At its simplest, fundamental analysis looks at both political and economic conditions that could have an affect upon currency prices and Forex traders who use fundamental analysis rely upon news reports for information on a whole range of things including, economic policy, inflation, growth rates and rates of unemployment.Basically, fundamental analysis provides an outline of currency movements together with a broad picture of economic conditions that could well alter the value of a particular currency. With this picture in mind, Forex traders will then frequently move on to use technical analysis to then plot entry and exit points into the market and to complement the information gained using fundamental analysis. The Forex market is much like other markets and is affected by the laws of supply and demand, which are also affected by economic conditions. Two economic factors affecting supply and demand are interest rates and the strength of the economy and the strength of the economy is affected by the gross domestic product (GDP), foreign investment and the economy's balance of trade. Various economic indicators are published by governments and other sources and are normally considered to be sound measures of economic health that are followed by all sectors of the investment market. Almost all economic indicators are published once a month although some are released more often and usually weekly. Two of the key fundamental indicators are international trade figures and interest rates, but other extremely helpful indicators include the, consumer price index (CPI), producer price index (PPI), purchasing manager's index (PMI), durable goods orders and retail sales. Interest rates are an especially important indictor because they can have either a strengthening or weakening affect on a currency. High interest rates could, for instance, attract foreign investment which strengthens the local currency, while investors in the stock market frequently react to rising interest rates by selling in the belief that higher borrowing costs will have an adverse affect on many companies. High volume selling by stock investors can quite often result in a downturn in both the stock market and the national economy. Indicators of international trade are also particularly important for the Forex trader. A deficit on the trade balance, indicating that imports have exceeded exports, is usually seen to be an adverse indicator as money leaving the country to purchase goods from overseas could well have the affect of devaluing the currency. However, fundamental analysis will also indicate market expectations and these will often dictate whether a trade deficit is unfavorable. For instance, it may be the case that a county usually operates on a trade deficit and that this has already been taken into consideration in fixing the price of its currency. In general terms, trade deficits will only affect currency prices where they are higher than the market would usually expect to see. Each country has got its own set of economic indicators (presently there are some twenty-eight major indicators being used in the United States) and these strongly influence the financial markets. For this reason, Forex traders need to be conversant with them and study them carefully when preparing their trading strategies. Luckily, for traders who are working on the Internet, many websites today provide an abundance of the latest information, but it is up to individual Forex traders to extract this information and then apply the principles of fundamental analysis to it before making their trading decisions.