2Bull Forex Blog

When you start out in Forex currency trading you will be faced with deciding which of the two main styles to use. Of course, you could combine both styles but there are only so many hours in the day, so it is likely that you will choose one or other of them.

We will explore the main elements of these Forex trading styles below.

Fundamental Forex trading.

As a beginner, this is probably the least likely style that you will use. Fundamental trading is based on the examination of economic data. That said, you may indirectly use fundamentals as some of the data used is covered in the day to day news bulletins and in newspapers.

Fundamentalists analyze government reports, current events, news coverage, political events, changes in interest rates, GDP (Gross Domestic Product) changes, inflation predictions, retail price data, unemployment levels and any other factors that they consider important in currency fluctuations. This can extend to political elections, attacks by terrorists, military conflicts, earthquakes, hurricanes, etc.

Technical Forex trading.

This is the most likely tool for the beginner Forex trader. Charts are used to analyze what has happened in the particular currency market you are interested in and then to predict what is likely to happen in the future, based on past events.

At their most basic, charts display the historic relationship between the two currencies you are interested in. This will show the peaks and troughs in the relationship and when you become sufficiently proficient, a chart should be able to help you predict future currency movements.

If you are new to technical Forex trading then the amount of information available to you may appear overwhelming. Take the time to study what you are looking at and make sure that you trade “on paper” before spending your own money.

There are a number of services online who provide chart data in real time. If you decide to trade on the Forex markets as a day trader, such information is essential. A lot can happen during the course of a day and you need to make sure that you stay on top of any fluctuations. This is especially important since the currency market is open 24 hours on weekdays and is a global marketplace.

If you are new to online FOREX trading you will realize that 95% of traders lose and lose quickly.

To win at currency trading you need the right FOREX strategy - incorporate the following 10 tips and you will get a head start in your quest for consistent FX profits

1. Don’t believe the hype

You will read a lot of information on how easy FOREX Trading is and how you can buy an e-book for $100 and become rich – this is not the reality. While there is some good advice out their – you can get all the information you need free on the net. If you want to read about the top traders of all time and get advice from traders who have walked the walk -rather than just talk the talk, go to Amazon and pick up some books from the top traders of all time.

2. Don’t day trade

The biggest myth of FOREX trading is you can make money FOREX day trading. You can’t! Many novice traders fall for this myth and lose quickly. All short term volatility is random and there is no way of predicting where prices may go, so you may as well flip a coin. If you want proof that FOREX day trading systems don’t work ask a vendor for a track record of real time profits over the long term and you won’t get one – PERIOD.

3. Work smart not hard

You don’t need to work hard in FOREX Trading, you need to work smart. This means focusing on the RIGHT FOREX education and learning FOREX tools that work. You can easily learn to trade FOREX markets in a couple of weeks. You just need to focus on the right information. You don’t get rewarded in FOREX trading for working hard, you get rewarded for being right and that means working smart.

4. Risk = Reward

If you don’t like risk forget currency trading and do something else. Many traders simply want to avoid risk as much as possible, putting stops to close, or snatching profits. If that’s you – you will NEVER achieve currency trading success. You need to cheerfully accept risk and loses to succeed in online FOREX Trading.

5. Do It on your own

Only you can give your self success. You need to be confident in your ability to succeed and if you are, you will have the discipline to apply your method for long term gains. If you follow someone else you will not have the right mindset to succeed. You will lack discipline and will throw in the towel as soon as a string of losses occur. Do it yourself and your chances of success are enhanced.

6. Get a simple method

Simple methods work better than complicated ones, as they are more robust with fewer elements to break in the face of ever changing market conditions. There is no correlation between how complicated a system is and how much money it will make. If you are starting out in currency trading, use support and resistance, a breakout methodology and some confirming indicators and that’s it. The above way of trading is perfect and will help you get the big profits from the big moves.

7. Trade Breakouts

A timeless way to trade FOREX markets. It works and will continue to work, simply read out other articles for more info on this simple but powerful methodology.

8. Be patient

You don’t get rewarded for how often you trade online FOREX – You get rewarded for spotting and acting on the best trades and these don’t come around every day. Be patient and only trade FOREX signals from your system – don’t be tempted to trade for the sake of trading.

9. Be realistic

You can make a lot of money in FOREX Trading so what’s realistic? The top traders compound 50 – 100% per annum so this is a good number to aim for. These gains will compound quickly and build real wealth longer term. Be realistic and don’t try to get rich over night

10. Know your edge

If you understand the other 9 points, you will understand that you need an edge to make money longer term in online FOREX markets. If after you have devised your FOREX trading strategy you don’t know what your edge is - you don’t have one! You need to know what your edge is over the majority of losing traders to win.

Final words

If you incorporate the above 10 tips into your online FOREX Trading plan, you will be well on your way to making money in the worlds most exciting investment market.

Welcome to the world of FOREX trading!

Forex traders often look at technical indicators such as Bollinger Bands, Pivot Points, MACD, Moving Averages and the such to help them determine where to enter or exit trades. Using technical indicators is fine, however many traders overemphasize their importance or just plain misunderstand them.

Many forex traders think that they can simply download an indicator and then mechanically apply it into their trading and do so profitably. This is just a plain illusion. Successful traders realize that there is a lot more to using indicators than just asking them to generate buy/sell signals or pin-point exact entry points. Technical indicators for them represent just one part of their trading strategy.

Let’s take a look at some of the reasons why you should not put all your faith into those sometimes confusing little indicators.

Take Moving Averages (MA’s) for example. They are “supposed” to show the direction of the trend. The most common and often used are the simple 200day MA, 100day MA, 50day MA, 35day MA and the 21day MA but they are only valid on daily graphs. Some forex day traders say that a good signal is when the 50day MA is crossed by the 13day MA and that when this occurs you should trade in the direction of the cross.

The problem with this (apart from the fact that it only works on daily graphs) is that these types of “crosses” do not occur often enough for traders to exploit them. This can often lead to a situation where traders are seeing what they thought was a cross now reverse and uncross. Even worse, it can lead to a situation where day traders are “chasing” and trying to anticipate a cross. If you are doing this, you are distancing yourself from the market which you are trying to trade. Not only are you trying to guess what the price is going to do next but you are guessing what the indicator, based on the prices, is going to do next.

Other problems with technical indicators involve issues with the quotes and prices given to you by your broker. Forex brokers are market makers and as such different brokers will give you different quotes and prices at a specific point in time. Naturally, a different price could lead to a situation where different traders, trading the same market have the same indicators giving them different responses. That’s how arbitrary technical indicators can be.

Finally, a lot of these technical indicators were developed by people trading the stock market. With the growth of computers and software packages that incorporate these indicators, technical analysis has become very popular and spread to other markets such as the forex market. What currency traders should be aware of however, is that as these indicators were developed in a time where real time information did not exist. As such, the limitations of technical analysis becomes even more exaggerated in forex trading - not only is technical analysis an interpretation of historical events but it becomes even more so in the forex market, a market moved by real time events.

Conclusion.

Successful forex traders understand the limitations of technical indicators and realize that technical analysis should incorporate just one part of their trading strategy. In a recent international Forex market event visited by the major banks and institutions - the main players that influence the foreign currency market - a survey was done to better understand what analysis they use. The results might be surprising to some tarders. The survey showed that a mere 26% use technical analysis and indicators compared to 41% who said they use fundamental analysis.

Many traders like to buy dips to support or sell into resistance but this simply ensures they lose.

This FOREX trading tips is all about using leading indicators to confirm a move, rather than simply assuming support and resistance will hold.

Let’s look at it in more detail.

Buying Into Support and Sell Into Resistance.

You hear this tip all the time, but it doesn’t make money.

It is based on the old saying “buy low sell high” which is another phrase that won’t make you money.

If you buy into support or sell into resistance then the logic is that you will have low risk and high reward if the levels hold.

The important word here is “if”

If you trade FOREX then you don’t want to rely on “if” and hope – you want indicators that will increase the odds of these levels holding and your chances of making a profit.

If a price is speeding toward support or resistance then it will break as often as it holds, you therefore need to watch for changes in price momentum and that’s where leading indicators can help.

Getting the odds in your favor.

If you want to buy support and sell resistance and get the odds in your favor do use the following FOREX tip.

You can use lagging indicators as well as trend lines in FX trading to denote areas of support and resistance and the ones we like are:

Bollinger bands and moving averages.

These indicaotrs like trend lines should NOT be used to enter trades.

When buying dips to support or into selling resistance, you want confirmation that the levels are going to hold - before prices reach these levels you want confirmation of the turn in advance. When price momentum turns above support or below resistance you can enter with increased odds of success.

The best timing indicator by far is the stochastic.

Look it up and learn all about it as it’s a great under used tool.

Another great indicator is the Relative strength Index RSI.

Combine the two and watch for confirmation on both and you have a powerful combination you can use to increase your odds of success. They will give advance warning of a change in price momentum at support and resistance and when they turn in your favor you can enter the trade.

You don’t predict with the above.

You act on confirmation and this will increase the odds dramatically in your favor and increase your overall profitability. This FOREX tip is obvious, but it’s surprising how many traders simply hope a level holds rather than looking for confirmation. Don’t make the same mistake always act on confirmation when trading FOREX.