forex,forex trader,forex trades,forex market,forex factory,forex trading,forex review

Day Trading Forex

Word Count:

470

Summary:

This is a fascination. Here is a wide open field that almost anyone can take advantage of. It use to be only for the mega rich people, the big corporations and banks. They are trading foreign currency's..

Keywords:

Forex trading learn to free strategies

Article Body:

This is a fascination. Here is a wide open field that almost anyone can take advantage of. It use to be only for the mega rich people, the big corporations and banks. They are trading foreign currency's..

Can you imagine this is a 1.2 trillion dollar a day being traded. Thats 1.2 TRILLION a day.
Now with the Internet you you too can trade the foreign currency's. You can set up a account with as little as $300.00 up to whatever. Regular accounts usually start with $3000.00. You are able to leverage you funds 100 to 1. SO you will be controlling 10,000.00 or one lot in currency's for $1,000.00 and for every pip on movement you can make $100.00. With the mini account you will control 1 tenth of a lot. $1000.00 for $100.00 and your pip is worth $1.00. Just so you will understand a pip is what an increment movement in a currency is.

You buy it if you think it will go up and sell it if you think it will go lower. Of course there are charts and all kinds of ways to tell what is going to happen. It just takes learning the in's and out's, ups and downs.

There are a lot of different currency's but here are the main ones that are traded.
USA/YEN USA / Japanese GBP/USA British Pound
USA/EURO USA/ Euro is European USA/CHF Swiss Franc
USA/CAD USA/ Canadian EURO/YEN

There are no commissions and no fees only narrow Dealer spreads. These spread vary depending on the trades. Major pairs are 3 to 5 pips. You will learn more about all of this when you start out. The wisest thing to do is to start out with a demo account or what we call a paper account where you do everything as if it was real money but it is only on paper. So you get to learn the in's and out's and learn to read the charts and how to understand the fundamentals. These are the world events that effect the currency's.

There are many different strategies. Each have their strength's and weaknesses. They each deal with different ways at looking at the charts and their movements. Want some ideas? There are Scalping
trades, surfing charts, sailing and many more. It fun and exciting, and sometimes a drag. Sometimes you will win 100 to 500 pips. Then there are times you will lose pips too. YOU will never win all the time. But thats where there account management comes in. You learn to control your risk taking.
Usually the biggest sin or failure comes when you let your emotions become involved. EVEN the big shots sometimes let their emotions get involved. Most the time it doesn't work and will cost you.

So with good account management understanding the various charts you can take $300.00 and turn it into $6000.00 in 6 months or less.

Currency Trading: Understanding the Basics of Currency Trading

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833

Summary:

Investors and traders around the world are looking to the Forex market as a new speculation opportunity. But, how are transactions conducted in the Forex market? Or, what are the basics of Forex Trading? Before adventuring in the Forex market we need to make sure we understand the basics, otherwise we will find ourselves lost where we less expected. This is what this article is aimed to, to understand the basics of currency trading.

Keywords:

currency trading, forex trading, forex training, forex trading education, forex trading course

Article Body:

Investors and traders around the world are looking to the Forex market as a new speculation opportunity. But, how are transactions conducted in the Forex market? Or, what are the basics of Forex Trading? Before adventuring in the Forex market we need to make sure we understand the basics, otherwise we will find ourselves lost where we less expected. This is what this article is aimed to, to understand the basics of currency trading.

What is traded in the Forex market?

The instrument traded by Forex traders and investors are currency pairs. A currency pair is the exchange rate of one currency over another. The most traded currency pairs are:

EUR/USD: Euro
GBP/USD: Pound
USD/CAD: Canadian dollar
USD/JPY: Yen
USD/CHF: Swiss franc
AUD/USD: Aussie

These currency pairs generate up to 85% of the overall volume generated in the Forex market.

So, for instance, if a trader goes long or buys the Euro, she or he is simultaneously buying the EUR and selling the USD. If the same trader goes short or sells the Aussie, she or he is simultaneously selling the AUD and buying the USD.

The first currency of each currency pair is referred as the base currency, while second currency is referred as the counter or quote currency.
Each currency pair is expressed in units of the counter currency needed to get one unit of the base currency.
If the price or quote of the EUR/USD is 1.2545, it means that 1.2545 US dollars are needed to get one EUR.

Bid/Ask Spread

All currency pairs are commonly quoted with a bid and ask price. The bid (always lower than the ask) is the price your broker is willing to buy at, thus the trader should sell at this price. The ask is the price your broker is willing to sell at, thus the trader should buy at this price.

EUR/USD 1.2545/48 or 1.2545/8
The bid price is 1.2545
The ask price is 1.2548

A Pip

A pip is the minimum incremental move a currency pair can make. A pip stands for price interest point. A move in the EUR/USD from 1.2545 to 1.2560 equals 15 pips. And a move in the USD/JPY from 112.05 to 113.10 equals 105 pips.

Margin Trading (leverage)

In contrast with other financial markets where you require the full deposit of the amount traded, in the Forex market you require only a margin deposit. The rest will be granted by your broker.

The leverage provided by some brokers goes up to 400:1. This means that you require only 1/400 or .25% in balance to open a position (plus the floating gains/losses.) Most brokers offer 100:1, where every trader requires 1% in balance to open a position.

The standard lot size in the Forex market is $100,000 USD.

For instance, a trader wants to get long one lot in EUR/USD and he or she is using 100:1 leverage.

To open such position, he or she requires 1% in balance or $1,000 USD.

Of course it is not advisable to open a position with such limited funds in our trading balance. If the trade goes against our trader, the position is to be closed by the broker. This takes us to our next important term.

Margin Call

A margin call occurs when the balance of the trading account falls below the maintenance margin (capital required to open one position, 1% when the leverage used is 100:1, 2% when leverage used is 50:1, and so on.) At this moment, the broker sells off (or buys back in the case of short positions) all your trades, leaving the trader “theoretically” with the maintenance margin.

Most of the time margin calls occur when money management is not properly applied.

How are the mechanics of a Forex trade?

The trader, after an extensive analysis, decides there is a higher probability of the British pound to go up. He or she decides to go long risking 30 pips and having a target (reward) of 60 pips. If the market goes against our trader he/she will lose 30 pips, on the other hand, if the market goes in the intended way, he or she will gain 60 pips. The actual quote for the pound is 1.8524/27, 4 pips spread. Our trader gets long at 1.8530 (ask). By the time the market gets to either our target (called take profit order) or our risk point (called stop loss level) we will have to sell it at the bid price (the price our broker is willing to buy our position back.) In order to make 40 pips, our take profit level should be placed at 1.8590 (bid price.) If our target gets hit, the market ran 64 pips (60 pips plus the 4 pip spread.) If our stop loss level is hit, the market ran 30 pips against us.

It’s very important to understand every aspect of trading. Start first from the very basic concepts, then move on to more complex issues such as Forex trading systems, trading psychology, trade and risk management, and so on. And make sure you master every single aspect before adventuring in a live trading account.

Many people ask me why I trade Forex, Well I think like most people when I was introduced to Trading I didn’t know about the Forex market. It was just natural to go looking in the stock exchange for trades. However, I found my trading was very limited, by the time I got home from work in the evening all the action was over. I moved to Forex mainly to take advantage of the 24-hour opening hours, I would often be found at my computer in the middle of the night waiting for the next bar to appear. Unlike Futures, there are no trading exchanges as such. Trading is being done from major banking establishments around the world, With futures you are generally limited to trading only for a few hours that they are open, if major news breaks and the price starts going against you when the market is closed, you could end up losing big time while you are forced to wait for the market to open. With Forex you will always have an opportunity to trade 24 hours per day 5 days a week. As the sun wakes up each country on its journey it also wakes up the markets in New York, London, Europe, Asia, Australia to name a few. The Currencies of the world are traded against each other, the most popular being the Euro the US and Australian dollar, British Pound, Swiss Franc and the Japanese Yen. Because of 24 hour trading, it is rare to see large gaps in price like stocks have on the opening and you often see prices in currencies trending more than stocks. There are many advantages in trading Forex rather than Stocks, expensive Data providers that you need with Stocks is exchanged for free charting software offered by many Forex brokers. With over $1.5trillion (that’s 46 times bigger than all the future markets put together!) being traded in a single day you are always sure of a trade, With Low transaction costs, no commissions or exchange fees is it no wonder more and more traders are turning to Forex. Beware though, even with all these advantages trading is a high risk game and should only ever be trading with money you can afford to lose. With a good Trading Strategy and Money Management in place there is no reason not to join many Traders profiting from trading the Forex markets

Suggest to the average American that he or she might benefit by owning a foreign bank account and you'll more than likely get a questioning look and a response such as, "Why on Earth would I want to do that?" Americans, you see, tend to have an extremely parochial attitude when it comes to their money — and they also tend to have an almost unnatural suspicion of foreign banking activities. After all, the media have ex­posed them to an unending series of foreign banking tales involving political shenanigans, financial fiascoes and criminal capers. Yet, the simple fact is, most Americans could benefit by owning a foreign bank account. Already, foreign banking — or, as it is more popularly known today, "offshore banking" — has become an important tool for thousands of legitimate and highly successful businesses and individuals. And in today's high tech computerized satellite communications world it is easier than one could ever of believed . Who would of believed even 5 years ago that standard simple transactions as talking to an American Express agent that the person demanding a cheque stub number could be half way around the world in India speaking better English than most Americans. To top it off this person was probably born in a low tech mud hut and 15 years ago did not even have access to electricty and running water . In practice, a foreign bank account gives the prudent investor the opportunity to synchronize the benefits of various banking activities and blend them into a unique profit-making and tax-saving financial strategy. For the careful and conscientious investor, it is one of the most pragmatic ways of expanding the realm of financial op­portunity, because it is one of the most creative ways of diversifying assets. Since offshore banks don't operate within the United States (hence their name), accounts held in them are rarely subject to our state and federal laws and regulations. Offshore banks can also offer a wide range of services well beyond the legal ability of domestic banks. Through aggressive use of these services, investors can increase their profits, reduce their tax burdens and raise capital at lower interest rates — all without the restrictive maze of red tap often encountered in the United States. There are approximately 45 jurisdictions around the world that bill themselves as offshore financial centers or banking havens. Many of these centers are remote, lack adequate support facilities or have flaws in their banking or tax laws that could affect your privacy or your rate of investment return. That does not necessarily mean you should avoid banks in these jurisdictions when shopping for a location for your foreign bank account. However, it does mean that you should exercise additional caution, making sure the bank is well managed and offers the services, experience and security you are seeking. As a means of increasing your wealth by diversifying your investments , minimizing your tex load and increasing your investment profit you should seriously look at obtaining one or more offshore bank accounts. Didn't your grandmother ever tell you not to place all your eggs in one basket ?

If you are considering currency trading in the Forex market, or you are already involved in Forex currency trading, here's a money-making lesson that we can borrow from investors who use technical analysis to help them make investment decisions in the stock market. The goal of performing technical analysis when currency trading is to predict profitable currency pair movements by analyzing price trends. The principles of technical analysis in the equity markets are the same as those in the Forex currency trading markets. In fact, the only real difference between the two is that the Forex market is open 24 hours a day while the equity markets are not. This means that certain analytics that take time periods in consideration will need to be adjusted for Forex currency trading. Other than that, any of these common forms of equity technical analysis methodologies can be used when currency trading: Elliott Waves -- Developed by Ralph Nelson Elliott, this methodology is based upon the theory that market performance can be predicted by studying wave patterns that develop over a period of time. Fibonacci Studies -- Developed by 12th century mathematician Leonardo Fibonacci, this methodology is based upon the theory that changes in trends can be predicted based upon prices interacting with lines based upon certain sequences of numbers. Parabolic SAR -- Developed by J. Wells Wilder, this methodology is based upon the examination of prices in comparison to "stop and reversal" (SAR) numbers that indicate entry and exit points for a trade. Pivot Points -- A mathematical formula used to determine when to exit a trade based upon the numerical average of the high, low and closing prices. As I mentioned earlier in this article, the key difference between technical analysis in the equities market, and technical analysis in the Forex currency trading market, is the fact that it is possible to participate in Forex trading 24 hours a day, seven days a week. That key difference is also the primary reason that technical analysis works so well in currency trading. In order for technical analysis techniques to deliver maximum results, there needs to be extended periods of time available for patterns to develop and repeat. Because the Forex market never closes, and currency pairs are traded around the clock, definable patterns develop more quickly and the technical analyst has a plethora of Forex currency trading data available to work with. Because more data means more accurate forecasting results, technical analysts can see better results, in quicker time, when combining technical analysis and Forex currency trading.

My purpose for writing this article is to demonstrate to you the advantages of trading on the FOREX market. However, there is one myth that I want to dispel before I go further. The myth is that there is a difference between trading and investing. To dispel that myth I quote from Al Thomas, President of Williamsburg Investment Company, who wrote “If It Doesn’t Go Up, Don’t Buy It”. He said “Everyone who invests is a trader, only the time period is different.” It is a lesson that I took seriously after taking a beating in the stock market in 2000. So now, let’s compare features of currency trading to those of stock and commodity trading. Liquidity - The FOREX market is the most liquid financial market in the world around 1.9 trillion dollars traded everyday. The commodities market trades around 440 billion dollars a day, and the US stock market trades around 200 billion dollars a day. This ensures better trade execution and prevents market manipulation. It also ensures easily executable trading. Trading Times – The FOREX market is open 24 hours a day (except weekends) which means that in the US it opens at 3:00 pm Sunday (EST) and closes Friday at 5:00 (EST), allowing active traders to choose the times they want to trade. Commodities trading hours are all over the board depending on which commodity you are trading. Including extended trading times US stocks can be traded from 8:30 am to 6:30 pm (ET) on weekdays. Leverage – Depending on your FOREX account size, your leverage may be 100:1, although there are FOREX brokers that offer leverage of up to 400:1 (not that I would ever recommend that kind of leverage). Leverage in the stock market can be as high as 4:1, and in the commodities market, leverage varies with the commodity traded but it can be quite high. Because the commodity markets are not as liquid as the FOREX market, its leverage is inherently riskier. Although I was never shut out of a commodity trade by the day limit, the fear was always in the back of my mind. Trading costs – Transaction costs in the FOREX market is the difference between the buy and sell price of each currency pair. There are no brokerage fees. For both the stock and the commodity markets, there are transaction costs and brokerage fees. Even when you use discount brokers, those fees add up. Minimum investment – You can open a FOREX trading account for as little as $300.00. It took $5,000 for me to open my futures trading account. Focus – 85% of all trading transactions are made on 7 major currencies. In the US stock market alone there are 40,000 stocks. There are just over 200 commodity markets, although quite a few are so illiquid that they are not traded except by hedgers. As you can see, the fewer number of instruments allows us to study each one more closely. Trade execution – In the FOREX market, trade execution is almost instantaneous. In both the equity and commodity markets, you count on a broker to execute your trades and their results are sometimes inconsistent. While all of these features make trading the FOREX market very attractive, it still requires a lot of education, discipline, commitment and patience. All trading can be risky.

Everyone has heard of stocks and shares, probably even the futures market, but trading the FOREX (Foreign Currency Exchange, or FX) market is a relatively new phenomenon. Until recently, FOREX was the domain of the banking fraternity (large banks can trade billions of dollars daily), and the elite in financial and business circles. But now it is possible for the average person to be a part of this incredible – and very profitable – way of making a living, thanks to the personal computer and an internet connection. All done electronically and considered an over-the-counter (OTC) market, trading is far easier and less risky than either the futures or the stock markets. Money can be made both on a rising and falling market, unlike the stock market, which relies on shares increasing in price to create profit. More and more astute internet entrepreneurs are shunning the traditional financial markets and turning to FOREX trading. They know that it is possible to earn a full-time income from part-time effort – if you’d like to make $200 to $3,000 for as little as ten minutes’ work, and with minimal risk, then FOREX is for you. FOREX, the spot (cash) market for buying and selling currency, is the largest financial market in the world. Every day more than $1.5 trillion (yes, trillion) is traded globally and, unlike the stock market, which has fixed hours, it is a market that never sleeps. Somewhere in the world, at any time of day or night, FOREX is open for business, six days a week. The market starts each day in Sydney and moves around the globe as other FOREX financial centers open: first to Tokyo, then London and New York. In simple terms, currencies are traded in pairs, for example the Euro and the US dollar (EUR/USD). The first currency – in this case the Euro – is known as the base currency; the second currency (here, the US dollar), is the counter-currency. All trades result in the simultaneous buying of one currency and the selling of the other. Thus, in this example, if you place an order to buy the EUR/USD, you are buying the Euro and selling the US dollar. If you were to sell the pair, you would be selling the Euro and buying the US dollar. There are many other currency pairs, such as USD/JPY, GBP/USD, EUR/GBP, USD/CHF and so on. What makes trading FOREX an incredible way to make money online, is that price movements are highly predictable, creating trends that can be anticipated when it comes to decide when to buy and sell. Contrasting with stocks and shares, FOREX trading through brokers is commission free. It is also possible – and definitely recommended – to open a demo (practice) account with a broker first, where you can learn to trade and gain experience before you part with a cent of your own money. Do you want financial freedom? With huge advantages over other more conventional money markets, why not experience the excitement of pips, rollovers, leverage, lots, long and short positions, limit orders etc. and start to trade FOREX. Good luck! Penelope Housden.

Will I Get Rich Trading?...Probably Not

Don't throw that coffee cup at your screen, I'm only being honest. Do some people get rich trading?...Absolutely. The internet is filled with talented pitch men that can hype anything from watching the stars to the latest and greatest make you rich on auto-pilot software program for your trading signals. (but the stars thing does work great with my wife) Well, here today on the World Wide Web I am going to reveal the Holy Grail of trading. The surprise is it won't be found sold on the 'net in fact it is not a trading system at all. It is (drum roll please) being honest with yourself. My goodness, that's not very exciting after all the hype we've been fed by the guru's. The truth is there are many trading systems that work, but there are precious few people can be honest enough with themselves to pick a system correctly. Most people that want to trade start off by looking for that system that will beat the market. Now I know that some systems out perform others and by all means you should seek the best one. Where many struggling traders miss the boat is they don't understand the best system is the one that matches your own personality. If one trader has good discipline he may not need a system that is very rigid. On other side of the discipline spectrum, a trader would need many rules to protect him. If either of these traders try to trade with other's system they would probably fail. When you try to trade a system that does not align with your need for discipline as an individual you are destined to fight the very system your trading. The holy grail that many seek is the ability to correctly identify their strengths and weaknesses. This sounds simple but you would be surprised at how many people will disregard certain weaknesses that they do not want to admit to anyone, even themselves. If more traders would first be brutally honest with themselves and then design a system tailored to their own attributes we would have many more Rich traders. Will you get rich trading? If you have the honesty to choose the correct system, and the discipline to follow that system it may be possible.

As you read forex charts, remember that the two fundamental approaches for online forex trading: fundamental analysis and technical analysis. Fundamental analysis doesn’t rely on forex charts. It scrutinizes political and economic indicators to determine trades. Charts here are deployed as used as a secondary reference. Technical analysis on the other hand, attempts to predict price swings by analysis of historical price activity. Those who use technical analysis study the relationship between price and time. The most actively traded pair of currencies is the Euro and the US dollar, so we will use them in our example. The dollar is on the right hand side of the chart and the Euro is on the left hand side. The currencies are expressed in relationship to each other in pairing. Forex charges will always display how much of the currency on the right hand side is necessary to buy a unit of the currency on the left side. Looking at the typical EU-USD, chart you will notice the last price displayed per given date. This number is always emphasized. The time is tabbed horizontally across the bottom of a chart and the price scale is displayed vertically along the right hand edge of the chart. The time and the price are set in all caps to help the trader remember that technical analysis rests upon the relationship between time and price. The trader observes the price and time movement on a chart. These include bars, lines, point and figure, and Japanese candle sticks-- the most favored method. With the candlestick method there is a large, red section that is the body of the candlestick. Lines protrude from the top and bottom and they are the upper and lower wicks. When you look at all the candles on a chart it is apparent that bodies come by difference sizes. Sometimes no body exists at all. The same is true with wicks. Candle wicks come by many difference sizes; there may be no wick at all. The length of the body and the length of the wick are determined by the price range for the candle. Longer candles will have had more price movement during the time that they were open. The top of a candle wick is the highest price for that currency while the wick’s bottom is the lowest price. A currency is bullish when the close of the candle is higher than the open. In simple terms this means that there were more buyers than there were sales during the opening time period. Sometimes the candles will not have wicks. The price opened and it dropped off until it closed. Forex charts don’t offer bullet proof trading hints, but they can help a trader. Past trends do have their place in forex trading as most traders will admit, and using the charts to track historical trends can assist a trader in making a snap decision. The online investor typically joins a service that provides realtime charts that updates on currency activity. Charts can be checked on a minute to minute basis. For those who primarily do their trading based on historical accuracy this can ease the burden of prediction. Most forex traders however use a combination of fundamental and technical analysis. They may chart historical trends, but they will also pay close attention to political, cultural and economic indicators within a region. They might use charts and other techniques to check correlation between political climate and currency fluctuations. But even the most sophisticated technical analysis software or tool has its limitations. A trader must be prepared to take risks… and invest money that is not needed for the immediate future.

What Does FOREX Stand For ? FOREX stands for Foreign Currency Exchange Market. It is gaining more and more interest in the investing world, and for good reason. The FOREX Market is the largest market in the world and can be accessed anywhere in the world. The FOREX Market's volume is over 1.5 Trillion, providing almost infinate liquidity and flexability. How do you trade? Instead of trading "stocks" where there is thousands to choose from, you are trading pairs of currency against eachother. This gives you an advantage because you can focus on just 2 pairs of currencies instead of countless stocks. You can trade from your home computer, or any computer with an internet connection from anywhere in the world. When do you trade? The FOREX Market is open 24 hours a day so you can trade whenever you want! You just need a computer, a Demo or Real Money account and a willingness to learn, research, and trade! Why Should I Trade? You should only trade if you are ready to change your mind about how much money you CAN make and reach your full potential. You should trade forex because its a great tool to leverage your time and replace your income. Here are the benifits of Trading Forex: You can work anytime you want 24 hours a day, 6 days a week. Its a continuous onine (electronic) that never closess. Work at home, on the beach, or anywhere in the world! You can trade foreign currencies on a high leveraged basis, sometimes up to 200 times your investment! This is made possible by the higher levels of liquidity in the market. Price movements are highly predictable! Fx Market trends generally repeat themselves, creating trends that are easily predictable! With all these benifits and tons of others, you can easily make $200 to $3000 dollars a day trading! Too good to be true ? Let us prove you wrong for FREE! There are many other AWESOME reasons to trade FOREX and you can learn them all by downloading our FREE E-Book!

Forex trading has the great potential of becoming a profitable and fulfilling career that will let you have a lifestyle that few other lucrative activities in the world can offer to people from many roads in life and without asking any of those men and women for a diploma or some special certification. But Forex trading is not easy; it may be simple to enter and place your first trade but becoming a profitable trader is a different thing. You will need to acquire the right knowledge and techniques in order to understand and know when to enter or leave a trade always fulfilling the main objective every trader must have; making money. There are two kinds of analysis you can perform on the Forex markets. They are known as technical analysis and fundamental analysis. It is common that traders tend to divide themselves into “technical” and “fundamentalists”. Each group devoting themselves to the main tools each kind of analysis gives them. Technical forex traders base their trading on the analysis of the charts and the number of indicators derived from the plots of price oscillations and patterns. Meanwhile Fundamentalists traders base their trading mostly on the fundamental numbers and economical indicators of countries economies. Though, even if divided, both tendencies tend to complement each other to some degree. In this article I will place myself on the “fundamentalists” side and focus on one of the situations every forex trader must be aware of and don't let the events involved affect his trading efforts. This risky situation is that when unprecedented chaotic world events start to develop as the trading day goes on. The power of the media (tv, internet, printed) can magnify and sometimes it may even distort the events taking place and impacting the trading journey in a significant manner. The result of this magnification and rapid diffusion of the news about the series of unfavorable events taking place is an increased atmosphere of fear, confusion and uncertainty in the trading world. And fearful traders are not prone to make the best trading choices because they have given themselves to panic and emotional reactions instead of reasoned and intelligent decisions. If you need to have more specific examples of these kind of events you can search a bit inside your memories and consider the impact of just a few types of unfavorable chaotic world events as the political upheavals or corporate scandals of companies as; Enron, WorldCom, or of people as the case of Martha Stewart trial, etc. There is also the example of the terrorist attacks on Sep 11 in New York, March 11 in Spain, etc. Also natural disasters: tsunamis, earthquakes, floods, freezes, droughts, hurricanes along with wars can cause great disruption in a trading journey. In short, every forex trader should be totally sure that his method of trading has built-in safe guards (stops, limit orders) to prevent a major financial loss from his trading account in case any of the unfavorable events I mentioned above ever takes place. And being realistic, many of those events will surely happen in the future.

Online trading is great way for serious investors to make money, but inexperienced traders often wind up with big losses. A good set of instructions can minimize the risks and save months of expensive trial-and-error learning. 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.

Yes, it’s true, you can trade the forex markets for free and using 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.

"Easy money" is the allure that captivates many beginning FOREX traders. FOREX websites offer "risk-free" trading, "high returns", "low investment." These claims have a grain of truth in them, but the reality of FOREX is a bit more complex. Mistakes Of The Beginning Trader There are 2 common mistakes that many beginner traders make: trading without a strategy and letting emotions rule their decisions. After opening a FOREX account it may be tempting to dive right in and start trading. Watching the movements of EUR/USD for example, you may feel that you are letting an opportunity pass you by if you don't enter the market immediately. You buy and watch the market move against you. You panic and sell, only to see the market recover. This kind of undisciplined approach to FOREX is guaranteed to lose money. FOREX traders must have a rational trading strategy and not make trading decisions in the heat of the moment. Understanding Market Movements To make rational trading decisions, the FOREX trader must be well educated in market movements. He must be able to apply technical studies to charts and plot out entry and exit points. He must take advantage of the various types of orders to minimize his risk and maximize his profit. The first step in becoming a successful FOREX trader is to understand the market and the forces behind it. Who trades FOREX and why? This will allow you to identify successful trading strategies and use them. Accountability There are 5 major groups of investors who participate in FOREX: governments, banks, corporations, investment funds, and traders. Each group has its own objectives, but 1 thing all groups except traders have in common is external control. Every organization has rules and guidelines for trading currencies and can be held accountable for their trading decisions. Individual traders, on the other hand, are accountable only to themselves. Large organizations and educated traders approach the FOREX with strategies, and if you hope to succeed as a FOREX trader you must follow suit. Money Management Money management is an integral part of any trading strategy. Besides knowing which currencies to trade and how to recognize entry and exit signals, the successful trader has to manage his resources and integrate money management into his trading plan. There are various strategies for money management. Many rely on the calculation of core equity -- your starting balance minus the money used in open positions. Core Equity And Limited Risk When entering a position try to limit your risk to 1% to 3% of each trade. This means that if you are trading a standard FOREX lot of $100,000 you should limit your risk to $1,000 to $3,000. You do this with a stop loss order 100 pips (1 pip = $10) above or below your entry position. As your core equity rises or falls, adjust the dollar amount of your risk. With a starting balance of $10,000 and 1 open position, your core equity is $9000. If you wish to add a second open position, your core equity would fall to $8000 and you should limit your risk to $900. Risk in a third position should be limited to $800. Greater Profit, Greater Risk You should also raise your risk level as your core equity rises. After $5,000 profit, your core equity is now $15,000. You could raise your risk to $1,500 per transaction. Alternatively, you could risk more from the profit than from the original starting balance. Some traders may risk up to 5% against their realized profits ($5,000 on a $100,000 lot) for greater profit potential. These are the kinds of strategic tactics that allow a beginner to get a foothold on profitable trading in FOREX.

If you were wondering; forex trading is nothing more than direct access trading of different types of foreign currencies. In the past, foreign exchange trading was mostly limited to large banks and institutional traders however; recent technological advancements have made it so that small traders can also take advantage of the many benefits of forex trading just by using the various online trading platforms to trade. The currencies of the world are on a floating exchange rate, and they are always traded in pairs Euro/Dollar, Dollar/Yen, etc. About 85 percent of all daily transactions involve trading of the major currencies. Four major currency pairs are usually used for investment purposes. They are: Euro against US dollar, US dollar against Japanese yen, British pound against US dollar, and US dollar against Swiss franc. Right now I will show you how they look in the trading market: EUR/USD, USD/JPY, GBP/USD, and USD/CHF. As a note you should know that no dividends are paid on currencies. If you think one currency will appreciate against another, you may exchange that second currency for the first one and be able to stay in it. In case everything goes as you plan it, eventually you may be able to make the opposite deal in that you may exchange this first currency back for that other and then collect profits from it. Transactions on the FOREX market are performed by dealers at major banks or FOREX brokerage companies. FOREX is a necessary part of the world wide market, so when you are sleeping in the comfort of your bed, the dealers in Europe are trading currencies with their Japanese counterparts. Therefore, it is reasonable for you to believe that the FOREX market is active 24 hours a day and dealers at major institutions are working 24/7 in three different shifts. Clients may place take-profit and stop-loss orders with brokers for overnight execution. Price movements on the FOREX market are very smooth and without the gaps that you face almost every morning on the stock market. The daily turnover on the FOREX market is somewhere around $1.2 trillion, so a new investor can enter and exit positions without any problems. The fact is that the FOREX market never stops, even on September 11, 2001 you could still get your hands on two-side quotes on currencies. The currency market is the largest and oldest financial market in the world. It is also called the foreign exchange market, FX market for short. It is the biggest and most liquid market in the world, and it is traded mostly through the 24 hour-a-day inter-bank currency market. When you compare them, you will see that the currency futures market is only one per cent as big. Unlike the futures and stock markets, trading currencies is not centered on an exchange. Trading moves from major banking centers of the U.S. to Australia and New Zealand, to the Far East, to Europe and finally back to the U.S. it is truly a full circle trading game. In the past, the forex inter-bank market was not available to small speculators because of the large minimum transaction sizes and strict financial requirements. Banks, major currency dealers and sometimes even very large speculator were the principal dealers. Only they were able to take advantage of the currency market's fantastic liquidity and strong trending nature of many of the world's primary currency exchange rates. Today, foreign exchange market brokers are able to break down the larger sized inter-bank units, and offer small traders like you and me the opportunity to buy or sell any number of these smaller units. These brokers give any size trader, including individual speculators or smaller companies, the option to trade at the same rates and price movements as the big players who once dominated the market.

What Is FOREX or FOREX MARKET? PART I The Foreign Exchange market (also referred to as the Forex or FX market) is the largest financial market in the world, with over $1.5 trillion changing hands every day. That is larger than all US equity and Treasury markets combined! Unlike other financial markets that operate at a centralized location (i.e. stock exchange), the worldwide Forex market has no central location. It is a global electronic network of banks, financial institutions and individual traders, all involved in the buying and selling of national currencies. Another major feature of the Forex market is that it operates 24 hours a day, corresponding to the opening and closing of financial centers in countries all across the world, starting each day in Sydney, then Tokyo, London and New York. At any time, in any location, there are buyers and sellers, making the Forex market the most liquid market in the world. Traditionally, access to the Forex market has been made available only to banks and other large financial institutions. With advances in technology over the years, however, the Forex market is now available to everybody, from banks to money managers to individual traders trading retail accounts. The time to get involved in this exciting, global market has never been better than now. Open an account and become an active player in the largest market on the planet. The Forex Market is very different than trading currencies on the futures market, and a lot easier, than trading stocks or commodities. Whether you are aware of it or not, you already play a role in the Forex market. The simple fact that you have money in your pocket makes you an investor in currency, particularly in the US Dollar. By holding US Dollars, you have elected not to hold the currencies of other nations. Your purchases of stocks, bonds or other investments, along with money deposited in your bank account, represent investments that rely heavily on the integrity of the value of their denominated currency ¨the US Dollar. Due to the changing value of the US Dollar and the resulting fluctuations in exchange rates, your investments may change in value, affecting your overall financial status. With this in mind, it should be no surprise that many investors have taken advantage of the fluctuation in Exchange Rates, using the volatility of the Foreign Exchange market as a way to increase their capital. Example: suppose you had $1000 and bought Euros when the exchange rate was 1.50 Euros to the dollar. You would then have 1500 Euros. If the value of Euros against the US dollar increased then you would sell (exchange) your Euros for dollars and have more dollars than you started with. Example: You might see the following: EUR/USD last trade 1.5000 means One Euro is worth $1.50 US dollars. The first currency (in this example, the EURO) is referred to as the base currency and the second (/USD) as the counter or quote currency. The FOREX plays a vital role in the world economy and there will always be a tremendous need for the exchange of currencies. International trade increases as technology and communication increases. As long as there is international trade, there will be a FOREX market. The FX market has to exist so a country like Germany can sell products in the United States and be able to receive Euros in exchange for US Dollar. RISK WARNING: Risks of currency trading Margined currency trading is an extremely risky form of investment and is only suitable for individuals and institutions capable of handling the potential losses it entails. An account with an broker allows you to trade foreign currencies on a highly leveraged basis (up to about 400 times your account equity).The funds in an account that is trading at maximum leverage may be completely lost if the position(s) held in the account experiences even a one percent swing in value. Given the possibility of losing one's entire investment, speculation in the foreign exchange market should only be conducted with risk capital funds that, if lost, will not significantly affect the investors financial well-being.

10 REASONS TO START TRADING FOREX! More and more well informed investor and entrepreneurs are diversifying their traditional investments like stocks, bonds & commodities with foreign currency because of the following reasons: 1) FOREX is the largest financial market in the world. With a daily trading volume of over $1.5 trillion, the spot FOREX market can absorb trading sizes that dwarf the capacity of any other market. In fact, when compared with the $50 billion daily market for equities or the $30 billion futures market, it becomes quickly apparent this gives you, and millions of other FOREX traders, almost infinite trading liquidity and flexibility. 2) FOREX is a True 24-hour market. The FOREX Market never sleeps. Trading positions can be entered and exited at any moment around the globe, around the clock, 5.5 days a week. There is no waiting for an opening bell as in the case of trading stocks. It is a 24- hour, continuous electronic (ONLINE) currency exchange that never closes. This is very desirable for you if you want to trade on a part-time basis, because you can choose when you want to trade: morning, noon or night. 3) There is never a Bear Market in FOREX. You can have access to a seamless exchange of currencies. Currencies trade in "pairs" (for example, US dollar vs. JPY (YEN) or US dollar vs. CHF (Swiss franc), one side of every currency pair (for example, USD/CHF) is constantly moving in relation to the other. Thus, when you buy a particular currency, you are actually simultaneously selling the other currency in that particular pair. As the market moves, one of the currencies will increase in value versus the other. Of course, it is up to you to choose the correct currency to be long ( you bought) or short( you sold). 4) High Leverage - up to 400:1 Leverage. You are permitted to trade foreign currencies on a highly leveraged basis - up to 400 times your investment with Fenix Capital Management, LLC and with some other brokers. Standard 100,000- US$ currency lots can be traded with as little as 0.25% margin, or $250. Mini FX accounts are permitted to trade with just 0.25% margin, meaning, just $25 allows you to control a 10,000-unit currency position. Futures traders, who are accustomed to margin requirements generally equal to 5-7%-8% of the contract value, will immediately recognize that the FOREX market provides much greater leverage, and for stock traders, who must post at least 50% margin, there’s no comparison. If you’re looking for an efficient use of trading , trade the Forex Market. 5) Price Movements might be Highly Predictable. Currency prices in the FX market generally repeat themselves in relatively predictable cycles, creating trends. The strong trends that foreign currencies develop are a significant advantage for traders who use the "technical" methods and strategies. Unlike stocks, currencies have the tendency to develop strong trends. Over 80% of volume is speculative in nature and, as a result, the market frequently overshoots and then corrects itself. As a technically-trained trader, you can easily identify new trends and breakouts, to enter and exit positions. 6) YOU don't pay commissions or fees to trade FOREX When you trade FOREX, through Fenix Capital Management LLC (FCM) you can do it totally FREE of commissions and fees , regardless of your account size. Fenix Capital Management LLC, requires a very low minimum amount to open a brokerage account, only US$ 200 and they do not charge commissions or fees to trade or to maintain an account, regardless of your account balance or trading volume. 7) YOU don't have to pay trading fees or exchange fees. There are none of the usual fees, which futures and equity traders are accustomed to pay: NO exchange or clearing fees, NO NFA or SEC fees. Because currencies trade over-the-counter (OTC), via a global electronic network, in FOREX, what you see on your trading screen, is what you get, allowing you to make quick decisions on your trades without having to worry or account for fees that may affect your profit/loss or slippage. In the equity and commodity markets, you must pay both a commission and exchange fees. The over-the-counter structure of the FX market eliminates exchange and clearing fees, which in turn lowers transaction costs. 8) HOW to Forex brokers make money if they don't charge commissions? Like all traded financial products, over-the-counter currency trading involves a bid/ask spread, which represents the prices at which your counterpart is willing to trade. Your broker will receive a part of this bid/ask spread. Because the currency market offers round-the-clock liquidity, you receive tight, competitive spreads both intra-day and night. Stock traders can be more vulnerable to liquidity risk and typically receive wider trading spreads, especially during after-hours trading. 9) Market Transparency. Market transparency is highly desired in any trading environment. The greater the market transparency, the more efficient the market becomes. Unlike other markets where transparency is compromised (like in the many recent scandals), FOREX markets are highly transparent (i.e., analyzing countries, and having access to real-time research / news, is easier than analyzing companies). Because of this transparency, as an FX trader, you will be able to apply risk management strategies in accordance to your fundamental and technical indicators. 10) Instantaneous Order Execution The FX market offers the highest level of market transparency out of all the financial markets. Because of this, order execution and fill confirmation usually occur in just 1-2 seconds. In Forex, order execution is all-electronic and because you'll be trading via an Internet-based platform, instantaneous execution is routine. There are no exchanges, no traditional open-outcry pits, no floor brokers, and consequently, no delays.( will be continued )

Copyright 2006 Timothy Rohrer Making money in the forex market is not an easy task by any means. However, given a bit of education and knowledge of the market, it can become quite easy to profit in the forex market. Most traders end up learning that it’s the simply systems that create the wealth. Over analyzing and over thinking can sometimes affect your trading methods and strategy. The trading method I am going to explain here is probably going to upset you a little and will most likely go against everything you have ever been taught about forex. However, you have to remember that this is my personal strategy and its how I make money. It may not work for the next person, but it has shown me a way to make a substantial amount of money in the forex market. Through your forex training you might have heard traders tell you to always trade with a stop-loss. If you don’t know what a stop-loss is, it’s simply an order telling the broker when you would like to cut your losses. I don’t trade with a stop-loss period. How is this so? How can I make money without using a stop-loss? I tend to believe that the big players in the forex market like to drive this market in certain directions to take out other traders stop-loss positions. In order for the banks to make money, they have to take other traders monies, therefore taking out stop-loss orders in the market. I don’t allow the banks to do this to me personally. Secondly, on each trade look to make only a few pips. In some cases this is known as scalping the market. On each trade I am only looking to get 3 to maybe 6 pips or as I like to say, get in and get out. Your next question might be, “how do I know when to enter and exit the market?” I use a set of indicators combine with a detailed analysis of trend lines and channels. The indicators tell me when to get in and get out and the trend lines give me the overall direction of the market for the next month to few years. Having a good idea of where the market is heading over the course of a few years gives me a good idea whether I am in buy mode or sell mode on a daily basis. How is it possible to survive without using a stop-loss? Very simply put, do not risk large amounts on each trade. I only risk one tenth of my account balance per trade. For example, I only trade $1 lots on a $10,000 account. What this enables me to do is use no stop-loss. If the market moves 200 points no problem. By the time the market moves 200 points, I’ve already made 100 other trades in profit all for 3 to 6 pips each. If the market continues to get away from me, I continue trading each day gaining which eventually compensates for the few losers and eventually overrides them. When the market comes back in my favor, those losing trades are making profit every step of the way.

A way of winnig huge profits. Currency exchange is the trading of one currency against another. Professionals refer to this as foreign exchange, but may also use the acronyms Forex or FX. Currency exchange is necessary in numerous circumstances. Consumers typically come into contact with currency exchange when they travel. They go to a bank or currency exchange bureau to convert their "home currency into , the currency of the country they intend to travel to. They may also purchase goods in a foreign country or via the Internet with their credit card, in which case they will find that the amount they paid in the foreign currency will have been converted to their home currency on their credit card statement. Although each such currency exchange is a relatively small transaction, the aggregate of all such transactions is significant. Businesses typically have to convert currencies when they conduct business outside their home country. They exportin goods to another country and receive payment in the currency of that foreign country, then the payment must often be converted back to the home currency. Similarly, if they have to import goods or services, then businesses will often have to pay in a foreign currency, requiring them to first convert their home currency into the foreign currency. Large companies convert huge amounts of currency each year. The timing of when they convert can have a large affect on their balance sheet and bottom line.Investors and speculators require currency exchange whenever they trade in any foreign investment, be that equities, bonds, bank deposits, or real estate. Investors and speculators also trade currencies directly in order to benefit from movements in the currency exchange markets. Commercial and Investment Banks trade currencies as a service for their commercial banking, deposit and lending customers. These institutions also generally participate in the currency market for hedging and proprietary trading purposes. Governments and central banks trade currencies to improve trading conditions or to intervene in an attempt to adjust economic or financial imbalances. Although they do not trade for speculative reasons --- they are a non-profit organization --- they often tend to be profitable, since they generally trade on a long-term basis. Currency exchange rates are determined by the currency exchange market.A currency exchange rate is typically given as a pair consisting of a bid price and an ask price. The ask price applies when buying a currency pair and represents what has to be paid in the quote currency to obtain one unit of the base currency. The bid price applies when selling and represents what will be obtained in the quote currency when selling one unit of the base currency. The bid price is always lower than the ask price. Buying the currency pair implies buying the first, base currency and selling (short) an equivalent amount of the second, quote currency (to pay for the base currency). (It is not necessary for the trader to own the quote currency prior to selling, as it is sold short.) A speculator buys a currency pair, if she believes the base currency will go up relative to the quote currency, or equivalently that the corresponding exchange rate will go up. Selling the currency pair implies selling the first, base currency (short), and buying the second, quote currency. A speculator sells a currency pair, if she believes the base currency will go down relative to the quote currency, or equivalently, that the quote currency will go up relative to the base currency. After buying a currency pair, the trader will have an open position in the currency pair. Right after such a transaction, the value of the position will be close to zero, because the value of the base currency is more or less equal to the value of the equivalent amount of the quote currency. In fact, the value will be slightly negative, because of the spread involved. For more information contact Currency Traders at www.mynetto.com

If you are new to Forex, no doubt you are confused by all of the strange and unfamiliar terminology. For example, what is a pip? Also, you are probably already aware that Forex trading can be risky. How can you limit your loss and best protect your funds? This article briefly covers how currency lots are traded to help you better understand how to plan your trading strategy and manage your funds. In Foreign Currency Exchange (FOREX), earnings are expressed in "pips". Pip is short for Price Interest Point, also called points. Whereas the smallest denomination in USD is the penny ($.01), in Currency Exchange, funds can be traded in an even smaller denomination, $0.0001. This means that very small movements in currency prices can create large profits. So, a PIP is the smallest unit a currency can be traded in. The actual value of a pip is not a set price. If you are trading with a standard account, a pip is worth $10. If you are trading a mini account, a pip is only worth $1. The value of a pip changes based upon the size of your account, because the size of your account affects how much currency you can leverage. A standard full size trading account is 100,000 units of the base currency. If you are trading in USD, a standard account has a value of $100,000 USD. A mini lot is 10,000 units of base currency. If you are trading mini lots, you can leverage $10,000. This is why a pip in a mini account is worth less than a pip in a standard full sized account. While Forex trading allows you to leverage more funds than you actually have, this can be a double edged sword. While you can make profits on funds that you leverage (rather than own), you can also have losses amplified as well. There are several ways, however, to manage your risk when trading Forex. If you are interested in trading Forex, you should have a definite trading strategy. You must educate yourself to know when to enter and exit the market and what kind of movements to anticipate. You can also place something known as a stop loss order. Stop-loss orders the typical way traders minimize risk when placing an entry order. A stop-loss order to exit your position if the currency price reaches a certain point. If you are taking a long position, you would place the stop loss order below current market price. For a short position, you would place a stop loss order above current market price. This technique allows you to manage your risk and, just as the name suggests, stop your losses at a certain point. As you can see, Forex trading can be complex, but once you understand the basic fundamental principals of how lots are traded, its starts to come together for you. Foreign Currency Trading can be quite profitable and and exciting way to invest.

Below you will find the six common beliefs followed by the bulk of traders - and if you believe these myths as well, then they will restrict your chances of making significant 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!

If you want to make big profits from currency trading, you need to lock into and follow the longer-term trends. “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.

Currency Day Trading

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282

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The buying or selling of a currency within the same calendar day is known as currency day trading. In this case, all trades are completed in the same day and nothing is held overnight. The United States passed laws six years ago that enabled small investors and common men to participate in currency day trading; previously, only large banks and financial institutions and millionaires were engaged in the practice.

Keywords:

Online Currency Trading, Foreign Currency Trading, Currency Day Trading, Currency Trading Seminars

Article Body:

The buying or selling of a currency within the same calendar day is known as currency day trading. In this case, all trades are completed in the same day and nothing is held overnight. The United States passed laws six years ago that enabled small investors and common men to participate in currency day trading; previously, only large banks and financial institutions and millionaires were engaged in the practice.

Industry analysts believe that currency day trading is a well-kept secret of the rich and powerful who have the power to control all the banks, corporations and foundations throughout the world. In currency day trading, the traders have vast buying power. For instance, it enables traders to use $1 to control an investment worth $200, and $500 to control $100,000.

The professional day traders are divided into two primary categories, those who work alone and those who work for a larger institution. Most of the traders work for a larger institution as they are given access to greater resources. Large amounts of capital and leverage, expensive analytical software, and a direct line to a dealing desk are some of the facilities given to the trader who work with big companies. On the other hand, individual traders mostly manage other people’s accounts or just trade their own. As these people have limited resource access, it prevents them from competing directly with institutional day traders.

There is a lot of software with which a person can learn currency day trading practices. One needs to be a keen learner with an Internet connection. Websites such as Blackjack Trader.com, Choice Daytraders and CompuTrade are some of the portals through which a person can learn more about currency day trading.

If you were wondering; forex trading is nothing more than direct access trading of different types of foreign currencies. A few years ago, foreign exchange trading was mostly limited to large banks and institutional traders however; today technological advancements have made it so that small traders can also take advantage of the many benefits of forex trading just by using the various online trading platforms to trade. The currencies of the world are on a floating exchange rate, and they are always traded in pairs Euro/Dollar, Dollar/Yen, etc. About 85 percent of all daily transactions involve trading of the major currencies. Four major currency pairs are usually used for investment purposes. They are: Euro against US dollar, US dollar against Japanese yen, British pound against US dollar, and US dollar against Swiss franc. Right now I will show you how they look in the trading market: EUR/USD, USD/JPY, GBP/USD, and USD/CHF. As a note you should know that no dividends are paid on currencies. If you think one currency will appreciate against another, you may exchange that second currency for the first one and be able to stay in it. In case everything goes as you plan it, eventually you may be able to make the opposite deal in that you may exchange this first currency back for that other and then collect profits from it. Transactions on the FOREX market are performed by dealers at major banks or FOREX brokerage companies. FOREX is a necessary part of the world wide market, so when you are sleeping in the comfort of your bed, the dealers in Europe are trading currencies with their Japanese counterparts. Therefore, it is reasonable for you to believe that the FOREX market is active 24 hours a day and dealers at major institutions are working 24/7 in three different shifts. Clients may place take-profit and stop-loss orders with brokers for overnight execution. Price movements on the FOREX market are very smooth and without the gaps that you face almost every morning on the stock market. The daily turnover on the FOREX market is somewhere around $1.2 trillion, so a new investor can enter and exit positions without any problems. The fact is that the FOREX market never stops, even on September 11, 2001 you could still get your hands on two-side quotes on currencies. The currency market is the largest and oldest financial market in the world. It is also called the foreign exchange market, FX market for short. It is the biggest and most liquid market in the world, and it is traded mostly through the 24 hour-a-day inter-bank currency market. When you compare them, you will see that the currency futures market is only one per cent as big. Unlike the futures and stock markets, trading currencies is not centered on an exchange. Trading moves from major banking centers of the U.S. to Australia and New Zealand, to the Far East, to Europe and finally back to the U.S. it is truly a full circle trading game. In the past, the forex inter-bank market was not available to small speculators because of the large minimum transaction sizes and strict financial requirements. Banks, major currency dealers and sometimes even very large speculator were the principal dealers. Only they were able to take advantage of the currency market's fantastic liquidity and strong trending nature of many of the world's primary currency exchange rates. Today, foreign exchange market brokers are able to break down the larger sized inter-bank units, and offer small traders like you and me the opportunity to buy or sell any number of these smaller units. These brokers give any size trader, including individual speculators or smaller companies, the option to trade at the same rates and price movements as the big players who once dominated the market. As you can see, the foreign exchange market has come a long way. Being successful at it can be intimidating and difficult when you are new to the game. So if you want to step into this market, first thing you do is get the right knowledge and educate yourself until you feel ready to jump in.

Several companies offer automated forex broker services. In the following articles, you'll find brief reviews of each. What forex brokers offer automated services? GFT Forex is an automated forex broker, whose DealBook FX 2 software offers the investor both a demo and a live forex trading tool in the currency market. This forex trading software offers the investor direct access to some of the tightest spreads, through a stable, standalone forex trading platform, 24 hours a day. The DealBook FX 2 software shows live, dealable prices, real time data, free real time world and financial news, forex charts, more than 65 technical indicators, and the ability to build the investor’s own indicators. GCI Financial Ltd., another automated forex broker, provides trading software that tracks real time prices in 20 major currencies, live charts, and real time profit and loss account tracking. The software is offered as a demo also. Market orders are confirmed within seconds at prices clicked on or accepted by the client. The FX3K is an online automated dealing and trading platform used by automated forex brokers. The FX3K online trading environment includes real time quotes, charting, technical analysis tools, and news. FX3K integrates the client, dealer, back office and system administrator functions. Product features include high speed execution of client orders and the ability to monitor real time margin availability, net exposure and profit and loss on all open positions. FX3K has chat options to allow trader-dealer conversations. The COESfx Level 1 Trading Platform is used by automated forex broker as an Electronic Currency Network for the execution of best prices for buyers and sellers of foreign exchange. It offers traders live and executable prices, thereby making each participant a market maker. Traders gain access to "best bid/best offer” quotes directly from price providers and other traders. COESfx pricing is derived from a number of partners in the network such as banks, Futures Commission Merchants (FCM’s), Introducing Brokers (IB’s), fund managers and other traders on its Electronic Currency Network.

These days everyone is talking about a new profitable activity called Forex trading and the great opportunity this activity represents for people willing to brake free from the corporate world and start working from home or any where else without losing their current lifestyle and even improving it. Most experienced traders consider that the best and most profitable of the capital markets is the Forex market. For many years Forex trading was the sole domain of major banks, large financial institutions and countries central banks; for example the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank. But these days, thanks to the internet the market has been opened to everyone willing to learn the best techniques in forex trading and with the intention of making substantial profits as the institutions mentioned above that annually and consistently make pretty high profits from trading in the Foreign Exchange market. You have many advantages when trading the forex markets, for example; you don't have to worry about fees you may have to pay to your broker; there are also none of the usual fees to which futures and equity traders are accustomed to pay always; no exchange or clearing fees, no NFA or SEC fees. The forex market has five major currencies: US Dollar, Japanese Yen, British Pound, Euro and the Swiss Franc. It is due to their great popularity in world's commerce transactions and its high activity that these five currencies account for over 70% of North American trading. Of course there are other tradable currencies; they include the Canadian, Australian and New Zealand Dollars. These minor currencies account for 4% - 7% of the total market volume. Together, all this five majors and minors currencies constitute the backbone of the Forex market. The concept of “Buying” in Forex refers to the acquisition of a particular currency pair to open a trade and “Selling short” refers to the selling of a particular currency to open a trade, i.e, just the opposite. When you Buy, you are expecting the price of the currency pair to increase with time, i.e., you buy cheap to sell high; which is easy to understand. In the case of Selling short, it looks a bit more complicated. Here the way to make money is to initially sell a currency pair that you think will lose value in a given period of time and then, once it happened, you will buy it back at the new price but now you can sell it at the previous greater price the currency had when you opened the trade, so you earn the difference in prices. It may seem kind of tricky when you are starting, but once you are in front of your trading station it will look much simpler.

Comments on Forex Trading Account Sizes, Lots and Margin Calls.

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485

Summary:

Forex trading is so great that it even allows you to have great leverages, typically 100:1 and there are no risks of having a debit balance in a bad trading day. Two great advantages Futures won’t give you.

Keywords:

Forex,forex trading,forex broker,forex account, forex day trading,forex system

Article Body:

Forex trading is one of the best business opportunities you can think of joining these days. No other market in the world allows the “Leverage” that the profitable world of currency-trading does. Leverage is all about margin trading. In the Forex market, it is essentially the ratio of the amount used in a trade to the required security deposit needed, by the particular broker you chose to use, for that trade.

Normally, for most brokerages, a margin deposit of just $1,000 allows you to control a $100,000 position in the Forex market. That's 100:1 leverage, or 1%. Or, said in a different way, a “regular full-sized account”, sometimes referred to as a 100k account, allows you to trade with lot sizes equal to $100,000. Each lot is worth $100,000 in currency. So It would only require $1,000 to trade one lot.

This great feature in Forex trading is what makes this market the hottest market to trade in right now. The Forex broker has given you a loan of $99,000 dollars secured only by your $1,000! This is a huge loan and, as you may know by now, this is what allows traders to make extraordinary incomes in this market. And, as you also are probably used to hearing , "leverage is a two-edged sword" , it is what can cause you to lose a lot of money if you trade without rules or Stop-loss orders.

But just as an example, let's say you were a person that likes to trade with reckless abandon, i.e., with no strategy, no common sense, no money- management principles, etc. That’s never recommended for anyone, but being a Forex trader has such great advantages, that even someone with a trading mind like the one described before, will never lose more than what he has placed into a trade.

Unlike Futures (Commodity Trading), the market that most people associate with High leverage, you can never have a debit balance when trading Forex.

So, despite the greater leverage associated with FX trading, it is still arguably less risky than futures trading. Futures markets are often prone to sudden and dramatic moves, against which you can’t protect yourself, even by trading with protective stops. Your position may be liquidated at a loss, and you’ll be liable for any resulting deficit in the account. But because of the Forex markets great liquidity and 24-hour, continuous trading, dangerous trading gaps and limit moves are very unprobable. Orders are executed quickly, without slippage or partial fills, which is just great.

And as it was not enough, there are no margin calls, for your protection, the forex broker's trading platform will automatically close out some or all of your open positions if your account equity, meaning the total floating value of the account, falls below the level required to hold the positions. Think of this as a final, automatic stop, always working on your behalf to prevent a debit balance.

Choosing a Forex Third Party Signal Provider

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716

Summary:

When choosing a third party signal provider for your forex account you need to be carefull. Here are a few tips and things to look for when making your decision.

Keywords:

forex, fx, trading, third party signal, autotrading, trading systems, automated trading

Article Body:

With the growing popularity and easy access to the foreign exchange (ForEx) market, more and more people are drawn to it as their financial vehicle of choice. Along with this popularity come all the extras. This includes all kinds of software, trading systems for sale, books, videos, and third party signal party providers. Today I’m going to touch on a few points when seeking out a third party forex signal provider.

Before we get into choosing a provider we need to have a good understanding of what a third party signal provider is. A signal provider is a trader or analyst that generates trades that in turn get placed on your account. You can have several signal providers trading your forex account or just one.

Like anything else, all third party signal providers are not created equal. At first glance a trader may look like a home run. That same trader may well end up completely torpedoing your entire account in one afternoon. To help make sure this doesn’t happen we’ll set down a few guidelines. These guidelines will give us something to look for when choosing our third party signal provider.

1. The first thing I look at is weather the trader is a winner or a loser. This may seem obvious to nearly everyone, but I often see losing signal providers with 50-100 people trading their signals.

2. The next thing I look at is how long they have been a winner. If a trader has been winning for a week that means nothing to me. I recommend that you don’t trade any signal provider with less than a few months of results to show you. Any one can place a few good trades one week and get lucky. If you are going to be trading this trader’s signals they need to be established.

3. Look at the max draw down. This is the largest peak to trough draw down in equity that the trader has historically had. Some traders refuse to take a loss. This causes them to hold on to losing trades forever or until they turn to a winner. Turning a loser into a winner sounds great, but it will eat up a huge chunk of margin and may never turn around. If it doesn’t turn in your direction, you will have your entire account destroyed by a trader that could have taken a 30 pip loss but held on until it was an 800 pip loss.

4. The first three are easy to look at. They will be displayed right on the main screen of signal providers to choose from. Once you get a few signal providers you are thinking of using, its time to dive a bit deeper into their history.

a. Look at their actual trades. Do they have a good win rate because they have opened a ton of trades all at the same time on the same currency pair? They may have 20 winners in a row. This looks great, but if you look a bit deeper you will see that its really only 1 winning trade places 20 times. Not as impressive is it?

b. Look at their draw down on individual trades. Do they let a trade go 300 pips against them and then close it out when it hits 5 pips of profit? This is a trader who lets their losses run out of control and cuts their winning trades short. It’s not a trader that you want in control of your money.

c. Do they add to losing positions? A trader who constantly adds to losing positions hoping it will turn for them is not someone you want trading your account.

5. Choose a signal provider that suits you. Some traders may provide larger returns over time, but take bigger risks leading to bigger draw downs. This might be OK with you. If you are more conservative and cannot stomach large drops in equity you probably should choose a more conservative trader.

These are just a few things to look for when choosing a third party signal provider to trade your forex account. You should always trade a demo account before opening a live account with real money. Remember it’s your account. In the end you choose the signal providers, and you are responsible for what happens.

Currency markets - Spanish property 20 July 2006

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382

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Summary of Overnight News:
• The FTSE-100 will open sharply higher this morning following last night's strong gains in New York, as dovish comments by Fed chairman Ben Bernanke and sliding oil prices allowed investors to put the crisis in the Middle East to one side and put a bit of blue on our screens to match the skies outside.

Keywords:

Currency markets , spanish property

Article Body:

Summary of Overnight News:
• The FTSE-100 will open sharply higher this morning following last night's strong gains in New York, as dovish comments by Fed chairman Ben Bernanke and sliding oil prices allowed investors to put the crisis in the Middle East to one side and put a bit of blue on our screens to match the skies outside.

• US stocks surged higher on Wall Street last night after Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke reassured the market with his view that economic growth seems to be moderating and inflation remains contained, traders noted.

• 'Clearly we don't want to tighten too much to cause our economy to grow more slowly than its potential,' Bernanke said during questioning before the Senate Banking Committee.
• Investors interpreted Bernanke's testimony as a sign the Fed is close to ending its streak of interest rate hikes, dealers added.
• The DJIA closed 212.19 points higher at 11,011.42, its best performance of 2006, while the Nasdaq ended up 37.49 points at 2,080.71.

USA

Figures out Today:
13:30 US jobless claims (w/e 15/7) k Prev 332
13:30 CA wholesale sales (May) %m/m Prev 0.1
15:00 US leading indicators (Jun) % Prev -0.6
17:00 US Philadelphia Fed (Jul) Prev 13.1
19:00 US Minutes of 29 Jun FOMC Meeting

• Yesterday’s 0.3% rise in the US June core CPI tipped the balance to another 25bp rate hike on 8 August. But a less hawkish than expected and fairly noncommittal testimony from Chairman Bernanke added a fraction more ambiguity to the chance of an imminent rate hike, with the focus seemingly more on the longer term impact on inflation from moderating growth. His testimony, which gave strong boost to US and European share prices and Treasury bonds, came as the Fed released forecasts suggesting that it is prepared to bring US inflation down gradually, to minimise the damage to the real economy.

UK

Figures out Today:
09:30 Retail sales (Jun) %m/m Exp 0.2 Prev 0.5
09:30 Retail sales (Jun) %y/y Exp 2.7 Prev 4.0
09:30 PSNB (Jun) £m Exp 7000 Prev 6583
09:30 PSNCR (Jun) £m Exp 13000 Prev 16246
• UK retail sales (09:30) are forecast to have edged up during June, by around 0.2%. Overall, the quarterly performance of the retail sector should have improved considerably in Q2 which should underpin tomorrow’s release for GDP, expected to have grown 0.7% in Q2, inline with the MPC’s central projection.

Japan

Figures out Today:
06:00 JN BoJ Monetary Policy Minutes
EURUSD @ 1.2590 GBPUSD @ 1.8435 GBPEUR @ 1.4640 USDJPY @ 116.85

Foreign currency exchange trading can be very rewarding, but can also be very intimidating to a beginner. To get started, you will need to know some basics: 1. What is foreign currency exchange? 2. How is it traded? 3. What are the benefits? 4. What are the risks? 5. How can I get started? What is Foreign Currency Exchange? The Foreign currency exchange (FOREX) market is a cash (or “spot”) market for currency. Unlike the stock exchange, the FOREX market is not located on a trading floor or centralized on an exchange. Instead, it is entirely electronic within a network of banks and runs 24 hours per day Sunday evening (5:00 pm EST) through Friday evening (4:00 pm EST), excluding some holidays. The fact that it is all electronic means that you can tap into it from your computer. How is it traded? FOREX is traded in currency pairs, for example EUR/USD is the Euro base currency and the US dollar counter (or quote) currency. There are six major pairs: EUR/USD, GBP/USD (Great Britian pound vs. US dollar), USD/JPY (US dollar vs. Japanese yen), USD/CAD (US dollar vs. Canadian dollar), AUD/USD (Australian dollar vs. US dollar), and USD/CHF (US dollar vs. Swiss Franc). Currencies are traded in dollar amounts called lots. For a “standard” account, one lot (called a standard lot) is $1,000 and controls $100,000 in currency. For example, when you place an order to buy one lot of EUR/USD, you are buying the EUR and simultaneously selling the USD. The margin you must put up to place the order is $1000 (for a standard lot). You are going long the EUR and expecting it to strengthen against the USD. For every increase of $0.0001 in the EUR, you make one “pip” (price interest point) equivalent to $10 per lot traded. Similarly, for a “mini-account” when you place an order to sell one mini-lot (one-tenth of a standard lot) of EUR/USD, you are selling the EUR and simultaneously buying the USD. You are going short the EUR and expecting it to weaken against the USD. The margin requirement is $100.00 per mini-lot. For every decrease in the EUR of $0.0001 you make one pip equivalent to $1 per mini-lot traded. Note that unlike trading stocks, there are absolutely no restrictions on short-selling in FOREX. Short-selling is exactly like buying – except that you’re selling of course. The pip value and amount per pip per lot differs when the USD is not the counter or quote currency. For example, when buying the USD/JPY pair with a ask price of 109.00 (meaning 1 USD equals 109.00 yen), a change in the Japanese yen of 0.01 yen is equivalent to 1 pip or $9.17 per pip per lot traded ($9.17 = $100,000 x 0.01 / 109.00). The broker makes money off the spread which is the difference in the quotation ask and bid prices. You buy the base currency at the ask price and sell it at the bid price. Generally, the major currency pairs have relatively low spreads. The EUR/USD is commonly two to three pips and the GPD/USD is commonly four to five pips. For example, the current bid/ask price for EUR/USD is quoted at 1.2322/1.2324. This means that you can buy 1 EUR (the base currency) for $1.2324 USD (the counter-currency). You buy at the ask price. You can sell 1 EUR for $1.2322 USD (you sell at the bid price). You will pay the broker the spread or $1.2324 - $1.2322 = $0.0002 = 2 pips. For a standard lot, the broker fee (in this example) is $10 x 2 pips = $20 per standard lot for a roundtrip trade (1 buy and matching sell or 1 sell and matching buy). For a mini-lot, the fee would be $1 x 2 pips = $2 per mini-lot for a roundtrip trade. The broker fee is automatically deducted from your account. Obviously, if you buy (go long) a currency pair, you expect the base currency to increase in price. Your objective is to sell later at a price higher than you purchased and make a profit. On the flip side, if you sell (go short) a currency pair, you expect the base currency to decrease in price. Your objective is to buy later at a price that is lower than the price you originally sold, and thus make a profit off the difference. There’s more to it than can be explained in this overview, but you should get the basic idea. What are the benefits? 1. With FOREX trading, there is no inventory, no employees, and no customers. Your overhead can be as minimal as a home computer with internet access. 2. You can get started with a “mini-account” investing as little as $300. 3. Currency prices tend to repeat in relatively predictable cycles creating strong trends. Once you learn how to trade properly, you can compound your money, and potentially turn a little into a lot. 4. You can trade for a few hours per week, or much more if you want to. It’s all up to you. 5. The FOREX market is very liquid, with trillions of dollars traded every day. On its slowest day, orders can usually be placed within a few seconds if you stay with the major currencies. Instantaneous execution (1 to 2 seconds) is the norm during normal trade volume days (for the major currencies). 6. You can trade from just about anywhere as long as you have a computer with internet access to your account. What are the risks? 1. The market can be very volatile, especially during times of major news releases, also known as “fundamental announcements.” The time of these announcements is usually known in advance. Many traders simply stay out of the market during these announcements and wait until market volatility has settled back down. 2. If you use too much margin or risk too much on any one trade, your account could suffer badly on a trade that doesn’t go your way. Proper risk management, including sound placement of stops and not risking more than 2 percent of your account on any one trade, can alleviate this risk. Do not risk more money than you can afford to lose. 3. A major world event could trigger a huge volatility swing that could wipe out your account (or even more). However, some brokers limit the loss to the amount in your account. (Of course, a major world event could also cause the trade to go your way.) 4. Trader psychology (fear and greed) can play a big role in your success or failure as a trader. Trading education is one of the keys to overcoming these human flaws. 5. You could fail to place a stop loss with your order. A change in price could force a liquidation of your trade if your account falls below the required margin maintenance. To alleviate this risk, always set a stop loss when you place an order. This list is not meant to be inclusive. There are other risks. How can I get started? You can easily open an online account by selecting one from many available FOREX brokers. You can, and should open a demo account to practice (and learn) for several months for free. The practice account makes simulated trades using real-time data. This is called “paper trading.” You should not trade your real account until you have proven to yourself that you can be profitable in your demo account. Once you get started, you can trade currencies from just about anywhere. About all you need is a computer with internet access to your trading account. Many brokers also provide free charting software. Jim McCabe