Posts Tagged ‘Commissions’

Why Trading The Forex Is A New Trend

October 19th, 2010 232 Comments

The foreign exchange market, otherwise known as the forex, was first established in 1971. Despite being in existence for over 35 years, the forex just recently started to become a new and popular trend; a popular trend that many are hoping to become a part of.

Around the late 1990s, the forex market reached a critical point in its history. It was then that forex brokerage firms first opened to the general public. This opening gave everyone the opportunity to trade the forex. Before that point, the foreign exchange market was only for large financial institutions, corporations (particularly those that did business overseas) and central banks. Since the opening of forex brokerage firms to the public, a large number of individuals, from all walks of life, have started trading the forex. This alone has made trading the forex one of todays hottest trends.

In conjunction with brokerage firms opening to the general public, the low-cost of trading on the foreign exchange market is just another one of many reason why trading the forex market is a new trend, especially among those who never imagined themselves trading. Although brokerage firms and brokers vary, you will find that a large number of forex brokers, in the United States, do not charge transaction fees. These transaction fees are also commonly referred to as commissions. The forex also has minimal trading requirements. This not only means that you can trade as often as you would like to, but it also means that you can trade with much less money than you would in other markets. This is great for those who are interested in experimenting with the forex market without risking large amounts of capital.

Another reason why forex trading is considered a new trend is because of around-the-clock trading. The foreign exchange market has markets all around the world. For instance, markets can be found in London, the United States, and Hong Kong. Due to different time zones, the forex is open for trading twenty-four hours a day, five days a week. In the Untied States and all around the world, many individuals work a traditional nine to five job. A nine to five job makes it difficult, if not impossible, to trade the stock market. With around the clock trading, time isnt an issue with the forex. The ability to trade on your own schedule, whether it be early in the morning or late at night, is one of the many reasons why trading the forex market is being considered one of the hottest, new trends today.

Of course, the ability to make money or yield a profit is the greatest reason as to why trading the forex is a new trend. The foreign exchange market or the forex involves the exchange of foreign currencies. With leveraging floating exchange rates, the potential to yield a profit is high. As previously mentioned, the forex market has very small trading minimums. That is why many individuals decide to test the forex market waters. To their surprise, many are able to make a small profit. That small profit often leads to more trades and the opportunity to yield even large profits. While there are risks associated with trading the forex, as with the stock market, many of the risks can be mitigated as long as you and other traders know what you are doing.

Speaking of knowing what you are doing, forex training courses are another one of the many reasons why forex trading is a new trend. Forex training courses, although they come in a number of different formats, are designed to educate hopeful traders, like you. Many training courses, such as the training courses offered by Fxcenter.com, rely on different approaches or phases, such as online forex training, onsite forex training, and live market training. Extensive training courses, similar to the ones offered by Fxcenter.com, are ideal as they allow you to examine and explore trading the forex at your own pace. With most forex training courses at least twenty-hours long, there is more than enough time to adequately familiarize yourself with forex trading. This familiarization is what gives many hopeful traders the confidence needed to trade the forex, which only further increases its popularity, making it a trend.

Since it is apparent to see that trading the forex is a new trend, are you capitalizing on that trend? If not, you are urged to examine trading the forex. After a close examination, you will not only see the many reasons as to why you should, but the many rewards of doing so.

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How to choose smart Stop Loss in Forex Trading

May 29th, 2010 No Comments

Here is step by step guide:

1. If price is close to recent high or low then place SL 5-10 pips above or below that point. This is very important. Prices do go back to test recent highs and lows and we need to set SL as per the recent price action. Trading on daily chart is bit tricky where such SL can be even 30-40 pips more on top of your static 100 pip SL.

2. Another point to take care is that dont place SL on important boundary numbers such as 00 or 50 mark. These points are tested often and you can easily be stopped out.

3. Place your stop loss on odd numbers excluding 1 and 9. Never place SL on even numbers.

Believe It or Not!!!

Let me surprise some of you by saying that Brokers HUNT for your SL. Thats true. Forex is unlike Dow where everything is run by one organization and prices dont vary from broker to broker (those broker makes money by giving you a worse fill than you would expect + commissions). Brokers in Forex can manipulate prices as they like and hence they go after your SL.

Now why brokers will want to you to loose?? Well every time you open a position, a broker opens an opposite position. So when you loose they win. They also want you trade more often, since they make money either in commission or spreads (or both). The only way they can force you to trade again is to stop you out.

Why you think brokers give out free market research and trading ideas?? If all of their traders are trading the same way then it is easier for them to take them out.

I am sure that some people would disagree (the ones working for broker J ) but it is something to think about.

So How To Beat The Brokers:

Simple, dont place any Stop Loss. Thats right. It is not a typo. What you need is a Mental SL. You should know at price you will take your losses and set up alarms on your trading station when the price reach close to the mental SL you had in place. This can be challenging for some people but if you are lucky enough to get this working then there is nothing like it.

Hope this helps you in placing better SL from now on.

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Forex Trading And The Stock Market – Similarities And Differences

April 16th, 2010 No Comments

Forex Trading And The Stock Market – Similarities And Differences

Most people get their introduction to financial trading through the stock market. After all, it is the oldest and largest financial market in the world, right? Wrong! The forex trades over $2 trillion (with a “T”) a day, and has been around as long as money itself . What’s more, the forex is even easier for individuals to participate in than the stock market-and best of all, there are no commissions on forex trades!

That is one difference. But there are also plenty of similarities. Since most people have a relatively strong understanding of the stock market, and many may be considering a move from the stock market to the forex, this article will explore the differences and similarities between the two financial markets.

Differences

As noted above, there are no commissions on forex trades. This is because everything is done electronically. In fact, there is no physical place known as “the forex” — it exists entirely in cyberspace. That makes for much lower overhead, hence the “free trades” (see similarities for why trades aren’t exactly free), and also allows for a twenty-four-hours a day trading platform, five-and-a-half days a week.

Secondly, while many stock-market investors use margin, most don’t. In the forex, everyone uses margin — and to a much larger degree than anyone uses it in the stock market. In the stock market, margin is capped at 50%. This means that if you have $5,000 in your account, the maximum value of stock you can purchase is $10,000. But in the forex, typical margin ratios are 100:1, meaning you can control $100,000 of worth of currency with just $1,000 in your account! This is one of the major appeals of the forex.

Thirdly, while there are 13,000+ stocks for stock-market investors to follow (and even more mutual funds, ETFs, etc.), there are essentially eight major currencies (and only seven currency pairs) for forex traders to follow.

Similarities

Well, forex trades aren’t exactly “free.” Just like in the stock market, there is a bid/ask spread. What this means it that the market maker will pay you less for a currency than the price for which he is willing to sell it to you. For example, you may be able to buy $1 in U.S. currency for $1.0905 in Canadian money, but when you want to turn around and buy back Canadian dollars, you will have to pay more than one U.S. dollar to get back your 1.0905 Canadian dollars.

Perhaps the biggest similarity between the stock market and the forex is the use of technical analysis — also known as “chartology.” Technical analysis principles hold up no matter what asset is being traded, so if you’ve become a master candlestick-reading stock trader, you can easily apply your talents to the forex.

Finally, when placing a trade, many of the same options are available in the forex as in the stock market. Limit orders — which set the maximum price you’re willing to pay or the minimum price you’re willing to receive — can be used in the forex just as with stocks, as can stop losses.

In Conclusion…

There are a lot of similarities between the stock market and the forex, and some experience trading stocks is a good thing to have under your belt. But far superior is experience actually trading currencies, and this is not a Catch-22. You can trade currencies before you really join the forex by opening a forex practice account. Most forex brokers offer these accounts, free of charge, which let you get your feet wet without the risk of getting soaked. Learn all you can about the forex, try out your strategies in a practice account, and in little time at all, you’ll be ready to swim with the big fish in the biggest pond in all of finance — the forex!

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Believing these Six Myths will Slash Your Currency Trading Profits

January 14th, 2010 No Comments

Believing these Six Myths will Slash Your Currency Trading Profits

Below you will find the six common beliefs followed by the bulk of traders – and if you believe these myths as well, then they will restrict your chances of making significant currency trading profits.

Ninety percent of currency traders believe at least one or more of these myths – which explains why ninety percent of traders dont make much profit by trading currencies!

1. You should always be in the Market in Case you Miss a Move

Traders love excitement, and their view is, if they are in the market they may catch the big move. Well they may – but chances are they wont.

The big trends only come a few times a year in each currency – and you should stay out the market until they come, otherwise you will take losses, and run up commissions that will deplete your account.

Wait for the big trades – patience is a virtue in trading.

2. Diversification Reduces Risk, and Increases Profit Potential

Diversification simply dilutes your profits.

You hit a big move, and your other trades that lose, or give you only marginal profits, eat up all your currency-trading profits.

You need to have confidence to go for the big moves, when they occur, and load up these trades.

Currency trading is about calculated risks – if the trade looks good, hit it hard for big profits.

3. Day Trading is Better than Long Term Trend Following, as its Less Risky.

Many brokers spread this myth – and why not? – They make more commission if you believe it!

You will end up having more losses than profits in your trading. You will never make enough money in a day to cover your inevitable losses. When you add in commission and slippage, its inevitable that you will lose.

You need to hold longer-term trends, as these yield the big profits to cover your smaller losses.

4. Timing the Market is the Correct Way to Make Profits

Timing the market means you are trying to PREDICT where prices are going to top and bottom – this is not a good way to trade and the odds are against you.

A better way to trade is to wait for the market to CONFIRM a trend is under way, and jump on board. You may not buy the bottom or sell the high, but you can catch the major chunk in between – and with currency trends lasting for many months or years, you can still get plenty of profits from the trend.

5. Markets are the Same Today as they Were Hundreds of Years Ago

Rubbish! Trends now are much more volatile than they were even 50 years ago. Why? Today, with the Internet, price information reaches every corner of the globe in a split second. This increases volatility as everyone has the same information at once – and everyone tries to enter the market at the same time.

This was not the case even 50 years ago – the trends are still there, but volatility is much higher – traders get the direction of the trend right, but they find themselves stopped out by the volatility. How often has this happened to you? – It happens to all traders. Look at using options to give you staying power.

6. You can use a Black Box System to Make Money

You can buy a system from a vendor for a few thousand dollars – and it can make 50 to 100% profit per annum.

These systems normally have a hypothetical track record – and use price information where the results are already known, and of course, the logic of the system remains hidden from you – as its unlikely to have a sound basis.

Have you ever wondered why these vendors sell systems, when they could simply get a bank loan and trade their own systems?

Enough said on this one!

How about some Positive Advice?

If you want to make big currency trading profits, you need to do it for yourself.

Get a plan you have confidence in, and execute the plan with discipline – and have the courage to trade for large gains when they occur.

Good luck!

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