Archive for Currency Trading
What Is Currency Trading?
Posted by: | CommentsWhat is currency trading? Simply put, it is the act of trading one currency for another. This is done when we go on vacation in another country, for example; we trade in some of our currency for the currency used in the country we are vacationing in.
Forex trading however is currency trading of a whole other order. Traders are constantly exchanging currencies for one another in order to make a profit on the constantly changing exchange rates of global currencies.
Forex trading is a lot like trading on the stock market. Unlike personal investors, who usually buy stock and then hold onto it for years, even decades, many stock traders will buy and sell stocks after a very short time in order to profit from the small changes in price which can happen very quickly.
How Does Currency Trading Work?
To explain how money is made in Forex trading, let’s see an example.
Suppose that the current exchange rate between the British pound and the Euro on the Forex market is GBP/EUR 1.120o. This means that each Pound will cost 1.12 Euros. If you predict that the Euro will rise against the Pound, then you’d sell 100,000 Pounds and buy 100,000 Euros. Then you wait for the Euro’s value to rise against the Pound. Suppose that in a few days the exchange rate is GBP/EUR 1.0600. The pound is now worth 1.06 Euros. If you sell these Euros and buy 100,000 Pounds, you’ll have made a 6% profit (minus any applicable fees)
This sounds like a huge amount of money. Who has 100,000 pounds or even dollars lying around in the bank to trade with? Not me, and I guess not you either. But fortunately, you do not have to have all that money for real. You are buying and selling at the same time, so all you need to have is enough to cover any loss that might be made before you could exit the market, if your prediction was wrong and the currency that you bought started to fall. Your broker loans you the rest.
This amount of money is called your trading margin. You need to keep this in your Forex brokerage account and it is generally around 1-2% of the value of a trade. For example, for that $100,000 trade, you’d need to have a trading margin of $1,000-$2,000
The amount you trade is determined by ‘lots’. A lot may be worth $10,000 or more depending on the currency and the broker. So if you want to trade $20,000 you would trade 2 lots and so on.
There are also what are known as limited risk accounts, where you can lose no more money than you have in your brokerage account ? this prevents margin calls. These accounts permit small investors to trade on the Forex market using mini-lots (fractions of a lot). You can trade .1 lot, or $1,000. This keeps risks low, but also lowers your profit margin (charges to trade will be greater).
An increasing number of private investors are becoming involved in currency trading. It can be more profitable than the stock market; even if you know very little about the global currency exchange, you can use a Forex robot. This is software which can trade for you based on user-defined settings. As with any kind of investment, there is risk involved and you can lose money as well as gain it. Knowing what is currency trading can help you decide whether it is an investment venue you want to become involved in.
Understanding the top 10 candlestick patterns
Posted by: | CommentsThere is candlestick pattern for just about every high probability price action. The wise investors and traders use these to their advantage. Here are 10 of the most popular candlestick patterns you should probably get to know.
* The dark cloud cover: This 2 candlestick high probability formation is bearish. Generally the first candlestick is continuing the bull trend and the next candlestick will gap up and open appearing to continue the trend, but fail to make any bullish headway and close well below the open and well into the real body of the first candlestick.
* Doji: When the opening and closing price are essentially the same, the candlestick formed resembles a plus sign, cross, or inverted cross and is referred to as Doji. It represents indecision on the part of the market, and is interpreted by traders that a turning point is imminent.
* Engulfing Pattern: This is a two-day pattern where the first day’s body is smaller than the subsequent candlestick, and they are both of opposite colors. This pattern is considered bearish when it appears at the end of an uptrend and bullish when it occurs in a down trending market.
* Evening star candlestick: This is a 3 bar bearish candlestick pattern. The first candlestick will be a rather strong white candlestick the second is a gap up short bodied candlestick indicating a weakness in bullish strength, then the final is a gap down bearish black candlestick where typically the low reaches beyond the 50% mark of candlestick #1.
* The Hammer: This is a single candlestick. The hammer is always bullish It will indicate a continuation in a bull trend and a reversal in a bearish one. It just a small body and a long tail. The tail is imply the bears trying their best to push price down and failing by end of day to keep it there.
* Hanging man: The hanging man is still a hammer, but when its on an uptrend its called a hanging man. Look to the long tail for the intuitiveness in the candlestick. Price pushed down but failed to stay there, this is bullish and so the hanging man tells us the trend will continue. A continuation candlestick.
* The Harami: The is like a mirror image of the engulfing pattern. With the harami the first candlestick engulfs the second. So the second and last candlesticks open and close are within the real body of the first. Depending on the color of the candlestick it can be bullish or bearish but the bottom line is that it’s telling you the short term trend is reaching exhaustion.
* Morning Star: This formation is considered a three day bullish reversal pattern that consists of a long bodied black first day, a short gap down second day, followed by a third long white bodied candle, which closes above the midpoint of the first day.
* Piercing line pattern: This pattern is a bullish reversal pattern with two candlestick in the formation. The first will continue the downtrend. The second candlestick will gap down appearing to continue the trend but will ultimately close higher than the open and well within the real body of candlestick #1.
* Shooting Star: The opposite of the Hammer, this is a one-day formation and occurs in an uptrend. Trading opens higher and trades much higher but prices end near the low. This pattern is viewed as a bearish reversal.
Elements of a Forex Trading Strategy
Posted by: | CommentsYears ago, the forex market was available only to long-term investors, banks and people who had great capitals. The trading transactions were made through an agent or voice broker who kept the clients informed on what was happening. Later on, this method was replaced by computerized automated systems. This was the early form of a forex trading strategy.
A forex trading strategy has two main elements:
1) Technical Analysis.
The technical analysis is based on charts and it observes the market movements using a mathematical formula. The traders learn about announcements and news on economics that may impact the forex markets. Its fundamental side is helpful in proper identification of what should be done and what should not.
The technical analysis is helpful in determining the areas of resistance and support due to its use of chart indicators. It reveals where the price reverses, where it stops or where it has no change. A preferred method to calculate the levels of resistance and support due to its accuracy is Fibonacci, which is a sequential number form and its proportions are found in nature such as sunflower seeds, and pineapple rinds.
If the Fibonacci numbers are put next to each other, the percentage ratios are obtained and they can be plotted on the chart. The good news is that the charting forex software is able to do the Fibonacci sequence for you. As you move along the charts, the key areas of resistance and support are potentially revealed to you. The Fibonacci sequence combined with proper indicators can show the strength and momentum of the latest market condition and it helps you create a strategy that can be profitable to you. And since history repeats itself, what has happened before in the forex market can still happen in the future.
2) Fundamental Analysis.
There are figures every day that are disseminated to reveal some economic circumstances of a particular country. These events can have unpredictable effects on the forex market. The impact will depend on the previous data and the figures implications. A very good advice for beginners and even for veterans is to stay away from the market when certain announcements and events take place.
Forex trading profits are being made almost similar to a traditional business. The procedure is very simple. You are going to buy something at a lower price then sell it at a higher price. The only difference is that in forex trading this can be reversible.
It is a simple process. A trade is being placed either in the sell or buy categories. Then the base currency will automatically buy or sell its opposite currency in pairs. The price will lively change every second. For instance, you purchase the GBP/USD pair. It means that you have purchased the pound currency and sold the dollar currency. You want a rise on the pounds value which will later on have a higher price when you resell it in the forex market. That would make a profit on the value difference.
If the brokers allow you to have 200:1 capital leverage, then you can possibly control a lot of money than what you really have. This is because you have bought one currency and sold the other. This way your capital can stay unmoved. The only crucial part which should be considered are the proportions which can be either gained or lost whenever changes in currency pair values occurs.
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Finance Resources – Investment Style
Posted by: | CommentsWhile there are many different types of investments that one can make, there are really only three specific investment styles – and those three styles tie in with your risk tolerance. The three investment styles are conservative, moderate, and aggressive. Knowing what your risk tolerance and investment style are will help you choose investments more wisely.
Naturally, if you find that you have a low tolerance for risk, your investment style will most likely be conservative or moderate at best. If you have a high tolerance for risk, you will most likely be a moderate or aggressive investor. At the same time, your financial goals will also determine what style of investing you use.
If you are saving for retirement in your early twenties, you should use a conservative or moderate style of investing – but if you are trying to get together the funds to buy a home in the next year or two, you would want to use an aggressive style.
Conservative investors want to maintain their initial investment. In other words, if they invest $5000 they want to be sure that they will get their initial $5000 back.
Many moderate investors invest 50% of their investment funds in safe or conservative investments, and invest the remainder in riskier investments. A moderate investor usually invests much like a conservative investor, but will use a portion of their investment funds for higher risk investments.
An aggressive investor is willing to take risks that other investors won’t take. They invest higher amounts of money in riskier ventures in the hopes of achieving larger returns – either over time or in a short amount of time. Aggressive investors often have all or most of their investment funds tied up in the stock market.
Again, determining what style of investing you will use will be determined by your financial goals and your risk tolerance. No matter what type of investing you do, however, you should carefully research that investment.