Forex Trading Tutorial

There are 2 basic types of analysis you can take when approaching the forex:

1. Fundamental analysis
2. Technical analysis.

There has always been a constant debate as to which analysis is better, but to tell you the truth, you need to know a little bit of both. So let’s break each one down and then come back and put them together.

Fundamental Analysis

Fundamental analysis is a way of looking at the market through economic, social and political forces that affect supply and demand. (Yada yada yada.)  In other words, you look at whose economy is doing well, and whose economy sucks.  The idea behind this type of analysis is that if a country’s economy is doing well, their currency will also be doing well.  This is because the better a country’s economy, the more trust other countries have in that currency.

For example, the U.S. dollar has been gaining strength because the U.S. economy is gaining strength. As the economy gets better, interest rates get higher to control inflation and as a result, the value of the dollar continues to increase.  In a nutshell, that is basically what fundamental analysis is.

Later on in the course you will learn which specific news events drive currency prices the most.  For now, just know that the fundamental analysis of the Forex is a way of analyzing a currency through the strength of that country’s economy.

Technical Analysis

Technical analysis is the study of price movement.  In one word, technical analysis = charts.  The idea is that a person can look at historical price movements, and, based on the price action, can determine at some level where the price will go.  By looking at charts, you can identify trends and patterns which can help you find good trading opportunities.

The most IMPORTANT thing you will ever learn in technical analysis is the trend!  Many, many, many, many, many, many people have a saying that goes, “The trend is your friend”.  The reason for this is that you are much more likely to make money when you can find a trend and trade in the same direction.  Technical analysis can help you identify these trends in its earliest stages and therefore provide you with very profitable trading opportunities.

So which type of analysis is better?

Ahh, the million dollar question. Throughout your journey as an aspiring Forex trader you will find strong advocates for both fundamental and technical trading. You will have those who argue that it is the fundamentals alone that drive the market and that any patterns found on a chart are simply coincidence. On the other hand, there will be those who argue that it is the technicals that traders pay attention to and because traders pay attention to it, common market patterns can be found to help predict future price movements.

Do not be fooled by these one sided extremists! One is not better than the other…

In order to become a true Forex master you will need to know how to effectively use both types of analysis. Don’t believe me? Let me give you an example of how focusing on only one type of analysis can turn into a disaster.

I hope you enjoy this Forex tutorial, if you are interested in more information and FREE forex trading tutorial, and FREE systems, reports that I some time give out as a gift, fill your email in the form below, and I’ll keep you updated with the FREE reports, systems when they are available.

Courtesy of Baby Pips

The Forex market is one of the most popular markets for speculation, due to its enormous size, liquidity and tendency for currencies to move in strong trends. You would think traders all over the world would make a killing, but success has been limited to very small percentage of traders.

Many traders come with the misguided hope of making a gazillion bucks, but in reality, lack the discipline required for trading. Most people usually lack the discipline to stick to a diet or to go to the gym three times a week. If you can’t even do that, how do you think you’re going to succeed trading?

Short term trading IS NOT for amateurs, and it is rarely the path to “get rich quick”. You can’t make gigantic profits without taking gigantic risks. A trading strategy that involves taking a massive degree of risk means suffering inconsistent trading performance and often suffering large loss. A trader who does this probably doesn’t even have a trading strategy – unless you call gambling a trading strategy!

Forex Trading is not a Get-Rich-Quick Scheme!

Forex trading is a SKILL that takes TIME to learn.

Skilled traders can and do make money in this field. However, like any other occupation or career, success doesn’t just happen overnight.

Forex trading isn’t a piece of cake (as some people would like you to believe). Think about it, if it was, everyone trading would already be millionaires. The truth is that even expert traders with years of experience still encounter periodic losses.

Drill this in your head: there are NO shortcuts to Forex trading. It takes lots and lots of TIME to master.

There is no substitute for hard work and diligence. Practice trading on a DEMO ACCOUNT and pretend the virtual money is your own real money.

Do NOT open a live trading account until you are trading PROFITABLY on a demo account.

If you can’t wait until you’re profitable on a demo account, at least demo trade for 2 months. Hey, at least you were able to hold off losing all your money for two months right? If you can’t hold out for 2 months, cut your hands off.

Concentrate on ONE major currency pair.

It gets far too complicated to keep tabs on more than one currency pair when you first start trading.  Stick with one of the majors because they are the most liquid which makes their spreads cheap.

You can be a winner at currency trading, but as in all other aspects of life, it will take hard work, dedication, a little luck, a lot of common sense, and a whole lot of good judgment.

I hope you enjoy this Forex tutorial, if you are interested in more information and FREE forex trading tutorial, and FREE systems, reports that I some time give out as a gift, fill your email in the form below, and I’ll keep you updated with the FREE reports, systems when they are available.

Courtesy of Baby Pips

Liquidity

In the spot Forex market, almost $2 trillion is traded daily, making it the largest and most liquid market in the world. This market can absorb trading volume and transaction sizes that dwarf the capacity of any other market. The futures market traders a puny $30 billion per day. Thirty billion?!! Peanuts! The futures markets can’t compete with its limited liquidity. The Forex market is always liquid, meaning positions can be liquidated and stop orders executed without slippage except in extremely volatile market conditions.

24-Hour Market

At 2:15 p.m. EST Sunday, trading begins as markets open in Sydney and Singapore. At 7 p.m. EST the Tokyo market opens, followed by London at 2 a.m. EST.  And finally, New York opens at 8 a.m. EST and closes at 5 p.m. EST.  So, before New York trading closes the Sydney and Singapore markets are back open – it’s a 24 hour seamless market!  As a trader, this allows you to react to favorable or unfavorable news by trading immediately. If important data comes in from England or Japan while the U.S. futures market is closed, the next day’s opening could be a wild ride. (Overnight markets in futures currency contracts exist, but they are thinly traded, not very liquid, and are difficult for the average investor to access).

Commission Free Trading

You know what’s great about trading currencies?  You pay NO commissions!  Because you deal directly with the market maker via a purely electronic online exchange, you eliminate both ticket costs and middleman brokerage fees. There is still a cost to initiating any trade, but that cost is reflected in the bid/ask spread that is also present in futures or equities trading. Brokers are compensated for their services through the bid-ask spread instead of via commissions.

Price Certainty

When trading Forex, you get rapid execution and price certainty under normal market conditions. In contrast, the futures and equities markets do not offer price certainty or instant trade execution. Even with the advent of electronic trading and limited guarantees of execution speed, the prices for fills for futures and equities on market orders are far from certain. The prices quoted by brokers often represent the LAST trade, not necessarily the price for which the contract will be filled.

Guaranteed Limited Risk

Traders must have position limits for the purpose of risk management.  This number is set relative to the money in a trader’s account. Risk is minimized in the spot FX market because the online capabilities of the trading platform will automatically generate a margin call if the required margin amount exceeds the available trading capital in your account. All open positions will be closed immediately, regardless of the size or the nature of positions held within the account. In the futures market, your position may be liquidated at a loss, and you will be liable for any resulting deficit in the account.

I hope you enjoy this Forex tutorial, if you are interested in more information and FREE forex trading tutorial, and FREE systems, reports that I some time give out as a gift, fill your email in the form below, and I’ll keep you updated with the FREE reports, systems when they are available.

Courtesy of Baby Pips