The 10 Essentials of Forex Trading

Trading the Forex Market can be exciting, adventurous, and financially rewarding. It can also be disastrous for those who are unprepared for its rhythms and movements.

Now, Jared F. Martinez, one of the foremost experts in currency trading, draws upon his vast knowledge and experience to deliver 10 key practices for trading in Forex. The 10 Essentials of Forex Trading shows you how to use charting methods to effectively relate market movements to trading patterns-and turn those patterns into profit.

No matter your level of trading experience, you can develop the skills you need to become a consistently successful foreign currency trader-from using the right trading tools and balancing equity management to trading in buy and sell zones and identifying trends and trendlines. You'll discover what drives the Forex market and how to navigate the three stages of Forex trading: acquiring new trading rules, controlling disciplined thought, and implementing disciplined action.

Martinez also prepares you to:

• Understand the financial game of support and resistance between Bulls & Bears
• Use Japanese Candlesticks to discern the sign language of the market
• Create an entry strategy and a consistent exit strategy
• Use Fibonacci as part of your trading approach
• Forecast sideways movement in the market-and trade it

Martinez shows you how to put it all together to execute a successful trade by finding convergence and analyzing the market on multiple timeframes. You'll also learn how to gain control over your emotions-a vital part of trading on Forex-and eliminate bad habits that can prevent you from becoming a confident, competent, and profitable trader.

To trade the Forex market, you must come to the trading table prepared. The 10 Essentials of Forex Trading arms you with the tools to develop a solid personal trading constitution and reap the financial outcome you desire.

The Seven Most Traded Currencies in FOREX

Currencies are traded in dollar amounts called “lots”. One lot is equal to $1,000, which controls $100,000 in currency. This is what is known as the "margin". You can control $100,000 worth of currency for only 1,000 dollars. This is what is called “High Leverage”.

Currencies are always traded in pairs in the FOREX. The pairs have a unique notation that expresses what currencies are being traded. The symbol for a currency pair will always be in the form ABC/DEF. ABC/DEF is not a real currency pair, it is an example of a symbol for a currency pair. In this example ABC is the symbol for one countries currency and DEF is the symbol for another countries currency.
Here are some of the common symbols used in the Forex:

USD - The US Dollar
EUR - The currency of the European Union "EURO"
GBP - The British Pound
JPN - The Japanese Yen
CHF - The Swiss FrancAUD - The Australian Dollar
CAD - The Canadian Dollar

There are symbols for other currencies as well, but these are the most commonly traded ones.
A currency can never be traded by itself. So you can not ever trade a EUR by itself. You always need to compare one currency with another currency to make a trade possible.

Some of the common PAIRS are:

EUR/USD Euro / US Dollar"Euro"
USD/JPY US Dollar / Japanese Yen"Dollar Yen"
GBP/USD British Pound / US Dollar"Cable"
USD/CAD US Dollar / Canadian Dollar"Dollar Canada"
AUD/USD Australian Dollar/US Dollar"Aussie Dollar"
USD/CHF US Dollar / Swiss Franc"Swissy"
EUR/JPY Euro / Japanese Yen"Euro Yen"

The listed currency pairs above look like a fraction. The numerator (top of the fraction or "left" of the / however you want to SEE it) is called the base currency. The denominator (bottom of the fraction or "right" of the /however you want to SEE it) is called the counter currency. When you place an order to buy the EUR/USD, for instance, you are actually buying the EUR and selling the USD. If you were to sell the pair, you would be selling the EUR and buying the USD. So if you buy or sell a currency PAIR, you are buying/selling the base currency. You are always doing the opposite of what you did with to base currency with the counter currency.

If this seems confusing then you're in luck. You can always get by with just thinking of the entire pair as one item. Then you are just buying or selling that one item. Thinking like this will still enable you to place trades. You only need to be aware of the base/counter concept for Fundamental Analysis issues.

So why is it important to know about the base/counter currency? The base/counter currency concept illustrates what is actually taking place in a Forex transaction. Some of you reading this, know that short-selling was restricted in the stock market *(Short-selling is where you sell a stock/currency/option/commodity first and then try to buy it back at a lower price later). But in the FOREX you are always buying one currency (base) and selling another (counter). If you sell the pair you are simply flipping which one you buy and which one you sell. The transaction is essentially the same. This allows you to short-sell with no restrictions.

You want to be able to short-sell with no restrictions so you can make money when the market drops as well as when it rises. The problem with traditional stock market trading is that the market has to go up for you to make money. With FOREX trading you can make money in all directions.


Omar Vargas; FOREX Trader and Freelance writer.http://www.1-forex.com

Become A Professional Forex Trader - Living The Dream In 3 Simple Steps

By: Monica Hendrix

Everything about forex trading can be learned yet 95% of traders lose however if you follow the 3 simple tips enclosed you could enter the elite 5% who achieve currency trading success. Let's look at 3 tips for forex trading success. Forex trading is one of the few areas you can build wealth quickly and the opportunity is open to all - but to make your forex trading successful you need to have the right approach.

1. Adopt The Right Mindset
Forex trading can be learned buy anyone but that doesn’t mean making money is easy – it never is.
This doesn’t mean you can’t do it though you can. Firstly, when learning forex trading you MUST understand that you cannot rely on anyone else to give you success - it comes from within.
You need to create a system you can have confidence in and follow with discipline.
E-book sellers promising you un told riches on the net wont help you, for the cost of a few hundred dollars - if they were successful at currency trading, they wouldn’t tell or need you – they would be to busy making money for themselves. Once you realize it’s up to you - you’re ready to move to the next step.

2. Get The Right Forex Education
This means only focusing on the important points and skipping the bulk of forex education that will ensure you lose. You should base your system on forex technical analysis and use forex charts to spot trading opportunities - that put the odds in your favour. Don’t try predicting or following a scientific system – they don’t work. The best you can do is get the odds in your favour however that doesn’t mean you can’t make a lot of money – you can.

2. Base Your Forex Trading Strategy On
A looking at support and resistance levels on your forex charts then calculating the odds of them breaking or holding and here is the key: Don’t simply buy into support or resistance like most losing forex traders – get confirmation of changes in price momentum, to confirm your view is correct before trading. If you simply buy into support you are predicting and hoping and the forex markets will wipe your equity quickly. Don’t rely on hope get some momentum indicators to help you - there covered in more detail in our other articles so look them up.

Above all keep your system simple.
Simple systems work best as they are more robust than complicated forex trading systems that have more elements to break.

3. Be patient and Be Realistic
Only execute trading signals in line with signals from your forex charts and adopt a long term approach.

The big trends in currencies last for months or years and catching them should be the basis of your forex trading strategy not trying to trade the daily noise which will see you wiped out.
You don’t get rewarded for effort in forex trading or how often you trade - you get rewarded for being right and that’s it.

Have realistic aims Rome wasn’t built in a day and a forex trader doesn’t become successful over night either - it takes time to get experience, confidence and discipline and spot the big profitable trades.

If you made 100% per annum you would be up there with the best traders in the world - so aim for this level and you could do this trading just 2 or 3 times a year have patience and realism and you will give yourself a great chance of achieving success.

The Dream and The Reality
Is being able to sit at home and make big profits in around an hour a day, with just a computer and some small seed capital.

The dream can become reality, it’s not easy but that’s totally different from being not possible – it is.
If you have a burning desire to succeed, a willingness to learn and confidence in your own ability, maybe you can become one of the minority who make big consistent profits. The question is:
Are you up for the challenge?

Five Forex Trading Tips You MUST Know

By: Tony Chan

Jumping into Forex trading with both feet? Here are five must-know tips on forex trading and mini forex to help you stay afloat in the Foreign Exchange currency market.

Know your forex trading market.
Educate yourself about the currencies that you trade. The more you know about the country whose currency you’re trading in the forex market, the more accurately you’ll be able to predict which way the money will move.

Pick a forex trading system – and stick with it.
Savvy forex traders will tell you that system is everything. Forex trading by system lets you automate your trades based on history, following the traditional peaks and valleys. Set up a system and live with it to make the most of your forex trading.

Practice makes perfect – but it’s not the real world.
Practice forex trading accounts are great for learning how a particular trading account works – but they’re not the real world. Many experienced traders recommend starting off with a mini forex account to minimize your losses while you get acclimated.

Keep your eye on the margin.
Margin trading is a great way to lose a lot of money quickly. Stay away from forex margin trading until you’re sure you know what you’re doing.

The only win that counts in forex trading is the bottom line.
In forex trading, the bottom line is how much money you made at the end of the day. Don’t count won or lost trades – only dollars and cents.

The Benefits of Forex Trading

By: Milos Pesic

With the advent of the Internet, anyone can reap the benefits of Forex Trading.
Forex Trading is the trading of world currencies. Forex Trading is open twenty-four hours a day except for the weekend.Beginning in Australia and continuing around the globe as the markets open up, an individual trading in currencies can use the latest news to help determine which currencies will raise or fall. You can also trade currencies when your schedule permits.

Trading in currencies is the ultimate liquid market, with volume often 50 to 100 times greater than the trading of stocks on the New York Exchange, and, because of the nature of currencies and the multiple factors controlling its value, no one has an overriding advantage or insight into the market. Insider trading is nonexistent in Forex Trading, and with Forex Trading you don't have to worry about price gaps. You can decide when to sell or buy. Also, because of high volatility in the currency market, traders often earn five times more than in trading liquid shares. Forex Trading generates a volatility of 500 versus 60 to 100 in liquid stocks, and there are no transaction fees or commissions in the trading of currencies. Because of the efficiency of trading currencies, slippage costs are virtually non-existent.

An individual wishing to trade in currencies does not need a large amount of money to invest. This is an ideal investment opportunity for the investor with a small amount of cash. One of the great advantages of Forex Trading is that you can buy currencies when they are being devaluated, thus making a profit when it gains ground.