Forex - New Zealand Dollar Strengthens Against Yen [NZD/JPY]

8/23/2007 1:28:11 AM The New Zealand dollar showed strength versus the Japanese Yen during late Wednesday in New York. The pair carried over its uptrend in the early Asian deals on Thursday. At about 8:50 pm ET, the Kiwi slid briefly but it regained its ground soon after and fetched a high of 82.79. Currently, the pair has been trading slightly lower and fetched 81.98 as of 1:27 am Eastern Time.


Forex - New Zealand Dollar Drifts Higher Versus Euro [EUR/NZD]

8/23/2007 1:25:15 AM In the late hours on Wednesday in New York, the New Zealand dollar moved in a tight range against the Euro. But the Kiwi drifted up during the early Asian session on Thursday and collected as much as 1.8988 at 11:00 pm ET. The pair then moved sideways, but it has been losing the gains of late. As of 1:24 am Eastern Time, the pair was worth 1.9091.


Forex - New Zealand Dollar Ticks Up Against Greenback [NZD/USD]

8/23/2007 1:22:16 AM After holding steady during late Wednesday New York trading, the New Zealand dollar ticked higher versus the U.S. currency in the early Asian deals on Thursday. The Kiwi hit as high as 0.7138 at 10:45 pm ET and then traded sideways. Lately, the pair has been weakening slightly and collected 0.7100 as of 1:21 am Eastern Time.

Forex - Aussie Advances Against Greenback [AUD/USD]

8/23/2007 2:15:39 AM Against the U.S. currency, the Australian dollar advanced in the early Asian deals on Thursday. The Aussie fetched a high of 0.8164 at 10:50 pm ET Wednesday. The pair then slipped slightly, but it has been reversing of late. As of 2:15 am Eastern Time, the pair was quoted at 0.8159.


Forex - Euro Strengthens Against Majors Amid German Data []

8/23/2007 2:10:47 AM Amid the release of the German Q2 GDP data, the Euro showed strength against its major counterparts. At about 2:09 am ET, the Euro fetched 1.3552 against the dollar, 0.6788 against the Pound, 157.02 against the Yen and 1.6347 against the Swiss Franc.


Forex - Euro Mixed Against Majors Ahead Of German Data []

8/23/2007 1:58:45 AM Ahead of the releases of the German GDP, imports and the exports data for the second quarter, the Euro saw a mixed dealing. The Euro was higher against the British Pound, but it slipped versus the dollar and the Swiss Franc. Against the Yen, the Euro moved sideways.

At about 1:55 am ET, the Euro fetched 1.3547 against the dollar, 0.6788 against the Pound, 156.81 against the Yen and 1.6343 against the Swiss Franc.

Forex Can you really make money

Forex Can you really make money day trading futures? The answer, of course, is yes. The answer is only yes, if you know what to do and then you take action upon what you know.
Making money day trading futures is like making money trading in any financial market. It all starts with having a plan, and then executing the plan to the letter in or der to make profits.

I believe what throws many people off when it comes to day trading futures is the fact that some are unfamiliar with futures contracts and their characteristics. This, of course, should not deter one from exploring the possibilities of profits in day trading futures. The fact of the matter is that you don't need to know every possible thing about every possible futures contract in order to make profits in trading futures.

Many futures contracts happen to be excellent vehicles for day trading. Again, it is not imperative that you understand everything about every futures contract in order to profit in day trading futures. I'll give you an example. What if everyone had to know the intricacies of the internal combustion engine before they drove a car? If that were actually the case then very few people would drive... yet there are millions of people driving cars every day. I only say this to illustrate the fact that you need to know a certain number of basic things in order to trade in any market successfully. A simplified list of those basic things would be as follows, when to get in, when to get out, and when to stand aside.
It is true that the above list may seem overly simplified. You will of course need some method to determine when to take the steps above in order to be successful. Your method will have to be one which is repeatable, therefore it will require some research on your part.

You'll need a day trading strategy in order to day trade futures successfully. You have the choice of either developing your own day trading strategy or looking for a commercially available day trading strategy. In any case, you will want to do your homework and due diligence, because in order to make money day trading futures your day trading strategy must be a good one. And remember that your level of discipline in following your day trading strategy is at least as important as the day trading strategy itself.Online

Forex Money smart tips

By John Gaines

Why do hundreds of thousands online traders and investors trade the forex market every day, and how do they make money doing it?

This two-part report clearly and simply details essential tips on how to avoid typical pitfalls and start making more money in your forex trading.

1. Trade pairs, not currencies - Like any relationship, you have to know both sides. Success or failure in forex trading depends upon being right about both currencies and how they impact one another, not just one.

2. Knowledge is Power - When starting out trading forex online, it is essential that you understand the basics of this market if you want to make the most of your investments.

The main forex influencer is global news and events. For example, say an ECB statement is released on European interest rates which typically will cause a flurry of activity. Most newcomers react violently to news like this and close their positions and subsequently miss out on some of the best trading opportunities by waiting until the market calms down. The potential in the forex market is in the volatility, not in its tranquility.

3. Unambitious trading - Many new traders will place very tight orders in order to take very small profits. This is not a sustainable approach because although you may be profitable in the short run (if you are lucky), you risk losing in the longer term as you have to recover the difference between the bid and the ask price before you can make any profit and this is much more difficult when you make small trades than when you make larger ones.

4. Over-cautious trading - Like the trader who tries to take small incremental profits all the time, the trader who places tight stop losses with a retail forex broker is doomed. As we stated above, you have to give your position a fair chance to demonstrate its ability to produce. If you don't place reasonable stop losses that allow your trade to do so, you will always end up undercutting yourself and losing a small piece of your deposit with every trade.

5. Independence - If you are new to forex, you will either decide to trade your own money or to have a broker trade it for you. So far, so good. But your risk of losing increases exponentially if you either of these two things:

Interfere with what your broker is doing on your behalf (as his strategy might require a long gestation period);
Seek advice from too many sources - multiple input will only result in multiple losses. Take a position, ride with it and then analyse the outcome - by yourself, for yourself.

6. Tiny margins - Margin trading is one of the biggest advantages in trading forex as it allows you to trade amounts far larger than the total of your deposits. However, it can also be dangerous to novice traders as it can appeal to the greed factor that destroys many forex traders. The best guideline is to increase your leverage in line with your experience and success.

7. No strategy - The aim of making money is not a trading strategy. A strategy is your map for how you plan to make money. Your strategy details the approach you are going to take, which currencies you are going to trade and how you will manage your risk. Without a strategy, you may become one of the 90% of new traders that lose their money.

8. Trading Off-Peak Hours - Professional FX traders, option traders, and hedge funds posses a huge advantage over small retail traders during off-peak hours (between 2200 CET and 1000 CET) as they can hedge their positions and move them around when there is far small trade volume is going through (meaning their risk is smaller). The best advice for trading during off peak hours is simple - don't.

9. The only way is up/down - When the market is on its way up, the market is on its way up. When the market is going down, the market is going down. That's it. There are many systems which analyse past trends, but none that can accurately predict the future. But if you acknowledge to yourself that all that is happening at any time is that the market is simply moving, you'll be amazed at how hard it is to blame anyone else.

10. Trade on the news - Most of the really big market moves occur around news time. Trading volume is high and the moves are significant; this means there is no better time to trade than when news is released. This is when the big players adjust their positions and prices change resulting in a serious currency flow.

11. Exiting Trades - If you place a trade and it's not working out for you, get out. Don't compound your mistake by staying in and hoping for a reversal. If you're in a winning trade, don't talk yourself out of the position because you're bored or want to relieve stress; stress is a natural part of trading; get used to it.

12. Don't trade too short-term - If you are aiming to make less than 20 points profit, don't undertake the trade. The spread you are trading on will make the odds against you far too high.

13. Don't be smart - The most successful traders I know keep their trading simple. They don't analyse all day or research historical trends and track web logs and their results are excellent.

14. Tops and Bottoms - There are no real "bargains" in trading foreign exchange. Trade in the direction the price is going in and you're results will be almost guaranteed to improve.

15. Ignoring the technicals- Understanding whether the market is over-extended long or short is a key indicator of price action. Spikes occur in the market when it is moving all one way.

16. Emotional Trading - Without that all-important strategy, you're trades essentially are thoughts only and thoughts are emotions and a very poor foundation for trading. When most of us are upset and emotional, we don't tend to make the wisest decisions. Don't let your emotions sway you.

17. Confidence - Confidence comes from successful trading. If you lose money early in your trading career it's very difficult to regain it; the trick is not to go off half-cocked; learn the business before you trade. Remember, knowledge is power.

The second and final part of this report clearly and simply details more essential tips on how to avoid the pitfalls and start making more money in your forex trading.

1. Take it like a man - If you decide to ride a loss, you are simply displaying stupidity and cowardice. It takes guts to accept your loss and wait for tomorrow to try again. Sticking to a bad position ruins lots of traders - permanently. Try to remember that the market often behaves illogically, so don't get commit to any one trade; it's just a trade. One good trade will not make you a trading success; it's ongoing regular performance over months and years that makes a good trader.

2. Focus - Fantasising about possible profits and then "spending" them before you have realised them is no good. Focus on your current position(s) and place reasonable stop losses at the time you do the trade. Then sit back and enjoy the ride - you have no real control from now on, the market will do what it wants to do.

3. Don't trust demos - Demo trading often causes new traders to learn bad habits. These bad habits, which can be very dangerous in the long run, come about because you are playing with virtual money. Once you know how your broker's system works, start trading small amounts and only take the risk you can afford to win or lose.

4. Stick to the strategy - When you make money on a well thought-out strategic trade, don't go and lose half of it next time on a fancy; stick to your strategy and invest profits on the next trade that matches your long-term goals.

5. Trade today - Most successful day traders are highly focused on what's happening in the short-term, not what may happen over the next month. If you're trading with 40 to 60-point stops focus on what's happening today as the market will probably move too quickly to consider the long-term future. However, the long-term trends are not unimportant; they will not always help you though if you're trading intraday.

6. The clues are in the details - The bottom line on your account balance doesn't tell the whole story. Consider individual trade details; analyse your losses and the telling losing streaks. Generally, traders that make money without suffering significant daily losses have the best chance of sustaining positive performance in the long term.

7. Simulated Results - Be very careful and wary about infamous "black box" systems. These so-called trading signal systems do not often explain exactly how the trade signals they generate are produced. Typically, these systems only show their track record of extraordinary results - historical results. Successfully predicting future trade scenarios is altogether more complex. The high-speed algorithmic capabilities of these systems provide significant retrospective trading systems, not ones which will help you trade effectively in the future.

8. Get to know one cross at a time - Each currency pair is unique, and has a unique way of moving in the marketplace. The forces which cause the pair to move up and down are individual to each cross, so study them and learn from your experience and apply your learning to one cross at a time.

9. Risk Reward - If you put a 20 point stop and a 50 point profit your chances of winning are probably about 1-3 against you. In fact, given the spread you're trading on, it's more likely to be 1-4. Play the odds the market gives you.

10. Trading for Wrong Reasons - Don't trade if you are bored, unsure or reacting on a whim. The reason that you are bored in the first place is probably because there is no trade to make in the first place. If you are unsure, it's probably because you can't see the trade to make, so don't make one.

11. Zen Trading- Even when you have taken a position in the markets, you should try and think as you would if you hadn't taken one. This level of detachment is essential if you want to retain your clarity of mind and avoid succumbing to emotional impulses and therefore increasing the likelihood of incurring losses. To achieve this, you need to cultivate a calm and relaxed outlook. Trade in brief periods of no more than a few hours at a time and accept that once the trade has been made, it's out of your hands.

12. Determination - Once you have decided to place a trade, stick to it and let it run its course. This means that if your stop loss is close to being triggered, let it trigger. If you move your stop midway through a trade's life, you are more than likely to suffer worse moves against you. Your determination must be show itself when you acknowledge that you got it wrong, so get out.

13. Short-term Moving Average Crossovers - This is one of the most dangerous trade scenarios for non professional traders. When the short-term moving average crosses the longer-term moving average it only means that the average price in the short run is equal to the average price in the longer run. This is neither a bullish nor bearish indication, so don't fall into the trap of believing it is one.

14. Stochastic - Another dangerous scenario. When it first signals an exhausted condition that's when the big spike in the "exhausted" currency cross tends to occur. My advice is to buy on the first sign of an overbought cross and then sell on the first sign of an oversold one. This approach means that you'll be with the trend and have successfully identified a positive move that still has some way to go. So if percentage K and percentage D are both crossing 80, then buy! (This is the same on sell side, where you sell at 20).

15. One cross is all that counts - EURUSD seems to be trading higher, so you buy GBPUSD because it appears not to have moved yet. This is dangerous. Focus on one cross at a time - if EURUSD looks good to you, then just buy EURUSD.

16. Wrong Broker - A lot of FOREX brokers are in business only to make money from yours. Read forums, blogs and chats around the net to get an unbiased opinion before you choose your broker.

17. Too bullish - Trading statistics show that 90% of most traders will fail at some point. Being too bullish about your trading aptitude can be fatal to your long-term success. You can always learn more about trading the markets, even if you are currently successful in your trades. Stay modest, and keep your eyes open for new ideas and bad habits you might be falling in to.

18. Interpret forex news yourself - Learn to read the source documents of forex news and events - don't rely on the interpretations of news media or others.

John Gaines

online trading, currency trading, financial service

A veteran of online trading, John Gaines offers the financial services industry his perspectives and expertise on a variety of trading systems and financial instruments, including forex, CFDs, futures, options and stocks.

Dollar Threatened by Domestic Diversification

Most Dollar bulls cringe when they hear the word “diversification.” Within the context of forex, diversification usually refers to the shift towards non-Dollar denominated assets among Central Banks. The thinking is that with the declining Dollar, it probably makes sense to hold reserves in non-US investments. However, analysts have begun to realize that this only represents a small segment of entities that could harm the Dollar by diversifying. The world’s Central Banks probably hold at most $5 Trillion of reserves, whereas US institutional investment funds probably have over $20 Trillion collectively invested in US assets. Thus, diversification in this segment probably poses a much greater threat to the long term health of the USD. The

Forex Resources

Forex Resources

This list of Forex resources contains URLs to other useful Forex sites - Forex forums, general Forex information resources, Forex signals providers and our partners. If you find a broken link, or wish to exchange links with us.

Forex market news

ForexNews - Most important news and some good analysis

FXstreet - Many useful articles, constantly added expert commentaries and forecasts

DailyFX - Everything happening in Forex world is covered here

ForexCenter.net - The complete Forex portal offering live forex rates, forex charts, forex news, forex trading forecasts, technical analysis, currency converter, forex books & educational material

Forex charts and technical analysis

Incredible Charts - A very good resource to learn everything about charts

CurrencyVision - daily technical analysis of Forex and Metal markets

FX-Strategy - interesting strategy portal, but not free

Forex Software Reviews - Forex Software Reviews, Informations and News

Forex brokers

SaxoBank - one of the most competent trading organizations

AC-Markets - has its own Forex education tools, recommended for newbie

CMS Forex - one of the leading trading brokers

Futures Commission Merchant - RFXT, is the leading online futures commission merchant that strictly endorses fair business practice, foreign exchange regulation and increased investor protection.

Forex signals and market forecasts

E-Forex.ro - free trading signals, quite precise

Ivestica Ltd. - provides a free newsletter with forecasts

Open Forex - Foreign Exchange Trading, Forex Analysis and Forecasts

Surefire Forex Trading - Learn to trade the fx market with a proven forex trading method

Managed Forex Account - Our Forex Managed Account programs allow you to have a diversified exposure to Forex by letting experienced money managers trade in the foreign exchange market for you.

Forex Training - Work at Home Business Opportunity - Offers forex training - internet home based business opportunity. Work from home job.

Free Forex Signal ( Weekly Signal )

Forex forums and community sites

CommodityTrader Forum - Forex related forum

ForexFactory - a popular Forex discussion forum

LearnCurrencyTrading.com Forum - some experienced traders post there

DayTradingTheMarkets.com - The online community for day traders of stocks, options, futures, and forex.

MoneyTec - Forex related Forum dedicated to technical analysis.

Discuss hot topics on Forex - Forex Forum - Discuss hot topics on Forex to make more profits in trading.

Forex trading information

TradeJuice - The largest selection of FREE day trading articles in the world

Investopedia.com - a large educational Internet resource about investing and trading.

Teach yourself Forex trading: Understanding forex markets - Teach yourself forex trading. Learn trading concepts with easy to understand tutorials. Tutorials help newbies learn basic and advanced concepts and also cater for expert traders. Teaching yourself forex is the right step to gaining financial freedom.

Forex Advice - Forex market articles, forex trading, forex information and education, forex news, forex money management, daily forex outlook, forex economic indicators.

Forex DayTrading Systems - A great source for Forex Day Trading Systems, Training, Charts, Courses, Books, Signals, News, Brokers, Insights and more.

Forex Glossary - Terms and terminology used in Forex Trading. Index of financial and investment terms.

Forex for Dummies

Forex Basics

If you've already read our What is Forex? section then you should know what Forex market is and what it is all about. If not, please, do so. There are five essential aspects of foreign currency market a beginner trader (and an old one as well) should be aware of:

• Forex Fundamental Analysis
• Forex Technical Analysis
• Money Management
• Forex Trading Psychology
• Forex Brokerage

Understanding and mastering these sides of trading are crucial to organize your Forex trading experience.

Forex Fundamental Analysis

Fundamental analysis is the process of market analysis which is done regarding only "real" events and macroeconomic data which is related to the traded currencies. Fundamental analysis is used not only in Forex but can be a part of any financial planning or forecasting. Concepts that are part of Forex fundamental analysis: overnight interest rates, central banks meetings and decisions, any macroeconomic news, global industrial, economical, political and weather news. Fundamental analysis is the most natural way of making Forex market forecasts. In theory, it alone should work perfectly, but in practice it is often used in pair with technical analysis. Recommended e-books on Forex fundamental analysis:

• Reminiscences of a Stock Operator
• What Moves the Currency Market?

Forex Technical Analysis

Technical analysis is the process of market analysis that relies only on market data numbers - quotes, charts, simple and complex indicators, volume of supply and demand, past market data, etc. The main idea behind Forex technical analysis is the postulate of functional dependence of the future market technical data on the past market technical data. As well as with fundamental analysis, technical analysis is believed to be self-sufficient and you can use only it to successfully trade Forex. In practice, both analysis methods are used. Recommended e-books on Forex fundamental analysis are:

• The Law Of Charts
• Candlesticks For Support And Resistance
• Trend Determination

Money Management in Forex

Even if you master every possible method of market analysis and will make very accurate predictions for future Forex market behavior, you won't make any money without a proper money management strategy. Money management in Forex (as well as in other financial markets) is a complex set of rules which you develop to fit your own trading style and amount of money you have for trading. Money management play very important role in getting profits out of Forex, do not underestimate it. To get more information on money management you can read these books:

• Risk Control and Money Management
• Money Management (A chapter from The Mathematics of Gambling)
• Money Management Strategies

Forex Trading Psychology

While learning a lot about market analysis and money management is an obvious and necessary steps to be a successful Forex traders, you need to master your emotions to keep your trading performance under strict control of mind and intuition. Controlling your emotions in Forex trading is often a balancing between greed and cautiousness. Almost any known psychology practices and techniques can work for Forex traders to help them keep to their trading strategies rather to their spontaneous emotions. Problems you'll have to deal while being a professional Forex trader:

• Greed
• Overtrading
• Lack of discipline
• Lack of confidence
• Blind following others' forecasts

These are very professional books on psychology written specially for financial traders:

• Calming The Mind So That Body Can Perform
• Emotion Free Trading
• The Miracle of Discipline

Forex Brokerage

Every Forex trader like any other professional needs tools to trade. One of these tools, which is vital to be in market, is a Forex broker and specifically for Internet - on-line Forex broker - a company which will provide real-time market information to trader and bring his orders to Forex market. While choosing a right Forex broker things to look for are the following:

• Being a professional company you can trust
• Provide you with real-time quotes
• Execute your orders fast and accurately
• Don't take a lot of commissions
• Support the withdraw/deposit methods you use

For beginning Forex traders I recommend these three broker companies, which are probably best Forex brokers to start with:

• LiteForex - broker that supports MetaTrader 4 Forex trading platform and doesn't require a lot of money to start with.
• Marketiva - good because you can start trading Forex with as little as 1$ and you also receive start-up bonus of 5$, while you can deposit and withdraw money via e-gold (Wire Transfer is also available).
• ForexYard - Java based trading platform available, while you can deposit and withdraw money via e-gold.

What Is Forex?

FOREX - the foreign exchange market or currency market or Forex is the market where one currency is traded for another. It is one of the largest markets in the world.

Some of the participants in this market are simply seeking to exchange a foreign currency for their own, like multinational corporations which must pay wages and other expenses in different nations than they sell products in. However, a large part of the market is made up of currency traders, who speculate on movements in exchange rates, much like others would speculate on movements of stock prices. Currency traders try to take advantage of even small fluctuations in exchange rates.

In the foreign exchange market there is little or no 'inside information'. Exchange rate fluctuations are usually caused by actual monetary flows as well as anticipations on global macroeconomic conditions. Significant news is released publicly so, at least in theory, everyone in the world receives the same news at the same time.

Currencies are traded against one another. Each pair of currencies thus constitutes an individual product and is traditionally noted XXX/YYY, where YYY is the ISO 4217 international three-letter code of the currency into which the price of one unit of XXX currency is expressed. For instance, EUR/USD is the price of the euro expressed in US dollars, as in 1 euro = 1.2045 dollar.

Unlike stocks and futures exchange, foreign exchange is indeed an interbank, over-the-counter (OTC) market which means there is no single universal exchange for specific currency pair. The foreign exchange market operates 24 hours per day throughout the week between individuals with forex brokers, brokers with banks, and banks with banks. If the European session is ended the Asian session or US session will start, so all world currencies can be continually in trade. Traders can react to news when it breaks, rather than waiting for the market to open, as is the case with most other markets.

Average daily international foreign exchange trading volume was $1.9 trillion in April 2004 according to the BIS study.

Like any market there is a bid/offer spread (difference between buying price and selling price). On major currency crosses, the difference between the price at which a market maker will sell ("ask", or "offer") to a wholesale customer and the price at which the same market-maker will buy ("bid") from the same wholesale customer is minimal, usually only 1 or 2 pips. In the EUR/USD price of 1.4238 a pip would be the '8' at the end. So the bid/ask quote of EUR/USD might be 1.4238/1.4239.

This, of course, does not apply to retail customers. Most individual currency speculators will trade using a broker which will typically have a spread marked up to say 3-20 pips (so in our example 1.4237/1.4239 or 1.423/1.425). The broker will give their clients often huge amounts of margin, thereby facilitating clients spending more money on the bid/ask spread. The brokers are not regulated by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (since they do not sell securities), so they are not bound by the same margin limits as stock brokerages. They do not typically charge margin interest, however since currency trades must be settled in 2 days, they will "resettle" open positions (again collecting the bid/ask spread).

Individual currency speculators can work during the day and trade in the evenings, taking advantage of the market's 24 hours long trading day.