Monday, September 3, 2007

Buy And Sell Stocks Online

All dreams can be realized, as long as you do not dream something that is humanly unachievable. But, dreams can be realized with proper planning and with the help of strong willpower. However, before you apply both these, have a look at an easier way to gain success, i.e. money. You need strategies here too; some prudent strategies that help you to reap profits on your invested money. It is to buy and sell stocks online.

Consider this, someone needs money to start a business and you lend it to him. But here instead of taking any interest from him, you ask him to give you some percent of the profit he makes with the business. When you are buying stocks you are actually doing this, you buy stock or shares from some company and give it some money to invest in the business. As the business starts earning profit with your money, you have some share in the total capital of the company. The company gives you some share of profit.

You do not do anything else and you are paid the profit your money earns. Your money grows by itself and offers you profit. You must be feeling the urge to dive into this buy-sell stock business right now. But wait. As told before, it is a business the company does with your money. Businesses may end in a loss or a profit. And if the company faces a loss, it will charge a loss on your share too, resulting in a fall in your share price. Therefore, it is essential to observe caution while doing stock trading.

But, dont get disappointed. If you use your experience and take some expert advice, your chances of losing are very less. A good and efficient stockbroker can help you in this context. Brokers are people who help you and suggest you the best stock to buy and hence increase your chances of gaining through the stock market day trading. He, in exchange of his service, charges a small amount of commission.

However, in the world where computers and Internet have invaded everything, it is quite common that you can get this all stuff online. So, try finding a brokerage site. It is better that you find one online. Online brokerages site helps you in making the right decision by offering the right products and right information.

User-friendly site can really guide your money well by deciding the best stock to buy now factor. Several options should be there when you open an account and it must suit your budget and investment plan.

Compound Interest Return and Dollar Cost Averaging can be great features. Dollar cost averaging is a system where investment is made at regular intervals over the same dollar value of shares. The use of the Compound interest return by this site really maximizes your long-term profit. Monthly, weekly or daily automatic investments provide you yet another comfortable option. The firm should charge low commissions.

I wrote this article to share my views about buy stocks online and buy cheap stocks

Forex Trading Secrets - Can You Really Rely On The Books?

As more and more people are considering investments as a way to take care of their futures, the forex market is booming. There is much material on the market, both in print and on the Internet, about the latest investment trend. Most of it boasts to offer forex trading secrets that are unique and can help the individual to succeed. Experience should tell consumers to be wary of such boasts, and yet individuals buy it like it is going out of fashion!

The question is, just how useful are the forex trading secrets that various publications offer?

The answer is dependent on the source of the forex trading secrets and the credibility behind their boasts. There are a number of sales letters on the Internet that offer to give a beginner forex trading secrets but those secrets can actually simply be an overview of how to trade on the forex market.

The problem is that nobody can distinguish between a book genuinely offering forex trading secrets from one that gives an overview of the concept until it is too late. A sales letter is designed to market an ebook without revealing the content and that is exactly what it does! It is not until you pay that you can distinguish the genuine forex trading secret books from those that masquerade as genuine!

Although there are fewer actual published books available on forex trading secrets than there are ebooks available on the Internet, a good number of them are worth investing in if you are looking for specific help in order to trade successfully. Forex trading secrets books such as Forex Revolution: An Insiders Guide To The World Of Foreign Exchange Trading by Peter Rosenstreich, can provide an amazing insight into forex trading secrets and is endorsed by the UKs Financial Times. This gives it far more credibility than an ebook on forex trading secrets could ever hope to achieve.

If you are looking for a cheaper option to learn the forex trading secrets and have a few hours to spare then there is always the option of trawling through the Internet articles and websites dedicated to the forex market and forex trading secrets. It can take quite some time to find useful tips, but the little gems that are present in articles that take up web space can revolutionize your forex experience. Just a few helpful secrets could increase your profits, as long as they are accurate and credible!

Simon Aridej is the owner NewForexLive.com a site which provides a good information about forex trading tips, how to trade like a professional forex trading free forex trading ebook and much more. You can download forex trading ebook for free by Click Here!

Your Target for Financial Stocks

As the trouble with subprime lenders unravel, we need to be ready to be proactive and grab financial stocks that are getting hammered for unfair reason. This means that the company is either getting involved very little in the subprime business or people are concerned that even the AAA rated loans will be seriously affected.

That brings us to two possible candidates that I can think of:

Washington Mutual Inc. (WM). This company has little if any mortgage borrowers with subprime credits. Washington Mutual is the ninth biggest subprime lenders according to Marketwatch. However, due to its sheer size, it represents less than 5% of its total loans. Washington Mutual is also one of the biggest mortgage lenders in the country. If the housing sector weakened considerably, Washington Mutual will get hit in the process. What is attractive about Washington Mutual is its low valuation (forward P/E of 9 if all is well and good) and 5% dividend yield at current price of around $ 40. When default of subprime loans occur, Washington Mutual may take a hit for the current year's earnings, but if the incident is isolated, earning would rebound the following year. At $ 40 per share, I believe that Washington Mutual is too risky for the play. If it happens to go down to $ 30/ share, this has a significant chance of getting you a 50% return or so down the road.

Countrywide Financial Corp. (CFC). Countrywide is getting linked more to subprime borrowers than Washington Mutual Therefore, share price may drop more. At current price of $ 35, Countrywide has a forward P/E of 7. Still, forward P/E is misleading should many of the subprime borrowers default on their loan. Countrywide is the third largest subprime lenders in the country according to Marketwatch. However, subprime loans merely represent 7% of the company total loan. While the dividend is not enticing, its forward P/E is lower than Washington Mutual. For patient investors, Countrywide Financial might be a good investment at $ 25 per share.

Will there be any opportunity to pick up these shares at the forementioned price? Nobody knows. However, the goal in investing is to minimize risk. I feel that at current price, while cheap, has a little more risk that I can tolerate. Of course, you should not simply buy the shares just because the price hits certain point. Do further research to find out if the drop is warranted or not. The above mentioned price is merely a starting point for investor to do research.

Novice Investing is the online investing guide for beginners. You can also submit investing articles here

Sunday, September 2, 2007

How to Add Shares to a Profitable Position

Say you have a stock in your portfolio that is up 30% and it forms a base or consolidates to a moving average, and you want to add to this position. How would you go about doing this?

There are a few ways that I have approached this situation. Some of you may agree and some of you may disagree with the way I pyramid or scale my positions when they are in confirmed up-trends after my original entry. When the market is weak and the NH-NL ratio is not confirming a bull market such as 2005 and 2006, I am cautious when I enter a position making a new high. Hypothetically speaking, I will use a $100,000 portfolio and round numbers to keep the examples simple although the CBG position explained in detail is based on a true position.

If I start to research a stock and feel it will travel from $60 to $100, I will determine the maximum position I can assume from a simple position sizing calculation. If I determine I can handle an 8% drop, I am allowed to purchase 208 shares at $60 per share (Ill typically round it off to 200 shares in this situation). My position size will be $12,500 with a maximum drawdown risk of $1,000 or 1% of my entire portfolio. My stop will be located at $55.20 or slightly beneath a specific support area that is within 8% of my purchase price. If the stock is breaking out of a specific pattern such as a cup with handle, I will buy half my position at the time of breakout and the other half after the trend is confirmed several days later.

If the stock is in a solid up-trend and not in a recognizable pattern, I will typically purchase 2/3rd of the position when I see the opportunity and then follow up with the remaining 1/3rd of the position at the time of the next pullback (only after the stock reaches a minimum gain of 25%).

Other times, when the market is acting healthy and the NH-NL ratio is strong, I will initiate the entire position based on my original 1% position sizing model and reassess the situation at a later date. Using a recent example, I added shares to CBG when it consolidated in the $40s and then readjusted my position sizing model to 1.5% (the math can become tricky at this point since the price has changed and my portfolio value is different). I have never gotten into this much detail in a simple blog post but I guess now is better than ever. This method is my own so you will not find it anywhere else and it may or may not appeal to everyone.

The following is a true example using actual stock prices but the portfolio size has been altered to keep the calculations simple and to keep my own activity discreet.

When I first purchased CBG, I took on the entire 1% portfolio risk and wasnt sure if I would ever add shares in the future (this wasnt my concern at the time). I liked the stock and thought the 15 week pattern that preceded my buy was picture perfect (especially since the correction was due after the prior up-trend from the IPO date). I placed a market order on June 1, 2005 at $38.97 for the entire risk amount of 1%. The stock was already under coverage on the MSW Index since May 21, 2005 at $37.20 but I was looking for a break above $39. I used the calculation of $39 which gave me the purchasing power of $12,500 or 321 shares (my order was filled for 320 shares at $38.97 = $12,470). After I placed the position, the stock immediately reversed but I stayed put as it didnt violate any sell signals and then watched as it quickly advanced into the $40 range and approached $50. The stock consolidated over the next three months as I held the position and started to cover it more heavily on the MSW Index with a new purchase price of $50. The resistance line was touched several times so I decided that I was going to add shares if the stock broke-out above $50 with confirming volume.

As it turns out, I did add shares when the stock started to form the obvious consolidation during the fall of 2005. I added shares on November 2, 2005 at $52.68 (a little higher than I wanted but it was an extremely powerful move that day). The stock hesitated slightly over the next several days but never violated the new support line of $50. Within six weeks the stock moved towards $60 per share and I felt very comfortable. So, how many shares did I buy and how did I determine the size of my additional position? When pyramiding up, I have always been taught by my father to take on a smaller position than the original purchase. In this case, my portfolio had grown by about 10% since the summer so I decided that I could take on another 0.5% risk in CBG (a total risk of 1.5% - my maximum risk in any one stock caps at 2% of my entire portfolio). When running the new calculation, I had a portfolio size of $110,000 (hypothetical value) with a 1.5% risk factor or $1,650 risk on the entire position.

I used a price of $50 with a risk factor of 0.5% (half of 1%) with a stop of 8% (typical for my calculations) which gave me the purchasing power of $6,875 or 138 shares. I bought an additional 130 shares and added them to my original position of 320 shares for a total of 450 shares and a total cost of $19,318.80 (minus all fees, etc). Now, take a look at how this works (it doesnt work perfectly every time but this time I kept the numbers round): Using the position sizing calculator; plug in a portfolio value of $110,000, a risk of 1.5%, stop loss of 8% and an average cost basis of $45.83 (($38.97+$52.68)/2). What do you get? Amazing: a position size of $20,625 or 450 shares. I currently hold 450 shares with a dollar value slightly lower ($19,318.80) than the maximum calculation in this equation.

The support line is $50 but the stock went on to maintain the 50-day moving average as the true support line heading into 2006. I have not sold one share in this company as I approach one year of holding the stock from the original date of purchase. I will not base my sell on anything but my stop which currently resides slightly below the 50-day moving average. I have a tremendous gain in this stock and I owe it to two things: CANSLIM for finding the actual stock (strong earnings and a recognizable pattern setup) and position sizing for giving me the right amount of shares to purchase. By using the moving average and a retracement stop calculation, I know the exact location to take my profit. Also note that I will most likely scale out of the position if it starts to consolidate in a new range. This is a topic for another day! I always start with a 1% risk factor but will raise my risk factor to 1.5% or even 2% in rare situations when things are working out and I am placing good money after a profitable trade. Again, this is my own personal method so I advise that each individual use what works best for their own portfolio and test several scenarios.

Chris Perruna - http://www.marketstockwatch.com Market Talk with Piranha

Chris is the founder and president of MarketStockWatch.com, an internet community that teaches you how to invest your money with solid rules. We offer an extended no obligation monthly trial period starting immediately with two free weeks. We don't stop at just showing you our daily and weekly screens, we teach you how to make you own screens through education. Through our philosophy, you will be able to create your own methods and styles to become successful.

The Art of Contrary Thinking - You Need to know it to Trade Successfully!

The art of contrary thinking is one of the most powerful tools a trader can use, and is a trait with which all true great traders are familiar.

What is the Art of Contrary Thinking?

The art of contrary thinking consists in training your mind to ruminate in directions opposite to general public opinions; but basing your opinion in the light of current events and human behaviour.

Humphrey Neills book, "the art of contrary thinking, the best known work on the subject, is based on the simple yet powerful idea that:

"When everybody thinks alike, everybody is likely to be wrong"

Why Contrary Trading Works

By spotting situations when the consensus is either extremely bullish or bearish, then a trend change is imminent, as it is likely the emotions of greed and fear have pushed prices too far away from true value.

This is evident in such events as the 1987 stock market crash.

Here we have a short-term, self-fulfilling prophecy. When the change occurred, everyone changed his or her mind at once, causing a huge move.

Of course, if you can step aside from the crowd and take a contrary view at these turning points you can make big profits.

Why Contrary Thinking will always be Valid

While Humphrey Neil's work, "the art of contrary thinking, (published in 1954), is the most famous book on the subject, there existed a century earlier a book on contrary thinking.

Charles MacKays book, "Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds, (published in 1854), covered three important financial crashes:

he tulip mania, the Mississippi madness, and the south sea bubble. He reflected upon how investors always pushed prices too far when caught in a consensus:

"Men, it has been well said, think in herds; it will be seen that they go mad in herds, while they only recover their senses slowly, and one by one."

It is clear that to succeed in trading you need to think independently of the majority at important market turning points.

Becoming a Contrary Trader

Gann was one of the greatest traders and traded in the early 20th century. He realized that human nature would always mean that you had to think independently of the crowd to succeed.

We cannot escape it (emotion). In the future, it will cause another panic in stocks. When it comes, both traders and investors will sell stocks, as usual, after it is too late, or in the latter stages of a bear market.

He was aware that human nature was constant and influenced the majority of traders:

Therefore, in order to make a success, the trader must act in a way to overcome the weak points that have caused the ruin of others

How to Predict a Major Change

Gann was not just a writer; he was a successful trader and had an extraordinary record of accomplishment in the stock market, for example:

Gann used to publish a forecast for the following year. In 1928 he published a forecast which predicted the date of the September 1929 US Stock Market High, and that a Black Friday would occur, a year in advance of the actual events.

In 1932, he also recommended buying stocks at the all time low in the Dow in June and July.

Gann was one of the most successful stock market investors ever, and developed a strategy to set him apart form the crowd, and simply let market action indicate where prices were going.

To learn more about using Gann methods to improve your trading performance please visit our web site: http://www.gann.co.uk

Friday, August 31, 2007

Forex Beginner Systems - A Step-By-Step Guide to Trading Profit

This forex beginner systems article is a comprehensive guide to the steps needed in devising a forex trading system as a beginner. Knowing which way to jump with all the information floating around can be a daunting proposition; so having a step-by-step guide by a successful experienced (and humble: lol) trader is obviously a great start. There aren't any in depth explanations here as the purpose is to highlight the areas which require further investigation, and in what order of importance. I have articles specific to each category on my website which I will link to at the bottom of the page. Anyhow, follow through with each of these steps and you will be well on the way to forex trading profit.

The main steps are:
1.) Get background information on what forex trading entails.
2.) Learn how to manage risk and size positions correctly.
3.) Find a strategy you are comfortable with.
4.) Test your strategy.
5.) Interpret the numbers.
6.) Find a broker.
7.) Rake in the cash!

Basics:
First of all, with forex beginner systems, it is important to know just what you are getting into. Forex trading is just like any other business. You wouldn't go off and try to build houses without reading a book or getting some lessons now would you? Constructing systems is much the same. Without any knowledge of the market you are essentially building a "house of cards". You don't need a Phd in macro-economics, but a solid knowledge base will only aid in your trading decisions and help ease your mind throughout the entire process.

Risk Management:
The next thing to learn is how to manage risk and size positions. These factors should be the cornerstones of any system. In essence: you need to know how much to risk losing on each trade. People often make the mistake of ignoring this factor; that's why over 90% of traders fail. Think of it in terms of being a gambler or being a casino; we know who always wins right? Do your due diligence on risk management and position sizing and you will be well on the way to becoming one of the 10% of successful traders.

Strategies:
Once you understand the numbers a little better you can look at specific strategies to trade. Forex beginner systems should be quite simple. As with many other things; simple can also be very effective. I have found that trend trading and swing trading in particular can be very simple and also very effective. The main thing though, is that you feel comfortable trading a strategy. Psychology plays a large part in forex trading too, so having a simple yet effective strategy is often the best. It's a case of K.I.S.S. (keep it simple stupid!).

Testing:
The next aspect of creating forex beginner systems is testing. Testing your system is all important in knowing if you will turn a profit or not. Don't "go off half cocked"; you may wind up with a "blown up" trading account. It's a step closer to being a "casino" and another step away from being a "gambler". To add further perspective; just imagine if boeing didn't test their planes before they used them..... Would you be getting on one? I didn't think so! It's much the same with trading; test your hypotheses and make sure they work.

Analysis:
Analyzing the results of these tests is the next thing to do. Anyone can see if a system will be relatively profitable from the results of testing. The hard part comes with understanding how to interpret the results and how they will effect your trading in real time. Analyzing the results and making necessary changes to your forex beginner systems will also likely make you substantially more profitable. There is no end to what can be done with statistics. Again let's look at our jet-plane analogy. From flying the plane we know it doesn't crash. But how much fuel per mile did it use? How much will we need to fly from our place to a nice island in the Maldives? How can we get their faster or without using as much fuel. You get it? Knowing how to get there is one thing; but getting there the cheapest and fastest way possible is harder.

Brokers:
Now it's time to find a broker to trade your forex beginner systems with. Brokers offer free trial accounts with play money to check out their wares. By all means take advantage of these offers. Also, you should be aware of some of the different types of brokers and the features they offer. This is important as well. Think of it as choosing to fly "Econo-miser" or "Champagne" airways.

Conclusion:
Now you should be all geared up with some shiny new forex beginner systems if you have investigated all these things thoroughly. If you're still not sure, there is loads more information on my site and others. There are loads of people researching new ways to make money in the currency markets, so please, check the web regularly and see what else they have found. Some offer their information free (like me) and others charge for their info. Do not be too tight with the purse strings though; as one profitable trade can often see an item paid for many times over. Now off you go and rake in some of that cash!

The original article with links to all relevant articles can be viewed here

Joseph Ward is an experienced, successful currency trader. He teaches his simple, practical and profitable forex trading methods, for free, via his website www.forex-trading-profit.org Take a look at some articles, tutorials or reviews and start your journey to forex trading profit today for free!

Copyright 2007 Joseph Ward.
Permission is granted to reproduce this article online provided the article is not edited and the preceding links with this copyright notice is included in such reproduction.

My Experiences Trading Sugar Commodity Futures Contracts and Options

Sugar trading is romantic! Here's some valuable hints and kinks taken from actual trading experiences.

Sugar is a great market for beginning commodity traders. Sugar futures contracts require a small margin and rarely make extreme moves. Currently, an account margin of $1200 will control about $13,000 worth of sugar. (112,000 lbs at 12 cents per pound) A one cent move in sugar equates to $1120.

Brazil is now energy independent from its use of ethanol in the form of alcohol. Ethanol is derived from sugar. This has brought a great increase in the number of speculators and commercial hedgers trading in sugar futures and options. The volatility and liquidity generated is a positive by-product.

Sugar trades for only three hours a day, from 9am-12pm. What a great life to be an expert sugar trader! It's a fifteen hour work week.

Sugar has made several extreme moves over the last thirty-five years. The last big move to 18 cents a pound was last year. In the early 1980's sugar hit 44 cents a pound. In the early 1970's sugar hit 66 cents!

On the other side, sugar once got as low as 2.5 cents a pound. The whole 112,000 pound contract was worth only $2800! You could have taken delivery and warehoused it for a few years and sold it for 15 cents a pound or $16,800. (Or just kept rolling the contracts forward with no delivery) That's not a bad profit if you believed sugar was not going to be free. Multiply this times ten contracts and you are looking at over $160,000 on a $30,000 investment. There certainly is opportunity if one is willing to take on the risk.

During normal or quiet markets, options on sugar futures are usually cheap and you can buy a lot of time. Strategies are abundant for spreads, straddles, and strangles. Sugar makes lots of long-term patterns and formations. Wave analysis and swing trading works well for sugar when it's trending.

Some traders look for the possibility of "pyramiding" contracts when sugar is active. This is a risky technique used when the market is in an extended trend. A trader tries to keep adding futures positions using previous profits. Dont ever forget this is a double edge sword. If you add to positions, make sure to adjust catastrophic stops so that your losses are not out of control if the market reverses. If the market stops you out and moves in the other direction, dont be afraid to get back in if the trend is still intact. Sugar trends can last a lot longer then most expect.

Look to exit positions after big moves during the morning opening or near the close. Sugar futures tend to reverse after very large moves by gapping open the following day. Try not to keep big profits over the weekend thinking Monday morning will have a big follow through. You may want to lighten up on Friday right before the close.

If you feel nervous about holding onto big profits, my best advice and rule of thumb is to keep one-half of your position and sell one-half. This way you can never be more than one-half wrong, and one-half right. This is a form of "scaling out", which is a favorite technique of mine. Besides, after a climatic move the option prices are usually very inflated. The option premiums may actually decline on a flat opening Monday because the previous panic reaction wasn't justified.

Hurricane seasons are a time when the sugar market gets a lot of attention. There is always the possibility that the crop in some of the sugar growing areas could get blown away and damaged beyond recovery. This could happen, but is rare. Many traders buy options to cover this vulnerable period of time, looking to profit. Though over the long haul, more precise timing is required to cover the option premium expenses.

A great strategy for sugar is buying a call and selling another call at a higher strike price to cover some of the premium expenses. (spread) Also, you could buy a futures contract and buy a cheap put as protection. And finally, sell options in a trading range after a big move. This is a strategy used to capture inflated premiums for profitable erosion.

Sugar has long term "kick-in-the-pants" cycles that produce massive moves every eleven years or so. Keep an eye out for the next one.

Here's how I look for opportunities in the sugar markets: First I generate a TimeLine forecast that shows a strong move up or down in sugar. The TimeLine is based on time cycles and other preprogrammed patterns. I then determine if the move is expected to be choppy, trending, and for how long. This helps us focus on possible directional futures/option positions or writing options in a range, or even writing options with the trend.

Next I use automated option software to search for the best of 1600 strategies based on the expected market move. I compare these option to option combinations against futures to options combinations. At some point I will find a compromise between risk, profit and simplicity in one or two strategies. In hindsight there's always a best strategy we could have used. Keep this is mind when narrowing down the choices. When finished, we want to have one or two potential trades to work with. We call the selected few, "high probability, low risk trades."

Remember there is more to planning a trade than just coming up with a forecast. The market may move as predicted but we can still lose by choosing the wrong trading vehicles. Pick the right vehicles and strategies that will allow us to stay in the market without excessive fear, but still carrying calculated risk.

We NEED to take on calculated risk or the market will not pay us for our services. In addition, the vehicle has to move far enough to make a profit without letting the expense of protection eat us up. Excessive protection (risk avoidance) can come in the form of option premiums, too close-in stop loss orders - and overdone, complex spread strategies. Matching a forecast to a strategy is an important skill to succeed in commodity trading.

Good Trading!

There is substantial risk of loss trading futures and options and may not be suitable for all types of investors. Only risk capital should be used.

Thomas Cathey - 27-year trading veteran heads the managed futures division of Thomas Capital Management, LLC. View his market forecast TimeLine Trading charts and get his complete 44+ lesson, "Thomas Commodity Trading Course - all free." http://www.thomascapitalmanagement.com/commodity/welcome.htm Main site: http://www.ThomasCapitalManagement.com

Forex Scalping- A Key Market Factor You Must Know

Forex scalping requires a completely different mindset to other forms of day trading. Those who engage in Forex scalping normally make a number of trades a day taking somewhere between 5 to 10 pips from the market each time in many cases. Of course, the more trades that are made, the higher probability the scalper will have losses.

Hence the need to exercise discipline and not shoot at everything that moves. Look for only high probability trades. This however is easier said than done. That is why the following piece of information is critical in understanding market behavior from a Forex scalping point of view.

A Crucial Piece Of Information

The crucial piece of information we are referring to is this:

Somewhere between 60 - 80% of the time, the market is in consolidation.

This means that most of the time, the market is not making significant moves. It tends to range in a consolidation channel for hours at times before another significant move takes price to another level.

This market behavior pattern is ideal for Forex scalping once the trader fully understands it.

Develop Recognition Skills

Whenever the trader opens a chart, key support and resistance levels need to be identified. Previous highs and lows should jump out at the trader and be quickly recognized and identified.

To this end it helps to draw horizontal lines on the charting software to mark the top of a channel and the bottom of a channel on whichever time frame the trader is using.

The Key Forex Scalping Principle

The main principle that governs Forex scalping is the same principle that applies to all forms of day trading:

Sell The Rallies - Buy The Dips

Hence, when Forex scalping, the trader will look for ranges or consolidation channels where price is obviously moving (often within a 20, 30 or 40 pip range) and set an entry order to go long when price hits the bottom of the range, or an entry order to go short when price hits the top of the range.

There is always the possibility price will breakout at that point in which case it will be a losing trade. That's why it is important to maintain tight stops, perhaps no more than around 15 pips to keep the profit/loss ratio within reason.

Be Selective

To make Forex scalping trades higher probability it is important to select trades that have a number of elements going for them.

It is often not enough to just jump in on any range you see and enter an order to go long or short at the top or bottom of the range.

You want to look for ranges where the top or bottom coincides with other indicators. For example, the 200 EMA (Exponential Moving Average) is a very powerful indicator on the 4 hour, 1 hour, and 15 minute time frames. Seeing it is one of the most popular indicators of all time used by traders in the global market place, it pays to take notice of where price is in relation to the 200 EMA.

So if you see a trading range where the top or bottom also coincides with the 200 EMA on one of the higher time frames, zero in using the 5 minute chart, draw your horizontal lines to mark the range or consolidation channel, and choose a suitable order entry point. The 200 EMA provides a strong level of support or resistance, depending on which direction you are trading.

Likewise, if the top or bottom of the range is also lining up with a pivot level, or a Fibonacci retracement or extension level, you have added reasons to believe price is going to respect that level, at least for a while. You can then enter an order at the price point with reasonable certainty that you can grab 5 to 10 pips from the market, depending on the height or depth of the trading range.

Why Forex Scalping Methods Should Be Part Of Your Overall Strategy

This characteristic of market behavior, the fact price spends most of its time in trading ranges, makes Forex scalping a very profitable method once the trader has acquired experience and developed understanding and recognition skills.

Rather than waiting for the occasional significant price move, the trader who also has a Forex scalping strategy in his toolkit can utilize those long periods in the trading day when price doesn't go anywhere.

The powerful 200 EMA strategy - easy for newer traders:

http://www.vitalstop.com/Forex/Advisor/200EMA-forex-strategy.htm

How do you trade the non-farm payroll report? Read this:

http://www.vitalstop.com/Forex/Advisor/forex-strategy-non-farm-payroll.htm

For the best free economic calendars plus a free pivot point calculator and Fibonacci calculator click here:

http://www.vitalstop.com/Forex/tools.html

Medical Uniforms Have Expanded to Include a Much Wider Range

Earlier whenever we pictured the medical professionals the image of white lab coats, gloves and scrubs formed in front of our eyes. Now gone are the days when the medical staff would easily fit into such stereotype images. The world of medical uniforms has undergone a revolutionary change and now the medical uniforms are easily available in a variety of designs, styles and colors. Made out of different materials, the uniforms have managed to bring about a complete image makeover for the professionals in the medical field. The internet has also managed to add to the options available within the range of medical uniforms and many online shops have come into existence to offer a wider choice to consumers.

Medical uniforms should be chosen with extreme care, as the people who wear it are responsible for handling patients and providing care to them for long durations at a stretch. The material used for making the uniforms should be comfortable so as to absorb sweat and any pungent smell that forms a common feature of any hospital or nursing home. Most medical uniforms are therefore made of cotton or poly-cotton materials. The traditional medical uniforms were usually buttoned and back-button ones but now the drawstring pants and pullover tops have changed the complete appearance of the uniforms. A medical staff also has the opportunity to wear formal yet trendy clothes, thereby doing away with the preconceived notion of the medical staff being drab and boring.

The online shops have managed to bring convenience to the desktop of consumers. Now, simply by clicking onto a website that offers medical uniforms, a customer can get a complete preview of the product and the cost attached to the purchase. Most reputed online stores do not charge any hidden costs or additional charges for shipping the product or for the timely delivery. Online shopping convenience makes it possible for the customer to get medical uniforms as per his or her requirements within a time limit of around two days in most cases. Also, as the online sites let the customer have a look at the design and style of the medical uniforms, there is no chance of the customer not liking the final product. The medical uniforms can now easily be chosen according to the preference of the customer who now has a much larger variety to choose from.

The ease of purchasing medical uniforms online is that a number of people could have a look at the uniforms without having to physically walk into a store. Purchasing uniforms in bulk for yourself and your colleagues may also get you an enviable bargain and a heavy discount on the best quality products. Separate divisions of the medical ward can select separate look and style of medical uniforms like the pediatric ward staff can have uniforms with cartoon characters drawn on it. The only point to be kept is mind when buying uniforms online is that the company should be legitimate and the return policies should be in place.

Mark Simpson has specialization in the business of online trading and medical uniforms are an area of special interest to him. To know more about medical uniforms nursing scrubs, medical scrubs, nursing shoes and other kinds of nursing uniforms visit http://www.uniformdiscount.com

Forex Trading - Instantly Increase Your Profits With The 80 - 20 Rule

The 80 20 rule was not devised for Forex trading - however if you apply it in your trading, you'll instantly increase your profit potential. The rule is simple to understand and apply - and all Forex traders should use it.

So, what is the 80 20 rule, and why is it so powerful in terms of making Forex profits?

The Logic of the 80 20 Rule

In the nineteenth century, Vilfredo Pareto, an Italian philosopher, observed that a small section of the population held most of the money and power. He postulated that in most countries, 80% of the money and power was controlled by around 20% of the people. Therefore, 20% of the participants accounted for 80% of the results.

The 80 20 rule applies to many other areas of life - including Forex trading, and in simple terms, the key point to consider is this:

80% of your results will be generated by 20% of your efforts.

This also means that:

20% of your results will be generated by 80% of your efforts.

In Forex trading, its a fact that most traders make this critical error they trade too much - and try to force results by working too hard.

Heres what you need to do, to apply the 80 20 rule in Forex trading, and increase your results:

1. Cut out short term trading - like Forex day trading. In day trading, you trade frequently - but it simply doesnt work. This is because all short-term volatility is random - and you can never get the odds in your favor.

2. Only trade significant technical patterns - such as critical breaks of support and resistance, with your Forex trading system.

3. Risk more per trade on the good trades - up to 20% is OK. Remember, risk goes with reward - and you need to take meaningful calculated risks, when the odds are in your favor.

4. Dont diversify! Forex traders think this spreads risk, but all it does, is simply dilute profit.

In terms of your Forex trading strategy: Focusing on the above will make you more money but youll also reduce the effort you put in.

Shift your emphasis to long term trading - and only trade the best signals. By doing this, your workload - and the amount of time you need to spend on your Forex analysis will be reduced.

If you apply the 80 20 rule to your Forex trading in the above way, youll cut the effort you put in. Youll also increase the profits you make - and thats what all Forex traders want!

Cutting the Effort You Put In and Getting Bigger Rewards

Many people think that the more effort you put in, the better the results you obtain. This is true in many areas of life - but not Forex trading! Here you are paid for being right with your Forex trading signals - thats all.

Also, dont fall for the myth that the more you trade, the better your chance is of having Forex trading success. This is simply not true - because the big trades, with the best ratio of risk to reward dont come around that often.

Incorporate the 80 - 20 rule in your Forex trading strategy, and watch your profits soar.

Grab 5 FREE Trader PDF's and get the support you need to trade like a pro with our user-friendly multi-lingual learn forex trading Get up to date financial news, real-time market prices, tight pip spreads, built-in risk management system, and 24-hour professional support. Grab your FREE PDF's NOW:
http://www.freeforexguidesonline.com

Commodity Trading Make Money Fast In 5 Simple Steps

This article is all about trading commodities for big profits and how to make money fast.

We will outline the best method and the best commodities to enable you to have big profit potential, so lets get started.

Commodity trading covers a variety of areas including currencies, stock indices, energies bonds and a variety of soft commodities.

1. Commodity Trading - Your method

Look at any chart of any commodity, you will see trends and it these trends you want to lock into and trade for profit.

The best way to do this is with a technical trading system and you should be looking to trade the longer term trends as these yield the biggest profits.

There are lots of good trading methods, but the most important point to keep in mind is you need to understand the method and why it will work and have confidence in it.

Many traders simply buy computer systems they dont understand, or try and follow an advisor or broker. If you do this you will probably lack confidence and when loses come you will deviate from the method.

The biggest attribute a trader can have is discipline.

You need to have it to apply your method. If you dont, you really dont have a method at all.

2. Commodity Trading Best markets to trade

There are two key factors in deciding what markets to trade and they are - Trending nature and liquidity.

While all commodities trend, some tend to offer better, more consistent trends than others. Market sectors that offer good reliable trends include Currencies, energies and interest rates and these are great for all traders.

They also offer high liquidity, which means trades can be entered and exited quickly, to lock in profits or liquidate losing trades.

Many commodities have low liquidity and erratic trading patterns and these should be avoided.

3. Commodity Trading Diversification

If you want to make money fast DONT diversify too much. Stick to one or a few areas only. Diversification dilutes profit potential. If you have confidence in your method dont diversify across to many sectors.

4. Money Management - Risk

If you want to make money fast then you need to take risks. Commodity trading offers great profit potential, but with reward goes risk - Its as simple as that.

On small accounts those below ($100,000) you have to risk more because you have small equity and your risk per trade needs to be higher.

If you have an account of $25,000 and you risk 2% (as many experts will tell you) you are risking $500.00. Chances are you will get stopped out a lot of the time and take a string of losses.

Many traders try so much to restrict risk; they end up creating it - As they are simply not taking enough of a risk to win.

When trying to build equity fast be selective in your trades and be prepared to risk up to 10% per trade.

5. Commodity Trading - Success has U in it!

If you want make money fast in commodity trading you need to take responsibility for your trades. Many losing traders blame everyone else the system they have market conditions the wife and many more.

However winning traders take responsibility they know that they can get systems and knowledge elsewhere but its up to them to apply the tools for profits.

To make money fast you need knowledge, a robust trading method you have confidence in, the discipline to apply it rigidly and the appetite to take calculated risks to reach your goals.

Approach commodity trading with the right attitude and you could make money fast and pile up big profits consistently.

For more FREE information

On commodity trading please visit our website and discover a commodity trading system with an outstanding record of success from a company doing business in the markets for over 25 years visit:

http://www.gann.co.uk

Commodity Trading Systems - Learn From a Trading Master and Boost Your Profit Potential!

Legendary trader W D Gann amassed a fortune of $50 million dollars in the first half of the last century, although he died in 1955, his commodity trading systems are still used today by traders all over the world.

Successful commodity trading systems have the ability take the emotion out of trading, liquidating losses quickly and spotting and holding the big longer-term trends and thats exactly what Ganns Commodity trading systems did.

Ganns Commodity Systems Track Record

Ganns commodity trading systems allowed him to make some stunning predictions and trading gains such as:

1. He predicted improvements in business in 1921 and the Bull Run in stocks.

2. 1928 he forecasted the end of the Bull Market in stocks a full year in advance of the 1929 crash. He then bought stocks in the Dow at an all time low in 1932.

3. In 1935, of 98 trades in cotton, grain, and rubber, 83 trades showed a profit. His percentage of profitable trades was often 90% or higher.

History Repeats Itself

Gann was a prolific writer and wrote extensively, outlining his thoughts on commodity trading systems in a series of books and courses. Some of his ideas were grounded in empirical studies, while others were more mystical in nature.

Ganns major contention was that certain laws governed not only the markets, but nature as well and were universal in scope. He believed that human psychology was constant and that this manifested itself in repeatable price patterns.

We cannot escape it (emotion) In the future it will cause another panic in stocks. When it comes both traders and investors will sell stocks, as usual, after it is too late or in the latter stages of a bear market

He was aware that human nature was constant and influenced the majority of traders.

Therefore, in order to make a success the trader must act in a way to overcome the weak points that have caused the ruin of others

For more information on trading psychology excellent books to read any by Jake Bernstein, Jesse Livermore, Larry Williams, Van Tharp and Jack Shwager and you will see why human nature repeats itself.

The Influence of Price and Time

One of the most important thoughts behind Ganns commodity trading systems was the concept of combining price and time.

Gann believed that crucial price movements happened when price and time converged. These points could indicate an important trend change was imminent. If on the other hand, price and time were not coordinated, or did not converge, time always held priority over price. Time was therefore considered by Gann as the ultimate indicator, because all of nature was governed by time.

In the "Wall Street Stock Selector" Gann said.

"Just remember one thing, whatever has happened in the past in the stock market and Wall Street will happen again. Advances in bull markets will come in the future, and panics will come in the future, just as they have in the past. This is the working out of a natural law ..." and, "It is action in one direction and reaction in the opposite direction. In order to make profits, you must learn to follow the trend and change when the trend changes."

Making Big Profits with Gann

There are many commodity-trading systems to choose from and Gann with its unique method of technical analysis is worth serious consideration by any trader.

If you are, a day trader or long-term position trader, look at Ganns commodity trading systems and see how they can help you become a better and more informed trader.

To learn more about using Gann methods to improve your trading performance please visit our web site: http://www.gann.co.uk

Intra Day Charts - How Do You Use Them To Make Profits?

Many trader use intra day charts to try and time the market for maximum profits and keep losses small and make big profits overtime.

But how can you do this? Lets find out.

Intra day charts sound like a great way to maximize profits and keep losses small but all you will do is end up losing money quickly.

Why?

Consider what the FOREX market actually is and you will see why using intro day charts is simply a good way to put the odds firmly against you.

The FOREX markets are huge and trillions of dollars are traded everyday and you cannot predict what will happen in such a short time frame as a few hours or minutes.

Its a ridiculous way to trade.

There is insufficient data and volatility in such short time frames is unpredictable.

Trade with the odds

Currency markets trade longer term and reflect the underlying health of the economy (which of course is long term) and intra day movements are random.

You cannot set stops intra day, as daily resistance and support points are meaningless.

The scenario that dooms you to lose.

You can keep your losses small, but your chances of being stopped out are also high.

As for running profits, intra day traders simply want to get out in the day with a profit.

They can do this sometimes (by luck more than anything else) but their profits are never big enough to cover their inevitable losses.

Ever heard the phrase

Run your profits and cut your losses?

Its sound advice.

You cant do this trading intra day.

All you will end up doing is keeping your losses small, have higher odds of being stopped out and never be able to run your profits to cover your inevitable losses.

The net result You lose all your money over the longer term.

Intra day trading is mostly promoted by system sellers or vendors who simply make money selling to you.

They dont trade themselves and if you ask them, can NEVER Produce a real time track record of consistent gains.

You may get a few testimonials or a hypothetical track record in hindsight.

We can all make money in hindsight, but trading intra day in the market real time is far harder and you will lose.

Dont fall for this method of trading you will simply lose as the odds are firmly against you.

MORE FREE BETTER TRADING INFO

On all aspects of becoming a profitable trader including articles FREE PDF downloads and an exclusive Trading Course with a real time track record visit our website at http://www.net-planet.org/index.html

Lack Of Forex Education A Major Cause Of Failure

Lack of thorough Forex education can be costly.

Some new traders open a mini-account and immediately throw $5,000 at it, jump in and get their feet wet. Within 3 months or less the account is finished.

What happened?

There is a lot of hype surrounding the Forex! The internet is full of claims that you can turn a few hundred dollars into tens of thousands within months or 1 or 2 years.

With the most rudimentary information, new traders are sometimes encouraged to begin trading long before they are qualified.

Regretfully, some get-rich-quick merchants merely teach a little technical analysis and basic concepts in the Forex education they offer and miss what amounts to the most crucial part of Forex education: Mental and emotional discipline.

Aspects Of Forex Education

So in brief, here is how the various aspects of a thorough Forex education could be prioritized in increasing order of importance:

1. Forex terminology and trading mechanics

2. Learning how to read charts

3. Learning how to use the online trading software

4. Learning a variety of technical indicators

5. Learning a handful of proven strategies employing those technical indicators

6. Practicing in a demo account

7. Opening a mini account (still viewed as a practice account)

8. Strict risk management

9. Developing mental discipline and control of emotions through experience

Let's take a look at this list a little more closely.

Notice the items of lesser importance have to do with the mechanics of trading. Most Forex education packages spend ample time on the mechanics.

But the most crucial aspects, the factors that can make or break a Forex trader are the last two, items 8 and 9.

Risk Management

Forex education must include a detailed explanation of risk management rules to be of any value.

You need to know how to calculate risk reward ratios and which trades your equity will allow and which ones you need to avoid.

Estimates vary as to what is the optimal risk percentage on any one trade. Some very conservative traders may suggest no more than 1%. As a general rule, 2% seems to be a reasonable figure allowing for a series of losing trades without putting the account in jeopardy.

More liberal traders even suggest 5% but in my view that is dangerous. Image the hit on your mental energies if you get 5 or 6 losing trades in a row if you trade with that kind of risk.

An effective Forex education will devote a serious amount of time to discussing risk management.

Mental Discipline

There is a reason why this is the most crucial factor of all. Most traders fail, not because they don't have a good trading strategy, but because they lack the mental discipline to follow it.

The Forex can take an undisciplined trader on an emotional merry-go-round and empty the account at the same time.

That is why any Forex educational package of value will spend considerable time offering strategies and guidelines on how to keep mental focus and emotions in check.

Some Forex education package are put together by individuals associated with online brokers who don't actually trade themselves. Avoid them.

Go With Professionals

If you are going to invest in Forex education, go to the professionals. Do a little research and make sure the people teaching you are seasoned traders themselves, preferably with years of experience.

So when contemplating the Forex, don't be in a rush. Take your time, research, identify a good mentor, and be thorough in your Forex education. Eventually, you may be in the small percentage of traders who make a substantial income from currency trading.

If you are looking for a comprehensive Forex education with mentoring from professionals check this:

http://www.vitalstop.com/Forex/forex-education.html

For a free pivot point calculator, Fibonacci calculator and the best free economic calendars click here:

http://www.vitalstop.com/Forex/tools.html

For a free candle & chart pattern recognition reference tool click here:

http://www.vitalstop.com/Forex/Candle-Chart-Patterns

What to Sell on the Internet?

The phenomenal growth of ecommerce lures more and more people to dream about starting an online business. The question that bothers many and restrains them from realizing their dream is what to sell on the Internet.

If you have spent sometime on the Internet trying to figure out what product or service you should choose to sell online, you must have noticed that people are selling every conceivable product and service over the Internet. Contrary to popular belief, even big ticket items are also selling on the Internet very well. But, nevertheless, it is not very easy for a newbie to find a product rather quickly and start marketing online.

If you are having difficulty in finding a good tangible product to market on the Internet or afraid to manage all the hassles of shipping and handling you may seriously consider selling information online.

According to data, most people browse through the Internet in search of some sorts of information that they require. Survey conducted by Neilsen Media Research shows that Books and Information Category tops the highest selling product and service on the Internet with a significant margin in comparison to other categories. This makes information a natural product for sale on the Internet. Information sells online in the formats of e-books, articles, reports, data, whitepapers etc. If you have expertise in any specific field, you may consider selling your ideas in one of the mentioned format. Check out Clickbanks marketplace to get a good idea what people are selling. You will be truly amazed by the scope of ideas!

Although, information is the most sought after product on the Internet; that does not mean it is an easy-to-sell product. For one thing there are tons of free information available on the Internet, and the second is people on the Internet are not very willing to pay for information. This is the reason why you have to be very careful in choosing the right product to market online.

People will buy your information product, if it is:

- A particular knowledge that they crave

- It makes their life easier, i.e. saves time

- It teaches them some subject that they would like to learn.

Which are the products that fall in these categories?

Expert advises, tips and ideas in a niche field:

Body building tips, dieting secrets, dating ideas, stock trading secrets, Internet marketing ideas are examples of this category.

Trend forecasts:

Businesses spend fortunes to have a better understanding of specific trends. If you have enough expertise to predict a trend of a specific field, i.e. high technology, stock market, Internet, etc., you may have a comfortable living by selling newsletter and whitepapers. The hard part is: you have to prove that you are really an expert in this field.

Courses:

Thanks to Internet, more and more people are willing to learn different subjects from the comfort of their work and home. If you have enough knowledge of a particular subject, create an online course and market it through Internet.

Surveys and data:

Business bases on various marketing, demographic, sales and other data. You may collect those data from various sources and by conducting your own online surveys. This also requires enough knowledge of a specific business field and their requirement.

Research and Analysis:

People are often ready to pay for research and analysis information of their fields because, in general, this saves their own time. That is why subscription based stocks and other research websites are thriving on the Internet.

There are number of other reasons why you should consider selling information on the Internet.

Audience size

Millions of people from all over the world are browsing through the Internet in any given time. Your information product can be exposed to a very large number of prospective buyers in no time.

Easy to develop

Information products like reports and e-books are fairly easy to create. All you need is the knowledge of the field, a little determination and enough time to spend on it.

Low cost and low over head

You can create and market a report for less than US $100. You can take advantage of numbers of free marketing tools available on the Internet. You can even keep your overhead low by doing things all by yourself.

You can start part time

This is one business you can start from shoestring and spending only couple of hours a day. You can keep your job until you feel comfortable with the earning you generate through your online endeavor.

Conduct business from anywhere

The best thing about this business is you can do it from anywhere. You are no longer confined to a specific geographical region. While developing your information product keep in mind the following aspects:

- Does this product satisfy a need or does it solve a problem?

- Is their enough value in it?

- Is it a better product than others available on the Internet?

- Is this product easy to market to your chosen market segment?

The last question is very important as the sheer size of Internet makes it virtually impossible to focus on it as a whole. You must segment your market as clearly and as specifically as possible to become a successful Internet marketer.

Once you finished developing your product, initially, try selling your product through a marketplace similar to Clickbank. This will allow you to setup your online business fairly quick. You will not need a merchant account of your own and you can build your affiliate program with an ease.

Nowshade Kabir is the founder, primary developer and present CEO of Rusbiz.com a Global B2B Exchange with solutions to create e-catalog, Web store, business process management and other features to run a business online. You can read various articles written by Nowshade Kabir at http://ezine.rusbiz.com.

Forex Swing Trading Swing Trade Your Way To Regular Profit

The rise of online forex trading means that anyone can swing trade for short term profits, Its not only profitable, its easy to learn, good fun and that's what trading should be.

Forex swing trading online provides the ideal market for the methodology of swing trading.

So why are currency markets the ideal for swing trading?

Lets first of all define what forex swing trading actually is

Forex Swing trading aims to identify intermediate swings in price, that can last from anywhere from a few days, to a few weeks.

This is not day trading day trading has no reliable data as the period is to short and you cant make money.

Swing trading here means still looking at short time frames, but the data is reliable enough for you to get the odds in your favor.

The following conditions make FOREX swing trading potentially such a lucrative way of trading

1. Liquidity

Each day the global forex markets see trillions of dollars transacted.

This is a 24 hour market and is the worlds biggest investment marketplace.

The huge size of the markets allows traders to open and close transactions quickly, to lock in profits and minimize losses.

2. Volatility

Currency markets are volatile and this is why a short term trading method such as forex swing trading can be so profitable.

A volatile moving market is essential for swing trading.

This volatility means a large number of potential opportunities that are presented to forex traders.

3. Transaction costs

Low transaction costs that were once the preserve of large institutions, now any trader can get 3 5 pip spreads meaning short term trading is viable for any trader

Swing trades come regularly

While currencies present long term trends, there are many profitable swing trading opportunities within them.

These shorter trends last for a few days to a few weeks and they offer regular high reward low risk trading opportunities for forex swing traders

5 Psychology is easy to learn

Many traders lack patience and want to have quick action well thats exactly what you get with forex swing trading.

FOREX swing trading offers them a lot of trades regularly and you dont need the patience of a long term trend follower.

Swing trades tend to either run to profit quickly or loss, keeping the trader interested, motivated, disciplined and focused.

This is an ideal way of trading for someone who loves trading.

Forex swing trading is also

Easy to learn you can simply use support and resistance lines with some confirming momentum indicators. For example, we use just stochastics and RSI Its simple and a stress free way of trading and best of all can make big profits with low risk.

FOREX Swing trading is fun and very profitable and thats the way trading should be.

GRAB 3 X FREE TRADER PDF'S AND MUCH MORE!

On all aspects of becoming a profitable trader including features, downloads and some critical FREE Trader PDF's and more FREE Forex Education visit our website at http://www.net-planet.org/index.html

Thursday, August 30, 2007

Successful FOREX Trading Is Based On 3 Character Traits - Do You Have Them?

There are three character traits you need to have, to become successful in FOREX trading and most people simply cant acquire them.

When you consider that everything about FOREX Trading can be learned, yet 90% of traders lose, you will realize just how important these traits are.

Lets start with a tale of a group of traders that had no experience and in just 14 days started trading careers that were to see them become some of the most successful traders of all time.

A lesson from the turtles

The turtles, was the nickname given to a group of traders who were taught by legendary trader Richard Dennis to trade in just 14 days.

His contention was that traders were made not born and set out to prove his point to stunning affect.

The key to their success was to instill in them 3 key character traits:

1.Accepting Responsibility

Dennis made them accept responsibility for their actions by giving them all the knowledge they needed - then all they had to do was learn it, understand why it would work and apply it in the market.

Of course most traders dont do this.

They think that by following news stories, chatting with their brokers or buying an e-book they can gain success but this is a recipe for failure.

Why?

Because if you dont accept responsility for your actions and understand why your trading plan will work, you will lack the next key character trait.

2.Confidence

If you follow someone else you wont have the confidence to trade a method through the bad times.

You must understand why your trading plan will work in the longer term to stay with it and this means understanding how it works and why it will be successful.

If you lack confidence, you will simply lack the next key character trait which is:

3.Discipline

You will hear this word a lot and you need it to succeed, its talked about a lot but most traders dont really understand what it is or how you acquire it...

Even if you have a sound trading method, you need discipline because it can and will lose as do all systems.

When losing streaks come you cant blame anyone it serves no purpose, you need to stick with your forex trading system and be confident that it will turn around.

Discipline flows from accepting there is no one to blame, that you alone are responsible and knowing your systems well enough, to understand that if you stick with it you will succeed.

It sounds simple...

However, today the bulk of traders (as we have said earlier) or want to rely on a so called expert to lead them to success or rely on seeking the opinions of others.

They dont really understand that:

They need to take responsibility and trade a method they know and understand and have total confident in to follow it with discipline.

Finally remember this

Richard Dennis taught the turtles however he did not tell them to follow him blindly He gave them the tools and THEY made them work.

They learned to trade and in 14 days were ready to take the test and they all passed - amassing countless millions of dollars quickly and many of them became legends.

Trading looks simple but few traders realize the 3 key character traits outlined above are needed to succeed and thats why 90% of traders lose all their equity in Forex Trading.

GRAB 2 X FREE TRADER PDF'S AND MUCH MORE!

On all aspects of becoming a profitable trader including features, downloads and some critical FREE Trader PDF's and more FREE Forex Education visit our website at http://www.net-planet.org/index.html

Do You Need Forex Trading Signals?

All trading strategies boil down to knowing when to buy and when to sell. These points in time are known as entrance and exit points, respectively. Yes, it sounds simple buy low and sell high. But its not easy and when trading currency its even tougher than trading stocks, where company statistics can give you a good starting point.

Forex trading is different. Youre trying to predict how the currency market will change in a certain time frame and then take advantage of the gainers by buying them at their lowest points and selling them when theyve peaked. The question is, how does currency behave. What factors influence its gains or losses? And how do we measure those factors?

Professional traders study these very questions every day. They may be sitting in front of their monitors nearly every waking hour in order to pull together facts about how the various currencies are acting in relation to each other. They try to determine a relationship between daily events and forex prices. But most investors dont have this kind of time or dedication. How are they able to make good trades? Simple they buy the information rather than research it themselves.

Forex brokerage houses have come up a solution for the average or more casual investor. They distribute the results of all that professional research, combined and reported in what they call signals, to paying customers. Subscribers learn what factors are present in the market that could mean a change in currency values. This eliminates hours of daily research and allows the more casual investor to have a life outside of trading, yet still get some of the same information the professionals use.

Unfortunately, signals arent complimentary. Your broker probably offers signals for a fee. You need to determine your level of involvement in the forex market and whether or not its worth it to you to subscribe to a service like this. If you havent found your broker yet, this may be a good included service to search out and compare prices for.

Signals bring results.

Those companies that create the signals use technical and statistical analyses, combine them with trend indicators and deliver the results frequently to assure that you get accurate and real time information. The forex market is fast-paced and volatile, so it is up to you to use the signals to set up and execute trades.

Of course, theres no guarantee. Signals are a useful TOOL, no more. They give an indication of how the market is performing and how it may be trending. But they can and will, be wrong. The goal should be to have enough winners to pay for the losers and have profit left over. Never expect to have no losers, because you will. You cant let this discourage you, but instead learn from it. Find the signal you missed or the time limit you failed to recognize. Next time youre in a similar situation, chances are youll do better.

Remember, if forex trading signals were perfect indicators, no one would ever fail in the foreign exchange market. Use the tools, but dont be completely dependent upon them.

Michael Russell Your Independent guide to Forex Trading

Forex Trading Tips

Forex trading has the highest volatility of any investment market in todays global marketplace. Forex has a volatility of 500. Liquid stocks volatility is from 60 to 100. Smart investors are currently jumping into the forex market at record numbers.

With access to a computer, an investor can go online anywhere in the world 24 hours a day, except for the weekends. A Forex investor is in control of his account. With the right strategy and attention to world events, a Forex investor can reap substantial profits with his investment.

Although an investor can enter the Forex market with very little capital outlay, he should keep in mind that, with the volatility of the currency market and the economic and political turmoil around the world, Forex trading is not risk free.

A Forex investor must be able to analyze the news, not just listen to it, and after analyzing the news, an investor should use proven strategies when buying or selling. An investor should never make and investment decision based on fear or greed. He should consult reputable charts and graphs and known and proven market indicators before making a decision. A Forex investor should familiarize himself with the big players and political figures that influence the market. Learn personalities and listen to fellow Forex investors. Because Forex traders all trade in currencies, there is no threat of insider trading. Every Forex investor is an insider. With the right strategy and insight into what moves the market, a Forex trader can be very successful.

Milos Pesic is an expert in the field of Forex Trading and runs a highly popular and comprehensive Forex Trading web site. For more articles and resources on Forex related topics, online forex trading, trading tips, forex software and much more visit his site at:

=>http://forex.need-to-know.net/

An Introduction To Breakout Trading

Breakouts are one of the easiest technical patterns to spot. They occur in all instruments and in all time frames, so it doesn't matter if you're swing trading a currency, or day trading a futures contract, breakouts are a pattern you can trade.

What Is A Breakout?

Before we look at trading breakouts in more detail, we should first answer the question, what is a breakout? To understand breakouts, first it's necessary to understand support and resistance - the basis of all technical analysis.

Put simply, support is the point at which enough buyers come into a market to arrest a drop in price. Conversely, resistance is the point at which enough sellers enter a market that the price stops rising.

If buyers enter a market at a certain price, stopping the fall, and the price rises then subsequently falls, the price will once again reach the point of previous support. At this moment, the support is said to be being 'tested'. If the buyers re-enter the market at (or close to) the same price as before, thus pushing the price back up again, we can say that support has held. The support price point now has more strength than before, because it has been tested twice.

If the price bounces from the support point repeatedly, that support becomes stronger and stronger. In a sort of 'self fulfilling prophecy', new buyers will often come into the market near previous support in the hope that the price will once again bounce and rise, thus making the support hold again.

Eventually however, the support will fail and the price will drop through. This is a breakout - so-called because the price has broken out of the range in which it was trapped, between support and resistance.

When a breakout occurs, it will often do so with such force that the price will carry on dropping (or rising, it the breakout was to the upside - that is a break of resistance). To understand why, consider all those buyers who were buying at the support line. Eventually there are not enough of them left to prop up the price, and so it falls below support (in other words, it breaks out). Some buyers who had bought at that price point will immediately cut their losses and sell. This pushes the price down further. As the price drops, more and more buyers who had purchased at support will hit their stops, triggering yet more selling.

This vicious circle of selling causes 'momentum' and the price spirals downwards.

After all, if we sold when the price broke-out to the downside, or bought when it broke-out to the upside, we could just sit back and enjoy the ride, right? Well, not quite...

False Breakouts (Fakeouts)

Not all breakouts follow through. Sometimes the price will dip below support (or pop through resistance) only to turn around and go back within the previous trading range. This is more prone to happening with certain instruments where market makers or big players can control price to a certain degree.

For example, let's imagine a market maker wanting to buy a large quantity of stock. Naturally, he wants to get it at the best price he can. The stock is currently trading within a range. The market maker already has a chunk of stock, and he sells this off, his relatively large selling forcing the price through the support level. As the price of the stock drops, a number of short-sellers enter the market, selling on the breakout expecting momentum to carry the price further down. The market maker starts buying up all this stock that the shorts are selling, getting it for a bargain price. As the sellers run dry, the price is forced back up, and as it does so, the short sellers stops start getting hit and they are forced to cover their positions by buying back stock. All this buying activity pushes the price even higher!

When a breakout is manipulated in this way, it is usually referred to as a 'fakeout'.

Safe Breakout Trading

So if a trader can't be sure if a breakout is going to follow through or not, should they even attempt to trade them? How can we take advantage of this seemingly simple, but deceptively devious, trading pattern?

One way is to carefully choose the instrument we trade. Forex for example, is less prone to fakeouts because the market is so huge that it is almost impossible for any individual or institution to manipulate false breakouts.

Another way is to use advanced trading tools like Level 2, which gives complete market transparency and therefore lets the trader see what's really driving price.

But perhaps the most effective way is simply to become a student of 'momentum', or tape reading. If you can learn to read the tape (the Time & Sales screen, which reports trades in real time), you can quickly learn to spot true momentum and real breakouts.

Conclusion

Breakout trading is a relatively high probability low risk way to trade. As with any trading pattern, breakouts will work some of the time, and will fail other times. With practice, and by learning to read momentum, a skilled trader can quickly learn to spot the best breakout opportunities.

Harvey Walsh is a full time day trader and part time trading coach. He has helped students from around the world to break free from the day job and start a successful and profitable career, day trading from their own homes. You can find out more about Harvey, and learn some of his most profitable trading strategies, at his website http://www.daytradingfreedom.com