Many people start trading forex without knowing the games their forex broker can play with them. Choosing a right forex broker is very important for you. Dont get stuck up with an unscrupulous forex broker. Know the tricks a forex broker has for you.
Retail forex market where small traders like you and I trade forex is different than the interbank forex market. Interbank forex market is where big banks, corporations, hedge fund and other institutional investors exchange currencies. It is only open to big players.
With the advent of internet, retail forex trading became popular. Forex brokers work as intermediaries between the retail traders and the interbank market. Forex brokers popularize retail fx trading by offering online margin accounts. But beware retail forex market is not highly regulated. Due to poor regulation forex brokers can do what they want with immunity.
You need to know the games; a forex broker can play with you. If you dont know what games a forex broker can play with you, you will never succeed at forex trading. Understand how the broker can trick you:
Pricing is Not Transparent: Being an OTC (Over the Counter) market, forex broker can quote prices that may not be fair but you have accept them or choose another broker. The prices that your forex broker is going to quote to you, is the price that you will get. You cannot do anything about it.
Use of Leverage: Your forex broker will love you to use a high leverage like 100-1 or 200-1 in your trading. Since most of the small forex traders are unsophisticated, they easily overexpose themselves and get wiped out in the market making gains for the broker in return.
Brokers try to trade against you: Forex brokers act as an intermediary between the retail trader and the interbank forex market. Since most of the retail trades are too small in size and cannot be immediately offset in the interbank market, forex brokers get the opportunity to trade against you. If you go long, the broker will go short and if you go short, the broker will take the long position. As most of the retail traders are not good traders and lose most of the time, forex brokers make profit from this.
Practices that are unfair: Forex brokers and Casinos have the same mentality: they dont like winner. If you are winning too much, the house will be stacked against you. Your forex broker may make the execution of your trades very difficult or start denying the service to you. Your trade may not execute due to slippage. There are many games the broker will play against you so beware.
Once you know these facts, you can use a scorecard for evaluating different forex brokers. Bill Poulos, a veteran forex trader has developed one for you. Visit my Blog to read about it.
How You Can Make Ten Times Your Salary- With Day Trading
Day trading – no, it’s not something that Bill Murray wished he had in Groundhog Day. It’s a style of trading on the foreign currency exchange market in which a trader completes all his trades within a single day. In other words, he may make a few dozen – or more – trades in a day with the objective of buying and selling quickly and making a profit from the fluctuations in a currency exchange rate over the course of the day.
Sound complicated? Depending on the method or system that you use to pick your trades it can be. The idea behind day trading is that currency exchange rates are subject to fluctuations over the course of the day – they go up and down depending on who’s buying, who’s selling and what rumors are floating around. In fact, day trading in the foreign currency market is probably the single segment of any type of stocks, currency or futures trading market most affected by rumors and real-time, real-world happenings. A savvy trader who is quick on his feet can roll up the profits by paying attention to what the current news is doing to the currency exchange rates.
The currency market, commonly referred to as the forex (short for Foreign Exchange), is the most liquid market in the world. The latest statistics say that daily trading on forex is in excess of $1.3 trillion U.S. dollars. That makes forex the world’s largest, most efficient market. A major part of the reason for the liquidity and volume of trade is the practice of day trading. The difference between day trading and other types of trading is in how long you hold your stocks (or in this case, your currency). In day trading, you hold nothing beyond the close of the day’s market. Think of it as a game in which the object is to keep trading cards back and forth, increasing the value of your cards – but have no cards in your hand at the end of the day.
Of course, since the currency market is a 24 hour market, there really IS no market closing – so the rules change slightly. The currency market is open from Sunday afternoon to Friday afternoon, with trading going on all the time, so you can pick your times to trade rather than being locked into the Stock Exchange timetable.
How You Make Money in Day Trading
People will tell you that the difference between a day trader and an investor is the length of time that each holds onto their stocks. That’s a superficial difference. The real difference is in the mindset of short-term vs. long-term and liquidity. An investor buys something that he believes will steadily increase in value, and holds onto it for the long haul. A day trader rides the minute fluctuations in the currency market minute by minute the way a surfer rides a wave. Because you’re trading in lots of 100,000, a tiny fluctuation can mean a big profit – or a huge loss.
Limiting Loss in Day Trading
One of the hardest concepts for new traders to grasp is that of limiting loss. Let’s say you make a trade for a currency that is heading down because you believe that it’s near its support point – the point where it will rebound and start heading back up. Instead, it breaks the point and keeps heading down – you’re losing money instead of making it. You have two choices – hold onto it because you KNOW it will start heading back up soon, or get rid of it and limit the amount of money you’re going to lose. In day trading, the name of the game is limiting your losses and maximizing your wins – decide ahead of time just how much you’ll allow each trade to lose before you sell it, and then STICK TO YOUR LIMIT. By the same token, decide how much profit you want to make, set a sell order for when the currency reaches that point – and sell when it hits the mark.
Know what you’re doing.
Day trading on the forex is like any other business. The people who make money are the ones who take the time to learn the market and understand the ins and outs of the trades that they make. Those who jump in feet first without learning the terms, rules and trends of the forex market are priming themselves to lose – and lose big. Remember, there’s no such thing as high profit potential without equivalent risk. Before you jump in, take a course in trading, or read read read all that you can.
Sound complicated? Depending on the method or system that you use to pick your trades it can be. The idea behind day trading is that currency exchange rates are subject to fluctuations over the course of the day – they go up and down depending on who’s buying, who’s selling and what rumors are floating around. In fact, day trading in the foreign currency market is probably the single segment of any type of stocks, currency or futures trading market most affected by rumors and real-time, real-world happenings. A savvy trader who is quick on his feet can roll up the profits by paying attention to what the current news is doing to the currency exchange rates.
The currency market, commonly referred to as the forex (short for Foreign Exchange), is the most liquid market in the world. The latest statistics say that daily trading on forex is in excess of $1.3 trillion U.S. dollars. That makes forex the world’s largest, most efficient market. A major part of the reason for the liquidity and volume of trade is the practice of day trading. The difference between day trading and other types of trading is in how long you hold your stocks (or in this case, your currency). In day trading, you hold nothing beyond the close of the day’s market. Think of it as a game in which the object is to keep trading cards back and forth, increasing the value of your cards – but have no cards in your hand at the end of the day.
Of course, since the currency market is a 24 hour market, there really IS no market closing – so the rules change slightly. The currency market is open from Sunday afternoon to Friday afternoon, with trading going on all the time, so you can pick your times to trade rather than being locked into the Stock Exchange timetable.
How You Make Money in Day Trading
People will tell you that the difference between a day trader and an investor is the length of time that each holds onto their stocks. That’s a superficial difference. The real difference is in the mindset of short-term vs. long-term and liquidity. An investor buys something that he believes will steadily increase in value, and holds onto it for the long haul. A day trader rides the minute fluctuations in the currency market minute by minute the way a surfer rides a wave. Because you’re trading in lots of 100,000, a tiny fluctuation can mean a big profit – or a huge loss.
Limiting Loss in Day Trading
One of the hardest concepts for new traders to grasp is that of limiting loss. Let’s say you make a trade for a currency that is heading down because you believe that it’s near its support point – the point where it will rebound and start heading back up. Instead, it breaks the point and keeps heading down – you’re losing money instead of making it. You have two choices – hold onto it because you KNOW it will start heading back up soon, or get rid of it and limit the amount of money you’re going to lose. In day trading, the name of the game is limiting your losses and maximizing your wins – decide ahead of time just how much you’ll allow each trade to lose before you sell it, and then STICK TO YOUR LIMIT. By the same token, decide how much profit you want to make, set a sell order for when the currency reaches that point – and sell when it hits the mark.
Know what you’re doing.
Day trading on the forex is like any other business. The people who make money are the ones who take the time to learn the market and understand the ins and outs of the trades that they make. Those who jump in feet first without learning the terms, rules and trends of the forex market are priming themselves to lose – and lose big. Remember, there’s no such thing as high profit potential without equivalent risk. Before you jump in, take a course in trading, or read read read all that you can.
The Top Down Approach To Picking Stocks
If you have heard fund managers talk about the way they invest, you know a great many employ a top down approach. First, they decide how much of their portfolio to allocate to stocks and how much to allocate to bonds. At this point, they may also decide upon the relative mix of foreign and domestic securities. Next, they decide upon the industries to invest in. It is not until all these decisions have been made that they actually get down to analyzing any particular securities. If you think logically about this approach for but a moment, you will recognize how truly foolish it is.A stock’s earnings yield is the inverse of its P/E ratio. So, a stock with a P/E ratio of 25 has an earnings yield of 4%, while a stock with a P/E ratio of 8 has an earnings yield of 12.5%. In this way, a low P/E stock is comparable to a high – yield bond.
Now, if these low P/E stocks had very unstable earnings or carried a great deal of debt, the spread between the long bond yield and the earnings yield of these stocks might be justified. However, many low P/E stocks actually have more stable earnings than their high multiple kin. Some do employ a great deal of debt. Still, within recent memory, one could find a stock with an earnings yield of 8 – 12%, a dividend yield of 3- 5%, and literally no debt, despite some of the lowest bond yields in half a century. This situation could only come about if investors shopped for their bonds without also considering stocks. This makes about as much sense as shopping for a van without also considering a car or truck.
All investments are ultimately cash to cash operations. As such, they should be judged by a single measure: the discounted value of their future cash flows. For this reason, a top down approach to investing is nonsensical. Starting your search by first deciding upon the form of security or the industry is like a general manager deciding upon a left handed or right handed pitcher before evaluating each individual player. In both cases, the choice is not merely hasty; it’s false. Even if pitching left handed is inherently more effective, the general manager is not comparing apples and oranges; he’s comparing pitchers. Whatever inherent advantage or disadvantage exists in a pitcher’s handedness can be reduced to an ultimate value (e.g., run value). For this reason, a pitcher’s handedness is merely one factor (among many) to be considered, not a binding choice to be made. The same is true of the form of security. It is neither more necessary nor more logical for an investor to prefer all bonds over all stocks (or
Clearly, the most prudent approach to investing is to evaluate each individual security in relation to all others, and only to consider the form of security insofar as it affects each individual evaluation. A top down approach to investing is an unnecessary hindrance. Some very smart investors have imposed it upon themselves and overcome it; but, there is no need for you to do the same.
Timing The Stock Market
Much has been written about the virtues and dangers of active stock market trading, or “market timing.”
Most of the pundits and so called "experts" will tell you that stock market timing doesn't work, that it's dangerous, and that "buy and hold" is the best and only way to invest.
But this conventional wisdom is patently untrue. Here are the facts based on my research and extensive real time experience.
If you want to be a successful stock market timer, you need three key elements:
Here’s why:
Most market timing systems don’t work. Or don’t work consistently enough to be valid. Some will work in trending markets but get slaughtered during flat times. Most systems don’t work in all markets.
Investors lack the discipline to follow a proven system. Once an investor finds a viable program, he or she needs the discipline to follow it. Sadly, some either can’t or won’t do that. When they let their own judgment or intuitions interfere, they don’t get the results they want or could have enjoyed by simply following the buy and sell signals they receive.
Investors lack the patience to stick with their system. Many investors are constantly in search of the Holy Grail, a program that never loses a trade. The fact is, no method will win every trade, and investors without patience will find themselves hopping from advisor to advisor with no rewards to show for their efforts.
However, there are a number of proven systems available that recognize these pitfalls and successfully time the market to massive profits year after year. Anything you hear or read to the contrary is simply not true. Wall Street has a vested interest in opposing stock market timing because it is a threat to their very existence.
Investors have two choices. They can pursue the conventional wisdom of buy and hold and hope for the best, or the modern investor can educate himself and find a timing system with which he is comfortable to protect and grow his wealth. There are a number of proven options available, but the absolute worst thing one can do is listen to the pundits who tell you that “stock market timing" doesn't work.
Most of the pundits and so called "experts" will tell you that stock market timing doesn't work, that it's dangerous, and that "buy and hold" is the best and only way to invest.
But this conventional wisdom is patently untrue. Here are the facts based on my research and extensive real time experience.
If you want to be a successful stock market timer, you need three key elements:
- A system that actually works.
- Discipline to follow the system.
- Patience to stick with the system long enough to make it work for you.
Here’s why:
Most market timing systems don’t work. Or don’t work consistently enough to be valid. Some will work in trending markets but get slaughtered during flat times. Most systems don’t work in all markets.
Investors lack the discipline to follow a proven system. Once an investor finds a viable program, he or she needs the discipline to follow it. Sadly, some either can’t or won’t do that. When they let their own judgment or intuitions interfere, they don’t get the results they want or could have enjoyed by simply following the buy and sell signals they receive.
Investors lack the patience to stick with their system. Many investors are constantly in search of the Holy Grail, a program that never loses a trade. The fact is, no method will win every trade, and investors without patience will find themselves hopping from advisor to advisor with no rewards to show for their efforts.
However, there are a number of proven systems available that recognize these pitfalls and successfully time the market to massive profits year after year. Anything you hear or read to the contrary is simply not true. Wall Street has a vested interest in opposing stock market timing because it is a threat to their very existence.
Investors have two choices. They can pursue the conventional wisdom of buy and hold and hope for the best, or the modern investor can educate himself and find a timing system with which he is comfortable to protect and grow his wealth. There are a number of proven options available, but the absolute worst thing one can do is listen to the pundits who tell you that “stock market timing" doesn't work.
The Stock Market Crash Of 1929 Review
The great Wall Street Crash just previous to the Great Depression of the 1930s has become a part of North American legend. People speak of the crash, its causes and its consequences, with great authority, although few people actually understand the fundamentals that led to the crash, and fewer still the intricacies involved in it. This article will detail a short review of the crash, analyze some of the myths evolving out of this period in American history, and also answer some questions such as why the crash happened, and if something like it could happen again.
The crash began on October 24, 1929 and the slide continued for three business days, ending on October 29 1929 (as we can see, the crash did not occur in the ‘30s, as many people believe). The first day of the crash is known as Black Thursday, and the last day is called Black Tuesday. The crash began when a rush of nervous spenders panicked and rushed to sell their shares- over 13 million stocks were sold on that first Thursday. In an attempt to halt the slide, several bankers and businessmen gathered and tried to rally the numbers by buying up blue-chip stocks, a tactic that had worked in 1909. This was to prove only a temporary fix, however. Over the weekend, while the stock markets were closed, the media added to the fear of investors as the published the wrap ups to the week. By Monday, a fearful populace, nerves on edge due to the reports, were waiting to liquidate. Again, industrial giants and other businesses tried to halt the panic by demonstrating their faith in the system by buying more stock, but t
As with any legend, the Wall Street Crash of 1929 carries with it several mythical misconceptions. To start with, the Crash did not lead to the Great Depression. In fact, many financial analysts and historians are still not sure to what degree the Crash even contributed. The economic forecasts were poor before Wall Street fell, and it was poor people who could not even afford to think about stocks that were the most affected by the Depression. For these people, poverty was mostly caused by very poor farming conditions. There was also not the onslaught of suicides that is commonly referred to- a few investors did succumb to depression, but their numbers are generally agreed to have been very small indeed- enough to count on one hand.
What was it that caused this Crash? Because the market had been doing so well, many Americans were investing- many more, in fact, than could afford it. These people were investing on speculation. This means that they were buying stocks with an eye to selling them in the future for a higher profit, and to achieve the capital to invest they borrowed from banks. When prices began to drop, people realized they would not be able to pay their debt, let alone make any money,. They rushed to get out as soon as possible. To prevent panics such as this in the future, buying on speculation is now illegal.
The crash began on October 24, 1929 and the slide continued for three business days, ending on October 29 1929 (as we can see, the crash did not occur in the ‘30s, as many people believe). The first day of the crash is known as Black Thursday, and the last day is called Black Tuesday. The crash began when a rush of nervous spenders panicked and rushed to sell their shares- over 13 million stocks were sold on that first Thursday. In an attempt to halt the slide, several bankers and businessmen gathered and tried to rally the numbers by buying up blue-chip stocks, a tactic that had worked in 1909. This was to prove only a temporary fix, however. Over the weekend, while the stock markets were closed, the media added to the fear of investors as the published the wrap ups to the week. By Monday, a fearful populace, nerves on edge due to the reports, were waiting to liquidate. Again, industrial giants and other businesses tried to halt the panic by demonstrating their faith in the system by buying more stock, but t
As with any legend, the Wall Street Crash of 1929 carries with it several mythical misconceptions. To start with, the Crash did not lead to the Great Depression. In fact, many financial analysts and historians are still not sure to what degree the Crash even contributed. The economic forecasts were poor before Wall Street fell, and it was poor people who could not even afford to think about stocks that were the most affected by the Depression. For these people, poverty was mostly caused by very poor farming conditions. There was also not the onslaught of suicides that is commonly referred to- a few investors did succumb to depression, but their numbers are generally agreed to have been very small indeed- enough to count on one hand.
What was it that caused this Crash? Because the market had been doing so well, many Americans were investing- many more, in fact, than could afford it. These people were investing on speculation. This means that they were buying stocks with an eye to selling them in the future for a higher profit, and to achieve the capital to invest they borrowed from banks. When prices began to drop, people realized they would not be able to pay their debt, let alone make any money,. They rushed to get out as soon as possible. To prevent panics such as this in the future, buying on speculation is now illegal.