Tag Archives: Spreads

Market Analysis

Why use spreads as an option trading strategy in todays stock market

If you only buy options, the deck is stacked against you. Roughly 75% of options expire worthless or are closed at a loss. Since everything must add up to 100%, that means if 75% lose then only 25% win. If those odds sound good to you, you should spend a lot of time in Atlantic City or Las Vegas.

No one is right about the market 100% of the time. Sometimes things happen that upset your trading plan, such as 911, or Libya, or Congress not compromising and threatening a government shutdown or an oil spill in the Gulf. However, spread trading allows you to balance your risk and increase your odds of winning. It doesn’t matter whether it is a call spread or a put spread. If you buy a call and then sell a higher call on the same stock, you have balanced your risk. For example; XYZ stock is trading at $41.00 a share. The November 40 call is trading at a bid of $3.85 and ask of $3.90 and the November 45 call is trading at a bid of $1.70 and ask of $1.75. The total call spread is trading at a bid of $2.15 and ask of $2.15.

Instead of just buying the November 40 call at $3.85, you could buy the November 40 call and sell the November 45 call for $2.15, in equal quantities thus saving $1.70. If the stock rises as you expected, you could close the call spread for more than $2.15 which is a profit. If the stock price falls after the call spread is executed, you could buy the November 45 call for less than you received when you sold it, which is a profit and then wait for the stock price to correct (rise) and then sell the November 40 for more than you paid which is a profit on both sides (legs) of the call spread. The same concept would apply to a put spread.

Call spreads and put spreads reduce your cost and balance the risk. By being both a buyer and seller simultaneously, you have increased your chances of winning. However, this doesn’t substitute for doing your homework of technical analysis and fundamental analysis on the underlying stock to increase your chances to win. Turn your next option trade into a winning trade. Stop losing money trading options. Use spreads to mitigate the risk and get more consistent returns.

General Forex

Compare Forex Broker Spreads – Three Steps in Choosing a Forex Broker

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Compare Forex Broker Spreads

For the last few years it has been increasingly difficult to predict the changes in the stock market. This uncertainty has made it so people are looking for different ways that are more predictable to invest their money. One of these ways that more and more people are turning to is foreign exchange trading, also known as Forex trading. The ins and outs of Forex can be confusing; therefore it makes it important to enlist the help of a good Forex broker. Since many people don’t have much experience with Forex trading it makes it important for them to research how to choose a Forex broker.

Foreign exchange trading can be as difficult as the stock market to predict. The idea is that a person can exchange their currency from the United States for foreign currency. When the currencies change value, hopefully in favor of the investment, the person can trade their currency back for US dollars and make a profit. Compare Forex Broker Spreads

Some steps that are important when researching how to choose a Forex broker are:

First, check to see if your broker is financially regulated. When a broker is regulated it gives the client assurance that their money will be protected in the event of a financial crisis. A majority of brokers are regulated in the country of corresponding jurisdiction but it is important to check to ensure coverage.

The second thing a potential Forex investor should do is look at the spreads on offers. Usually there are 2 different types of spreads available, a floating spread and a fixed spread. Research should be done at the same time the client is choosing the broker as to what spread is best for them.

The most important part in learning how to choose a Forex broker forex trading is research. You don’t want to jump into a swimming pool unless you know there is water in the pool. For the same reasons, a person shouldn’t jump into a contract with a Forex broker unless research has been done on the company. Compare Forex Broker Spreads

General Forex

Pfg Best Forex Spreads – Forex Broker Platforms & How They Work

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Pfg Best Forex Spreads

There are many important aspects to finding the best forex broker out there, and finding one can be much more difficult than it seems. The truth is not all brokers are the same, and it’s very important a trade with an FX broker that gives you the best tools, features, and other aspects that can really help you earn a lot more money in forex!

Today, are FX experts are going to help you find the best forex broker for all of your trading needs.

Five Key Aspects To A Forex Broker

Trading Platform

One of the most important parts of the forex broker is their trading platform. Our broker with an excellent trading platform can really help you with ease of navigation, different amazing features such as NT four, personalize charts, personalized grass with building indicators, and many more advanced FX auctions to help you in the most new traders trade successfully!

The brokers of the best rating platforms are using the brokers which are the most successful in helping their traders earn money in the act market! Pfg Best Forex Spreads

Web Site Design

Surprisingly, the web site design a forex broker has is a very important aspect of trading. Along with the trading platform, the web site design can really have a very strong affect on the success of your FX trading. Truth is that the trading platform, and the web site design, have a very sharp effect on the way you trade FX, the charts and navigational tools used in certain broker sites and platforms can really make a difference between success and forex and..losing some money in FX.

Customer Service

Any forex broker worth their salt will offer excellent customer service, including one for some customer service to really help you trade successfully! The truth is that having the best customer service wants you communicate and reach out to the expert forex trading customer service agents.

Forex Spreads

Having a certain amount of spreads allows you to earn much more money in Forex by having a certain amount of FX Pips! Pfg Best Forex Spreads

General Forex

Best Forex Broker Spreads – Selecting the Best Online Forex Broker For Your Trading

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Best Forex Broker Spreads

When deciding on a Forex Broker you need to think about the way in which you will be using your Forex account. These days many traders, especially beginners, will use automated systems to enhance their trading returns. Therefore it is important that you select a Forex Broker who is sympathetic to their use.

The difficulty when trying to employ an automated trading system is in finding a Forex Broker that will accept their use. Many brokers will have an official or non official policy on the use of automated Forex trading systems on their platforms.

This policy is likely to be stricter the more successful the robot becomes. Increased success brings increased use, which in turn eats into broker profits. To combat this Forex Brokers employ various tactics to make it difficult to trade automated Forex systems.

While some will reportedly close a trader’s account if they suspect a robot is being used, others use more underhand tactics to disrupt their use. A common tactic is to raise the spread during quieter market sessions when automated robots are more likely to trade. While this doesn’t actually prevent the robot from being used it can make it difficult for them to find trade entry points. This is particularly true of the many robots that are reliant on a low spread as part of their strategy.

And of course by raising the spread on trades taken, a bigger commission is earned by the Forex broker, leaving less profit for the trader. Best Forex Broker Spreads

Some Forex Robots will try to prevent the Broker from detecting that they are being used by offering a form of key protection. This will need changing frequently and is not an ideal solution. Ok so the broker may not be able to detect that a robot is placing the trades but this will do nothing to overcome the issue of increased spreads which effect the time of day rather than the actual mechanism of trade execution.

When selecting a Forex Broker to run your automated system on it is important to take account of the tactics employed. For this reason it is best to look for a broker who accepts the use of automated Expert Advisors and the strategy it employs. Selected Brokers will allow the use of EA’s, hedging and scalping strategies on their platform without penalty.

However this is only half the solution. There is no point in settling for a broker who accepts the use of automated systems and then puts up the spreads at the time of day that they are most likely to be used.

The second part to selecting a Forex broker is therefore to make sure that you keep an eye on the spreads. A low spread is good but make sure it remains that way at the times when your system is looking to trade. Be wary of the broker increasing the spread at times of low liquidity. In some instances, dependant on the strategy employed, it can be advantageous to look for a broker offering guaranteed fixed spreads. In this way you have a known constant to your trading. Best Forex Broker Spreads

General Forex

Forex Broker Spreads – Finding a Forex Broker With Low Spreads

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Forex Broker Spreads

These days, open the internet and you will find loads of forex brokers claiming to be the one to offer the tightest spreads in the industry. But watch out! The marketing babble can be deceiving. To find out the forex broker with the small or the tightest spread one must understand the spread first.

The topic of spreads is rather complex and nothing affects your trading profitability more than this. Spread is the difference between the ask price (the price you buy at) and the bid price (the price you sell at) quoted in pips. For example, a quote between EUR/USD at a given point is 1.2222/4, then the spread is 2 pips, or if the quote is 1.22225/40, then the spread is 1.5 pips.

Spread is the tool through which your broker makes his earnings. So, wider the spread, higher is the ask price and lower the bid price. As a result, you pay more when you buy and get less when you sell and therefore earn less with all your trades. The forex broker with small spreads ensures a better profit opportunity.

As a trader, you must buy currencies at a lower price and subsequently sell it at a higher price to make the whole proposition profitable. But wider spread means buying higher and having to sell lower. A half-pip lower spread does not sound like much, but it makes the difference in a big way. Now a days, software based spread calculators are there where you can find out the spread easily and how much difference it is going to make in your return.

The forex trader with small spread should also have good execution. It is the quality of execution that decides whether you actually receive tight spreads or not. Your forex broker may promise a small spread but if it is with few pips to your disadvantage or you find your request to be rejected, you receive wider spread than promised. Forex Broker Spreads

Spreads must be considered in conjunction with depth of book. On the interbank forex market, the larger the size of the ticket, the larger the spread. So a 1-pip spread on an ECN platform may not be available for all trade sizes.

As the spread policies differ from broker to broker, the forex broker with small spread must have a transparent policy. Some brokers may offer fixed spreads irrespective of market liquidity. But as fixed spreads are almost always higher than variable spread, you effectively pay more.

Some forex brokers with small spread may offer it only under specific market condition and liquidity. In their case, the spreads are tighter when the market liquidity is good but more when the liquidity is less.

In ideal situation, your forex broker with small spread should have the option of variable spread depending on your trading style. If you trade only when the markets tend to be volatile, you may accept a fixed spread, but be sure that the execution is good. Some forex brokers with small spread may offer variable spread to different clients. If so, find out how you can avail a better offer.

While seeking the service of the broker, you must learn the terms and conditions of the spread offered. It should not involve any hidden cost. You may find several reliable sites who periodically performs assessments of brokers. You can seek help of one such site before choosing your forex broker with small spread. Forex Broker Spreads