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Look For The Best Deal, Save Big Money

The average person's foreign exchange transaction is in having to change their currency into that of the country they wish to visit. This they do by going to the high street travel agent, Post Office, or bank. They do not worry too much about saving on the exchange rate for the relatively small amount in question.
There comes a time when they may wish to make a much larger transaction abroad such as buying a car or a boat, but mainly a house. This of course is a different cup of tea, and it is much cheaper to use the services of foreign currency exchange companies who can arrange cheaper quotes than the high street banks, therefore making it possible to save considerable money.

It is important to keep things simple and easy to understand.

Take an example of a Mr Smith wanting to buy a property in France. He needs to have a sum to cover the cost of the house and a sum to cover the other payments such as agent's fees etc. He adds it all up and comes to a total amount he will need to have in the foreign currency in this case the Euro. He has to get the required Euros. He now begins to realize that the price of the house also has a cost of the currency exchange rate to consider. 

More than likely he will go to his bank to see what amount of Sterling they will require from him to 
purchase that foreign currency and send it to the seller. It is at this point he ought to be prudent. It is a good idea to go to the bank and get a quote as to how much it would cost to buy the required Euros and to have them sent to their destination. However, Mr Smith should spend a little time checking with some of the foreign currency exchange companies and get aquote from them too! Mr. Smith may find that he could save himself a nice few thousand because the rates that he could get will be undoubtedly cheaper than those from the high street bank. In short, a buyer like Mr. Smith might find the best way to proceed as follows: 

1. Open a bank account in the country and place where he is buying the house. This is quite easy and the local estate agent will be pleased to introduce him to a bank. 

2. Try to find the best currency exchange rate from the many companies that deal in foreign exchange. After finding the best deal, have the currency sent directly to his account at the bank abroad.
It is worth a few phone calls to very likely save big money. Currency rates change all the time and you have to bear that in mind, so the question is what is the percentage you would be charged above the live rates.

Live rates are easy to find free on the internet. You cannot get access to buy at these rates and there will always be a difference between the live rates and the rates you will get quoted. However, the degree of this difference is what you are after. It pays to check to find a good deal. To be fair you have to say what amount you are requiring to change because this may make a difference to the rate you will get. Obviously, if you are talking about ten thousand as opposed to hundreds of thousands this will count.

Money is sent by electronic transfer and banks charge for this usually between 25 and 35 pounds when sending money abroad bank to bank. The foreign currency exchange companies do not usually make a charge because they already calculate it within the rate of exchange in their quote, which is very fair since they will invariably give a better quote for currency rates than the high street bank who will charge the transmission cost as well!

Foreign currency exchange companies know that they are cheaper than the high street banks. Can you imagine that they could exist if they were not cheaper? Apart from that they are more focused on this type of business because they are specialists in this field. 

When you go to a restaurant it is the chef that matters. When you go to a hairdresser it is the cutter that matters. When you go to a garage it is the mechanic that matters. With the foreign currency exchange companies you have personal attention to your particular needs by a specialist. Above all, you can save money.
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Your FOREX Trading Philosophy

"Easy money" is the allure that captivates many beginning Forex traders. Forex websites offer "risk-free" trading, "high returns", "low investment." These claims have a grain of truth in them, but the reality of Forex is a bit more complex.
Mistakes Of The Beginning Trader
There are 2 common mistakes that many beginner traders make: trading without a strategy and letting emotions rule their decisions. After opening a Forex account it may be tempting to dive right in and start trading. Watching the movements of EUR/USD for example, you may feel that you are letting an opportunity pass you by if you don't enter the market immediately. You buy and watch the market move against you. You panic and sell, only to see the market recover.
This kind of undisciplined approach to Forex is guaranteed to lose money. Forex traders must have a rational trading strategy and not make trading decisions in the heat of the moment.
Understanding Market Movements
To make rational trading decisions, the Forex trader must be well educated in market movements. He must be able to apply technical studies to charts and plot out entry and exit points. He must take advantage of the various types of orders to minimize his risk and maximize his profit.
The first step in becoming a successful Forex trader is to understand the market and the forces behind it. Who trades Forex and why? This will allow you to identify successful trading strategies and use them.
Accountability
There are 5 major groups of investors who participate in Forex: governments, banks, corporations, investment funds, and traders. Each group has its own objectives, but 1 thing all groups except traders have in common is external control. Every organization has rules and guidelines for trading currencies and can be held accountable for their trading decisions. Individual traders, on the other hand, are accountable only to themselves.
Large organizations and educated traders approach the Forex with strategies, and if you hope to succeed as a Forex trader you must follow suit.
Money Management
Money management is an integral part of any trading strategy. Besides knowing which currencies to trade and how to recognize entry and exit signals, the successful trader has to manage his resources and integrate money management into his trading plan.
There are various strategies for money management. Many rely on the calculation of core equity -- your starting balance minus the money used in open positions.
Core Equity And Limited Risk
When entering a position try to limit your risk to 1% to 3% of each trade. This means that if you are trading a standard Forex lot of $100,000 you should limit your risk to $1,000 to $3,000. You do this with a stop loss order 100 pips (1 pip = $10) above or below your entry position.
As your core equity rises or falls, adjust the dollar amount of your risk. With a starting balance of $10,000 and 1 open position, your core equity is $9000. If you wish to add a second open position, your core equity would fall to $8000 and you should limit your risk to $900. Risk in a third position should be limited to $800.
Greater Profit, Greater Risk
You should also raise your risk level as your core equity rises. After $5,000 profit, your core equity is now $15,000. You could raise your risk to $1,500 per transaction. Alternatively, you could risk more from the profit than from the original starting balance. Some traders may risk up to 5% against their realized profits ($5,000 on a $100,000 lot) for greater profit potential.
These are the kinds of strategic tactics that allow a beginner to get a foothold on profitable trading in Forex.
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Forex Training: What to Look for in a Forex Training Program

Should new Forex traders take Forex trading courses or join a Forex training program? Definitely yes; by now you have probably heard that only 5% of traders achieve consistent profitable results when trading the Forex market. The main reason for this is the lack of education. Don't get me wrong here, taking a Forex training program or a Forex trading course won't guarantee profitable results, nothing can, but choosing the right Forex training program or Forex trading course will definitely put the odds in your favor.
Before spending any amount of money on any Forex trading course or Forex training program there are some important aspects you need to take in consideration. There are many training programs available, but not every one of them suits the needs of every trader.
The first thing you should be looking in a Forex training program is the content of the material. Unfortunately, most courses or training programs focus or spend most of the time on basic concepts. Though these basic concepts are important, spending most of the course on them won't help the trader to make consistent results.
The following subjects are what I consider the most important aspects of trading and every training program or trading course should address:
Forex trading basics.
Review basic concepts such as: margin, type of orders, a little background, bid/ask, rollover, etc. You need to make sure you understand every single concept to perfection.
Main drawbacks of Forex traders.
Being aware of the common mistakes made by Forex traders and knowing how to handle them will prevent new traders from making those mistakes.
Technical and fundamental analysis.
These are the two main approaches adopted by Forex traders. Knowing how to properly apply each concept will definitely put the odds in your favor.
The three pillars of Forex trading. I consider that these three subjects have the most impact on every trader trading account.
Forex trading system development.
Having the right system is a must if you want to have consistent profitable results. Having a system that doesn't fit you will cause a series of problems that will make your trading account vanish away (second guessing the system, not following your system, etc.)
Money management.
This is considered by many successful traders to be the most important single aspect of trading. Money management helps to increase your profits geometrically and at the same time limit your losses (i.e. a good risk reward ratio of about 2:1 will make you money in a Forex trading system that is right only 38% of the time.)
Trading psychology.
Being aware and knowing hot to handle the psychological barriers that affect every trader decision will put the odds in your favor.
Other important aspects every training program should include are:
Developing habits for success (such as discipline patience, taking responsibility of every action, commitment, etc.,) understanding and taking our trading as a business, risk and trade management.
Another important aspect you should take into consideration when choosing a Forex training program is the mechanics of it, getting to know how the training program works.
A good course will have the following:
A live conference room, where you can apply everything learned under live market conditions.
One-on-one feedback, every trader has different needs and requires special attention. For instance a trader wanting to improve the system and requires individual feedback from the instructor about it.
Online trading course, a course that could be accessible through internet. A plus is a course where you are able to access the course at the convenient time for you, so you don't have to change your lifestyle.
A forum, where members can talk just about everything related to the Forex market and the Forex training program.
Trading the Forex market is no easy task. It requires a lot of hard work. Making the right decision will definitely put the odds in your favor. Take your time when doing your diligence because it is a big and important step in a trader's trading career.
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Trading In The Forex Requires Some Caution

Whether it is in the millions or thousands, trading in the Forex is a bit risky. There are a lot of players involved and if you don't arm yourself properly with knowledge about the Forex you may just get swamped.
The Forex is the largest most vibrant market in the whole wide world. The financial world has never had a market that involves so much transaction. Over a trillion dollars worth of different currencies exchange hands everyday. Some losing in the trade, while some hit the jackpot and make tons of money. The Forex is characterized by its unpredictability and the liquidity because it deals with foreign currencies and each one's value influenced by their own country. That's why anyone who is greatly considering joining the Forex trade should think twice, thrice and maybe even ten times before doing so. This is not an arena for the weak and nervous.
The Forex is a very complex financial arena and only those with enough knowledge, experience and financial capability can join the foray. Managing the risk factors is a priority task for those professionals who do this everyday. They direct and manage accounts from their investors, full confidence is placed on them and their client's success is also their success. Some professional Forex brokers have placed high-value on their credibility. The more clients they have the more they earn as well. They make a profit by eating a slice of their client's profit. If they have made a name for themselves in the Forex trade, they don't need to go look for clients; the clients will look for them and invest.
There are those however who wants to manage their own portfolios. A word of caution though, educate yourself first about the trade. Learn the ropes and tricks of the game before throwing your hat in the ring. Try to gain access to many self learn and self study websites that can impart their knowledge with you. Try out the website of the federal Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), there they offer consumer reports as well as articles about applicable laws in Forex trading. Many Forex management firms maintain a website that offers free online tutorials and brochures. You may need all the educational information about the Forex that you can get your hands on.
They may not outright say it, but the best and the finest and most skilled Forex traders have learned all the secrets of the game. From trading signals technical indicators, and theories that could explain about the market behavior. When you have mastered these skills, you can have a more accurate prediction of the direction of the market resulting to lower risks and higher profits. Even when dealing with money managers they have to be knowledgeable about the trade so they can be on top of their investments. Have a constant conversation with your broker and be updated about your account.
For the self-traders, some of them are very admirable to have the courage to act as their own money managers. As with any business, success will come only after hard work and diligent research. With Forex trading you should always be on your toes for developments. A wise Forex trader knows that that learning and educating about Forex trading never ceases.
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Forex Trading Education: Things You Should Know About Forex Trading

How difficult is it to make money trading the Forex market? How much time does it take to actually be able to make a living trading the Forex market? These and other important aspects of trading are to be discussed in this article.
Trading the Forex market has many benefits over other financial markets, among the most important are: superior liquidity, 24hrs market, better execution, and others. Traders and investor see the Forex market as a new speculation or diversifying opportunity because of these benefits. Does this mean that it is easy to make money trading the Forex Market? Not at all.
Forex brokers agree that 90% of traders end up losing money, 5% of traders end up at break even and only 5% of them achieve consistent profitable results. With these statistics shown, I don't consider trading to be an easy task. But, is it harder to master any other endeavor? I don't think so, consider musicians, writers, or even other businesses, the success rates are about the same, there are a whole bunch of them who never got to the top.
Now that we know it is not easy to achieve consistent profitable results, a must question would be, Why is it that some traders succeed while others fail to trade successfully in the Forex market? There is no hard answer to this question, or a recipe to follow to achieve consistent profitable results. What we do know is that traders that reach the top think different. That's right, they don't follow the crowd, they are an independent part of the crowd.
A few things that separate the top traders from the rest are:
Education: They are very well educated in the matter; they have chosen to learn every single and important aspect of trading. The best traders know that every trade is a learning experience. They approach the Forex market with humility, otherwise the market will prove them wrong.
Forex trading system: Top traders have a Forex trading system. They have the discipline to follow it rigorously, because they know that only the trades that are signaled by their system have a greater rate of success.
Price behavior: They have incorporated price behavior into their trading systems. They know price action has the last word.
Money management: Avoiding the risk of ruin is a primary subject to the best traders. After all, you cannot succeed without funds in your trading account.
Trading psychology: They are aware of every psychological issue that affects the decisions made by traders. They have accepted the fact that every individual trade has two probable outcomes, not just the winning side.
These are, among others, the most important factors that influence the success rate of Forex traders.
We know now that it is not easy to make money trading the Forex market, but it is possible. We also discussed the most important factors that influence the rate of success of Forex traders. But, how much time does it take to have consistent profitable results? It is different from trader to trader. For some, it could take a life time, and still don't get the desired results, for some others, a few years are enough to get consistent profitable results. The answer to this question may vary, but what I want to make clear here is that trading successfully is a process, it's not something you can do in a short period of time.
Trading successfully is no easy task; it is a process and could take years to achieve the desired results. There are a few things though every trader should take in consideration that could accelerate the process: having a trading system, using money management, education, being aware of psychological issues, discipline to follow your trading system and your trading plan, and others.
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Day Trading Forex Market Behaviour

Technology advances like the internet have spawned a new craze, where anyone with a secure internet connection prepared to undertake a small amount of training can engage in trading foreign exchange on the forex market.
Just as a day trader will closely track stock price movements on the Dow Jones Industrial Average, all over the world forex traders monitor currency fluctuations in a similar fashion.
Forex traders have the aim of using the smallest amount of one currency, say the US dollar, to purchase another currency like the British Pound. If supply of the pound lessens in a busy market, it will cost more dollars to buy pounds, and the forex trader hopes to sell their pounds at a higher than their purchase price. In many respects, this type of trading behaviour is very similar to trading in stocks, where the aim of nearly all traders is to buy low and sell high.
The trading process works under a bid/ask system. In the above example, a forex trader might bid 10 dollars in return for 5.7 British pounds, and the seller of the pounds could be asking 11 dollars for the same amount of pounds. If the seller accepts the bid, the trader then hopes the pound continues to increase in price, so that when time comes to sell, they can get in excess of the 10 dollars initially paid.
As only registered traders have access to this auction process, most online speculators will trade through a bank or broking house. Such brokerages charge a commission for facilitating the trades, and forex traders should consider these transaction costs when calculating their selling offer when time comes to exit their position, as this will influence their profit margin.
The global foreign exchange market can trade in excess of a trillion dollars a day. Sheer market size means there is considerable money to be made, and lost, through miscalculation. It is neither a guaranteed, nor easy path to riches, so traders should be educated in how to play the market. Instructional packages are available, and should be carefully reviewed as they can easily range in quality and price.
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Forex Trading Tips

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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
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.
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.
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Forex Course: A Quick Forex Guide for Traders

In this Forex course we will review some steps you need to take care before you venture into your trading journey. Most traders venture into the Forex market with little or no experience in the Forex market. This results in painful experiences like loosing most of the risk capital, frustration because it seemed so easy to make money, etc.
The first thing you need to realize is that, it is not easy to make money. As every other endeavor in life, where important rewards are to come after mastering it, you need to work hard. You need to get very well educated and experienced before having the possibility to receive important rewards on it. The key on mastering the Forex market relies on commitment, patience and discipline.
Ok, you have decided you are going to trade the Forex market, you have seen several advertisings featuring how easy is to make money in the Forex market. You might think this is your opportunity to reach your financial freedom, right away, time is money, why waiting any longer if you have the opportunity to make money now. I know, I've been there, but you have a chance now, I didn't, no body told me what I am going to tell you.
We, Forex traders, make transactions based on a set of rules. These sets of rules are what we call a Trading System. Our systems tell us the exact time where we need to get in the market and out the market in order to make a profit (i.e. buy low sell high.)
Creating a system is the first big step you need to take care first. Why is this so important? Because you need to build a system that suits your personality, otherwise you are going to find hard to follow it, thus hard to profit from. A system can be based on technical indicators or what we called a mechanical system or based on experience and intuition or what we call discretionary systems. I highly recommend using and trying first a mechanical system, because discretionary systems are dangerous during the early stages of a Forex trader (can lead to indiscipline.) With experience, on later stages, you will find out which signals work better and which ones to avoid.
The next step in this Forex course is to try your system on a demo account. Most Forex brokers offer a demo account, an account with virtual money. This is an excellent choice to test your trading system as there is no money at risk. In this step you will figure out if the strategy works for you. If you feel comfortable trading it, then it is most likely to produce good results. How much time should you stay in this step? It varies, but you shouldn't go one step further until your system gets consistent profitable results over a period of time. It can take many months, but remember, you need to be patient.
You must be honest to yourself; you need to take every single signal generated by your system, not only the signals you thought were going to work, otherwise, you are going to have problems in the next two steps.
Ok, by know you had consistent profitable results on your demo account. You might think its time to go full. Nope, nope, nope. There is a big difference between trading a demo and a real account. The most important difference lies on emotions (fear, greed, anger, etc.) These are psychological barriers that affect every single decision made by traders regardless of what he/she is trading (stocks, bonds, Forex, futures, grains, etc.) These emotional factors, in my opinion, are the most determinant factor that separates profitable traders from the others.
The next step in this Forex course is specially designed to deal with emotions and to confirm the results obtained in the prior step (consistent results in a demo account.) At this step you need to trade in a real account with limited funds. Some brokers offer fractional lot trading. Meaning you are able to trade any desired amount (even cents.) The important thing here is that these emotions we've been talking about are present only when there is real money at risk. At this stage, you are going to see if you are really comfortable trading your system and if you are able to trade with such system, remember different systems produce different emotions. If you are able to produce similar results than those obtained in a demo account, then ready for the next step. If you didn't, then you might need to create another system, there is chance your system never fit you. If you created consistent profitable results on this stage, you have a chance to produce similar results in the next one, on the other hand, if you didn't produce good results in this stage, you will not be able to make on the next stage. Remember, you need to do things right, and be honest to yourself.
The last stage is trading in a real account with sufficient funds. If you are at this stage, and have passed successfully every prior stage, then you have a chance to make it, go ahead and try it, you need to be confident in yourself and in your system, your strategy have already produced consistent profitable results, there are reasons to believe you are going to make it. Very few traders fail at this stage (if passed successfully prior stages.)
Trading successfully is no easy task, it requires a lot of work, patience, discipline, and education. By completing the steps outlined in this Forex course, you have a chance to produce profitable results. I repeat it again, you need to be honest to yourself about the results obtained in every stage. Some times you might need expert guidance regarding your system development strategies.
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Forex Trading Guide- How to deal with Forex Trading ← Back to Forex Article List

Buying and selling of different currencies of the world is known as forex trading. Forex or foreign exchange market is the largest trading market in the world. Forex trading market deals with more than US$2 trillion everyday. It has become favorite option for currency traders. Foreign exchange market is extremely different from stock exchange market. Currency trading is always done in pairs like USD/EUR or USD/GBP etc. Forex trading market works 24 hours a day.
Several investors and traders are joining forex trading every day. First time investors should keep in mind that forex trading works on certain principles. They should remember that it is an investment not an income. Currency can fluctuate at any time so right time investment is the best investment in forex trading. You should have another source of income while dealing in forex trading. If you are a first time investor don't believe in demo trading because it can be dangerous in long run. After getting all information about broker's system you can start forex trading with small amounts. You should always invest that amount for which you can bear profit or loss.
Sometimes forex trading is a risky business but the trader can reduce the risk by following best trading strategy. Trader should know the right time to enter and exit the market. Forex trading is an easy and simple trading business. You can do forex trading while sitting in your home. It requires a PC with Internet connection and a bit of time. You can perform all the transactions online with a small fee and the best thing of forex trading is that you don't have to pay large amounts to professional. Forex trading market offers a large number of online options for currency trading. Before joining it you've to search for the best option to achieve your goals.
Beginners can use forex trading software programs to track and analyze market conditions. These programs will help you in finding the best investment opportunities. Forex trading software enables you to make right decisions about investments. Beginners shouldn't try to predict the forex trading markets because currency fluctuation may occur anytime. You can handle forex trading by using trading system and money management strategy.
Don't be emotional in forex trading. You should behave like a businessman that can efficiently test the market data. Testing system and best money management strategy lets you to invest your capital in the best way. While paying minor attention to the ups and downs of the forex trading market you can easily maximize your profits. You can make profitable trades by focusing on the hours when market generally makes their biggest moves.
With some research, a lot of skill and a bit of luck you can enjoy forex-trading market completely. You've to be smart at the time of making choices and taking risks. The trading process is so simple and can be done with a small amount. You don't have to wait for the opening and closing of stock market because it works for twenty-four hours. Several trading companies are providing free information online. You can search for required information before making any decisions. Some companies also offer free trail periods; you can also check it out.
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5 Things You Must Do If You Want To Attain Financial Freedom Through Forex Trading

With the amazing growth of the forex market, you are going to see an astounding amount of traders lose all their money. Unfortunately, they haven't followed the simple steps I have laid out for you. Go through these steps and give yourself the greatest opportunity to achieve your goals.
1. Have Faith In Yourself
To reach the level of elite forex trader, you must trust in yourself and your forex trading education. You must be willing to make all your trading decisions, instead of relying on someone else's thoughts or ability (or lack of). Of course, you will prepare yourself fully before every risking any money.
2. Accept Your Learning Curve
Unless you are a veteran trader, you will lose money trading the Forex market. This is a near certainty. I don't say this to talk you out of trading. In fact, quite the opposite. You will be trading against others that fall to this reality day in and day out. You, however, will not risk a dime until you have learned the skills you need to make money trading the forex.
3. Decide What Type of Trader You Are
There are many ways to trade the forex. They range from very active to very patient. You must decide which style suits you best. The best time to learn this about yourself is while you are trading a demo account. There is no need to allow your learning curve to cost you money.
4. Get Educated
Education is the shortest path to elite forex trading. Regardless of your ultimate goals, you will reach them quicker with a great forex trading education. Take some time to review different options before deciding on who to trust with your forex trading education needs. A forex seminar will help shorten your learning curve drastically.
5. Continue to Get Educated
In order to achieve and retain elite forex trading skills, you must constantly be adding to you knowledge base. Your education should never end. In fact, one of the key points to look for in an elite forex trading course is ongoing education. It's nice to have an ongoing relationship with the person/people helping you to achieve your goals.
What separates an elite forex trader from all others is their desire and ability to be independent. Many traders are willing to follow signals, systems, strategies, or anything else you may call them. By taking this approach, however, these traders are only as good as the people they follow.
An elite forex trader will lead. Their decisions will be calculated and analyzed to near perfection. They will make decisions with no hesitation, and handle the growth of their account in a predetermined, intelligent fashion. Take your trading to their level and you will never look back.
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Pakistan seeks $50bn foreign debt..

ISLAMABAD: As federal and provincial economic teams assured the international community on Sunday of their resolve to introduce wide-ranging taxation measures, including Reformed General Sales Tax (RGST) and taxes on agriculture and real estate, Interior Minister Rahman Malik made a plea for waiving the $50 billion foreign debt to help Pakistan move ahead with the war against terrorism.
On the other hand, representatives of the international community attending a two-day Pakistan Development Forum asked the government and people of Pakistan to take the lead in reconstruction and rehabilitation of flood-hit areas. Most of the foreign delegates repeatedly asked the authorities about steps they were taking to mobilise resources. Two provinces – Sindh and Punjab – informed the meeting that despite facing opposition they were moving ahead on the RGST and planned to raise substantial resources through tax on agriculture and property. Interior Minister Rahman Malik said that Pakistan was fighting terrorism as a frontline state and deserved that its $50 billion foreign debt was written off. He said that besides the challenge of terrorism the country was also engaged in reconstruction and rehabilitation of flood-hit people. He said that around 40,000 to 50,000 people crossed the Pak-Afghan border daily, but all of them were not Taliban. They also included drug smugglers and criminals and hence Pakistan wanted the Afghan government to install biometric checkpoints to stop illegal cross-border movement. He said Pakistan had been fighting terrorism for almost 30 years and had broken the back of terrorists along its western borders. The fight would go on with or without the and commercial plots in urban areas, said Sindh Chief Minister Qaim Ali Shah. Adviser to Sindh Chief Minister Kaiser Bengali said that progress had been made on the RGST and the provincial government would impose a flood tax for which a law would soon be tabled in the provincial assembly despite some opposition. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Owais Ghani said his province needed Rs107 billion over the next 18 months for reconstruction in social sector and infrastructure development. Chief Minister Amir Haider Khan Hoti said the provincial government had suspended new development projects of Rs18 billion from a development plan of Rs69 billion. Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh said that talks had just started with presentations by provincial and regional governments and the federal government would brief PDF participants on Monday on the impact of floods on national economy and ways of dealing with consequences of the devastation. 
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Australian Dollar Steady

  • Dollar Index Scores a Meaningful Bullish Breakout but European Issues, Risk Trends Still Blurred
  • Euro Traders Look for Clarity on Ireland’s Future and the Future of the European Monetary Union
  • British Pound Stifled by Disappointing Housing Data, Look for Clear Direction with CPI Data
  • Japanese Yen: Why Did a Strong 3Q GDP Reading not Promote a Yen Rally?
  • Australian Dollar Steady on Minutes that Show Concern over Inflation, OECD that Warns the Same
  • New Zealand Dollar Sees Limited reaction to Strong Retail Sales Data thanks to Trading Conditions
Dollar Index Scores a Meaningful Bullish Breakout but European Issues, Risk Trends Still Blurred
Once again, the dollar put in for a significant and progressive price development. And yet, fundamental traders should be more suspicious of the greenback’s progress now than they were last week. Looking to the trade-weighted Dollar Index, we see that the benchmark currency was able to surpass a troublesome range high at 78.35. The monthly high this move presents certainly seems the next logical progression of a reversal that was jumpstarted after a quick dip to a low for the year. However, we can see the stain of doubt underlying this move despite the meaningful progress the day’s advance would imply. The first sign of uncertainty is found from the Dollar Index itself. After such a meaningful breakout, we would expect a significant increase in momentum to accelerate gains as traders are drawn into the development; but follow through was notably restrained. Another hitch to the greenback’s boundless recovery is the variation in progress across different pairs. While EURUSD has slipped below notable support (once again, lacking momentum) and USDJPY seems to be taking meaningful steps towards a larger advance; GBPUSD, USDCHF and AUDUSD are much further away from establishing conclusive reversals. Typically, when there is a mixed performance for a currency across its most liquid pairings, the confusion prevents definitive progress. And, venturing into the fundamental side of things, the greenback’s lack of momentum is consistent with the S&P 500 having yet to break from its two-and-a-half month rising trend channel.
All these factors taken into account, it should not be immediately concluded that the dollar’s bullish run is doomed for failure. Instead, it suggests that traders are simply more concerned with tangible fundamental catalysts rather than letting rampant speculation dictate activity levels. What is needed is a definitive shift in one (or more) of the more pervasive and influential trading themes. Effectively taking up the gauntlet of top fundamental driver from stimulus speculation, risk appetite trends now hold the greatest potential for the dollar’s advancement or retracement. This is why we make the regular reference to the health of the US equity market benchmark. Should there big an underlying shift in the balance of risk/reward, the stocks and other relatively-risky assets will be unloaded and safe havens will be scooped up. And, though the greenback’s shelter appeal has diminished significantly; when capital flows turn into torrents, the market will likely defer to historical norms. What can push equities into that tempting bear trend and subsequently leverage the dollar’s appeal? European financial uncertainties are at the top of the list. A crisis situation in this economy has very clear implications for investment trends; but even a move to bailout Ireland would further the dollar’s case. Such a move would be clear step towards government-backed support. The US isn’t the only government providing support…
Speaking of stimulus, we note a growing wave of dissension against the Fed’s decision to implement the second round of quantitative easing. While much of the grumbling comes from the speculative market and emerging markets, Fed member Lacker stated that he opposed the move as being potentially ineffective and even dangerous. Don’t expect the central bank to fold to pressure anytime soon though. In other news, data seemed to offer a bullish balance. Advanced retail sales were better than expected with a 1.2 percent improvement – cut to 0.4 percent excluding gas and auto sales. For some contrast, the Empire manufacturing index dropped to a July 2009 low.
Euro Traders Look for Clarity on Ireland’s Future and the Future of the European Monetary Union
Irish officials responded to growing fear of a national financial crisis and subsequent speculation of an impending bailout by stating simply that they had not filed for aid and the government was fully funded through mid-2011. Clearly, this reiteration does not provide investors with a sense of confidence. In fact, it is adding to regional troubles according to the ECB’s Ordonez. Leaving the market in a state of uncertainty balances Ireland between the tarnished reputation of having to look for additional funds and potentially leaving its banking system open to collapse. With that in mind, Prime Minister Cowen is expected to bring the topic up at Tuesday’s meeting of European leaders. In the meantime, Portugal’s Finance Minister lamented that his country is at high risk similar troubles and the EU revised Greece’s deficit to GDP ratio up significantly.
British Pound Stifled by Disappointing Housing Data, Look for Clear Direction with CPI Data
Not to be ignored, the Rightmove released an indicator that showed a 3.2 percent drop in house prices in October – the biggest since December 2007 – and the longest turnover time on record. However, the market easily ignored the weak figure. That said, traders won’t as readily disregard Tuesday’s CPI data. Speculation of stimulus and rate hikes top’s the pound’s personal list of fundamental concerns.
Japanese Yen: Why Did a Strong 3Q GDP Reading not Promote a Yen Rally?
Expectations for Japan’s 3Q GDP numbers were tame heading into the release of the data. Yet, when the economy reportedly grew 0.9 percent in the three-month period and 3.9 percent on an annualized basis – both much better than expected – the yen showed little response. This can be partly attributed to timing; but with the Japanese Economic Minister suggesting 4Q will show the mirror performance, optimism will be muted.
Australian Dollar Steady on Minutes that Show Concern over Inflation, OECD that Warns the Same
All signs point to further gains for the Australian dollar – except for risk appetite trends. Early Monday, the OECD issued a statement warning the RBA to remain vigilant on inflation pressures and the bank’s own minutes on Tuesday supported a sustained hawkish lean. However, rate hikes later down the line will be overlooked if investors abandon carry trades to fund maintenance margin on losses in other trades.
New Zealand Dollar Sees Limited reaction to Strong Retail Sales Data thanks to Trading Conditions
The economic docket was stocked for the New Zealand dollar very early Friday morning; and yet the data has ultimately very little reaction on the currency. Data released during early in Auckland’s trading session hit at a time when few other markets are online; and doing so prior to Monday’s open exacerbates the issue. Therefore, a 1.6 percent jump in retail sales was able to rouse little activity before risk trends set in.
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