Thursday, October 9, 2008

Trade The Forex Market With Success!

Lets start from the basics.The first thing someone needs is very good education.And this requires a lot of thorough research as there are many sources but not all are worth the money for their services.So in this sense an online forex course could be a good idea along with some books.But here comes the first major problem.Which course and which books,which aspects to cover?The technical analysis issue?The maxim go with the trend?The candlesticks analysis?And which system to use and follow?There are thousands of them!So before we even begin a trader is confused.And confusion is a very bad enemy but it can be arranged.How it can be arranged?With some simple steps.Such as simplicity.The more you know the better chances you have to succeed trading forex and it all comes down to probabilities.

Education is a must to all trading aspects from stocks to futures to forex.But forex has two unique features.High liquidity and extremely high leverage.And although the liquidity is a very good feature high leverage is not.At least not until you know what you are doing.Here we focus again on education.Besides a participation in a forex course either online or not,an amount that will be put away as an investment for education is the first thing a trader must do.Some ideas are to focus on analyzing the current conditions of the market and to have a bias for a specific currency pair.A system such as following the trend could be the core of a trading strategy.And a demo account with many virtual trades as many as possible for a long period of time is the next step.

Now the most important part of the trading action is to make a plan,stick to it and apply very strict money management rules because if the capital is finished and it very easy this to happen then our trading career will finish within a few days,months or even hours.

Lets face the truth that trading is not easy.It is unfortunately far more easy for someone to lose all his account rather than make wild profits beyond each expectation.That is because emotions and psychology are very crucial for success.Some of the most important emotions are fear,uncertainty,euphoria and revenge.Revenge comes into play very very often as when someone loses an amount wants desperately to get it back and often the outcome is that more loses come simply because the trader is on the wrong side of the trend!

Discipline and patience are virtues that distinguish a good trader from a mediocre trader.Without specific goals and a written procedure a trader is like a cargo ship that has sailed without any destination.Someday the fuel will be exhausted and many dangers from the weather to the potential physical damages may happen.Risks exist all the time.The point is how to deal with them.

One of the most useful phrases is taken from the movie Forrest Gump.Life is like a box of chocolates,you never know what you gonna get!

It is true.Be as prepared as possible.Do not let the brokers excite you promising very high returns and extremely high leverage.Do some very thorough research before opening an account funded with real money.Compare the bid-ask spreads and technical support to name only a few aspects.

Be very skeptical to previous results as offered from many signal services.The major aim should be to learn to trade and make your own decisions and not blindly follow some others decisions and opinions. Confidense and experience come with the passage of time.

So we mentioned simplicity before.Being realistic and having a controlled life balance is very important.One major goal should be consistency so as to have the ability to make profits each month and keep them.

Fundamental news are another important issue and in essence the technical analysis is the mirror of fundamentals.Expectations change rapidly and emotions also.And if you think about it emotions and expectations mainly move the forex market.Most times like the recent Fed rate hike decision a move is under way but the danger is when it will be finished and certainly not getting in at the wrong time after all the move is completed.

The best approach for a trader would be to set specific goals and if achieved then stop trading.The worst idea is to trade in a choppy market where random noise will make it difficult to get specific profits.

So a tested system with very precise rules such as entering exiting and having stop-loss orders may not be a holly grail but is surely one very good approach to start with and focus on it.Pivot points are such a system.At least it is a good start.They encompass education,discipline,strict criteria,targets and are a proven system that major players use.They are not foolproof always as nothing is certain but they deal with high probabilities and this is very important.

Also a very practical way is to act as organizes as possible.Meaning that :

1.Develop your own trading journal where you will be writing down your trades and a brief explanation of what made you place a particular trade so as to evaluate performance.Note each day the major economic releases if any because it is often wise to be out of the market before the release of the news and trade only after having a much clearer opinion of what price action may be.Remember it is all about high probabilities.

2.A risk/reward ratio of 1:2 meaning that you risk an amount to get at least the twice if all go well is suggested but sometimes it is best to be conservative and even apply an 1:1 ratio by applying very strict risk management risking no more than 2-3% of total capital per trade.Survival is everything.

3.It would be a good idea from time to time to have breaks from trading.Opportunities exist always so stopping trading when losses of 10-20% maximum of trading capital have accumulated is a good way to revaluate what is going on before a large amount of capital is lost.Trading is not gambling it is a way of investment.The philosophy should be to define realistic goals such as a number of pips per day and if achieved then stop trading.Greed is another bad enemy of traders.On the contrary the notion of compounding profits and retiring a portion of them each month is a good way to build a solid account and keep monitoring its growth.

So in this first article we touched briefly many ideas from education to psychology to a proven trading system etc.Each idea will have more in depth analysis in the very near future.Your comments and suggestions will help us a lot to focus on what you need or want to analyze.Above all interactive communication brings the best results.

First Successful Forex Trade

If you get of to a good start with Forex it will give you confidence and will encourage you to trade regularly.

Follow these tips to get of to the best start possible:

Making your first Forex trade can be quite an exciting event.

It also is an event that requires some planning in advance, as well as doing some checking and double-checking before you ever make that first trade.

Here are some suggestions for preparation that will help you to really get the most out of that first trading event.

Trading currency comes with a certain amount of risk.

The prudent trader will always make sure, that he or she has enough resources to be able to withstand a period where there are more losses than there are gains. From that perspective, it is important to never risk more funds than you can reasonably do without.

Examine the condition of your finances carefully, and determine the amount of your resources that can be comfortably involved in the process of currency trading without creating any financial burdens.

Keep in mind that the volume of your transactions will often come into play when it comes to purchasing currency.

Simply put, the more you can afford to buy, the better rate you are likely to command. Your circumstances will of course dictate how much you can afford to invest in a single transaction.

Individuals who are involved in currency trading will also have to keep in mind that there is the matter of that minimum margin deposit that you must be able to maintain.

You may have to begin with smaller transactions that yield less return. But keep in mind that as you grow your revenue from your currency trading efforts, you will be in a position to go for the more lucrative deals.

It is a very good idea to begin developing your strategy well before you make that first trade.

You can get a great deal of help developing that strategy by utilizing the various reports and other sources at your disposal to try some projections of your own.

Set up some test runs by structuring a currency trade on paper and watch how things would have gone had you actually made the transaction. Learn from the outcome, whether it was a win or a loss.

Either outcome can help you identify some valuable tools that will help you refine your basic strategy.

You may find that you need to include more sources of information in your decision making process.

Perhaps your simulated trades will teach you that there is a source or two that needs to be disregarded or replaced in your roster of informative sources.

The point is to refine your strategy as much as possible before you go "live" with your currency trading.

Making money and having some fun in the process are what the trading is all about.

When you perform due diligence before you ever begin you can ensure that your first Forex trade, will be a true example of what you are capable of accomplishing.

It should be noted Forex trading involves substantial risk of loss and is not suitable for all investors.