In the Forex market the Forex news is the past. What matters are your Forex strategy and your anticipation of the next Forex news. “The dollar slides versus the euro.” “The Yen gains versus the British Pound.” These are the news headlines we see. The appropriate response is, “So what?” Your Forex strategy has to do with anticipating the news that will affect a Forex market move and developing more efficient means of taking a profit on that move.
Responding to the news of Forex market moves is like taking old stock tips. You are always the last one to get the tip and the stock is ready to move the other way. Don’t be mistaken. You need to read and keep up with the news. You also need to know what news is important and when it is coming out. Here we are talking about government reports such as the US Federal Reserve’s update of US economic conditions in its Beige Book. What we are not talking about is reading a newspaper article the following day reporting what some reporter says the Fed had to say.
It is important to know when the important data will be available because when such data is released that is when the Forex market as well as stock and options markets make their moves. Your Forex strategy should be to plan what you will do in response to any given set of reports. To the extent that the news is a report of government reports you are too late and are taking an old tip.
Your Forex strategy should include keeping current on trade data for the countries whose currencies you trade in the Forex market. For the USA agricultural data is important because it is the largest part of US exports. Thus keeping current on weather conditions, crop disease, etc. need to become of your Forex strategy routine. You do not need to become a soybean expert but knowing if there is a bumper crop expected in Brazil while the US is experiencing a drought is important if you trade dollars in the Forex market.
Likewise keeping up on what airplane and aerospace orders Boeing has is a helpful Forex strategy is, next to US agriculture, Boeing is typically the largest US exporter. The US debt and balance of trade are also things you need to keep up on. Again, your Forex strategy is to stay conversant on these matters and have a plan for how you want to trade depending upon if the various reports come in as anticipated or if they contain surprises, which typically roil the Forex market and other markets.
Once you are routinely keeping up with the current state of things that affect the Forex Market is when you begin to formulate a long and short term Forex Strategy. What do you believe the Forex market will do in the next week and in the next year? Your Forex strategy will be your responses to market moves with and against the generally expected flow of the Forex Market.
When there is a natural disaster or something like the terrorist attack on the World Trade Center your Forex strategy needs to include the possibility that markets will suddenly close. Your Forex strategy needs to be able to anticipate immediate currency pair changes and the Forex market corrections that always occur after a moment of general panic.
Having a well thought out Forex strategy is how you take advantage of the news even before it hits the streets.
