The Forex Nitty Gritty

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Archive for the ‘Forex Strategies’ Category

French Austerity Plan

Posted by TFNG Admin On November - 7 - 2011

The recently announced French austerity plan reminds us that it is not only the so called PIIGS nations in the European Union that need to cut expenses. In announcing the French austerity plan Prime Minister Francois Fillon forecasted that the French austerity plan needs to save 100 billion euros. President Nicolas Sarkozy and his government would like to avoid a downgrade of their credit rating (as seen in the USA) and is thus cutting budgets and looking to raise taxes. With the Greek debt crisis ever so painfully in the news Italy is seen as the next, and worse, problem confronting the EU. The news the other day carried a telling item. The very Catholic nation of Ireland will no longer have an ambassador to the Vatican. It appears that everyone is cutting something in their budget.

French growth forecasts have been cut in half. Analysts say the French austerity plan will certainly reduce debts but may not be sufficient to avoid a cut in the nation’s credit rating. This issue is a little like looking at Illinois or California within the USA. It has to do with a member of the EU and not the EU itself. But, maybe not. In order for the bailout plans of the various nations in the EU to work the two largest economies must grow. Italy, the third largest EU economy is in trouble. France is looking to reduce debt which will likely reduce economic growth. That leaves Germany whose economy is recovering from the recession more slowly than desired. How does all of this affect the seemingly continuous downward direction of the Euro? Europe, for all of its current problems, is either the first or second largest economy in the world, depending upon whether they or the USA are in the lead for the year. However, the value of the Euro versus other currencies will adjust based upon the economic strength of the EU in relation to other economies.

French officials are cautioning the nation that sacrifices may be required as the idea of a European nation going bankrupt is no longer an abstraction. With Greece, Spain, and now Italy in danger of debt default it is altogether possible that one or more nations might leave the EU. How this new reality will affect the Euro versus the dollar is uncertain. A national bankruptcy could cause a cascade of defaults in weaker European economies. This could lead to nations leaving the EU. On the other hand it could end up with a stronger and more economically viable union. As with all Forex trading the issue of the French austerity plan requires continual fundamental and technical analysis of the currency involved, the Euro. Obviously a true global economic recovery would speed the recovery of the major nations of Europe and help stave off the wave of defaults that trouble world markets. As always traders need to watch two economies and two sets of data at once in Forex trading as traders trade one currency against the other.

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    War and Currency Trading

    Posted by TFNG Admin On April - 5 - 2011

    The standard wisdom on war and currency trading is that wars drive investors to put their money in currencies such as the dollar as a safe haven currency. Investors and traders respond to the uncertainty and economic disruption caused by armed conflict. Besides buying the US dollar, investors commonly buy Swiss francs, Yen, Euros, British Pounds, or gold bullion. When it is possible that a currency will devalue greatly, or disappear in the case of conquered country, any reasonably stable currency is a good bet. However, wars resolve themselves, for good or for ill. There are winners and there are losers. Depending upon who gains control of natural resources or markets economies may prosper as a result of war. When an economy prospers its currency commonly rises as well. This is, sadly, why many nations go to war.

    Using the civil war in Libya as an example we can speculate about how that war and currency trading relate to each other. The facts of the day are always discounted by the market so it is possibility and speculation that drive prices. Those who might expect to be most closely affected by events in Libya are the European Union, Switzerland, and Great Britain. This is because Libya is a nearby supplier of oil. An unstable Libya is an unreliable source of oil. A rebel dominated Libya beholding to NATO forces and Arab supporters then becomes a goal for the oil consuming nations to the North of Libya. In that regard it is of note that rebel forces in the East of Libya have started selling oil through a Swiss trading company. The sale of a million barrels of crude oil promises to help the rebel cause in Libya and allow Libya, or part of it, to remain a stable supplier to oil to Europe. This becomes good news for the Swiss franc, Euro, and British Pound. Recently we wondered about Egypt and the Euro. Egypt came through its political crisis without violence. When demonstrators asked for more rights in Libya, the government responded with lethal force plunging the nation in civil conflict. War and currency trading issues are still a concern in Yemen, Syria, and Saudi Arabia as demonstrators demand right from rigid governments. The attentive currency trader will watch these situations and trade accordingly.

    The Forex trader who accurately anticipates arms conflicts can profit by directly trading currencies that will suffer in consequence and in trading options on currencies with the likely end result is not so clear or certain. How to trade currency profitably is by anticipating war and currency trading in a timely manner. Many international companies trade these same situations in order to hedge currency risk. Speculators simply anticipate the sales and purchases of the major players in order to profit from war and currency trading. The first half of profiting from safe haven trading is when a crisis emerges. The second half is anticipating price movements of currencies as crises resolve. For example, as the Libyan situation stabilizes one might expect the Euro, Swiss franc, and British Pound to rise a little. To the extent that this happens and to the extent that a trader can anticipate it, he can  profitably trade situations of war and chaos and their effects on currency markets.

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      How to Trade Forex Online

      Posted by TFNG Admin On December - 23 - 2010

      If you are going to trade Forex online you will want to know how to trade Forex online successfully. Online trading puts the trader closer to the action but does not change the basics of trading. How to trade Forex successfully requires a firm grasp of economics, monetary policy, and international policy, and politics involving the countries whose currencies one trades. How to trade Forex online successfully is to work at a trade station with sophisticated computer software that is linked to a Forex market such as London or Tokyo through a broker. The software needs to be compatible with that used by the broker and should contain technical analysis software. How to trade Forex online successfully, versus offline through a broker, is to trade minute by minute, and second by second, reading changes in the relative prices of the two currencies in a trading pair. How to trade Forex successfully online or otherwise is to stay in touch with pertinent market making news and developing price patterns as highlighted by trading software.

      How to trade Forex online successfully is through an electronic communications network or ECN. With the advent of internet supported systems, orders are placed and acted upon electronically although they are typically routed through a broker. Brokers who provide online access typically offer lower fees that traditional brokers and are often referred to as “discount” brokers. In choosing an online broker a wise choice is to check licensure of the broker in your state in order to avoid unscrupulous companies who claim to provide online access but only act as a front. Because such companies exist a little research is wise. To look into Forex investments the trader can refer to the Security and Exchange Commission’s EDGAR database. He will want to check out where to get important Forex news as well.

      How to trade Forex online successfully includes understanding the nature and scope of risk in Forex trading. Trading online requires staying in constant touch with the market. A power outage taking the internet down with it can leave a trader detached from London, New York, or Tokyo just after buying Euros with dollars and before entering a selling point in the software. The minutes or hours it may take to get connected again can be devastating in an active Forex market. Active online Forex traders will commonly set sell and stop loss targets immediately with every buy or sell order in order to lock in gains and contain losses. Doing so also protects against a glitch in communication due to inadequate computer band width. Hardware and software glitches aside the trader will want to develop Forex technical strategies and review them periodically in order to improve long term profitability and reduce the risk that comes with all investing. All said, how to trade Forex online successfully is the same as how to invest successfully in general. Do your homework, learn and practice your trading skills, and honestly review your results. Every trader has unsuccessful trades. Learning from ones mistakes is a key factor in how to trade Forex online successfully.

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      Forex Technical Strategies

      Posted by TFNG Admin On November - 28 - 2010

      According to a recently published survey, conducted by a CitiGroup subsidiary, CitiFx_Pro, of 3000 Forex traders, over half use both Forex technical strategies and fundamental analysis in making trading decisions. Over a third use Forex technical strategies exclusively. Fewer than ten percent of Forex traders surveyed use only fundamental analysis of currencies in guiding their trading of Forex currency pairs. Thus over ninety percent of the three thousand traders surveyed in the USA, UK, and India use Forex technical strategies in guiding their trading. For those wishing to learn how to trade Forex it would appear that the wise thing to do is, in fact, to learn technical analysis. But, just what are Forex technical strategies? These strategies are technical analysis tools for foreign exchange trading use mathematical methods to help the trader decide to buy or sell. Oscillators are tools that help the trader predict a change in a price trend. Momentum indicators are tools that help decide if a current trend will continue or not.

      The point of using Forex technical strategies is that a mathematical method based strategy is not going to be driven by impulse, fear, or greed, the common demons of trading psychology. By developing and following Forex technical strategies the trader can audit his trading results and modify the strategy as needed. The Forex trader does not need to develop the mathematics underlying Forex technical strategies. Rather the trader can modify parameters in his trading software to allow for more latitude from different variables used in calculating equations and offering trading suggestions. A successful Forex trading system will be based upon technical indicators. Trade station software will have immense amounts of real market data. In order to test various Forex technical strategies the trader need only try them out in simulation trading in various real historic environments to asset their efficiency in delivering profitable trading opportunities.

      Using information from the recent CitiFX_Pro survey as a reference, two thirds of traders tend to trade no more than five currency pairs and often only one. As one might imagine developing successful Forex technical strategies will be easier the fewer variable (trading pairs) that are involved. More than half of the traders surveyed trade the EUR/USD pair while just under a fifth trade the GBP/USD pair and only six and five percent respectively trade the EUR/JPY pair and GBP/JPY pair. As Forex trading the Euro versus the US dollar is the most popular pair we can assume that any fundamental analysis these folks are doing is heavily based upon events in Europe and the USA. However, as the survey shows, fewer than one in ten traders relies solely on fundamental analysis of economies and monetary policy. As is the case with most technical trading the trader knows that the fundamentals are already in the system and have already been discounted by the market. Thus technical analysis of Forex markets such as the EUR/USD pair hinges on well developed and implemented technical strategies in Forex trading as opposed to trying to guess what the next move will be in fundamentals.

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      Leverage Misuse and Abuse in FOREX

      Posted by TFNG Admin On November - 8 - 2010

      Forex is the worldwide currency exchange market, also known as the foreign exchange market, “fx” for short. This is an over-the-counter electronic trading market for the major worldwide currencies. It offers easy entry to the average public trader and fairly low margin requirements.

      However, this low margin and high leverage is also the #1 risk and cause of loss among novice Forex traders. Misuse of leverage is the Forex cardinal sin. In the article below I’m going to explain the new leverage rules, and show you exactly how to take advantage of it! To give you even more I put together this Free Forex Toolkit with an entire video section dedicated to using the new leverage rules to consistently profit…GET IT HERE.

      What do we mean by low margin and what is leverage? Well basically this means that you can control a huge amount of a currency in the Forex market with a very small cash outlay. The normal stock and index options that we trade at BigTrends.com represent 100 shares of stock — you pay a premium to control/own this option. For example, in the stock option market you may be able to control the right to buy 100 shares of IBM for $500 — this is an example of leverage. However, the leverage in Forex is much greater than this in most cases … but so is the risk.

      We only have to look at the recent housing market crash to see an example of where leverage and low margin caused massive losses among individual investors. People across the world were buying houses and properties beyond their means and with very little cash down. Many of these were speculative, greedy bets on a continued sharp rise in housing prices — which knowledgeable, experienced traders such as ourselves knew wouldn’t continue forever. They weren’t bad homeowners; they simply misused leverage.

      The huge amount of potential leverage and low margin requirements in fx trading is similar to this. The latest rules allow Forex leverage for 50:1 on major currencies and 20:1 on minor currencies. Some brokers may still be able to offer 100:1 leverage. What this means is that a trader can often control millions of dollars of a currency proposition with a very small cash outlay. When novice traders allow emotions such as greed and fear to rule their trading, they often end up on the losing end of large leveraged bets.

      Thanks for reading, and I’ve got a lot more where that came from! While I write my next article get my Free Forex Toolkit that will put your Forex trading on the right track!

      Article compliments of Scott Downing, Director of Research at BigTrends.com

      How Can I Learn to Invest Safely in the Forex Market?

      Posted by TFNG Admin On September - 11 - 2010

      A common question these days from new comers to Forex is “how can I learn to invest safely in the Forex market.” This question often comes from those who lost substantial sums in the recent stock market crash and are looking for a means of recouping their losses. Normally the focus of new investors in Forex is the leverage offered by Forex trading and the excellent profits that Forex trading leverage can provide. However, those once bitten are twice shy and those who lost in derivatives in the market crash are wise to ask “how can I learn to invest safely in the Forex market. Investing safely is possible so long as the investor realizes that there is always market risk and that investing safely is doing the things that reduce risk while improving the chances of success. In the short and long run how to trade Forex successfully is with knowledge, discipline, and hard work. These are the answer to how can I invest safely in the Forex market?

      There are no guarantees of success in today’s Forex market which is commonly trading sideways. Unfortunately there are ways to guarantee losses. For example, a trader who is in a currency pair that he does not understand and for which he has done no fundamental analysis is asking for trouble. Technical trading is largely based upon accurately reading and taking advantage of small market moves. However, the market may be moving in one direction and may briefly correct. Having a clear idea of where the fundamentals ought to take the market will help the trader decide whether or not to exit a position or to ride out the possibly brief correction. The trader can always exit a position and then reenter if the market turns around. The trouble is that every trade costs fees and commissions and if the market is turning around the trader will lose unless he re-enters his position very quickly on the turnaround. This gets into how many trades you make and the business of auditing your results.

      There are traders who make money on many small trades each day and eat up a substantial portion of their earnings in fees and commissions. If one of these traders remembers to ask the question, how can I learn to invest safely in the Forex market, they will start to audit their trading results and learn to pick fewer trades with larger chances of success. The old adage is that you don’t lose if you don’t trade. So, how can I learn to invest safely in the Forex market? Research the currency pair you want to trade. Audit your trading results and aim for fewer, more profitable trades while avoiding what amounts to compulsive trading. This has to do with the psychology of trading. We usually talk about the twin demons of greed and fear that drive traders to bad trading decisions. The other “psychological” factor is a compulsiveness that can emerge at the trade station. To trade successfully the trader needs to treat trading as a business and execute trades that are planned and part of a Forex trading strategy. When considering Forex tips versus Forex strategy in Forex trading it is strategy that wins out. How can I learn to invest safely in the Forex market? Treat Forex trading as a business with attention to every detail. Forex trading can be very profitable for those to are diligent, knowledgeable, and work hard.

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      Trading Sideways

      Posted by TFNG Admin On August - 16 - 2010

      Commentators are saying that the Forex markets are trading sideways these days. That is to say there are no big up or down moves in any major currency pairs. It would seem that everyone is thinking Forex strategy and Forex news, waiting for markets to break. Part of this is the uncertainty brought on by the slowly resolving recession and not knowing who will really break out and how soon and how fast. It also has to do with the issue of managing the huge amounts of debt that governments have taken on to stimulate their economies while simultaneously worrying about political problems brought on by high unemployment. Forex and sovereign debt are still closely linked. As markets are still trading sideways good Forex advice would seem to be to follow the herd and not commit excessive capital until market direction becomes clearer.

      As markets continue trading sideways China continues orchestrating Yuan revaluation. In prepared statements the State Administration of Foreign Exchange in China said it adopts “a go with the flow” attitude in the management of its Forex reserves. The statements continues to say that any buying and selling of US debt is and will be based upon taking advantage of market conditions and not based upon political messages. The agency states that US debt provides good security and low transaction costs and that it is the largest single debt market on the planet. None of this really tells the currency trader anything but is politically reassuring. Based upon the statement we can expect to see things trading sideways. Any market movement will come with China’s buying and selling of dollars and its demonstration of a willingness to see the value of the Yuan float upward.

      One issue that could affect the issue of the Forex market trading sideways is the fact that the US congress will soon pass new regulations governing the financial industry. To the extent that these regulations restrict Forex trading they will remove huge players from the Forex markets. Much of the speculation about this issue has to do with financial losses that the big banks in the USA could take. For the Forex trader the issue is if less trading volume will lead to less liquidity. A less liquid market could be a more volatile market and trading sideways could become a thing of the past. Understanding the Forex markets could change if there are fewer players or if other players enter the Forex markets to take up the slack. Nevertheless, trading Forex is still a mixture of anticipation and reaction. Currencies trade higher on good economic news and when the news hits the market traders react differently based upon their perception of the news and when they are able to execute their trades. Thus technical trading will still work for those well versed in pattern analysis and diligent in execution.

      Factors influencing the EUR/USD pair are still important, as an example, as the market is trading sideways. When something substantial happens the markets will move. As always success in Forex means a plan and a method. A little research and practice trading while the market is trading sideways may be in line.

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      Importance of Forex Education

      Posted by TFNG Admin On January - 13 - 2010

      I have been really surprised by the ignorance that is shown by the various traders. They buy some of the cheap online trading robots to trading on their behalf. Some of these robots succeed while most of them have failed. This is because of the fact that these robots have been simulated to do trading in backward trend. There has been a lack of forex education among the traders. Traders use these robots and in their garb they miss out on the strategies that are available free in the market. These strategies have been successfully used by the traders and have stood the tests of time.

      As far as the forex education is concerned you can learn by using the many strategies like the one given by Richard Dennis. In this strategy he gave a plan to the group of trainees and they made millions out of it. This strategy is known as the turtle rules. The newbie’s were told to have confidence in this strategy and the result that the group gave after two weeks of trading was beyond anyone’s imagination. Over a period of 4 years the same group made money to the amount of $200 million and afterwards the strategy has been a part of the forex folklore.

      This strategy is still available on the internet and is free of cost. But its effectiveness has been reduced due to the ever changing parameters of the market and its increasing volatility. This strategy is very easy to understand and once you have read it you will get to know what a standard strategy should be like. The money management rules of this strategy are excellent and have been admired by the various trade market bigwigs. In this strategy you are bound to loose out more trades than you are going to win but the wins will be more heavier than the losses leading to staggering benefits, which should be the aim of market strategy. A little forex education about the market strategies can do a lot of good for your trading business.

      3 Simple Forex Secrets to Make Your Forex Trading Successful

      Posted by TFNG Admin On January - 4 - 2010

      In the world of Forex trading there are 3 simple forex secrets which are hardly known to the average person. Read this page carefully and hopefully you will find these tips helpful in unlocking your forex trading success.

      Even though there have been advances in computers and software applications, these changes have made little difference to the number of winners. The market is indiscriminate in choosing it’s victims, which is why you need to do your due diligence.

      To become successful at trading forex is by no means an easy feat. You’ll need to be very disciplined in how you trade which is inextricably connected to your emotional control. The first secret to being financially successful in forex can simply be by following your plan and not deviating because of the strong effects of emotional interference.

      The second secret that I’d like to inform you on is that you must take the time and effort to learn the basics of fundamental and technical analysis. I know that this may sound quite daunting, however, once you are familiar with these tools for assisting your forex trading decisions, you’ll actually start to enjoy your trading more, while at the same time being able to open more profitable positions. You will also benefit from increased confidence.

      The third secret involved is automated trading by using expert advisors. Expert advisors are software programs which are written to be utilized on a metatrader 4 platform. This platform is offered by many forex brokers. Expert advisors take away the need to constantly monitor your trade and protect you by keeping your emotional influences to a minimum. But beware, not all forex robots are made the same and even the good ones need continual tweaking for optimal performance.

      Anybody can learn how to do Forex trading and anybody can win at it, you only need a simple system. However, getting a disciplined mindset, is harder and is really what separates winners from losers but the good news is it can be done. So rather than look for the secret of success from someone else, look within and you will find the key to unlocking huge profits.

      If you follow the 3 forex secrets mentioned above and take the time and effort to develop your understanding of the forex market, you will be well on your way to become a successful forex trader.

      Know More about the Forex Trading Strategy

      Posted by TFNG Admin On December - 24 - 2009

      A Forex strategy is a set of methods and tactics, which are basically used for formulating the plan of how to conquer and approach the commerce industry. It can be best described as your playbook and game. This Forex trading strategy will help you to learn the line of attack that you have to use in your business and also to know what angle they come. The plans provided by this software are really unique and effective.

      The forex trading software will also act as a weapon in your business where you will be able to target all the top domains in the market. If you follow these strategies properly, you do not have to worry about any type of hassles that you have to face in your business. There are many top business domains that are running successfully with the help of these strategies. A recent study on forex programs has been also proved that more and more firms are using this software to develop their businesses.

      If you are looking for an option to know more about Forex Trading strategies, researching on the web is probably the best option available for you. There are many websites on the net that will provide you more information on this topic. Once you give a search in the search engines, you will be able to find many websites that will give you the complete information on this product. You can also find websites that will provide you these strategies online.  You also have an option to order the Forex software with the help of these websites. Once you login to an official website, you will be able to find an option to buy this product through internet. It is also wise to do a background research on the website, from which you are planning to buy this software as it will help you to obtain a genuine product.

      If you are looking for an option to obtain these Forex Trading strategies through the web, you will find a few domains that will provide you the best Forex Trading strategies available in the market. We consider the Forex Nitty Gritty course to be among the best.

      <a href="http://www.linkedtube.com/-vPVnCunDKsfe913f6c922420fb26f42a6311edad6d.htm">LinkedTube</a>


      Disclaimer - Forex, futures, stock, and options trading is not appropriate for everyone. There is a substantial risk of loss associated with trading these markets. Losses can and will occur. No system or methodology has ever been developed that can guarantee profits or ensure freedom from losses. No representation or implication is being made that using this methodology or system or the information in this site will generate profits or ensure freedom from losses.

      HYPOTHETICAL OR SIMULATED PERFORMANCE RESULTS HAVE CERTAIN LIMITATIONS. UNLIKE AN ACTUAL PERFORMANCE RECORD, SIMULATED RESULTS DO NOT REPRESENT ACTUAL TRADING. ALSO, SINCE THE TRADES HAVE NOT BEEN EXECUTED, THE RESULTS MAY HAVE UNDER-OR-OVER COMPENSATED FOR THE IMPACT, IF ANY, OF CERTAIN MARKET FACTORS, SUCH AS LACK OF LIQUIDITY. SIMULATED TRADING PROGRAMS IN GENERAL ARE ALSO SUBJECT TO THE FACT THAT THEY ARE DESIGNED WITH THE BENEFIT OF HINDSIGHT. NO REPRESENTATION IS BEING MADE THAT ANY ACCOUNT WILL OR IS LIKELY TO ACHIEVE PROFIT OR LOSSES SIMILAR TO THOSE SHOWN OR MENTIONED.

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