INTERNET FOREX GUIDE SECRET

ARTICLE 1: INTRODUCTION TO FOREX TRADING

Although most people outside of the financial world consider the New York Stock exchange to be the pinnacle of financial trading, it is the Foreign Exchange Market that is the true leader. The Forex Market, as this currency exchange is known, has a volume of around 1.5 trillion United States dollars daily. This staggering amount is over one hundred times larger than the volume of the NYSE.

The market is world wide. It is what is known as an “interbank” market where trades are conducted OTC (over the counter), which means they take place directly between the parties involved in the trade rather than through a central exchange. The main centers for the Forex market are located in Sydney, New York, Tokyo, Frankfurt and London. This allows the market to operate virtually 24 hours a day.
Put simply, the Forex market is based on trading the currency of one country for the currency of another country. The ratio of the value of one currency to the other rises and falls, and this ratio is what fuels the market. The trades consist of the simultaneous buying of one currency, for example, United States Dollars (USD), and the selling of another, i.e. The European Euro (EUR).

The most important market in Forex trading is called the “spot market” because trades are executed at once, or "on the spot". There are other elements of Forex trading, such as futures trading, and Forward Outrights, which are slightly more complex than spot trading.

ARTICLE 2: ADVANTAGE OF FOREX OVER STOCK AND COMMODITY MARKETS

When one begins to discuss the advantages of investment in the Foreign Currency Exchange Market (Forex) over the Stock or Commodity Market, it is quite easy to sound like a cheerleader and with the same kind of bias. The Forex market offers so many advantages that it is not hard to understand its popularity.

The Forex Market operates 24 hours a day. It is a truly world wide market, and when the sun goes down in one trading center, it is coming up in another. The Forex market, although it has its trends and cycles, is not locked in the Bear vs. the Bull market mentality of the Stock Exchange. Since all Forex trades involve the exchange of one currency for another, one currency's hard times opens the door for a profit in another currency. The market is not adversely affected by rising interest rates. When a nation raises rates, generally the currency is strengthened, while rising interest rates tends to depress the stock market.

The combined number of different stock issues on the NYSE and NASDAQ exchanges totals 8000. That is a lot of stocks and it is time consuming to keep up with even a portion of them. There are four major currencies, and only about 34 second tier currencies, to consider in the Forex. Brokerage firms do not stand between you and profit in the Forex. Not only are the brokerage and commission fees almost non-existent, but analysts in the Forex tend to actually analyze in the currency market and not dictate or control the rise and fall of the market. When the two markets are compared, the Forex certainly looks like the better investment choice.

ARTICLE 3: HOW TO SELECT A FOREX BROKER

The decision of which brokerage firm is best for you is as important in the Forex market as it is in the Stock Market. The way of evaluating the various firms differs slightly between the two markets, however. Forex trades do not involve commissions, but they do have what are known as spreads, which is the difference between the price a currency can be purchased and the price for which it can be sold at a given point in time. This spread (which is expressed in "pips") is how the brokerage makes its money, so it serves the same purpose for them as a commission. You can be pretty certain that the spreads vary between brokerage firms just as widely as commissions do in the Stock Market, so investigate this carefully before making your selection.

Most brokerages dealing with the Forex market are involved with large financial institutions where the funds are available to provide sufficient leverage for their clients. It is still important to make sure your firm is reliable. They should be registered as a FCM (Futures Commission Merchant), and regulated by the CFTC (Commodity Futures Trading Commission).

Most firms offer widely varied packages of tools that assist you in making trading decisions and understanding the market better. They provide information and research that is available to you in many different formats. It is wise to take a little time to study these tools, and to find the ones that are most helpful to you. They are going to end up being very important and you need to be comfortable with them.

Look for a firm with a wide variety of account and leverage options. The ability to use the Forex market's advantages in leverage is one of the things that makes it the most attractive to you as an investor, and you want to have the maximum flexibility here. Although there are a few unethical firms operating, a few references and inquires should be able to identify them. This selection process is worth a little effort and an investment of time. It is an investment that is going to the most likely to pay off.

ARTICLE 4: FUNDAMENTAL ANALYSIS IN THE FOREX MARKET

Fundamental analysis is considered to be the opposite of technical analysis, and both are used in the Forex market. Fundamental analysis considers the intrinsic value of an investment when making a decision as to its future activity. There are some who feel that this is an excellent method of making decisions in the Stock market as a lot of data can be gathered and studied concerning the value of a Company. But, they ask, how can a Nation have an intrinsic value?

The answer is fairly simple. The economy of a country goes through a basic business cycle, and there are a lot of indicators available to the investor to measure where a particular economy is at any given time. The analysis would involve matching the stage of the cycle with its impact on the value of its currency. The normal economic cycle consists of periods of inflation and deflation with peaks and troughs in between. Certain indicators such as the Gross National Product (GNP), and current prime interest rates can give a good idea of the stage of the economy at any given time.

Each of these indicators would tend to impact currency valuation in different ways, and sometimes would even vary from country to country. In the United States, rising interest rates are normally associated with currency deflation, for example, and it is factors such as this that are the heart of fundamental analysis. This analysis can become quite detailed, but the focus remains on the country and its economy. Every factor that impacts the country and its economy can play a role in the value of the currency, and understanding these factors are the tools the fundamental analyzers uses to guide their investment strategy.

ARTICLE 5: TECHNICAL ANALYSIS IN THE FOREX MARKET.

Technical analysis is considered to be the opposite of fundamental analysis. Technical analysis looks at the past performance and history of an investment. It relies on data showing this history and current trends and patterns to make predictions of future market activity. It ignores the intrinsic value of the investment in favor of its statistical abstract.

The Forex market lends itself to technical analysis rather well. The history of the value of currency pairs is a matter of statistical record and can be easily accessed. Its supporters claim it is the only sure way of understanding the market and predicting its future. This is especially true in the Forex market. Fans of technical analysis say that the economies of modern nations are so very complex that they can not be accurately predicated. It is only in the study of the past history of the currency and the trends that are revealed that a possible glimpse of the future be found.

To better understand the difference between fundamental analysis and technical analysis consider this example. If you were interested in determining what flavor of ice cream was the best to buy, the fundamental analyzer would go into the ice cream store and try several different types. He seeks its intrinsic value. The technical analysis man would sit outside the store and take notes on the flavors others are buying to decide which was the most popular and therefore most likely the best. He does not look at the intrinsic value, but relies on the data he gathers from others to make his decision. Of course, in the end, it is going to be his own preference that settles the question, and this is true of the market. Both fundamental analysis and technical analysis are mere tools that help you make the decisions that in the end only you can make.

ARTICLE 6: PSYCHOLOGY OF FOREX TRADING OR HOW YOUR EMOTIONS CAN MESS YOU UP.

Most sites that offer advice on succeeding in the Forex market are going to point out to you that the biggest enemy you face is not the market itself, but rather your own emotions. This is true in just about any activity that involves financial risk. It is really not all that different from playing poker. If you go into it afraid of losing, then most likely you are going to lose. It is pretty much accepted that most human beings have an innate desire to prosper. This desire is what makes failure so frightening.

Regardless of how you make your decisions you need to proceed with confidence tempered with caution. Whether you use technical analysis or fundamental analysis or flip a coin, it really doesn't matter as much as developing your own investment strategy, and proceeding with it until you are sure it is working or failing. Do not take council of your fears, and bounce around with no pattern, overreacting to every setback. Nor should you grow overconfident and let a small temporary success lead you into foolishness. Remain constant and stick with your plan.

The Forex market has some peculiar emotional landmines that you need to be aware of, and need to avoid. You are dealing with the currency of foreign countries and how they are going to be valued against the currency of other countries, one of which is your own country. It is important to keep things in perspective. If you find yourself rooting for the USA and booing Japan like they are your alma mater's football team and its biggest rival, then you should not be investing in this market, but saving for tickets to the next Olympic Games. Investment of any kind takes self control, and emotional stability, and Forex is no exception.

ARTICLE 7: HOW TO FORMULATE A PROFITABLE TRADING PLAN

There is no magic formula that ensures profit on any type of investment. The forex market is no exception to this, but there are some steps you can take when devising your own personal investing plan that will not only make profit a more likely result, but will insulate you somewhat from disaster.

*Select Your Term: There are three basic time frames within the forex market dealing with the length of time a position in a certain currency is held. They are long term, medium term, and short term. Each has its advantages and disadvantages. The short term position holder, sometimes known as a scalper, will be making rapid fire trades often exchanging currencies back and forth within a single day. The long term trader will hold on to his currency for months or even years. The medium term trader usually holds his positions for a few days or a week. The advantage of the medium term is that it requires the least amount of capital to realize profit. Leverage is only needed to boost that profit, whereas in both long and short term trading, it is needed to both protect the investment, and insure any chance of profit. Although medium term is recommended for the beginning investor, and involves less risk, you need to identify which is right for your personal plan, and stick to it. A plan that tries to use all three at once will most likely lead to confusion.

* Learn to Use Technical Analysis: The forex market lends itself very well to statistical analysis. Trend following is an example of a type of analysis that can guide the investor in making profitable decisions. Technical analysis of the market includes monitoring price movement as well as a large number of indicators. There are programs available where this large amount of data can be crunched in any way that fits your own individual plan and your own needs. You are going to need to find the right way to access and organize the data required for the execution of your own individual investing strategy.

* Learn to Perfectly Time Your Trade: One of the features of the forex market is the ability of the investor to insulate himself from drastic market swings. This is partly because of the 24 hour nature of the market. With the exception of weekends, there is a forex market operating somewhere day and night. A good trading plan should include both "stop loss" and "take profit" orders. These are simply instructions to change your currency position when either your profit or your loss reaches a certain point. The stop loss order is more easily understood. This is simply bailing out before things get too bad. The take profit approach usually meets with more resistance, and it is true such an order might prevent you from making even more profit should a volatile change keep propelling the value upward. Volatile is volatile, however, and what goes up fast may come down faster. As you can not monitor your account twenty four hours a day, you want to know that if your profit point is reached while you are soundly sleeping, at least your expected level of profit will be realized.

One of the biggest advantages of the internet age regarding forex trading is the ability to freely use demo accounts - which are basically virtual forex games. These programs give you a chance to invest virtual money and see how well you do. Once your personal trading plan is formulated, execute it using a demo account. By doing this you will get a chance to see how it works, iron out any bugs, and fine tune your entries and exits, before you risk a single penny.

BONUS ARTICLE: ADVANTAGE OF TREND-FOLLOWING SYSTEM

Trend following systems in forex trading work much like the old rule of physics: A body in motion tends to remain in motion until acted upon by an outside force. When applied to currency, this is also thought to be true. If price is going up, it tends to continue going up, and profits can be made by investing on this trend. The trend can be upward, or it can be downward, and sometimes there's no obvious trend, but the principle remains the same. If you can see the trend then you can invest with the belief that it will continue.
The forex market lends itself very well to technical analysis. Since a country is such a big and complex entity, it is difficult to put an intrinsic value on it. Yet there are a large number of elements, both fundamental and technical, that can be used to establish trends. They include the GDP, CPI, prime interest rates, export and import figures, and even the unemployment level. All of these can be translated to charts showing the historical data going back decades. When they are charted, trends can be seen rather easily. When an investor becomes skilled in reading these charts and interpreting the trends, he will be able to use this information to guide his currency trading strategy.

Trend following is not always that simple. Indeed, it is quite a complex method of analysis. It can reveal historical turning points or levels where the trend tends to change direction. This can lead to investments known as "bucking the trend" trades. Although highly speculative in nature, they also present some tremendous profit potential. In essence, you are going to be betting that the trend is going to change direction while the majority of investors are betting it is going to continue.

Regardless if you are planning on bucking trends, or merely investing in the hope they continue in the same direction, understanding and identifying them is going to be the key element to successful investing strategy. This is one of the things that makes forex trading so appealing to the statistical minded and computer orientated investor of today. The facts are all out there, and the ability to gather and organize them has never been better. In the past, it was necessary to seek advice, and usually you had to pay dearly for it. While there are still plenty of financial advisors willing to give you their interpretations of trends, you are able today to do that pretty much for yourself. www.cashforexindicators.com

Happy Trading!
Start Today!
Wallet Business!