You have traded currencies before and like ninety percent of people who have traded forex you lost money. Quickly. Or you had profits and rode them into losses. For you Forex became a four letter word.
Is there a way to make money trading currencies? How do the big banks and hedge funds do it? While there are no guarantees, there are a number of things you can do that will increase your chances of becoming a winning Forex trader.

It is not an easy path to success. Some stories of overnight riches are true but they come with years of preparation and a great deal of tolerance for risk taking.
First you need to decide if you are going to be a fundamental trader, a technical trader or a combination of both. If you choose the former you must pay close attention to the markets. You cannot wake up in the morning,place an order to buy or sell and expect to make money. You must do your research. You should have some working knowledge of the fundamentals of major countries. That is you need to know both long and short levels of interest rates, GDP and growth potential, inflation and of course a the employment situation of a country.
If the charts are what you fancy you should take a course and read a couple of books on technical analysis.Then decide which area is right for you. Will you be a long term breakout trader or will you follow pivot points. Will Fibonacci be your thing or will you stick to RSIs.
Once you have that down you must examine your financials. How much of your net worth are are you willing to risk.What is the maximum amount of money you can lose and not impair your lifestyle. It is probably a good idea to open a demo account with an online broker. That way you can practice entering the various types of orders. You can see in real time how much profit or loss you would have and you can adjust your style accordingly. You need to become proficient in stop orders, limit and market orders so when the real thing comes you will not be nervous or anxious. You can think about one thing only. Trading.
Next work on controlling your emotions. This is a huge factor in Forex trading. It is much different trading real money than some demo account. I have seen it happen too many times where people lose their cool and turn profits into losses. Or much worse,losses into bigger losses. You are not going to make money on every trade. That is just the way it is. But if you keep your emotions in check and are disciplined in setting your stop levels, and sticking to them, you give yourself a much better chance of success.
Finally, risk control is the key to your trading career. Making the right decisions on how much to risk on a currency or how large of a position you should carry is of paramount importance in Forex. This way you can stay in the game so that when the big move comes you can catch it. And then Forex will no longer be a four letter word. It will be a five letter word. Profit.
Lou Vozza helps educate people who want to trade the Forex markets. Whether you are a beginner or experienced he has plenty of real information for real traders. Check out his membership site today at Your Currency Trading Profits
Story
Patrik
Monday 23 November 2009
I saw a question within another online hedge fund community regarding the differences between hedge funds and mutual funds and figured I would copy my answer to the individual here in my blog. For those of you in the hedge fund industry this is obvious stuff so please just let me know if I missed something glaring.
Mutual Funds
Hedge Funds
- Contrary to what Investopedia will tell you hedge funds do not always invest in publicly traded securities. They often invest in art, futures, PIPE deals, real estate and other investment vehicles that aren’t highly correlated to the general market.
- Depending on who you ask there are around 12-14,000 hedge funds competing against each other- Hedge fund have developed (the media has developed) an image of hedge funds as being ultra risky employing dangerous levels of leverage- Hedge funds may invest in art, website domain names, stocks, bonds, options, futures, Foreign Exchange, or wind power farms
- Hedge funds manage their portfolios aiming for absolute growth targets and they don’t usually compare themselves against any stock exchange-based benchmark such as the S & P 500 or Russell 3000
- Most hedge funds are attempting to invest their money that is uncorrelated with the overall market
- You have to be an accredited investor (if you live in America. This means meeting high net worth standards) to invest in a hedge fund or hedge fund of fund product- There are several hedge fund of funds. These are investment vehicles that invest in other hedge funds. This way if someone has $2M to invest they can place it into a hedge fund of fund and they will create a portfolio for your funds so that it fits your specific appetite for risk- While fees are starting to come down the average hedge fund manager charges a 2% base fee and a 20% performance fee. Note: America is one of the only places where you have to be an accredited investor to invest in hedge funds.
The Richard Wilson Hedge fund Blog (http://richard-wilson.blogspot.com) is a content rich source for hedge fund industry white papers, trends, articles and professional interviews. I also share lessons I learn in my investment marketing and sales (third party marketing) career and earning a graduate degree at Harvard. I live in Cambridge, MA and can be reached at 503.789.7901 or Richard@RichardCWilson.com
Story
Patrik
Tuesday 17 November 2009
Many traders believe that to be successful you need mountains of indicators that give you some kind of “edge” over the market. I am here to say that trading as a means of consistent income does not have to be painful or difficult. That less is certainly more when it comes to trading. I’ve met traders with every indicator under the sun on their charts, with years of training under their belts having spent thousands of $$$’s and STILL not making a consistent income….
Why? Because Indicators are liars! Sure sometimes you might pull of a trade or 2 but in the end you always get spanked….Why? Because not everyone uses a MACD with your settings, not everyone uses the Stochastic or the RSI. I believe to be an effective trader you have to look at what the majority of traders look at…So what do most traders look at? Support and Resistance! Almost every system out there uses Support and Resistance to some extent. Support and Resistance is our number 1 indicator. So why not make Support and Resistance your system?! Mark up some levels on a chart using time frames from 1hr and above (this is what the big boys who move the market watch, so no lower please) and see what happens! Use other info that the majority of traders watch ONLY as confluence, Market Profile levels, Pivots and Fibs.
Support and Resistance levels are considered high probability areas for market “reversal”, offering retracements of 0.75 points to in some cases 50+ points. In many instances historically referenced Support and Resistance levels can help traders catch markets tops/ bottoms to the very tick! Why? Because Support and Resistance levels are the most widely used trading tool! Everyone from Hedge funds and banks to the small time trader at home use Support and Resistance levels
For many it may be difficult to leave the system you are using now so why not use Support and Resistance levels as a guide alongside set ups defined by the system/strategy that you are implementing. Using Support and Resistance levels obtained from the 1hr, 4hr and daily timeframes offers the highest odds Support and Resistance levels. All levels should have historical significance and thus will be considered high probability trading areas. Throughout the trading day these numbers can become areas of Support AND Resistance.
We believe that using Support and Resistance as your CORE trading methodology can reap great rewards for traders.
To find a methodology that really works and receive FREE Support and Resistance levels please visit us at http://www.supportandresistancetrading.com/
Story
admin
Tuesday 13 January 2009
Forex global trading is a very large and mostly unregulated market. Everyday millions of dollars are profited and lost among traders. Daily transactions worldwide are estimated to be well over two trillion dollars in the Forex market alone.
So why trade in the global Forex market? There are options to go into other areas such as the stock market, mutual funds, bonds, commodities and property just to name a few. All of which have varying risks and returns that are associated with them. So what is the appeal of the global Forex market then?
Although there is a risk in entering the global Forex market along with it comes the potential for high amounts of return. Its popularity is linked to a few reasons, firstly is there are no brokerage or agent fees. There is no need to sign up or register and access to buy and sell is often available 24/7. This is generally why the Forex market is bigger then both the stock market and commodities market.
At any time of the day there are transactions being made which alone increases volume.
The key to successful Forex trading is always leverage. It is what speeds up a trader’s ability to profit from small investments. For example, if you choose to leverage shares most agents only allow additional trading of around 50% to 75% of the share value. So in a case where you have $100,000 worth of stock the maximum amount of additional stock you can buy would be $75,000. In the Forex market if you have $100,000 worth of currency you can get leverage of up to 100% of your margin. There is more leverage given because currencies are far more liquid then stocks.
But still research shows that only 10% of traders in the Global Forex Market turn profits consistently. The key to their success is being able to take advantage of price movements regardless if their day traders, position traders or swing traders.
To get a better understanding on Forex trading, it is best to try demo trading. This will allow you to play with currencies and create a test portfolio. There will be no actual money involved but you get to work with live real time prices and it will create a “mock” portfolio. The currencies and prices will all be real so it will give a risk free assessment of your ability to trade in the Global Forex Market.
For those looking for a profitable trading system, there is Broker Forex Trading. All that is required is a computer with a working internet connection. Traders don’t have to be brokers to trade here.
Forex Global Trading is not as popular as the stock or commodities market among small investors. Mainly due to the complexity of predicting rises and falls of currencies. It requires a mind that can understand economic factors and view a wide array of variables. There are political, legal, commercial and industrial influences on price fluctuations plus variations caused by speculators and major traders like governments and hedge funds. It however is gaining popularity as small investors are beginning to see it as a lucrative market.
Arkaitz Arteaga - MarketStock.net
For more information about Forex visit Forex - MarketStock.net
Story
admin
Monday 20 October 2008
Foreign exchange market, or better known as FOREX, is the world’s largest and most prolific financial exchange market originated on 1973. Bearing the status of largest and most prolific currency exchange market, FOREX is the center stage where a vast majority of the currency trading or FOREX trading takes place, with a total daily turnover of currency worth more than $1.2 trillion.
For having such an enormous sum of total turnover everyday, FOREX can be considered as a liquid market ideal for Forex trading. Unlike many other securities, FOREX does not trade on a fix exchange rate, instead, currencies are traded primarily between central banks, commercial banks, non-banking international corporation, hedge funds, private investors and not to forget, speculators. Previously, smaller investors are precluded from trading in FOREX due to the large amount of deposit required. However, until the recent years, with the continuous growing of Internet and the rise of competitions, smaller investors can now trade in FOREX as the requirement to trade in FOREX has been amended.
Truthfully, there are a few factors why FOREX trading is starting to attract more and more medium and smaller sized investors. One of the main reasons is due to the fact that FOREX trading operates at 24 hours per day, 5 days per week. In addition to that, unlike the old days where trading is done only through telephone, it can now be done…
The full article available at http://www.forex.labuan.net/Forex-trading.html
Alvin Han is the editor of http://www.forex.labuan.net
Story
admin
Monday 20 October 2008
The Foreign Exchange is proving to be an exciting area of investment for the individual investor. As opposed to the earlier scenarios involving secretive hedge funds and the fact that Forex was meant only for large financial institutions, multinational companies, or banks, today virtually anyone can add online Forex trading to their portfolios. The convenience of online trading and attractive liquidity of this largest financial market in the world makes it an interesting choice for first time investors.
If you are planning to invest in Forex, it is vitally important that you are aware of the basics of the currency trading, and know how different the Forex markets are from stock markets, futures and other investment options. There is no governing body that controls and monitors Forex trading, and there is no guarantee that you will be paid your profits; investors trade with each other on a credit agreement system. The Forex market is one of the most volatile markets, always in a state of flux, which can be a good thing if you trade at the most opportune moments. In general, all online currency trading is done via Forex brokers, who employ trading tools, analytic modes, and real time data to facilitate currency trading for you. Choosing a good Forex broker is definitely an important parameter that you will have to consider before you jump on to the Forex bandwagon.
When it comes to currency trading, all Forex transactions are done in terms of currency pairs. Currency pairs, like USD/JPY, EUR/USD, etc, are indicative of the two currencies of US dollar and the Japanese Yen, and the Euro and the US dollar respectively. Essentially, you can either buy or sell one currency in terms of the other. The Exchange Rate is the ratio of one currency in the terms of another. This expresses the value of one currency against the value of the other. The first currency in this ratio is the base currency, and the second called the quote currency or the counter currency. So in a pair of USD/JPY the US Dollar is the base currency, while the JPY is the quote currency.
Spot Forex is traded as one currency, in relation to a second currency. If a trader thinks the dollar will rise in relation to the Euro, s/he would sell the EUR/USD, which means s/he would sell the Euros in units of the US Dollars. The currency pairs are given a trade name, for example the EUR/USD is called a ‘Euro’, and the GBP/USD is called the ‘Cable’. Investors should look at the possible rise of one currency’s value against the other, so as to sell off the base currency.
To read more how to make money on autopilot, click here: Forex Autopilot Review. John Drummond works from home. He writes often on business, trading, and finances. There is more than one forex trading software. To read John Drummond’s review of the 2 best ones, click here: Automatic Forex Trading Software.
Story
admin
Monday 20 October 2008
Why do hundreds of thousands online traders and investors trade the forex market every day, and how do they make money doing it?
This two-part report clearly and simply details essential tips on how to avoid typical pitfalls and start making more money in your forex trading.
- Trade pairs, not currencies - Like any relationship, you have to know both sides. Success or failure in forex trading depends upon being right about both currencies and how they impact one another, not just one.
- Knowledge is Power - When starting out trading forex online, it is essential that you understand the basics of this market if you want to make the most of your investments.
The main forex influencer is global news and events. For example, say an ECB statement is released on European interest rates which typically will cause a flurry of activity. Most newcomers react violently to news like this and close their positions and subsequently miss out on some of the best trading opportunities by waiting until the market calms down. The potential in the forex market is in the volatility, not in its tranquility.
- Unambitious trading - Many new traders will place very tight orders in order to take very small profits. This is not a sustainable approach because although you may be profitable in the short run (if you are lucky), you risk losing in the longer term as you have to recover the difference between the bid and the ask price before you can make any profit and this is much more difficult when you make small trades than when you make larger ones.
- Over-cautious trading - Like the trader who tries to take small incremental profits all the time, the trader who places tight stop losses with a retail forex broker is doomed. As we stated above, you have to give your position a fair chance to demonstrate its ability to produce. If you don’t place reasonable stop losses that allow your trade to do so, you will always end up undercutting yourself and losing a small piece of your deposit with every trade.
- Independence - If you are new to forex, you will either decide to trade your own money or to have a broker trade it for you. So far, so good. But your risk of losing increases exponentially if you either of these two things:
Interfere with what your broker is doing on your behalf (as his strategy might require a long gestation period);
Seek advice from too many sources - multiple input will only result in multiple losses. Take a position, ride with it and then analyse the outcome - by yourself, for yourself.
- Tiny margins - Margin trading is one of the biggest advantages in trading forex as it allows you to trade amounts far larger than the total of your deposits. However, it can also be dangerous to novice traders as it can appeal to the greed factor that destroys many forex traders. The best guideline is to increase your leverage in line with your experience and success.
- No strategy - The aim of making money is not a trading strategy. A strategy is your map for how you plan to make money. Your strategy details the approach you are going to take, which currencies you are going to trade and how you will manage your risk. Without a strategy, you may become one of the 90% of new traders that lose their money.
- Trading Off-Peak Hours - Professional FX traders, option traders, and hedge funds posses a huge advantage over small retail traders during off-peak hours (between 2200 CET and 1000 CET) as they can hedge their positions and move them around when there is far small trade volume is going through (meaning their risk is smaller). The best advice for trading during off peak hours is simple - don’t.
- The only way is up/down - When the market is on its way up, the market is on its way up. When the market is going down, the market is going down. That’s it. There are many systems which analyse past trends, but none that can accurately predict the future. But if you acknowledge to yourself that all that is happening at any time is that the market is simply moving, you’ll be amazed at how hard it is to blame anyone else.
- Trade on the news - Most of the really big market moves occur around news time. Trading volume is high and the moves are significant; this means there is no better time to trade than when news is released. This is when the big players adjust their positions and prices change resulting in a serious currency flow.
- Exiting Trades - If you place a trade and it’s not working out for you, get out. Don’t compound your mistake by staying in and hoping for a reversal. If you’re in a winning trade, don’t talk yourself out of the position because you’re bored or want to relieve stress; stress is a natural part of trading; get used to it.
- Don’t trade too short-term - If you are aiming to make less than 20 points profit, don’t undertake the trade. The spread you are trading on will make the odds against you far too high.
- Don’t be smart - The most successful traders I know keep their trading simple. They don’t analyse all day or research historical trends and track web logs and their results are excellent.
- Tops and Bottoms - There are no real “bargains” in trading foreign exchange. Trade in the direction the price is going in and you’re results will be almost guaranteed to improve.
- Ignoring the technicals- Understanding whether the market is over-extended long or short is a key indicator of price action. Spikes occur in the market when it is moving all one way.
- Emotional Trading - Without that all-important strategy, you’re trades essentially are thoughts only and thoughts are emotions and a very poor foundation for trading. When most of us are upset and emotional, we don’t tend to make the wisest decisions. Don’t let your emotions sway you.
- Confidence - Confidence comes from successful trading. If you lose money early in your trading career it’s very difficult to regain it; the trick is not to go off half-cocked; learn the business before you trade. Remember, knowledge is power.
The second and final part of this report clearly and simply details more essential tips on how to avoid the pitfalls and start making more money in your forex trading.
- Take it like a man - If you decide to ride a loss, you are simply displaying stupidity and cowardice. It takes guts to accept your loss and wait for tomorrow to try again. Sticking to a bad position ruins lots of traders - permanently. Try to remember that the market often behaves illogically, so don’t get commit to any one trade; it’s just a trade. One good trade will not make you a trading success; it’s ongoing regular performance over months and years that makes a good trader.
- Focus - Fantasising about possible profits and then “spending” them before you have realised them is no good. Focus on your current position(s) and place reasonable stop losses at the time you do the trade. Then sit back and enjoy the ride - you have no real control from now on, the market will do what it wants to do.
- Don’t trust demos - Demo trading often causes new traders to learn bad habits. These bad habits, which can be very dangerous in the long run, come about because you are playing with virtual money. Once you know how your broker’s system works, start trading small amounts and only take the risk you can afford to win or lose.
- Stick to the strategy - When you make money on a well thought-out strategic trade, don’t go and lose half of it next time on a fancy; stick to your strategy and invest profits on the next trade that matches your long-term goals.
- Trade today - Most successful day traders are highly focused on what’s happening in the short-term, not what may happen over the next month. If you’re trading with 40 to 60-point stops focus on what’s happening today as the market will probably move too quickly to consider the long-term future. However, the long-term trends are not unimportant; they will not always help you though if you’re trading intraday.
- The clues are in the details - The bottom line on your account balance doesn’t tell the whole story. Consider individual trade details; analyse your losses and the telling losing streaks. Generally, traders that make money without suffering significant daily losses have the best chance of sustaining positive performance in the long term.
- Simulated Results - Be very careful and wary about infamous “black box” systems. These so-called trading signal systems do not often explain exactly how the trade signals they generate are produced. Typically, these systems only show their track record of extraordinary results - historical results. Successfully predicting future trade scenarios is altogether more complex. The high-speed algorithmic capabilities of these systems provide significant retrospective trading systems, not ones which will help you trade effectively in the future.
- Get to know one cross at a time - Each currency pair is unique, and has a unique way of moving in the marketplace. The forces which cause the pair to move up and down are individual to each cross, so study them and learn from your experience and apply your learning to one cross at a time.
- Risk Reward - If you put a 20 point stop and a 50 point profit your chances of winning are probably about 1-3 against you. In fact, given the spread you’re trading on, it’s more likely to be 1-4. Play the odds the market gives you.
- Trading for Wrong Reasons - Don’t trade if you are bored, unsure or reacting on a whim. The reason that you are bored in the first place is probably because there is no trade to make in the first place. If you are unsure, it’s probably because you can’t see the trade to make, so don’t make one.
- Zen Trading- Even when you have taken a position in the markets, you should try and think as you would if you hadn’t taken one. This level of detachment is essential if you want to retain your clarity of mind and avoid succumbing to emotional impulses and therefore increasing the likelihood of incurring losses. To achieve this, you need to cultivate a calm and relaxed outlook. Trade in brief periods of no more than a few hours at a time and accept that once the trade has been made, it’s out of your hands.
- Determination - Once you have decided to place a trade, stick to it and let it run its course. This means that if your stop loss is close to being triggered, let it trigger. If you move your stop midway through a trade’s life, you are more than likely to suffer worse moves against you. Your determination must be show itself when you acknowledge that you got it wrong, so get out.
- Short-term Moving Average Crossovers - This is one of the most dangerous trade scenarios for non professional traders. When the short-term moving average crosses the longer-term moving average it only means that the average price in the short run is equal to the average price in the longer run. This is neither a bullish nor bearish indication, so don’t fall into the trap of believing it is one.
- Stochastic - Another dangerous scenario. When it first signals an exhausted condition that’s when the big spike in the “exhausted” currency cross tends to occur. My advice is to buy on the first sign of an overbought cross and then sell on the first sign of an oversold one. This approach means that you’ll be with the trend and have successfully identified a positive move that still has some way to go. So if percentage K and percentage D are both crossing 80, then buy! (This is the same on sell side, where you sell at 20).
- One cross is all that counts - EURUSD seems to be trading higher, so you buy GBPUSD because it appears not to have moved yet. This is dangerous. Focus on one cross at a time - if EURUSD looks good to you, then just buy EURUSD.
- Wrong Broker - A lot of FOREX brokers are in business only to make money from yours. Read forums, blogs and chats around the net to get an unbiased opinion before you choose your broker.
- Too bullish - Trading statistics show that 90% of most traders will fail at some point. Being too bullish about your trading aptitude can be fatal to your long-term success. You can always learn more about trading the markets, even if you are currently successful in your trades. Stay modest, and keep your eyes open for new ideas and bad habits you might be falling in to.
- Interpret forex news yourself - Learn to read the source documents of forex news and events - don’t rely on the interpretations of news media or others.
John Gaines
online trading, currency trading, financial service
A veteran of online trading, John Gaines offers the financial services industry his perspectives and expertise on a variety of trading systems and financial instruments, including forex, CFDs, futures, options and stocks.
Story
admin
Monday 13 October 2008
Why do hundreds of thousands online traders and investors trade the forex market every day, and how do they make money doing it?
This two-part report clearly and simply details essential tips on how to avoid typical pitfalls and start making more money in your forex trading.
- Trade pairs, not currencies - Like any relationship, you have to know both sides. Success or failure in forex trading depends upon being right about both currencies and how they impact one another, not just one.
- Knowledge is Power - When starting out trading forex online, it is essential that you understand the basics of this market if you want to make the most of your investments.
The main forex influencer is global news and events. For example, say an ECB statement is released on European interest rates which typically will cause a flurry of activity. Most newcomers react violently to news like this and close their positions and subsequently miss out on some of the best trading opportunities by waiting until the market calms down. The potential in the forex market is in the volatility, not in its tranquility.
- Unambitious trading - Many new traders will place very tight orders in order to take very small profits. This is not a sustainable approach because although you may be profitable in the short run (if you are lucky), you risk losing in the longer term as you have to recover the difference between the bid and the ask price before you can make any profit and this is much more difficult when you make small trades than when you make larger ones.
- Over-cautious trading - Like the trader who tries to take small incremental profits all the time, the trader who places tight stop losses with a retail forex broker is doomed. As we stated above, you have to give your position a fair chance to demonstrate its ability to produce. If you don’t place reasonable stop losses that allow your trade to do so, you will always end up undercutting yourself and losing a small piece of your deposit with every trade.
- Independence - If you are new to forex, you will either decide to trade your own money or to have a broker trade it for you. So far, so good. But your risk of losing increases exponentially if you either of these two things:
Interfere with what your broker is doing on your behalf (as his strategy might require a long gestation period);
Seek advice from too many sources - multiple input will only result in multiple losses. Take a position, ride with it and then analyse the outcome - by yourself, for yourself.
- Tiny margins - Margin trading is one of the biggest advantages in trading forex as it allows you to trade amounts far larger than the total of your deposits. However, it can also be dangerous to novice traders as it can appeal to the greed factor that destroys many forex traders. The best guideline is to increase your leverage in line with your experience and success.
- No strategy - The aim of making money is not a trading strategy. A strategy is your map for how you plan to make money. Your strategy details the approach you are going to take, which currencies you are going to trade and how you will manage your risk. Without a strategy, you may become one of the 90% of new traders that lose their money.
- Trading Off-Peak Hours - Professional FX traders, option traders, and hedge funds posses a huge advantage over small retail traders during off-peak hours (between 2200 CET and 1000 CET) as they can hedge their positions and move them around when there is far small trade volume is going through (meaning their risk is smaller). The best advice for trading during off peak hours is simple - don’t.
- The only way is up/down - When the market is on its way up, the market is on its way up. When the market is going down, the market is going down. That’s it. There are many systems which analyse past trends, but none that can accurately predict the future. But if you acknowledge to yourself that all that is happening at any time is that the market is simply moving, you’ll be amazed at how hard it is to blame anyone else.
- Trade on the news - Most of the really big market moves occur around news time. Trading volume is high and the moves are significant; this means there is no better time to trade than when news is released. This is when the big players adjust their positions and prices change resulting in a serious currency flow.
- Exiting Trades - If you place a trade and it’s not working out for you, get out. Don’t compound your mistake by staying in and hoping for a reversal. If you’re in a winning trade, don’t talk yourself out of the position because you’re bored or want to relieve stress; stress is a natural part of trading; get used to it.
- Don’t trade too short-term - If you are aiming to make less than 20 points profit, don’t undertake the trade. The spread you are trading on will make the odds against you far too high.
- Don’t be smart - The most successful traders I know keep their trading simple. They don’t analyse all day or research historical trends and track web logs and their results are excellent.
- Tops and Bottoms - There are no real “bargains” in trading foreign exchange. Trade in the direction the price is going in and you’re results will be almost guaranteed to improve.
- Ignoring the technicals- Understanding whether the market is over-extended long or short is a key indicator of price action. Spikes occur in the market when it is moving all one way.
- Emotional Trading - Without that all-important strategy, you’re trades essentially are thoughts only and thoughts are emotions and a very poor foundation for trading. When most of us are upset and emotional, we don’t tend to make the wisest decisions. Don’t let your emotions sway you.
- Confidence - Confidence comes from successful trading. If you lose money early in your trading career it’s very difficult to regain it; the trick is not to go off half-cocked; learn the business before you trade. Remember, knowledge is power.
The second and final part of this report clearly and simply details more essential tips on how to avoid the pitfalls and start making more money in your forex trading.
- Take it like a man - If you decide to ride a loss, you are simply displaying stupidity and cowardice. It takes guts to accept your loss and wait for tomorrow to try again. Sticking to a bad position ruins lots of traders - permanently. Try to remember that the market often behaves illogically, so don’t get commit to any one trade; it’s just a trade. One good trade will not make you a trading success; it’s ongoing regular performance over months and years that makes a good trader.
- Focus - Fantasising about possible profits and then “spending” them before you have realised them is no good. Focus on your current position(s) and place reasonable stop losses at the time you do the trade. Then sit back and enjoy the ride - you have no real control from now on, the market will do what it wants to do.
- Don’t trust demos - Demo trading often causes new traders to learn bad habits. These bad habits, which can be very dangerous in the long run, come about because you are playing with virtual money. Once you know how your broker’s system works, start trading small amounts and only take the risk you can afford to win or lose.
- Stick to the strategy - When you make money on a well thought-out strategic trade, don’t go and lose half of it next time on a fancy; stick to your strategy and invest profits on the next trade that matches your long-term goals.
- Trade today - Most successful day traders are highly focused on what’s happening in the short-term, not what may happen over the next month. If you’re trading with 40 to 60-point stops focus on what’s happening today as the market will probably move too quickly to consider the long-term future. However, the long-term trends are not unimportant; they will not always help you though if you’re trading intraday.
- The clues are in the details - The bottom line on your account balance doesn’t tell the whole story. Consider individual trade details; analyse your losses and the telling losing streaks. Generally, traders that make money without suffering significant daily losses have the best chance of sustaining positive performance in the long term.
- Simulated Results - Be very careful and wary about infamous “black box” systems. These so-called trading signal systems do not often explain exactly how the trade signals they generate are produced. Typically, these systems only show their track record of extraordinary results - historical results. Successfully predicting future trade scenarios is altogether more complex. The high-speed algorithmic capabilities of these systems provide significant retrospective trading systems, not ones which will help you trade effectively in the future.
- Get to know one cross at a time - Each currency pair is unique, and has a unique way of moving in the marketplace. The forces which cause the pair to move up and down are individual to each cross, so study them and learn from your experience and apply your learning to one cross at a time.
- Risk Reward - If you put a 20 point stop and a 50 point profit your chances of winning are probably about 1-3 against you. In fact, given the spread you’re trading on, it’s more likely to be 1-4. Play the odds the market gives you.
- Trading for Wrong Reasons - Don’t trade if you are bored, unsure or reacting on a whim. The reason that you are bored in the first place is probably because there is no trade to make in the first place. If you are unsure, it’s probably because you can’t see the trade to make, so don’t make one.
- Zen Trading- Even when you have taken a position in the markets, you should try and think as you would if you hadn’t taken one. This level of detachment is essential if you want to retain your clarity of mind and avoid succumbing to emotional impulses and therefore increasing the likelihood of incurring losses. To achieve this, you need to cultivate a calm and relaxed outlook. Trade in brief periods of no more than a few hours at a time and accept that once the trade has been made, it’s out of your hands.
- Determination - Once you have decided to place a trade, stick to it and let it run its course. This means that if your stop loss is close to being triggered, let it trigger. If you move your stop midway through a trade’s life, you are more than likely to suffer worse moves against you. Your determination must be show itself when you acknowledge that you got it wrong, so get out.
- Short-term Moving Average Crossovers - This is one of the most dangerous trade scenarios for non professional traders. When the short-term moving average crosses the longer-term moving average it only means that the average price in the short run is equal to the average price in the longer run. This is neither a bullish nor bearish indication, so don’t fall into the trap of believing it is one.
- Stochastic - Another dangerous scenario. When it first signals an exhausted condition that’s when the big spike in the “exhausted” currency cross tends to occur. My advice is to buy on the first sign of an overbought cross and then sell on the first sign of an oversold one. This approach means that you’ll be with the trend and have successfully identified a positive move that still has some way to go. So if percentage K and percentage D are both crossing 80, then buy! (This is the same on sell side, where you sell at 20).
- One cross is all that counts - EURUSD seems to be trading higher, so you buy GBPUSD because it appears not to have moved yet. This is dangerous. Focus on one cross at a time - if EURUSD looks good to you, then just buy EURUSD.
- Wrong Broker - A lot of FOREX brokers are in business only to make money from yours. Read forums, blogs and chats around the net to get an unbiased opinion before you choose your broker.
- Too bullish - Trading statistics show that 90% of most traders will fail at some point. Being too bullish about your trading aptitude can be fatal to your long-term success. You can always learn more about trading the markets, even if you are currently successful in your trades. Stay modest, and keep your eyes open for new ideas and bad habits you might be falling in to.
- Interpret forex news yourself - Learn to read the source documents of forex news and events - don’t rely on the interpretations of news media or others.
John Gaines
online trading, currency trading, financial service
A veteran of online trading, John Gaines offers the financial services industry his perspectives and expertise on a variety of trading systems and financial instruments, including forex, CFDs, futures, options and stocks.
Story
admin
Monday 13 October 2008
You have traded currencies before and like ninety percent of people who have traded forex you lost money. Quickly. Or you had profits and rode them into losses. For you Forex became a four letter word.
Is there a way to make money trading currencies? How do the big banks and hedge funds do it? While there are no guarantees, there are a number of things you can do that will increase your chances of becoming a winning Forex trader.
It is not an easy path to success. Some stories of overnight riches are true but they come with years of preparation and a great deal of tolerance for risk taking.
First you need to decide if you are going to be a fundamental trader, a technical trader or a combination of both. If you choose the former you must pay close attention to the markets. You cannot wake up in the morning,place an order to buy or sell and expect to make money. You must do your research. You should have some working knowledge of the fundamentals of major countries. That is you need to know both long and short levels of interest rates, GDP and growth potential, inflation and of course a the employment situation of a country.
If the charts are what you fancy you should take a course and read a couple of books on technical analysis.Then decide which area is right for you. Will you be a long term breakout trader or will you follow pivot points. Will Fibonacci be your thing or will you stick to RSIs.
Once you have that down you must examine your financials. How much of your net worth are are you willing to risk.What is the maximum amount of money you can lose and not impair your lifestyle. It is probably a good idea to open a demo account with an online broker. That way you can practice entering the various types of orders. You can see in real time how much profit or loss you would have and you can adjust your style accordingly. You need to become proficient in stop orders, limit and market orders so when the real thing comes you will not be nervous or anxious. You can think about one thing only. Trading.
Next work on controlling your emotions. This is a huge factor in Forex trading. It is much different trading real money than some demo account. I have seen it happen too many times where people lose their cool and turn profits into losses. Or much worse,losses into bigger losses. You are not going to make money on every trade. That is just the way it is. But if you keep your emotions in check and are disciplined in setting your stop levels, and sticking to them, you give yourself a much better chance of success.
Finally, risk control is the key to your trading career. Making the right decisions on how much to risk on a currency or how large of a position you should carry is of paramount importance in Forex. This way you can stay in the game so that when the big move comes you can catch it. And then Forex will no longer be a four letter word. It will be a five letter word. Profit.
Lou Vozza helps educate people who want to trade the Forex markets. Whether you are a beginner or experienced he has plenty of real information for real traders. Check out his membership site today at Your Currency Trading Profits
Story
admin
Monday 13 October 2008
Lehman Brothers will not live to see its 159th birthday. Merrill Lynch will continue to exist in brand name only. The recent turmoil on Wall Street is just more evidence that our banking system is horribly dysfunctional.
Conventional lenders such as banks, Wall Street brokers and Hartford insurance companies traditionally originated commercial mortgage loans and then sold them into the secondary market where they were bundled, turned into MBS (mortgage backed securities) and sold to investors, large and small. That ship has sailed, now it has sunk; there is (virtually) no secondary market for mortgage bonds anymore. Volume in CMBS (commercial mortgage backed securities) is off by more than 90% year-over-year and the pipeline of new deals is dry.
Banks are severely undercapitalized today due to the sudden and sustained devaluation of the real estate and real estate derivatives they hold. They can not afford to let a dime out the door. They can’t borrow against their mortgage assets anymore nor can they sell them; nobody wants them! With no market ready or willing to buy new commercial mortgages, banks will not write any new commercial mortgages. In simple terms; banks are not lending and won’t be lending again anytime soon.
We are in the midst of a severe liquidity crisis that is evolving quickly into a capital crisis. Capital disappears as-fast-as it’s raised as real estate backed assets continue to plunge in valuation. If this keeps up there won’t be enough money to go around. Even the Federal Reserve Bank is feeling the pinch, having committed more than $300B to shore up faltering institutions the Fed is down to it’s last half trillion. And it may very well get worse before it gets better.
With traditional lenders and conduits out of the picture, commercial property owners and developers are turning to private lenders for the financing they so desperately need. Many private, hard money lenders are “portfolio lenders”, meaning they lend their own money for their own account. These unique mortgage lenders are not dependent on the secondary market for their funding; they remain undaunted by the ongoing problems in the bond markets. Private mortgage lenders make money by charging high rates and many points for their capital and they protect themselves by writing loans at low LTVs (loan-to-value ratios).
Private lenders include, hedge funds, private equity groups, wealthy individuals and privately held financial firms with money to lend. They are able to be very nimble and responsive and can close good deals in just a few weeks. They can be highly flexible in their lending standards, generally underwriting loans based on the amount of equity in the target property rather than the credit or balance sheet of the borrower. The sad fact is that banks and brokers are unable to close deals. Cash rich private lenders have been the financial savior to many, many good projects over the last 18 months.
The banking system has malfunctioned and will take months to get back on track. In the meantime commercial real estate investors will have to depend on the private lending sector to provide them with much needed capital.
MasterPlan Capital LLC - Commercial Mortgage Loans - Privately Funded - Equity Financing - Asset Management - EZ Online Application - Quick Answers - Close in 7 Days - Glenn Fydenkevez is President of MasterPlan Capital, he has more than 20 years experience in the financial industry and has been a officer at one of the world’s largest investment banks. He uses his financial resources, banking contacts and extensive industry knowledge to finance commercial real estate deals quickly and efficiently.
Story
admin
Monday 13 October 2008