China's forex reserves top US$1.43 tril. by end-Sept.

BEIJING -- China's foreign exchange reserves, already the world's largest, surpassed US$1.43 trillion at the end of September, the central bank said Friday.

The figure was up 45.1 percent from a year earlier, the central bank said in a statement posted on its Web site.

The news came the same day that the government said the trade surplus, the main source of forex reserve growth, hit US$185.7 billion in the first nine months, exceeding the US$177.5 billion for all of last year.

China's forex reserves, which overtook Japan's for the world's top spot in early 2006, have also been boosted by foreign direct investment.

In the first nine months of 2007, foreign direct investment rose 10.9 percent from the same period in 2006 to US$47.2 billion, the commerce ministry said earlier Friday.

In addition, the inflow of speculative funds banking on short-term investment gains, known as "hot money," is believed to have contributed to the reserves, although the exact figure is difficult to calculate.

However, hot money constitutes a "very small" amount, the Shanghai Securities News reported recently, citing Wang Guogang, a finance expert at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, the top government think-tank.

Wang was quoted by the paper as saying China's strict capital controls have played a key role in stemming an "otherwise unimaginable" amount of capital inflow to the country.

US Dollar: Extreme Makeover?

Reality television has been the perfect visual aid for what the word "EXTREME" looks like: In the original "Extreme Makeover" for humans, Sumo Wrestler-sized people are surgically transformed into supermodels, while in "Extreme Makeover: Home Edition," broken-downs shacks are converted into McMansions.

In other words, "Extreme" implies total, radical change.

And in the financial markets, it’s equally obvious when the line from an even-keeled trend crosses into an emotional extreme. When this happens, the "face" of a long-standing trend is usually about to undergo a complete makeover.

See: The US Dollar.

In the past year, the greenback has free fallen to all-time record lows against the euro, and to multi-decade lows against other international currencies. Which is to say, the doom & gloom surrounding the buck has reached -- you guessed it -- a conspicuous extreme. On this, the following news items say plenty:

• This September, former Federal Reserve Chairman (Maestro) Greenspan said outright that the buck’s lifetime leadership could be ending. In his words: "It is absolutely conceivable that the euro will replace the dollar as the world’s primary reserve currency."
• At the same time, Saudi Arabia hinted that it might announce a break in its dollar currency peg.
• "The greenback has been caught up in a sea of fierce selling pressure," begins one recent news source. "All it can do is flail out in the open waters, growing tired and weak… The dollar is drowning and there’s no lifeguard in sight."
• "Life only has two absolute certainties -- death and taxes," adds another. Yet the global financial community is increasingly facing one more: "The US dollar will weaken, weaken, and weaken."

Sound familiar? Try: December 2004. At that time, the US dollar had plummeted over 30% to a then-record low against the euro.

Every major magazine from Newsweek to the Economist ("The Disappearing Dollar" Cover Story) AND every major mogul from Bill Gates ("The ol’ dollar, it’s gonna go down") TO Warren Buffet ($21.4 Billion short position against the dollar versus a $ZERO position in 2002) -- made their opinions clear.

YET -- on December 30, 2004, the buck took step one of a long rally that tacked 15% onto its value. By the end of 2005, in fact, Buffet’s Berkshire Hathaway Insurance Corp. had taken a $900 million hit on its bearish foreign currency investments.

At the time, our December 2004 Elliott Wave Financial Forecast recognized the earmarks of EXTREME negative sentiment regarding the dollar. In EWFF’s own words: "For the first time ever, we start with the US Dollar because the case for a bottom is an extraordinarily compelling one. The upside reversal should be measured in months, not weeks."

Flash ahead to today, and the Dollar doom drum beats on again, giving our analysts strong reason to stay alert to the currency’s every move.

And, in the three-time-a week Short Term Update, we present in-depth analysis and detailed price charts of the US Dollar Index that reveal whether an extreme makeover is on its way.

Forex Resources

This list of Forex resources contains URLs to other useful Forex sites - Forex forums, general Forex information resources, Forex signals providers and our partners. If you find a broken link, or wish to exchange links with us.

Forex market news

ForexNews - Most important news and some good analysis

FXstreet - Many useful articles, constantly added expert commentaries and forecasts

DailyFX - Everything happening in Forex world is covered here

ForexCenter.net - The complete Forex portal offering live forex rates, forex charts, forex news, forex trading forecasts, technical analysis, currency converter, forex books & educational material

Forex charts and technical analysis

Incredible Charts - A very good resource to learn everything about charts

CurrencyVision - daily technical analysis of Forex and Metal markets

FX-Strategy - interesting strategy portal, but not free

Forex Software Reviews - Forex Software Reviews, Informations and News

Forex brokers

SaxoBank - one of the most competent trading organizations

AC-Markets - has its own Forex education tools, recommended for newbie

CMS Forex - one of the leading trading brokers

Futures Commission Merchant - RFXT, is the leading online futures commission merchant that strictly endorses fair business practice, foreign exchange regulation and increased investor protection.

Forex signals and market forecasts

E-Forex.ro - free trading signals, quite precise

Ivestica Ltd. - provides a free newsletter with forecasts

Open Forex - Foreign Exchange Trading, Forex Analysis and Forecasts

Surefire Forex Trading - Learn to trade the fx market with a proven forex trading method

Managed Forex Account - Our Forex Managed Account programs allow you to have a diversified exposure to Forex by letting experienced money managers trade in the foreign exchange market for you.

Forex Training - Work at Home Business Opportunity - Offers forex training - internet home based business opportunity. Work from home job.

Free Forex Signal ( Weekly Signal )

Dollar Threatened by Domestic Diversification

Most Dollar bulls cringe when they hear the word “diversification.” Within the context of forex, diversification usually refers to the shift towards non-Dollar denominated assets among Central Banks. The thinking is that with the declining Dollar, it probably makes sense to hold reserves in non-US investments. However, analysts have begun to realize that this only represents a small segment of entities that could harm the Dollar by diversifying. The world’s Central Banks probably hold at most $5 Trillion of reserves, whereas US institutional investment funds probably have over $20 Trillion collectively invested in US assets. Thus, diversification in this segment probably poses a much greater threat to the long term health of the USD.

Forex Money smart tips

By John Gaines

Why do hundreds of thousands online traders and investors trade the forex market every day, and how do they make money doing it?

This two-part report clearly and simply details essential tips on how to avoid typical pitfalls and start making more money in your forex trading.

1. Trade pairs, not currencies - Like any relationship, you have to know both sides. Success or failure in forex trading depends upon being right about both currencies and how they impact one another, not just one.

2. Knowledge is Power - When starting out trading forex online, it is essential that you understand the basics of this market if you want to make the most of your investments.

The main forex influencer is global news and events. For example, say an ECB statement is released on European interest rates which typically will cause a flurry of activity. Most newcomers react violently to news like this and close their positions and subsequently miss out on some of the best trading opportunities by waiting until the market calms down. The potential in the forex market is in the volatility, not in its tranquility.

3. Unambitious trading - Many new traders will place very tight orders in order to take very small profits. This is not a sustainable approach because although you may be profitable in the short run (if you are lucky), you risk losing in the longer term as you have to recover the difference between the bid and the ask price before you can make any profit and this is much more difficult when you make small trades than when you make larger ones.

4. Over-cautious trading - Like the trader who tries to take small incremental profits all the time, the trader who places tight stop losses with a retail forex broker is doomed. As we stated above, you have to give your position a fair chance to demonstrate its ability to produce. If you don't place reasonable stop losses that allow your trade to do so, you will always end up undercutting yourself and losing a small piece of your deposit with every trade.

5. Independence - If you are new to forex, you will either decide to trade your own money or to have a broker trade it for you. So far, so good. But your risk of losing increases exponentially if you either of these two things:

Interfere with what your broker is doing on your behalf (as his strategy might require a long gestation period);
Seek advice from too many sources - multiple input will only result in multiple losses. Take a position, ride with it and then analyse the outcome - by yourself, for yourself.

6. Tiny margins - Margin trading is one of the biggest advantages in trading forex as it allows you to trade amounts far larger than the total of your deposits. However, it can also be dangerous to novice traders as it can appeal to the greed factor that destroys many forex traders. The best guideline is to increase your leverage in line with your experience and success.

7. No strategy - The aim of making money is not a trading strategy. A strategy is your map for how you plan to make money. Your strategy details the approach you are going to take, which currencies you are going to trade and how you will manage your risk. Without a strategy, you may become one of the 90% of new traders that lose their money.

8. Trading Off-Peak Hours - Professional FX traders, option traders, and hedge funds posses a huge advantage over small retail traders during off-peak hours (between 2200 CET and 1000 CET) as they can hedge their positions and move them around when there is far small trade volume is going through (meaning their risk is smaller). The best advice for trading during off peak hours is simple - don't.

9. The only way is up/down - When the market is on its way up, the market is on its way up. When the market is going down, the market is going down. That's it. There are many systems which analyse past trends, but none that can accurately predict the future. But if you acknowledge to yourself that all that is happening at any time is that the market is simply moving, you'll be amazed at how hard it is to blame anyone else.

10. Trade on the news - Most of the really big market moves occur around news time. Trading volume is high and the moves are significant; this means there is no better time to trade than when news is released. This is when the big players adjust their positions and prices change resulting in a serious currency flow.

11. Exiting Trades - If you place a trade and it's not working out for you, get out. Don't compound your mistake by staying in and hoping for a reversal. If you're in a winning trade, don't talk yourself out of the position because you're bored or want to relieve stress; stress is a natural part of trading; get used to it.

12. Don't trade too short-term - If you are aiming to make less than 20 points profit, don't undertake the trade. The spread you are trading on will make the odds against you far too high.

13. Don't be smart - The most successful traders I know keep their trading simple. They don't analyse all day or research historical trends and track web logs and their results are excellent.

14. Tops and Bottoms - There are no real "bargains" in trading foreign exchange. Trade in the direction the price is going in and you're results will be almost guaranteed to improve.

15. Ignoring the technicals- Understanding whether the market is over-extended long or short is a key indicator of price action. Spikes occur in the market when it is moving all one way.

16. Emotional Trading - Without that all-important strategy, you're trades essentially are thoughts only and thoughts are emotions and a very poor foundation for trading. When most of us are upset and emotional, we don't tend to make the wisest decisions. Don't let your emotions sway you.

17. Confidence - Confidence comes from successful trading. If you lose money early in your trading career it's very difficult to regain it; the trick is not to go off half-cocked; learn the business before you trade. Remember, knowledge is power.

The second and final part of this report clearly and simply details more essential tips on how to avoid the pitfalls and start making more money in your forex trading.

1. Take it like a man - If you decide to ride a loss, you are simply displaying stupidity and cowardice. It takes guts to accept your loss and wait for tomorrow to try again. Sticking to a bad position ruins lots of traders - permanently. Try to remember that the market often behaves illogically, so don't get commit to any one trade; it's just a trade. One good trade will not make you a trading success; it's ongoing regular performance over months and years that makes a good trader.

2. Focus - Fantasising about possible profits and then "spending" them before you have realised them is no good. Focus on your current position(s) and place reasonable stop losses at the time you do the trade. Then sit back and enjoy the ride - you have no real control from now on, the market will do what it wants to do.

3. Don't trust demos - Demo trading often causes new traders to learn bad habits. These bad habits, which can be very dangerous in the long run, come about because you are playing with virtual money. Once you know how your broker's system works, start trading small amounts and only take the risk you can afford to win or lose.

4. Stick to the strategy - When you make money on a well thought-out strategic trade, don't go and lose half of it next time on a fancy; stick to your strategy and invest profits on the next trade that matches your long-term goals.

5. Trade today - Most successful day traders are highly focused on what's happening in the short-term, not what may happen over the next month. If you're trading with 40 to 60-point stops focus on what's happening today as the market will probably move too quickly to consider the long-term future. However, the long-term trends are not unimportant; they will not always help you though if you're trading intraday.

6. The clues are in the details - The bottom line on your account balance doesn't tell the whole story. Consider individual trade details; analyse your losses and the telling losing streaks. Generally, traders that make money without suffering significant daily losses have the best chance of sustaining positive performance in the long term.

7. Simulated Results - Be very careful and wary about infamous "black box" systems. These so-called trading signal systems do not often explain exactly how the trade signals they generate are produced. Typically, these systems only show their track record of extraordinary results - historical results. Successfully predicting future trade scenarios is altogether more complex. The high-speed algorithmic capabilities of these systems provide significant retrospective trading systems, not ones which will help you trade effectively in the future.

8. Get to know one cross at a time - Each currency pair is unique, and has a unique way of moving in the marketplace. The forces which cause the pair to move up and down are individual to each cross, so study them and learn from your experience and apply your learning to one cross at a time.

9. Risk Reward - If you put a 20 point stop and a 50 point profit your chances of winning are probably about 1-3 against you. In fact, given the spread you're trading on, it's more likely to be 1-4. Play the odds the market gives you.

10. Trading for Wrong Reasons - Don't trade if you are bored, unsure or reacting on a whim. The reason that you are bored in the first place is probably because there is no trade to make in the first place. If you are unsure, it's probably because you can't see the trade to make, so don't make one.

11. Zen Trading- Even when you have taken a position in the markets, you should try and think as you would if you hadn't taken one. This level of detachment is essential if you want to retain your clarity of mind and avoid succumbing to emotional impulses and therefore increasing the likelihood of incurring losses. To achieve this, you need to cultivate a calm and relaxed outlook. Trade in brief periods of no more than a few hours at a time and accept that once the trade has been made, it's out of your hands.

12. Determination - Once you have decided to place a trade, stick to it and let it run its course. This means that if your stop loss is close to being triggered, let it trigger. If you move your stop midway through a trade's life, you are more than likely to suffer worse moves against you. Your determination must be show itself when you acknowledge that you got it wrong, so get out.

13. Short-term Moving Average Crossovers - This is one of the most dangerous trade scenarios for non professional traders. When the short-term moving average crosses the longer-term moving average it only means that the average price in the short run is equal to the average price in the longer run. This is neither a bullish nor bearish indication, so don't fall into the trap of believing it is one.

14. Stochastic - Another dangerous scenario. When it first signals an exhausted condition that's when the big spike in the "exhausted" currency cross tends to occur. My advice is to buy on the first sign of an overbought cross and then sell on the first sign of an oversold one. This approach means that you'll be with the trend and have successfully identified a positive move that still has some way to go. So if percentage K and percentage D are both crossing 80, then buy! (This is the same on sell side, where you sell at 20).

15. One cross is all that counts - EURUSD seems to be trading higher, so you buy GBPUSD because it appears not to have moved yet. This is dangerous. Focus on one cross at a time - if EURUSD looks good to you, then just buy EURUSD.

16. Wrong Broker - A lot of FOREX brokers are in business only to make money from yours. Read forums, blogs and chats around the net to get an unbiased opinion before you choose your broker.

17. Too bullish - Trading statistics show that 90% of most traders will fail at some point. Being too bullish about your trading aptitude can be fatal to your long-term success. You can always learn more about trading the markets, even if you are currently successful in your trades. Stay modest, and keep your eyes open for new ideas and bad habits you might be falling in to.

18. Interpret forex news yourself - Learn to read the source documents of forex news and events - don't rely on the interpretations of news media or others.

John Gaines

online trading, currency trading, financial service

A veteran of online trading, John Gaines offers the financial services industry his perspectives and expertise on a variety of trading systems and financial instruments, including forex, CFDs, futures, options and stocks.

Forex Can you really make money

Forex Can you really make money day trading futures? The answer, of course, is yes. The answer is only yes, if you know what to do and then you take action upon what you know.
Making money day trading futures is like making money trading in any financial market. It all starts with having a plan, and then executing the plan to the letter in or der to make profits.

I believe what throws many people off when it comes to day trading futures is the fact that some are unfamiliar with futures contracts and their characteristics. This, of course, should not deter one from exploring the possibilities of profits in day trading futures. The fact of the matter is that you don't need to know every possible thing about every possible futures contract in order to make profits in trading futures.

Many futures contracts happen to be excellent vehicles for day trading. Again, it is not imperative that you understand everything about every futures contract in order to profit in day trading futures. I'll give you an example. What if everyone had to know the intricacies of the internal combustion engine before they drove a car? If that were actually the case then very few people would drive... yet there are millions of people driving cars every day. I only say this to illustrate the fact that you need to know a certain number of basic things in order to trade in any market successfully. A simplified list of those basic things would be as follows, when to get in, when to get out, and when to stand aside.
It is true that the above list may seem overly simplified. You will of course need some method to determine when to take the steps above in order to be successful. Your method will have to be one which is repeatable, therefore it will require some research on your part.

You'll need a day trading strategy in order to day trade futures successfully. You have the choice of either developing your own day trading strategy or looking for a commercially available day trading strategy. In any case, you will want to do your homework and due diligence, because in order to make money day trading futures your day trading strategy must be a good one. And remember that your level of discipline in following your day trading strategy is at least as important as the day trading strategy itself.Online

Forex - Aussie Advances Against Greenback [AUD/USD]

8/23/2007 2:15:39 AM Against the U.S. currency, the Australian dollar advanced in the early Asian deals on Thursday. The Aussie fetched a high of 0.8164 at 10:50 pm ET Wednesday. The pair then slipped slightly, but it has been reversing of late. As of 2:15 am Eastern Time, the pair was quoted at 0.8159.


Forex - Euro Strengthens Against Majors Amid German Data []

8/23/2007 2:10:47 AM Amid the release of the German Q2 GDP data, the Euro showed strength against its major counterparts. At about 2:09 am ET, the Euro fetched 1.3552 against the dollar, 0.6788 against the Pound, 157.02 against the Yen and 1.6347 against the Swiss Franc.


Forex - Euro Mixed Against Majors Ahead Of German Data []

8/23/2007 1:58:45 AM Ahead of the releases of the German GDP, imports and the exports data for the second quarter, the Euro saw a mixed dealing. The Euro was higher against the British Pound, but it slipped versus the dollar and the Swiss Franc. Against the Yen, the Euro moved sideways.

At about 1:55 am ET, the Euro fetched 1.3547 against the dollar, 0.6788 against the Pound, 156.81 against the Yen and 1.6343 against the Swiss Franc.

Forex - New Zealand Dollar Strengthens Against Yen [NZD/JPY]

8/23/2007 1:28:11 AM The New Zealand dollar showed strength versus the Japanese Yen during late Wednesday in New York. The pair carried over its uptrend in the early Asian deals on Thursday. At about 8:50 pm ET, the Kiwi slid briefly but it regained its ground soon after and fetched a high of 82.79. Currently, the pair has been trading slightly lower and fetched 81.98 as of 1:27 am Eastern Time.


Forex - New Zealand Dollar Drifts Higher Versus Euro [EUR/NZD]

8/23/2007 1:25:15 AM In the late hours on Wednesday in New York, the New Zealand dollar moved in a tight range against the Euro. But the Kiwi drifted up during the early Asian session on Thursday and collected as much as 1.8988 at 11:00 pm ET. The pair then moved sideways, but it has been losing the gains of late. As of 1:24 am Eastern Time, the pair was worth 1.9091.


Forex - New Zealand Dollar Ticks Up Against Greenback [NZD/USD]

8/23/2007 1:22:16 AM After holding steady during late Wednesday New York trading, the New Zealand dollar ticked higher versus the U.S. currency in the early Asian deals on Thursday. The Kiwi hit as high as 0.7138 at 10:45 pm ET and then traded sideways. Lately, the pair has been weakening slightly and collected 0.7100 as of 1:21 am Eastern Time.

FOREX Software: A Critical Element for Success

In most cases when you sign up with a FOREX broker they will provide you with software to execute transactions as well as get market information. Since online trading has been around for quite some time now, the brokers have a pretty solid understanding of what the traders need from trading software. There are two primary classifications of software provided by the brokers; web based and client based.

One of the mandatory services needed by all FOREX software is real time market updates. Since the FOREX market is so fast paced and volatile traders must have data that is accurate to a few seconds to make decisions on when to enter and exit their positions. All brokers make claims that their software will remain updated with a minimum of delay but the reality is that there are a variety of factors that can delay the software displaying updated information.

The users internet connection speed as well as their geographical distance from the broker are probably the two primary issues that can affect the update time. If you wish to be successful trading FOREX it is highly recommended that you have a high speed internet connection and a fairly up to date computer. You might also consider selecting a broker relatively close to you; if you are trading from the US you might want to avoid a broker based out of Australia. During times of extreme market volatility this distance could cause a delay significant enough to cause issues with your trades.

Online Forex Trading

Do you know what Forex trading is? Some people have heard of this type of trading, others have not. If you haven’t, it might be something you are interested in trying. Forex trading stands for foreign exchange trading. What it consists of is the buying and selling of different currencies. This is done simultaneously, and there are people who make a lot of money with this kind of trading. This is apparent by the 1.9 million dollar turnover in this market that happens every day. Also a lot of it is done online. Online Forex trading is very popular.

Do you know what Forex trading is? Some people have heard of this type of trading, others have not. If you haven’t, it might be something you are interested in trying. Forex trading stands for foreign exchange trading. What it consists of is the buying and selling of different currencies. This is done simultaneously, and there are people who make a lot of money with this kind of trading. This is apparent by the 1.9 million dollar turnover in this market that happens every day. Also a lot of it is done online. Online Forex trading is very popular.

The most common currencies to trade are the Euro and the U.S. dollar, and the U.S. dollar and the Japanese Yen. However, nearly all of the Forex trading done involves the major currencies of the world. These include the Euro, Japanese Yen, U.S. dollar, Canadian dollar, British Pound, Australian dollar, and the Swiss franc. The Forex exchange is different from other exchanges, such as the New York Stock Exchange, in that it does not have a physical location or central exchange. The exchange day begins in Sydney, then moves to Tokyo, on to London, and finally ends in New York. Each country takes the responsibility of regulating the Forex exchange activities in their own country. So there is no overall regulatory agency. However, this does not seem to be a problem and most countries do very well at overseeing Forex exchange activities.

Forex rate. For instance, economic things, like interest rates and inflation, and also political things, such as political unrest in other countries and major changes in government cause up and down changes in the Forex rate. However, these things tend to be short-term, and don’t affect it for long.

Online Forex trading sites are easy to find by surfing the Internet. Most of them provide a wealth of information for the first time trader. You can find out about the history of Forex trading, how to co it, tips on being successful, etc. You can also start trading with as little as $250 in your account on some sites. For anyone who is interested in currency or trading, it is something you should check out.

As with any type of trading, there are no guarantees that you will make money or that you won’t make money. It is a smart choice to learn as much as you can about online Forex trading before investing any money and doing any trading. It is a fact that informed investors do better than those who don’t know much about what they are trading. So get the fact before you dive in. You might just make a little money in a very interesting currency exchange.

Getting Started Trading Forex

Terminology and Market Conventions

If you are going to trade forex you need to understand the terms and quoting conventions used, especially in regards to the spot market.

Notational Conventions
The forex market uses 3-letter codes for all currencies. These are commonly known as SWIFT or ISO codes. For example, USD is the code for the US Dollar. Here are the codes for the other primary currencies:

AUD: Australian Dollar
CAD: Canadian Dollar
CHF: Swiss Franc
EUR: European Euro
GBP: British Pound
JPY: Japanese Yen
( For a complete listing of all currency SWIFT codes, click here. )

Expressing a relational value between two currencies is done by combining two currency abbreviations in the fashion of XXX/YYY. This indicates the amount of YYY currency (the “quote” currency) equivalent to one unit of XXX (”base” currency). For example if the exchange rate for USD/JPY - the US Dollar to Japanese Yen rate - was 100 it would mean that each USD is worth 100 JPY.

Using this convention, changes up or down in the quoted exchange rate indicate changes up or down in the value of the base currency. Using the USD/JPY example again, if the rate went from 100 to 101 it would mean a 1% increase in the value of the USD against the JPY. Similarly, a decline from 100 to 99 would represent a 1% fall in the USD value vs. the JPY.

In theory, one could quote the exchange rates either way around - meaning if USD/JPY is 100 it is the same as saying JPY/USD is 0.01 (one JPY is worth $0.01). In practice, however, the forex market has specific conventions for the traded pairs. In most cases, USD is the base currency, with the other currency in question being the quote currency. USD/JPY is an example.

There are a few exceptions, though. When it was introduced in 1999, the market authorities decided the Euro would always be the base currency in all traded pairs. Before that, the Pound (GBP) held that distinction. Thus, when traded against either of those, the USD is the quote currency (EUR/USD, GBP/USD). The same also holds for former British Commonwealth currencies the Australian Dollar (AUD/USD) and the New Zealand Dollar (NZD/USD).

It is worth noting that forex futures contracts involving currencies as quoted against the US Dollar do not hold to the spot market convention. Instead they all use the USD as the quote currency.

Majors and Crosses
In the forex you will here the terms “majors” and “crosses” when traders refer to different categories of currency pairs. In general terms, the “majors” are the pairs which include the USD quoted against the other primary industrialized currencies. Those include the ones listed above. So the majors are as follows:

AUD/USD
EUR/USD
GBP/USD
USD/CAD
USD/CHF
USD/JPY

While technically every currency pairing is a cross-rate, the term “cross” is most commonly used to refer to currency pairings which do not include the USD. For example, EUR/JPY is the Euro-Yen exchange rate. That would be considered a cross.

Forex Price Quotes
With an understanding of what we are looking at, now we can turn out focus to the actual price quotes. The graphic shows a sample table of quotes for an array of currency pairs - majors and crosses.

One thing you will notice in the table is that some pairs are quoted to four decimal places, while others only go out two places. In general terms, those pairs with values of about 10 or less will go out to four places, while those with higher values will be quoted only at two places.

Regardless of how many decimal places a currency pair is quote to, though, the term “pip” is used to define a single price movement value. So, for a two decimal place pair, a pip would be .01, while for a four decimal place pair a pip would be .0001.

We can see this in the quotes on the chart, especially when looking at the bid/offer spreads. AUD/JPY is quoted at 79.60-79.64, which is a 4 pip spread, while AUD/USD is quoted 0.7648-0.7650 for a 2 pip spread.

In recent times there has been introduced the “pipette”, which is a fraction of a pip. In essence, some of the more popular pairs like EUR/USD are trading at five decimal places now, which is why you can see a spread of 1.5 listed on the chart (column to the right of the price quote itself). That means the bid-offer spread is 1 and 5/10 pips.

One will sometimes here the term “figure” in spot forex trading. That is used to refer to a price level which is a round 100 pip figure. In USD/JPY that would be a multiple of 1 full JPY (such as 104), while in GBP/USD the figure would be a $0.01 multiple (like 1.8800).

The term “yard” sometimes comes up as well. That is used to refer to a one billion base currency transaction. So a yard of USD/JPY would be $1 billion.

Getting in to the Trading

Opening an Account
It is quite easy to start trading forex. There are a great many forex brokers available and opening an account is pretty straightforward. Some things you should consider as you look to identify the one best suited to you are:

• Account minimum deposit (if any)
• Transaction size flexibility
• Spreads
• Execution
• Commissions (if any)
• Security of deposited funds
• Allowable leverage
• Currency pairs available for trading
• Usability of the trading platform

The great thing is that nowadays the vast majority of brokers have available demo trading platforms you can use to evaluate their system. Be sure, though, to make note of any differences there are between the real platform and the demo one. Some brokers’ platforms are both the same across the board, but some have noticeable differences in things like execution speeds. It wouldn’t hurt to check around the discussion boards to see what others are saying.

Actually, if you are new to forex trading it is well worth it to spend a while trading via a demo platform first. It will help you develop and understanding of how it all works. That way, when you do go live, you will be more confident and ready for action.

Making Trades
Forex market trading is really little different from an execution perspective than most other markets. You can buy or sell. In most cases, the same types of orders (stops, limits, etc.) are available. The trading platforms are very modern and trades can be done very quickly. Anyone who has ever used an online trading platform for any other market will have no trouble making the move to forex and executing trades with ease. For that matter, even those new to trading will find entering and exiting forex positions a breeze.

What is the Forex Market and How is it Different?

What is Forex?

The foreign exchange market, often referred to as forex, is the market for the various currencies of the world. It is a market which, at its core, is rooted in global trade. Goods and services are exchanged 24 hours a day all over the world. Those transactions done across national borders require payments in non-domestic currencies.

For example, a US company purchases widgets from a Mexican company. To do the transaction, one of two things is going to happen. The US firm may, depending on the contract terms, make payment in Mexican Pesos. That would require a conversion of Dollars in to Pesos to make payment. Alternately, the payment could be made in Dollars, in which case the Mexican company would then exchange the Dollars for Pesos on their end. Either way, there is going to be some transaction which takes Dollars and swaps them for Pesos.

That is where the forex market comes in. Transactions like that take place all the time. The market maintains a rate of exchange between the US Dollar and the Mexican Peso (and between and amongst all other world currencies) to facilitate that activity. Consider the amount of global trade which takes place and you can see why the forex market is the biggest in the world, dwarfing all others. Literally trillions of dollars worth of forex transactions take place each and every day.

How is the Forex Market Different?

There are some significant differences between the forex market and others like the stock market. While it may be the feeling that a good trader should be able to handle any market, the fact of the matter is that some structural differences in forex can require a different trading approach.

Time
For most stock traders, the first difference they will notice between the forex market and equities is timeframe. Although the hours of stock trading have been expanding in recent years, the forex market is still the only one which can truly be viewed as 24-hour. There is ready forex trading activity in all time zones during the week, and sometimes even on the weekends as well. Other markets may in fact transact 24-hours, but the volume outside their primary trading day is thin and inconsistent.

No Exchanges
The lack of an exchange is probably the next big thing that sticks out as being different in forex. While it is true that there is exchange-based forex trading in the form of futures, the primary trading takes place over-the-counter via the spot market. There is no NYSE of forex.

On the largest scale, forex transactions are done in what is referred to as the inter-bank market. That literally means banks trading with each other on behalf of their customers. Larger speculators also operate in the inter-bank market where they can execute multi-million dollar trades with ease. Individual traders, who generally trade in much smaller sizes, primarily do so through brokers and dealers.

This is something which can trouble stock traders. There is no central location for price data, and no real volume information is attainable. Since volume is an often reported figure in the stock market, the lack of it in spot forex trading is something which takes a bit of getting used to for those making the switch.

Transaction Processing
Also, the lack of an exchange means a difference in how trading is actually done. In the stock market an order is submitted to a broker who facilitates the trade with another broker/dealer (over-the-counter) or through an exchange. In spot forex much of the trading done by individuals is actually executed directly with their broker/dealer. That means the broker takes the other side of the trade. This is not always the case, but is the most common approach.

Transaction Costs
The lack of an exchange and the direct trade with the broker creates another difference between stock and forex trading. In the stock market brokers will generally charge a commission for each buy and sell transaction you do. In forex, though, most brokers do not charge any commissions. Since they are taking the other side of all the customer trades, they profit by making the spread between the bid and offer prices.

Some traders do not like the structure of the spot forex market. They are not comfortable with their broker being on the other side of their trades as they feel it presents a type of conflict of interest. They also question the safety of their funds and the lack of overall regulation. There are some worthwhile concerns, certainly, but the fact of the matter is that the majority of forex brokers are very reliable and ethical. Those that are not don't stay in business very long.

Margin Trading
The forex market is a 100% margin-based market. This is a familiar thing for those used to trading futures.

In fact, spot forex trading is essentially trading a 2-day forward (futures) contract. You do not take actual possession of any currency, but rather have a theoretical agreement to do so in the future. That puts you in a position of benefiting from prices changes. For that your broker requires a deposit on your trades to provide surety against any losses you may incur. How much of a deposit can vary. Some brokers will asked for as little as 1/2%. That is fairly aggressive, though. Expect 1%-2% on the value of the position in most cases.

Now, unlike the stock market, margin trading does not mean margin loans. Your broker will not be lending you money to buy securities (at least not the way a stock broker does). As such, there is no margin interest charged. In fact, since you are the one putting money on deposit with your broker, you may earn interest in your margin funds.

Interest Rate Carry (Rollover)
When trading forex, one is essentially borrowing one currency, converting it in to another, and depositing it. This is all done on an overnight basis, so the trader is paying the overnight interest rate on the borrowed currency and at the same time earning the overnight rate on the currency being held. This means the trader is either paying out or receiving interest on their position, depending on whether the interest rate differential is for or against them.

This is commonly handled is what is referred to as a rollover. Spot forex trades are done on a trading day basis, and as such are technically closed out at the end of each day. If you are holding your position longer than that, your broker rolls you forward in to a new position for the next trading day. This is generally done transparently, but it does mean that at the end of each day you will either pay or receive the interest differential on your position.

The type of trader you are and the way your broker handles rollover will be the deciding factors in determining whether the interest rate differentials are an important concern for you. Some brokers will not apply the day's interest differential value on positions closed out during the trading day. By that I mean if you were to enter a position at 10am and exit at 2pm, no interest would come in to play. If you were to open a position on Monday and close it on Tuesday, though, you would have the interest for Monday applied (the full day regardless of when you entered the position), but nothing for Tuesday. (Note: There is at least one broker who calculates interest on a continuous basis, so you will always make or pay the interest differential on all positions, no matter when you put them on or took them off).

It should also be noted that although some folks will claim there is no rollover in forex futures, the interest rate spread is definitely factored in. You can see this when comparing the futures prices with the spot market rates. As the futures contracts approach their delivery date their prices will converge with the spot rate so that the holders will pay or receive the differential just as if they had been in a spot position.

Intervention
Fixed income traders know that central bankers, like the Federal Reserve, are active in the markets, buying and selling securities to influence prices, and thereby interest rates. This is not something which happens in stocks, but it does in the forex markets. This is known as intervention. It happens when a central bank or other national monetary authority buys or sells currency in the market with the objective of influencing exchange rates.

Intervention is most often seen at times when exchange rates get a bit out of hand, either falling or rising too rapidly. At those times, central banks may step in to try to nullify the trend. Sometimes it works. Sometimes not.

The US has traditionally taken a hands-off approach when it comes to the value of the Dollar, preferring to allow the markets to do their thing. Others are not quite so willing to let speculators determine their currency's value. The Bank of Japan has the most active track record in that regard.

Online Trading - Golden Rules for the New Trader

Any successful trader knows how fun and profitable stock trading can be. The experience of taking a profit from something as celebrated as the New York Stock Exchange or NASDAQ is as exciting as it gets. These trading arenas are the most celebrated in the World and to actually profit from these markets is a feat in itself. I don't have to tell most successful traders that they are competing with some of the most successful floor traders the market has to offer when the invest their money in the markets.

What about the new trader just starting out with a newly funded trading account? I'm sure any seasoned trader can look back and remember how that felt...exciting to say the least. If we are honest with ourselves we would also remember how many mistakes we made along the way to becoming successful. It's a fact that most new traders will lose all of their money before they finally figure out how to trade successfully. They come to the realization too late that the golden rule of successful trading is gaining enough knowledge to think for themselves.

The web is littered with obstacles that are designed for nothing more than to part unwitting investors and traders from their money. Couple that with the fact most traders soon find out trading is isn't as easy as following an analyst rating and become frustrated. This isn't the 1990's anymore and the stock market has reverted back to a more traditional growth rate and the likelihood that a new trader will soon find themselves over their head is very high.

So what can the new trader do to prepare for trading successfully? There are a few golden rules that I recommend any new trader follow before and during their initial stages of growth as a trader:

Learn to think for yourself - Take the time to learn your method of trading whether you decide to trade as a technical or fundamental trader. Read all you can and study often. Take a trading course, read books, get the proper charting software and look at charts nightly.

Stay away from stock message boards - When starting out it's hard to decipher honest observations from hype. "Pump and dump" schemes flourish on internet message boards and the new trader can become easy prey.

Don't over trade - It's easy for the new trader to actually trade too much. Stay in your investments until they run their course. Don't jump from one stock to another trying to achieve quicker profits.

Use a stop loss - Many new traders stay in a losing trade way too long. Stick with a hard and fast stop loss rule, I recommend eight percent.

Try paper trading first - Paper trading is a great way to test your trading strategies and build confidence. Wait until you're profitable on paper before committing money to the market.

Keep your emotions in check - The reason many traders lose money is because they are afraid of losing money. You should have a strategy and a stop loss rule that you can rely on. Cut your losses at your stop loss and let your profits run.

Trade with the market - Watch the S&P 500 or the NAZDAQ and trade with the trend of the markets. If the markets are in a decline, don't place long trades or go short. If the market is in an uptrend don't trade short and stay with your long positions.

While the above list is by no means an exhaustive list of the rules you will need to follow, it does cover the most common mistakes made by new investors. Take your time; learn all you can and you might just find yourself becoming a very profitable trader.