Forex Education - Know Your Competition

Forex Education - Know Your Competition

By: Harold Hsu

Forex trading is a zero-sum game. For every dollar won by a trader, there is a dollar lost by another trader. It’s a sad reality, but it’s still nonetheless a reality.

Taking from others is the only way wealth is created in the Forex market. It’s not like the stock market where almost all investors can benefit from rising stock prices. The Forex market does not provide a win/win situation, but rather a win/lose situation. You can thus imagine the importance of understanding your competitors… you must "know thy enemy".

Who Are Your ‘Enemies’?

Before you can study and understand your competitors’ trading tendencies, you’ll first have to know who they are.

So who are the major players in the Forex market?

Multinational corporations (MNCs), banks and hedge funds are just some of the big players you should be mindful about. These are the ‘sharks’ of the market. They prey on retail traders like you and me all the time.

And don’t forget everyday retail traders. They’re your competitors too! Of course, retail traders will have different tendencies from the big financial institutions.

Understand Your ‘Enemies’

The big financial institutions trade at all times of the day, and are experienced and resourceful enough to ‘eat’ us retail traders alive. Large market movements are usually due to the actions of financial institutions, so it’s a good idea to follow their lead rather than to trade against them.

On the other end of the spectrum you have retail traders as your competitors. Understanding their tendencies can also give you a better chance at making money at their expense. For example, many retail traders will place their stop-loss orders at obvious support or resistance levels such as previous swing lows or previous swing highs. Knowing this, you can then exploit this tendency and make money out of it.

To learn more, download my free 26-page guide here: "Forex Trading Traps!" Harold Hsu is the owner of http://ForexSystemProfits.com where he provides premium Forex trading information and resources.

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Choose Your Forex Broker With Care

Choose Your Forex Broker With Care

By: Anna Coulling

So you've finally made the decision to trade the forex market and want to open an account with a broker, but where do you start? If you don't already know the forex market is still largely unregulated although new guidelines laid down by the National Futures Association in the US about capitalization, finally came into effect on 21st December 2007. They are an attempt to force out brokers with insufficient funds and to offer traders better protection. However, here is my own personal checklist of questions you need to ask before parting with any money.

The most important questions are: what is the net capital, where is the brokerage based and who are the regulatory authorities. The quickest way to find answers to these questions is to ask the brokers directly! The NFA requirements are that brokers should have a minimum of $5m dollars plus a percentage of their clients' funds as a safety net. To my knowledge there are only 14 companies in the US which currently meet this criteria. It is unclear what is to happen to those brokers who fail to meet these guidelines but already 4 companies have already been closed down.

Knowing the location of the broker is also very important because if they are offshore they may not be regulated. In the US your broker should both NFA and CFTC (Commodity and Future Trading Commission) registered while in the UK they should be with the FSA. Other countries will have different regulatory bodies so please check - it's your hard earned money.

Once you are satisfied with the broker's financial probity the next issue is what trading style does the broker allow. For example what is the broker's attitude to 'scalping'? I recently spoke to a leading broker at an exhibition where I was told that whilst scalping was allowed, sniping was not! When I asked them to explain the difference there was a great deal of foot shuffling and avoidance of eye contact! Other brokers do not permit long term trading or may even on a minimum number of monthly trades so please read the small print. Also check if telephone support is offered - internet connections do break down and trading platforms do fail. If you are stuck in the middle of a trade with no means of communicating you will not be able to cope with your stress levels.

It is also important to establish the broker's policy on spreads and the extent to which they are widened when the market is volatile, especially during major news such as non farm payroll. If you visit any of the many forex forums you will see that this is one of the most hotly discussed topics. Forex forums can also be good places to check a broker's reputation, although do bear in mind that sadly there are many disillusioned traders in this market so opinions can be too subjective. A little research before you start trading and parting with your money will save a lot of disappointment and heartache later on.

Finally, does the broker pay you any interest on your deposit - it is your money in their account, and you can be assured that they will be earning interest on these funds, so why should they keep it for themselves. I know of one broker who pays interest on a second by second basis, so don't be afraid to ask.

Hi my name is Anna Coulling and I am a full time currency trader based in the UK. I have been involved in trading and investing for over 15 years and have now developed a number of free resource sites to help others get started in the exciting, but demanding, world of investing and currency trading. currency brokers

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Forex Charts - Avoid This Common Deadly Mistake or Lose

Forex Charts - Avoid This Common Deadly Mistake or Lose

By: Monica Hendrix

If there is one basic mistake traders make and continue to make it's the one in this article and if you make it you will simply lose all your money and do it quickly, so here is the forex chart mistake to avoid.

The mistake is the forex prices can be predicted on forex charts.

No they can't...

Of course if you are predicting you are hoping and guessing and that won't get you far in any venture in life, let alone forex trading.

Of course there are many vendors who will tell you prices can be predicted with scientific accuracy and the naïve trader swallows it.

The most popular scientific theories are based around the works of - Gann, Elliot wave and Fibonacci.

These guys never made money with their theories and neither will you - because the fact that markets move at all, proves there is no scientific theory... If there were a scientific theory, we would all know the price in advance and there would be no market - common sense really.

Other forex traders predict but they don't believe in scientific theories - their just trying to buy low and sell high and this doesn't work either.

For example - a trader sees the price dip to just above support, assumes it will hold and executes his trading signal. Of course sometimes it works, most of the time it does not.

Rather than hoping guessing or predicting - you need to get the odds in your favour. Forex trading is a game of odds not certainties but get them on your side and you can make a ton of money.

The Way To Win With Forex Charts

Lets say you see prices dip to support you don't buy you wait for momentum to turn up (you can read about momentum oscillators in our other articles) this gives you advance warning of a shift in price velocity and shows the level is likely to hold.

You can also use momentum to follow a break of support and trading breakouts is very profitable.

It's a fact that most big bullish or bearish moves start from new market lows or new highs and by following the breaks with momentum on your side you can catch the biggest trends.

So remember:

The next time you see someone say they can predict market tops or bottoms with 90% market accuracy - you know their lying and that if you try and predict with your forex charts, you simply lose all your money and do it quickly.

Use your forex charts correctly. Trade the odds, confirm each move with momentum and enjoy long term currency trading success.

NEW! 2 X FREE ESSENTIAL TRADER PDFS For free 2 x trading Pdf's with 90 of pages of essential info and an exclusive forex trading system for beginners visit our website at: http://www.learncurrencytradingonline.com

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Forex Broker Scams

Forex Broker Scams

By: John Baker

If you already trade the Forex market, this isn’t new to you. Although, if you are a beginner, please be aware that this is a common thing in Forex.

For trading in any financial market you need a broker. As the Forex market isn’t regulated, you have to make a better due diligence to find a good broker than in any other financial market that is regulated like stocks, futures or options.

I have encountered several things that you should avoid in a broker. All the criteria I’m going to refer have to be accomplished in order for you to have safety of funds.

In the first place, you should avoid forex brokers that are based offshore, in third world countries or brokers that don’t even state where they are based. I’m telling you this because of the safety of your funds. As there are many forex broker scams, you need to pay special attention to this factor. If your present broker or the broker you are thinking of opening an account with has this characteristic, my advice is to look somewhere else.

In the second place, the forex broker you choose can’t trade against you. This may seem new to you but there are a lot of forex brokers out there that are doing this. Of course, as they are stronger than you, a simple trader, they will always win and you will always lose. Please be aware of this situation.

In the third place, you should read reviews about your broker or the broker you are thinking of using. It is always important to read what other traders think about them, their executions, their spreads and even their customer support. You should read their webpage but nothing is better that asking or reading about them from someone that is already using their services.

Finally, don’t let the money and greed talk too loud. If a forex broker allows you to trade with just $100, it’s because they allow you to have a big leverage. Using big leverage is not a good idea because, if you have a small account, you can get ripped off with just a loss. Of course, you can use this leverage in your favor if it is a small percentage of your money. But if you’re trading with just $100, there’s no space for leveraging without incurring in a very high risk of losing your entire account in a single trade.


Don’t get discouraged by the fact that there are so many forex broker scams. There are also good and solid forex brokers. You just have to do a deeper search in order to find one that fits your needs and your security.

John Baker is the editor at http://www.ForexTopTen.com. By visiting the website http://www.forextopten.com you can read forex traders reviews about forex trading systems, trading courses, ebooks, softwares and brokers.

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Learn Currency Exchange the Right Way and Win

Learn Currency Exchange the Right Way and Win

By: Monica Hendrix

Anyone can learn currency exchange - but it's a fact that 95% of traders lose and this is simply down to the fact that traders believe currency trading myths or, simply get the wrong forex education. Let's look at learning currency exchange the right way.

1. Risk Goes With Reward

Risk goes with reward we all know that and the rewards in forex trading are potentially life changing, so don't believe its easy, its not - but currency trading success is achievable and anyone can be a successful trader.

Just keep in mind you must approach currency trading with a desire to succeed and a willingness to work smart and take responsibility.

2. Your on Your Own

If you want to learn from someone else and use their knowledge as a basis for your forex trading strategy that's fine - but do not follow someone blindly, or you will not have confidence in what you are doing.

Understanding what you are doing and having confidence in it, is the key to applying your forex trading strategy with discipline and this is the key to success.

If you do not apply your forex method with discipline, you don't have a system at all.

So learn from others but understand what you're doing.

3. Do not Fall for these currency trading myths

The rise of online forex trading has seen the rise of vendors who are out to make a quick buck, most of them are not traders and they are responsible for spreading several myths of which some of the most popular are outlined below:

- Day trading and scalping is a great way to win at forex - You can predict forex prices in advance - Buy low sell high is a way to make money - A forex trading system sold with simulated track record will work - Forex markets move to a scientific formula

The above are all myths and if you believe any of them you will lose

4. Work Smart Not Hard

You don't need to work hard; you need to work smart when learning currency exchange. You should only learn the information you need to succeed.

One of the best ways to start is to teach yourself forex technical analysis and how to use forex charts. This should only take you a week or so, you can then build your own robust trading system about 2 weeks - that's it.

Once you have your system, its 30 minutes or less a day to execute your trading signals.

Forget all the people who tell you to constantly study and learn - that may help you get a university degree but won't help you in the forex markets. You don't get paid for effort - you get paid for being right and that's it.

5. You Must Acquire This!

All successful forex traders have it and it's a trading edge.

A trading edge is the edge you have over other forex trader's i.e the 95% who lose at forex trading. It doesn't matter what it is - but you must understand it and have confidence in it to give you long term success.

If you don't know what your trading edge is - you need to get back to learning currency trading basics until you do.

6. Mindset

The real key when learning currency exchange is not so much getting a method but learning to apply it with discipline. Learning a currency trading system is easy; applying it with discipline is the hard part.

When you are in the middle of a series of losses, it takes great mental discipline to stay disciplined and not throw in the towel or vary your trading system.

You will understand this feeling better when you come to trade!

To be a successful currency trader you have a combination of learning the right knowledge, which gives you the confidence to apply it with discipline. If you want to learn currency exchange the right way, the above essay will point you in the right direction for long term FX trading success.

PROFESSIONAL FOREX TRADING COURSE and FREE ESSENTIAL TRADER PDFS

For free 2 x trading Pdf's with 90 of pages of essential info and more on how to learn currency exchange visit our website at: http://www.learncurrencytradingonline.com

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Currency Swing Trading For Success

Currency Swing Trading For Success

By: Kelly Price

If you are new to forex trading the best way to get started is swing trading - its simple to learn requires very little discipline and can soon be making you huge profits. Let's look at currency swing trading in more detail.

The Objective

Is to capture moves which will typically last between a couple of days and around a week and will trade short term moves within support and resistance levels - normally from overbought or oversold levels.

Why It Does Not Require Much Discipline

Most traders fail because of lack of discipline. They can't run big profits and trend follow because it takes tremendous patience to wait for the right opportunities and great willpower to hold long term trends if open equity dips.

In forex swing trading, you get a lot of trades and you know if you are right or wrong quickly, it therefore is ideal for novice traders.

Building a Swing Trading System in 2 Simple Steps

If you are learning currency trading and a trading system regardless of time period you need to incorporate two facets into it

1. Support and resistance

You need to look and find areas of support and resistance where prices are likely to hold or break and then move to market timing to confirm the move on your forex chart.

2. Confirmation

If you simply try and swing trade into a level of support and resistance without some indication it will hold you are effectively hoping or guessing and you will lose.

Traders who predict on forex charts lose - it's as simple as that.

You need to act on confirmation and here you need to incorporate momentum oscillators into your forex technical analysis - if you don't know what they are, its time to learn. Good ones to start with are the stochastic, RSI, ADX and MACD. These are plotted on most good forex chart services and are visual ( you don't need to know the calculation) and you will soon be spotting the correct set ups.

They will allow you to check changes in price momentum and indicate whether support or resistance will hold or break. We have discussed these fully in our other articles so look them up.

Once you have confirmation you can execute your trading signal

A few other points you need to keep in mind when currency swing trading are:

Always take your profit early - before the next support or resistance level is hit as prices can soon turn around and wipe out your open profit.

Also you can trade breakouts - this is where levels of support or resistance break and prices go to new lows or highs. It's a fact that breakout trades offer some of the best risk to reward trades you are going to get and if you catch them you can enjoy currency trading success.

With stops place it straightaway as you enter the market and don't exit on a stop exit on a profit taking signal.

You can learn to swing trade and put together a robust simple swing trading system in a few weeks and soon be making some great FX profits.

Currency swing trading as we have said is - simple and easy to learn and can be very profitable, so try it and you will soon be getting some great trades and great profits.

PROFESSIONAL FOREX TRADING COURSE and FREE ESSENTIAL TRADER PDFS

visit our website at: For free 2 x trading Pdf's with 90 of pages of essential info and more on Currency Swing Tradinghttp://www.learncurrencytradingonline.com

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History of the Forex Market

History of the Forex Market

By: Andrew Daigle

Money, in one form or another, has been used by man for centuries. At first it was mainly gold or silver coins. Goods were traded versus other goods or against gold. So, the price of gold got a reference point. But as the trading of goods grew among nations, moving quantities of gold around places to settle payments of trade became cumbersome, risky and time consuming. Therefore, a system was sought by which the payment of trades could be resolved in the seller's local currency. But how much of buyer's local currency should be equal to the seller's local currency?

The answer was simple. The strength of a country's currency depended on the amount of gold reserves the country preserved. So, if country A's gold reserves are double the gold reserves of country B, country A's currency will be twice in value when exchanged with the currency of country B. During the first World War, in order to meet the tremendous financing needs, paper money was created in quantities that far exceeded the gold reserves.

After the cease of World War II the western allied powers tried to resolve the problem at the Bretton Woods Conference in New Hampshire in 1944. In the first three weeks of July 1944, delegates from 45 nations gathered at the United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire. The delegates gathered to discuss the postwar recovery of Europe as well as a number of monetary issues, such as unstable exchange rates and protectionist trade policies. In the early 1940s, the United States and Great Britain developed proposals for the creation of new international financial institutions that would stabilize exchange rates and promote international trade.

The delegates at Bretton Woods arrived at an agreement known as the Bretton Woods Agreement to establish a postwar international monetary system of convertible currencies, fixed exchange rates and free trade. To help these objectives, the agreement created two international institutions: the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (the World Bank). The aim was to render economic aid for reconstruction of postwar Europe. An initial loan of $250 million to France in 1947 was the World Bank's first act.

Under the Bretton Woods Exchange System, the currencies of active nations could be changed into the US dollar at a fixed rate, and foreign central banks could change the US dollar into gold at a fixed rate. It was similar to forex trading.

The United States, under President Nixon, retaliated in 1971 by devaluing the dollar and pushing realignment of currencies with the dollar. The heading European economies tried to counter the US move by adjusting their currencies in narrow band and then float jointly against the US dollar.

Fortunately, this currency war did not last long and by the first half of the 1970's heading world economies gave up the fixed exchange rate system for good and floated their currencies in the exposed market. The idea was to let the market determine the value of a given currency based on the demand and supply of the currency and the economic wellness of the currency's nation, it sown the forex trading. This market is popularly known as the International Monetary Market or IMM. This IMM is not a single entity. It is the collection of all financial institutions that have any concern in foreign currencies, all over the world. Banks, Brokerages, Fund Managers, Government Central Banks and sometimes individuals, are just a few examples.

Although the currency's value is dependent on the market forces, the central banks still try to keep their currency in a predefined (and highly confidential) fluctuation band as a part of their forex trading strategies. They achieve this by taking several steps.

Andrew Daigle is the owner and author of many successful websites including a free forex training website called ForexBoost at http://www.ForexBoost.com and a forex blog http://forex-trading-system.typepad.com to learn forex trading systems and strategies.

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