What is Forex Trading?
Forex, or Foreign Exchange, is the simultaneous exchange of one country's currency for that of another.
The way it works is an investor who wishes to purchase or sell one currency for another with the hope of making a profit when the value of the currencies change in favor of the investor. This can happen either from market news, or events that happen across the globe. For example, If you bought currency and the price appreciates in value, then you will earn a profit by closing your position. When you do this and sell the currency back in order to lock in the profit, you are in actuality buying the counter currency in the pair. By trading currency pairs, one currency valued against another, a rate of worth has been established. The reason is because a country's currency has value only relative to the currency of another country.

There are many different tools that can help a Forex trader out. Advanced charting programs are a major tool, as well as the FOREX traders guide. Along with these tools, global interactive training rooms with live video feeds, and the daily world bank FOREX report help investors get the most out of FOREX trading.


Proper Behavior of a Forex Trader

The world of Forex trading is a great open land of opportunities where great profits can be achieved. But in order to obtain these great profits you must have a proper understanding of how the forex markets work and behave.

The Forex market is a market of trends, as you can see in any forex chart where the oscillation of prices during specific periods of times is more than evident. And this specific behavior of the market is what brings us to one of the most important rules of the forex trader behavior:

You must always trade with the trend and never go against the evident movements of the market. This an important rule many traders forget on the assumption that they can somehow cheat the market. But this is not possible, you will always have to check your indicators and if the market trend is going in the direction suggested by the indicators you must stick with that.

You must always cut losses. Yes, every trader has losing trades and you must learn how to deal with that fact of the forex world. In short don’t let losing trades ride too far and on the contrary, you should let the winning ones ride as long as possible in order to always have a positive balance at the end of the day.

The best technique you can use in order to fulfill this proper winning vs. losing trades positive balance is the use of Stop Orders. Every trader should trade using stops if he wants to maintain the proper balance in his trades for the day. A Stop Order lets you manage and decide how much money you want to risk losing if the trade you are in results in a bad trade. So, if you combine this “security” stop with a correct technical analysis of your indicators you will always be on the winning side, even if you have a few losing trades.

In short, the proper behavior of a forex trader can be resumed in two main attitudes: Always follow the trends of the markets and decide accordingly (sell or buy) and always maintain a positive balance of your trades using stop orders in order to cut losses at its maximum.


Forex Day Trading - Is It Too Good To Be True?

A type of trading available in the Forex market is called Forex day trading. This financial trading option can be something that can definitely make trading work better for you. One of the biggest benefits of trading day currencies is that it is available twenty-four hours a day. This of course can give traders the obvious benefit of trading at any hour that they choose. With foreign exchange day trade there is no rush or panic, and decisions can be more carefully considered and executed.

Something else that is beneficial when it comes to day trading is that a lender can start a lot smaller if they choose. Starting smaller can also let them concentrate on a few major currencies rather than on tens of thousands. Foreign exchange day trading allows for more focus and a better ability to spread an investment. These benefits are not available with a traditional stock market approach. Something else that is great when it comes to Forex day transactions is that spreads can be narrower if the trader wishes. This allows the trader to regulate more easily the day spends. Of course this also leads to more liquidity.

Some other benefits that come with Forex day trade include there being no restrictions when selling currencies short. This allows for a trader to continue making money at a steady rate, whether markets are rising or falling. Also because of certain times when trading volumes are high, having day trading as an available tool can help a trader avoid these times if they choose, yet still make high enough profits. Foreign exchange day trading allows the trader to avoid times when the British, European, and United States markets are all open at the same time and activity is overwhelming, yet still make profits if they so choose.

Day trade also allows the Forex trader to take full advantage of some of the general benefits offered in the Forex market. These include twenty-four hour online currency trading, one hundred to one leverage, commission free trading and regulated FCM status. Having some of these advantages can definitely improve one's chance of making large profits in the Forex market.

As you can see being able to use Forex day transactions in your trading activities could be a decision that could make you millions of dollars if used properly. Trading day currencies is a great option for those who like to make their own hours, yet still want to benefit fully from the Forex market in general.


Forex Terms Every Forex Trader Should Know

Before jumping into the forex market, you need to arm yourself with some terminology that will be used in any course or software on this subject. The following set of terms were put together with the idea of providing the novice forex trader with the fundamental concepts of the forex trading business. While they sound technical, most are easy to understand and apply.

Let us begin with the instruments that are traded in the forex markets. Currencies are traded in pairs so the instrument will always be in this double denomination. The reason for this is simple; the basis of forex currency trading is to exchange one currency for another. So if the pair is the Euro and the US Dollar, and the forex trader is taking a long position or buying the Euro in hopes that it will appreciate, effectively the trader is also selling US Dollars to buy the Euros. The most widely traded pairs are the Great Britain Pound and the US Dollar (indicated as GBP/USD), the Euro and the US Dollar (the EUR/USD pair), the Aussie Dollar and the US Dollar (AUD/USD pair), the USD and the Japanese Yen (USD/JPY pair), and the Canadian Dollar and the USD (USD/CAD pair). These pairs account for well over 80% of the total volume of the trading in the forex market. The advantage to trading in these currency pairs is that they are highly liquid and allow the investor to convert their portfolio to cash very quickly to realize a profit.

In every pair, the first currency is called the base currency, over which the second one is countered to imply the price of the pair. The second is therefore called the quote currency and the pair price is recorded in terms of the units of the quote currency required to buy one unit of the base currency. Thus, assuming the price of the GBP/USD pair is 1.5, this implies that 1.5 USD will buy 1 GBP.

Every pair is quoted in terms of a bid ask spread. The bid price means that this is the rate at which your forex broker bids to buy the currency at, while the ask price is the rate which the forex broker is asking to sell the currency to the forex trader. The bid price will always be lower than the ask price and the forex trader will buy at the ask price and sell at the bid price. The bid ask price will be quoted as: GBP/USD 1.532/5, meaning the bid price is 1.532 and the ask price is 1.535.

A price interest point or a pip, as it is commonly called, is the smallest incremental change a currency pair will experience, for instance, a change in the GBP/USD price from 1.532 to 1.542 is a change of 10 pips. A trading margin is a deposit which is a minimum amount or a small percentage of your traded amount that you have to put up. The remaining amount is supplied by your broker. This amount can vary from 1% to 0.25%, also referred to as 100:1 and 400:1. Most often, forex brokers will offer 100:1 or 200:1 to most clients. This is risky but enables the trader to leverage a large amount that he or she would not otherwise have access to.

Finally, a margin call can happen when the forex trader allows the balance in the trading account to go below the margin deposit percentage agreed upon with the forex broker. The broker will automatically sell your long positions or buy your short positions and clear the entire trading account, returning the margin amount to the trader to protect the trader from losing more money than they have.


A Mini-Guide To The Managed Forex Account

A managed forex account is forex made easy. It is especially tailored for those investors who do not have the time or desire to monitor their own forex account. Many different companies offer these accounts to their clients. A managed forex account is often chosen by individuals who wish to take advantage of the high liquidity and high profitability of the forex market without taking the time to “learn” forex trading.

The world of forex trading is highly complicated and success requires education and familiarity with terms, charts, signals and indicators. With a managed forex account, the investor can rely on someone who is already familiar with and successful in the forex world.

One type of managed forex account utilizes robots to trade the investors account. To the investor, no human hand means that there will be no emotional trades. These automated systems are designed by experienced traders and take into account all the indicators and statistics of any good forex trading system to signal the robot to trade. This is really forex made easy.

Another type of managed forex account attempts to take the difficulty out of self-trading by allowing the investor to employ a professional trader to make the trades. These accounts remain solely in the individual investor’s name, meaning that money can be withdrawn at any time, unlike conventional stock trading. In other words, a managed forex account is not merely combining one investor’s money with numerous other investors’ money to obtain results. These managed forex accounts are actively traded by individuals for individuals. Forex made easy for individuals.

Perhaps you are looking for forex, but you wish to trade your account yourself, for fun or as a hobby. Without a managed account, you must follow all the rules of successful forex trading. Forex education is absolutely necessary. There is no way to trade a forex account successfully without education because this is a complex financial undertaking. In fact, professional advice is highly recommended. Try a “demo” account, before you invest real money. Software, seminars, daily newsletters and much more is available for the new trader. If you are not looking for a managed forex account, you are not really looking for forex made easy. You are looking for the tools needed to maximize your chances of success.

Forex trading is a risky business. According to statistics, only 5-10% of new traders make it through their first six months with their initial investment intact. Even less make a profit. A managed forex account is a way to reduce the risk and increase the profit.


A Day in the Life of a Forex Trader

Are you looking into breaking into the field of professional foreign exchange trading? Or are you already a forex trader doing it regularly? Either way, this article may be of interest to you. The forex trader is a different breed of human being. They utilize the markets to earn a living everyday. We have a look into the insight of a day in the life of a forex trader.

Any professional forex trader has the potential to make massive returns from their initial investment or on the nastier side any trader can make massive losses. It is not a game of chance, trading is a skill of emotional control and sound decision making. Traders have an understanding of market mechanics and their behaviour as a response of economic trends.

Traders makes their living from taking advantage of price differences between the buy and sell price of currency pairs and more importantly they make their money by following the market trend. If you yourself have studies forex charts you may notice how the price fluctuates – there are only three directions the price can do: rise, fall or stay the same. Currency prices only stay the same if the currency value is not floated and fixed to a certain value. Traders make their money on the difference on price so the trader can either buy long and hope the currency rises or sell short as the currency drops in price and still makes a profit.

The advanced forex trader waits for a new trade or rather waits for the right time to open a new trade by looking for the right indicators and signs to signal an entry into the foreign exchange market. There are two things that the forex trader can do at home to watch out for an entry signal: look at charts or wait for news. Traders watch for the right trending signals to enter a trade. And the primary rule for the trader is that ‘the trend is your friend.’ Stick to the trend and you won’t get hurt. Secondly, traders also watch the news. They must know what economic data is coming out on which days and what that data means to the future of the economy of the respective countries. If they don’t keep track of these facts and economic data and indicators they may find that some currencies are especially volatile during these news announcement events and see the market jump. The forex trader must be ready for these economic announcements to ensure they can anticipate the increased market activity.

Once the forex trader has successfully entered into a trade, a trade that is going well the trader then simply rides the trend to completion, implementing a trailing stop to lock in profits as the price trends the way the trader wanted the trend to go. But if the trade goes sour, the forex traders needs to exit the trade with grace. The trader must cut their losses to succeed in the business of foreign exchange trading.

Hopefully this has given you an overview of what a professional forex trader does to make a living from simply taking advantage over the price difference. The technique is to enter a trade correctly using trend analysis or a news announcement and then follow the rules of “riding the trend” or the “trend is your friend” with “cutting your losses quickly.”


What Every Forex Trader Needs to Know

Do you want to get into a market with an annual trade volume of over 2 trillion dollars, making it the largest market in the world? Well, if you do, then welcome to the world of currency trading, or as some call it, Forex trading. “Forex” stands for the foreign exchange market, a 24/7 global exchange that deals in the currencies of the world. Because the Forex market is very loosely regulated, it is easy for many people to enter it as an individual or retail trader. The downside to such loose regulation, however, is that the Forex market is a lot riskier than other markets and it invites investor scams; furthermore, if you do get scammed, there is very little that you can do about it.

Make no mistake: currency trading is a high risk endeavor. People get into it anyway because of the chance to make a high profit. Of course, that also entails a chance of taking a high loss. For that reason, you should only invest in Forex trading money that you can afford to lose.

In order to be successful at currency trading, you need to buy low and sell high. In Forex terms, it means buying a currency that is going to appreciate in value against another currency. Once it rises in value, you can sell it for a profit. The problem that currency investors face is figuring out which currencies will appreciate. This is where skill, knowledge and experience come in. A good Forex trader needs to have the ability to read the market trends, and to do that you need to have a keen understanding of the foreign exchange market, and that can take months to develop.

Becoming a successful Forex trader, then, requires more than investing only your money. You also need to put in a lot of time and effort. And after all that, you have no guarantee of success. The foreign exchange market is highly volatile. You have about as much chance of mastering it as you would taming a wild stallion. Yet some people do come close to mastery, and manage to make Forex trading their daily job. You could be one of those people.


Forex Trading Strategy - Finding the Right One For You

The first thing someone needs when beginning in the Forex market is a well thought out Forex trading strategy. This is because those who do not have a good foreign exchange trading strategy usually end up failing miserably. Of course those who are also in it just for a quick buck, will invariably end up losing in the long run. Those without a clear trading strategy will either lose constantly or just break even.

A lot of times the Forex trading strategy will be different depending on different traders. This is because different kinds of traders needs require different kinds of forex trade strategies. A Forex trading strategy for a day trader will reflect their need to be concerned with day-to-day fluctuations than long-term data. This means that someone who is deciding to become a Forex trader needs to first decide what kind of Forex trader he or she are going to be. Once they decide which kind of trader they are going to be they will better be able to plan their trading strategy.

A very important aspect of every strategy is to be able to lessen any losses or eliminate them altogether. This part of the Forex trading strategy is one that needs to be followed strictly or it can make things a complete mess. Someone who is a day trader will most likely make smaller stops. On the other hand a swing trader will have stops that are less limited. These are both different kinds of foreign exchange trading strategies, but can both lessen losses immensely for either kind of trader.

Another part of a good Forex trading strategy is to plan the size of transactions. This allows many different trades to be made at any time instead of just one huge transaction. This will lessen any loss, by dividing the trades, so not all are affected. This also brings in more discipline to the equation.

Following the trading strategy that you plan out requires discipline and following it to the letter, because the Forex market does not always lend itself to the best opportunities in trading. In the Forex market it is mostly about timing, if not all about timing. Understanding this and incorporating it into your strategy is how you will benefit the most from it.

A few other things that need to be incorporated into a good strategy is first of all acquiring accurate knowledge about the way it works, different things that can affect trade and what various software and services that are available to meet their needs for charting and such. One last thing that needs to be included of course is what other Forex traders are doing, allowing the strategy to be planned accordingly.

As you can see a lot needs to be looked at when entering the Forex market. Thoroughly and completely researching all these different aspects is an important way of preparing yourself to do so. Coming up with a Forex trading strategy that benefits the trader in the best way possible is definitely the way to go.


Become A Profitable Forex Trader Following The Trend

Forex trading can be a hard world when you are just starting your trading career and you are in the beginning of the learning curve that will guide you to the goal of becoming a profitable forex trader; someone with the ability to make all the money needed to have a comfortable lifestyle just with the help of the currency markets.

Many forex traders tend to think that in order to become a good forex trader they must use many technical indicators so they can foresee what will happen in the currency markets and then act accordingly to enter the appropriate trade and make a good profit from their ability to read the indicators.

Technical indicators are good and will greatly improve your profitability, but there other ways to approach the world of forex trading that can be more simple but not without great profitable results, and this despite the use of fewer indicators. It’s a fact that forex trading systems that are based on logical, scientifically sound, and well-tested forex trading concepts have been performing extremely well and will continue to do so for many years to come. So you must aim to base your trading career on these kind of systems that on the long run will greatly outperform other kind of systems.

To be successful in forex trading, you only need to do two things: Identify the trend (or have someone or something to identify it for you) & join the trend with the precise timing. That’s really all profitable forex trading is about.


Fear And The Profitable Forex Trader

Forex trading is one of the most looked for occupations for many people these days. Around the world people is getting tired of fixed working hours and tight cubicles that limit their aspirations of a more relaxed and satisfying working life.

In order to start Forex trading the new trader doesn’t need a fortune or good Wall Street contacts that will let him become part of the chosen ones. The only thing the new forex trader needs is some starting capital (as low as $100, but an amount around $5000 would be more recommendable) and the free forex trading platform that will be provided by the Forex broker.

But one thing is to start Forex trading and other very different is becoming a profitable Forex trader. In order to become a profitable trader the new trader will immediately discover the imperative need of having an accurate knowledge of the markets and a good understanding of the forex technical indicators. Concepts as Moving Averages, Fibonacci levels, Bollinger Bands, etc; are the basic knowledge every trader must have.

This basic knowledge is indeed essential but once in front of the trading station, with real money on the line and with an open trade subject to the currency markets oscillations; things will start to get tricky even if the basic technical concepts of forex trading have been understood by the beginning and sometimes also by the experienced trader.

Knowledge will start to fade in front of one of the most basic instincts we humans beings have. Fear will ask for an entrance to the traders mind and if let in by the inexperienced trader, it will turn the making of critical decisions difficult and many bad trading moves may follow.

It is very natural to be afraid and let fear invade us if we are not really sure of what we are doing or we can not afford to lose even a cent in a bad trade; or seen in a different approach, the trader is so anxious and perfectionist that he won’t let him lose anything and will take it very seriously if he loses a trade.

Fear is one of the worst enemies of the Forex trader. In order to become a profitable trader it is essential that the person involved in trading understands that he must leave fear aside and stick to the trading plan he has constructed and arranged before, always understanding that losing trades happen to everyone and they are always part of a profitable trading career. A forex trader must learn how to profitable use his stops without heavily compromising the capital in his trading account, i.e., he must play safe but realizing that a calculated risk must be undertaken in order to maximize profits.

In short, fear is a natural emotion we all humans have given the right environment is present; therefore it is the trader’s obligation not to arrange a “fear environment” around him and be psychologically prepared for the ups and downs of the trade. No one is prefect and that’s an even deeper truth in forex trading.


Quality Forex Training is the Key to Success

Quality Forex training is the key to success for any budding Forex trader. But sometimes I think Forex training is too regulated then at other times I think that there isn't enough oversight. The reason that Forex training is so important and vital is because the Forex market is extremely competitive, volatile and fragile. Training is an essential step to become an experienced trader. Forex training is in demand as many people look for ways to profit from the currency trading marketplace.

Some things to consider when looking for free Forex training. Many websites offer a free demo account and free Forex trading System training. You can get free, live Forex training over the web from professional traders. Go to one of these websites and try a free practice account and learn how currency trading works.

Choosing which of the many Forex courses you want to take is not an easy task. There are literally hundreds of courses and materials out there for proper Forex training. Some training courses are specifically designed for home study use. But is it necessary for new Forex traders to study more about Forex trading courses or just join a Forex training program. The good news is that lots of courses will show you winning entry techniques and you should take the time to find and digest as many training courses as you can before you begin. Due to this fact, more and more people are either enrolling into FOREX courses or purchasing different kind of books regarding FOREX trading. Online education courses are a great way to learn and there are many to chose from on the internet today.

Without the proper preparation and expertise, a trader's chances of succeeding are reduced. With the correct training and mentoring a new trader can then intelligently develop a strategy that is suitable for him. Get to know the tools of the trade, as well as what will be expected of you to become a successful trader. If you'd like to learn how to become a successful Forex trader, consider a professional Forex mentoring course. With this kind of one on one assistance, a new trader can acquire and improve their necessary professional trading skills. With a little research, you can learn how to avoid common Forex trader mistakes and how to learn to move on. Have you heard the wise saying that a trader who fails to plan, plans to fail.

You may ask, “Do I have what it takes to be a currency trader” ask yourself do you have the drive and tenacity to succeed . I can tell you that as a well trained currency trader you can earn average profits of 5% to 25% or more per month. As a competent Forex trader you must study and understand daily foreign exchange rates. Becoming a successful trader will take work and a little stress, but the rewards are great. But I would say that fear and greed are, without a doubt, the enemies of the successful Forex trader and proper training is very important if you seriously want to get into the world of Forex trading.

So to sum it up quality Forex training is the key to success. The reason that Forex training is so important and vital is because the Forex market is extremely competitive, volatile and fragile. Forex training is essential to become an experienced trader. Forex training is very much in great demand as many people are looking for ways to profit from the currency trading marketplace. Training is widely available on the internet, including online courses, advanced trading workshops, books and more. If you search the internet you'll discover a lot of companies offering Forex training along with some great free Forex resources.


Forex Trading: Profitable or Risky?

Forex trading has become very popular in recent times as a way of making money on the side using extra funds. In fact, a few people have even been able to turn their Forex trading activities into a regular source of income. When you play on the Forex market, you are running a risk, but you are doing so because Forex trading offers you an opportunity to make a good profit. It is not for everyone, and certainly not for people who are risk-averse and very cautious about money. It also requires a person who is willing to do the work of studying the market, because being able to read the market trends is crucial in making a profit out of Forex trading.

You may be thinking about getting into Forex trading. With that in mind, let us examine what goes on in Forex trading. Essentially, Forex trading deals with the foreign exchange market. This is a 24 hour global market where people are constantly buying and selling different world currencies. A typical Forex investor will attempt to buy a foreign currency at a low rate, with the anticipation of selling it at a higher rate. An investor must do a lot of these trades, and make money out of most of them, in order to get ahead in the world of Forex trading. By handling large volume of trades, an experienced trader can make a great deal of money in a very short time. But experience and success do not come easily. It takes time for a trader to gain a keen understanding of the foreign exchange market, and a lot of time and money must be put into it.

Forex trading can be risky for two reasons. One reason is that, in order to make a significant profit, a Forex trader easily has to get into marginal trading. In marginal training, only a small percentage of a lot is paid for by the trader’s own money, while the rest is leverage. In other words, a trader makes use of borrowed capital when doing a marginal trade. The greater the leverage involved, the greater the risk to the trader.

The other reason that Forex trading is risky is market uncertainty. Even the most experienced Forex trader cannot make perfect predictions on how the foreign exchange market will perform. The market can easily be affected at anytime by unexpected events, especially events that make the news, such as wars in elections.

If you're still interested in getting into Forex trading, then be prepared to work hard and do your homework, and also be prepared to take on the risks.


How to build working forex system.

If you want some good FOREX education to help you build and execute a trading method the good news is you don’t have to buy a worthless e-book from a vendor ( with no real time results ) you can get all the info you need free.

Here are some tips on the best FREE FOREX education.

You Need a PROVEN method

This should be technically based.

All you need to do is search technical “analysis of FOREX markets” and “support and resistance” and you will find everything you need.

Once you have done this, you need a methodology to trade with.

The simplest method to understand is:

A breakout methodology search “FOREX Breakouts”

Once you understand the above, you will need to decide if breakouts are valid.

You need to calculate price momentum i.e. is it failing at a breakout, or is it accelerating?

The former indicates resistance or support will hold, the latter it will fail and a breakout occur.

Get a good free chart service like futuresource.com

Pull up the charts on the indicators and look at the studies at the bottom.

There are three that we find useful and you will to – look up their logic and try using them in conjunction with support and resistance.

Price momentum indicators that are good are:

Relative Strength Index RSI and the ultimate indicator for timing trades: The Stochastic.

We also like Bollinger bands for targets and to see volatility

Look up the logic of both. Using these in association with support and resistance is a great way to trade.

Other useful indicators to look at are: Moving averages, MACD and the ADX

Breakouts trading them for profit

It’s a fact that most major moves start from new market highs NOT market lows and that is why a breakout method is so effective.

To check if a breakout will fail or break you simply need to get some momentum indicators to gauge strength of price.

We like the stochastic and RSI, But indicators used are matter of preference.

A SIMPLE METHOD FOR PROFIT The above may sound simple and it is – the best methods are.

You don’t make money in FOREX trading for being clever you get paid for being right.

There is no correlation between how complicated a method is and how successful it will be.

In fact, simple methods are best and you should focus your FOREX education on them because:

They are easy to understand, easy to apply and more robust in the face of brutal market conditions.

The PROOF

We have used a simple system and demonstrated how profitable it can be in numerous articles and we have applied the above tools to spot big moves – check them out.

Before you

Waste money on a worthless e-book from a vendor who has simply put together a system with a simulation of profits (he is probably no smarter than you), take a few hours to research and build your own method.

Keep in mind only you can make yourself successful and if you think you can buy success for $100 or so – think again!

If you do the above, you will have something that you can have confidence in and apply with discipline for profits.

One final point:

When trading breakouts only trade ones that are significant i.e. on weekly and daily charts (forget day trading it doesn’t work)

If you trade only the best breakouts and trade with momentum you will have huge profit potential.

Finally, have patience and only trade the best set ups.

That’s it.

Research the above FREE FOREX education, build and test your method and then go and make some profits!

GRAB 2 X FREE TRADER PDF'S AND MUCH MORE!
Free Forex education



Brief history of Forex trading

Initially, the value of goods was expressed in terms of other goods, i.e. an economy based on barter between individual market participants. The obvious limitations of such a system encouraged establishing more generally accepted means of exchange at a fairly early stage in history, to set a common benchmark of value. In different economies, everything from teeth to feathers to pretty stones has served this purpose, but soon metals, in particular gold and silver, established themselves as an accepted means of payment as well as a reliable storage of value.

Originally, coins were simply minted from the preferred metal, but in stable political regimes the introduction of a paper form of governmental IOUs (I owe you) gained acceptance during the Middle Ages. Such IOUs, often introduced more successfully through force than persuasion were the basis of modern currencies.

Before the First World War, most central banks supported their currencies with convertibility to gold. Although paper money could always be exchanged for gold, in reality this did not occur often, fostering the sometimes disastrous notion that there was not necessarily a need for full cover in the central reserves of the government.

At times, the ballooning supply of paper money without gold cover led to devastating inflation and resulting political instability. To protect local national interests, foreign exchange controls were increasingly introduced to prevent market forces from punishing monetary irresponsibility.

In the latter stages of the Second World War, the Bretton Woods agreement was reached on the initiative of the USA in July 1944. The Bretton Woods Conference rejected John Maynard Keynes suggestion for a new world reserve currency in favour of a system built on the US dollar. Other international institutions such as the IMF, the World Bank and GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade) were created in the same period as the emerging victors of WW2 searched for a way to avoid the destabilising monetary crises which led to the war. The Bretton Woods agreement resulted in a system of fixed exchange rates that partly reinstated the gold standard, fixing the US dollar at USD35/oz and fixing the other main currencies to the dollar - and was intended to be permanent.

The Bretton Woods system came under increasing pressure as national economies moved in different directions during the sixties. A number of realignments kept the system alive for a long time, but eventually Bretton Woods collapsed in the early seventies following president Nixon's suspension of the gold convertibility in August 1971. The dollar was no longer suitable as the sole international currency at a time when it was under severe pressure from increasing US budget and trade deficits.

The following decades have seen foreign exchange trading develop into the largest global market by far. Restrictions on capital flows have been removed in most countries, leaving the market forces free to adjust foreign exchange rates according to their perceived values.

But the idea of fixed exchange rates has by no means died. The EEC (European Economic Community) introduced a new system of fixed exchange rates in 1979, the European Monetary System. This attempt to fix exchange rates met with near extinction in 1992-93, when pent-up economic pressures forced devaluations of a number of weak European currencies. Nevertheless, the quest for currency stability has continued in Europe with the renewed attempt to not only fix currencies but actually replace many of them with the Euro in 2001.

The lack of sustainability in fixed foreign exchange rates gained new relevance with the events in South East Asia in the latter part of 1997, where currency after currency was devalued against the US dollar, leaving other fixed exchange rates, in particular in South America, looking very vulnerable.

But while commercial companies have had to face a much more volatile currency environment in recent years, investors and financial institutions have found a new playground. The size of foreign exchange markets now dwarfs any other investment market by a large factor. It is estimated that more than USD1,200 billion is traded every day, far more than the world's stock and bond markets combined.


Six Trading Tips for the Forex Newbie

For those of you who are new to the forex market, or even for those of you who are considering becoming a forex market trader, this article is for you. Welcome to forex 101, where you will learn exactly who forex is and what it does. Also for the forex newbie’s, you will find a list of six trading tips that will help you in your transactions.

For those of you who are new to the forex trading market, first you will need to know the meaning of the term “forex” which stands for FOReign EXchange market. This pertains to the international foreign currency exchange market where currencies of all kinds are bought and sold. The forex market got its start back in the early 1970's when floating currencies and free exchange rates were first introduced. At this time, the forex market traders were the only players on the market to decide upon the value of one type of currency against another, all solely based upon a particular currency’s supply and demand.

The forex market is very unique for a number of reasons. First of all, this is one of the few markets that require very little trading qualifications and is free from any external control and can not be manipulated in any way. As the largest financial market, with trades reaching up to 1.5 trillion U.S. dollars, or USD, the money moves so fast, it’s impossible for a single investor to substantially affect the price of any major foreign currency. In addition, unlike any stock that is rarely traded, forex traders are able to open and close any positions within seconds, because there are always a number of willing buyers and sellers.

1. To open a forex account, all you have to do is simply fill out an application and provide all the necessary identification. The application will include a margin agreement will state if the broker will be allowed to intervene with any trade when it appears too risky. This agreement is made to protect the interests of the broker because most trades are done by using the broker’s money. However, once you have established an account, you can fund it and begin trading in the forex market.

2. In order to become a successful trader, you will need to adapt your own trading strategy. There is no one strategy that will work for all the traders, each individual trader will need to develop their own approach to the market. While some traders may relay solely on technical analysis, others may prefer a more fundamental approach, while the more successful traders use a combination of both. Each individual trader will need to learn the best approach for them selves in order to gain a more comprehensive overview of the forex market in order to prepare for any entry and exit points.

3. Understand that prices move by trends. Forex has a popular saying, “The trend is your friend.” there are certain movements that have been studied over many years in order to identify a pattern in the trend. These trends need to be understood in order to understand a good trading strategy. For small accounts that are $25,000 and under, trading with a trend may help improving your odds when compared to bi-directional trading. Most newbie’s will look to trade in any direction, when they should be trading with a trend.


Forex Definitions, Terms and Acronyms:

* Day trading - refers to the practice of buying and selling stocks during the day such that a gain or loss is made on the difference between the purchase and sales prices.
* Rocket scientist (slang) - a financial consultant with exceptional mathematical and computer programming skills.
* Direct quotation or price quotation - quotes using a country's home currency as the price currency.



4. Before you take any position, look over the top five currencies to make sure you’re not missing something. The top five foreign in forex are: USD/Yen, Swiss franc/USD, Euro/Yen, Euro/USD and Pound/USD.

5. For newbie’s, it would be safest to have two accounts because you learn as you play the trading game. Keep one real account, one that you will actually use to trade real money; and the second account should be a demo, one that you can use to test alternative moves in the trading game. You can easily use your demo account to shadow the trades in your real account so you can widen your stops to see if you are being too conservative or not.

6. Always examine the one hour, four hour and daily charts that concern your trades. Although you can trade at 15 and 30 minute time intervals, doing so requires a handful of dexterity.



Trading tips

1. Trade pairs, not currencies - Like any relationship, you have to know both sides. Success or failure in forex trading depends upon being right about both currencies and how they impact one another, not just one.

2. Knowledge is Power - When starting out trading forex online, it is essential that you understand the basics of this market if you want to make the most of your investments.

The main forex influencer is global news and events. For example, say an ECB statement is released on European interest rates which typically will cause a flurry of activity. Most newcomers react violently to news like this and close their positions and subsequently miss out on some of the best trading opportunities by waiting until the market calms down. The potential in the forex market is in the volatility, not in its tranquility.

3. Unambitious trading - Many new traders will place very tight orders in order to take very small profits. This is not a sustainable approach because although you may be profitable in the short run (if you are lucky), you risk losing in the longer term as you have to recover the difference between the bid and the ask price before you can make any profit and this is much more difficult when you make small trades than when you make larger ones.

4. Over-cautious trading - Like the trader who tries to take small incremental profits all the time, the trader who places tight stop losses with a retail forex broker is doomed. As we stated above, you have to give your position a fair chance to demonstrate its ability to produce. If you don't place reasonable stop losses that allow your trade to do so, you will always end up undercutting yourself and losing a small piece of your deposit with every trade.

5. Independence - If you are new to forex, you will either decide to trade your own money or to have a broker trade it for you. So far, so good. But your risk of losing increases exponentially if you either of these two things:

Interfere with what your broker is doing on your behalf (as his strategy might require a long gestation period);

Seek advice from too many sources - multiple input will only result in multiple losses. Take a position, ride with it and then analyse the outcome - by yourself, for yourself.

6. Tiny margins - Margin trading is one of the biggest advantages in trading forex as it allows you to trade amounts far larger than the total of your deposits. However, it can also be dangerous to novice traders as it can appeal to the greed factor that destroys many forex traders. The best guideline is to increase your leverage in line with your experience and success.

7. No strategy - The aim of making money is not a trading strategy. A strategy is your map for how you plan to make money. Your strategy details the approach you are going to take, which currencies you are going to trade and how you will manage your risk. Without a strategy, you may become one of the 90% of new traders that lose their money.

8. Trading Off-Peak Hours - Professional FX traders, option traders, and hedge funds posses a huge advantage over small retail traders during off-peak hours (between 2200 CET and 1000 CET) as they can hedge their positions and move them around when there is far small trade volume is going through (meaning their risk is smaller). The best advice for trading during off peak hours is simple - don't.

9. The only way is up/down - When the market is on its way up, the market is on its way up. When the market is going down, the market is going down. That's it. There are many systems which analyse past trends, but none that can accurately predict the future. But if you acknowledge to yourself that all that is happening at any time is that the market is simply moving, you'll be amazed at how hard it is to blame anyone else.

10. Trade on the news - Most of the really big market moves occur around news time. Trading volume is high and the moves are significant; this means there is no better time to trade than when news is released. This is when the big players adjust their positions and prices change resulting in a serious currency flow.

11. Exiting Trades - If you place a trade and it's not working out for you, get out. Don't compound your mistake by staying in and hoping for a reversal. If you're in a winning trade, don't talk yourself out of the position because you're bored or want to relieve stress; stress is a natural part of trading; get used to it.

12. Don't trade too short-term - If you are aiming to make less than 20 points profit, don't undertake the trade. The spread you are trading on will make the odds against you far too high.

13. Don't be smart - The most successful traders I know keep their trading simple. They don't analyse all day or research historical trends and track web logs and their results are excellent.

14. Tops and Bottoms - There are no real "bargains" in trading foreign exchange. Trade in the direction the price is going in and you're results will be almost guaranteed to improve.

15. Ignoring the technicals- Understanding whether the market is over-extended long or short is a key indicator of price action. Spikes occur in the market when it is moving all one way.

16. Emotional Trading - Without that all-important strategy, you're trades essentially are thoughts only and thoughts are emotions and a very poor foundation for trading. When most of us are upset and emotional, we don't tend to make the wisest decisions. Don't let your emotions sway you.

17. Confidence - Confidence comes from successful trading. If you lose money early in your trading career it's very difficult to regain it; the trick is not to go off half-cocked; learn the business before you trade. Remember, knowledge is power.

The second and final part of this report clearly and simply details more essential tips on how to avoid the pitfalls and start making more money in your forex trading.

1. Take it like a man - If you decide to ride a loss, you are simply displaying stupidity and cowardice. It takes guts to accept your loss and wait for tomorrow to try again. Sticking to a bad position ruins lots of traders - permanently. Try to remember that the market often behaves illogically, so don't get commit to any one trade; it's just a trade. One good trade will not make you a trading success; it's ongoing regular performance over months and years that makes a good trader.

2. Focus - Fantasising about possible profits and then "spending" them before you have realised them is no good. Focus on your current position(s) and place reasonable stop losses at the time you do the trade. Then sit back and enjoy the ride - you have no real control from now on, the market will do what it wants to do.

3. Don't trust demos - Demo trading often causes new traders to learn bad habits. These bad habits, which can be very dangerous in the long run, come about because you are playing with virtual money. Once you know how your broker's system works, start trading small amounts and only take the risk you can afford to win or lose.

4. Stick to the strategy - When you make money on a well thought-out strategic trade, don't go and lose half of it next time on a fancy; stick to your strategy and invest profits on the next trade that matches your long-term goals.

5. Trade today - Most successful day traders are highly focused on what's happening in the short-term, not what may happen over the next month. If you're trading with 40 to 60-point stops focus on what's happening today as the market will probably move too quickly to consider the long-term future. However, the long-term trends are not unimportant; they will not always help you though if you're trading intraday.

6. The clues are in the details - The bottom line on your account balance doesn't tell the whole story. Consider individual trade details; analyse your losses and the telling losing streaks. Generally, traders that make money without suffering significant daily losses have the best chance of sustaining positive performance in the long term.

7. Simulated Results - Be very careful and wary about infamous "black box" systems. These so-called trading signal systems do not often explain exactly how the trade signals they generate are produced. Typically, these systems only show their track record of extraordinary results - historical results. Successfully predicting future trade scenarios is altogether more complex. The high-speed algorithmic capabilities of these systems provide significant retrospective trading systems, not ones which will help you trade effectively in the future.

8. Get to know one cross at a time - Each currency pair is unique, and has a unique way of moving in the marketplace. The forces which cause the pair to move up and down are individual to each cross, so study them and learn from your experience and apply your learning to one cross at a time.

9. Risk Reward - If you put a 20 point stop and a 50 point profit your chances of winning are probably about 1-3 against you. In fact, given the spread you're trading on, it's more likely to be 1-4. Play the odds the market gives you.

10. Trading for Wrong Reasons - Don't trade if you are bored, unsure or reacting on a whim. The reason that you are bored in the first place is probably because there is no trade to make in the first place. If you are unsure, it's probably because you can't see the trade to make, so don't make one.

11. Zen Trading- Even when you have taken a position in the markets, you should try and think as you would if you hadn't taken one. This level of detachment is essential if you want to retain your clarity of mind and avoid succumbing to emotional impulses and therefore increasing the likelihood of incurring losses. To achieve this, you need to cultivate a calm and relaxed outlook. Trade in brief periods of no more than a few hours at a time and accept that once the trade has been made, it's out of your hands.

12. Determination - Once you have decided to place a trade, stick to it and let it run its course. This means that if your stop loss is close to being triggered, let it trigger. If you move your stop midway through a trade's life, you are more than likely to suffer worse moves against you. Your determination must be show itself when you acknowledge that you got it wrong, so get out.

13. Short-term Moving Average Crossovers - This is one of the most dangerous trade scenarios for non professional traders. When the short-term moving average crosses the longer-term moving average it only means that the average price in the short run is equal to the average price in the longer run. This is neither a bullish nor bearish indication, so don't fall into the trap of believing it is one.

14. Stochastic - Another dangerous scenario. When it first signals an exhausted condition that's when the big spike in the "exhausted" currency cross tends to occur. My advice is to buy on the first sign of an overbought cross and then sell on the first sign of an oversold one. This approach means that you'll be with the trend and have successfully identified a positive move that still has some way to go. So if percentage K and percentage D are both crossing 80, then buy! (This is the same on sell side, where you sell at 20).

15. One cross is all that counts - EURUSD seems to be trading higher, so you buy GBPUSD because it appears not to have moved yet. This is dangerous. Focus on one cross at a time - if EURUSD looks good to you, then just buy EURUSD.

16. Wrong Broker - A lot of FOREX brokers are in business only to make money from yours. Read forums, blogs and chats around the net to get an unbiased opinion before you choose your broker.

17. Too bullish - Trading statistics show that 90% of most traders will fail at some point. Being too bullish about your trading aptitude can be fatal to your long-term success. You can always learn more about trading the markets, even if you are currently successful in your trades. Stay modest, and keep your eyes open for new ideas and bad habits you might be falling in to.

18. Interpret forex news yourself - Learn to read the source documents of forex news and events - don't rely on the interpretations of news media or others.

© Help for New Traders