Currency trading is the most popular way to earn to money and it is without doubt a very profitable market. However few are familiar with its unpleasant intricacies and most ignore a very important aspect: risk. It is not enough only to be given the chance to invest your money successfully, you have to be careful because Currency trading can be an efficient trading system or it can ruin you. Why is Currency trading risky?

- Currency trading is very unstable. It is the subject of rapid and overwhelming changes. The market is volatile and it is influenced by political events.
- One can loose at any time especially when he has just ventured into Currency trading. Experience, information and attention are necessary.
- Some unexpectedly loose the Risk Capital which sometimes consists of College money, the retirement funds or some other substantial sum that shouldn’t have been considered as Currency trading capital in the first place.
- Fluctuations in currency prices, discrepancies between interest rates in two different countries, insolvency of financial institutions that take part in transactions and limited flow of exotic currencies will most likely lead to loss.
- Large profits and minimal losses are impossible to predict with 100% certainty.
- The Currency trading market has great winning potential, but it also has loss potential. 
- Misinformation and the emotional baggage are most of the time cause of loss. Use facts, not hope or fear, when Currency trading.
- Sometimes trends can lead to money loss.
- Huge leverage is available to traders. This leads to dangerous positions that risk too much in comparison with the size of the account.
- Lacks of money management and of back testing plans are the mistakes that currency traders make sometimes.
- Using brokers is sometimes inefficient because this counterpart can refuse to trade during volatile market conditions affecting the retail trader. They can even widen spreads. However it is recommended to collaborate with a broker, because he can deal in the interbank market and he surely knows more about Currency trading making it safer from other points of view.
- Scams were very common years ago when dealing with a broker. However, one can be confident with the person he is working with by checking their background and the Institutions he is associated with (large banks, important insurance companies).

Don’t be frightened! It isn’t all about risks. And don’t start trading in fear! You will loose this way. You just have to keep in mind all possibilities and avoid unwanted situations only you can get yourself into. All Currency traders have to be very well informed about their activity. They have to know technical analysis and how to read and interpret charts, they have to develop effective strategies and minimize risk. The financial exposure has to be limited and this can be done in many ways available to currency traders who inform themselves.

So, educate yourself, be prudent, take risks only when you can handle loss and always be prepared for anything. And have this in mind: If Currency trading isn’t profitable then why are so many financial investors, banks, international institutions and important players that obtain huge amounts of cash by simply turning their own money into other currencies?

The Forex market is the largest trading network in the world with $1.8 trillion dollars being exchanged every day.  There are dozens of different currencies traded but the big players to focus on are all traded with the US dollar and include:  EUR (Euro), GBP (British pound), JPY (Japanese yen), CHF (Swiss franc), AUD (Australian dollar), NZD (New Zealand dollar), and the CAN (Canadian dollar).  Each of these currencies is exchanged with the currency of other nations at different exchange rates—which are always in a state of flux because the market trades around the clock (Sunday through Friday). The volatility and sheer size of the market means that there is ample fluctuation to produce big profits—and losses.  The challenge for the investor, as always, is to predict which direction the rates of currency pairs will fluctuate. 

The beginning point in any investment strategy is determining what type of analysis will be used to help guide enter and exit decisions.  Investors who use fundamental analysis look at a nation’s interest rates and other economic indicators when deciding to enter or exit a position.  Fundamental investors tend to trade based upon news releases and economic data from the nations involved in the currency pair. 

Briefly, technical analysis involves the interpretation of price performance and chart patterns—all historical data.  Some technical indicators used in this type of analysis include:

•    Moving averages including Simple & Exponential
•    Breakout Points
•    Lines of Support & Resistance

Technical traders do not believe that the past necessarily predicts the future—but that long and short term trends can be identified and exploited to help guide current decisions on entry and exit points on positions.  Technical traders try to identify current trends in the Forex market to determine entry and exit points.  If they are correct, they can ride a trend (in either direction) for a profit until an exit point is reached (when the trend is ending).

The most successful traders on the Forex tend to look for long-term trends and favor technical analysis.  Fundamental traders have to enter and exit positions very quickly in order to capitalize in price fluctuations caused by news events (interest rate changes, release of economic data, etc.) and are therefore more vulnerable due to excessive trading.  If there truly was “a secret” to trading success on the Forex, the top investors all tend to agree on the following:

1.    Choose currency pairs involving U.S. dollar (has volume to produce the price fluctuations necessary for big profits and the liquidity to enter/exit positions at will)
2.    Find currency pair through backtesting that has most profit potential (pip movement) and least volatility through use of technical analysis
3.    After determining trends, set stops and exit points for both protection and maximum profitability
4.    Review charts once per day (overtrading and day trading can hurt your portfolio)
5.    Remain patient and exit positions once technical decision point has been reached

If there really is a secret to trading success on the Forex it has to be patience.  Trading strategies are never perfect because the market will never be predictable 100% of the time.  There will be times when any strategy fails and stop points are reached before profits are realized.  Continuous back testing, remaining patient, and setting stops are the true secrets of Forex success.

Forex, is an exchange that allows investors to trade national currencies through the foreign exchange. This is the worlds largest market for currency, based on the Dollar, anywhere between 1 – 2 TRILLION dollars are traded upon this market on a daily basis. This type of trade is typically performed online or on the telephone. By taking advantage of the world wide web, you are enabling yourself to make your investments in a reliable, easy, safe and fast way.

Some investors are able to enjoy returns of around thirty percent on a monthly basis, this takes a great deal of experience to gain this type of enormous return on your investment. The Forex market does not have one specific place of trade like many of the other markets do, for this reason alone is why most of the trade is performed by internet, fax, or telephone. In the beginning for currency trade was not all that popular, they were bringing in only about seventy billion dollars on a daily basis, with the invention of Forex, that number grew massively.

Of course, the currencies do not only deal with the American dollar, these currencies can be translated to over 5,000 currency institutions world wide, which include, commercial companies, large brokers, international banks, and government banks. Many major countries have forex trading centers such as, Frankfurt, London, New York, Paris, Hong Kong, Tokyo, and Bombay to name a few.

When trading online there are many benefits such as, the ability to trade or track your investments at anytime day or night, from anywhere within the world that offers an internet connection. Another added benefit, is that some online exchange sites allow you to start with a small investment, known as a mini account, some with as little as two-hundred dollars. With online trading, the trade is instant. When you trade offline you have to deal with paperwork, with online trading there is no paper work involved.

The world of the internet, has allow us to do many things with just a click of a button, where else can you bank, trade, talk to your family and friends, research your investments and earn money all at the same time? Make the internet work in your best interest by implementing online trading into your portfolio. There’s a whole world of money waiting for you to earn with your online investments, and it’s all available at the click of your mouse button.

FOREX trading refers to an international, 24/7, over the counter, exchange market where currencies of different nations are bought and sold. Trading is always done in pairs assuming the price of currency bought to go up and that sold to fall down. It is the largest liquid financial market making it impossible for any single investor to influence the prices of currencies.

There are two kinds of FOREX investing strategies:

TECHNICAL ANALYSIS
FUNDAMENTAL ANALYSIS

TECHNICAL ANALYSIS:

Technical analysis is mostly undertaken by small and medium size investors.
A technical analysis considers factors that are actually affecting the market rather than factors that can affect it. Thus the price quoted reflects all the factors that have influenced it. Only market generated facts and figures are taken into account and factors like fear, hope, expectations or other changes are not considered. Thus the analysis is generally based on these suppositions:

• Price reflects all actual market movements. That means price includes everything known to the market like supply and demand of foreign exchange, political factors, trade agreements etc. It is not concerned with what resulted in change rather deals with actual changes. It works on the assumption that price can take only one of the three directions:

 Upward
 downward
 sideward

• It rest on those market patterns that have been identified as significant. That means those factors which are repetitive in nature or will produce desired results.

• History always repeats itself as human psychology changes very slowly with time. That is market movements are predictable.

VARIOUS TECHNICAL INDICATORS ARE:

1. RELATIVE STRENGTH INDEX:

It takes into account the ratio of upward and downward movements in index and expresses it in the range of zero to hundred.

2.CHARTS:

Charts include various hills, slopes, curves that develop on a chart over a time and reflect some major and minor changes in pattern. Some of the chart formations include:

• TRIANGLE
• RECTANGLE
• HEAD AND SHOULDERS
• DOUBLE TOP AND BOTTOM
• SAUCERS
• V

3.GAPS:

A gap represents area on a bar chart where no trading took place.

• UPGAP: it is formed when the lowest price on a particular day is more than the highest price of previous day.

• DOWNGAP: it is formed when highest price of a certain day is less than the lowest price on previous day.

NUMBERS:

Various number theories are used in technical analysis like:

• Fibonacci theory
• GANN

STOCHASTIC OSCILLATOR:

This indicates the overbought or/and undersold condition. It uses a scale of zero to hundred percent.

FUNDAMENTAL ANALYSIS:

It is the one where current economic, political, financial situation of the country of currency is studied. A country’s economical and political condition depends upon many factors like the interest rate, unemployment level, exports and imports, per capita income, percentage of population living above and below the poverty line, inflation, trade relations with other countries, tax policies etc.

A fundamental analyst studies and evaluates all these factors before coming to any decision. Thus it helps in long tem decision making and making profits in short term by extra ordinary developments.

Some of the indicators that help in fundamental analysis include:

1. GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT:

It reflects total market value of all the goods and services produced in a country during a given year.

2. RETAIL SALES:

This reflects total receipts by all the retail stores in a country.

3. CONSUMER PRICE INDEX:

It reflects change in prices of consumer goods.

4. BUSINESS CYCLE:

It reflects various phases through which a business passes. These phases include:

• EXPANSION
• PEAK
• RECESSION
• DEPRESSION

5. MONETRY POLICY:

It controls the supply of money in an economy.

Trading successfully needs knowledge, time and understanding of a market. You cannot earn continuously in a Forex market due to its volatile nature. Thus as a trader you should try to consider both technical and fundamental strategies of forex trading and make decision based on market expectations and trends. Try trading with money that you can afford to loose without any regrets. Trade with logic and if you are not sure quit and take rest for some time.

Global currencies don’t ride the trends in isolation. The apparent technical movement between two currencies in a pair may cause an effect in the behaviour of each separate currency. A third currency will also have some bearing on the rise or fall of a seemingly unrelated pair, in the view of an intermediate or beginning trader. Even seasoned trend cowboys may miss the odd significant event that results in a trade loss.

Technical analysis often comprises the bulk of the independent speculator’s trade decisions, but some attention to fundamental news must be included for a complete overview of what is happening in the market at that particular moment. Neither weather, beetles, drought, hostile takeovers nor indicted CEO’s have much real bearing on currency values, but the timing of the release of economic reports should determine if a trade is viable or not.

A rising tide raises all ships, but the trading ocean is made of waves, with deep troughs and high crests. A rising ship may have a tether to another that is dropping down the other side of the swell. As one currency in a trade pair rises, it may pull another currency up with it, or just the opposite. A drop in the Euro may allow an increase in the value of the GBP, which will certainly have an influence on the USD/GBP spread.

So when considering the merits of a good trade, also take into account the activity of each currency’s most closely related cousin. When trading the Canadian dollar, you must certainly consider the relative movement, or lack thereof, in the US dollar. Canada’s largest trading partner is the US, so fluctuations in the US economy may or may not have an effect on the Loonie, depending on the gravity of the news.

The UK maintained their own currency, the British Pound, but the economic business of Europe can still influence the directional trend of the Pound Sterling. The French Franc will also be swayed by the enterprise of the communal Euro. As you analyze your charts, take care to make a quick examination of any volatile activity in any similar currency.

The average day trader and individual speculator cannot possibly keep up with all the economic news released each day and still have time to trade and eat lunch, and old news has already shown itself in the charts. One must pay attention to important published economic developments, and generally avoid trading on report days. But the trend will indicate market sentiment, and great profits can be made by keeping the major focus on technical analysis.

International bankers and currency houses have developed complex mathematical models to track currency correlation, but these are beyond the scope of this article. In summary, just check how related currencies are trending, when preparing a trade. Another quick analytical tool for the traders’ arsenal is always a good thing. May your winners run long.

Forex Trading – All about a Forex Quote. The word FOREX is derived from the words “FOReign EXchange. Unlike other financial market in the world, Forex is open 24 hours every day where there is always a major financial center open where banks, dealers, hedge funds, corporations, individual investors and speculators are trading currencies.

The cumulative buy and sell of a currency causes the value of your Forex investment to move either up or down. There are numerous factors that cause the fluctuation of exchange rate. A country’s political, social and fundamental economic environment and their central banks fiscal policy, interest rate adjustment are some of the common factors. To have a better understanding how the currency exchange rate can affect the value of your Forex investment, this article will concentrate on the topic of Forex Quote.

Currencies are traded in pairs and each currency has its own symbol. For the Euro dollar- it is EUR, Japanese Yen - it is JPY, for the Pounds Sterling - it is GBP, and for the Swiss Franc - it is CHF. Hence, EUR/USD would be Euro-Dollar pair. GBP/USD would be pounds Sterling-Dollar pair and USD/CHF would be Dollar-Swiss Franc pair and so on and so forth.

You will always see the USD quoted first with few exceptions such as Pounds Sterling, Euro Dollar, Australia Dollar (AUD) and New Zealand Dollar (NZD. The first currency quoted is called the base currency. This is not surprising as the U.S. dollar is regarded as the central currency of the Forex market and is involved in nearly 90% of all Forex transactions.

So how are these currency pairs quoted on the Forex market? You will see two numbers on all Forex quotes. The first number is called the bid and the second is known as the offer (or the ASK) price. Take for instance EURUSD, you will see 1.4625/1.4630. The first quote of 1.4625 is the bid price, the price where traders are prepared to buy Euro against the USD Dollar. The second number 1.4630 is the offer or ask price and it is the price traders are prepared to sell the Euro against the US Dollar. You will notice that there is a difference between the bid and the offer price. This difference is known as the spread. Based on the previous EUR/USD quote, you know that 1 Euro is equal 1.4625 US dollar.

The way profit is measured of a currency is by “pips” or point. PIP is the acronym for price interest point. If the EUR/USD moves from 1.4625 to 1.4655 that is 50 pips. A pip or 0.001 is the last decimal place of a currency quotation with the exception of the Japanese Yen and Yen cross rates. A price movement for the USD/JPY from 111.10 to 111.60 will be 50 pips.

The objective and goal for all Forex Traders are to profit from foreign currency movements. The rewards of trading Forex are immense and the amount of money you can earn can be life changing and ultimately leads you to achieve financial freedom. This requires continuous and adequate understanding and training in Forex education. This education may include understanding technical analysis, chart pattern and formation, trade management such as stop loss and profit target and money management. And if you invest and get the right Forex Trading knowledge, you can enjoy long term currency trading success.

The lack of a proper trading plan which includes precise rules for entering and exiting a trade will most certainly guarantee failure over the long term. Beginners usually suffer from the same common ailments. They abandon trading plans purely on impulse because things are not going exactly as how they had envisioned. Repeatedly they use unreliable methods that fail to produce a profit. Many traders hold on to losing positions telling themselves “it is going to turn” when every indicator says otherwise because they cannot bear the thought of a loss.

Why do they torture themselves? Why don’t they just identify what’s going wrong and make a change? For some people recognizing that a trade or even a trading method is not working and making a change is easy, but for others it’s very difficult. They have to look at their limitations admit that they have made a mistake and that’s hard because it hurts our ego. Psychologically it’s risky, it’s often easier to fool ourselves. Just keep going, living in a state of denial until your account is depleted. If you recognize any of these traits in yourself you must stop trading immediately.

Take a good look at what has been happening, try and identify the problem. If you look close enough you may see a pattern. This is why it is vital to record every trade and as much information about it as possible. You have to break out of old patterns and see things in a new light.

You will never be a successful trader if you continue to live in a state of denial. What can be done to return to reality? There is a lot you can do. First of all make sure you are not trading under stress. When stressed out you can’t see clearly, you become rigid and unable to see alternative views. One of the easiest solutions is to trade smaller. The smaller the trade the less the stress, especially for the beginner. If you are experienced and in a loosing streak reduce your contracts until you get your confidence returns. Some people need to take a break altogether. Get away from it all. Take your mind off the trading.

The second thing you can do is to make sure you have a life. Trading can be addictive especially when you are winning. Do not put all your emotional eggs in the trading basket. You need to have other roles that give your life meaning and purpose. By defining your identity in a variety of ways, you will not place un-natural importance on trading events. Therefore, you will be able to take losses in stride and look at your trading more objectively.

Finally, radical acceptance is a key mental strategy for coping with market uncertainty. Many traders make the mistake of thinking they can control the markets. Nobody can control the markets. We must learn to accept anything that comes our way and to trade accordingly. Adopt the attitude that trading is a journey and that all we can do is go where the markets take us.

To succeed on this journey you cannot afford to lose too much. Manage risk and just accept what you get and enjoy the ride. This way you will trade more freely and creatively. Don’t live your life in denial. Accept your limitations, work around them, and become a winning trader. Write out your trading plan with precise entry and exit points. Most important set your stops and mentally decide you will not break them. Test your system on paper and when confident test in real time with the minimum contract size. You will have losing trades, accept them with grace and go on to the next trade.