Currency Trading Training - 7 Favorite Tips

Currency trading training is not over when a trader finally sees the equity increasing in their account.

The Forex market is a very demanding environment and for a trader to maintain a success level, constant currency trading training is necessary.

The following 7 favorite tips can be used as timely reminders and need to be read and absorbed on a regular basis:

#1 - Take Responsibility

"The buck stops here." Don't blame the markets, or a host of other factors for a losing trade. You entered it for whatever reasons you had at the time. Take responsibility for it.

#2 - Use Each Losing Trade As A Stepping Stone

You lost a trade? Good. It will help you focus on a potential problem in your trading method. If after careful analysis you are satisfied you worked according to your plan, fine. Move on.

#3 - Never Become Impatient With The Market

New traders in the early stages of their currency trading training can be eaten alive by the market. During periods of consolidation with little liquidity the anxious impatient trader will force trading opportunities where there none.

Learn to accept the fact that around 70% of the time price will be in a consolidation channel.

#4 - Focus Daily On Improving Your Trading Skills

Currency trading training is an ongoing process. Day by day, step by step the trader improves. So rather than be preoccupied with profits and losses, concentrate on developing the skills. Your account will start to reflect your focus in time.

#5 - Be Pleased With Well Executed Trades Whatever The Outcome

Is this possible? Yes. You can feel well pleased even with a losing trade if you stuck to your methodology and executed the trade well. It is dangerous to feel good about a winning trade when you went against your trading method to achieve it. Your elation is likely to be short lived. Learn to execute the plan!

#6 - If In Doubt Stay Out

The feeling of regret can drain a person mentally and emotionally from entering a poorly considered trade. Once the trigger has been pulled and the trade starts going wrong, the agony of watching it inch towards your stop should renew in the trader the determination to stay out when in doubt!

#7 - Always Have A Good Reason

Currency trading training involves careful analysis of reasons for entering a trade. Just because price is high is not a reason to go short or long if price is low. Price will do what price wants to do so rather than trading from gut reaction, e.g. "Price can't go any higher (or lower)" learn to detach emotions and use pure technical analysis to establish a number of reasons why you should take a trade.

As currency trading training is a long term commitment, skills and disciplines learned can sometimes be forgotten as bad habits creep in.

It is necessary to constantly renew the thinking processes by repeating over and over the habits of successful traders.

These 7 favorite tips will keep the newer trader out of a lot of trouble!
About the Author

For a free pivot point calculator, Fibonacci calculator and the best free economic calendars click here: http://www.vitalstop.com/Forex/tools.html For a free candle & chart pattern recognition reference tool click here: http://www.vitalstop.com/Forex/Candle-Chart-Patterns See how to use trendlines to get an optimum trade entry point: http://www.vitalstop.com/Forex/trendline.html

Online Currency Trading Tutorials

Whether are learning to drive a car or trade in the Forex market you benefit from the experience and knowledge of others. None of us ever really believe that we are an expert at something as soon as we try it for the first time. For this reason, unless you are already maintaining a healthy bank balance trading Forex then you can benefit from a tutorial in Forex trading.

A tutorial in currency trading will help to teach you the basics, and even if you have been trading currencies for a while then you may still learn something new. You see, the Forex market is pretty complex and therefore it can take years to master it. For this reason taking the time to learn as much as possible will save you money in the long run.

Not too long ago it was almost impossible to find anyone offering any kind of training or tutoring in Forex. This was mainly because trading was only open to large corporations and businesses. The situation is completely different nowadays as the Internet boom has opened the doors to individual traders and that has led to a massive increase in the number of courses and tutorials available.

Training can be done online or in a classroom depending on your location and preference. There are so many ¡®learn at home¡¯ courses available now that if you think that is the way to go then all you have to do is pick one. Classroom learning is a little different since you may find yourself having to travel fair distances to get to your nearest course.

Another advantage of an online tutorial is that not only do you get to learn from the comfort of your own home or office but you can also take things at your own pace. The downside however is that there is no teacher for the one to one discussions and explanation (the DVDs or online videos are your teacher) that you may sometime need.

Some online currency trading tutorials come with a money-back guarantee, that is if you do not like their course you can return it for a refund. However, you should look out for those courses which claim to be able to guarantee you a profit. These kind of claims are hard to achieve and should be treated with sketiscm as some courses are no more than scams.

Forex trading requires very quick thinking and decision making. Tutorials cannot teach you that. They can tell you the principles of trading and make you a much better trader for it. However, what it takes is for you to use the knowledge they give you and incorporate it in to your daily trading habits.

Through the help of a course you decision making and speed can definitely be improved but they cannot tell you exactly when to enter or exit a trade. That said, if you take the time to learn everything you can then it will be much easier to call the next market move correctly. You can also look to the help of Forex signal service providers for further security.

Currency trading tutorials can never teach you everything you will ever need to know. No-one can. However, they can help you to make decisions more quickly and with more success, it¡¯s all about how you take the knowledge they give you and what you do with it.
About the Author

Paul Bryan operates Forex Broker Reviews - A site aimed at bringing you the best and most independent Foreign Exchange information and articles.

Forex Glossary

Here are some of the most common terms used in FOREX trading.

Ask Price ¨C Sometimes called the Offer Price, this is the market price for traders to buy currencies. Ask Prices are shown on the right side of a quote ¨C e.g. EUR/USD 1.1965 / 68 ¨C means that one euro can be bought for 1.1968 UD dollars.

Bar Chart ¨C A type of chart used in Technical Analysis. Each time division on the chart is displayed as a vertical bar which show the following information ¨C the top of the bar is the high price, the bottom of the bar is the low price, the horizontal line on the left of the bar shows the opening price and the horizontal line on the right of bar shows the closing price.

Base Currency ¨C is the first currency in a currency pair. A quote shows how much the base currency is worth in the quote (second) currency. For example, in the quote - USD/JPY 112.13 ¨C US dollars are the base currency, with 1 US dollar being worth 112.13 Japanese yen.

Bid Price ¨C is the price a trader can sell currencies. The Bid Price is shown on the left side of a quote - e.g. EUR/USD 1.1965 / 68 ¨C means that one euro can be sold for 1.1965 UD dollars.

Bid/Ask Spread ¨C is the difference between the bid price and the ask price in any currency quotation. The spread represents the broker's fee, and varies from broker to broker.

Broker ¨C the intermediary between buyer and seller. Most FOREX brokers are associated with large financial institutions and earn money by setting a spread between bid and ask prices.

Candlestick Chart - A type of chart used in Technical Analysis. Each time division on the chart is displayed as a candlestick ¨C a red or green vertical bar with extensions above and below the candlestick body. The top of the extension shows the highest price for the chart division and the bottom of the extension shows the lowest price. Red candlesticks indicate a lower closing price than opening price, and green candlesticks indicate the price is rising.

Cross Currency ¨C A currency pair that does not include US dollars ¨C e.g. EUR/GBP.

Currency Pair ¨C Two currencies involved in a FOREX transaction ¨C e.g. EUR/USD.

Economic Indicator ¨C A statistical report issued by governments or academic institutions indicating economic conditions within a country.

First In First Out (FIFO) ¨C refers to the order open orders are liquidated. The first orders to be liquidated are the first that were opened.

Foreign Exchange (FOREX, FX) ¨C Simultaneously buying one currency and selling another.

Fundamental Analysis ¨C Analysis of political and economic conditions that can affect currency prices.

Leverage or Margin ¨C The ratio of the value of a transaction to the required deposit. A common margin for FOREX trading is 100:1 ¨C you can trade currency worth 100 times the amount of your deposit.

Limit Order ¨C An order to buy or sell when the price reaches a specified level.

Lot ¨C The size of a FOREX transaction. Standard lots are worth about 100,000 US dollars.

Major Currency ¨C The euro, German mark, Swiss franc, British pound, and the Japanese yen are the major currencies.

Minor Currency ¨C The Canadian dollar, the Australian dollar, and the New Zealand dollar are the minor currencies.

One Cancels the Other (OCO) ¨C Two orders placed simultaneously with instructions to cancel the second order on execution of the first.

Open Position ¨C An active trade that has not been closed.

Pips or Points ¨C The smallest unit a currency can be traded in.

Quote Currency ¨C The second currency in a currency pair. In the currency pair USD/EUR the euro is the quote currency.

Rollover ¨C Extending the settlement time of spot deals to the current delivery date. The cost of rollover is calculated using swap points based on interest rate differentials.

Technical Analysis ¨C Analysis of historical market data to predict future movements in the market.

Tick ¨C The minimum change in price.

Transaction Cost ¨C The cost of a FOREX transaction ¨C typically the spread between bid and ask prices.

Volatility ¨C A statistical measure indicating the tendency of sharp price movements within a period of time.
About the Author

Norman Fleming This article provided courtesy of http://www.daytraderfutures.net

Forex Trading Education - The London Open Checklist

A thorough Forex trading education must include an understanding of the effect market timings can have on trading and liquidity.

One of the most active periods of the day is from the time the London market opens. Often around that time good trading opportunities will appear.

As part of your Forex trading education, learn to analyze market conditions around London open and begin to recognize good setups.

The following questionnaire and checklist will help.

London Open Preparation

About 15 to 30 minutes before London open check the answers to these questions:

- Are the MACD indicators on the 4 hour and 1 hour charts in agreement? If they are not going in the same direction be very careful!

- Is there MACD divergence on the 4 hour, 1 hour, or 15 minute chart? Look for other clues to confirm that price may go in the direction of MACD divergence.

- On the 4 hour chart what is the overall trend?

- Do a Fibonacci calculation on the last swing high and low and see if price is pulling back to an optimum retracement level or whether it is reaching a key extension level.

- Note price in relation to the 200 EMA (Exponential Moving Average) on the 4 hour, 1 hour and 15 minute charts. Is price bucking the trend? In other words, is price above the 200 EMA on the 4 hour and 1 hour chart but below it on the 15 minute? Then be prepared for price to go long at some stage. (Draw the opposite conclusion if price is below the 200 EMA on the 4 hour and 1 hour chart but above it on the 15 minute chart.)

- Are any Economic Reports imminent?

- As the candle closes on the 15 minute chart at London open, do you see any distinctive candle patterns such as tweezers, or doji's or hammers indicating price exhaustion?

- If I entered a trade right now in a particular direction, what would be the risk and where would I place my stop?

Within a few minutes of London open, if you see a number of factors converging from the analysis above, make a decision one way or the other:

- trade

- wait for clearer signals or a better entry point

Carrying out an analysis in this way each day at London open will do much to increase your Forex trading education.

It will make you aware of what is happening on the charts and in the marketplace and help you to arrive at conclusions.

There is no magic formula involved with Forex trading education. Put simply, successful Forex trading is the result of years of hard work, study, practice, and experience often gained through painful trading scenarios.

Eventually the newer trader learns mental discipline, and how to control the emotions - probably the biggest part of a Forex trading education.

Practice a procedure like the one above day after day and begin to see some progress as you get nearer the time you make profits consistently from currency trading.
About the Author

For a free pivot point calculator, Fibonacci calculator and the best free economic calendars click here: http://www.vitalstop.com/Forex/tools.html For a free candle & chart pattern recognition reference tool click here: http://www.vitalstop.com/Forex/Candle-Chart-Patterns See how to use trendlines to get an optimum trade entry point: http://www.vitalstop.com/Forex/trendline.html

Forex Market Snapshot

Introduction
The following facts and figures relate to the foreign exchange market. Much of the information is drawn from the 2007 Triennial Central Bank Survey of Foreign Exchange and Derivatives Market Activity conducted by the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) in April 2007. 54 central banks and monetary authorities participated in the survey, collecting information from approximately 1280 market participants.
Excerpt from the BIS:
"The 2007 survey shows an unprecedented rise in activity in traditional foreign exchange markets compared to 2004. Average daily turnover rose to $3.2 trillion in April 2007, an increase of 71% at current exchange rates and 65% at constant exchange rates...Against the background of low levels of financial market volatility and risk aversion, market participants point to a significant expansion in the activity of investor groups including hedge funds, which was partly facilitated by substantial growth in the use of prime brokerage, and retail investors...A marked increase in the levels of technical trading – most notably algorithmic trading – is also likely to have boosted turnover in the spot market...Transactions between reporting dealers and non-reporting financial institutions, such as hedge funds, mutual funds, pension funds and insurance companies, more than doubled between April 2004 and April 2007 and contributed more than half of the increase in aggregate turnover." - BIS
Structure
Decentralised 'interbank' market
Main participants: Central Banks, commercial and investment banks, hedge funds, corporations & private speculators
The free-floating currency system began in the early 1970's and was officially ratified in 1978
Online trading began in the mid to late 1990's
Source: BIS Triennial Survey 2007
Trading Hours
24 hour market
Sunday 5pm EST through Friday 4pm EST.
Trading begins in New Zealand, followed by Australia, Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and America
Size
One of the largest financial markets in the world
$3.2 trillion average daily turnover, equivalent to:
More than 10 times the average daily turnover of global equity markets1
More than 35 times the average daily turnover of the NYSE2
Nearly $500 a day for every man, woman, and child on earth3
An annual turnover more than 10 times world GDP4
The spot market accounts for just under one-third of daily turnover
1. About $280 billion - World Federation of Exchanges aggregate 2006 2. About $87 billion - World Federation of Exchanges 2006 3. Based on world population of 6.6 billion - US Census Bureau 4. About $48 trillion - World Bank 2006.
Source: BIS Triennial Survey 2007
Major Markets
The US & UK markets account for just over 50% of turnover
Major markets: London, New York, Tokyo
Trading activity is heaviest when major markets overlap5
Nearly two-thirds of NY activity occurs in the morning hours while European markets are open6
5. The Foreign Exchange Market in the United States - NY Federal Reserve6. The Foreign Exchange Market in the United States - NY Federal Reserve
Average Daily Turnover by Geographic Location
Source: BIS Triennial Survey 2007
Concentration in the Banking Industry
12 banks account for 75% of turnover in the U.K.
10 banks account for 75% of turnover in the U.S.
3 banks account for 75% of turnover in Switzerland
9 banks account for 75% of turnover in Japan
Source: BIS Triennial Survey 2007
Technical AnalysisCommonly used technical indicators:
Moving averages
RSI
Fibonacci retracements
Stochastics
MACD
Momentum
Bollinger bands
Pivot point
Elliott Wave
Currencies
The US dollar is involved in over 80% of all foreign exchange transactions, equivalent to over US$2.7 trillion per day
Currency Codes
USD = US Dollar
EUR = Euro
JPY = Japanese Yen
GBP = British Pound
CHF = Swiss Franc
CAD = Canadian Dollar
AUD = Australian Dollar
NZD = New Zealand Dollar
Average Daily Turnover by Currency
N.B. Because two currencies are involved in each transaction, the sum of the percentage shares of individual currencies totals 200% instead of 100%.
Source: BIS Triennial Survey 2007
Currency Pairs
Majors: EUR/USD, USD/JPY, GBP/USD, USD/CHF
Dollar bloc: USD/CAD, AUD/USD, NZD/USD
Major crosses: EUR/JPY, EUR/GBP, EUR/CHF
Average Daily Turnover by Currency Pair
Source: BIS Triennial Survey 20