FOREX, Trading Foreign Currency

By Jo Nash

FOREX trading is all about trading foreign currency, stocks, and similar type of products. The currency of one country is weighed against the currency of another country to determine value. The value of that foreign currency is taken into consideration when trading stocks on the FOREX markets. Most countries have control over the value of that countries value, involving the currency, or money. Those who are often involved in the FOREX markets include banks, large businesses, governments, and financial institutions.

What makes the FOREX market different from the stock market? A forex market trade is one that involves at least two countries, and it can take place worldwide. The two countries are one, with the investor, and two, the country the money is being invested in. Most all transactions taking place in the FOREX market are going to take place through a broker, such as a bank.

What really makes up the FOREX markets? The foreign exchange market is made up of a variety of transactions and counties. Those involved in the FOREX market are trading in large volumes, large amounts of money. Those who are involved in the FOREX market are generally involved in cash businesses, or in the trade of very liquid assets that you can sell and buy fast. The market is large, very large. You could consider the FOREX market to be much larger than the stock market in any one country overall. Those involved in the FOREX market are trading daily twenty-four hours a day and sometimes trading is completed on the weekend, but not all weekends.

You might be surprised at the number of people that are involved in FOREX trading. In the years 2004, almost two trillion dollars was an average daily trading volume. This is a huge number for the number of daily transactions to take place. Think about how much a trillion dollars really is and then times that by two, and this is the money that is changing hands every day!

The FOREX trading market is not something new, but has been used for over thirty years. With the introduction of computers, and then the internet, the trading on the FOREX market continues to grow as more and more people and businesses alike become aware of the availablily of this trading market. FOREX only accounts for about ten percent of the total trading from country to country, but as the popularity in this market continues to grow so could that number. - 23208

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How Should Investors Diversify?

By Michael Swanson

Any investor who has done some research is well aware of the advice diversify your investment portfolio to minimize your risk. It makes sense; we as cautious humans quickly understand the old proverb "Don't put all your eggs in one basket". But when it comes down to the dollars and cents, does investor diversification benefit the smaller investor?

Where we are at any point in our investment life cycle will have a huge bearing on our tolerance for risk. Some people are naturally risky, others much more cautious. For those starting out in their working careers the money they invest is very limited and they don't want to lose any of it. For those in the wealth accumulation years they tend to be much more risk tolerant. For them there is a bigger base so a small loss isn't as important and they have years to recoup any losses. For those at the end of their working lives or in retirement, the risk profile is probably much lower. All these factors mean that as individuals, our attitude to diversification will be different.

The problem with diversifying is that while you may limit your risk, you may limit the gains you can make as well. If all your money is in stock picks and the property market has a boom you will not participate in any of these high returns.

For the small investor size also matters. He will not have the bottomless investment pool to be able to buy significant quantities of the prescribed, balances share portfolio, plus the property investments plus the fixed income options. Or if he tries he will end up with uneconomically sized parcels.

There are many instances where specializing have paid off, look at Henry Ford or Bill Gates, neither of these diversified their markets. But there are just as many examples of people who have not diversified and have been burnt.

In the end, just as we are individuals, our investment diversification decisions must be tailored to our circumstances. - 23208

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Trading The Forex

By Jo Nash

FOREX trading is all about trading foreign currency, stocks, and similar type of products. The currency of one country is weighed against the currency of another country to determine value. The value of that foreign currency is taken into consideration when trading stocks on the FOREX markets. Most countries have control over the value of that countries value, involving the currency, or money. Those who are often involved in the FOREX markets include banks, large businesses, governments, and financial institutions.

What makes the FOREX market different from the stock market? A forex market trade is one that involves at least two countries, and it can take place worldwide. The two countries are one, with the investor, and two, the country the money is being invested in. Most all transactions taking place in the FOREX market are going to take place through a broker, such as a bank.

What really makes up the FOREX markets? The foreign exchange market is made up of a variety of transactions and counties. Those involved in the FOREX market are trading in large volumes, large amounts of money. Those who are involved in the FOREX market are generally involved in cash businesses, or in the trade of very liquid assets that you can sell and buy fast. The market is large, very large. You could consider the FOREX market to be much larger than the stock market in any one country overall. Those involved in the FOREX market are trading daily twenty-four hours a day and sometimes trading is completed on the weekend, but not all weekends.

You might be surprised at the number of people that are involved in FOREX trading. In the years 2004, almost two trillion dollars was an average daily trading volume. This is a huge number for the number of daily transactions to take place. Think about how much a trillion dollars really is and then times that by two, and this is the money that is changing hands every day!

The FOREX trading market is not something new, but has been used for over thirty years. With the introduction of computers, and then the internet, the trading on the FOREX market continues to grow as more and more people and businesses alike become aware of the availablily of this trading market. FOREX only accounts for about ten percent of the total trading from country to country, but as the popularity in this market continues to grow so could that number. - 23208

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Learn how you can guarantee your profits from forex trading with Automated Forex Trading Software or by using Accurate Forex Signals

Specialize In Trading USD (Part II)

By Ahmad Hassam

Suppose you have the data for the currency correlations of the major pairs. The correlation between GBP/USD and EUR/USD is 0.68. It means that both the pairs move in the same direction 68% of the time.

USD/CHF and EUR/USD have a correlation coefficient of -0.975. This is pretty close to (-1). It means both these pairs move in the opposite direction almost all the time. To be precise 97.5% of the time if USD/CHF moves up, the pair EUR/USD will move down!

You have this information about the recent correlation coefficients. It tells you how much these pairs move in the same direction or opposite direction. Suppose you trade both the currency pairs USD/CHF and EUR/USD by going long. What you will be doing by going long on both the positively correlated pairs is in fact canceling both the long positions.

If you win on USD/CHF, you will lose on EUR/USD and vice versa. The two trades would effectively cancel each other due to the negative correlation between the two pairs. A savvy investor would go long on USD/CHF and go short on EUR/USD. So you are shorting USD in both the trades and diversifying the USD bearish investment.

Currency correlations can help you in making entry and exit decisions for each trade. Lets suppose GBP/USD starts showing volatility. The pair approaches a resistance level. You plan on going long if there is a breakout.

However, you notice on the charts that the other three pairs are not moving as much as the GBP/USD. EUR/USD is not moving up on the chart. USD/CHF is not moving down on the chart. USD/JPY is not moving down on the chart. This means that the move in GBP/USD is solely pound driven. The move maybe related to some news in the British economy.

You know now that the move in GBP/USD pair is GBP driven. The move is not US Dollar driven. You have isolated the cause of movement in GBP/USD pair and can take advantage of this information. Ignore the GBP driven move. Dont enter into any trade. Wait for a later opportunity. An opportunity that involves simultaneous correlated moves of all the major pairs!

Lets take another example to make things more clear. Suppose you have taken a short position on EUR/USD currency pair. You want to know will the currency pair proceed down towards your profit target. You also want to know can it go against you. If so when to exit the trade with a small loss!

Your EUR/USD has broken the S1 support pivot level and heading towards M1. By looking at the pair EUR/GBP, you find that it has paused at its S1 support pivot level and is showing signs of reversing to the upside.

Knowledge of currency correlations can tell you if EUR/GBP breaks through the S1 level, you are poised for a profitable trade in this type of a situation, However, you should watch the indicators and exit before taking a big loss if it reverses and heads back to the upside. You might consider trading a basket of all the major currencies as you mature in forex trading. - 23208

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Mr. Ahmad Hassam is a Harvard University Graduate. He is interested in day trading stocks and currencies. Know These Forex Broker Games. Learn Forex Trading!

A Forex Trading Course on Major Currencies

By Bart Icles

Everyday, different types of currencies are traded in the foreign exchange market. Some of these currencies are valued more than the others and some are traded more frequently than the rest. If you are new to the forex world, it helps to learn more about the major currencies traded in the forex market so you can have a head start on big trades. A forex trading course on such a topic helps so you can get to know these major currencies a little better.

Perhaps the most popular currency in the foreign exchange trading arena is the US dollar (USD). This currency makes use of the decimal system in determining denominations. Its denominations have lots of nicknames like mills, eagles, and Unions. It is common to see the US dollar paired with other currencies in the trading market and it remains as one of the frequently traded currency in the market. Recently, oil price hikes and the recession in the US mainland has caused fluctuations in the value of US dollar but trends in the past few weeks show that this currency is gradually gaining strength.

Pound sterling or GBP is another popular currency in the forex trading world. It is the official currency of the United Kingdom, as well as the Crown dependencies. This currency is also dubbed as the quid and is sometimes abbreviated as the sterling. In wholesale financial markets, it is typical to hear payments accepted in sterling instead of pound. The term pound is used more to refer to units of this currency - 5 pounds, 10 pounds, and so on. You might also hear traders referring to it as the British pound but this is not considered an official name of the said currency.

The euro (EUR) is one the most powerful currencies in the forex market today. It is the official currency of the Eurozone or Euro Area. Several small European states have also adopted the Euro because of currency unions with member states. These small states include The Vatican, San Marino, and Monaco. Montenegro, Kosovo, and Andorra have also unilaterally adopted the said currency.

Although its value is significantly small when converted to US dollars, the Japanese yen has proven its notable presence in the currency market over the years. Its symbol is JPY and is widely used as a reserve currency after the US Dollar, euro, and pound sterling. Large quantities of yen are often counted in multiples of ten thousand and are often quoted in hundreds or thousands. - 23208

About the Author:

When you learn forex it starts with a desire to learn and a drive to become a great trader. When you learn forex trading takes dedication and a good teacher. But once you learn how to trade and do so successfully your life will change and you have options and financial resources you never had before.