Forex Day Trading - Why Day Traders NEVER Win Long Term by kelly price

If you are new to Forex trading you may consider day trading but beware of the fact that day traders ALWAYS lose for the following reason:

All short-term price volatility is random

There are countless millions of traders each day that trade trillions of dollars worth of currency and to say that you can measure what they will do in a few hours or a day is the biggest myth of currency trading.

THE PROOF

You may say that you have seen forex trading systems that claim profits and what they do is claim and NEVER produce a real track record.

You normally get the following:

1. Outrageous Claims

Advertising copy pure and simple, with no substantiation - designed to appeal to the greed and naivety of the buyer.

2. A Hypothetical Track Record

Let me explain what this is, for those of you who don't know:

It's a hypothetical track record done in hindsight KNOWING the closing prices! How hard is that?

Anyone can do it and there not worth the paper they're written on. The fact so many traders don't question them or don't ask for a real track record, means they lose and wonder why.

Anyone can make money knowing the closing prices but in Forex Trading you don't get that luxury - its what makes forex trading so hard.

The reason you don't get a real time day trading track record is simple - day trading DOESN'T work.

If it did you would see a day trader with a real track record but of course if you try and find one you're in for a long search.

Day Traders don't make money - PERIOD.

If you want to make money with forex technical analysis you need to trade in time frames where the data can help you get the odds on your side and this means normally data of a few weeks minimum, not a few hours.

Think about it - if you have random volatility that can and do take prices anywhere in a day, its impossible to apply any technical tools to it. The tools maybe good but the data is unreliable and that's why day traders lose.

The proof is a real time track record and you wont get one in day trading - try asking one of the vendors who try and sell day trading systems for one and get ready for a long search.

Day trading does not work and never has and it's one of the biggest myths of trading that forex traders fall for - dont fall into the trap or you will lose to.

About the Author

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Trading Forex- overtrading. by Mike P. Kulej

Entire libraries have been written and published on a subject of trading mistakes. Just about every trader with some experience has his own list of pitfalls. They can vary from under capitalization to over leveraging to lack of general market education. While the list can be very long, few mistakes make the list on consistent bases. One of them is overtrading.

It is easy to say that, but when exactly does overtrading happen and how do we define it? More importantly how do we recognize it and prevent it from happening? Not one simple answer will be applicable to all traders, as it can only be determined in light of persons' trading style.

Perhaps the easiest type of overtrading to recognize happens to traders who use clearly define systematic approach. In other words mechanical trading systems. If you are using software generated signals to trade or some other form of auto trading and you start taking more and more trades outside of your system, you are probably ovetrading. This happens usually during period of time when the system is under performing. Since all systems go through weak periods, it might easily happen to everybody. Good news is, this is easy to notice and correct.

More difficult to pinpoint is overtrading happening to discretionary traders. Those who do not use mechanical systems are generally speaking trading in a discretionary manner. However, even here traders follow some strategy. These could be price breakouts, reversals, times of day or many, many other possible set ups that trigger a trade. It's good to look at a number of trades say from week to week, analyze both entry and exit points and, of course, results. If you take more and more trades, with slipping results, you might be overtrading. Traders often tell themselves they are "optimizing" their strategy, or employing new method. If that's the case, you can always open additional account to trade another approach. That should make it easier to notice any problems, like nonperforming system, not following your rules or overtrading.

Day traders who start leaving position open overnight or find themselves sitting in from of computer longer and longer, are almost certainly overtrading. Just because Forex can be traded 24 hour, doesn't mean it should be. Determine the time of the day most suitable to your lifestyle or fitting your trading strategy and stick to it. Around the clock trading availability is not a trading necessity.

Trading too many markets at once. There really is no need for an individual trader to have an open position in 15-20 pairs at the same time. First of all, this uses up available margin collateral very quickly. That can easily lead to a margin based liquidation if enough positions turn against you. Also, this kind of "dart board" approach implies that trader analyzed all those crosses and has a well developed strategy for all. In most cases it very unlikely.

Yet another form of overtrading is always having an open position. This suggests, that trade opportunity is ever-present and one always knows what it is. That is simply not possible, furthermore it exposes trader to a constant market risk. Trader who is always in the market is very likely not pursuing well defined trading plan.

Overtrading ranks as one of the most common trading pitfalls. Thankfully, it's also the one that is most easily avoided. Unlike intrinsic market risk, this one can be controlled by an individual. Periodical review of trades can show if you are trading more than your trading plan calls for.

About the Author

Mike Kulej is a Chief Forex Strategist for Spectrum Forex LLC., and a creator of highly effective "Rainbow" trading system. He specializes in mechanical trading systems as explained on www.spectrumforex.com. Spectrum Forex LLC offers numerous services to individual traders. With questions and comments e-mail him at kulej@spectrumforex.com.

Forex Trading - Earn Bigger Profits Now By Applying the 80:20 Rule by Sacha Tarkovsky

The 80:20 rules applies in many spheres of life and if you know what it is and apply it in forex trading you will increase your profits dramatically. So let's take a look at what it is and specifically how to apply it to forex trading.

In the late nineteenth century an Italian economist named Vilfredo Pareto observed that, in his native country of Italy, a small group of people held nearly all the power, influence, and wealth.

Came to the conclusion that in most countries, about 80% of the wealth and power was controlled by about 20% of the population and he referred to this as:

"Predictable imbalance," which became known as the 80:20 rule.

He concluded that in relation to an individual's effort:

20% of your effort or energy output will produce 80% of your income furthermore, 20% of your time will produce 80% of your work out put or income.

Does this apply to forex trading?

Yes it does and the lesson you can learn from the 80:20 rule is to work smart not hard. Concentrate your effort on the trades that have the best risk reward.

Cut The Number Of Trades You Do

It's a fact that most traders trade too much and execute trading signals to often, as they want to force the market to give profits, but of course profits cannot be forced.

The way to apply the 80:20 rule to currency trading is drop your frequency of trading. If you look at forex charts you will see that there are very few big trends each year but when they do occur they produce huge profits.

How do you spot them?

Here is a checklist

1. Look for valid resistance levels, that if broken are considered significant by the market.

2. Learn how to use a breakout methodology and go with breaks of these support and resistance levels.

3. To increase the odds even further make sure that you use momentum indicators to confirm that price momentum is supporting a break.

4. As you are trading less you can afford to risk more on these trades and increase profitability.

5. Don't trail stops to close and have a profit target that relates to the size of the break.

The above method will ensure you are trading a lot less and it could be as much as 80%, but your profitability will be increased.

It's a fact that most of the big profits are generated from trades that break from new market highs - NOT market lows.

So if you have been buying dips its time to re think your forex trading strategy.

Trading Less for More Profits

If you like excitement and the thrill of trading this strategy is not for you. The above strategy is all about making money and trading the trades with the best risk to reward which can yield triple digit annual gains.

If you have been trading and making marginal profits, apply the 80:20 rule to your trading, cut the frequency of trades and increase the profits!

About the Author

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Basics of the Foreign Exchange (Forex) Market by Paul Bryan

Foreign exchange market operates by trading one type of currency against another. Unlike other financial markets, the market has no physical location and no central exchange. It operates through a global network of banks, financial institutions, and individuals. The forex market is emerging as the world's largest financial market, operating round the clock with enormous amounts of money traded on a daily basis.

Another major difference between forex market and other financial market is that in forex, investors can respond to currency fluctuations caused by economic, political and social events immediately, without waiting for the exchanges to open. Modern news services, smart online charting services, electronic forex trading platforms, signal services exploded the forex market and opened it for even small and medium traders and investors.

In the foreign exchange market 6 major currency pairs are traded the most, which accounts for almost 90% of the daily trading activity. They include:

1. EUR/USD = Euro versus U.S. Dollar
2. JPY/USD = Japanese Yen versus U.S. Dollar
3. USD/CHF = U.S. Dollar versus Swiss Franc
4. AUD/USD = Australian Dollar versus U.S. Dollar
5. GBP/USD = British Pound versus U.S. Dollar
6. USD/CAD = U.S. Dollar versus Canadian Dollar

When reading these forex quotes we have to look at the bid price which is the highest price for buying versus the ask price which is the lowest price to sell. The first currency of the pair (EUR/USD) is known as the base currency and has the value of 1. If the bid of the Euro versus U.S. Dollar is 1.2811, it means that for buying one Euro we have to pay $1.2811.

When the bid and ask prices moves in an uptrend, it suggests that the secondary currency is getting weaker and the base currency in turn is getting stronger. They go up or down by units known as pips or price interest point which is almost identical to a tick in a stock price. It is the smallest increment and a move from $1.2811 to $1.2821 is a 10 pip move upwards.

When trading the pairs, we should think in terms of the base currency for buying and selling. If we were to buy (long) the EUR/USD, it means that we bought (long) the euro, hoping it to go up, and selling (short) the dollar, hoping it will fall. If we were to sell (short) the EUR/USD, it means that we sold (short) the euro, hoping it to fall and in turn buying (long) the dollar hoping it to rise. There are different types of transactions in the forex market. They are Spot transactions, Forward transaction, Futures, Options, and Swap.

In the Foreign Exchange markets we trade in lots, which are in increments of 10,000s:

1 lot=10,000 units
2 lot=20,000 units
3 lot=30,000 units

The minimum one can purchase is 10,000 units of a certain currency pair. For example, if we were to buy 3 lots of the EUR/USD with the bid price at 1.2811, we would spend $38,433 (30,000 ?1.2811= 25,622). With buying 3 lots this means for every pip that it goes up you make $3. So with movements of some of these pairs, it's possible to generate considerable profits.

It is important to remember that high risks accompany any investment like forex market has the potential for great returns. Proper knowledge, studied information and risk management measures can help the investors gain profit without the fear of losing in their trade.

About the Author

To learn more about trading Forex please visit Basics of the Foreign Exchange Market

Forex Trading Brokers by T. Houser

In financial trading, it is not easy to understand the markets and make profits. It is always advisable to take assistance from experts in the field. The need for experts becomes all the more important in forex trading where there are many complications and high risks. When we talk about experts, it may not be possible to get the opinion of analysts who write articles on various forex movements but the Forex Trading Brokers who have the experience and acumen.

There are a number of Forex Trading Brokers in all the countries and each of these offers a variety of services that help the trader in making his decisions as well as money. The services start from simple carrying out of the transaction as suggested by the investor to providing online trading portals for the investor to carry on the transaction himself using various analytical software products.

Online forex trading is one of the recent developments in forex trading and most of the brokers provide this 24 hours a day on 5 days a week when the market is open. The brokers also provide real time information on the exchange rates of various currencies thus indicating the relationship between major currencies. This helps the investor to predict a fall or rise in foreign currency prices and make decisions accordingly.

Tips are given by brokers on specific forex transactions as well as in general terms to help the investor become a better-informed trader. Most brokers provide information and recommendations on a daily basis. On the other hand, whenever any important global event seems to affect the foreign currency prices at any point of time.

Forex Trading Brokers also provide analytical reports on the relationship between various currencies at regular intervals. This is prepared for traders who are interested in the top few currencies. Brokers track relative price movements worldwide such as the USD-Euro relationship, owing to the demand for these currencies.

Many brokers also provide, using various technical analysis tools, the forecasts for foreign currency price movements, on a minute-to-minute or hour to hour basis to help the trader take informed decisions.

For traders who are very new to the forex market, a number of Forex Trading Brokers offer a unique and helpful tool in demo trading accounts. These accounts can be opened online easily with a few details about the trader to register. On registration, down comes a host of information on forex developments and the online forex quotes. All this is provided in real time and only the actual trading becomes a demonstration or virtual trading to better equip the trader to the nuances of forex trading.

In the demo trading accounts, there are also certain brokers who offer online competitions with other demo traders to provide a real time trading environment. This helps the trader understand the basics of trading and the means of making more money than his rivals' make. Thus, Forex Trading Brokers offer a host of services!

About the Author

Thomas D. Houser
http://www.bestforexcurrencyinfo.com/

Defining the Money Supply by Mike Hewitt

The most common measures are named M0 (narrowest), M1, M2, and M3 (broadest).

M0 is the starting point for the concept of money supply. It is the total of all electronic, credit-based deposit balances in bank (and other financial) accounts plus all physical currency (minted coins and printed paper). In the U.S. it includes accounts at the central bank that can be exchanged for physical currency.

M1 includes M0, plus the total of (non-paper or coin) deposit balances without any withdrawal restrictions known as "demand accounts ("chequing" or "current" accounts"). We commonly think of saving accounts and chequing accounts as identical but they are not. Restricted accounts that you can't write checks on are put in the next level of liquidity, M2. In the U.S. M1 subtracts those portions of M0 held as reserves or vault cash.

M2 includes M1, plus most savings accounts, money market accounts, small denomination time deposits and certificate of deposit accounts (CDs) of under $100,000.

M3 includes M2, plus certificate of deposit accounts (CDs) of over $100,000, deposits of eurodollars and repurchase agreements. As of March 23, 2006, the U.S. Federal Reserve no longer publishes M3, citing "that the costs of collecting the underlying data and publishing M3 outweigh the benefits". A curious comment to come from the very institution responsible for creating trillions of dollars "out of thin air".

Another measure of money, known as MZM (Money Zero Maturity) is sometimes used. It is a measure of all liquid money supply within an economy. MZM represents all money in M2 less the time deposits, plus all money market funds. MZM has become one of the preferred measures of money supply because it better represents money readily available within the economy for spending and consumption.

IN CLOSING

Below is an excerpt from the Feburary 2000 question and answer session between Congressman Ron Paul and Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan before the House Committee on Financial Services. (For a complete transcription of all Q&A sessions between 1997-2005 click here).

ALAN GREENSPAN: As I've said earlier, the difficulty is defining what money truly is. We have been unable to define a monetary aggregate that will give us a reliable forecast for the economy. Until we find a reliable "M" we will go light on the use of monetary aggregates for monetary policy purposes.

RON PAUL: So it's hard to manage something you can't define.

ALAN GREENSPAN: It's impossible to manage something you cannot define.

Published on www.DollarDaze.org - June 24, 2007.

About the Author

Mike Hewitt is the editor of www.DollarDaze.org, a website pertaining to commentary on the unstability of the global fiat monetary system and investment strategies on mining companies.

What is Forex Trading? by T. Houser

Trading has taken a lot of routes in the modern world as more and more avenues open up for earning money. However, there are always certain trading methods which remain a mystery to people. One such trading method is the Foreign exchange trading, where each transaction seems to be a new kind.

Even for a well versed stock market trader, forex market poses great challenges. Therefore extra care has to be taken in forex trading. For playing safe and making money or atleast to ensure that the loss is minimal, what is important is to have adequate forex trading information.

An international market called the forex market exists where people can trade i.e. buy or sell foreign currency at prices determined by demand and supply conditions. Speculations made in the forex market are a means to make maximum profits if one is equipped with proper Forex Trading Information.

The first thing to know about forex trading is the requisites for purchase or sales. In today's technically developed market scenario, one needs to have only a computer, a small initial investment and an analytical ability to watch and perceive movements in forex prices.

The forex market is the largest and most liquid financial market. With enough forex trading information the daily volumes traded in these markets amounts to a whopping 1.5 trillion US dollars! Trading in forex is done by buying and selling currencies of various nations and making profits through the difference in exchange rates of currencies in various countries. Forex trading yields higher profits and at the same time involves more risk.

Anyone with an interest and capital to invest can start trading with forex trading information. However a forex broker is needed to indulge in forex trading. Brokers are authorized persons or organizations who participate in the market and do the buying and selling functions for their customers. These are similar to stock brokers in their capacity.

A number of forex brokers exist in the forex market with the knowledge and experience to understand and analyze the movements in prices of foreign currencies. The most commonly traded currencies in the forex market are the US Dollar, Euro, Japanese Yen and the British Pound Sterling.

In forex trading the investor or the trader must always maintain a marginal deposit with their respective brokers. This is called marginal or leverage trading. Here there are two main stages; one is the buying of currency at a certain price and then selling it at another price. The buying is known as taking as the 'Opening the position' and the selling is known as 'Closing the position'.

While buying, a deposit sum of about 0.5 to 4% of the credit is paid instead of the entire value of the transaction. When the position is closed, the deposit sum returns, and calculation of profits or losses is done. All the profit or losses caused by the change of currency rates is credited on your account.

Equipped with forex trading information one can start making profits.

About the Author

Thomas D. Houser
http://www.bestforexcurrencyinfo.com/