Is Forex Trading for you?

By Greg Cortez

If you have been looking at making money online, investing, or work from home websites, you have probably seen references to Forex trading. Forex trading online is the buying and selling of foreign currencies for profit. We will explore this investment/money making vehicle, it's benefits, and some of it's negatives as well.

Forex trading occurs 24 hours a day from Sunday through Friday. The market is global in scope, and can be rather exciting with it's dramatic swings. These dramatic changes in the value of different currencies is what creates the profit potential for traders. You can literally make a profitably trade (buy and sell) within seconds, or you can follow long-term trends over the course of a great many months. This flexibility is part of the attraction of the Forex market, whether you are an "action" news and signal trader, or a long-term trend follower, there is money to be made.

Also, due to the very considerable leverage provided by many Forex brokers, one can make considerable profits off of small investments. This makes trading attractive and very approachable to many people who do not have the money to make profitable trades in the stock and commodity markets. One can literally start with just a couple hundred dollars and go on to make a good income from Forex trading.

The Forex market is not perfect though, of course, and trading does not always result in profits. Due to the high leverage and sizeable swings in the currency market, it is quite possible to make a few bad trades and lose money rather quickly. Do note, regardless of the leverage, you can never lose more money than you put in your account to invest. However, this higher risk/reward trading is not for everyone.

If you are interested in Forex trading, and the fun and profits that can come from it, I recommend you start by reading some Forex articles. Learn the basics, read up on different strategies, and get to know the lingo. Then find a reputable broker that is recommended by a site you trust. Open a micro account with a few hundred dollars, or even a free account with play money, and start making some trades.

If you are interested in Forex trading, and the fun and profits that can come from it, I recommend you start by reading some Forex articles. Learn the basics, read up on different strategies, and get to know the lingo. Then find a reputable broker that is recommended by a site you trust. Open a micro account with a few hundred dollars, or even a free account with play money, and start making some trades. - 23204

About the Author:

If you want to explore more into Forex Trading, make sure you check Greg's Forex Forum, and Forex Information site

US Dollar Index Explained

By Ahmad Hassam

The US Dollar Index Futures Contracts are traded on the New York Board of Trade at Finex and at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME). The US Dollar Index is widely quoted in the press and on quote services and is used by traders to get the big picture of the overall trend of the dollar.

The Federal Reserve Board had introduced the US Dollar Index in 2003. The index is the result of the Smithsonian Agreement that had replaced the Bretton Woods Agreement. The US Dollar Index is similar to the Feds Dollar Index which is a trade weighted index. The Fed gives value to each individual currency in the index based on how much it trades with the US.

However, the value of each index is different and it should not be confused with one another. The minimum tick on the US Dollar Index is 0.1 and equals $10. The futures contract expires on March, June, September and December.

Delivery is physical. It means that you receive dollars based on the value of the index on the second business day during the month of the expiring contract prior to the third Wednesday. The overall value of the contract on the index is 1,000 times the value of the index in dollars.

No trading limits are placed on the US Dollar Index. Trading hours are from 8.05 AM to 3:00 PM. There is overnight trading also from 7 PM to 10 PM. Delivery day of the US Dollar Index Futures Contract is the third Wednesday of the contract month.

The US Dollar Index was modified at the inception of the Euro and is weighted in a way thats similar to the Feds trade weighted index as follows: Euro 57.6%, JPY 13.6%, GBP 11.9%, CAD 9.1%, Krona 4.2% and CHF 3.6%. The US Dollar Index is best used as an indicator of trends in the currency markets.

However, you must keep this in your mind that the US Dollar Index is not as good a trading vehicle as the individual currencies. The best way to trade the index is by using the currency mutual funds. One of the secrets of knowing trading success is understanding what kind of personality you have. Are you weak nerved or strong nerved.

Spot Currency trading where you trade the spot currency market is not for the weak nerved. Suppose you are afraid of taking a coffee or bathroom break for the fear the market will move against you and in a blink of an eye you will end up with a margin call. In such a case you need to invest in currency mutual funds based on US Dollar Index and relax.

You are taking away the big part of the risk involved in trading currencies by trading these currency mutual funds. You can have a pretty good idea as to how your fund is going to close at the end of the day if you check the dollar index a few times during the day. - 23204

About the Author:

Mr. Ahmad Hassam has done Masters from Harvard University. He is interested in day trading stocks and currencies. Know Swing Trading. Learn Forex Trading!

Trading Strategy - Ascending Triangles Downside Breakout

By Jeff Cartridge

Ascending triangles have been very popular with traders on the long side and are not so often traded when it breaks in the downward direction. An ascending triangle is defined by two lines, one on the upper boundary of the price movement which is horizontal and one on the lower side which slopes up.

Ascending Triangles Can Be Traded Short

The ascending triangle is not often traded as a short pattern, but when it does break down, historically 36% of the time, it can be profitable. An ascending triangle breakout to the downside is not as reliable as a breakout to the upside with only 44% of the trades profitable. The average profits are also less at 0.31% in 9 days.

Refine Your Entries

As you would expect a break to the downside works better in a falling market environment, but the best trades actually occur at market turning points. By using filters that require the market and the stock to be in a consolidation or an up trend, while the sector is in a consolidation or a down trend, you can improve the results.

Ascending triangles that breakout early in the pattern, produce inferior results to those that breakout later. It is acceptable for the stock to move all the way to the point of the pattern before breaking out. The best results are achieved when the stock climbs up from the lower boundary and collapses back before reaching the upper boundary of the pattern.

Ensure that the volume is supportive of the breakout, i.e. volume as the stock falls is greater than volume as the stock rises.

Ascending Triangles Profitable on the Short Side as Well

Following a series of simple rules to determine which ascending triangle to trade can improve results dramatically. By applying these filters ascending triangles are profitable on 52% of the trades and return an average of 1.07% per trade in 10 days. This is a profitable pattern to trade.

Note: Statistics for this article have been provided by Patterns Trader after analyzing over 60,000 chart patterns on the Australian market from 2000 - 2008. - 23204

About the Author:

Jeff Cartridge has been trading chart patterns since 1998 and created the website LearnCFDs.com Discover Patterns of Success

What to Learn As a Forex Currency Trading Beginner

By Jane MacRae

There is a lot of information out there for Forex currency trading beginner. If you have decided that your ultimate goal is to become an expert foreign exchange trader, you should take a look at some must-have information. The first thing that should concern you is to find out what exactly FOREX is all about.

To say the least, the market for Forex is one of the biggest in the world. Even the stock market which many think is already quite big does not quite measure up. Even if the futures market is taken together with the stock market, the FOREX market would still have a bigger amount of money being traded everyday. .

The door of the Forex market was opened to highly wealthy people only in the past, and you would be asked to present millions of dollars before your entry. Thanks to the presence of online trading companies, average investors can also have their share in this exciting field today. That being said, you still need to be able to afford the risk of financial loss.

In its simplicity, Forex trading is to buy and sell different currencies in the world. You buy one currency while sell another. As such, currency trading always involves pairs, and quotes of currencies also come in one currency against another. The major players include the U.S. dollar and the Canadian dollar (USD/CAD), the Euro and the U.S. dollar (EUR/USD), the U.S. dollar and the yen (USD/JPY) and the Australian dollar and the U.S. dollar (AUD/USD).

Forex trading also has a number of advantages compared to other types of financial investment. The transactions are fast because everything is electronic. You also are assured that there are often people who would want to trade with you. This is simply because there are so many people who are trading everyday and every hour of the day. You can buy and sell at anytime whenever you want to.

Leverage is another attractive aspect of currency trading. With a nearly unbelievable ratio of 200:1, you leverage capacity is simply huge. With very minimal initial cash you can already manage a large amount of currency. This is probably the main reason why the market is quite attractive for those who want to increase their earnings impressively.

However, you should expect to get rich instantly in this market. People can lose too in currency trading. Those who do are often those who act impulsively with the hopes of getting rich instantaneously. If you do not take the time to learn the inner wheels of Forex trading and the technical aspects of leveraging, then you could lose everything you have put into currency trading.

As a Forex currency trading beginner, the best way to make sure that you have a rewarding and fulfilling experience with currency trading is to prepare yourself before diving into actual trading. If you are a small-time online investor, you can pick an online company that can help you learn. Many of them will allow you to first practice trading with imaginary currencies without any substantial cost or loss to you. Position yourself as a beginner and learn from the seasoned player, you will have a good chance of becoming an expert in this field. - 23204

About the Author:

Click here for our review of a leading forex trading tool in the market, which will grant you an unfair advantage over your competitors. Also check out this related article on how to learn forex trading online.

Forex Trading Software - Scam Or Easy Moneymaker

By Kurt Naulaerts

Automated forex trading systems have generated a lot of interest and popularity in recent times. It is attractive to many medium and small investors. This market handles trading of currency of one country with that of another. This is one of the biggest and most energetic financial markets with trillions of dollars being traded every hour of every day.

The advent of internet and advance communication technologies coupled with automated forex trading systems, today anyone can join in the trading provided he has a computer with an internet connection, a forex brokerage account and good knowledge of how trading works. This global market place is open twenty four hours a day so if you want to stay abreast of market developments, you must keep a constant watch. You could choose a currency and its price before hand with the help of these automated systems. Your buy and sell orders can get instantly executed so all you need is your seed money and a broker to help you.

You do not have to be a professional to earn profits from this trade because the automated forex trading systems take care of all the work for you. When you trade through managed accounts, the automated system carries out the work for you. Any dependable trading platform helps you to save valuable time, since you no longer do the trading manually. Unlike manual trading, the auto systems allow you to manage multiple accounts simultaneously with the help of a trading platform. The biggest advantage of these programs is that you are allowed trading many systems in many markets.

With these forex trading systems that operate automatically, you can trade any time of the day or night and you do not have to be present. Even when you are absent from your computer, you can not miss a single trade. Taking advantage of multi-prong forex strategies and various systems therefore becomes easy. Different trade factors impact different systems; you can therefore direct your investments and control risks.

These automated forex trading systems completely ignore all emotional factors which often put informed decisions in jeopardy. You would have the power to manage several money-pairs and effectively trade in them too.

To enjoy a long term income from forex trading, you have to learn the basics of trading and the fundamental study of market indicators; simply using auto systems can not help you. No automated system can guarantee you regular profit because the market is controlled by many variables. You can customize the automated forex trading system according to your specific requirements. - 23204

About the Author:

Honest reviews on forex trading systems are hard to find. I managed to find a Fap Turbo Review at http://www.thepowhatan.com/fap-turbo-forex-software