Tips for Trading Ascending Wedges Short with CFDs

By Jeff Cartridge

Traditional thinking suggests that the ascending wedge is most profitable when traded short. In reality this conclusion is not supported by the evidence. An ascending wedge is formed when the price action is contained within two lines. Both the bottom line and the top line slope up, but the bottom line has a steeper slope meeting the top line.

Ascending Wedges Profitable, No Surprise

Ascending wedges are one of the least predictable patterns that are available to trade short. With just 32% of the patterns breaking down, ascending wedges struggle to deliver good returns when they do. The average gain is 0.02% in 8 days with less than half of the breakouts (42%) being profitable. These results are marginal and barely profitable, but selecting the right conditions can make trading ascending wedges attractive.

Specific Setups to Improve Profitability

Trading ascending wedges when the stock and the market are in an up trend or consolidating improves your trading results. The sector should be falling or in consolidation to make the best profits.

Breakouts can occur anywhere along the length of the ascending wedge pattern. The best pattern length is between 5 and 30 days, so very short term patterns and very long term patterns are best avoided.

If volume supports an ascending wedge breakout then the profitability of the trades improves. For volume to support the breakout, volume when the stock is going down should be greater than volume when the stock is going up. If the closing price is the same as the previous day prior to the breakout it is best to avoid these patterns as the stock may be illiquid. If the lows are getting lower and the highs are also falling then you will be more profitable.

Ascending Wedges Profitable Sometimes

You can improve your trading results by using a series of filters that have been outlined here. These filters are harsh, significantly reducing the number of trades to get good results. (1275 trades are reduced to just 74). This select group of ascending wedges delivers an average profit of 1.46% in 10 days and is profitable on 48% of the trades. Overall this makes ascending wedges possible to trade short.

Statistics for this article have been provided by Patterns Trader after analyzing over 60,000 chart patterns on the Australian market from 2000 - 2008. - 23208

About the Author:

Jeff Cartridge has been trading CFDs since 2002 and created the website LearnCFDs.com Discover Patterns of Success

Earning Money From The Forex Market, Myth or Reality?

By Adam Woods

In this article I would like to first of all establish what the Forex market is and how to trade on the Forex Market. How to profit from trading the Forex market; and manage a profitable account.

What is the Forex market?

The buying and selling of currency pairs is what is known as the forex, FX or Foreign Exchange. The process of trading forex can be done from the comfort of your home with a high speed internet connection and a computer, in fact it can be done from anywhere in the world as long as you have access to a computer and the internet. Many people are now setting themselves up at home as independent forex traders and getting a slice of the tax free trillions that are traded on the forex market every day.

How To Profit from Currency Trading.

The countries currencies around the world are paired up into specific pairs e.g. GBP/USD or EUR/USD e.t.c. It is these currency pairs that fluctuate in price against each other. Today the USD might be worth $1.60 to the pound and tomorrow it might be worth $1.65 to the pound. In the forex market we trade on the last two decimal places so a fluctuation of a tenth of a penny would be worth whatever your stake is on that trade. If you stake 10 per point and the trade moves 10 points or 1p then you would make 100 profit.

Trading profitably is all about risk management after all you get loosing trades even the best traders in the world cannot completely predict the movement of a currency. You must know your entry and exit points to a trade and where you intent to place your stop loss and profit orders. Only trade with 5% of your trading account, at any one time.

Always trade with a stop loss in place this can not be stressed enough. Start by setting yourself a 30 point stop loss and a 30 point profit order. A stop loss means that if your trade goes the wrong way you will only lose what you have set your stop loss at and no more. if you do not set a stop loss then a computer generated stop loss will be generated for you which can be upt to 200points. - 23208

About the Author:

Adam Woods has been trading foreign currency for three years but never realised his true potential until he joined up with Colin Atkins at his private online club Now Adam is trading full time from home and gaining the confidence to increase his target profit everyday. Come and see how this lucrative business can give you the opportunities you need to trade on the forex market from home

What Needs To Be Taken Care Of After Bankruptcy?

By Emma Elvie

Now that you have been given a fresh start there are some issues that need to be taken care of after bankruptcy. Most people tend to believe that once they file bankruptcy that is all they have to do; however I am here to tell you that after bankruptcy is just as important as getting ready to file.

Life "after bankruptcy" is extremely important that you are aware of what needs to be addressed. In fact if you neglect this part then you may find yourself suffering from financial hardships sooner than you really want to.

That is one of the reasons we wanted to provide you with some great tips that you can begin using to help you get back on your feet after bankruptcy. Hopefully you will find these tips as helpful as we did when we found ourselves in this situation.

1. Monthly Debt: We all know that we have bills that we have to pay and it is time that you sit down to find out how you can make your monthly payments without struggling. When you file it is vital that you get rid of all those unwanted bills; many people find themselves trying to hold onto their debt because they want to salvage them.

If you are trying to hold onto a house, car or any other item that you can not afford the truth is that you need to let it go. We know that people tend to believe that it will be difficult to start over; however when you have less debt then it is a lot easier to begin from scratch than to continue to worry about how you are going to make your monthly payments.

2. Credit Score: Your debt is gone the thing that you should be focusing on is how to rebuild your credit and make it strong. You will notice that some people tend to neglect this part; it is very important that you learn what it takes to get the credit score back up so you can get on with your life.

3. Family and Friends: It is important that you stay in touch with family and friends who are supportive of you. This will help you get through the emotional scars that this process can have on some people.

Our site below has some great information on what needs to be taken care of after bankruptcy. When you browse it you will also find some great tips and advice that you can use to avoid filing as well and how to get out of debt. - 23208

About the Author:

Raising Your Credit Score After Bankruptcy What You Should Be Concerned With! How To Get Over Bankruptcy

Risk Free Investments

By Audrey Kay

The current economic situation has forced many people more into debt, however, while others are going into debt, there are many people out there looking for good investment options. If you have extra money, it does not make sense to let it sit in a savings account; however, many of the investment options out there are also risky. For this reason, there are many individuals who seem skeptical about where to put their money. The good news is there are options for investment that are available today and at the same time are risk free.

It is easy to confuse a good investment with a risk free investment, because not all good investments are good, yet usually all risk free investments are good on some level. When you invest in a risk free investment, you do not have to worry about losing money from the investment; hence, the term risk free investment. When you are deciding which security to invest in, anything that has the potential to cause you to lose money is typically not something that you would classify as a risk free investment. Some securities, however, do not cause loss and therefore are risk free, including, savings bonds, treasury bills, and certificates of deposits (CDs).

Risk free investments are not only a less risky investment, but they can also be a smarter investment for a lot of individuals - especially those investing to save for the future. When it comes to investment securities, these assets are not as liquid as a regular checking or savings account. In other words, you cannot necessarily get the money invested in the assets back tomorrow if you need to. However, when you invest in a risk free investment, you do have a decent guarantee that the money you invested today will be there tomorrow - and, that is nice to know.

Although there are different types of risk free investments, one of the most popular risk free investments is obtained from the government in the form of a bond. A government savings bond is a nice long-term investment security that accrues interest over time; and once it matures, you can count on getting your money because you invested in the government instead of a bank or the stock market. The downside of bonds is obviously the fact that they provide a lower rate of return, yet there is no risk and you are guaranteed at least some return on your investment.

Another option for risk free investing is treasury bills (also known as T-Bills). T-Bills are very similar to bonds and are popular in today's economy the only difference is the time period varies between the two. Unlike bonds that take many years to mature, T-Bills typically mature in one year or less, which makes them a nice, risk free investment for the short-term. And, when you invest in a T-Bill, your money is guaranteed at the date of maturity, so you know that you will get a return on your investment.

In addition to the government securities available, certificates of deposits (CDs) are also great risk free investment options for today's economic climate. CDs usually have a time period that ranges from anywhere between one quarter and 5 years before it reaches maturity. After maturity is reached, you receive payment of the principle and interest like you do with T-Bills and bonds. Also, one thing to consider regarding CDs is that sometimes they do not have the same tax benefits as other investments.

Obviously, not all investments are created alike and this is why many people seek the advice of a financial planner to help them with their investment needs. You might be interested in talking with a finance professional as well, so that you can be best advised on what to do when it comes to investing for the future. Whatever you do decide to do, be careful and cautious and make sure that you do not invest before you are sure - especially when it comes to riskier investments.

Some people get careless when they are investing their money and they put it all in risky investments where a higher rate of return is possible. However, a riskier investment ultimately involves the possible of losing money; and, it is always a great idea to invest money in securities that are sound and risk free to ensure you will get a return. It used to be that the stock market and housing market seemed to always provide some sort of return, however, today that is not always true.

Risk free investments might not provide the highest rate of return, but they do not allow for risk. Invest in savings bonds, T-Bills, and CDs today. You will be better off in the long run. - 23208

About the Author:

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What Is Decreased Volatility Breakout? (Part III)

By Ahmad Hassam

Whether it is to the upside or the downside when you trade triangle breakouts ignore any first breakout attempts. Each triangle type has its own directional bias. Gather as much evidence as you can to support a particular breakout direction so as to minimize the risk of trading false breakouts. Get ready for a breakout when you have identified the triangle formation on either the daily or weekly chart. There can be three possible cases when you try to trade the decreased volatility breakout strategy.

Possible Case No 1: Suppose the second breakout attempt is in the downside direction for the descending triangle. Similarly it is in the upside direction for an ascending triangle. In simple words, the second breakout attempt is in the direction expected of the triangle type. This breakout could signal either the continuation of the existing trend or the trend reversal. You should not forget to ignore the first breakout.

For an ascending triangle make sure each side of the triangle gets touched two times at least. Place a stop buy order at least 10 pips above the horizontal resistance level to capture the potential upside breakout. Place a stop loss order 10 pips below the horizontal level of the triangle to protect against false breakout. Set profit target according to your time frame.

Place a stop sell order 10 pips below the horizontal support level to capture the potential downside breakout for a descending triangle. Again make sure the triangle is touched two times before the breakout. Place a stop loss order 10 pips above the horizontal support level.

Possibility No 2: The second breakout is in the downside in case of an ascending triangle and it is to the upside in case of the descending triangle. Again ignore the first breakout attempt. In other words, the second breakout attempt is in the opposite direction of the expected triangle type breakout direction.

In case of an ascending triangle, since the breakout direction is opposite to the most expected direction, cut the position size to half for this trade in order to reduce risk. Set stop sell order at least 10 pips below the upward sloping trendline in order to capture the expected downside breakout. Ignore the first breakout attempt and make sure the triangle is touched at least two times. Place the stop loss 10 pips below the breakout point.

In case of a descending triangle, place a stop buy entry order at least 10 pips above the downward sloping trendline in order to capture the potential upside breakout. Again reduce the position size to half in order to reduce risk. Place stop loss 10 pips below the breaking point and set your profit target in accordance with your time frame.

Possible Case No 3: The decreased volatility breakout strategy works better when it is implemented on a daily or weekly chart. Dont use intraday charts on this strategy. You must have observed that we havent talked about the symmetrical triangle case yet. Now, there is an equal possibility of upside as well as the downside breakout in case of symmetrical triangles. Place stop buy entry order or the stop sell entry order 10 pips above the downward sloping trendline or 10 pips below the upward sloping trendline. Similarly set your stop loss orders. Just follow similar guidelines as given for the ascending and the descending triangle. - 23208

About the Author:

Mr. Ahmad Hassam has done Masters from Harvard University. He is interested in day trading stocks and currencies. Develop your own Forex Trading System. Learn Forex Trading !