Tag Archives: Markets

Forex Trading Articles

Forex Markets And The State of The World Economy

Whilst the US Dollar will often benefit from turmoil in the markets the US Federal Reserve’s second round of quantitative easing will most likely keep pressure on the Greenback. This is especially true if the Federal Reserve uses most of the $600bn package in order to continue to stimulate the economy.

American economic growth showed some signs that it was improving recently: jobless claims were at their lowest point for four months and the international trade gap narrowed. These reports followed US payrolls data which showed that job growth in the private sector was at its strongest point for any month since April. This gives some suggestion that the economy might be starting to pull out of the struggles of the summer months.

These improvements meant the one month moving average of jobless claims, which is an indicator of underlying trends, was at its lowest level since September 2008 – the month that Lehman Brothers infamously filed for bankruptcy.

Still, there are many analysts who believe that the pace of job creation isn’t currently high enough to make any significant dent in the US unemployment rate, which currently stands at 9.6%.

It was the concern regarding the lacklustre jobs market which was the most influential factor behind the Fed’s decision to indulge in a second round of asset purchasing and pump an extra $600bn into the American economy.

Another report from the Commerce Department said that the trade deficit in the US narrowed to $44bn in September, which was better than expected, despite near record imports from China. Narrower trade deficits are good for an economy as it shows an increased demand for that country’s goods.

Elsewhere in the forex spread betting markets, Sterling has risen after a Bank of England (BoE) report suggested that the UK is now less likely to conduct another round of quantitative easing. The BoE looks unlikely to make any changes to monetary policy for some months to come as recent data has been rather mixed and there is a considerable lack of certainty in the UK economy at the moment.

The Pound saw sharp gains and British government bond futures fell, which suggested that spread betting and CFD investors believe that the Bank is now less likely to mimic its transatlantic cousins in expanding their asset book.

The UK central bank’s quarterly Inflation Report did however leave the door open for more asset purchases if needed. BoE Governor Mervyn King stated that the Bank is ready to move and change its monetary policy in either direction should the UK economy require it. King stressed big risks to both the upside and the downside regarding inflation and growth, saying that the fate of the UK’s recovery will depend heavily on how the economy recovers on a global scale.

It’s not all about Britain and America though, at least according to a CMC markets report; the Eurozone has its part to play too. “The single currency continues to trade near recent lows against the USD as concerns about sovereign debt continue to play out in Brussels,” it read.

“Finance ministers are working to lay out a plan for bailing out Ireland’s banks if the need arises, however Dublin continues to play its cards close to its chest. Concern that a contagion effect could take hold and spill over to countries like Portugal and Spain are the primary concerns in markets at the moment. As it is, Portugal had to pay a sharply higher rate on its 12 month government debt.”

A word of warning before you spread betting though, please ensure that financial spread betting matches your investment objectives, it carries a high level of risk to your capital and you can lose more than your initial investment. Make sure you familiarise yourself with the risks involved. Spread trading carries a high level of risk to your capital. Seek independent advice if necessary.

General Forex

Why People Find Trading The Forex Markets Full Time To Be Very Hard

Most people become acquainted with forex trading whilst they are still in full time employment. They may be looking to make some extra money, or they may be looking for a new career in a different industry or a job with more freedom. However it should be pointed out that there is a massive difference between part time forex trading and full time forex trading.

When you are trading the markets part time, either whilst you are working in your day to day job or in your spare time or days off, there is no pressure to make money. You will probably open an account with a few hundred dollars and start trying to make money with different trading systems, safe in the knowledge that you still have a decent wage coming in.

However when you are trading the markets full time, you rely on these profits in order to live because they need to cover your rent or mortgage payments, as well as all your expenses and day to day costs. If you have a few losing weeks, then you may well struggle to pay the bills.

This puts enormous pressure on you because you have to make money. So you may well find that it starts to affect your trading because you may have a decent trading system in place, but you keep on taking impulsive trades in order to hit your profit targets. Ideally you should stick to your system at all times even during the occasional losing run, but I fully understand how hard this can be when you need to make money every week in order to pay your bills and live your life.

It is also the case that because forex trading from home can be quite boring because you are sat watching your computer for hours on end, and there may be times when you day trade the markets just for a bit of excitement. However the trouble is that short term trading can be an absolute killer if you don’t have a top notch system in place with good money management rules in place, so this can make life difficult for you as well.

It should also be pointed out that there can be pressures put upon you from both your family and your friends. Outsiders often assume that you are making lots of money if you can afford to quit your job and trade the markets from home. So if you are making steady but unspectacular profits, it can be all too easy to start upping the stakes in order to bring in the big profits. Unfortunately this often leads to disaster.

When you add in the extra pressure of knowing that you may have to go and get a job again if you are not successful, it is easy to see why full time forex trading is so difficult. There are so many pressures and you will generally find that only a small group of people are still trading the currency markets full time several years after they first started.

Forex Trading Articles

Foreign Currency Markets

The forex training that one receives is largely responsible for their resounding success or utter failure while trading in the foreign currency markets. It is important to invest time and money in getting the best forex training and the most advanced training tools if you are serious about making it big in the currency trading market.

There is this general theory about forex markets that it is the best source to make some easy money and fast. Nothing is farther from the truth. Success in the forex markets comes with a lot of hard work, rigorous training in understanding the working of the market and the sharpness of the mind in unraveling the intricacies about the market movements. It involves correctly identifying and reading the signals.

There are millions of people worldwide who have made a fortune solely by investing and trading in the forex markets. If you do a research on such individuals, one fact that would be common to almost all those success stories is the unwavering dedication in studying the market behavior and the constant effort to upgrade one’s knowledge on the development that takes place in the market. They take stupendous effort in assimilating, decoding and analyzing data from the forex market to help them gain a grip on the trading process.

Given the size of the forex market, it would be physically impossible to do such research without the aid of proper tools and software. If you want to gain an upper edge in the forex markets it is critical to invest in the latest software programs which can break down figures and facts to comprehensible levels so that they can be used for future forex investment plans.

There are some hugely popular and result oriented training programs aimed at making you an adept in the art of forex trading. You must narrow down your choice to the best forex program available, even though they may seem more expensive than several other programs. Remember, the best things in life do not come for free. Similarly, the best forex programs are expensive and may burn a small hole in your pocket. But they are the worth the money spent. A combination of the best training program and the best forex trading software is an unbeatable combination. Not only will you gain tremendous expertise in trading and making money in the forex markets, you can do so by operating within safety trading limits.

You can contact your fellow online forex traders or online resources to know more about the best forex program for forex trading.

Forex Trading Articles

Foreign Exchange Markets

The foreign exchange market or the forex market as it is more popularly known is one of the most exciting and fast paced financial market. The market has seen large scale entry of individual investors, which until the recent past was the domain of large financial institutions, leading world banks and hedge fund operators. Because of the strict qualifying parameters imposed, only a few wealthy individuals had access to the foreign exchange trading markets.

The advent of technology has changed all that dramatically. Now, you can trade in forex from the comfort of your homes if you have a computer and net connectivity. With an online brokerage account you can easily buy and sell currencies with the click of a mouse.

Unlike equity and stock markets, the daily fluctuations are very minute in a foreign exchange market. The foreign exchange trading is done in pairs and many pairs move less than one percent in a day. The enormous leverage offered by the brokers to the foreign exchange traders helps them invest in huge volumes to make up for the low volatility.

In a normal market, high leverage is perceived as something that is extremely risky. However, in a foreign exchange market because of the deep liquidity and round the clock trading, brokers have been able to make high leverage a norm of the industry so that traders can have meaningful returns on investments.

The forex markets offer a high degree of flexibility. Extreme liquidity and high levels of leverage has helped the market grow dramatically and help traders make enormous profits. Trade positions can be opened and closed within minutes or can be held for months. The forex market is a safe place to trade because currencies cannot be subjected to large scale manipulations and riggings which is a common feature in an equity or derivative market.

Because of the global size of the market, there is little possibility of even banks and financial institutions making even a small dent in the trading prices of currencies. They are based entirely on the demand and supply situation.

The forex markets offer plenty of opportunity to investors. However, to be successful one has to understand the fundamentals of the currency moves and the nuances of the trading process.

Forex Trading Articles

Foreign Exchange Markets – What You Should Know

The foreign exchange markets are located worldwide. Currency trading is a global activity. Every country in the world spends money and needs to change their money into other currencies to trade or interact with other nations.

Exchange happens at all levels of society. As an individual you have changed money when you travel for business or vacation. Or maybe you have sold something on eBay to someone in another country. Their payment comes in to your account in its own currency, and the bank or payment processor such as PayPal changes it for you. This is currency exchange at the root level.

Exchange or Forex trading has a different purpose, however. When you act on the foreign exchange markets, you do not purchase a different currency because you need it. You are now in the hope that it will rise in value, so you can return and finish with more money than you started with.

Of course it is risky. Price movement could go against you and you’d end up with less money instead of more. So you will want to gather plenty of information about currency trading before you actually begin trading.

Forex trading began in the 1970s when the major currencies were liberalized so that their values were no longer fixed. The banks and large investors quickly saw the potential for profit from changing prices.

The main Forex markets are the major financial centers worldwide. London sees the highest activity with New York second and third Tokyo. Other major players are Sydney, Zurich and Frankfurt.

Originally you had to be in one of these major centers to trade money, or at least have a telephone connection with a broker who was there. It was very difficult for someone who was not on site to act quickly enough to react to sudden fluctuations in price that can happen in the Forex markets.

But modern technological advances have changed all that. Since the advent of Internet it has been possible to act on your own account from anywhere. This means that it has become easier and easier for the little man to trade in the foreign exchange markets.

While some people never think of foreign currency from one instance of travel to the next, others are studying charts and financial information or even use automated software in the form of Forex robots that make money on the rising and falling prices. They do this in order to become financially free through trading in foreign exchange markets.