FOREX, Trading Foreign Currency

By Jo Nash

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

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

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

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

The FOREX trading market is not something new, but has been used for over thirty years. With the introduction of computers, and then the internet, the trading on the FOREX market continues to grow as more and more people and businesses alike become aware of the availablily of this trading market. FOREX only accounts for about ten percent of the total trading from country to country, but as the popularity in this market continues to grow so could that number. - 23217

About the Author:

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

Benefits of Stock Market Scans

By Michael Swanson

Making money is important for most people and if you want to get more than you ever thought possible and work from home, you should think about trading in stocks. This is a risky business to undertake, but if you have the right stock trading software, you will find that the job is so much easier. You can make a success of your job right from the comfort of your own home in your own time.

The stock trading software will help you to manage your finances effectively, because it will give you the data you need to make the best stock trading decisions. It will do all the analysis for you. It will find the trends and it will let you know when to buy and sell.

With stock trading software you might discover that you are actually quite good at predicting trends yourself, but with the software you can always check your predictions. This is therefore a great way to learn about trading in stocks so that one day you can trade successfully without the use of the software.

Getting the software is the next step. You will need to find a reliable company and software that is updated all the time. There is no use using software that only updates once or twice a day. By the time you get the updates, you might have lost a lot of money because it all happens so fast. You must opt for live updates.

With software you will also need to make sure that you can download it easily and quickly. You will normally get a download link that you need to click on after you purchase the software. Choose a company that is reputable and you will get the software to use right away.

The software will do everything technical for you. You just have to place your money into the stocks as indicated. This software will give you a way to make money easily and instantly. - 23217

About the Author:

The stock trading software I use is TC2000. Check it out.

Specialize In Trading USD (Part II)

By Ahmad Hassam

Knowing currency correlations between the major pairs can help you a lot in your trading. Suppose you have the data about the currency correlations of the major currency pairs. The correlation between GBP/USD and EUR/USD is 0.68. This correlation coefficient is positive and it means both the pairs move in the same direction 68% of the time.

USD/CHF and EUR/USD have a correlation coefficient of -0.975 and is pretty close to minus one. The negative correlation coefficient means both USD/CHF and EUR/USD pairs move in the opposite direction almost 97.5% of the time. In other words, if USD/CHF moves up, the pair EUR/USD will move down!

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

If you win on USD/CHF pair, you will lose on EUR/USD pair. Due to the negative correlation between the two pairs, the two trades would effectively cancel each other. A savvy investor would go long on USD/CHF. At the same time he/she will go short on EUR/USD. So he/she will be shorting USD in both the trades and diversifying the USD bearish investment.

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

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

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

Take another example. Suppose you have entered a short EUR/USD trade. You want to know whether the pair will either proceed down towards your profit target or go against you and cause you to exit the trade with a small loss.

Your EUR/USD has broken the S1 support pivot level. It is heading towards M1. Take a look at the pair EUR/GBP. You find that it has paused at its S1 support pivot level and is showing signs of reversing to the upside.

In this type of a situation, knowledge of currency correlations can tell you if EUR/GBP breaks through the S1 level, you are poised for a profitable trade. However, if it reverses and heads back to the upside, you should watch the indicators and exit before taking a big loss. As you mature in forex trading, you might consider trading a basket of all the major currencies. - 23217

About the Author:

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

Forex Commerce and Wall Street - A Terse Version

By Robert Turner

Approximately 25 percent of large companies that are exposed to foreign currency fluctuations don't do anything to hedge their risk. Larger companies however do hedge in the currency markets.

Consider a large company with an international reach when the dollar is strong within the reporting period. You'll find that information within the pages of a Wall Street Journal subscription. Foreign revenues that are large could lead to negative results without market hedging strategies.

It has been estimated that 5-10% of the activity on the Forex market is done because of business hedging and government involvement. Governments and businesses need to convert one currency into another to buy and sell goods and services. The other 90-95% is pure speculation.

High profile players love the Forex market since they don't get locked out due to 24 hour trading. The huge liquidity allows for easy inexpensive entry and exit points.

Since the currencies are traded 24 hours there are certain times that are more liquid than others for the various currency pairs. For instance, between the hours of 8 AM and 5 PM EST, New York Wall Street accounts for about 15% to 17% of all Forex transactions. On the other side of the globe, 10% of Forex transactions take place between Tokyo's trading hours from 7 PM to 3 AM EST.

The way to make money in the Forex market is by accurately predicting a price movement of a currency pair and investing right before and exiting right after. This usually happens a few times in a day.

Day traders move in and out of trades several times a day capturing a portion of the profit. Large Wall Street companies employ thousands of professional traders that take advantage of daily fluctuations.

There are many financial news services to choose from. The Wall Street Journal's reputation for acute accurate market coverage is legendary. In order to stay abreast of the constantly changing financial landscape, it pays to subscribe to the Wall Street Journal. - 23217

About the Author:

Acquiring timely economic intelligence that you can trust and bet on is foremost on the minds of traders. Secure a Barrons subscription or buy Wall Street Journal subscription now. Barrons, Investors Business Daily and the Wall Street Journal have led the way for unbiased reporting and analysis. Get ahead of the line.

A Guide to Gold Basics

By Lawrence Reaves

With the soaring prices of gold it is a good time to consider buying or selling your gold jewelry. You need to have some basic knowledge to make smart decisions. Gold jewelry seems like it never goes out of style. This is because it is beautiful and easy for most people to afford and wear.

Pure gold will not tarnish, rust or corrode and is the most malleable of all metals. Pure gold is too soft for jewelry so it is mixed with other metals, including silver, copper, nickel and zinc to give it strength and durability. The color of gold is determined by the type of metal alloys it is mix with and the percentage of each metal alloy.

Most people think all gold is yellow, but the fact is there are many variations of color that gold can be. Colored gold is just as "real" as golden colored gold. The color depends on what the gold is mixed with. Other alloys are mixed with gold to make it strong and to hold up under every day wear and tear that jewelry goes through. Craftsman learned through the ages that mixing gold with copper, silver and platinum would increase its durability. When gold is alloyed with other metals it changes the color of the finished product. An alloy of 75% gold, 16% silver and 9% cooper makes yellow gold. White gold is 75% gold, 4% silver, 4% copper and 17% palladium. Other combinations of alloys can make pink, green, peach and even black gold.

The alloys of gold have a lesser value per unit weight than pure gold. The standard in the gold trade is known as karatage which is commonly called karat. Pure gold is known as 24 karat gold and is usually marked with 24K. An alloy that is 50% gold is 12 karat gold and is marked with a 12K. An alloy that is 75% gold is 18 karat gold and is marked with 18K. High karat gold jewelry is softer and more resistant to tarnish; on the other hand, lower karat jewelry is stronger, but less resistant to tarnish.

Gold is highly valued and there is a limited supply and has been used as a medium of exchange or money for centuries. 6000 years ago is when the first transaction was done using pieces of gold and silver. The reason that gold has been used for this purpose for so long is because it has high value, durable, portable and can be divided easily. At one time the United States used a gold standard and maintained a stockpile of gold to back every dollar in circulation. It became too cumbersome and is no longer used by any nation. Gold coins were commonly used in transactions. Gold coins were issued in two types of units. Some were units of currency and some were issued in standard weights.

Today gold coins are no longer in wide use for financial transactions. Gold coins issued in specific weights are popular for people who want to purchase and invest in a small amount of gold. Gold coins are also collected and issued as commemorative coins. These types are a good investment because gold retains its value overtime. These are just some informative basic facts about gold. As you can see gold is a good investment whether it is in fine jewelry or coins. - 23217

About the Author:

The best online resource to sell gold or sell gold coins can be found at http://www.refinity.com