Archive for February, 2012
Forex Broker Commissions
Most forex brokers do not charge commissions. GFT Forex Brokers, like other forex brokers, are compensated by revenues from their activities as currency dealers, including proceeds from buying, selling, converting and holding currencies, interest on deposited funds, and rollover fees.
Many may wonder how brokers work without commissions. The forex dealer is like a middleman. Let’s consider the case of a bread middleman. He buys bread at a “wholesale” price and he sells it at a “retail” price. So if one is a baker, he can ask the middleman how much he would buy his bread for. Let’s say the middleman quotes $1, so he’s willing to pay $1 per loaf.
On the other side of the equation, let’s say you just finished his last slice of bread, and you needs a new loaf. So you call up the local middleman, and ask him how much he’s willing to sell you (a customer) a loaf of bread for. And he quotes the baker $1.25. That sounds reasonable, so you tell him to drop one off for you.
In this example, the bread middleman didn’t charge you a commission to either the baker or you, the customer. Instead he bought at one price and sold at another. He will let you buy from him at $1.25, and let you sell to him at $1. So every time the baker has bread to sell, he checks the middleman’s sell price. And when you want to buy a loaf of bread, you check the buy price.In trading, this is known as the “bid” and “ask”. The bid is the price you can sell at, and the ask is the price you can buy at.
Considering forex broker commissions, the forex dealer will let the trader buy from him at 1.1971 and will let the trader sell to him at 1.1967. The difference 0.0004 is known as the spread. And this spread is where the forex “middleman” makes his money.
If the trader were to buy at 1.1971, then the instant the trader buys, he is “down” 0.0004, because if the trader wanted out of the trade, the best price he could sell it for is 1.1967. So as the forex dealer takes varying trades from people, each buying or selling, he can make money from this price gap. Each minimum increment, 0.0001 is referred to as a “pip”. So the spread in this example is 4 pips. In terms of dollars, for a forex contract of $100,000, this transaction would cost you $40 ($100,000 x 0.0004) or 4 pips. So the trader will find that some companies will advertise a spread of 3 pips on some currencies, usually ranging up to five on others. In forex trading, the tighter the spread is, the better.
Forex Exchange Rate – How Does It Get Calculated?
In the Forex market the value of two separate currencies and how they relate to one another is what is known as the Forex exchange rate. Usually the Forex rate is how much of one currency is needed to buy a unit of another. Knowing the basics regarding the Forex exchange can help you get started in understanding it even better.
Just to give you an example of how the Foreign exchange rate can work and to help you better understands it we can compare the United States dollar with the Japanese yen. Let’s say that on a certain day the US dollar is able to buy one hundred and ten Japanese yens, this would indicate that the exchange rate for that day is 1:110 or a one to one hundred and ten ratio. This ratio in the exchange rate is also known as pairing. When you take it vice versa you can use it to indicate how many US dollars a single unit of Japanese yen can buy. Another term that is used in the Foreign exchange rate is ‘cross rates’. This term however is only used when it does not involve US dollars; it is only used when relating two foreign currencies.
A few other terms used in the Forex exchange are pips or basis points, which are actually two terms used for the same thing. These terms are used to indicate Forex rates that are calculated up to four decimal points and whether or not these are negative or positive movements. An example of this would be if you were to exchange euros with yen at a value of 135.1030, but then the euro rate goes up to 135.1035, it is called a five-pip improvement.
In using the Forex exchange rate you are required to use two currencies and this means they are quoted as ‘two tier’ rates. Also in the Forex market its price basis is called a bid/ask. Using the previous ratio between the yen and the US dollar in the Forex market, if this trade is made it is called a ten pip ‘spread’ and is secured. This term means it indicates the difference between the buying and actual selling price. A lot of things can change the spread and affect it. These things include market conditions and traders’ instincts about the strength of certain currencies, which can fluctuate greatly from day to day. One thing you should remember however when it comes to the Forex is that only Forex traders who are licensed can access official quoted rates. This means therefore that smaller investors may not receive their currency at a very good rate, because they usually receive them from commercial banks.
One last thing concerning the Forex exchange rate is that it is independently determined. This is why it thrives so well, because solely buyers and sellers and their supply and demand of certain currencies determine it. In the end individual governments and banks cannot decide the values.
With the benefits and knowledge of how the Forex exchange works you can decide if entering the Forex market is the right move for you. But with all the advantages of Forex, why wouldn’t you want to?
Forex Trading News – How To Use it Correctly For
Forex Trading News – How To Use it Correctly For Profit
Today, forex trading news is more plentiful than ever. There are numerous sources to choose from and there all delivered at the click of a mouse, so you can get breaking news whenever you wish.
Here we will look at how to use Forex trading news and mistakes to avoid.
First let’s start with a rather startling fact:
100 years ago 90% of traders lost and today the ratio still remains the same.
This is despite better more frequent Forex news, better computers, more powerful software and more information than ever on the markets.
The fact is knowing the news won’t help you win – in fact, it generally helps traders lose! There are 3 main reasons for this:
News is discounted in a split second.
In today’s world of instant communications news is discounted immediately, so by the time you have seen it and had a chance to act upon it, the moment has gone and the market is looking toward the future.
News is Stories
Those analysts are so convincing with their arguments! Their normally great at explaining what has happened – but you can’t trade off what they say, as they have no idea what will happen – there simply stories and opinions.
Will Rodgers once said.
“I only believe what I Read in the papers”
Now he was joking, but its surprising how many traders take what they hear on the news as a recommendation to trade.
News Gets Your Emotions Involved
Humans don’t like to stand alone and the news reflects what the majority want to hear but that is completely different from what you have to do, to trade to win.
The bulk of traders lose and the bulk listen to the news, so if you avoid it, you can step aside and not let your emotions get involved.
If you do this, you can trade in a disciplined fashion and join the elite minority of winners.
If you use forex charts and simply follow price action, you are far more likely to be successful than you would be by following news stories.
WHERE THE NEWS CAN HELP YOU!
There is one great way to use the news:
If you see a very bullish or bearish market and the news supports the prevailing view but the market does not react the way it should – then its time to look for a contrary trade and time your entry points via your forex charts.
It’s a fact that:
Bullish markets collapse when the fundamentals are most bullish and bearish markets rally when the news is at its most bearish.
If you can look for these turning points on your charts and find the news suddenly stops pushing the market the way it should, a contrary trade is developing and a big profitable trade is shaping up.
Finally
The way to use forex news outlined above, is a very powerful profit tool but completely different to the way most forex traders use it!
Forex Funnel Scam?
Is Forex Funnel a Scam? Does Forex Funnel work? These are the questions being asked by many Forex traders. The Forex Funnel is a relatively new product in the market which is why there is some speculation of its performance. With many automated Forex systems in the market, it can be difficult to find a reliable and profitable system.
So, is the Forex Funnel a scam? Definitely not! The software is developed with proven algorithmic logic and mathematics. The system provides the right estimation an assessment of your stop losses and trade profits. As complex as it may sound, the software has been designed in such a simple manner that most computer illiterate individuals can use the system to profit from it.
The Forex Funnel is designed to only trade in USD/JPY currencies. The system utilizes all of its resources into this specific currency pair. As a result, the Forex Funnel is able to minimize trading risk to a negligible level. It is because of this exact reason, traders that purchased this system experience profitable results.
There are three things about this system that make it the Forex robot of choice by most currency traders. First of all, there is a 60 day money back guarantee. This shows that the vendor has confidence in their product, and as consumers we have nothing to loose. Secondly, The Forex Funnel comes with an exclusive bonus product called The Goldminer, which is a precision custom indicator. It essentially pinpoints exact entry points for your trades with incredible accuracy. Finally, for a limited time, you receive a $100 credit on your trading account with the purchase of this system-making the Forex Funnel practically a giveaway.
Forex Cash Siphon Review
The Forex Cash Siphon package comes with a set of mechanical currency trading systems that are based on detailed, step by step instructional blueprints and video tutorials. Today, there are more and more people who are looking for a way to trade and earn money from home.
1. Is Forex Cash Siphon Just Another Scam?
Because of that, there are also more and more training courses and systems being created by traders all over the world. However, you need to be aware that not all of these systems work to make money, with some losing me much more money than I have ever earned with them. This trading course will be able to benefit regardless of whether you are an experienced or novice trader without any prior experience.
2. What Are Some of the Skills That I Have Learned From Forex Cash Siphon?
This course is delivered with high quality tutorial videos that clearly explain in depth each trading technique and makes each system as simple to understand as possible. Every trading technique is created by Tim Donovan, a highly experienced Forex trader who has developed many trading systems during his years of professional trading.
By reading about his strategies, it is also entirely possible for you to come up with your own customized system that can make you more money and trading in your own time schedule.
3. Will The Forex Cash Siphon Guide Work For You?
This course has already helped me and many other traders all over the world during only its beta testing period. Many thousands of traders are making a full time income at home trading the FX markets, but always remember to fully research the course and system that you are about to follow before using real money with it. If you are in doubt, you should always test out the strategies with a demo account first before putting it to use in a live account.
Forex Swing Trading with Elliott Wave
When evaluating the forex market for swing trade opportunities the focus is placed on predicting directional changes or continuations for a given currency pair. For this we rely on technical analysis.
In technical analysis, just as in fundamental analysis, there are lagging indicators and leading indicators. One of the most reliable tools used to predict forex market swings is Elliott Wave analysis. Elliott Wave analysis can be used to identify trends and countertrends, trend continuation or exhaustion and to evaluate the potential price targets of a trend.
You can apply Elliott Wave analysis to both long and short position swing trade set ups for your currency pairs.
Elliott Wave theory is named after Ralph Nelson Elliott, who concluded that the markets moved in a repetitive pattern of waves. He attributed this action to the mass psychology of the market.
Elliott concluded that the market’s movement was a direct result of the mass psychology of the time and that the stock market is a fractal. A fractal is an object that is similar in shape, but at different scales. A great example of a fractal in nature is a stalk of broccoli. The stalk and the individual branches look exactly the same; just the branches are smaller in scale.
Fractals just happen to form in accordance with Fibonacci ratios. Is this a coincidence?
Elliott attributes this mass psychological move to the human trait of herding. Even though Elliott’s theories were based on stock market price movements, it has been applied to evaluating Presidential approval ratings and fashion trends changes as well.
The conclusion, the market price actions are not the cause of economic growth or slow down, but the reflection of the mass psychology of investors. If the mood of the investing public is upbeat then a bull market ensues. This is counter to what most individual perceive, that because there is a bull market the mood of the investing public is upbeat.
Elliott Wave patterns follow a sequence that the markets move up in a series of 3 waves and down in a series of 2 waves. This 3 wave impulse and 2 wave corrective sequence form the foundation of the 5 Wave impulse pattern (the opposite is true in a downtrend).
The Elliott Wave Counts are as follows;
Wave 1 – Short Covering
Wave 2 – Pullback from Short Covering
Wave 3 – Major Rally Phase
Wave 4 – Institution Pause in the Rally
Wave 5 – Retail Buying
Wave 1 is usually the weakest of the impulse waves. It is a brief rally based on short covering of the bears from a previous move down. When Wave 1 is complete, the currency pair sells off, creating Wave 2.
Wave 2 ends when the market fails to make new lows. You often see dominant reversals patterns form at the end of this wave signaling the being of the rally phase or Wave 3.
Wave 3 is the longest and strongest of the impulse waves. This signals strong currency buying or selling in the direction of the trend. This trend usually starts of slowly, but tends to accelerate as it breaks to new highs above the top of Wave 1.
Like any trend, especially a strong trend a correction will occur. Traders will begin to take profits and the currency pair will retrace. This signals the beginning of Wave 4.
Again the currency pair will rally ushering in the Wave 5 rally. Wave 5 is typically supported by the retail traders and not institutional buyers (the herd) and tends to lack the momentum generated in the Wave 3 rally. This creates divergence that can be easily measured on any technical oscillator. After the currency pair breaks to new highs above the previous Wave 3 high, the rally loses steam and changes trend.
This trend change can result in either a new 5 Wave impulse pattern or a corrective in nature.
Now that we know what the Elliott Wave analysis is, how would a currency trade using this analysis look like, just as an example?
Look to Wave 5 as the most reliably tradable impulse wave. The trade sets up as follows. Look for the Elliott Oscillator to pull back between 90% and 140% of the Wave 3 high on a daily chart. This pullback should correspond to a 38%-62% Fibonacci retracement from the Wave 2 extension. This signal is the strongest when the Fibonacci retracement is between 38% – 50%.
Like any technical analysis tool you never want to employ an indicator as a stand alone analysis tool. A trigger and a confirming indicator are required as well.
Look for a trigger in candle patterns, such as Harami, Tweezers or Harami cross. There are a variety of software packages on the market that perform Elliott Wave counts and have other entry signal indicators as well.
Draw a regression channel on the Wave 4 retracement and look for a break above or below the channel as confirmation to enter the trade.
Place stops at the high of the Wave 1 advance, just below the 38% Fibonacci retracement level or where your individual trading plan dictates. Trail your stops once the currency pair has advanced past the Wave 3 high. Look for reversal candle patterns like doji, hammers, shooting stars or hanging mans for signals that the wave is about to end or stall. A typical price target is 127% retracement of the Wave 4 low.
This is just a glimpse of how Elliott Wave analysis can be deployed to enhance your forex swing trade evaluations. Look more into the Elliott Wave theory and other strategies as tools for increasing your forex swing trade opportunities.
Forex Trading Insider Reveals Billion Dollar Banking Secrets
Now you can wield the enormous power of the world’s banking elite and pull-down risk free Forex cash. “Devious Ex Banker Finally Reveals Top Secret System That shook World Forex Trading Markets & Netted $1.2 Million Overnight!”
Are you looking for making big money in Forex trading? Recently I discovered the secrets on how anyone can get the Forex trading system that the banking elite use to command billions daily – and I want to share this discovery with you! The untold secrets of how you can do it too will blow you away!
o You can set your own hours and work from home (or anywhere else). Let an ex-banker show you how he traded $1.2 million working from home and gave the finger to the daily commute.
o You can eliminate guesswork and know what to trade and when (with guidance from a Forex pro there’s no room for error).
o You don’t need to have a website, any special training or previous experience – start pumping stacks of cash into your bank account immediately.
For the first time ever – you can get the low down from an ex-bank trader revealing his coveted million-dollar system. Hot trading tips from a notorious “tell-all”.
If you’re trading Forex randomly and without a plan, playing on hunches and “instinct,” then you may as well just dump your money into the slot machines in Las Vegas and hope for that 1-in-a-million big payoff. Or you can follow a proven system of money-making rules. Stick to it. Why be a gambler – you can be a winner.
But here’s the bad news – in order to keep the exclusivity of this offer he’s had to be tough on you. He can only allow a few into his inner circle. It’s better for him and it’s vital for you that as few people know about this as possible – and I don’t just mean the actual system but the fact he’s giving away this system for so little. If you’re reading this article then you maybe just in time. I would urge you to grab the opportunity now before this unbelievable offer is taken down. Or before this ex-banker is silenced forever.
Is it time to finally write your own ticket and live your life to the hilt? For the first time ever – you can get to use the genuine, trillion dollar Forex trading systems of the world banking elite. You can charge into markets with incredible power and take on the top dogs with ease. No other Forex Trading system shows you how to do this!
Forex Options Market Overview
The forex options market started as an over-the-counter (OTC) financial vehicle for large banks, financial institutions and large international corporations to hedge against foreign currency exposure. Like the forex spot market, the forex options market is considered an “interbank” market. However, with the plethora of real-time financial data and forex option trading software available to most investors through the internet, today’s forex option market now includes an increasingly large number of individuals and corporations who are speculating and/or hedging foreign currency exposure via telephone or online forex trading platforms.
Forex option trading has emerged as an alternative investment vehicle for many traders and investors. As an investment tool, forex option trading provides both large and small investors with greater flexibility when determining the appropriate forex trading and hedging strategies to implement.
Most forex options trading is conducted via telephone as there are only a few forex brokers offering online forex option trading platforms.
Forex Option Defined – A forex option is a financial currency contract giving the forex option buyer the right, but not the obligation, to purchase or sell a specific forex spot contract (the underlying) at a specific price (the strike price) on or before a specific date (the expiration date). The amount the forex option buyer pays to the forex option seller for the forex option contract rights is called the forex option “premium.”
The Forex Option Buyer – The buyer, or holder, of a foreign currency option has the choice to either sell the foreign currency option contract prior to expiration, or he or she can choose to hold the foreign currency options contract until expiration and exercise his or her right to take a position in the underlying spot foreign currency. The act of exercising the foreign currency option and taking the subsequent underlying position in the foreign currency spot market is known as “assignment” or being “assigned” a spot position.
The only initial financial obligation of the foreign currency option buyer is to pay the premium to the seller up front when the foreign currency option is initially purchased. Once the premium is paid, the foreign currency option holder has no other financial obligation (no margin is required) until the foreign currency option is either offset or expires.
On the expiration date, the call buyer can exercise his or her right to buy the underlying foreign currency spot position at the foreign currency option’s strike price, and a put holder can exercise his or her right to sell the underlying foreign currency spot position at the foreign currency option’s strike price. Most foreign currency options are not exercised by the buyer, but instead are offset in the market before expiration.
Foreign currency options expires worthless if, at the time the foreign currency option expires, the strike price is “out-of-the-money.” In simplest terms, a foreign currency option is “out-of-the-money” if the underlying foreign currency spot price is lower than a foreign currency call option’s strike price, or the underlying foreign currency spot price is higher than a put option’s strike price. Once a foreign currency option has expired worthless, the foreign currency option contract itself expires and neither the buyer nor the seller have any further obligation to the other party.
The Forex Option Seller – The foreign currency option seller may also be called the “writer” or “grantor” of a foreign currency option contract. The seller of a foreign currency option is contractually obligated to take the opposite underlying foreign currency spot position if the buyer exercises his right. In return for the premium paid by the buyer, the seller assumes the risk of taking a possible adverse position at a later point in time in the foreign currency spot market.
Initially, the foreign currency option seller collects the premium paid by the foreign currency option buyer (the buyer’s funds will immediately be transferred into the seller’s foreign currency trading account). The foreign currency option seller must have the funds in his or her account to cover the initial margin requirement. If the markets move in a favorable direction for the seller, the seller will not have to post any more funds for his foreign currency options other than the initial margin requirement. However, if the markets move in an unfavorable direction for the foreign currency options seller, the seller may have to post additional funds to his or her foreign currency trading account to keep the balance in the foreign currency trading account above the maintenance margin requirement.
Just like the buyer, the foreign currency option seller has the choice to either offset (buy back) the foreign currency option contract in the options market prior to expiration, or the seller can choose to hold the foreign currency option contract until expiration. If the foreign currency options seller holds the contract until expiration, one of two scenarios will occur: (1) the seller will take the opposite underlying foreign currency spot position if the buyer exercises the option or (2) the seller will simply let the foreign currency option expire worthless (keeping the entire premium) if the strike price is out-of-the-money.
Please note that “puts” and “calls” are separate foreign currency options contracts and are NOT the opposite side of the same transaction. For every put buyer there is a put seller, and for every call buyer there is a call seller. The foreign currency options buyer pays a premium to the foreign currency options seller in every option transaction.
Forex Call Option – A foreign exchange call option gives the foreign exchange options buyer the right, but not the obligation, to purchase a specific foreign exchange spot contract (the underlying) at a specific price (the strike price) on or before a specific date (the expiration date). The amount the foreign exchange option buyer pays to the foreign exchange option seller for the foreign exchange option contract rights is called the option “premium.”
Please note that “puts” and “calls” are separate foreign exchange options contracts and are NOT the opposite side of the same transaction. For every foreign exchange put buyer there is a foreign exchange put seller, and for every foreign exchange call buyer there is a foreign exchange call seller. The foreign exchange options buyer pays a premium to the foreign exchange options seller in every option transaction.
The Forex Put Option – A foreign exchange put option gives the foreign exchange options buyer the right, but not the obligation, to sell a specific foreign exchange spot contract (the underlying) at a specific price (the strike price) on or before a specific date (the expiration date). The amount the foreign exchange option buyer pays to the foreign exchange option seller for the foreign exchange option contract rights is called the option “premium.”
Please note that “puts” and “calls” are separate foreign exchange options contracts and are NOT the opposite side of the same transaction. For every foreign exchange put buyer there is a foreign exchange put seller, and for every foreign exchange call buyer there is a foreign exchange call seller. The foreign exchange options buyer pays a premium to the foreign exchange options seller in every option transaction.
Plain Vanilla Forex Options – Plain vanilla options generally refer to standard put and call option contracts traded through an exchange (however, in the case of forex option trading, plain vanilla options would refer to the standard, generic forex option contracts that are traded through an over-the-counter (OTC) forex options dealer or clearinghouse). In simplest terms, vanilla forex options would be defined as the buying or selling of a standard forex call option contract or a forex put option contract.
Exotic Forex Options – To understand what makes an exotic forex option “exotic,” you must first understand what makes a forex option “non-vanilla.” Plain vanilla forex options have a definitive expiration structure, payout structure and payout amount. Exotic forex option contracts may have a change in one or all of the above features of a vanilla forex option. It is important to note that exotic options, since they are often tailored to a specific’s investor’s needs by an exotic forex options broker, are generally not very liquid, if at all.
Intrinsic & Extrinsic Value – The price of an FX option is calculated into two separate parts, the intrinsic value and the extrinsic (time) value.
The intrinsic value of an FX option is defined as the difference between the strike price and the underlying FX spot contract rate (American Style Options) or the FX forward rate (European Style Options). The intrinsic value represents the actual value of the FX option if exercised. Please note that the intrinsic value must be zero (0) or above – if an FX option has no intrinsic value, then the FX option is simply referred to as having no (or zero) intrinsic value (the intrinsic value is never represented as a negative number). An FX option with no intrinsic value is considered “out-of-the-money,” an FX option having intrinsic value is considered “in-the-money,” and an FX option with a strike price at, or very close to, the underlying FX spot rate is considered “at-the-money.”
The extrinsic value of an FX option is commonly referred to as the “time” value and is defined as the value of an FX option beyond the intrinsic value. A number of factors contribute to the calculation of the extrinsic value including, but not limited to, the volatility of the two spot currencies involved, the time left until expiration, the riskless interest rate of both currencies, the spot price of both currencies and the strike price of the FX option. It is important to note that the extrinsic value of FX options erodes as its expiration nears. An FX option with 60 days left to expiration will be worth more than the same FX option that has only 30 days left to expiration. Because there is more time for the underlying FX spot price to possibly move in a favorable direction, FX options sellers demand (and FX options buyers are willing to pay) a larger premium for the extra amount of time.
Volatility – Volatility is considered the most important factor when pricing forex options and it measures movements in the price of the underlying. High volatility increases the probability that the forex option could expire in-the-money and increases the risk to the forex option seller who, in turn, can demand a larger premium. An increase in volatility causes an increase in the price of both call and put options.
Delta – The delta of a forex option is defined as the change in price of a forex option relative to a change in the underlying forex spot rate. A change in a forex option’s delta can be influenced by a change in the underlying forex spot rate, a change in volatility, a change in the riskless interest rate of the underlying spot currencies or simply by the passage of time (nearing of the expiration date).
The delta must always be calculated in a range of zero to one (0-1.0). Generally, the delta of a deep out-of-the-money forex option will be closer to zero, the delta of an at-the-money forex option will be near .5 (the probability of exercise is near 50%) and the delta of deep in-the-money forex options will be closer to 1.0. In simplest terms, the closer a forex option’s strike price is relative to the underlying spot forex rate, the higher the delta because it is more sensitive to a change in the underlying rate.
Slumdog Forex Review
Slumdog Forex is a forex trading system from Maurice Perry, who has been trading forex for over four years. The crux of his system is that instead of trying to achieve risky, large-percentage gains, forex traders should focus on making consistent, small-percentage gains. This is much easier to do, and with this system, it’s also more predictable. The remainder of this article will cover my Slumdog Forex review, which is based on my actual experience with the product. Unlike reviewers of many products in the forex market and elsewhere, I actually own and use the product that I’m reviewing.
I’ve always shied away from forex trading because of everything I’d read about it, including horror stories of people losing tons of money in a matter of seconds. I had also heard that there are a lot of greedy brokers who shave customers’ earnings and create large buy/sell gaps. What really concerned me the most, though, was hearing that some brokerage houses will deliberately cause their servers to go down when big news releases hit the market (the time when the highest number of trades are in progress). This is a potential problem with forex trading, but with the Slumdog Forex system, it shouldn’t be an issue for you because of the criteria that must be met before you do the trade. Unfortunately, I cannot give specific details about that because I’d be violating the author’s copyright terms. Anyway, all I can say is that I was pleasantly surprised to find a solution to this rampant problem within the Slumdog Forex course. It’s a deceptively simple solution, too, and you may kick yourself for not thinking of it.
Onward with the Slumdog Forex review, shall we? The important thing to understand about this forex trading system is that it relies upon the idea of compound interest. You may have heard of it before, and in fact, Albert Einstein is often credited with saying something to the effect of, “The most powerful force in the universe is compound interest.” According to a Snopes.com article, it’s questionable whether Einstein actually said that about compound interest, but regardless of who said it, the bottom line is that this concept is very powerful, and it can be applied to forex trading.
The way you apply it to forex trading in the Slumdog Forex system is to start with a small investment of, let’s say, $100. You’ll then trade with that amount and aim to get a small percentage gain each day. Gains of 1% to 5% or above are perfectly achievable. Each trading day, you trade with the total amount in your trading account and hopefully get a small gain. Over time, you can turn that initial $100 into several tens of thousands of dollars, and even millions of dollars. That’s what really got me interested in trying the Slumdog Forex system because I’m a risk-averse person, especially in today’s economic climate, and I have a wife and three kids to provide for. I’m attracted to systems where one can realize slow and steady growth with very little risk. I’ve been trading with a demo account (i.e., the money isn’t real) for almost a month now, and I’m actually seeing the consistent, small percentage gains as advertised by the course’s author. I have also signed up to receive videos of live trades conducted by the author so that I can see exactly what he does and when he does it. (Although forex trading can be done 24 hours a day — unlike stock trading — you’ll find that certain times of the day are the best times to trade forex.)
In short, I’m pleased with my experience thus far with this trading system, and I hope that my Slumdog Forex review at least gives you some insight as to what to expect from this course and whether or not it would be a good fit for you. I should point out, though, that you need to commit to trading five days a week if you really want to see the numbers that the author says are possible. For example, he says that you can turn $100 into $160,000 or more within 12-16 months, but that figure is based on trading five days a week and getting at least 3% daily gains.
Is Forex Too Good To Be True?
The foreign exchange market accounts for about 1.8 trillion dollars in trading a day. Only individual investors do a very small part of this. Banks, Corporations and Governments do most of the trading. The retail Forex market, a market aimed at the individual investor, has only been around since the mid 1990s. This article will look at the retail forex market, as well as describe the risks that individual investors may face in the forex market.
Forex currencies are traded in pairs; one currency is contrasted with another. For example, the British pound and the American dollar. The stronger currency at the time goes first in the listing scheme. In this case it would listed as GBP/USD. When you invest in this particular pair, you would be anticipating that either the British pound would become stronger than the U.S. dollar and go up, or the alternative; that the GBP would become weaker than the USD and go down.
Risk and your particular risk tolerance are both factors to consider when deciding to enter the forex market. The risk in forex arises from two sources. The first is that as in any other market, no one knows what will happen in the future.
The two major approaches to predicting the possible moves of the forex market are Fundamental and Technical analysis. Fundamental analysis is based on issues like the state of a country’s economy, it’s government fiscal policy and it’s political stability. Technical analysis is based on past movement of the market and the likely hood of those movements repeating themselves.
The second source of risk in the forex market is the availability of leverage to a degree that is not seen in any other markets. Although leverage of 1:100 or 1:200 is normal, there are brokers offering 1:400 leverage. With this kind of leverage, sizable profits are possible if you predict the market’s movements correctly and large losses if you’re wrong.
What your broker will likely do is to allow you to risk only part of your account. Stops will be placed in the opposing direction to the direction that you expect the currency to go in, at the point where your account will cover the losses if the market goes the other way. This way if you’re wrong, your gamble will be covered by your account. Of course it will probably use up your entire account.
Some people might advise taking positions going in both directions, however this undermines the idea of trying to learn to predict the likely moves of the market. Furthermore, if the forex market swings up and then down, one position may not necessarily cancel out the other. Your account may be wiped out anyway. Generally speaking, the more positions you take, the greater the risk.
So how do you manage risk in forex trading? Some advisors suggest setting stops in the opposite direction that you’re betting the market will go in. These stops will hopefully close out your trade before the market wipes out your entire account. Stops can also be used to capture and hold profits if the market is going up and down again, assuming that you’ve chosen up as your prediction. Other advisors add the caution that placing stops too close can limit profits when the market does go strongly in the direction you want it to go in.
Another way of managing risk is to risk money that you can afford to lose. If you’re using your rent money, then don’t invest in forex. Yet another useful concept is money management. Money management is based on the idea that you will lose sometimes and if you control the amount that you invest in each position, you will be able to weather the storm of losses. To make money management work, both fear and greed need to be kept in check.
For the individual whose temperament will allow them to tolerate ups and downs in the market, forex may be a worthwhile opportunity. Just remember to manage your risk and your money. That way, you’ll be around to trade long after others have walked away.