The Stock Market's Best-Kept Inside Secret

The Stock Market's Best-Kept Inside Secret - The E-Mini

I received an interesting magazine (or, maybe better described as a catalog) in the mail the other morning entitled "Home Business Connection". It was apparently sent to me because my name is on some mailing list. Beautifully designed and bearing a price tag of $5.95 per copy, I was tempted to open and read what it was all about. It is mostly full-page ads of 'home business' ideas...one after another, covering every possibility from the proverbial stuffing envelopes to much more sophisticated endeavors. Of course, each was headlined with bold declarations of being the "world's greatest home business" with promises of getting fabulously rich quick "absolutely guaranteed"! As I read through some of the ads (many were actually feature articles about certain types of home businesses), I couldn't help but compare all of them to my 'home business'.

Most were of the conventional type: find a product (usually made by someone else) then set up a way to promote, advertise and market it. Most were centered mainly on MLM or the Internet as the way to get fabulously rich. None bothered though, to explain how difficult it is to build and keep a good MLM downline, or, to get traffic to a web site. Made me wonder if those ads were directed to people who've never been 'round the block' at all, those whom it would be easy to put stars in their eyes with a little talk about making fabulous money in very short order? But, it is a good collection of home business ideas ...for anyone to peruse.

My home business is so simple I still have difficulty sometimes believing it myself. I sit down at my home computer each morning, turn on my e-mini trading charts and start watching for a good trade signal. What? You've never heard of an "E-mini"? Well, don't feel bad; I hadn't either ....until early 2002, even though I had been an active trader of stock options for over twenty years by that time. You see.... the 'e-mini' was introduced into the stock market when the Internet and personal computer were really coming into their own...back in 1997, as a trading instrument that average folks could afford to learn to trade, and take active roles in the stock market.

Most folks don't know much about trading; they think you just invest in stocks. That's all that the mutual funds and stock brokers have ever talked about (in their TV commercials and all of their advertising), but, in reality, those guys are not investors themselves...they are traders. But, they convince the rest of us that the smart thing for the public to do is turn all of our 'retirement dreams' over to them and let them manage our 'investments' for us...because they are the "professionals". Meanwhile, they are trading everyday...with their clients' money, but the account managers and the mutual fund company pockets all of the profits. Their clients (in those mutual funds) only get a mutual scr*****!

Oh, the typical mutual fund does realize [on average] about 10-15% appreciation growth of each portfolio per year, but the stock market [itself] -on its own, has historically done that, even through all of the Wars, Great Depression and even with 9-11 thrown in! Makes you wonder if brokers and mutual fund managers are, in reality, worth anything at all!

Anyway, back to the home business I found in trading E-mini's: I trade a couple of hours each morning, making 3 or 4 trades on my computer and put as my daily average goal about $500 dollars into my pocket. I never get greedy and try to stretch it....even though many days the market easily would let me. Just a nice little daily cash flow generator...that lets me grind out $500 a day, $10 grand a month and $125,000 a year. Not bad, eh? It really is that simple. The market is always there for me...every morning. I don't care whether it is going up (bullish) or down (bearish), I can make money either direction. (Something else those brokers and mutual fund managers will never tell you, or explain to you!) They'll just tell you to bring them as much money as you can and be prepared to invest with them for the long haul. 'Hold...and Hope' - that's the best the mutual fund investor has going for him or her.

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Inverted Pyramid Based Forex Trading Strategies

Inverted Pyramid Based Forex Trading Strategies

As a trader, you must develop a Forex trading strategy that will allow you to quickly identify flaws and make adjustments while continuing to trade. A classic approach used to evaluate risks in the currency trading system is the inverted pyramid approach. All macroeconomic factors that affect a chosen currency pair are a function of the top of the inverted pyramid. All technical factors are considered as you move down to the bottom of the pyramid. Traders assign weight to different parts of the pyramid. Purely technical traders may apply more weight to the bottom of the inverted pyramid (upside down triangle) while fundamental traders may apply more weight at the top.

In order to make use of the inverted pyramid you will need to understand the macroeconomic factors that are a function of the top of the inverted pyramid. These include international issues that influence the global trading community. These types of issues may be gauged from news reports and news feeds with global coverage. News networks, such as CNN, provide up to date coverage of terrorism, oil prices and other such issues.

In order to account for the technical factors that apply to the pyramid, you will need to determine specifics and sediment in the particular market within which you are trading and also for any market that impacts the market within which you are trading. You must decide the typeof technical indicators that will be used in your Forex trading strategy. Some traders rely upon randomness and chance while others engage more complicated mathematical computations to calculate weighted moving averages. You must be able to develop and visualize a picture of the market, which identifies events that are of importance to affect the market. You also need to develop a general feel about the market. News reports and specific market reports will assist you in developing a picture of the market and also indicate of the direction in which the market is headed.

You will need to determine which currency pairs are volatile in relation to the macroeconomic environment and market conditions that have been identified. You will need to have knowledge of the market in order to identify and differentiate market indicators from events that bear no real significance. Your analysis of acquired data should indicate whether price movements represent a trend or volatility in the currency trading system. You will then be able to use this analysis to narrow your options to trades that offer the most potential.

You must be able to set floors and ceilings in your technical analysis to establish trading levels and then use those levels in your Forex trading strategy. Technical patterns that indicate the direction of trades in specific currency pairs should be developed. Once you have narrowed down to a specific currency pair for trade, you will then need to reexamine its market sediment as it applies to the technical analysis. You will have to identify entry and exit points for your chosen trades.

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Best Currencies to Trade

Trading Forex - Best Currencies to Trade

The explosion of over the counter Forex trading led to increased competition on part of brokers. Over last few years trade execution has become much better, spreads went down and trading platforms have seen dramatic improvement in performance and functionality. Another area of brokers services that witnessed huge changes is the number of currency pairs available for trading.

As recently as 5 years years ago there were platform offering only 4 major pairs for trading, all of them US dollar denominated - EUR/USD, USD/JPY, GBP/USD and USD/CHF. Not much choice there. Vast majority of brokers would provide 8 to 12 currency pairs. That was the staple. Only very select group could boast availability of 20 or more crosses.

Those times seem like ancient history. These days broker which offers 20 or so currencies is, well, services deficient. New norm seems to be availability of 50 + pairs on a trading platform, while few leaders provide over 70 or even close to 1000 currency based financial products. If swaps and options are included, this number can easily breach 300. Quite a difference over just few short years.

Does it mean that all these instruments are suitable for an average trader? The answer is resounding "NO". Some currency pairs are better than others, especially for beginning and less experienced traders. Some should be all out avoided or left for true professionals. That said, which are the best currency pairs to trade?

Trading instrument, should be liquid, have low cost of trading and have enough volatility to present profit opportunities as often as possible. Volatility, of course, is a double edged sword and can be detrimental, as well as desirable. Most of USD and, these days, EUR crosses fit into this mold.

Beginners should generally concentrate on the old stand byes, the 4 majors. EUR/USD and USD/CHF should the the first to consider. Both are very liquid, have low spreads (minimal trading costs) and move quite a bit. Incidentally, under current market conditions, USD/CHF is less volatile, and probably better for new comers, while still providing very good opportunities.

If you prefer fasting moving currency, GBP/USD is for you. The "cable" can move with surprising speed, but that works both ways- losses can be just as swift. Last one of the 4 majors is USD/JPY. Despite its much vaunted status, it is also a currency most susceptible to political influence. That can lead to more unpredictable behavior than the before mention pairs, but it has extremely low spreads and huge volume.

At present some of EUR denominated pairs are just as liquid as USD crosses. Most notable are EUR/CHF, EUR/JPY and GBP/USD. All of them are among the very best currencies to trade. EUR/CHF, for example, is far from being the boring instrument of years past. Daily trading ranges are very similar to USD/CHF, spread is the same and , by some accounts, volume is even higher.

Rounding up the best currencies to trade is AUD/USD. This pair has also experienced tightening spread, increased volume and widening daily trading range. On the contrary, the remaining dollars, USD/CAD and NZD/USD, should probably be left alone by less experienced traders. One of their less desirable characteristic is significant luck of liquidity pool at certain times of the day.

While it is good to have wide range of choices when it comes to trading options, it is not necessary, or even possible, to master all of them. There is nothing wrong with trading only the most popular currencies. They are most accessible and most information is available about them. Some of the best traders around specialize in only or two of these pairs. So can you.

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How to Utilize Forex Trading Courses to Become a Successful Currency Trader

How to Utilize Forex Trading Courses to Become a Successful Currency Trader

Starting to trade the Foreign Exchange Markets (Forex) can be a tempting enticement to contemplate when wishing to improve your financial position and fortunately there are many exceptional Forex online courses today that can help you accomplish this task. Education is the first step the majority of us take in which ever field we enter and continuous learning is the stepping stone to long term accomplishments in that discipline. The exact same principle can be applied to Forex trading. Actually, it is highly essential for the novice trader to have appropriate knowledge about the intricacies of the foreign exchange markets in order to avoid major economic disasters. The potential of the Forex market is tremendous with fortunes being made every day by individual traders. Unfortunately, the risk factor related to large funds disappearing quickly also exists. Lack of knowledge about how, when and where the system works could certainly make you one of the ninety five per cent of people that begin Forex trading that are NEVER able to make money.

There are hundreds, if not thousands of Forex trading courses that claim they can make your entry into this lucrative field smooth and hassle-free with good financial results. There are so many means available to learn the concepts of foreign exchange trading and its various angles that you will be overwhelmed with information when attempting to appraise them. The majority are based on one of or a combination of the following training methods; a selection of online trading books, an online one on one training class, an online seminar or a series of seminars, an online video program or an online trading tutorial. Online trading courses have specific advantages over other forms of media. First, the online courses are updated continuously as the market changes. Second, they are delivered to you in a timely fashion, in other words, when you are ready to learn they are ready to teach you. Finally, you can have access to the Forex training courses immediately.

Most of the Forex trading courses begin with the fundamentals of currency trading, its various terminologies, definitions etc., in order to prepare you for the more advanced topics. In the next stage of the programs they will begin discussing specific Forex trading strategies, Forex trading signals and where to find them and how they are interpreted, Forex day trading for profit and so many more advanced concepts that they to numerous to even attempt to mention.

Learning to profitably trade the Forex markets has never been as easy as it is today. There are so many outstanding training programs that your biggest problem won't be finding them, but it will be evaluating each course and determining which is offering the best value for your hard earned money.

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What is Day Trading? - The Basics

What is Day Trading? - The Basics

Day trading is the practice of buying and selling financial instruments, such as stocks, stock options, currencies, and futures contracts, within the same day such that your positions are usually closed before the end of the day.

Day trading used to be the sole realm of professional investors. In fact, many day traders work for banks or investment firms. Advances in technology and the Internet, however, have allowed even amateur traders to day trading.

Day traders often borrow money to trade. This leveraging allows for a high potential rate of return and large profits. Some day traders earn millions of dollars a year. However, day trading can also be extremely risky. Without the proper skills and tools, day traders can just as easily and quickly lose money.

Although collectively called day trading, there are several different styles of day trading. Some trading styles include:

Momentum Trading

Momentum trading is a strategy in which one believes that stocks, or other financial instruments, move with a momentum or trend. Thus, stocks that have been rising are assumed to continue to rise. Likewise, stocks that are falling will continue to fall. A momentum trader thus buys stocks that are rising and short sells ones that are falling.

Contrarian Trading

Contrarian Trading sharply contrasts momentum trading. Contrarian traders believe that stocks that have been rising will reverse and fall. The contrarian trader buys stocks that have been falling and short sells stocks that have been rising.

Range Trading

Day traders who range trade look for stocks that have been consistently trading within a specific range. These stocks rise after hitting a "support" price and fall after hitting a "resistance" price. A range trader therefore buys stocks that are near the support price and short-sells stocks that are near the resistance price.

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Discover the Crucial Fact You Need Know!

Day Trading For Beginners - Discover the Crucial Fact You Need Know!

This article is all about forex day trading for beginners and what you need to know, to preserve your equity and win at forex trading...

The most important fact you need to know is that the odds are stacked against you and longer term, it's impossible to win. Have you seen a tempting day trading system with a track record of gains?

Then you will also find the warning below in the small print which is a sobering thought, showing you how the track record has been manufactured:

"CFTC RULE 4.41 - Hypothetical or simulated performance results have certain limitations. Unlike an actual performance record, simulated results do not represent actual trading. Also, since the trades have not been executed, the results may have under-or-over compensated for the impact, if any, of certain market factors, such as lack of liquidity. Simulated trading programs in general are also subject to the fact that they are designed with the benefit of hindsight. No representation is being made that any account will or is likely to achieve profit or losses similar to those shown".

All day trading forex courses and systems sold that I have seen have it.

You see some lovely track records, then in the small print, you get the above which simply means the system has never been traded and the track record made up using past data. That's made up KNOWING the closing prices!

Well that's not hard, a child could do it and so could you.

So why doesn't day trading work?

All you need to do is think about the dumb logic it's based on.

We have numerous millions of people all around the world, all with different skill levels, motivations, aims and forex trading strategies and you are going to have to decide, what this vast mass of people are going to do, in just a few hours.

Is it possible?

Of course not.

It's a fact, that all daily volatility is of a random nature and prices can go outside of daily support, resistance, pivot points or any other technical analysis tool you apply.

Look at any forex chart and this is obvious.

Because you can't get the odds on your side, your destined to lose - PERIOD.

The other point you need to keep in mind (if the above is not enough to convince you) is that day trading breaks a fundamental rule of investment:

Run your profits, to cover your losses.

So in day trading, you do keep losses small (and your going to get lots of them) but on the other hand, what does a day trader do if he is lucky enough to have a profit?

Run it? Not a chance - he cuts it!

So you have lots of small losses and marginal wins (now and again when your lucky) and this equates to an equity wipe out long term.

Don't be fooled by all the vendors telling you that you will win, you won't.

You could always ask the obvious question:

If the system is so good, why hasn't it got a real time profitable track record?

You already know the reason why!

You can make money at forex trading big money but you need to get the odds on your side and you need to trade longer term.

If you want a good forex education and to learn currency trading the right way, forget day trading and try long term forex trend following.

Forex markets do trend longer term, you can get the odds on your side and you can win which is more than can be said for forex day trading.

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Moving average scalping.

How to Use Fundamental Studies to Supplement Technical Analysis

How to Use Fundamental Studies to Supplement Technical Analysis

There are 2 methods of trading in a particular stock. And these methods are known as fundamental analysis and technical analysis.

There is a wide difference between fundamental analyst and technical analyst.

Fundamental analysis investors are those people who take the pains to do certain research about the stock. And then take decision whether to invest or not in a particular stock.

Technical analysis investors are the people who try to evaluate a particular stock and then take decision whether to buy a particular stock or not. They try to find a brief history of the stock and then only they take a decision of investing in a particular stock.

It must be noted that both the methods have their own advantages. Technical analysis investors would but those stocks in which a huge investment is done by other thinking that in future the value of these stocks would go high. These are the investors who follow the crowd and don't take pains to take their own decisions.

On the other hand fundamental analysis investors would take pains to do a brief research about a particular stock and then only they would take the decisions of buying that stock.

Some investor can become a specialist in any one the methods. They try to gain specialize knowledge of any one method. The investors who specialize in technical method are considered to be reliable tool. On the other hand fundamental investors consider this method to be superior to any other method.

Since the technical investors try to find he brief history of the stock so they able to predict the future price of the particular stock. This is the most important advantage of technical analysis. And this method is beneficial for short term and day traders. Where as fundamental analysis is beneficial to long term traders.

According to technical analyst a brief history of the particular stock gives the brief idea about its future performance. But according to IPO or mutual fund the history of the particular stock is not the best way to predict its future. Technical investor take look at the brief history of the performance of the stock but do not consider the other factors that might change the situation in the future.

Fundamental analysts are the investors who take care of factors that might change the price of the stock in future. One should try to gain the latest knowledge about a stock that he is willing to invest in.

Learn the Basics of Winning and Successful Forex Trading

Forex Trading Tutorial - Learn the Basics of Winning and Successful Forex Trading

Forex trading tutorial - one of these can be very helpful in giving you the basic knowledge from which to launch a successful forex trading career. In this article, I want to give you a few beginner basics to start you on the right path.

Never Trade On Instinct

Never make a trade based on instinct. Always use logic. Think "Spok" in Star Trek. He would have made an incredible trader!

I had a friend who made lots of trades based on gut feeling. He did well for a couple of months and then he blew it all in a single day. His wife is still not happy about that!

Learn As Much As You Can

The forex market is not for lazy people. Sure, you don't need to know much to start trading. But you owe it to yourself to continually learn.

Don't worry - the great thing about learning forex is that it is so interesting. You learn about the world and it's politics and economics and about the psychology of people in general. You'll love it, I'm telling you!

Always Have An Exit Strategy

Let's say you place a trade because you think the price will go up. So, how long will you ride this trend? What if it goes higher than you expected? What if the price suddenly turns around?

Always have an exit strategy before placing a trade. Either bail out if the price falls against you by a fixed percentage or make a decision as to how long you will hold on if the price goes even further in your favour.

Never Risk More Than You Can Afford To Lose

I'll give you an example of this. I once lost 20% of my trading balance. I decided to go on what I thought was a sure thing and trade the remaining 80%.