Forex Course: A Quick Forex Guide for Traders

In this Forex course we will review some steps you need to take care before you venture into your trading journey. Most traders venture into the Forex market with little or no experience in the Forex market. This results in painful experiences like loosing most of the risk capital, frustration because it seemed so easy to make money, etc.

The first thing you need to realize is that, it is not easy to make money. As every other endeavor in life, where important rewards are to come after mastering it, you need to work hard. You need to get very well educated and experienced before having the possibility to receive important rewards on it. The key on mastering the Forex market relies on commitment, patience and discipline.

Ok, you have decided you are going to trade the Forex market, you have seen several advertisings featuring how easy is to make money in the Forex market. You might think this is your opportunity to reach your financial freedom, right away, time is money, why waiting any longer if you have the opportunity to make money now. I know, I've been there, but you have a chance now, I didn't, no body told me what I am going to tell you.

We, Forex traders, make transactions based on a set of rules. These sets of rules are what we call a Trading System. Our systems tell us the exact time where we need to get in the market and out the market in order to make a profit (i.e. buy low sell high.)

Creating a system is the first big step you need to take care first. Why is this so important? Because you need to build a system that suits your personality, otherwise you are going to find hard to follow it, thus hard to profit from. A system can be based on technical indicators or what we called a mechanical system or based on experience and intuition or what we call discretionary systems. I highly recommend using and trying first a mechanical system, because discretionary systems are dangerous during the early stages of a Forex trader (can lead to indiscipline.) With experience, on later stages, you will find out which signals work better and which ones to avoid.

The next step in this Forex course is to try your system on a demo account. Most Forex brokers offer a demo account, an account with virtual money. This is an excellent choice to test your trading system as there is no money at risk. In this step you will figure out if the strategy works for you. If you feel comfortable trading it, then it is most likely to produce good results. How much time should you stay in this step? It varies, but you shouldn't go one step further until your system gets consistent profitable results over a period of time. It can take many months, but remember, you need to be patient.

You must be honest to yourself; you need to take every single signal generated by your system, not only the signals you thought were going to work, otherwise, you are going to have problems in the next two steps.

Ok, by know you had consistent profitable results on your demo account. You might think its time to go full. Nope, nope, nope. There is a big difference between trading a demo and a real account. The most important difference lies on emotions (fear, greed, anger, etc.) These are psychological barriers that affect every single decision made by traders regardless of what he/she is trading (stocks, bonds, Forex, futures, grains, etc.) These emotional factors, in my opinion, are the most determinant factor that separates profitable traders from the others.

The next step in this Forex course is specially designed to deal with emotions and to confirm the results obtained in the prior step (consistent results in a demo account.) At this step you need to trade in a real account with limited funds. Some brokers offer fractional lot trading. Meaning you are able to trade any desired amount (even cents.) The important thing here is that these emotions we've been talking about are present only when there is real money at risk. At this stage, you are going to see if you are really comfortable trading your system and if you are able to trade with such system, remember different systems produce different emotions. If you are able to produce similar results than those obtained in a demo account, then ready for the next step. If you didn't, then you might need to create another system, there is chance your system never fit you. If you created consistent profitable results on this stage, you have a chance to produce similar results in the next one, on the other hand, if you didn't produce good results in this stage, you will not be able to make on the next stage. Remember, you need to do things right, and be honest to yourself.

The last stage is trading in a real account with sufficient funds. If you are at this stage, and have passed successfully every prior stage, then you have a chance to make it, go ahead and try it, you need to be confident in yourself and in your system, your strategy have already produced consistent profitable results, there are reasons to believe you are going to make it. Very few traders fail at this stage (if passed successfully prior stages.)

Trading successfully is no easy task, it requires a lot of work, patience, discipline, and education. By completing the steps outlined in this Forex course, you have a chance to produce profitable results. I repeat it again, you need to be honest to yourself about the results obtained in every stage. Some times you might need expert guidance regarding your system development strategies.

Raul Lopez is a full time Forex trader; his trades are based on a price behavior approach. Raul is also founder of http://www.straightforex.com a high quality Forex training company.

Moving Averages Basics And How They Help FOREX Traders.

With Forex trading becoming a more extended and desired occupation for lots of people around the world, living with the desire of working at home and still having the ability to gain a full time income, the need for accurate trading systems and techniques has become a major necessity for all these new Forex Traders

.

Among one of the important concepts a new forex trader should know is what a Moving Average means, how it's calculated and what its use as a trading indicator is.

Moving Average is defined as a technical indicator that shows the average value of a particular currency pair over a previously determined amount of time. This means, for example, that prices are averaged over 20 or 50 days, or 10 and 50 min depending on the time frame you are using at the moment of your trading activity.

As an averaged quantity, MA's can bee seen as a smoothed representation of the current market activity and an indicator of the major trend influencing the market behavior.

This smoothing effect of the Moving Average is very helpful when the trader is looking for getting rid of the "noise" in the price fluctuations of the currency pair he is trading at the moment and a more precise emphasis in the trend direction is required.

The basic mechanics of how Moving Averages can tell you where the forex market is moving (up or down), at the moment of your analysis is by considering two different time frame Moving Averages and plotting them on the forex chart. It is very important that one of these MA is over a shorter time period than the other one; let's say one will be over a 15 days period and the other over a 50 days period. Most trading station software available by a number of brokers will let you do this plotting and much more.

Once you have plotted the two Moving Averages, you will notice points of crossover where the shorter time period MA will cross above the longer time period MA indicating an upward trend in the market, or if the crossing is below the longer period MA that will be an indication of a down trend in the forex market.

So from this simple concept you can commence to understand the basics of confirming trends when checking your forex charts during your trading hours.http://www.1-forex.com

Trading Currency Through Online Forex Brokers

Access to foreign exchange (forex), the most extensive market on the planet, is generally through an intermediary known as a forex broker. Similar to a stock broker, these agents can also provide advice on forex trading strategies. This advice to clients often extends to technical analysis and research approaches designed to improve client forex trading performance.

Financial institutions are generally the most influential in the forex market through high-volume, large-value forex currency transactions. Historically, banks enjoyed monopolistic access to the forex markets, but through the Internet, any forex speculator can also enjoy 24 hour access to the market via a forex broker.

Secure web connections today allow many forex traders to work from home, where ready access to news and other technical advice informs decisions on what forex positions to take. Similar moves are being made by stock brokers, who are also moving out of banks and other traditional institutions.

Your needs in the market will influence your choice of forex broker. Online forex brokerage firms, known as houses, provide those new to the forex market with detailed research, advice and simulators to learn how to use their forex trading tools. The experienced online forex trader is catered to by other broking houses, with in-depth advice, but less focus on forex trading instruction based on the assumption that you are familiar with the forex market. To make an informed choice, it is advisable to trial several differing online forex broking houses and their trading tools to find the best fit for your needs.

Jay Moncliff is the founder of http://www.forex-web.info a website specialized on Forex Broker, resources and articles. This site provides updated information on Forex Broker. For more info on Forex Broker visit: http://www.forex-web.info

Trading Forex To Advance Your Financial Position

Everyday, currencies are traded in an international foreign exchange market, otherwise known as the forex market, with the main marketplaces (otherwise known as bourses) existing in the world?s financial centes New York, London, Tokyo, Frankfurt and Zurich. Historically, the only way to participate was from the trading floor of one of these bourses, but today, people can trade forex from anywhere through a secure internet connection and a PC.

Today?s traders operate in a global network, taking positions in the market and making investment decisions based on either relative value between two currencies, or a particular currency?s actual price. Currency value fluctuations are constantly renegotiated through trading activity, and this activity, and the corresponding currency values are also indicators of the levels of currency supply.

An example of market behaviour greater demand for the Euro might indicate a weakening supply. Low supply and increased demand will drive the price of the Euro up against other currencies like the dollar, until the price better reflects what traders are prepared to pay when short supply exists. Another way to look at this situation is this higher demand means it will cost more dollars to buy the Euro, which equates to a weakening of the dollar in comparison. Analysis of situations such as in this example forms the basis for a trader?s investment decisions, and they will purchase or sell currency accordingly.

This should be remembered, as while many see the foreign exchange market as the vehicle for converting their home currency while travelling abroad, many others choose to use the market to advance their financial position and secure their future.

Jay Moncliff is the founder of http://www.goforexonline.info a website specialized on Forex Online, resources and articles. This site provides updated information on Forex Online. For more info on Forex Online visit: http://www.goforexonline.info.

Trading Forex To Advance Your Financial Position

Everyday, currencies are traded in an international foreign exchange market, otherwise known as the forex market, with the main marketplaces (otherwise known as bourses) existing in the world?s financial centes New York, London, Tokyo, Frankfurt and Zurich. Historically, the only way to participate was from the trading floor of one of these bourses, but today, people can trade forex from anywhere through a secure internet connection and a PC.

Today?s traders operate in a global network, taking positions in the market and making investment decisions based on either relative value between two currencies, or a particular currency?s actual price. Currency value fluctuations are constantly renegotiated through trading activity, and this activity, and the corresponding currency values are also indicators of the levels of currency supply. Forex traders have the aim of using the smallest amount of one currency, say the US dollar, to purchase another currency like the British Pound. If supply of the pound lessens in a busy market, it will cost more dollars to buy pounds, and the forex trader hopes to sell their pounds at a higher than their purchase price.

An example of market behaviour greater demand for the Euro might indicate a weakening supply. Low supply and increased demand will drive the price of the Euro up against other currencies like the dollar, until the price better reflects what traders are prepared to pay when short supply exists. Another way to look at this situation is this higher demand means it will cost more dollars to buy the Euro, which equates to a weakening of the dollar in comparison. Analysis of situations such as in this example forms the basis for a trader?s investment decisions, and they will purchase or sell currency accordingly.

This should be remembered, as while many see the foreign exchange market as the vehicle for converting their home currency while travelling abroad, many others choose to use the market to advance their financial position and secure their future.Jay Moncliff is the founder of http://www.goforexonline.info a website specialized on Forex Online, resources and articles. This site provides updated information on Forex Online. For more info on Forex Online visit: http://www.goforexonline.info

Trading Currency Through Online Forex Brokers

Access to foreign exchange (forex), the most extensive market on the planet, is generally through an intermediary known as a forex broker. Similar to a stock broker, these agents can also provide advice on forex trading strategies. This advice to clients often extends to technical analysis and research approaches designed to improve client forex trading performance.

Financial institutions are generally the most influential in the forex market through high-volume, large-value forex currency transactions. Historically, banks enjoyed monopolistic access to the forex markets, but through the Internet, any forex speculator can also enjoy 24 hour access to the market via a forex broker.

Forex traders have the aim of using the smallest amount of one currency, say the US dollar, to purchase another currency like the British Pound. If supply of the pound lessens in a busy market, it will cost more dollars to buy pounds, and the forex trader hopes to sell their pounds at a higher than their purchase price.

Secure web connections today allow many forex traders to work from home, where ready access to news and other technical advice informs decisions on what forex positions to take. Similar moves are being made by stock brokers, who are also moving out of banks and other traditional institutions.

Your needs in the market will influence your choice of forex broker. Online forex brokerage firms, known as houses, provide those new to the forex market with detailed research, advice and simulators to learn how to use their forex trading tools. The experienced online forex trader is catered to by other broking houses, with in-depth advice, but less focus on forex trading instruction based on the assumption that you are familiar with the forex market. To make an informed choice, it is advisable to trial several differing online forex broking houses and their trading tools to find the best fit for your needs.Jay Moncliff is the founder of http://www.forex-web.info a website specialized on Forex Broker, resources and articles. This site provides updated information on Forex Broker. For more info on Forex Broker visit: http://www.forex-web.info

How To? Start Trading The Forex Market ? (Part 4 )

How Currencies are quoted and what moves individual currencies?

ONE of the best advantages in FOREX Trading is

The amount of money you need to place a trade (known as "margin") is all that can be lost !

You have to know, that despite the super-high leverage offered by some Forex brokers up to (400:1); meaning if you put up $ 1000 the broker will allow you to trade like you really have $400.000).

Forex trading is still less riskier than Stock or Futures Trading, where you can loose more than you have deposited in your account.

This type of LEVERAGE does NOT EXIST in the equities or futures market

In the Equities or Futures markets, very often, sudden and dramatic moves occur, against which you can?t protect yourself, even by having placed your 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 FX market?s deep liquidity and 24-hour, continuous trading, dangerous trading gaps and limit moves are almost eliminated.

Orders are executed quickly, without slippage or partial fills. And finally, there are no margin calls. For your protection, the broker will automatically close out some or all of your open positions if your account equity 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.

Currencies are traded in dollar amounts called ? LOTS?

In Forex trading, with most Brokers, you have the choice between 2 different lot sizes.

Standard Lots or Mini Lots.

One Standard lot is equal to $100,000 in currency. The margin requirements, using a 400:1 Leverage, would be US$ 250, in other word you control $100,000 worth of currency for only 250 US dollars.

You mean, depositing $250 with a broker, I could trade 100,000$ worth of currency ???

NO, be aware, that your account size has to be more than the required margin of US 250. For example, if you place an order to buy 1 Standard lot ( @100,000) of USD/JPY and USD/JPY is quoted as 112.10/112.13, you buy USD/JPY at 112.13.

Your account balance would be $220, because you paid 3 pips or $ 30 for this trade.

If you would close this trade immediately, you have to sell it at 112.10 (the bid price) , for a loss of $ 30.

In fact you could not get executed on this trade, as the brokers trading platform would reject your order, for the reason of having insufficient funds in your account).

So, your account balance has to be minimum $280. $250 for margin and $30 for the trade.

BUT....IF, after you have initiated the trade to buy USD/JPY at 112.13, and the USD/JPY falls the next second 1 pip ( approx. $8), your position would be closed automatically, because of margin deficit.

I will explain later about having an adequate account size to trade the Forex Market.

Currencies are always traded in pairs in the FOREX. The pairs have a unique notation that expresses what currencies are being traded.

The symbol for a currency pair will always be in the form ABC/DEF. ABC/DEF is not a real currency pair, it is an example of a symbol for a currency pair. In this example ABC is the symbol for one countries currency and DEF is the symbol for another countries currency.

Some of the most common symbols used in Forex are:

USD - The US Dollar
EUR - The currency of the European Union "EURO"
GBP - The British Pound or cable
JPY - The Japanese Yen
CHF - The Swiss Franc
AUD - The Australian Dollar
CAD - The Canadian Dollar

There are symbols for other currencies as well, but these are the most commonly traded ones.

A currency can never be traded by itself. So you can not ever trade the USD by itself. You always need to BUY one currency and SELL another currency to make a trade possible.

Some of the most traded currency pairs are:

EUR/USD Euro against US Dollar

USD/JPY US Dollar against Japanese Yen

GBP/USD British Pound against US Dollar

USD/CAD US Dollar against Canadian Dollar

AUD/USD Australian Dollar against US Dollar

USD/CHF US Dollar against Swiss Franc

EUR/JPY Euro against Japanese Yen

The currency left of the / is called the base currency.

The currency right of the / is called the counter currency.

When you place an order to buy the EUR/USD, for instance, you are actually buying the EUR and selling the USD.

If you were to sell the pair, you would be selling the EUR and buying the USD. So if you buy or sell a currency PAIR, you are buying/selling the base currency.

The best way to remember is, by just thinking of the entire currency pair as one item.

If you buy it...you buy the first currency and sell the second currency. If you sell it...you sell the first currency and buy the second currency.

That means you would to be able to short-sell with no restrictions so you could make money when the market drops as well as when it rises.

The problem with traditional stock market or commodity trading is that the market has to go up for you to make money. With FOREX trading you can make money in all directions.Veteran Trader Martin Maier is the Founder of Fenix Capital Management LLC He is the developer of various futures and commodities trading programs and his systems have been ranked and rated by various large American Investment Profile Rating Companies such as STAR and MAR.

Trading Currency Through Online Forex Brokers

Access to foreign exchange (forex), the most extensive market on the planet, is generally through an intermediary known as a forex broker. Similar to a stock broker, these agents can also provide advice on forex trading strategies. This advice to clients often extends to technical analysis and research approaches designed to improve client forex trading performance.

Financial institutions are generally the most influential in the forex market through high-volume, large-value forex currency transactions. Historically, banks enjoyed monopolistic access to the forex markets, but through the Internet, any forex speculator can also enjoy 24 hour access to the market via a forex broker.

Forex traders have the aim of using the smallest amount of one currency, say the US dollar, to purchase another currency like the British Pound. If supply of the pound lessens in a busy market, it will cost more dollars to buy pounds, and the forex trader hopes to sell their pounds at a higher than their purchase price.

Secure web connections today allow many forex traders to work from home, where ready access to news and other technical advice informs decisions on what forex positions to take. Similar moves are being made by stock brokers, who are also moving out of banks and other traditional institutions.

Your needs in the market will influence your choice of forex broker. Online forex brokerage firms, known as houses, provide those new to the forex market with detailed research, advice and simulators to learn how to use their forex trading tools. The experienced online forex trader is catered to by other broking houses, with in-depth advice, but less focus on forex trading instruction based on the assumption that you are familiar with the forex market. To make an informed choice, it is advisable to trial several differing online forex broking houses and their trading tools to find the best fit for your needs.Jay Moncliff is the founder of http://www.forex-web.info a website specialized on Forex Broker, resources and articles. This site provides updated information on Forex Broker. For more info on Forex Broker visit: http://www.forex-web.info

Day Trading Forex Market Behaviour

Technology advances like the internet have spawned a new craze, where anyone with a secure internet connection prepared to undertake a small amount of training can engage in trading foreign exchange on the forex market.

Just as a day trader will closely track stock price movements on the Dow Jones Industrial Average, all over the world forex traders monitor currency fluctuations in a similar fashion.

Forex traders have the aim of using the smallest amount of one currency, say the US dollar, to purchase another currency like the British Pound. If supply of the pound lessens in a busy market, it will cost more dollars to buy pounds, and the forex trader hopes to sell their pounds at a higher than their purchase price. In many respects, this type of trading behaviour is very similar to trading in stocks, where the aim of nearly all traders is to buy low and sell high.

The trading process works under a bid/ask system. In the above example, a forex trader might bid 10 dollars in return for 5.7 British pounds, and the seller of the pounds could be asking 11 dollars for the same amount of pounds. If the seller accepts the bid, the trader then hopes the pound continues to increase in price, so that when time comes to sell, they can get in excess of the 10 dollars initially paid.

As only registered traders have access to this auction process, most online speculators will trade through a bank or broking house. Such brokerages charge a commission for facilitating the trades, and forex traders should consider these transaction costs when calculating their selling offer when time comes to exit their position, as this will influence their profit margin.

The global foreign exchange market can trade in excess of a trillion dollars a day. Sheer market size means there is considerable money to be made, and lost, through miscalculation. It is neither a guaranteed, nor easy path to riches, so traders should be educated in how to play the market. Instructional packages are available, and should be carefully reviewed as they can easily range in quality and price. Jay Moncliff is the founder of http://www.forexadvise.info a website specialized on Forex, resources and articles. This site provides updated information on Forex. For more info on Forex visit: http://www.forexadvise.info

Online Forex

 by: Rafik Patel

Q1: When you consider that the foreign exchange market has become the world's largest financial market, with over $1.5 trillion USD traded daily, where does it go from here?

A1:The FX market is unique, in the UK there is no central exchange, we trade via the inter bank market. With more and more private individuals taking up margin trading and new forex brokers setting up, I can only see the market grow in the near future.

Q2: Other than great liquidity, what are the principal benefits attached to the forex market?

A2: There is less to consider when trading the forex markets, there are only a number of variables that affect the pricing.

Main advantages include

Forex Market allows 24 hour trading

Greater leverage - with most brokers offering 100 1,

Less starting capital required,

More Liquidity - day trading has to have enough volume to make it worth our while. The currency market is more liquid than all the world stock markets put together. Currencies are always in action,

Free trading systems

Better for shorting - There are artificial controls built into the market to prevent it from going down too fast. The reason is that we live in a biased world that likes to see things go up instead of down. One of these artificial contraptions is the "uptick rule," which comes into play when shorting stocks, making it more difficult to sell a stock short than to buy it. This is unheard of in the currency market. Selling currencies short while day trading is just as easy as buying them.

Ideal for Short Term Traders -

Q3: Limited market access, liquidity issues-after market hours, commission fees, capital requirements and short selling/stop restrictions are just some of the issues investors face when considering other markets. Given that the forex market removes many of these traditional barriers and therefore does not restrict the forex traders' ability to make a trade at the right time, are we likely to see an increase in trading volumes this year?

A3: With all these advantages, traders are finding it hard not to trade currencies, online trading volumes across all products is increasing at a substantial rate, however FX trading, predominantly amongst retail investors is becoming very popular.

Q4: There is stiff competition amongst online forex service providers for retail forex traders with some claiming to offer the same degree of technical analysis enjoyed by the world's largest banks and institutional traders. Is this possible?

A4: Technical Analysis has come a long way, more and more forex provides now have partnerships with firms who provide analysis. However the banks still have an advantage, the markets are still not under perfectly competitive economic model. The banks will always have access to information that is not readily available, ISX FX currently sources its information from a number of banks to fill this gap.

Q5: Do you subscribe to the theory that forex is less volatile than stocks because the market is much deeper?

A5: As a bet on the direction of a national economy, no currency has ever dropped 25 percent in a day, or imploded as rapidly and completely as an Enron or a Parmalat. In the wake of those scandals, many companies are meting out information more cautiously, making it harder to get the real "scoop" on stocks one problem of trading with too-high leverage is that one piece of surprise news can wipe out one's capital. If you treat forex trading like a business, including proper money management, you have a better chance of success."

Q6: U.S. interest rates-decade lows; global trade wars and terrorism fears have dominated the headlines recently. What impact has this had on retail volumes?

A6: The above factors have all led to a decline in the dollar. This coupled with tighter regulation of brokers has given investors more confidence in brokers. Also the stock market crash has driven individuals to look at the profit opportunities offered by forex.

Q7: Stateside the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) has brought 58 actions against firms, since its new powers were awarded in 2000. Given that certain brokers continue to abuse the system, with investor money sometimes not being traded in the markets promised. What can investors do protect themselves?

A7: The retail forex market is in essence betting, as with any bookmaker there is always a risk that you will not get your winnings, or the odds will be highly stacked against you. With tighter regulation and increased competition, this risk of default has largely disappeared. The risk of price manipulation still exists and this will never really go away. Investors need to ensure that they have an independent price source and trade with a broker who offers true one click dealing. Most brokers work on the basis of the law of large numbers, acting like the bucket shops of 50 years ago, they do not hedge any positions and are directly competing against there clients. This will always lead to price manipulation and further actions by authorities will inevitably be taken.

Q8: What is this best way for currency rookies to get involved in the market?

A8: Like with any new form of trading you need to know what you are doing, especially as there is margin involved. Take all the time you need to learn this new trading skill well -- practice everything you learn with a demo account before you consider going 'live' with your own money. Investors should read books, attend seminars and paper trade until they are comfortable with there strategy.

Rafik Patel C.E.O. ISX FX LIMITED. www.isxfx.com

rafik@isxfx.com

Choosing A Forex Broker

 by: Geoff Turnbull

With currency trading becoming ever more popular, the number of brokers is growing at a rapid rate. What should one look at when deciding which broker to open an account with? These are the important points to consider.

Spread

Because currencies, unlike futures and stocks, are not traded through a central exchange, the spread can be different depending on the broker you use, so it's well worth checking a few out before you open an account. Most forex brokers publish live or delayed prices on their websites so you can compare spreads, but check if the spread is fixed or variable. A fixed spread means exactly that - it will always be the same no matter what time of day or night it is. Some brokers use a variable spread, which might appear to be nice and small when the market is quiet, but when things get busy they can widen the spread which means the market must move more in your favor before you start to make a profit. Fixed spreads are generally slightly wider than the variable spreads are when at their narrowest, but over the long term fixed can be safer.

Execution

Some brokers will show live prices on their trading platform, but will they honor them when it comes to pushing the Buy or Sell button? The best way to find out is to open a demo account and give them a test drive. This will also give you the opportunity to see what the speed of execution is like - when you want to buy, you want to buy now, not sit around waiting for ten minutes whilst your order is confirmed!

Trading Platform

Good trading software will show live prices that you can actually trade at, not just indicative quotes. It will offer Limit and Stop orders, and ideally will let you attach these to your entry order. One-Cancels-Other orders are another useful feature - they mean you can set up your trade and then leave the software to get on with it. And the most important feature of all - can you actually understand the platform? Having all the bells and whistles is of no use if you can't use them, so again, get a demo account and give it a go.

Support

Forex is a 24 hour market, so your broker should offer 24 hour support. You might not be trading at 3am, but that could be what time it is in your brokers head office on the other side of the planet, so make sure there will be somebody there to pick up the phone if things go wrong. You should also check if you can close positions over the phone - essential in case your PC or internet connection crash at a critical moment.

Backing

Finally, before opening an account do a little homework and find out about the company. Forex brokers are regulated, but that doesn't mean they all have equal backing. If the market collapses, you want to know that they've got the reserves to cope with it and will still be around when you decide to withdraw your cash. If a broker is elusive when it comes to questions about their parentage and financial backing, then steer clear.

In Conclusion

Choosing a forex broker isn't difficult, but don't rush the decision. Check out a few, and always get a demo account first to make sure you're happy with the way everything works before sending off your opening balance.

Geoff Turnbull is a full time day trader, and a contributor to http://www.forexheaven.com

Forex2u Forex strategy on successful Forex trading

The essence of the FX2u Forex strategy is that it does not have any Forex trading system but could forecast the market trend accurately.

Every set of Forex trading system available has its disadvantages. The market trend could not be forecasted. If the market could be forecasted, by depending on the RSI, PAR, MOM analysis techniques and some other theories, Forex traders could easily make a fortune.

Many Forex traders could not obtain the anticipated outcome by using these analysis tools, and suffer huge losses. The main reason is relying on some imperfect tools to forecast the unpredictable market trend is just a waste of effort. Therefore the FX2u Forex strategy spirit is to abolish the entire subjective analysis tool.

To survive in the market is to follow the market trend, following the market trend is the essence of the FX2u Forex strategy. By using the opposite theory to enter the market, will only lead to lost. The reason is that if the market rises, it may continue to rise. If the market drops, it may continue to drop. No one is able to forecast when the market trend will stop.

By following the market trend, the market risk could be reduce to the lowest, the FX2u Forex strategy will advance the following the ten principles:

fully understand the how market function and the market trend, else dont trade

After entering the market, the Forex trader MUST immediately put a market stop.

If the stop order has been hit it MUST be executed immediately, NEVER make changes by lowering the stop order price.

If the forecast is wrong, Forex traders should leave the market immediately, then analyze again.

If the forecast is wrong, Forex traders should stop loss and should not increase trading.

Forex traders should admit mistakes, do not continuously make mistakes.

All analysis tools are imperfect, mistakes could always occur.

If the market rises Forex traders should buy, if the market drops Forex traders should sell, always follow the market trend.

Forex traders should not forecast the market price because such forecast will not be as easy as forecasting the market trend.

If the forecast is wrong, once the loss reach 10%, Forex traders must stop loss immediately, do not let it surpasses 10%, otherwise it would be difficult to recoup the capital again.

Lvin Han is the editor of www.forex2u.com
http://www.forex2u.com/fx2u-forex-strategy.html

 

Two Timeless Rules in FOREX Investing

One important thing that every new trader must know before entering this highly profitable business is that life is not perfect, even in FOREX land, and you should always know one fact: YOU WILL HAVE LOSING TRADES.

Every FOREX trader does. The key to being a consistent, predictable, reliable trader is to, at the end of the day, add up more wins than losses. And, when you KNOW(based off your trading rules), without a doubt, that YES, indeed you are, in a losing trade, don't keep losing money (lowering your stop loss) just to *prove you are right* or
your rules are wrong (however you want to look at it).

Let's face it - you can't turn a sow's ear into a silk purse. You can't change the spots of a leopard and you can't turn chicken poop into chicken salad. The best trades are usually "right" immediately (the techniques, rules, methods and strategies you can learn in our resources list will be your best indicator for just what a "right" trade really is).

Remember, people have been trading the markets for a hundred and sixty years. The smart traders know there's going to be another trade. Cut your loses short and compound those winning positions.

RULE #2) ~ Thou Shall Not Trade the FOREX Without the Placing of a Stop Loss Order.

When you place a STOP order, right along with your ENTRY order, via your online trade station, you've just automatically prevented a potential loss from "running" too far.

Before initiating any trade, if you haven't already figured out at what point you would be wrong and would want to cut your loses or, at the very least, reevaluate your position from the sidelines, then you shouldn't be putting on the trade in the first place.

Show us a FOREX trader who doesn't use stop loss orders and we'll show you someone who loses a lot of money.

FOREX Trader and Freelance writer. http://www.1-forex.com

The Duty of A Forex Market Maker

The investor in the currency market takes for granted that a pair of currencies can be bought or sold at a moments notice.  Once an order is placed with a broker, the trade is executed within seconds.

The investor in the currency market takes for granted that a pair of currencies can be bought or sold at a moments notice.  Once an order is placed with a broker, the trade is executed within seconds. It is, of course, not as easy as that.

Whenever a pair of currencies is bought or sold, there must be someone at the other end of the transaction. It is very unlikely that the investor will always find someone who is interested in buying and selling the same two currencies at the same amount, and at the same time. Hence, the question remains, How is it possible that the forex investor can buy or sell at any time? This is where the forex market makers come in.

The forex market maker is a bank or brokerage company that stands ready, every second of the trading day with a firm bid and ask price. This is good for the investor because when the investor chooses to buy and sell a pair of currencies, the market maker will purchase from and sell to the investor, even if they do not have a buyer and seller lined up. In doing so, they are literally making a market for the currencies.

Forex market makers ensure that the market is always functional and that the currencies in it will always fetch the market rate. Forex market makers do so by updating their prices at intervals of at least 30 seconds and undertaking to trade if this is requested. Forex market makers must fulfill their obligations irrespective of whether the economic situation is favorable or unfavorable, or whether they lose or profit by doing so.

Typical forex market makers include Gain Capital, CMS Forex, Forex Capital Markets (FXCM), and Global Forex Trading, all of which are regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) of the USA.  Another prominent forex market maker is Saxo Bank, which is regulated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) of Denmark.

Until recently, central banks, commercial banks and investment banks dominated the forex market. Due to the entry of forex market makers, other market players like international money brokers, large multinational companies, registered dealers, global money managers, and private speculators have entered the market in large numbers.

Forex Brokers provides detailed information on forex brokers, forex trading and market makers, and other forex-related topics. For more information go to Forex Brokers and/or visit its sister site at Incorporating in Florida Web for related information.

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A Look at Online Forex Brokers

An online forex broker is a firm that facilitates retail trading using Internet technologies. Global Forex Trading (GFT), one of the popular online forex brokers.

It provides retail traders with a free demo trading account, allows users to open a live account, gives live help, provides software called DealBook FX 2, and allows viewing of account documents.  (DealBook FX 2 can be downloaded for the demo trading account).

Gain Capital Groups Online Forex offers 200:1 leverage.  In some cases, the total return on investment is higher due to leverage. For example, with $1000 cash in a margin account, the investor can control up to $200,000 in notional value. Of course, trading on leverage magnifies both the investors profits and losses.

GCI Financial Ltd. offers commission-free online trading in forex. GCI offers Internet trading software, fast and efficient execution, and 0.5% margin requirements. This broker offers USD or Euro denominated trading accounts. The spreads are 3 pips in EUR/USD and USD/JPY, and are 4 to 5 pips for other major commissions. Clients can hedge by opening positions in the same currency in opposite directions. Risk to the investor is limited to the deposited funds. Market analysis and research, real-time charts, and forex trading signals are available at no charge.

ACM, part of the REFCO group, offers 3 pip spreads on all major currencies, which works out to between 0.02% and 0.03% on the dollar value. They also offer commission-free trading, and forex trading with a 1% margin, which means that a trader can control $1,000,000 with $10,000 in his account.

There are many online forex brokers that offer free demo accounts for potential forex traders to practice trading. It is only a matter of registering and starting demo trading to get a feel for forex trading. In addition, at most sites, traders can find free forex news to assist them with their trade strategies.

Forex Brokers provides detailed information on forex brokers, forex trading and market makers, and other forex-related topics. For more information go to Forex Brokers and/or visit its sister site at Incorporating in Florida Web for related information.

Discover An Effective Forex Trading System

What is the importance of an effective Forex trading system? An effective system provides you the trader, incomparable prospects to increase your earnings. And why not?

The Forex market is the largest financial market in the world with average daily trading of the currencies going over US$1.6 trillion. One other thing, its the most liquid market there is, to trade in. Forex market or Foreign exchange market is the trading activity that refers to the synchronized buying of one currency, which is called the base currency while selling off a second currency, called the counter or quote currency. As youve probably gathered, these currencies are traded in pairs. Some of the most popular pairs are US Dollar/Japanese Yen (USD/JPY) and the Euro/US Dollar (EUR/USD. This is done with the clear intent to profit from the appreciation of the e.g. U.S. Dollar. These three currencies together with the British Pound, Canadian Dollar, Australian Dollar and the Swiss Franc are the most popular currencies traded, accounting for nearly 70% of the trading done in the United States marketplace.

Why is there a need for an effective Forex trading system? One reason is because of the unique characteristics of the Forex trading market.

For one, Forex trading is conducted differently from the stock market or futures trading. There is no central physical location, where the transactions are conducted.

Another unique characteristic is a majority of the transactions are done over the telephone link ups or electronic exchanges, which makes this an over-the-counter or interbank market. This makes it ideal for the use of computers and technical analysis, to take advantage of profitable opportunities.

There are more chances to increase profits, because of the attractive pricing. Forex quotes are based on interbank prices regards of the transaction size.

Orders are effectively carried out, because orders are immediately confirmed on line or over the phone, youll know the rate at which the order was executed.

Finally, the margin system is in your favor. With 2% of the absolute value of the interbank contracts, you can still trade in the largest marketplace, provided you are able to maintain the margin requirements.

With all the benefits and differences a Forex market has, what makes it crucial to for you to have an effective trading system in place?

As with all trading activities, trading foreign exchange carries a great risk. Youll need to ascertain for yourself what these risks are. The high degree of leverage is a double edged sword; it can work for or against your benefit.

You should gauge the level of your knowledge and experience. Should you hire a financial advisor? Have you decided on the amount you are willing to risk and at what financial level you are willing to take losses?

For with the unlimited potential to earn, comes the possibility of great financial loss. There is no fool-proof Forex trading system.

Bob Hett offers great tips and advice regarding all aspects of
Forex marketplace. Get the information you are seeking now by visiting http://www.forexinformation.info

Investing in FOREX or investing in Stocks? Understand the benefits and risks of each Market

So, you have the money to invest, but you dont know whether to buy Stocks or try something new, like FOREX for example.

Stocks

Before we describe what are the benefits of FOREX, lets remember what are Stocks. Stocks have been a popular investment for hundreds of years. Companies issue stocks to raise capital for expansion and new projects, and each share of the stock represents a partial ownership in the company. Basically speaking, when you buy stocks you invest in the company and in the market it is working in.

Hence, when the company does well and makes a profit, the value of the stocks rise and you can sell your shares for a profit or hold on to the stock for even more gain in the future. Sometimes companies will issue dividends part of the profits that are distributed to share holders, another way for you to make a profit.

Stocks are traded on Stock exchanges. Most stocks are bought and sold through brokers (agents) who charge a commission or fee for this service. American stock exchanges include the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) and the National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotation System (NASDAQ). Most stocks are only listed on one exchange, although large companies may have listings on several exchanges.

Stocks were traditionally seen as long-term investments. So-called 'blue chip' stocks - those having proven value over many years - may form the backbone of an investment portfolio. Short-term traders (Day traders) exist, but it is a relatively new phenomenon made possible with the advent of Internet trading. Day traders attempt to take advantage of large daily fluctuations in the market by buying and selling many times in one trading period. It is relatively risky and broker commissions charged on each transaction reduce any profits realized.

Stocks may sometimes be bought on Margin, meaning that the investor borrows money to buy the stocks. Margin rates are usually around 50% - the investor can borrow as much as half the value of the stock.

FOREX

The Foreign Exchange Market (FOREX) is quite different from the stock exchange. In contrast to the stock exchange, the FOREX is primarily a short-term market. Most traders enter and exit deals within a 24-hour period sometimes within a few minutes. Many FOREX trades can be made in one day without building up a large brokerage fee because FOREX trades are commission free; hence, you keep all of your profit. Brokers earn money by setting a spread the difference between asking and selling prices.

FOREX is the largest financial market in the world. It is handles transactions worth $1.5 trillion every day ($1,500,000,000,000). By comparison, all the American stock exchanges combined handle daily transactions worth about $100 billion ($100,000,000,000), 15 times smaller than FOREX. It is not located in any one location, but in the virtual space of the Internet. Trading markets are located world-wide and because of difference in time-zones trades can be made 24 hours a day, 5 days a week. Trading begins in Sydney, Australia on Monday morning (Sunday afternoon New York time) and continues non-stop until Friday afternoon New York time.

The huge volume of FOREX and its around the clock availability, means that it is one of the most liquid markets in the world. There is always a buyer and seller for any type of currency because the world economy relies on the movement of goods from country to country. Stock exchanges have more limited trading hours. While it is possible to trade on exchanges worldwide, each exchange is independent and operates for just 7 hours a day. There is no way to buy or sell a certain stock that is only traded on one stock exchange when that exchange is closed.

FOREX has even more advantages compares to Stocks: It is more predictable than stocks, it follows well established trends, it allows high leverage typically 100:1 instead of 2:1 on the stock market; and it doesn't require a large investment mini accounts as small as $250 can get you started in FOREX.

The big question is what is Best for you? Are you looking for a Day-Trading constant activity, with its advantages, or a long-term investment. Know the answer and you know the nature of your next investment.

More FOREX articles can be found at http://forex.beyogi.com - The Foreign Exchange Market Explained.
Ofer Shoshani is the Editor of beyogi (http://forex.beyogi.com) - The Foreign Exchange Market Explained where many more articles like this one can be found.

 

Getting a Forex Trading Education

Many Americans are interested in getting involved in forex trading. Before doing this, you should get a forex trading education. You should never get into forex trading without forex trading education. With the proper forex trading education, you can be on your way to making a tidy profit.

First you need to understand what forex trading is. Forex is short for foreign exchange. Forex trading is the simultaneous exchange of one countries currency for another countries currency. By doing so at the right times, you can gain a profit. A forex trading education can teach you how to do this.

The first part of a forex trading education is to learn the market background. The foreign exchange market is always changing. With forex trading education, you will learn how to monitor these changes to be beneficial for you.

The next part of your forex trading education is to learn about risk control and risk management. You learn to control yourself and not over invest at the thrill of the chance of making money. You will also learn how to cut your losses (how to exit losing trades before your losses exceed your limits). You will always lose money when you first begin forex trading. This part of your forex trading education is absolutely crucial to whether you will make it big or end up in a hole.

Another important part of your forex trading education is to learn how to open and manage your forex trading account. Your forex trading education should first have you practice with a demo account. This way you learn the ropes by practicing forex trades with play money. There is no risk involved, but it is just as realistic as the real thing. Your forex trading education should also let you know when you are ready for the real thing. You should then, and only then, open up a live forex trading account.

There are many ways to get a forex trading education. The best place to get a forex trading education is online. There are many free websites available that let you open free demo accounts to practice your forex trading. There are also free seminars that are avaiable at random times. The best thing to do is to get some advice from someone who is a current forex trader. They can give you some down to earth insight on the subject of forex trading.

Now that you know a little bit about forex trading it is time for you to go out and get a good forex trading education. Don't rush into it and take your time. There is a lot of money involved with forex trading. It is best not to get ahead of yourself.
Jay Moncliff is the founder of http://www.forexreviews.infoa blog focusing on the forex, resources and articles. This site provides detailed information on forex. For more info on forex visit: http://www.forexreviews.info

Online Forex Trading

Do you know what Forex trading is? Some people have heard of this type of trading, others have not. If you havent, it might be something you are interested in trying. Forex trading stands for foreign exchange trading. What it consists of is the buying and selling of different currencies. This is done simultaneously, and there are people who make a lot of money with this kind of trading. This is apparent by the 1.9 million dollar turnover in this market that happens every day. Also a lot of it is done online. Online Forex trading is very popular.

The most common currencies to trade are the Euro and the U.S. dollar, and the U.S. dollar and the Japanese Yen. However, nearly all of the Forex trading done involves the major currencies of the world. These include the Euro, Japanese Yen, U.S. dollar, Canadian dollar, British Pound, Australian dollar, and the Swiss franc. The Forex exchange is different from other exchanges, such as the New York Stock Exchange, in that it does not have a physical location or central exchange. The exchange day begins in Sydney, then moves to Tokyo, on to London, and finally ends in New York. Each country takes the responsibility of regulating the Forex exchange activities in their own country. So there is no overall regulatory agency. However, this does not seem to be a problem and most countries do very well at overseeing Forex exchange activities.

There are a lot of things that influence the Forex rate. For instance, economic things, like interest rates and inflation, and also political things, such as political unrest in other countries and major changes in government cause up and down changes in the Forex rate. However, these things tend to be short-term, and dont affect it for long.

Online Forex trading sites are easy to find by surfing the Internet. Most of them provide a wealth of information for the first time trader. You can find out about the history of Forex trading, how to co it, tips on being successful, etc. You can also start trading with as little as $250 in your account on some sites. For anyone who is interested in currency or trading, it is something you should check out.

As with any type of trading, there are no guarantees that you will make money or that you wont make money. It is a smart choice to learn as much as you can about online Forex trading before investing any money and doing any trading. It is a fact that informed investors do better than those who dont know much about what they are trading. So get the fact before you dive in. You might just make a little money in a very interesting currency exchange.

Bob Hett offers great tips and advice regarding all aspects concerning Forex Trading.
Get the information you are seeking now by visiting http://www.forexinformation.info