Common Sense Guidelines for the Average Trader

Common Sense Guidelines for the Average Trader

Look for a reputable broker

• Ability to trade effectively depends on consistent spreads and ample liquidity
• Anyone can establish a position
• Ability to close out a position at a fair market price is more important

Live to trade another day

• Apply prudent money management skills
• Avoid using excessive leverage that puts your investment capital at risk
• Always trade with a stop!

Don�t trade emotionally, stick to your plan and maintain discipline

• Establish a trading plan before initiating a trade
• Set reasonable risk/reward parameters
• Don�t override your stops for emotional reasons
• Don�t react to price action � means don�t buy just because it looks cheap or sell because it looks too high, Have supporting evidence to back up your trade

Don�t punt

• Don't punt ( Punting is trading for trading sake without a view)

Don�t leave stops at obvious levels such as �big figures� (e.g. eur/usd 1.20, usd/jpy 110)

• i.e. JUBBS stops = stops at obvious levels and thus are more likely triggered

Don�t add to a losing position in unless it is part of a strategy to scale into a position

• In other words, don�t double up in the hope of recouping losses unless it is part of a broader trading strategy

Trading with and against the trend

• When trading with a trend, consider the use of trailing stops.
• When trading against the trend, be disciplined taking profits and don�t hold out for the last pip

Treat trading as a continuum

• Don�t base success on one trade
• Avoid emotional highs or lows on individual trades
• Consistency should be an objective

Forex trading is multi-currency

• Watch crosses as they are key influences on spot trading
• Crosses are one currency vs. another, such as eur/jpy (euro vs. jpy) or eur/gbp (eur vs. gbp)
• Crosses can be used as clues for direction for spot currencies even if you are not trading them

Be cognizant of what news is coming out each day so you don�t get blindsided

• Be cognizant of what news is coming out each day so you don�t get blindsided
• Beware of trading just ahead of an economic number and be wary of volatility following key releases

Beware of illiquid markets

• Beware of illiquid markets
• Adjust strategies during holiday or pre-holiday periods to take into account thin liquidity
• Beware of central bank intervention in illiquid markets

Essential Elements of a Successful Trader

Courage Under Stressful Conditions When the Outcome is Uncertain

All the foreign exchange trading knowledge in the world is not going to help, unless you have the nerve to buy and sell currencies and put your money at risk. As with the lottery “You gotta be in it to win it”. Trust me when I say that the simple task of hitting the buy or sell key is extremely difficult to do when your own real money is put at risk.

You will feel anxiety, even fear. Here lies the moment of truth. Do you have the courage to be afraid and act anyway? When a fireman runs into a burning building I assume he is afraid but he does it anyway and achieves the desired result. Unless you can overcome or accept your fear and do it anyway, you will not be a successful trader.

However, once you learn to control your fear, it gets easier and easier and in time there is no fear. The opposite reaction can become an issue – you’re overconfident and not focused enough on the risk you're taking.

Start by analyzing yourself. Are you the type of person that can control their emotions and flawlessly execute trades, oftentimes under extremely stressful conditions? Are you the type of person who’s overconfident and prone to take more risk than they should? Before your first real trade you need to look inside yourself and get the answers. We can correct any deficiencies before they result in paralysis (not pulling the trigger) or a huge loss (overconfidence). A huge loss can prematurely end your trading career, or prolong your success until you can raise additional capital.

Both the inability to initiate a trade, or close a losing trade can create serious psychological issues for a trader going forward. By calling attention to these potential stumbling blocks beforehand, you can properly prepare prior to your first real trade and develop good trading habits from day one.

The difficulty doesn’t end with “pulling the trigger”. In fact what comes next is equally or perhaps more difficult. Once you are in the trade the next hurdle is staying in the trade. When trading foreign exchange you exit the trade as soon as possible after entry when it is not working. Most people who have been successful in non-trading ventures find this concept difficult to implement.

For example, real estate tycoons make their fortune riding out the bad times and selling during the boom periods. The problem with trying to adapt a 'hold on until it comes back' strategy in foreign exchange is that most of the time the currencies are in long-term persistent, directional trends and your equity will be wiped out before the currency comes back.

The other side of the coin is staying in a trade that is working. The most common pitfall is closing out a winning position without a valid reason. Once again, fear is the culprit. Your subconscious demons will be scaring you non-stop with questions like “what if news comes out and you wind up with a loss”. The reality is if news comes out in a currency that is going up, the news has a higher probability of being positive than negative (more on why that is so in a later article).

So your fear is just a baseless annoyance. Don’t try and fight the fear. Accept it. Have a laugh about it and then move on to the task at hand, which is determining an exit strategy based on actual price movement. As Garth says in Waynesworld “Live in the now man”. Worrying about what could be is irrational. Studying your chart and determining an objective exit point is reality based and rational.

Another common pitfall is closing a winning position because you are bored with it; its not moving. In Football, after a star running back breaks free for a 50-yard gain, he comes out of the game temporarily for a breather. When he reenters the game he is a serious threat to gain more yards – this is indisputable. So when your position takes a breather after a winning move, the next likely event is further gains – so why close it?

If you can be courageous under fire and strategically patient, foreign exchange trading may be for you. If you’re a natural gunslinger and reckless you will need to tone your act down a notch or two and we can help you make the necessary adjustments. If putting your money at risk makes you a nervous wreck its because you lack the knowledge base to be confident in your decision making.

Patience to Gain Knowledge through Study and Focus

Many new traders believe all you need to profitably trade foreign currencies are charts, technical indicators and a small bankroll. Most of them blow up (lose all their money) within a few weeks or months; some are initially successful and it takes as long as a year before they blow up. A tiny minority with good money management skills, patience, and a market niche go on to be successful traders. Armed with charts, technical indicators, and a small bankroll, the chance of succeeding is probably 500 to 1.

To increase your chances of success to near certainty requires knowledge; acquiring knowledge takes hard work, study, dedication and focus. Compile your knowledge base without taking any shortcuts, thereby assuring a solid foundation to build upon.

Introduction

Introduction

Foreign Exchange

The simultaneous transaction of one currency for another.

Foreign Exchange Market

An informal network of trading relationships between the world's major banks and other market participants, sometimes referred to as the interbank market. The foreign exchange market has no central clearinghouse or exchange, and is considered an over-the-counter (OTC) market.

Spot Market

The market for buying and selling currencies at the current market rate.

Rollover

A spot transaction is generally due for settlement within two business days (the value date). The cost of rolling over a transaction is based on the interest rate differential between two currencies in a transaction. If you are long (bought) the currency with a higher rate of interest you will earn interest. If you are short (sold) the currency with a higher rate of interest you will pay interest. Most brokers will automatically roll over your open positions allowing you to hold your position indefinitely.

Current central bank interest rates
How to calculate rollover interest
Rollovers in Forex

Exchange Rate

The value of one currency expressed in terms of another. For example, if EUR/USD is 1.3200, 1 Euro is worth US$1.3200.

Currency Pair

The two currencies that make up an exchange rate. When one is bought, the other is sold, and vice versa.

Base Currency

The first currency in the pair. Also the currency your account is denominated in.

Counter Currency

The second currency in the pair. Also known as the terms currency.

ISO Currency Codes

USD = US Dollar
EUR = Euro
JPY = Japanese Yen
GBP = British Pound
CHF = Swiss Franc
CAD = Canadian Dollar
AUD = Australian Dollar
NZD = New Zealand Dollar

Currency Pair Terminology

EUR/USD = "Euro"
USD/JPY = "Dollar Yen"
GBP/USD = "Cable" or "Sterling"
USD/CHF = "Swissy"
USD/CAD = "Dollar Canada" (CAD referred to as the "Loonie")
AUD/USD = "Aussie Dollar"
NZD/USD = "Kiwi"

FCM

Futures Commission Merchant. An individual or organisation licensed by the U.S. Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) to deal in futures products and accept monies from clients to trade them.

Market Maker

A market maker displays a two-way price quote and stands ready to buy or sell a particular financial instrument. Market makers earn their commission from the spread between the buy and the sell price.

Forex ECN Broker

Electronic Communications Network. A Forex ECN does not operate a dealing desk, but instead provides a marketplace where multiple market makers, banks and traders can enter competing bids and offers into the platform either inside or outside the spread, resulting in tighter spreads and allowing other participants to trade on those prices. Orders are routed to the best available bid/offer price for a small fee.

Forex NDD Broker

No Dealing Desk broker. A Forex NDD does not operate a dealing desk, but instead provides a platform where a liquidity provider or providers send prices into the platform. Traders orders are matched to the best available bid/offer.

MetaTrader

MetaTrader is a trading platform with a popular charting feature and ability to write and automate your own trading strategies. Brokers that use the MetaTrader platform may operate as a market maker or a no-dealing desk broker.

Counterparty

One of the participants in a transaction.

Sell Quote / Bid Price

The sell quote is displayed on the left and is the price at which you can sell the base currency. It is also referred to as the bid price. For example, if the EUR/USD quotes 1.3200/03, you can sell 1 Euro at the bid price of US$1.3200.

Buy Quote / Offer Price

The buy quote is displayed on the right and is the price at which you can buy the base currency. It is also referred to as the ask or offer price. For example, if the EUR/USD quotes 1.3200/03, you can buy 1 Euro at the offer price of US$1.3203.

Pip

The smallest price increment a currency can make. Also known as points. For example, 1 pip = 0.0001 for EUR/USD, or 0.01 for USD/JPY.

Pip Value

The value of a pip. Pip value can be fixed or variable depending on the currency pair and base currency of your account. e.g. The pip value for EURUSD is always $10 for standard lots and $1 for mini-lots. To calculate the pip value, divide 1 pip by the exchange rate and multiply it by the unit lot size to get the base currency pip value. To convert this back to your account currency, multiply it by the appropriate exchange rate. e.g. EURUSD = 0.0001 / 1.30000 * 100,000 = 7.69 Euro * 1.30000 = $10.00 pip value (fixed). USDJPY = 0.01 / 120.00 * 100,000 = $8.33 pip value (variable)

Lot

The standard unit size of a transaction. Typically, one "standard" lot is equal to 100,000 units of the base currency, or 10,000 units if it's a "mini" lot, and even 1,000 units if it's a "micro" lot. Some dealers offer the ability to trade in any unit size, down to as little as 1 unit!

Spread

The difference between the sell quote and the buy quote or the bid and offer price. For example, if EUR/USD quotes read 1.3200/03, the spread is the difference between 1.3200 and 1.3203, or 3 pips. In order to break even on a trade, a position must move in the direction of the trade by an amount equal to the spread.

Standard Account

Trading with standard lot sizes

Mini Account

Trading with mini lot sizes

Margin

The deposit required to open or maintain a position. A 1% margin requirement allows you to control a $100,000 position with a $1,000 margin deposit.

Leverage

The extent to which you are using borrowed funds to gear your account. Increasing your leverage magnifies both gains and losses. To calculate leverage used, divide total open positions by account equity to get the leverage ratio. e.g. If a trader has $1,000 in his account and opens a $100,000 position, he is leveraging his account by 100 times, i.e. 100:1 leverage. If he opens a $200,000 position with $1,000 in his account, he is leveraging his account by 200 times, i.e. 200:1 leverage.

Understanding leverage Part I
Understanding leverage Part II
Disclaimer

Manual Execution

An order which is executed by dealer intervention.

Automatic Execution

The order is executed by computer software without human intervention or involvement.

Slippage

The difference between the order price and the executed price.

Drawdown

The extent to which equity is lost in a trading account from a trade or series of trades, measured from peak to subsequent trough, most commonly in percentage terms.

Technical Analysis

A style of trading that involves analysing price charts for technical patterns of behaviour.

Fundamental Analysis

A style of trading that involves analysing the macroeconomic factors that underpin the value of a currency.

Support

Support is a technical level where buyers outnumber sellers, causing prices to bounce off a temporary price floor.

Resistance

Resistance is a technical level where sellers outnumber buyers, causing prices to bounce off a temporary price ceiling.

Common Order Types

Market Order

An order to buy or sell at the current market price.

Limit Order

An order to buy or sell at a specified price level.

Stop-Loss Order

An order to restrict losses at a specified price level.

Limit Entry Order

An order to buy below the market or sell above the market at a specified level, believing that the price will reverse direction from that point.

Stop-Entry Order

An order to buy above the market or sell below the market at a specified level, believing that the price will continue in the same direction.

Common Trade Types

Long

A position in which the trader profits from an increase in price. Buy low, sell high.

Short

A position in which the trader profits from a decrease in price. Sell high, buy low.

Carry Trade

A position whereby the trader attempts to profit from holding a currency with a higher interest rate and shorting a currency with a lower interest rate.

Common Trading Styles

Trend Trading

A style of trading that attempts to profit from riding short, medium or long term trends in price.

Range Trading

A style of trading that attempts to profit from buying technical levels of support and selling technical levels of resistance. The upper level of resistance and lower level of support defines the range.

News Trading

A style of trading whereby a trader attempts to profit from fundamental news announcements that may affect the price of a currency, usually immediately after the announcement is released.

Scalping

A style of trading that involves frequent trading seeking small gains over a very period of time. Trades can last from seconds to minutes.

Day Trading

A style of trading that involves multiple trades on an intra-day basis. Trades can last from minutes to hours.

Swing Trading

A style of trading that involves seeking to profit from short to medium term swings in trend. Trades can last from hours to days.

Position Trading

A style of trading that involves taking a longer term position that reflects a longer term outlook. Trades can last from weeks to months.

Discretionary Trading

A style of trading that involves the human decision making process for every trade.

Automated Trading

A style of trading that involves neither human decision making or involvement, but uses a pre-programmed strategy that automatically executes trades via trading software.

Example Transaction

Assume you have a trading account of $25,000 and you are trading with a 1% margin requirement. The current quote for EUR/USD is 1.3225/28 and you place a market order to buy 1 standard lot of 100,000 Euros at 1.3228, expecting the euro to strengthen against the U.S. dollar. At the same time you place a take profit order at 1.3278, 50 pips above your order price.

The notional value of this transaction is $132,280 (100,000 units * $1.3228). Your required margin deposit is 1% of the total, which means you need $1322.80 in account equity to open this trade.

As you expected, the Euro strengthens against the U.S. dollar and your take profit order is reached at 1.3278. Your total profit for this trade is $500 (each pip being worth $10) for a total return of 38% on this trade.

Related Links

Introduction to Forex

Ask-an-Expert Forum

Free Position Size Calculator

Online Money Management Calculator

Forex Money Management Article

Ways to Learn About Forex Markets

Ways to Learn About Forex Markets

There are many ways you can learn about forex markets. If you’re a business student, many universities have classes in foreign exchange operations and macroeconomic mechanisms that affect currency fluctuations.

Outside of the formal education field, you can learn about forex and currency trading from traders, salespeople, and analysts. Moreover, you can learn foreign exchange operations from educators through specifically arranged seminars, courses, and mentoring.

And don’t leave out forex magazines and books for background information and latest news to keep you ahead of the curve.

Forex Trading Systems and Solutions

Once you’ve covered the basics of foreign exchange operations, you might also want to know the ways currency trading is done, through brokerages, forex trading systems, and with different currency trading systems.

The tools and services you’ll need for you own forex trading or operations will depend on your particular approach to forex.

In fact, many corporations do not want to take any risks with forex fluctuations and will hedge their positions. Others, traders and speculators, seek to profit from the fluctuation with their systems and views.

From this site, you’ll find information on resources that will help you understand better the complex world of investments for forex markets and currency trading.

Forex

Forex market is the biggest financial market in the world. Moreover, currency trading is one of the fastest growing forms of investing.

Here’s how to find information and resources to deepen your knowledge about the fast and exciting world of foreign exchange and how to use it for trading purposes.

Internet has changed the way people view forex markets. No longer are the best currency analyst reports unavailable to the public, live real-time data too expensive for common investors, or capital requirements too high.

In fact, many companies have introduced mini forex accounts, with starting capital requirements for selected accounts in some brokerages under $1000. These smaller accounts have made currency trading available to everyone, increasing the need to be educated on forex and currency trading.