Saturday, March 27, 2010
All About Forex – What You Need To Know
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Forex Trading Education: Things You Should Know About Forex Trading
Monday, March 8, 2010
Currency Trading
When you think about Forex, what do you think of first? Which aspects of Forex are important, which are essential, and which ones can you take or leave? You be the judge.
Let’s talk about FOREX and advantages of FOREX trading.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
A Short Explanation Of “Buying” and “Selling” In Forex Trading.
Friday, February 12, 2010
Do You Have A Back Up Plan?
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Trading the FOREX, your most profitable investment opportunity?
Saturday, January 30, 2010
Be A Forex Expert
What Is Forex?
FOREX stands for the very popular Foreign Exchange Market. Sometimes, though, people associate it or equate it to mean also currencies.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Would You Like To Forex Or DayTrade?
Day Trading
Day Trading had its heyday during the bull market of the 1990's. All the amateurs have since dropped out, but day trading is still being practiced by professionals. There are fewer opportunities in the current market, but skilled investors can still find them if they know what to look for.
FOREX Trading
The Foreign Exchange Market (FOREX), the world's largest financial exchange market, originated in 1973. It has a daily turnover of currency worth more than $1.2 trillion dollars.
Unlike many other securities, FOREX does not trade on a fixed exchange rate; instead, currencies are traded primarily between central banks, commercial banks, various non-banking international corporations, hedge funds, personal investors and not to forget, speculators. Previously, smaller investors were excluded from FOREX due to the huge amount of deposit involved. This was changed in 1995, and now smaller investors can trade alongside the multi-nationals. As a result, the number of traders within the FOREX market has grown rapidly, and many FOREX courses are appearing to help individual traders increase their skills.
As a matter of fact, it's advisable to take FOREX training even before opening a trading account.
It is vital to know the market mechanics of FOREX, leveraging in FOREX, rollovers and the analysis of the FOREX market. Due to this fact, potential FOREX traders would do well to either enroll in a FOREX training courses or even purchase some books regarding FOREX trading.
There are pros and cons to enrolling into a FOREX course. For beginners a FOREX course is a rapid method of learning the basics of FOREX trading. Not much time is spent on history of the market or arcane economic theories. Often, on-line or phone support from a skilled FOREX trader is available to answer any questions. Also, the information is condensed and practical, often with graphs and charts.
The disadvantage is the price, as courses are more expensive than a paperback from the bookstore. Also,
the course may just teach the approach of the trader who wrote it, and individuals have different trading strategies. The student may grow accustomed to the logic and focus of the teacher without coming to realise that nothing is predictable in the FOREX market, and many different strategies will bring profits in varying market circumstances. Also, knowledge of practical applications may not be enough, as the FOREX is highly unpredictable and there are many external factors, such as political issues, affecting the flow of finances in the market.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Forex
But there is a lot more to money than that. What is the relationship between the currency in your country and the currency of some other country and why should it matter to me? I’m glad you asked. In this article we will explore some of the currencies around the world and answer some questions you may not even know you had.
First, if we are going to discuss currency and it’s relationship to other currency, we have to talk about Forex. That’s short for foreign exchange or the exchange of currency for a different type of currency.
There is no market in the world, including Wallstreet that can compare to Forex in volume of cash traded daily. Retailers, Governments, Currency Speculators, Banks, Corporations, and other financial institutions engage in forex or foreign currency exchange to the tune of trillions of dollars and other currency each day.
It is a truly amazing thing to see. People making money just by trading one country’s currency for another. Keeping up with the latest news in each country, economic trends and indicators, real-time monitoring of current currency values in comparison to another currency are all things required if you are going to speculate in this arena.
More than that, some forex speculators will tell you is, you have to have a good feel for it. You have to understand economies and be able to recognize the events and conditions that will cause people to lose confidence in one currency or another. You have to know when to hold em and when to fold em, as the Kenny Rogers song goes.
If you would like to check the exchange rates for each of these currencies against other currencies, you can open a new browser window and put this url into your address bar. It’s a Forex Calculator. http://uk.finance.yahoo.com/currency-converter?u
The following is a list of world currencies. It may not be every currency in the world, but it will give you an idea of the complexity of forex.
Albanian Lek, Algerian Dinar, Aluminium Ounces, Argentine Peso, Aruba Florin, Australian Dollar.
Bahamian Dollar, Bahraini Dinar, Bangladesh Taka, Barbados Dollar, Belarus Ruble, Belize Dollar, Bermuda Dollar, Bhutan Ngultrum, Bolivian Boliviano, Brazilian Real, British Pound, Brunei Dollar, Bulgarian Lev, Burundi Franc.
Cambodia Riel, Canadian Dollar, Cayman Islands Dollar, CFA Franc, Chilean Peso, Chinese Yuan, Colombian Peso, Comoros Franc, Copper Ounces, Costa Rica Colon, Croatian Kuna, Cuban Peso, Cyprus Pound, Czech Koruna.
Danish Krone, Dijibouti Franc, Dominican Peso. East Caribbean Dollar, Ecuador Sucre, Egyptian Pound, El Salvador Colon, Eritrea Nakfa, Estonian Kroon, Ethiopian Birr, Euro.
Falkland Islands Pound, Gambian Dalasi, Ghanian Cedi, Gibraltar Pound, Gold Ounces, Guatemala Quetzal, Guinea Franc, Haiti Gourde, Honduras Lempira, Hong Kong Dollar, Hungarian Forint, Iceland Krona, Indian Rupee, Indonesian Rupiah, Iran Rial, Israeli Shekel,
Jamaican Dollar, Japanese Yen, Jordanian Dinar, Kazakhstan Tenge, Kenyan Shilling, Korean Won, Kuwaiti Dinar, Lao Kip, Latvian Lat, Lebanese Pound, Lesotho Loti, Libyan Dinar, Lithuanian Lita.
Macau Pataca, Macedonian Denar, Malagasy Franc, Malawi Kwacha, Malaysian Ringgit, Maldives Rufiyaa, Maltese Lira, Mauritania Ougulya, Mauritius Rupee, Mexican Peso, Moldovan Leu, Mongolian Tugrik, Moroccan Dirham, Mozambique Metical.
Namibian Dollar, Nepalese Rupee, Neth Antilles Guilder, New Turkish Lira, New Zealand Dollar, Nicaragua Cordoba, Nigerian Naira, Norwegian Krone, Omani Rial.
Pacific Franc, Pakistani Rupee, Palladium Ounces, Panama Balboa, Papua New Guinea Kina, Paraguayan Guarani, Peruvian Nuevo Sol, Philippine Peso, Platinum Ounces, Polish Zloty, Qatar Rial, Romanian Leu, Romanian New Leu, Russian Rouble, Rwanda Franc.
Samoa Tala, Sao Tome Dobra, Saudi Arabian Riyal, Seychelles Rupee, Sierra Leone Leone, Silver Ounces, Singapore Dollar, Slovak Koruna, Slovenian Tolar, Somali Shilling, South African Rand, Sri Lanka Rupee, St Helena Pound, Sudanese Dinar, Surinam Guilder, Swaziland Lilageni, Swedish Krona, Swiss Franc, Syrian Pound.
Taiwan Dollar, Tanzanian Shilling, Thai Baht, Tonga Pa'anga, Trinidad&Tobago Dollar, Tunisian Dinar, U.S. Dollar, UAE Dirham, Ugandan Shilling, Ukraine Hryvnia, Uruguayan New Peso, Vanuatu Vatu, Venezuelan Bolivar, Vietnam Dong, Yemen Riyal, Zambian Kwacha, Zimbabwe Dollar.
Can you imagine sorting out all of the relationships between each of those currencies and precious metals. Forex is not for the faint of heart it would seem, but it does make a facinating topic. In some of the currency names you can see how it relates to world history.
I hope you find this article has helped you with at least an explanation of what Forex is and how it works. There is a lot more out there about Forex. Learn more!
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Big profits from Currency Trading
“The art of contrary” thinking is one of the most powerful tools a trader can use, and is a trait with which all true great traders are familiar with.
What is the Art of Contrary Thinking?
Humphrey Neill’s book, "the art of contrary thinking,” the best known work on the subject, is based on a simple powerful idea that:
"When everybody thinks alike, everybody is likely to be wrong"
“The art of contrary” thinking consists in training your mind to ruminate in directions opposite to general public opinions; but basing your opinion in the light of current events and human behavior”.
Why Contrary Trading Works
By spotting situations when the consensus of a currency is either extremely bullish or bearish, means that a trend change is imminent, as it is likely the emotions of greed and fear have pushed prices too far away from true value.
If you can step aside from the crowd and take a contrary view at these turning points, you can make big currency trading profits. Contrary thinking can be used in any market and is highly effective in currencies.
Contrary thinking can be used to make really big currency trading profits and if used selectively, when markets are extremely over bought or oversold, you can be in right at the start of the trend for maximum profitability.
In any currency you look at - The Yen, Euro, British Pound Swiss Franc Canadian or Australian dollar and many others, there are always occasions where a currency trend in the news is forecast to continue, due to overwhelming evidence in its favor and it then promptly collapses!
Big profits from currency trading can therefore be made by using the art of contrary thinking when the market is extremely bullish or bearish.
Why? Because everyone who has bought has taken positions and there are no buyers left. Prices have moved away from fair value. When there is no more buying to enter the market, a trend change is imminent.
It is clear that to succeed and make big profits in currency trading you need to think independently of the majority at important market turning points.
You can make big profits in currency trading from trend following, but you can with a little practice spot potential turning points in currencies as well which will help you bank profits, tighten stops or open new trades right on the turn, for maximum profitability.
Contrary trading will not only make you big profits in currency trading but in ANY market and has worked for centuries, as human nature never changes.
Friday, January 22, 2010
FOREX: Exiting positions at a right time
When I started to trade FOREX and made my first big losses and profits I began to notice when very important thing about the whole trading process. While the right time to enter a position was rarely a problem for myself (nearly 80% of all my open positions had gone into the “green” profit zone), the problem was hidden in the determining the right exit point for that position. Not only was it important to cut my risk on the potential losses with stop-loss orders, but to limit my greediness and take profit when I can take it and make it as high as I can. There are many known guidelines and ways to enter a right position at a right time – like major economic news releases, global world events, technical indicators combinations, etc. But while the entering into a position is optional and trade can decide to miss as many good/bad entry point moments as they wish, this is untrue if we talk about exiting a position. Margin trading makes it impossible to wait too long with an open position. More than that, every open position in a certain way limits trader’s ability to trade.
Choosing the good exit points for positions could be an easy task if only the FOREX market wasn’t so chaotic and volatile. In my opinion (backed by my trading experience) exit orders for every position should be toggled constantly with time and as the new market data (technical and fundamental) appear.
Let’s say, you took a short position on EUR/USD at 1.2563, at the time you are taking this position the support/resistance level is 1.2500/1.2620. You set your stop-loss order to 1.2625 and your take-profit order to 1.2505. So now, this position can be considered as an intraday or 2-3 days term position. This means that you must close it before it’s “term” is over, or it will become a very unpredictable position (because market will differ greatly from what it was at the time you have entered this position). After the position is taken and initial exit orders are set, you need to follow the market events and technical indicators to adjust your exit orders. The most important rule is to tighten the loss/profit limit as time goes by. Usually if I take a middle term position (2-4 days) I try to lower the stop and target order by 10-25 pips every day. I also monitor global events, trying to lower my stop-losses when very important news can hurt my position. If the profit is already quite high, I try to move my stop-loss the entry point, making a sure-win position. The main idea here is to find an equilibrium point between greed and caution. But as your position gets older the profit should be more limited and losses cut. Also, trader should always remember that if the market began to act unexpectedly, they need to be even more cautious with exit order, even if the position is still showing profits.
Every trader has their own trading strategy and habits. I hope this article will make its readers think about such an important aspect of trading as the exit orders and this will only improve their trading results.
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Avoiding Forex-Related Frauds and Scams
The first thing I look for is the geographical location of the broker. If I find that they are based in a country where the financial industry is, in my opinion, relatively unregulated and under-developed, I quickly forgo signing up. This is terrible news for honest brokers in those countries, but your job as a trader is to protect your capital. If you lose that, then you cannot trade. The onus is on them to convince you that they will do the right thing by you as an investor.
Notice any license numbers that they may have registered with regulatory bodies that act like government watchdogs who oversee the finance and investments industries. These are organisations that impose strict rules to safeguard your investment. Some of these rules may include the requirement that brokers segregate all customer funds from the operational funds of the business. Your money is required to be put in highly-reputable banks and the funds are only withdrawn from these accounts upon specific withdrawal requests.
Take note that there are some fake regulatory bodies being thrown around in cyber-space as well. Take a look at how long they have been operating for. Try and search out any reviews or comments made about them. See if you can find forums where traders have discussions about their brokers.
• Stay Away From Opportunities That Sound Too Good To Be True
There are people who may have just acquired a large amount of money just and recently are the same and are shopping around for safe investment vehicles. These may include retirees who have access to their retirement funds. It is understandable why retirees would be drawn to ‘high-return, low-risk investments'. This is also what makes them very vulnerable. If you identify yourself to be one of these people, be careful. A lot of deceitful characters are after your money. Furthermore, only allocate a tiny amount of your money to trading until you can start growing it. Not all people can trade successfully, so it is a venture you should take on haphazardly. It is your life savings at risk.• Avoid Individuals Or Organizations Who Claim To Predict Or Guarantee Large Profits
Any form of trading is hard. Trading currencies is no different. Be wary of statements that make it sound easy. Statements like:• Be Wary Of Companies Who Downplay Investment Risks
• “Whether the market moves up or down, in the currency market you will make a profit”;
• “Make $1000 per week, every week”;
• “We are out-performing 90% of domestic investments”;
• “You'll make returns of 70% a year”;
• “Here is a no-risk strategy”.
If they could make such returns, why would they even bother letting you know about it.
Hold your wallet tight and zip up your purse when companies say that written risk disclosure agreements are routine formalities imposed by the government. Watch out for statements like:• Be Wary Of Companies That Claim To Trade In The ‘Interbank Market'
• “With a $10,000 deposit, the maximum you can lose is $200 to $250 per day”;
• “ We promise to recover any losses you have ”.
Do not believe it when some people say that they have access to the ‘Interbank market' or that they can give you access to trade in that market because that's where bargain prices can be obtained. This is not true. The ‘interbank market' is not a place, it is not a physical building. It is simply a loose network of currency transactions that are negotiated between big financial institutions and other large companies.• Ethnic Minorities Are Often Targeted
Ethnic newspapers and television ‘infomercials' are sometimes used to attract Russian, Chinese and Indian minorities. Sometimes these ads offer so-called ‘job opportunities for account executives to trade foreign currencies', whereby the recruited ‘account executive' is expected to use his own money to trade currencies and would often times be encouraged to recruit members like their friends and family to do the same.• Seek Out The Company's Background
Check any information you receive to be sure that the company is who they claim to be. If at all possible, try and get the background of the people operating the company. Do not rely solely on oral statements and promises made by the company's employees.• If You Are In Doubt, It Is Not Worth Risking Your Money
If after trying to solicit information and at the end of it all, you are still in doubt about the credentials of a particular company, my suggestion is to start looking elsewhere.
You may find further information by contacting government ‘watchdogs' because they keep up to date with trends and reports regarding scams and other fraudulent activities. Please check the resource section of this site for the information of organizations that regulate the securities industry, sorted by country.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Believing these Six Myths will Slash Your Currency Trading Profits
Ninety percent of currency traders believe at least one or more of these myths - which explains why ninety percent of traders don’t make much profit by trading currencies!
1. You should always be in the Market in Case you Miss a Move
Traders love excitement, and their view is, if they are in the market they may catch the big move. Well they may - but chances are they won’t.
The big trends only come a few times a year in each currency - and you should stay out the market until they come, otherwise you will take losses, and run up commissions that will deplete your account.
Wait for the big trades - patience is a virtue in trading.
2. Diversification Reduces Risk, and Increases Profit Potential
Diversification simply dilutes your profits.
You hit a big move, and your other trades that lose, or give you only marginal profits, eat up all your currency-trading profits.
You need to have confidence to go for the big moves, when they occur, and load up these trades.
Currency trading is about calculated risks - if the trade looks good, hit it hard for big profits.
3. Day Trading is Better than Long Term Trend Following, as it’s Less Risky.
Many brokers spread this myth - and why not? - They make more commission if you believe it!
You will end up having more losses than profits in your trading. You will never make enough money in a day to cover your inevitable losses. When you add in commission and slippage, it’s inevitable that you will lose.
You need to hold longer-term trends, as these yield the big profits to cover your smaller losses.
4. Timing the Market is the Correct Way to Make Profits
Timing the market means you are trying to PREDICT where prices are going to top and bottom - this is not a good way to trade and the odds are against you.
A better way to trade is to wait for the market to CONFIRM a trend is under way, and jump on board. You may not buy the bottom or sell the high, but you can catch the major chunk in between - and with currency trends lasting for many months or years, you can still get plenty of profits from the trend.
5. Markets are the Same Today as they Were Hundreds of Years Ago
Rubbish! Trends now are much more volatile than they were even 50 years ago. Why? Today, with the Internet, price information reaches every corner of the globe in a split second. This increases volatility as everyone has the same information at once - and everyone tries to enter the market at the same time.
This was not the case even 50 years ago - the trends are still there, but volatility is much higher - traders get the direction of the trend right, but they find themselves stopped out by the volatility. How often has this happened to you? - It happens to all traders. Look at using options to give you staying power.
6. You can use a Black Box System to Make Money
You can buy a system from a vendor for a few thousand dollars - and it can make 50 to 100% profit per annum.
These systems normally have a hypothetical track record - and use price information where the results are already known, and of course, the logic of the system remains hidden from you - as it’s unlikely to have a sound basis.
Have you ever wondered why these vendors sell systems, when they could simply get a bank loan and trade their own systems?
Enough said on this one!
How about some Positive Advice?
If you want to make big currency trading profits, you need to do it for yourself.
Get a plan you have confidence in, and execute the plan with discipline - and have the courage to trade for large gains when they occur.
Good luck!
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
FOREX Currency Systems – Four Tips to Pick a System that Makes Money
That’s the theory - but the fact is, there are many FOREX currency systems sold that are obvious scams, and the systems will never work.
This article aims to give you tips on picking systems that can make money, and avoid the scams.
There are two main reasons why most FOREX currency trading systems fail to live up to their Hype:
1. Black Box Systems
These are systems where the logic is not revealed to the buyer - and for a FOREX currency trading system to be used successfully, the trader must have confidence in it.
If you don’t know the logic of the system, you will not have the confidence to follow it when a losing period occurs.
You need to follow a system rigidly to make money - otherwise you may as well not have a system in the first place.
Using a FOREX Currency trading system is all about having the discipline to follow the system - and if you don’t have confidence in the logic, you will never do this.
2. Curve Fitting and Optimization
Another indication of a currency trading system that is a scam, is one that involves curve fitting, or optimization.
These systems give a fantastic performance in back testing - because of the tweaking of the system rules, to make them fit the data, and produce profits.
A trader once likened this to shooting holes in a barn door, and then drawing circles around every hole - to make each shot look like a bull’s-eye.
Let’s face it, we would all be millionaires, if we had tomorrow’s news today - but we don’t.
Avoid any system that offers unique rules, or many variations for trading different markets.
If the system is based on solid logic - it should work on ANY trending market, and should not be optimized, or curve fitted to an individual market.
You will never see a hypothetical performance that fails!
Most unscrupulous vendors achieve great performance by making the system fit the data - and this causes the system to fail in real time trading.
Here are four tips, to help you separate out the scams, from the good FOREX currency-trading systems:
1. The Rules and Logic are Fully Explained
You will then have confidence in the system when it suffers a string of consecutive losses.
2. Some Evidence of a Real Time Track Record
Has the system has made money in the real world of trading?
This is the acid test of a system. If there is not a real record, look for a hypothetical audit done in real time - many systems do this before launching, and this gives a good indication of how the system will perform.
3. Look for Simple Systems
There is absolutely no correlation between how complicated a system is, and its profit potential. In fact, simple systems tend to work best, and will tend to be more robust in the brutal world of trading.
Most of the top FOREX currencies trading systems are based on simple logic.
4. Avoid any Optimized System
As already mentioned, if the system has sound principles, and then it should work on a broad spectrum of financial instruments - avoid any system that optimizes individual markets.
Not all FOREX currency trading systems fail - but if you want to get one that works, be realistic and do your homework first.
Saturday, December 12, 2009
An Overview Of Forex Trading
Some investors are able to enjoy returns of around thirty percent on a monthly basis, this takes a great deal of experience to gain this type of enormous return on your investment. The Forex market does not have one specific place of trade like many of the other markets do, for this reason alone is why most of the trade is performed by internet, fax, or telephone. In the beginning for currency trade was not all that popular, they were bringing in only about seventy billion dollars on a daily basis, with the invention of Forex, that number grew massively.
Of course, the currencies do not only deal with the American dollar, these currencies can be translated to over 5,000 currency institutions world wide, which include, commercial companies, large brokers, international banks, and government banks. Many major countries have forex trading centers such as, Frankfurt, London, New York, Paris, Hong Kong, Tokyo, and Bombay to name a few.
When trading online there are many benefits such as, the ability to trade or track your investments at anytime day or night, from anywhere within the world that offers an internet connection. Another added benefit, is that some online exchange sites allow you to start with a small investment, known as a mini account, some with as little as two-hundred dollars. With online trading, the trade is instant. When you trade offline you have to deal with paperwork, with online trading there is no paper work involved.
The world of the internet, has allow us to do many things with just a click of a button, where else can you bank, trade, talk to your family and friends, research your investments and earn money all at the same time? Make the internet work in your best interest by implementing online trading into your portfolio. There’s a whole world of money waiting for you to earn with your online investments, and it’s all available at the click of your mouse button.
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Electronic Currency Exchange: Trading Digots for a profitable living
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Accepting Losses With Grace
Why do they torture themselves? Why don’t they just identify what’s going wrong and make a change? For some people recognizing that a trade or even a trading method is not working and making a change is easy, but for others it’s very difficult. They have to look at their limitations admit that they have made a mistake and that’s hard because it hurts our ego. Psychologically it’s risky, it’s often easier to fool ourselves. Just keep going, living in a state of denial until your account is depleted. If you recognize any of these traits in yourself you must stop trading immediately.
Take a good look at what has been happening, try and identify the problem. If you look close enough you may see a pattern. This is why it is vital to record every trade and as much information about it as possible. You have to break out of old patterns and see things in a new light.
You will never be a successful trader if you continue to live in a state of denial. What can be done to return to reality? There is a lot you can do. First of all make sure you are not trading under stress. When stressed out you can’t see clearly, you become rigid and unable to see alternative views. One of the easiest solutions is to trade smaller. The smaller the trade the less the stress, especially for the beginner. If you are experienced and in a loosing streak reduce your contracts until you get your confidence returns. Some people need to take a break altogether. Get away from it all. Take your mind off the trading.
The second thing you can do is to make sure you have a life. Trading can be addictive especially when you are winning. Do not put all your emotional eggs in the trading basket. You need to have other roles that give your life meaning and purpose. By defining your identity in a variety of ways, you will not place un-natural importance on trading events. Therefore, you will be able to take losses in stride and look at your trading more objectively.
Finally, radical acceptance is a key mental strategy for coping with market uncertainty. Many traders make the mistake of thinking they can control the markets. Nobody can control the markets. We must learn to accept anything that comes our way and to trade accordingly. Adopt the attitude that trading is a journey and that all we can do is go where the markets take us.
To succeed on this journey you cannot afford to lose too much. Manage risk and just accept what you get and enjoy the ride. This way you will trade more freely and creatively. Don’t live your life in denial. Accept your limitations, work around them, and become a winning trader. Write out your trading plan with precise entry and exit points. Most important set your stops and mentally decide you will not break them. Test your system on paper and when confident test in real time with the minimum contract size. You will have losing trades, accept them with grace and go on to the next trade.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Forex Profits by buying and selling at the same time?
We will look at how money can be made by breaking a number of trading truths or principles; * cut your losses and let your profit run and * there is nothing to gained by entering into buy and sell deals at the same time.
The hedged grid trading system uses the principle that one should be able to cash in at a gain no matter which way the market moves. No stops are therefore required at all. The only way this is logically possible is that one would have a buy and sell active at the same time. Most traders will say that that is trading suicide but let’s take some to look at this more closely.
Let’s say that a trader enters the market with a buy and sell active when a currency is at a level of say 100. The price then moves to 200. The buy will then be positive by 100 and the sell will be negative by 100. At this point we start breaking trading rules. We cash in our positive buy and the gain of 100 goes to our account. The sell is now carrying a loss of -100.
The grid system requires one to make sure that cash in on any movement in the market. To do this one would again enter into a buy and a sell transaction. Now, for convenience, let’s assume that the price moves back to level 100.
The second sell has now gone positive by 100 and the second buy is carrying a loss of -100. According to the rules one would cash the sell in and another 100 will be added to your account. That brings the total cashed in at this point to 200.
Now the first sell that remained active has moved from level 200 where it was -100 to level 100 where it is now breaking even.
The 4 transactions added together now magically show a gain:- 1st buy cashed in +100, 2nd sell cashed in +100, 1st sell now breaking even and the 2nd buy is -100. This gives an overall a gain of 100 in total. We can liquidate all the transactions and have some champagne.
There are many, many other market movements that turn this strange “buy and sell at the same time” activity into gains. These will be covered in future articles and are covered in a free grid trading course which is available at the expert-4x.com website for those traders whose curiosity has been aroused.
There will be more on the hedged grid trading articles to be issued regularly. Please watch this site.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Yes, You Can Start Trading Forex For Free!
the same state-of-the-art software packages that professional Forex traders, around the world, are currently using to make real-time, live currency trades.
And you can also experience the same dynamic market action and go through the same process of making decisions based on breaking news, reacting to charting patterns, and tracking ones performance the same way professional Forex traders do.
And all this can be done even if you don't put any real money into your account, you won’t see any difference in how the market behaves and how you react to the market. In short, at some point, every new forex trader needs to start Demo-trading.
Once you start placing demo trades, you will learn a lot about how Forex transactions are placed. I can’t emphasize you enough, that this is a very important step for you in order to be able to learn how to become a trader. A demo account allows one to become familiar with trading procedures, such as placing Market, Limit, Stop, OCO Orders without any risk. All dollar losses or gains on a demo account are imaginary but, as mentioned above, the trading experience you acquire is not.
You should notice that making big gains in a demo-account does not guarantee profits in live trading; however, those who are not successful trading on paper rarely are successful when money is on the line. So, yes, just playing around and getting familiar with a demo account can be a great learning experience; however, you will not learn how to become a trader this way. You need to have a trading strategy.
Once you sign up for a mini-demo account, you will need to try one of the trial charting packages from the broker you choose. Any demo software you choose will do because they all have the necessary indicator tools you need. Once you have downloaded the software you can then set up your demo account and start drawing trendlines, marking support & resistance levels, monitoring moving averages, etc. This is also a very good way to get used to how orders are placed. Once you have a real trading system, you will already know how to place orders properly.
And remember, everyone makes mistakes placing orders. So you need to experiment before in a demo account so you can make your mistakes without losing any real money.
Friday, December 4, 2009
Forex And Commodities Futures And Options. What To Know Before You Trade.

Trading forex ( foreign exchange ) and commodity futures and options is not for everyone. It is a complex and risky business that experiences volatile price and value swings. Before you invest any money in forex, commodities futures or option contracts, you should:
• Consider your financial trading experience, goals, and financial resources and know how much you can afford to lose above and beyond your initial payment.
• Understand commodity futures and option contracts and your obligations before commiting your finances into trade contracts.
• Understand your risk exposure and aspects of trading by thoroughly reviewing the risk disclosure documents your broker is required to give you.
• Know who to contact if you have a problem or question.
• Ask more questions and gather more information before you open an account.
Commodity futures and option contracts:
A futures contract is a legally binding agreement between two parties to buy or sell a specific financial product or commodity in the future, on a designated exchange, for a specific quantity of a commodity at a specific price. The buyer and seller of a futures contract will agree now on a price for a product to be delivered, or paid, for at a specifically set date and time in the future, which is known as the "settlement date." Actual delivery of the commodity can take place in fulfillment of the contract, but most futures contracts are actually closed out or "offset" prior to delivery.
An option on a commodity futures contract is a legally binding agreement between two parties that gives the buyer, who pays a market determined price known as a "premium," the right (but not the obligation), within a specific time period, to exercise his option. Exercise of the option will result in the person being deemed to have entered into a futures contract at a specified price known as the "strike price." In some cases, an option may confer the right to buy or sell the underlying asset directly, and these options are known as options on the physical asset.
In the United States, an individual, cannot trade futures contracts and options on futures contracts directly on an exchange. A person or firm must trade on your behalf. People and firms who trade on your behalf as a customer generally must be registered with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission.
Two general categories of trading accounts:
• Individual Account. In an individual account, trading is done only for you. An individual account may be setup as either a "non-discretionary" or a "discretionary" account. A "non-discretionary" account, means that you will make all of the trading decisions and the broker may not execute any transactions without your prior approval and consent. A "discretionary" individual account, means that you give permission to the broker firm carrying your account or some third party to make trading decisions on your behalf.
You may open an individual account with a registered Futures Commission Merchant or through an Introducing Broker. An Introducing Broker may accept your orders and transmit them for execution to a Futures Commission Merchant with which the Introducing Broker has a relationship. You deposit funds directly with the Futures Commission Merchant. In an individual discretionary account, you grant power-of-attorney to a Futures Commission Merchant, an Introducing Broker, one of their Associated Persons, or a Commodity Trading Advisor to make trading decisions on your behalf.
Commodity Pool. You may also trade commodities through a "commodity pool." This means you are purchasing a share or interest in the pool, and trades are executed for the pool as a whole, rather than for the individuals who have interests in the pool. Pool participants share in any gains or losses.
If you have a dispute or a problem arises out of your commodity futures or option account, first try to resolve the problem with your broker. If that is not successful, then you have options for resolving disputes: (1) the CFTC Reparations program; (2) industry sponsored arbitration; or (3) court litigation. In selecting a particular approach, you may want to consider the cost, length of time involved and whether or not the assistance of an attorney is required. More information on dispute resolution is available from the CFTC's Office of Proceedings (202-418-5250).
A Checklist "Before You Trade":
Make sure you have:
• Clearly identified your financial goals, including the amount of risk and loss you can handle?
• Determined how much assistance and help you may want from a trading advisor in making trading decisions?
• Checked the registration status and disciplinary history of the advisor or pool you select with the National Futures Association?
• Received and thoroughly reviewed the disclosure document -- before you open an account?
• Clearly understood the disclosure document, including the statement of fees, the potential for loss, your right to withdraw your funds and the "break-even analysis?"
Make sure you ask questions for anything that you do not understand. Remember, it is your money, make sure you know where it is going.
