domingo, 19 de dezembro de 2010

Best Forex Trading Indicators - 4 of the Best Indicators for Bigger Profits

Many traders use numerous indicators - but over the last 22 years I have four favourites and I will share with you here and they have worked for me and they will work for you. Let's look at them...

Today, good old bar charts have gone out of fashion but I think their essential and use them in conjunction with the indicators below. I don't use candlestick charts, there is a big myth there better but there not. If you like using them, then do so but the relationship between the daily range open and close is obvious.

Here are the four indicators and you can read more about them in our other articles. There available on most free chart services and will take you around 30 minutes each to learn and then, your all set to start using them on your forex chart and start making bigger profits.

1. The Stochastic

For me this is the ultimate timing tool.

Trading stochastic crossovers with bullish or bearish divergence, into chart resistance or support, from overbought or oversold levels, is simply the best market timing tool. If the stochastic crosses from chart highs or lows the signal is even more powerful.

2. Relative Strength Index

This gives you the strength of the trend and when RSI weakens or strengthens, when the trend is still up or down, especially from over bought or oversold levels, you have advance warning of a contrary move.

When combined with the stochastic, you have a great combo for better market timing.

3. The Bollinger Band

Gives you the volatility of price and you simply need to understand it to make money at forex trading.

I love using pops to the outer band, near chart support and resistance, to look to take profit or, initiate a contrary trend. Also in a strong trending market, dips back to the centre band ( the moving average) are great value areas to look to add extra positions in a strong existing trend.

You don't time with them - you look for areas in line with support and resistance to trade into.

4. Moving Averages

Simple moving averages are great and I have just mentioned the mid band of the Bollinger band, which is in fact a simple moving average, to buy and sell back to in existing trends.

In strong trends dips to the 18 - 25 day moving average are a great place to load in new trades.

Another excellent time period is the 40 day moving average which acts as the last line in a strong trend with nearby support or resistance. In strong trending moves we like to trail our stop behind this level and it keeps us in the long term trends.

When trading with the above and support and resistance lines you will get market timing for your trading signals.

There are some other useful technical indicators and we like the ADX line and the MACD too - but the above are the four we use all the time. If you spend 30 minutes on each one you will soon have four powerful indicators that you can use in your own forex trading strategy, to seek currency trading success with.

Check them out, there simple, powerful and can work for you too with a little practice.

Original article: http://www.articlesbase.com/currency-trading-articles/best-forex-trading-indicators-4-of-the-best-indicators-for-bigger-profits-500580.html#ixzz18cYb1ht2
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution
Author: Monica Hendrix

Forex Simulator: A Tool For Serious Traders

Many novice traders rush into forex trading enticed by broker ads of 400:1 leverage; free real time demo accounts or simply by the thrill of getting into the action. Even those that test their signals service or trading strategies in real time to see how they perform don't do so adequately. In any case, there is a limit to how much you can gain from real time practice: testing trading strategies with live demo trading accounts is only useful if you know what you are doing.

The first step in refining your trading skills and strategies is to accept that this is a process that involves repetition, practice and reinforcement. This is where a Forex Simulator is very useful. It can save you money and ensure that you don't start out a loser.

Unlike a live forex demo account which functions in real time, a forex simulator enables users to upload, view and review historical data at any given point in time. Used to confirm one's understanding of pattern recognition and trading signals, data can be rewound and fast forwarded to test and retest your knowledge and understanding.

Using a Forex Simulator enables you to get months of training in just a few days work because you can pause, rewind, fast forward. You can set up 5 minute timeframes to up to what ever you choose. You can take snapshots of trades. You can use any indicator you like. You can keep a trade journal and refine your strategy.

Remember buying those PC games and being able to save a mission before coming back to it, repeating it over and over again until you got good enough to pass the stage? Well a forex simulator works in a similar way. Practice, reinforcement and repetion until you get good. Imagine getting a year of practice in a month!

When you are finally ready to open a live demo account you will see your confidence skyrocket. Why? Because you are finally starting to understand what you are doing. A Forex Simulator is a serious tool for serious traders who want to learn to trade first before trading with real money.

Original article: http://www.articlesbase.com/currency-trading-articles/forex-simulator-a-tool-for-serious-traders-53930.html#ixzz18cXeVoS9
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution
Author: Jovan Vucetic

How Does Forex Currency Trading Work?

Foreign exchange trading, or often referred to as Forex (FX) currency trading, is simply the trading of foreign currencies in a forex market. This form of trading was initiated by the event of the Breton Woods Agreement in 1944. This agreement was an effort to keep cash from draining out of the war-ravaged Europe. The U.S. Dollar served as the basis for currency values, which was pegged to the price of gold.

When this agreement had collapsed, the modern era of foreign exchange then emerged in 1971. By then the U.S Dollar was no longer convertible to gold, signaling an increase in currency market volatility and trading opportunities, however, during the collapse of the Smithsonian and European Joint Float agreements in 1973, the true free-floating currency exchange began to transpire. With the aid of the computer technology, the reach of the exchange marketplace was extended. Values of major word currencies today have become independent of each other.

There are four known currency pairs that dominate the percentage of trades. This are identified when buying and selling in the forex currency trading system market. These four currency pairs are the Euro vs. U.S. Dollar, the U.S. Dollar vs. the Japanese Yen, the U.S. Dollar vs. Swiss Franc, and the U.S. Dollar vs. the British Pound.

When investing in currency, the primary goal is to hold a currency that appreciates in value relevant to the other currencies. Here is a simplistic example. If 50 British Pounds were bought for 100 U.S. Dollars, then held the Pounds for one week, considering that in that period the value of Pounds increased in relation to U.S. Dollars, those Pounds could then be converted back into $120 for example.

The forex currency trading is open for trades the whole 24 hours in a day. Compared to the domestic stock markets, the foreign currency trading is always in business since every country from different regions of the globe trade on the FX market. In addition, the other important distinction of the forex currency trading from the domestic stock exchange is that it does not rely on a central body or organization such as the NYSE or NASDAQ to act as middleman. Usually, the trading flows between major banking centers around the world.

Previously, currency trading had very high barriers to entry, giving only large banking and institutional firms the access to the tools and systems required to participate in the forex trading. With the advent of the internet, there came the FX brokers. These forex brokers may be thought of as something similar to an online stock trading account such as etrade. This enables anybody to play the forex trading game by opening an account and buy and sell in quantity. The large minimum transaction size can be met by brokers as these are composed of thousands of investors placing orders through tem.

It may seem easy to start trading forex, however, it is undeniably a complicated and complex market. As it offers a tremendous opportunity for wealth, it is also very easy to lose a whole lot. It is best to first to do research, understand and analyze as much on this matter before investing your hard earned money.

Original article: http://www.articlesbase.com/currency-trading-articles/how-does-forex-currency-trading-work-273831.html#ixzz18cT8og9z
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution
Author: John Howard

Forex 10 Pips - a Simple Strategy for Gaining 10 Pips a Day

Even a relatively new and inexperienced trader can consistently gain 10 or more pips a day on average -- by trading during the daily New York Close, or from 2 p.m to 4 p.m. U.S. Eastern time.

The Forex market does have certain habits and frequently repeats daily patterns of activity. As a new trader, and even as an experienced trader, if you spend enough time observing the market movements with respect to time of day, you will begin to see some regular predictable patterns.

One of the habits occurs in the New York afternoon, after 2 pm EST and into the final New York daily closing. This pattern is most frequently observed in the EUR/USD. At this time of the day, trading flows are commonly light with low volatility. If a trader observes regularly at this time, it becomes apparent that there tends to be a pivot which occurs sometime just after 2 pm EST. By "pivot," I am referring to a "pullback" or "retracement" from the overall daily trend.

In other words, if the trend of the day for the EUR/USD has been rising, then between 2 pm and 3:30 pm EST, the market will typically see a pullback lower, usually around 20 to 30 pips. On the other hand, if the daily trend for the EUR/USD has been downward, then after 2 pm a retracement of 20-30 pips higher is often observed.

By checking the market or checking the charts in the New York afternoon around 2 pm Eastern time, a new and even an inexperienced trader may recognize this pattern and then safely execute a high probability trade. If a person is available to trade at this time of day on a consistent basis, they could expect to gain an average of 10 or more pips a day with a fair amount of ease.

In closing, I must state the obvious disclaimer - that trading forex is a risky endeavor with no guarantees. Always trade with caution and never trade more than you can afford to lose. Spend time observing the market to recognize its patterns so you may make smart, high probability trades and minimize risks.

Original article: http://www.articlesbase.com/currency-trading-articles/forex-10-pips-a-simple-strategy-for-gaining-10-pips-a-day-758900.html#ixzz18cPkhjN4
Under Creative Commons License: Attribution
Author: Ann Pevey