Forex Tips and Advice

As you read forex charts, remember that the two fundamental approaches for online forex trading: fundamental analysis and technical analysis.

Fundamental analysis doesn’t rely on forex charts. It scrutinizes political and economic indicators to determine trades. Charts here are deployed as used as a secondary reference.

Technical analysis on the other hand, attempts to predict price swings by analysis of historical price activity. Those who use technical analysis study the relationship between price and time.

The most actively traded pair of currencies is the Euro and the US dollar, so we will use them in our example. The dollar is on the right hand side of the chart and the Euro is on the left hand side. The currencies are expressed in relationship to each other in pairing. Forex charges will always display how much of the currency on the right hand side is necessary to buy a unit of the currency on the left side. Looking at the typical EU-USD, chart you will notice the last price displayed per given date. This number is always emphasized. The time is tabbed horizontally across the bottom of a chart and the price scale is displayed vertically along the right hand edge of the chart. The time and the price are set in all caps to help the trader remember that technical analysis rests upon the relationship between time and price.

The trader observes the price and time movement on a chart. These include bars, lines, point and figure, and Japanese candle sticks– the most favored method.  With the candlestick method there is a large, red section that is the body of the candlestick. Lines protrude from the top and bottom and they are the upper and lower wicks. When you look at all the candles on a chart it is apparent that bodies come by difference sizes. Sometimes no body exists at all.

The same is true with wicks. Candle wicks come by many difference sizes; there may be no wick at all. The length of the body and the length of the wick are determined by the price range for the candle. Longer candles will have had more price movement during the time that they were open. The top of a candle wick is the highest price for that currency while the wick’s bottom is the lowest price. A currency is bullish when the close of the candle is higher than the open. In simple terms this means that there were more buyers than there were sales during the opening time period. Sometimes the candles will not have wicks. The price opened and it dropped off until it closed.

Forex charts don’t offer bullet proof trading hints, but they can help a trader. Past trends do have their place in forex trading as most traders will admit, and using the charts to track historical trends can assist a trader in making a snap decision.

The online investor typically joins a service that provides realtime charts that updates on currency activity. Charts can be checked on a minute to minute basis. For those who primarily do their trading based on historical accuracy this can ease the burden of prediction.

Most forex traders however use a combination of fundamental and technical analysis. They may chart historical trends, but they will also pay close attention to political, cultural and economic indicators within a region.  They might use charts and other techniques to check correlation between political climate and currency fluctuations. But even the most sophisticated technical analysis software or tool has its limitations. A trader must be prepared to take risks… and invest money that is not needed for the immediate future.

Before, the forex market was limited only to long-term investors, banks and people who have greater capitals. The trading occurs via an agent or voice broker who will inform clients on what is going on. Later on, it was been replaced by a computerized automated systems. This was the early form of forex trading strategy.

The trader which is either home-based or office-based or retail investor can possibly trade on real time with different banks with an aid of a broker. The broker then uses the computerized platforms of trading. It contains traders on live desks which places the trades on the broker’s books or on real investors. However, when the trade was placed in the broker’s book, 95% of the money will be lost by the traders. So the brokers take this is an advantage on them.

Forex trading strategy comprises two major components. The first component is technical analysis. The technical area is based from the charts. It uses a mathematical formula to observe the market movements. The traders learn about announcements and news on economics which influences forex markets. Its fundamental side is helpful in proper identification of the do’s and don’ts.

Technical analysis uses chart indicators. It is helpful in determining the areas of resistance and support. The situation where the price reverses, stop or get stuck are revealed. The method that is very accurate and popular in calculations of the levels of resistance and support is the Fibonacci. Seven hundred fifty years ago, Fibonacci discovered a sequential number form. Its proportions are also found in nature such as sunflower seeds, and pineapple rinds. This method is commonly learned in mathematics during your high school days, called as Fibonacci sequence. It says about finding the next number given with a series of numbers.

If Fibonacci numbers are put adjacent to each other, the percentage ratios are obtained. It can then be plotted on the chart. However, you don’t need to become a math wizard just to do this. The charting forex software is able to do the Fibonacci sequence for you. The key areas of resistance and support are potentially revealed to you as you move along the charts. The Fibonacci sequence combined with proper indicators can show the strength and momentum of the latest market condition. It will help you create a strategy that will be most profitable to you just by basing on this mathematical rule. The rules clearly states that history can really be repeated, as what has happened before in the forex market can still happen in the future.

The second component is the fundamental analysis. Each day, there are figures being disseminated to reveal some economic circumstances of a particular country. Take for example, non-farm payrolls that can possibly bring unpredictable effect on the forex markets. The impacts will depend on the previous data and the figures implications. The most important rule for beginners even for veterans is to keep away from the market when important announcements take place.

Forex trading profits are being made almost similar to a traditional business. The procedure is very simple. You are going to buy something at a lower price then sell it at higher prices. The only difference is that in forex trading this can be reversible.

The process is very easy. A trade is being placed either in the sell or buy categories. Then the base currency will automatically buy or sell its opposite currency in pairs. The price will lively change every second. Take for instance; you purchased the GBP/USD pair. It literally means that you have purchased the pound currency and sold the dollar currency. You want a rise on the pound’s value which will later on have a higher price when you resell it in the forex market. That would make a profit on the value difference.

If the brokers allow you to have 200:1 capital leverage, then you can possibly control a lot of money than what you really have. It is because you have bought one currency and sold the other. So, your capital can stay unmoved. The only crucial part which should be considered are the proportions which can be either gained or lost whenever changes in currency pair values occurs. Other than that, the basic forex trading strategies are great.