Saturday, December 27, 2008

FOREX TRADING - FOREIGN EXCHANGE TRADING

Forex is an abbreviation of Foreign Exchange (also referred to as FX) and it is the largest financial market in the world.
The Forex market is the place where currencies are traded (currencies are money that is used as an exchange medium). In other words, it is the place where currencies are being sold and bought. In the Forex market all currencies are traded in real time.
Trading with currencies always means that there are two simultaneous transactions taking place. If a currency is being bought, it is also being sold. To better understand this notion, think of currencies as both the goods you are buying AND the method with which you're paying for the goods.
Since the Forex market is the place where currencies are traded in real time, people may trade one currency for another and make a profit off of this transaction. Profits are made when one is able to determine which currency's value will increase by the end of a pre-determined time period (such time periods may be short or long). The Forex market is open 24 hours a day, five days a week and it is based in four major cities: New York, London, Sydney, and Tokyo. The Forex market is open to individuals over the age of eighteen.While Forex trading may sound daunting, it really isn’t. It can be easily comprehended and understood without prior experience in finance or economy. It is challenging and exciting, thought provoking and manageable, stimulating and filled with opportunities.
Some Forex Basics:
The first currency listed in a currency pair is called the "base currency". The “base currency” is usually the U.S. Dollar. Traders will generally trade the U.S. Dollar against another currency, which is called the “counter currency”. Currencies are quoted in pairs. For example: The pair U.S. Dollar and JPY will be quoted in the following way: USD/JPY equals to 2.5 (This means that 1 U.S. Dollar can buy 2.5 JPY).
When a quote increases, it means that the “base currency” has risen in value and the “counter currency” has weakened in value. For example: If the USD/JPY quote used to be equal to 2.5 but is now equal to 2.6, then this means that the dollar has strengthened (because 1 U.S. Dollar can now buy 2.6 JPY as opposed to the mere 2.5 JPY it could buy beforehand.)
HOW TO … LEARN FOREX?
To learn Forex Trading, one must learn about Forex and one must learn about trading; while it is not always easy to separate one from the other, it may be more useful to attempt to look at these as two disciplines separately at first. Each requires a deep understanding of its own, each offers numerous and assorted ways to learn it.
To begin, one should always learn the Forex (foreign exchange) market first, even if only its basics, and even if only in a crash-course. There are many ways in which one can do so: one could choose to study the Foreign Exchange market formally, that is to say, via online classes, webinars, and/or via seminars, lectures, tutorials, university classes, or one could also choose a less formal method, that is to say, via (online or not) forums, private/public/interactive communication with experts, professionals, and even other students of Forex.
Basic knowledge that should be acquired before beginning to trade forex includes: Forex terminology, Forex symbols, Forex charts and graphs, history of the Foreign Exchange market, historical data, evolution of currencies, worldwide monetary systems, market activity, market trend, financial instruments, market professions (—the meaning of brokers, investors, consultants, etc), political factors that affect the market, economic factors that affect the market (—for example: interest rate, GDP, employment rates, etc), behavioral finance, psychological factors that affect the market, and last but not least, theories.
Once one has sufficient theoretical knowledge, one could go on and learn trading. Trading is a skill, and like any other skill, it needs to be practiced and practiced in order to be perfected. Practicing is almost the best mental training tool. This is why, when it comes to trading, the most useful way to learn forex trading is to practice (various trading platforms not only offer their services for free, but enable user to practice with demo money and with real-market rates, i.e. coming as close as possible to real forex trading but without having to risk losing any money). Via trading simulations, one could feel trading out; via trial and error one will know which trading techniques suit him/her best, which long-term transactions work, which require overnight trading, which need to be short-lives, how to control risk.
Having learned a satisfactory amount about the Foreign Exchange market, one could almost intuitively apply the theoretical knowledge into the practice of Forex trading. For example—if a news release came out about an increase in the unemployment rates, one should immediately be alarmed, for higher unemployment rates are not good for an economy, and will have a negative effect on it, which in return will have a negative effect on that country’s currency. One, of course, will then act accordingly (sell or buy a certain currency as a result). This is to say, that the more knowledge one posses, the more s/he will be able to navigate the world of Forex automatically, for s/he will understand terms and charts (and follow their constant updating) and will know how to react fast to the release of economic news.
Studying never ends. It is important always to keep oneself on a learning curve; to stay in tune with this ever-growing market. One could always read books, magazines, visit blogs— and of course, read the newspapers; one’s awareness to what goes on around him/her is a key component in becoming an experienced trader.

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Why Forex TradinG ?
The FOREX Market never sleeps. A currency trader may take advantage of all market conditions at any time. There is no waiting for an opening bell. It is a 24-hour, continuous currency exchange that never closes, you can trade whenever you want: morning, noon or night. This is a very big advantage compared to stock trading with limited trading hours.
Trading potential in both rising and falling markets Trading currency allows traders to trade during rising and falling markets. One can just as easily "short" a particular currency as go "long", because currencies trade in "pairs". Thus, when you buy a particular currency, you are actually simultaneously selling the other currency in that particular pair. As the market moves, one of the currencies will increase in value versus the other.
Interbank market The backbone of the Forex market consists of a global network of dealers. They are mainly major commercial banks that communicate and trade with one another and with their clients through electronic networks and telephones. There are no organized exchanges to serve as a central location to facilitate transactions the way the New York Stock Exchange serves the equity markets.
Why Develop a Disciplined Trading??
Ask any successful trader and they will tell you that the key to trading success is discipline. Everyone has heard the expression “cut your losses and let your profits run” yet how many traders actually practice this? Many traders will hold on to losses hoping it will reverse eventually, only to see the loss get progressively larger. These “irrational” trading decisions are based on emotional reactions to fluctuating profits and losses - a common pitfall for new traders. Losses can AND WILL occur. A trader's ability to limit his losses is just as important (or even more important) then determining entry points.

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