9 Tricks Of The Successful Trader

by Selwyn Gishen (Contact Author | Biography)

For all of its numbers, charts and ratios, trading is more art than science. And just as in artistic endeavors, there is talent involved, but talent will only take you so far. The best traders hone their skills through practice and discipline. They perform self analysis to see what drives their trades and learn how to keep fear and greed out of the equation. In this article we'll look at nine steps a novice trader can use to perfect his or her craft; for the experts out there, you might just find some tips that will help you make smarter, more profitable trades, too.

Step 1. Define your goals and then choose a style of trading that is compatible with those goals. Be sure your personality is a match for the style of trading you choose.

Before you set out on any journey, it is imperative that you have some idea of where your destination is and how you will get there. Consequently, it is imperative that you have clear goals in mind as to what you would like to achieve; you then have to be sure that your trading method is capable of achieving these goals. Each type of trading style requires a different approach and each style has a different risk profile, which requires a different attitude and approach to trade successfully. For example, if you cannot stomach going to sleep with an open position in the market then you might consider day trading. On the other hand, if you have funds that you think will benefit from the appreciation of a trade over a period of some months, then a position trader is what you want to consider becoming. But no matter what style of trading you choose, be sure that your personality fits the style of trading you undertake. A personality mismatch will lead to stress and certain losses. (For more, see Invest With A Thesis.)

Step 2. Choose a broker with whom you feel comfortable but also one who offers a trading platform that is appropriate for your style of trading.

It is important to choose a broker who offers a trading platform that will allow you to do the analysis you require. Choosing a reputable broker is of paramount importance and spending time researching the differences between brokers will be very helpful. You must know each broker's policies and how he or she goes about making a market. For example, trading in the over-the-counter market or spot market is different from trading the exchange-driven markets. In choosing a broker, it is important to read the broker documentation. Know your broker's policies. Also make sure that your broker's trading platform is suitable for the analysis you want to do. For example, if you like to trade off of Fibonacci numbers, be sure the broker's platform can draw Fibonacci lines. A good broker with a poor platform, or a good platform with a poor broker, can be a problem. Make sure you get the best of both.

Step 3. Choose a methodology and then be consistent in its application.

Before you enter any market as a trader, you need to have some idea of how you will make decisions to execute your trades. You must know what information you will need in order to make the appropriate decision about whether to enter or exit a trade. Some people choose to look at the underlying fundamentals of the company or economy, and then use a chart to determine the best time to execute the trade. Others use technical analysis; as a result they will only use charts to time a trade. Remember that fundamentals drive the trend in the long term, whereas chart patterns may offer trading opportunities in the short term. Whichever methodology you choose, remember to be consistent. And be sure your methodology is adaptive. Your system should keep up with the changing dynamics of a market. (For related reading, see What is the difference between fundamental and technical analysis and Blending Technical And Fundamental Analysis.)

Step 4. Choose a longer time frame for direction analysis and a shorter time frame to time entry or exit.

Many traders get confused because of conflicting information that occurs when looking at charts in different time frames. What shows up as a buying opportunity on a weekly chart could, in fact, show up as a sell signal on an intraday chart. Therefore, if you are taking your basic trading direction from a weekly chart and using a daily chart to time entry, be sure to synchronize the two. In other words, if the weekly chart is giving you a buy signal, wait until the daily chart also confirms a buy signal. Keep your timing in sync.

Step 5. Calculate your expectancy.

Expectancy is the formula you use to determine how reliable your system is. You should go back in time and measure all your trades that were winners, versus all your trades that were losers. Then determine how profitable your winning trades were versus how much your losing trades lost.

Take a look at your last 10 trades. If you haven't made actual trades yet, go back on your chart to where your system would have indicated that you should enter and exit a trade. Determine if you would have made a profit or a loss. Write these results down. Total all your winning trades and divide the answer by the number of winning trades you made. Here is the formula:

E= [1+ (W/L)] x P – 1 where: W = Average Winning Trade L = Average Losing Trade P = Percentage Win Ratio Example: If you made 10 trades and six of them were winning trades and four were losing trades, your percentage win ratio would be 6/10 or 60%. If your six trades made $2,400, then your average win would be $2,400/6 = $400. If your losses were $1,200, then your average loss would be $1,200/4 = $300. Apply these results to the formula and you get; E= [1+ (400/300)] x 0.6 - 1 = 0.40 or 40%. A positive 40% expectancy means that your system will return you 40 cents per dollar over the long term.

Step 6. Focus on your trades and learn to love small losses.

Once you have funded your account, the most important thing to remember is that your money is at risk. Therefore, your money should not be needed for living or to pay bills etc. Consider your trading money as if it were vacation money. Once the vacation is over your money is spent. Have the same attitude toward trading. This will psychologically prepare you to accept small losses, which is key to managing your risk. By focusing on your trades and accepting small losses rather than constantly counting your equity, you will be much more successful.

Secondly, only leverage your trades to a maximum risk of 2% of your total funds. In other words, if you have $10,000 in your trading account, never let any trade lose more than 2% of the account value, or $200. If your stops are farther away than 2% of your account, trade shorter time frames or decrease the leverage. (For further reading, see Leverage's Double-Edged Sword Need Not Cut Deep.)

Step 7. Build positive feedback loops.

A positive feedback loop is created as a result of a well-executed trade in accordance with your plan. When you plan a trade and then execute it well, you form a positive feedback pattern. Success breeds success, which in turn breeds confidence - especially if the trade is profitable. Even if you take a small loss but do so in accordance with a planned trade, then you will be building a positive feedback loop.

Step 8. Perform weekend analysis.

It is always good to prepare in advance. On the weekend, when the markets are closed, study weekly charts to look for patterns or news that could affect your trade. Perhaps a pattern is making a double top and the pundits and the news is suggesting a market reversal. This is a kind of reflexivity where the pattern could be prompting the pundits while the pundits are reinforcing the pattern. Or the pundits may be telling you that the market is about to explode. Perhaps these are pundits hoping to lure you into the market so that they can sell their positions on increased liquidity. These are the kinds of actions to look for to help you formulate your upcoming trading week. In the cool light of objectivity, you will make your best plans. Wait for your setups and learn to be patient.

If the market does not reach your point of entry, learn to sit on your hands. You might have to wait for the opportunity longer than you anticipated. If you miss a trade, remember that there will always be another. If you have patience and discipline you can become a good trader. (To learn more, see Patience Is A Trader’s Virtue.)

Step 9. Keep a printed record.

Keeping a printed record is one of the best learning tools a trader can have. Print out a chart and list all the reasons for the trade, including the fundamentals that sway your decisions. Mark the chart with your entry and your exit points. Make any relevant comments on the chart. File this record so you can refer to it over and over again. Note the emotional reasons for taking action. Did you panic? Were you too greedy? Were you full of anxiety? Note all these feelings on your record. It is only when you can objectify your trades that you will develop the mental control and discipline to execute according to your system instead of your habits.

Bottom Line
The steps above will lead you to a structured approach to trading and in return should help you become a more refined trader. Trading is an art and the only way to become increasingly proficient is through consistent and disciplined practice. Remember the expression: the harder you practice the luckier you'll get.

by Selwyn Gishen, (Contact Author | Biography)

Selwyn Gishen is a trader with more than 15 years of experience trading forex and equities for a private equity fund. For the past 35 years, he has also been a student of metaphysics, and has written a book called "Mind: How Changing Your Mind Can Change Your Life!" (2007). Gishen is the founder of FXNewsandViews.Com and the author of a forex trading guide entitled "Trading the Forex Markets: A Foundation Course for Online Traders". The course is designed to provide the trader with all the aspects of Gishen's Fusion Trading Model.

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What Type Of Forex Trader Are You?

by Richard Lee (Contact Author | Biography)

What are some things that separate a good trader from a great one? Guts, instincts, intelligence and, most importantly, timing. Just as there are many types of traders, there is an equal number of different time frames that assist traders in developing their ideas and executing their strategies. At the same time, timing also helps market warriors take several things that are outside of a trader's control into account. Some of these items include position leveraging, nuances of different currency pairs, and the effects of scheduled and unscheduled news releases in the market. As a result, timing is always a major consideration when participating in the foreign exchange world, and is a crucial factor that is almost always ignored by novice traders.

Want to bring your trading skills to the next level? Read on to learn more about time frames and how to use them to your advantage.

Common Trader Time frames
In the grander scheme of things, there are plenty of names and designations that traders go by. But when taking time into consideration, traders and strategies tend to fall into three broader and more common categories: day trader, swing trader and position trader.

1. The Day Trader
Let's begin with what seems to be the most appealing of the three designations, the day trader. A day trader will, for a lack of a better definition, trade for the day. These are market participants that will usually avoid holding anything after the session close and will trade in a high-volume fashion.

On a typical day, this short-term trader will generally aim for a quick turnover rate on one or more trades, anywhere from 10- to 100-times the normal transaction size. This is in order to capture more profit from a rather small swing. As a result, traders who work in proprietary shops in this fashion will tend to use shorter time-frame charts, using one-, five-, or 15-minute periods. In addition, day traders tend to rely more on technical trading patterns and volatile pairs to make their profits. Although a long-term fundamental bias can be helpful, these professionals are looking for opportunities in the short term. (For background reading, see Would You Profit As A Day Trader? and Day Trading Strategies For Beginners.)

Figure 1

Source: FX Trek Intellicharts

One such currency pair is the British pound/Japanese yen as shown in Figure 1, above. This pair is considered to be extremely volatile, and is great for short-term traders, as average hourly ranges can be as high as 100 pips. This fact overshadows the 10- to 20-pip ranges in slower moving currency pairs like the euro/U.S. dollar or euro/British pound. (For more on pairs trading, see Common Questions About Currency Trading.)

2. Swing Trader
Taking advantage of a longer time frame, the swing trader will sometimes hold positions for a couple of hours - maybe even days or longer - in order to call a turn in the market. Unlike a day trader, the swing trader is looking to profit from an entry into the market, hoping the change in direction will help his or her position. In this respect, timing is more important in a swing trader's strategy compared to a day trader. However, both traders share the same preference for technical over fundamental analysis. A savvy swing trade will likely take place in a more liquid currency pair like the British pound/U.S. dollar. In the example below (Figure 2), notice how a swing trader would be able to capitalize on the double bottom that followed a precipitous drop in the GBP/USD currency pair. The entry would be placed on a test of support, helping the swing trader to capitalize on a shift in directional trend, netting a two-day profit of 1,400 pips. (To learn more, read The Daily Routine Of A Swing Trader and Introduction To Types Of Trading: Swing Traders.)

Figure 2

Source: FX Trek Intellicharts

3. The Position Trader
Usually the longest time frame of the three, the position trader differs mainly in his or her perspective of the market. Instead of monitoring short-term market movements like the day and swing style, these traders tend to look at a longer term plan. Position strategies span days, weeks, months or even years. As a result, traders will look at technical formations but will more than likely adhere strictly to longer term fundamental models and opportunities. These FX portfolio managers will analyze and consider economic models, governmental decisions and interest rates to make trading decisions. The wide array of considerations will place the position trade in any of the major currencies that are considered liquid. This includes many of the G7 currencies as well as the emerging market favorites.

Additional Considerations
With three different categories of traders, there are also several different factors within these categories that contribute to success. Just knowing the time frame isn't enough. Every trader needs to understand some basic considerations that affect traders on an individual level.

Leverage
Widely considered a double-edged sword, leverage is a day trader's best friend. With the relatively small fluctuations that the currency market offers, a trader without leverage is like a fisherman without a fishing pole. In other words, without the proper tools, a professional is left unable to capitalize on a given opportunity. As a result, a day trader will always consider how much leverage or risk he or she is willing to take on before transacting in any trade. Similarly, a swing trader may also think about his or her risk parameters. Although their positions are sometimes meant for longer term fluctuations, in some situations, the swing trader will have to feel some pain before making any gain on a position. In the example below (Figure 3), notice how there are several points in the downtrend where a swing trader could have capitalized on the Australian dollar/U.S. dollar currency pair. Adding the slow stochastic oscillator, a swing strategy would have attempted to enter into the market at points surrounding each golden cross. However, over the span of two to three days, the trader would have had to withstand some losses before the actual market turn could be called correctly. Magnify these losses with leverage and the final profit/loss would be disastrous without proper risk assessment. (For more insight, see Forex Leverage: A Double-Edged Sword.)

Figure 3

Source: FX Trek Intellicharts

Different Currency Pairs
In addition to leverage, currency pair volatility should also be considered. It's one thing to know how much you may potentially lose per trade, but it's just as important to know how fast your trade can lose. As a result, different time frames will call for different currency pairs. Knowing that the British pound/Japanese yen currency cross sometimes fluctuates 100 pips in an hour may be a great challenge for day traders, but it may not make sense for the swing trader who is trying to take advantage of a change in market direction. For this reason alone, swing traders will want to follow more widely recognized G7 major pairs as they tend to be more liquid than emerging market and cross currencies. For example, the euro/U.S. dollar is preferred over the Australian dollar/Japanese yen for this reason.

News Releases
Finally, traders in all three categories must always be aware of both unscheduled and scheduled news releases and how they affect the market. Whether these releases are economic announcements, central bank press conferences or the occasional surprise rate decision, traders in all three categories will have individual adjustments to make. (For more information, see Trading On News Releases.)

Short-term traders will tend to be the most affected, as losses can be exacerbated while swing trader directional bias will be corrupted. To this effect, some in the market will prefer the comfort of being a position trader. With a longer term perspective, and hopefully a more comprehensive portfolio, the position trader is somewhat filtered by these occurrences as they have already anticipated the temporary price disruption. As long as price continues to conform to the longer term view, position traders are rather shielded as they look ahead to their benchmark targets. A great example of this can be seen on the first Friday of every month in the U.S. non-farm payrolls report. Although short-term players have to deal with choppy and rather volatile trading following each release, the longer-term position player remains relatively sheltered as long as the longer term bias remains unchanged. (For more insight, see What impact does a higher non-farm payroll have on the forex market?)

Figure 4

Source: FX Trek Intellicharts

Which Time Frame Is Right?
Which time frame is right really depends on the trader. Do you thrive in volatile currency pairs? Or do you have other commitments and prefer the sheltered, long-term profitability of a position trade? Fortunately, you don't have to be pigeon-holed into one category. Let's take a look at how different time frames can be combined to produce a profitable market position.

Like a Position Trader
As a position trader, the first thing to analyze is the economy - in this case, in the U.K. Let's assume that given global conditions, the U.K.'s economy will continue to show weakness in line with other countries. Manufacturing is on the downtrend with industrial production as consumer sentiment and spending continue to tick lower. Worsening the situation has been the fact that policymakers continue to use benchmark interest rates to boost liquidity and consumption, which causes the currency to sell off because lower interest rates mean cheaper money. Technically, the longer term picture also looks distressing against the U.S. dollar. Figure 5 shows two death crosses in our oscillators, combined with significant resistance that has already been tested and failed to offer a bearish signal.

Figure 5

Source: FX Trek Intellicharts

Like a Day Trader
After we establish the long-term trend, which in this case would be a continued deleveraging, or sell off, of the British pound, we isolate intraday opportunities that give us the ability to sell into this trend through simple technical analysis (support and resistance). A good strategy for this would be to look for great short opportunities at the London open after the price action has ranged from the Asian session. (For more, see Measuring And Managing Investment Risk.)

Although too easy to believe, this process is widely overlooked for more complex strategies. Traders tend to analyze the longer term picture without assessing their risk when entering into the market, thus taking on more losses than they should. Bringing the action to the short-term charts helps us to see not only what is happening, but also to minimize longer and unnecessary drawdowns.

The Bottom Line
Timeframes are extremely important to any trader. Whether you're a day, swing, or even position trader, time frames are always a critical consideration in an individual's strategy and its implementation. Given its considerations and precautions, the knowledge of time in trading and execution can help every novice trader head toward greatness.

by Richard Lee, (Contact Author | Biography)

Richard Lee is a currency strategist for Online Forex Trading. Employing both fundamental and technical models, Lee has previously been featured on DailyFX.com, Bloomberg, FX Street.com, Yahoo Finance and Trading Markets.com. In analyzing the markets, he draws from an extensive experience trading fixed income and spot currency markets in addition to previous bouts in options, futures and equities.

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The Myth Of Profit/Loss Ratios

by Grace Cheng,See Grace's Forex blog at www.gracecheng.com

When trading the forex market or other markets, we are often told of a common money management strategy that requires that the average profit be more than the average loss per trade. It's easy to assume that something that has been so widely advised must be a good thing. However, if we take a deeper look at the relationship between profit and loss, it is clear that the "old," commonly-held ideas may need to be adjusted.


Profit/Loss Ratio
A profit/loss ratio refers to the size of the average profit compared to the size of the average loss per trade. For example, if your expected profit is $900 and your expected loss is $300 for a particular trade, your profit/loss ratio is 3:1 - which is $900 divided by $300.

Many trading books and "gurus" advocate a profit/loss ratio of at least 2:1 or 3:1, which means that for every $200 or $300 you make per trade, your potential loss should be capped at $100. (For related reading, see Limiting Losses.)

At first glance, most people would agree with this recommendation. After all, shouldn't any potential loss be kept as small as possible and any potential profit be as much as possible? The answer is: not always. In fact, this common piece of advice can be misleading, and can cause harm to your trading account.

The blanket advice of having a profit/loss ratio of at least 2:1 or 3:1 per trade is over-simplistic because it does not take into account the practical realities of the forex market (or any other markets), the individual's trading style and the individual's average profitability per trade (APPT) factor, which is also referred to as statistical expectancy.

APPT is Key to Profitability
Average profitability per trade basically refers to the average amount you can expect to win or lose per trade. Most people are so focused on either balancing their profit/loss ratios or on the accuracy of their trading approach that they are unaware that a bigger picture exists: Your trading performance depends largely on your APPT.

This is the formula for average profitability per trade:

Average Profitability Per Trade = (Probability of Win x Average Win) - (Probability of Loss x Average Loss)

Let's explore the APPT of the following hypothetical scenarios:

Scenario A:
Let's say that out of 10 trades you place, you profit on three of them and you realize a loss on seven. Your probability of a win is thus 30% or 0.3, while your probability of loss is 70% or 0.7. Your average winning trade makes $600 and your average loss is $300.

In this scenario, the APPT is:

(0.3 x $600) – (0.7 x $300) = - $30

As you can see, the APPT is a negative number, meaning that for every trade you place, you are likely to lose $30. That's a losing proposition!

Even though the profit/loss ratio is 2:1, this trading approach produces winning trades only 30% of the time, which negates the supposed benefit of having a 2:1 profit/loss ratio. (For related reading, see The Importance Of A Profit/Loss Plan.)

Scenario B:
Now let's explore the APPT of a trading approach that has a profit/loss ratio of 1:3, but has more winning trades than losing ones. Let's say out of the 10 trades you place, you make profit on eight of them, and you realize a loss on two trades.

Here is the APPT:

(0.8 x $100) – (0.2 x $300) = $20

In this case, even though this trading approach has a profit/loss ratio of 1:3, the APPT is positive, which means you can be profitable over time.

Many Ways of Becoming Profitable
When trading the forex market, there is no one-size-fits-all money management or trading approach. Traditional advice, such as making sure your profit is more than your loss per absolute trade, does not have much substantial value in the real trading world unless you have a high probability of realizing a winning trade. What matters is that your APPT comes up positive and that your overall profits are more than your overall losses.

For more forex money management tips, see Money Management Matters.
by Grace Cheng (Contact Author | Biography)

Grace Cheng is a forex trader, creator of the PowerFX Course and author of "7 Winning Strategies for Trading Forex" (2007, Harriman House). This revealing book explains how traders can use various market conditions to their advantage by tailoring a strategy to suit each one. The book is a perfect complement to the PowerFX Course. The PowerFX Course, designed for both new and current traders, teaches tools and trading approaches that combine technicals, fundamentals and the psychology of trading forex. It also includes Grace's proprietary tips and tricks. Grace's works have been published in The Trader's Journal, Technical Analysis of Stocks & Commodities, Smart Investor and other leading trading/investment publications.

Visit her popular forex blog at www.GraceCheng.com.

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Why A Dummy Account Is the Forex Traders Best Friend

To succeed as a Forex trader you will find the use of a dummy account invaluable.

Just like any other investments, you should never start investing in currencies without knowing what you are doing. With a good knowledge of Forex trading, you will be confident that you are on the right road to making some good profits.

As you probably already know, Forex stands for foreign exchange or the simultaneous exchange of a pair of foreign currency to another pair of foreign currency.

Initially you will need to gain knowledge of the Forex market background.
It is important to you find out about the market changes that affect currencies so that you can make the best decisions.

Next you will need to study risk control. It is important that you understand the risks involved in Forex trading. You need not to over invest or be overconfident at the thrill of opportunity of making huge money. Also on this part, you will learn how you will cut potential losses or getting out of a deal before your losses reach and even exceed your limits. It is natural that you will lose money when you start Forex trading. It is the most crucial part of your Forex trading education because it will determine whether you will end up making your way to riches or lose a lot of your money.

One of the best ways to start is to practice Forex transactions using a demo account and virtual money.

Through this way, you will be able to get the grip of your trading account before getting into real trading transactions.

With a Forex demo account, there is no risk involved yet the nature is just as realistic as the real Forex trade. Moreover, your Forex trading education will also let you know whether you are ready to do the real thing or you need more practice. Only then will you be able to start and manage a real Forex trading account.

There are different free sites that allow you to open free Forex demo accounts and download free software to practice your Forex system and trading. There are also free e-books where you can read essential information about the Forex market and its attributes.

It is a good idea to use a dummy account and gain experience from Forex forums until
you are confident that you have a reasonable chance of success.

Free Forex Software For You To Use: Download Free Forex Software

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Start Part Time Forex Trading

Forex trading is one of the most viable options for someone who''s looking at bigger possibilities, bigger profit and greater ease in trading and business. Because of it''s high liquidity and speedy transactions, forex trading is becoming a popular game among players in the field of business and marketing. While it''s traditionally for companies and corporations with big capital and experience in the field, it has also proven itself to be a good venture for a neophyte though what one calls a Mini Forex account or mini forex trading.

Mini Forex Basics

Mini Forex trading is good for people who have just started in the forex market and with not enough funds to open a regular account. It requires a smaller capital compared to regular forex accounts, a minimum of $300. With mini forex trading, you can control a $10,000 currency position.

The key here is leverage. Because of leverage, a trader can trade in a commodity more than the money available in his account. Say with a $250 deposit, one could trade a maximum of 5 mini lots. This kind of leverage is greater than stocks or day trading. Of course, it is recommended to start with a manageable leverage that allows greater flexibility in transactions.

What are the perks of mini forex trading? With just a small stake involved, you get to enjoy free trading platform and benefits that regular forex traders get to enjoy. These would include state-of-the art trading software, charts and resources. With a leverage of 200:1, the trader can trade in a commodity regardless of the amount of money available to him.

Mini forex trading also allows for lesser losses as the contract size is only 1/10th the size of a standard forex account. There is also greater flexibility with regards to customizing trades and minimizing risks. Ideal for those with smaller capital, the trader has a chance of investing in more areas of the market with lesser risk as there is lesser capital to be lost. He need not be hesitant with his transactions as there is lesser capital involved.

With the same freedom enjoyed by regular forex traders, a mini forex trader can trade as many lots as he likes. Although the standard trade size is 10,000 units, you are free to trade as much as 50,000 units or more. In this way, the trader also builds up his confidence in his trading skills at the same time slowly increase his profit and trading position in the market. He gets to manage his money before going for the higher stakes in regular forex trading.

The trader likewise gets to develop a sound trading strategy without getting too emotionally involved in possible losses and profit. For practice, a newbie in forex trading can practice through paper trading. But in the real market, he can start small with mini forex trading. There is lesser capital involved and the practice builds up the trader''s trading gameplan for future explorations in regular, higher stakes forex trading.

An Example

On a regular account, a 25-pip stop loss is equal to a loss of $250. Since a mini forex account is just 1/10th of the standard forex account, this is amounting to $25 only. If you trade in units of 10,000, the trader is given more flexibility in terms of customizing his trades and lessening the risks of loss.

They say that business is for the risk-taker. But if you''re just starting out, it''s wise to be cautious and think about your moves. In the world of foreign trading, mini forex accounts provide the wisest and best option especially for a neophyte. It requires lesser capital, lesser emotional investment, and slowly builds up your skills and confidence as a trader. In a way, it''s a way to prepare the trader for the higher stakes in the more advanced world of foreign trading.

Remember using good Forex software will help you save time.

Free Forex Software For You To Use: Download Free Forex Software

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Forex Trading Strategy: Channel Breakout

Forex Trading Strategy: Channel Breakout The Forex market, which is the largest exchange in the world, capitalizes upon certain trends to yield its traders profit. A popular Forex trading strategy used in profitable Forex trading is commonly referred to as a channel breakout.

Channels in Forex Trading - Channels are lines that are created on a chart to show the range in which a currency has been trading over a certain amount of time. They are extremely easy to produce. By looking at the chart over a time period, you simply draw a line connecting the relative high point trading prices, and another line below it connecting the relative low point trading prices. What you've done is produced a visualization of the trading range that has been occurring over the time period in question, for example six months.

Channel Breakout - When the price of a currency rises above the top channel line, this is an upwards channel break. Conversely, if the price of currency falls below the bottom channel line, this is a down side channel break. Channel breakouts can and do occur on the upside and downside. Through proper Forex training in technical analysis, anyone can use this method to develop a successful currency trading strategy.


It is important to construct the channels properly, as not every crossing of the lines becomes a true breakout. If the channel lines are made improperly, you often see trading outside of this range only to come back inside. That's why it is very important before anyone starts Forex trading to complete a thorough Forex education

Managing Forex Channels Profitably - Once you get the knack of channels, you can start making significant profits. The important thing is to structure your trades with proper stops so that if you do get a false breakout signal, you have an acceptable loss or even perhaps a minimal gain. You'll find that if you're on the right side of a true channel breakout, any of the small losses that you've accumulated will be rapidly wiped out, and you will be sitting on a nice large profit.

Every serious Forex trading investor uses channel breakouts. If you are considering taking part in investing in currency markets, you should take the time to get some Forex training in this strategy and other technical analysis techniques, which will develop the currency strategies that produce successful results. Without putting time and effort on your part to fully understand the risks and rewards that any Forex trading strategy entails, you will not be able to achieve the results that you desire. Indeed, your profit is in your hands.

About the Author:

Andrew Daigle is the creator and author of many successful websites including ForexBoost at http://www.ForexBoost.com and http://www.CashCurve.com for learning profitable online home business opportunities.

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The Best Forex Strategy for Consistent Profits

Some traders prefer the monthly, weekly or daily trade forex strategy. Others consider that the best forex strategy is the intraday trading, and probably none of them is the absolute best.

In reality, there can be profits in any forex strategy as long as you are well aware of the market movers and signals at any given time, and you have a clear understanding of all the elements that support your forex strategy.

Some traders base their forex strategy in long term investments (monthly or weekly positions), while others will build their forex strategy around daily or intradaily positions that might be open no longer than a few hours or even minutes (this traders are known as scalpers).

A long term forex strategy will probably earn you 100 or 200 pips in one trade, but that is probably all you will gain within a month or a week if your forex strategy gravitates around monthly or weekly positions, But on the other hand, a well carried scalping forex strategy can deliver many little 10 or 20 pip trades during a day, meaning that maybe you can total anything between 80 to 160 pips in one day using this forex strategy.


The intraday forex strategy benefits from the fact that the forex market, whether moving up or down within any particular currency pair, will always make small fluctuations that you can profit from using an intraday forex strategy.

Which forex strategy is best for you will depend greatly on your personal investment and risk management style, and also on how much time you can dedicate during the day in order to follow the market trends and spot the right entry points for a profitable trade.

I prefer the intraday forex strategy because of its profitability and because frankly I have some time to spare, but mostly because I have the assistance of a software I discovered a while ago, which places trades by itself based on the market trends occurring both during the day an during the night.

So even when if am not in front of my pc, I can go on trading all day and all night, profiting from of every little window of opportunity to scalp a few pips out of the market. With this approach, my intraday forex strategy delivers about 120 pips daily, which in my particular case means I earn about $3,000 per month with a 5,000 investment.

So the intraday forex strategy can indeed be the most profitable one, but it will demand that you stay very attentive at what is going on within the market on a minute by minute basis, unless of course you have a software that stays on guard while you are busy with your job or anything else that might keep you from continuously analyzing the market trends.

If you are wondering about the software I use to help me with my intraday forex strategy, I will only tell you that it does work and that its called the FAPS.

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Martina

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