Forex Broker - The 6 Steps to Finding the Best Forex Broker

If you are just starting to test the bodies of water of foreign exchange trading or what we advert to as Forex, you will finally have to build a relationship with a Forex broker.

Getting a good Best Forex Broker is quite critical to successfully trade in the foreign currencies markets. Not every Forex brokers are made the same. Each one will have tools and functions different from the other.

You might find a broker that offers great resources and information to analyze and spot trends in currency trading but can come up short on the software platform side. So it is important to do Some research at the starting so that the relationship you nurture with your broker can be a lasting and paying one. To serve you along here are Many tips on getting a great broker:

1. Account types - The total of capital you are willing to invest will dictate what type of account you will open with a brokerage. Typically, virtually brokerage firms will offer a "mini" and a "standard" account. As the term involves, a mini account can be opened for as little as $200. This is suitable for the beginner looking to gain experience in trading. However there are cases when trading options such as leveraging can be limited in a mini account. A standard account, on the other hand, offers more options over the mini account but the minimum deposit is also much greater (around $1,000.00).

2. Platform - The platform is basically the program that you will use to get such information like live quotes, graphs and charts, your exposure, your profit and loss, the margin required, every your open positions with their current profit and loss status and further useful data. A good brokerage will very likely be using sophisticated technology in their platforms so be sure to find out if it is user-friendly at Every. every the buying and selling should be easily done in as little as one click. Many platforms also gives you access to daily analyses in Forex, news reports and Forex signals including support and resistance levels.

3. Leverage - Leveraged financing is a feature common in Forex trading. It basically means you can use credit in order to maximize your returns. In simpler terms, what you do is you "borrow" your broker's funds temporarily to make larger trades and if all goes well, will produce larger profits. An opportunity So is created to control a $400,000 transaction for as little as a $1,000 actual investment. In this example, the leverage level is x400. An investor should be aware though that if the market turns sour, there is a risk of losing a substantial sum of money, depending on the amount of leverage taken. So it is a serious idea to learn more about leveraging before exposing your investment in the open market.

4. Spread - Stock brokers make their money in commissioning, Forex brokers make theirs done the spread. A spread is the difference between buy and sell--the price at which a currency can be bought and the price at which they can be sold at any given time. To the investor, a smaller spread logically means that there is a higher profit potential. There are 2 types of spread--fixed and various. Fixed spreads remain the same throughout the day. various spreads change according to market conditions. A active market must react considerably in your favor before you can turn a profit. Spread also alters from account types. A mini account typically charges a higher spread than a standard account. A potential trader should So know the spread of Every broker before settling at a decision to sign up.

5. Technical support - Obviously, support should be considered such as when the software becomes faulty or when questions arise regarding certain transactions. Quick acting support reflects positively on a broker and you can even try this by contacting them with pre-sale questions.
6. Demo account - Before putting any weight on any of the items mentioned above, a beginner should always look for a broker that offers a demo or trial account. Not Every brokers offer demo accounts. A demo account will allow you to trade in "play" money so that any losses you incur do not count against your investment. Needless to say, you do not make any money either if you turn a profit in your demo account.

It is there only to get a beginner acclimated to the different Forex conditions. While this may be Many of the almost important points to consider when looking for a Forex broker, there are Many "little things" that may crop up while doing your search such as unique promotions or great offers. However there is enough data in the foregoing to provide you with a basis for judging whether Many offers are above board or not.

There is nothing to stop you from signing up with different brokers and to take advantage of whatever great offers they may have on the table. Exercising Many due diligence at the start will prevent a lot of heartache later on. A good Forex broker should be able to serve you become more successful in your trading. Make sure you use a Great Forex Broker and make your Forex trading a profitable one.

Now CFD FX Report has recently taken a researched all the Forex Broker and CFD Brokers in the market and they have selected the Best Forex Brokers and CFD Brokers in the market. So we have helped thousands of traders take the guesswork out of choosing the best roker. To find out more feel free to visit our website CFD FX REPORT or email us: support@cfdfxreport.com

CFD Brokers Singapore - Who is the Best?

So you are Trading Contracts for Difference on the Singapore Stock Exchange or in Asia or you are thinking of trading CFDs on the Singapore Stock Exchange, then this maybe the most important article that you read.

So give yourself every chance of success and make sure you have the Best CFD BROKER.

Online brokers give an important role to play when you open an online trading account. Every Last broker can offer different services and features. You must research all the online brokers to find the foremost broker to meet your needs. I experience listed a huge number of online brokers and placed their information for you to read in one easy-to-read webpage. This is a free, "no-cost to you" service for our valued readers and can be seen on this link: Best Online Brokers or email support@cfdfxreport.com

What to look for in an online broker.

Brokerage House rates - this is the value at which you are charged for buying or selling through your online account. These rates are usually charged based on a sliding scale. The more units you purchase in a single transaction, the less the "cost per unit" you will pay. The correct sliding scale can vary and may sometimes be negotiable for larger buys. Comparability each broker and read the fine print within contracts. Selection the special that best meets your buying and selling style.

Account fees - Look for secret fees in account contracts within the terms and conditions. I recognize of one broker who requires an extra to transfer money out of an account "quickly" as against withdrawing money normally. Hardly a common fee, I'd say. All fees should be listed in the terms and conditions listed in opening an account.

Phone access - Online services can go down during hours of service. Gaps to broadband services, power outages and computer problems can stop you from accessing information you need at critical points. This is why you must experience phone access to your online broker. Do not even consider using an online broker if they do not provide phone access.

Access to your money - I favour having instant access to my money sure though it is held in a cash account by the broker. Most brokers will experience a cash account facility that is linked to your trading account. My account is linked to a MasterCard account, which means I can access that money anytime through any ATM or make purchases as I would normally using a MasterCard. Don't be misled into thinking you must only experience a separate cash holding account with the online broker. There are lots of options open to you as a client and good online brokers will provide several options for your cash holding account.

Extra benefits - essay out those brokers that give you extra inducements to open an account with them. Some offer a limited free brokerage period. Others will offer free reports on the markets you are interested in. These bonus offers can help you getting you account given and setup a profitable trading account. For more information on finding the best online stock broker feel free to visit our website.

The CFD FX REPORT is the real time traders tool, that gives you daily trading ideas, stock market and forex education..

Finding A Forex Broker For Dummies

Online brokers give an important role to play when you open an online trading account. Every Last broker can offer different services and features. You must research all the online brokers to find the foremost broker to meet your needs. I experience listed a huge number of online brokers and placed their information for you to read in one easy-to-read webpage. This is a free, "no-cost to you" service for our valued readers and can be seen on this link Best Forex Broker

What to search for in an online broker.

Brokerage House rates - this is the range at which you are charged for buying or selling through your online account. These rates are usually charged based on a sliding scale. The more units you purchase in a single transaction, the less the "cost per unit" you will pay. The correct sliding scale can vary and may sometimes be negotiable for larger buys. Compare for each one broker and read the fine print within contracts. Selection the one that best meets your buying and selling style.

History fees - Look for hidden fees in account contracts within the terms and conditions. I acknowledge of one broker who requires an extra $10 to transfer money out of an account "quickly" as against withdrawing money normally. Hardly a reasonable fee, I'd say. All fees should be listed in the terms and conditions listed in opening an account.

Phone access - Online services can go down during hours of service. Gaps to broadband services, power outages and computer problems can stop you from accessing information you need at critical points. This is why you must experience phone access to your online broker. Do not even consider using an online broker if they do not provide phone access.

Access to your money - I prefer giving instant access to my money regular though it is held in a cash account by the broker. Most brokers will experience a cash account facility that is linked to your trading account. My account is linked to a MasterCard account, which means I can access that money anytime through any ATM or make purchases as I would normally using a MasterCard. Don't be misled into thinking you must only have a separate cash holding account with the online broker. There are lots of options open to you as a client and good online brokers will provide several options for your cash holding account.

Extra benefits - essay out those brokers that give you extra inducements to open an account with them. Some offer a limited free brokerage period. Others will offer free reports on the markets you are interested in. These bonus offers can help you getting you account given and setup a profitable trading account. For more information on finding the best online stock broker feel free to visit our website.

The CFD FX REPORTis the real time traders tool, that gives you daily trading ideas, stock market and forex education.

Best CFD Broker - Australia

The Contracts For Difference (CFD) Market is the largest financial market and everyday new investors plan to jump in when they learn of the benefits, that is, high returns on investment which is as high as 20% per month a month.

So if you are brand new to the CFD Market you do have a few options when starting to trade, try and trade yourself, get some education first or Find a Best CFD Broker to help you.

A great CFD broker with experience with ideally a lot of happy clients and experience is the CFD Broker that you should be trading with and trading through. Once you've found the ideal CFD broker, all that's to be done is, keep a regular check on your investments and it is advised to do it independently to avoid scams, because one can never know. So, how to find the right CFD broker, is that the question?

Well, the great news for you is, this article was written just for you. Every single person will trade with different levels of risk and depending on that factor you might like to check how different CFD broker work and then select the one from them.

Before undertaking the task of searching for a CFD Broker, remember to strike out brokers promising massive returns, they are scams without doubt and same for brokers who are promising you that you will make millions of dollars with or no risk. If this takes place then the alarm bells should ring. If you go with this particular broker you will end up broker!

Trading as any other investment always involves some level of risk because of the nature of the market which you must be prepared to incur and also understand that losses can and will occur. You must understand no one can pick the market correctly 100% of time. So if you are prepared that in order to trade you will have losses you will be a better trader. A trader that can take losses, and in particular cut losses quickly will be a much more successful trader. Remember cut your losses quickly and let your profits run.

Here are some important things to consider when you are choosing a CFD Broker. Make sure to check the spread of the CFD broker as that's where they earn their money, read their terms of service carefully and check the services offered. So the bigger the spread the more money they are making, therefore the less you are making.

There might be a lot of services being offered upfront at no cost but you might be billed for them later on, so make sure to sign up only for the services that are required.

A CFD broker is a long term partner for your financial success so, make sure to research their background well. If you are not sure about that broker continue to look around or start off very small. All that's to be done is put in a little effort by checking the credibility of the CFD broker or company upfront for peace of mind in long term.

So if you don't have the time to research CFD Brokers yourself the CFD FX REPORThas recently researched all of these brokers and come up with what they believe to be the Best CFD Brokers in the Market.

CFD Broker - Make the Choice - Not A Mistake

With the modern times of mobile communication, it is not unusual to find hidden in a home a trader or a broker who is doing their CFD Trading from the comfort of their own home. Today to be a CFD trader all that you require is a computer setup to multi screen investing servers, the number of the casual or evens serious home based CFD traders has grown a great deal of late and this is because of the internet and the popularity of certain commodity trades.

Today, this article will discuss about the CFD market, and how you can find a great online CFD broker when you do decide to jump on the wagon and become a CFD Trader. Most of the CFD Brokers today offer the ability to be able to trade online, CFD trade over the phone, or CFD trade from you mobile phone.

With the growth of the virtual CFD Trader, we have seen an explosion of online CFD brokerages on the internet in the almost predictable economic elastic demand and supply. Today we are seeing more individuals turning to commodity trading as a viable source of second or even third income, brokerages and financial firms all over the world have responded by extending their services to the modern technology world. Before you choose which firm and which broker to choose, there are few things you need to do.

First step is to find the black list of online CFD brokers and those that have a bad reputation. There are a few collectives that collect a list of names of individuals and companies (including all their aliases and permutations) and place them upon a compiled list for everyone to refer to. If that is not enough, you must also check your local finance and governing body and run a list of potential brokerages and companies you want to join with them - you never know what you might find. Deal with well established companies that have strong regulation. Recently the CFD FX REPORT has researched all the online CFD Brokers and have come up with who they believe to the Best CFD Broker.

Do not be swept off your feet by a long list of credentials if you do not know what they mean or where they even came from in the first place. Be wary of customer testimonials that are written on the website itself, as these can doctored or fabricated.

Use a company that has great references, and has good client testimonials. Check also for longevity, the more years a broker and his company have been around, the more chances that it is a legitimate and viable source of investing advice. Always be careful where you place your money and it is very, very important that you choose a good online broker that is both legitimate and has the needs of your finances at heart. You must feel comfortable with this broker, remember a bad broker can make you BROKER.

Forex Broker- Selecting the Correct Forex Broker-00-402

Today we are seeing many people starting to trade the Forex Market, as it is recession proof. It is also the most liquid market in the world, turning over in excess of $3 trillion every day.

So if you are looking to get into Forex trading then the most important step you can take is to find a great Forex Broker.

FOREX trading can be risky, but it does have huge potential for you to either make a lot of money or lose a lot of money. If you have been around the market awhile you will realize that not all FOREX Brokers are equal, and in fact some border being just plain rip off merchants. This can be a major turn off for many new investors, the fear of being rip off by a FOREX Broker. So how can you find a Great FOREX Broker?

So how can you find a Great Forex Broker?


The great news is that there are some awesome FOREX brokers in the market. A good place to start is finding FOREX Brokers as a referral or through a company that knows a lot about FOREX brokers.

Now if you don't feel comfortable with that and you want to do all the hard work of researching brokers yourself, then here is a list of things to look about when looking for a great FOREX Broker.

1. Forex Broker Tip 1: Make sure the FOREX Broker is validated the companies reputation- See what license they hold

2. Forex Broker Tip 2 See who the FOREX Broker is regulated with and make sure you do a search within the regulators to ensure everything is okay.

3. Forex Broker Tip 3 Check how long the FOREX Broker has been operating for, if it is a short time it maybe better to use someone that is more established.

4. Forex Broker Tip 4 See what the spread and or commissions that the FOREX Broker charge

5. Forex Broker Tip 5 Does the FOREX Broker offer stop losses, do they have guaranteed stop losses what are the charges and fees?

6. Forex Broker Tip 6 Does the FOREX Provider requite your orders? If the do stay away

7. Forex Broker Tip 7 What about slippage, if there is slippage find a better FOREX Broker?

8. Forex Broker Tip 8 Where is your money held? If it is not through a reputable bank stay away

Most importantly whatever broker you start with, start off small, test the waters these are just some of the research that CFD FX REPORT use when looking for a Great FOREX Broker.

Remember the real key to success a forex trader is education. The more knowledge that you have the more chance you have of becoming a successful trader. To continue learning a great place to visit is the CFD FX REPORT they offer a range of Free education lesson, free forums and they help you find the best Forex Broker .

Happy Trading!

Choosing Forex Brokers in USA

The US dollar is one of the most powerful currencies in the forex trading system. It is actually one of the most basic trading values used in this specific market. So if you are new in the market and you would like to learn the ins and outs of the US dollar trading, you might be able to boost your profits with the help of forex brokers in USA. Forex brokers serve as the middle man between two different parties-you and your buyers or sellers. They can also give you their consultancy services in the process.


You can choose to either get in touch with forex brokers in USA as a consultant or you can also choose to employ them as your trading partner. Either way, they can be an asset for you if you know how to use their influence and expertise accordingly. Two of the most important things that you need to understand when choosing your US forex broker is the forex spread which they currently use and the reputation as well as the capital they have to sustain them.


Utilizing the Forex Spread through these Brokers


A forex spread is actually the method of trading in itself. When you trade with people in the currency market, each network you have can be considered as a spread. But when you make use of forex brokers, they use a number of spread methods to make sure that you get more exposure which can also translate into more profits for them. The term is coined as spread because it makes efficient use of scanning the market for potential customers. But one thing you should keep in mind is that its different spread strokes for different forex brokers.


Forex brokers in USA may or may not publish their prices on their site. This is actually an important point to consider because it helps you understand how much profits you can gain out of them when done in comparison with spreads. There are actually two different types of forex spreads-the fixed spread which makes use of a fixed method and currency rates regardless of the trading time and the variable spread which may depend loosely on the current scene in the trading market.


Reputation and the Brokers' Capital Resources


Of course there's also the issue of choosing your broker depending on the reputation they have. Reputation is important especially if you want to expand your networks. You will also be surprised how some potential business partners may choose to not deal with you if you have a forex broker who's professional ethics are questionable. In the world of forex, it may not always be about profits.


Another important consideration is capital resources, because it gives you an idea of the rates and features you will get to enjoy through the forex broker you choose to hire. Some may be able to waive your fees and there are also those who will be able to connect you with other rising forex markets. They may end up to be a wealthy source of vital business information.

Reading Forex Broker Reviews

If you are considering hiring a forex broker, one of the many ways in which you can possibly learn about their credibility is by means of forex broker reviews. These things can be found just about anywhere in the internet. You just need a search engine where you can place these keywords and then wait for the results to show up. Reviews on forex brokers can give you the following benefits:


1. Credibility - Reputation is an important thing when it comes to hiring forex brokers. Although you would not really use their services in terms of marketing yourself or your business, you need to make sure that you are not partnering with a run off the mill type of broker who cannot provide you with results. You also need to have someone whom you can trust enough with your transactions and even some vital confidential business information.


2. Network - The main reason you would be hiring a forex broker is to expand your business. Through online forex reviews, you can easily spot the industry names when it comes to forex brokering. You will know who's who in the trade and the people who have made quite a number of following and transactions throughout the span of their career.


3. Expertise - Reviews about forex brokers would definitely dissect the credentials of the person in discussion. After all, that's what reviews are for. It aims to discuss the pros and cons when it comes to specific subjects in terms of its features. Reviews about forex brokers help give you a better understanding of the professionals alongside their field of expertise and so you can identify if their expertise fits well with your business.


But given these benefits, you should also place careful observance when reading forex broker reviews. Make sure you choose those that are reputable enough and have been written by professionals themselves. Reviews are a combination of opinion and actual experience.


In finding the best reviews when it comes to forex brokers, here are some important points you would need to consider:


a. Who wrote the review? - It would be great to read reviews coming from forex professionals themselves. Some of them put up their reviews in their very own website and write them down in the form of a blog. This way, it's easier and much more inviting to read. You can also try searching for such articles on forex sites which also has a feature on the authors themselves.


b. When was the review created? - Forex is a very dynamic business. Make sure you only read reviews that are updated. The latest you can probably consider is a year before the present day. Unless of course you wanted to unearth issues and questionable stories associated with the forex broker, then feel free to delve deeper in your research.


c. What affiliations does the writer have? - This helps establish the fact that the person is indeed an expert reliable enough to write forex broker reviews. Industry associations tell you much especially in terms of the network that the review author has.

Dealing With Online Forex Brokers

Online forex brokers can turn out to be your competitive advantage in the line of foreign currency trading. They are deemed as a valuable asset especially if you wanted to enter into a high stakes game of currency trading. Because of these, forex brokers are highly esteemed in the market and there are some misconceptions that have also been formed around them. With the industry booming, it's about time that some of those misconceptions be straightened out once and for all.


The Truth behind Trading with Brokers


Most of the time, we feel way too assured for our own good when we get the services of online forex brokers. We tend to feel that we are in the hands of experts so all we have to do is sit back and relax as they do all the needed work for us. So when things don't turn out quite the way we expect them to, we tend to put all the blame on the brokers. Sometimes we even feel cheated that we are paying for nothing. But the truth is that we are also to blame for the losses we incur.


All forex brokers know that in the trading arena, losses amounting to 95% are but a common thing. This is why most of them choose to abide by the rules of day trading. Exchanging currencies are very dynamic and at the end of the day, all your broker ever really does is to provide you with leads. The hand that still makes all the vital decisions is yours and not your broker.


Brokers and Offered Leverage


One of the selling points used by most forex brokers is the leverage they offer. Leverage is the profits that you can be promised by relying on just one forex broker alone. Some even go as far as giving 300:1 and unfortunately some people take the bait. In truth, 20:1 is the maximum that brokers can handle and assure you with. It's easy to believe that they can do it with a spectrum of trading methods but at the end of the day, keep in mind that these brokers are human too. They can only do so much to cover that much and also consider the fact that you may not be their only client.


Listening to Your Forex Broker


One of the great offers that a forex broker can perhaps give you as an extra benefit is their word of advice. You would especially appreciate this if you are new in the game. But the thing is, you should not swallow every piece of advice that your forex broker will give you. Online forex brokers are hired to help you find opportunities but they should never be the ones made to handle the course of your business. At the end of the day, you should still listen to your own gut feel and instincts.


Also, you should never buy most of the things that your forex broker tells you out of the context of work. As much as possible, keep your relationship at a professional level.

Choosing the Best Professional Forex Brokers

If you are thinking of getting in touch with USA forex brokers, there are some important factors you need to consider. It's actually not that tough to find one considering there are lots of these professionals out in the market today. The real challenge however is finding someone who can really bring you results and assure that you are going to get quality services out of your investment. Bear in mind that forex brokers' rates vary accordingly and they may turn out to be a bit pricey.


The reason why it is important to hire a forex broker that specifically trades in the US dollar currency is that it gives you exposure to experiential and technical aspects. The US currency is one of the most widely used trading money in the market today. It's like the base where other currencies peg their rates at so when the US dollar fluctuates, it tends to change the course of the trading market as well. Liquidity is something that you must expect when it comes to the trading game.


Here are some important points you might need to consider when it comes to choosing among USA forex brokers.


1. Is the forex broker duly regulated? - The US bank and its related financial agencies have a say on the players in the forex market. Therefore it is important that you get in touch with these types of people. The great thing about using forex brokers who are regulated is that they are quite meticulous with their process. They need to do this because aside from liaising with you and their business spread partners, they also need to submit their financial standing and reports to regulating authorities. This way, you are assured that you are getting in touch with reliable people with a solid reputation.


2. Be the one to specify your trading platform - Although forex brokers are known to employ their own trading platforms, it would still be best if you are the one who will be giving directions for this system. Your trading platform should depend on the amount of time you can devote on the project and your work system. There are many different kinds of trading systems which you can use. You can either choose to have your trading run on autopilot, you may want to purchase a licensed trading software, or simply log online to an open source trading network. If you are not yet familiar with these things then you can also ask the expertise of forex brokers to help you choose the platform that would suit you best.


3. Trading methods used - Aside from the trading platform being used, you should also delve deeper into the specifics of the trading methods being used by your preferred forex broker. Here is where things such as spread, funds safety, and fractional trading would come into picture. All of these key ingredients to facilitate your forex business.


Do not let yourself be overwhelmed with having plenty of choices for USA forex brokers. Make sure you trim them down to qualified individuals whom you feel comfortable to work with.

10 factors to consider when choosing a forex broker

There are a number factors to consider when you choose a Forex broker and to help you do so here is a list of 10 of the key factors you should consider when you select a Forex Broker that will suite you.

1. Reputation This may seem like an obvious place to start but surprisingly this is quite often overlooked in people's quest for profits. A simple place to start is to check out several Forex forums to see what other traders have said about their experiences with brokers and this will help you to get a good idea of the general user experience as well as details about the level of service and support you are likely to get from particular brokers and probably most importantly, payments.

2. Foundation and legitimacy Most Forex brokerages are usually either associated with or are part of a bank or large financial organization but with the rising number of online Forex brokers there are a number of checks concerning their foundation that should be made. Brokerages that are associated with large financial organizations or banks are not only backed up by funds from their Forex trading but also have other income streams and investments which means they don't have all their eggs in one financial basket. Having fund insurance against fraud or bankruptcy is good to have as this means you aren't relying just on being paid from their backup investments which might otherwise mean a longer wait for your money should they be experiencing any financial difficulties. Are they registered with the appropriate regulatory organizations? Legitimate Forex brokers should be registered with the Futures Commission Merchant (FCM) and regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) Note: It is also worthwhile checking out any parent company's website for any financial information that can assure you that your funds are covered and secure.

3. Execution Quite simply this is how they conduct their business. There are two main business models that Forex brokers use, Electronic Communication Network, (ECN), and Market Maker. The ECN model is one where a Forex Broker provides a marketplace for Market Makers, traders and banks to enter their competing bids and offers into this trading platform and have them filled by liquidity providers. All trades made in this environment are made in the name of the ECN broker which means that your trades are all performed completely anonymously. The Market Maker model provides pricing and liquidity for a particular currency pair and then stands ready to buy or sell that currency at the quoted price. A market maker takes the opposite side of whatever your trade is and has the option of either holding that position fully or to partially offset it with other market traders in order to manage their aggregate exposure to their clients. Other aspects of the Forex brokers' execution of their business are: Do they use automatic execution for trades? If they do not have this as part of their model then how fast is their average order execution? How much are you allowed to trade without having to request a quote? Do they offset client trades?

4. Trading Platforms Forex trading is a rapidly moving environment and it pays to have a home computer that can keep up with the processing involved because time lag could mean you are not trading on the latest figures. If your current computer is not as up to date as you would like it to be and you are not in a position to bring it up to a faster processing specification or replace it with a faster workstation, then it is worth considering only using Forex Brokers that operate the ECN platform because this software requires less processing power to run at full speed as it is simpler software Some Forex brokers have restrictions on the number of currency pairs you can trade so check how many of these you are allowed to trade. Get used to the trading platforms and the features they have, such as one click trading, mobile trading, orders types and other features. The best way to do this is to sign up for a Demo account as these use the same software you would use with a live trading account. These accounts are free and if you are considering several Forex brokers then why not try them out with a demo account to see which one you prefer?

5. Account Size If you are starting out you aren't going to go gungo-ho and open large live trading accounts that have high minimum trades, but having said that you might want to increase your amounts later and so need some flexibility. Ascertain what the minimum trade size is as well as whether or not you can adjust the standard lot traded. Unsurprisingly the minimum account opening balance a broker requires is important in deciding which broker to use. It is also very worth checking whether or not unused equity will earn you interest.

6. Spread The spread is the difference between the ask price (the price you buy currency at) and the bid price (the price you sell it at). These are quoted in pips. An example of this is: If you are trading the currency pair US dollars and Euros you might see a spread like this, 1.2700/05, the spread is the difference between 1.2700 and 1.2705, or 5 pips. In order to make the most from your trades you need to know the brokers spread so find out if they use a fixed or variable spread? How tight is the spread? Is the spread larger for small accounts?

Note: Fixed or variable? This choice depends on your trading pattern. If you make trades only or mostly influenced by news announcements--when markets tend to be volatile--you might be better off with fixed spreads. Although this is only if the quality of execution is good. Some brokers have different spreads for different clients. Clients with larger accounts or that make larger trades can receive tighter spreads. Clients that are referred by an introducing broker might receive wider spreads so as to cover the costs of the referral. Other brokers though might offer everyone the same spread regardless of whom they are or the size of their account. It can be difficult to determine a company's spread policy so the best way to find out is to try various brokers, or talk to other traders who have, and of course check out the forums.

7. Slippage Slippage is the time between when your order is placed and the transaction is completed, so find out how much slippage can be expected for fast and normal moving markets.

8. Commissions This is probably the simplest thing to find out. Check your prospective Forex broker's commissions to see if they are built into the spread, as with most Market Makers, or if they charge a separate commission.

9. Margin The margin is the amount of deposit required to either open or maintain a trade position. Margins are either "free" or "used". A used margin is the amount which is being used to maintain a position that is open, and a free margin is the amount that is available to open a new trade position. Check what the broker's margin requirement is. Is this margin the same for both standard and mini accounts? Does the margin change for different currency groups or change for different days of the week?

10. Rollover Policy Rolling over will either accrue you interest or cost you interest depending on whether you bought a currency with a higher interest rate or sold a currency with a higher interest rate. Check the broker's conditions or requirements regarding earning rollover interest. There may be a minimum margin requirement before can earn interest on overnight positions so make sure you know your position. visit www.forexandoil.blogspot.com for daily forex signal and powerful trading system

Forex Software - Choosing the Best

When it comes to forex trading the forex software you choose is essential. There are so many forex trading companies all competing for your business that choosing the right forex software can be quite a difficult task. Most of the forex software products available offers live online forex trading platforms but what other components are vital when it comes to your forex software.

Key Elements For Your Forex Software

Before purchasing any forex software there are a few essential items that should be included. The most important is security and your online forex trading software should include a 128 bit SSL encryption which will prevent hackers from accessing any of your personal details and information such as your account balance, transaction history, etc.

Providing the best security for your forex trading will include a company that provides 24 hour technical server support for your forex software, 24 hour maintenance should anything go wrong, daily backups of all information, and a security system that has been designed to prevent any unauthorized access. Along with these security protocols there are also some forex trading companies that use smart cards and fingerprint scanners to ensure that only their employees can have access to their servers.

Another important factor when it comes to choosing your forex software is to check what the company’s downtime is like. When it comes to trading forex and particularly your online forex trading you need to ensure that the forex software you choose is reliable and available 24 hours a day. The forex software you choose for your forex trading should also have technical support available at all times should your session be cut short.

Ensuring that all the above features are listed in the forex software you choose will help to ensure your forex trading success.

Forex Trading: The Perfect Forex Trading System

Trading the Forex market has become very popular in the last few years. But how difficult is it to achieve success in the Forex trading arena? Or let me rephrase this question, how many traders achieve consistent profitable results trading the Forex market? Unfortunately very few, only about 5% of traders achieve this goal. One of the main reasons of this is because Forex traders focus in the wrong information to make their trading decisions and totally forget about the most important factor: Price behavior.

Most Forex trading systems are made off technical indicators. But what are technical indicators? They are just a series of data points plotted in a chart; these points are derived from a mathematical formula applied to the price of any given currency pair. In other words, it is a chart of price plotted in a different way that helps us see other aspects of price.

There is an important implication on this definition of technical indicators. The fact that the readings obtained from them are based on price action. Take for instance a long MA crossover signal, the price has gone up enough to make the short period MA crossover the long period MA generating a long signal. Most traders see it as "the MA crossover made the price go up," but it happened the other way around, the MA crossover signal occurred because the price went up. Where I’m trying to get here is that at the end, price behavior dictates how an indicator will act, and this should be taken into consideration on any trading decision made.

Trading decisions based on technical indicators without taking price action into consideration will give us less accurate results. For example, again a long signal generated by a MA crossover as the market approaches an important resistance level. If the price suddenly starts to bounce back off that important level there is no point on taking this signal, price action is telling us the market doesn’t want to go up. Most of the time, under this circumstances, the market will continue to fall down, disregarding the MA crossover.

Don’t get me wrong here, technical indicators are a very important aspect of trading. They help us see certain conditions that are otherwise difficult to see by watching pure price action. But when it comes to pull the trigger, price action incorporation into our Forex trading system will definitely put the odds in our favor, it will generate higher probability trades.

So, how to create a perfect Forex trading system?

1. First of all, you need to make sure your trading system fits your trading personality; otherwise you will find it hard to follow it. Every trader has different needs and goals, thus there is no system that perfectly fits all traders. You need to make your own research on various trading styles and technical indicators until you find a concept that perfectly works for you. Make sure you know the nature of whatever technical indicator used.

2. Secondly, incorporate price action into your system. So you only take long signals if the price behavior tells you the market wants to go up, and short signals if the market gives you indication that it will go down.

3. Third, and most importantly, you need to have the discipline to follow your Forex trading system rigorously. Try it first on a demo account, then move on to a small account and finally when feeling comfortably and being consistent profitable apply your system in a regular account.

How to Win the Forex Battle

Every trading activity is in fact participating in a battle. Winning the battle is a matter of knowledge, skill and experience. If you miss any of those you are going to join the long line of losers. Some says that 95 to 99 percent of the traders are lining up on the loser’s side.

How to win the battle in the currency market? It is easy to answer that question, based on the above approach – prepare yourself for the battle. If you treat currency market activity as a hobby you’ll ultimately lose all investments there. If you treat it as a business you still may loose everything.

The correct approach is: consider each pressing of the Buy/Sell button as entering a battlefield. If you enter it without having a knowledge, skill and experience on how to win, you are destined to fail. You may have some lucky trades in the beginning, though. That, by the way, is the worst case scenario for the rookie in trading.

The earlier you get your “bad” lessons, the better for your overall experience. No mater how good you consider yourself prepared, after demo trading lessons, you have no idea of the forces ruling on the real market.

In fact the worst enemy you are going to face in the very beginning is not hiding behind the walls of the global currency trading centers. Your most dangerous foe is hiding deep inside of you. That enemy is so powerful that you will be amazed how quickly it will wash away all your carefully considered decision.

No one has been able to evade the force of that destructive power. No one can understand or realize that force unless it has been confronted face to face. Start trading with real money and you will face it too. Fear, Greed or Hope are some of the names of that power.

Fear forces you to sell near the bottom and buy near the top. Greed forces you to get out of the market prematurely. Hope will keep in the trade until you loose everything. Fear may save you but hope may wreck you completely. Greed will never make you rich.

It is easy to give advice to trade without emotions and use the logic, only. How you can achieve that if you never have been there. You need to go through that turmoil, pick up your loses due to your emotional decisions and than analyze.

Study all your “bad” trades, because they are the most precious gifts on the way to proficiency in trading. Growing as an experienced trader is possible only after getting your losses in the beginning. Then sit down and carefully study the lessons they brought to you.

One thing traders never want to do is to admit of being wrong. The market is a constantly changing and it demands flexibility in taking decision. That implies monitoring and constantly adjusting, changing your decision and action. When your logical analyzes suggest that you are wrong – get out, quickly.

Once you overcome the emotions, concentrate on developing your signature way of trading. You can start with following different advisors and system and picking from them the things you like. Demo trade and test your ideas until you find the trade system which is matching completely your personality.

Now, you have to go back to emotion in a controlled way. Every time your system suggests a trade look inside you and see how you feel about this trade. You feel bad – discard it. If you feel good – keep it.

Here comes the final step: Looking for the final approval sign before submitting the trade. Here is the time, where the mastership shows up. Your weapon is loaded, the target is clearly seen on the visor and the finger is on the trigger. You have to make that final exhale, get the target over the cross point and shoot it.

How much knowledge, skill, experience and patience you need to build within in order to reach that very final stage of trading proficiency? Only you’ll know that and only you can do it. The rest is just numbers in your bank account.

Building a fortune by trading currency is not a mirage in the desert of live. There are hundreds of traders who are making living of that business and you can do it too. Study all you can find on the net and follow the steps of the best if you want to win that battle.

Using Elliot Wave Theory to Analyze the Stock Market

Some market technicians that use technical analysis to look for a nearing market bottom or market top have noticed over the past several years that the stock market will consistently move in a 5 wave pattern which is based on concepts from Elliott Wave Theory. When the stock market is trending upward a 5 wave pattern consists of 3 separate moves upward and 2 separate moves downward before a top occurs. Meanwhile when the stock market is trending downward a 5 wave pattern consists of 3 separate moves downward and 2 separate moves upward before a bottom occurs.

Let’s take a look at the Nasdaq and S&P 500 and analyze their one year charts using concepts from Elliot Wave Theory. Notice how both the Nasdaq and S&P 500 made a bottom in late July of 2002 (points A) and then made 3 separate moves upward (A to 1, 2 to 3 and 4 to 5) followed by 2 separate moves downward (1 to 2 and 3 to 4) before topping out in late August after completing a 5 wave pattern.

Now notice what happened from late August until early October of 2002 as the Nasdaq and S&P 500 made 3 separate moves to the downside (5 to 1, 2 to 3 and 4 to 5) and 2 separate moves to the upside (1 to 2 and 3 to 4) before making a bottom in early October after completing a 5 wave pattern.

Meanwhile lets continue using Elliot Wave Theory an trace out the 5 wave pattern from early October of 2002 until early December of 2002 when the stock market made a top. Notice there were 3 separate moves to the upside (5 to 1, 2 to 3 and 4 to 5) and 2 separate moves to the downside (1 to 2 and 3 to 4) as well.

After the Nasdaq and S&P 500 topped out in early December they formed another 5 wave pattern as they made a bottom in mid March of 2003. Once again there were 3 downside moves (5 to 1, 2 to 3 and 4 to 5) and 2 upside moves (1 to 2 and 3 to 4) before the 5 wave pattern was completed in mid March.

Now I’m not an expert in Elliot Wave Theory but it looks to me that the Nasdaq and S&P 500 may be nearing the completion of another 5 wave pattern with a potential stock market top coming into play. Notice there have been 3 upside moves (5 to 1, 2 to 3 and 4 to 5) and 2 downside moves (1 to 2 and 3 to 4) since mid March through late May of 2003.

Adding concepts from Elliot Wave Theory is another tool investors can use to help predict when a stock market bottom or top is nearing.

Regards,

What makes a good Trading Strategy?

Ask most NEW traders, and they will tell you about some moving average or combination of indicators or a chart pattern that they use. This is, as the more experienced trader knows, an entry point and not a strategy.

Any trader who is more experienced will say a strategy should also include money management, risk control, perhaps stop losses and of course, an exit point. They might also say that you must let your profits run and cut your losses short. A well-read trader will also tell you that your strategy should fit with your trading personality.

BUT there is one other vital ingredient that many traders forget - and that is to fully understand the "personality" of what you trade. Some traders specialise in say, gold or Brent crude or currencies or they might specialise in a particular index such as the FTSE 100 or the Dow but many traders choose to trade shares. Indeed some traders dabble in a bit of everything. I think this is the area that causes many traders to fail or at least not reach their full potential.

In my view: You absolutely MUST specialise.

I am sure that on the surface most people would say that sounds sensible but here is why it is a MUST!

Superficially, many charts look the same. I bet if you had not seen the charts for some time and someone where to show you a chart of Brent Crude over 6 months and then a chart of Barclays PLC over the same 6 months you would be hard pushed to say which was which purely on the look of the chart.

However, I bet that if you found a trader who trades ONLY Barclays day in and day out and also found someone who trades ONLY Brent Crude day in and day out, both of them would easily identify which was which. WHY?

Because every share, index or commodity has it’s own "personality".

Some will be volatile intra-day, some will follow their sector or the main index (market followers), some will do their own thing, some will spike up and down regularly, some will stop at key moving averages and some will just plough through. Some will move by 5% on average before they retrace and some by 2%. Some will gap up or down regularly, some will not. You get the idea!

Therefore, no matter how good you are at analysing indicators, moving averages, trends and patterns, the same strategy WILL NOT work for everything. I would go so far as to say that a strategy that works well for Bovis Homes, for example, is likely NOT to work for BT Group - they have very different "personalities".

So let’s return to our question: What makes a good trading strategy? Let me answer with a series of ten questions that you need to find answers to, in order to build a REALLY GOOD strategy.

1. What do you want to trade (share, index, commodity, currency, etc)? If your answer is shares (plural) I would urge you to pick one typical share at this stage to really specialise. You can add more later.
2. What "personality" does that share, index etc have?
3. What entry system is the most reliable for that share?
4. What stop loss system is the most effective for that share?
5. What average risk will a typical trade carry?
6. What exit system works well for that share?
7. What is your trading personality (attitude to risk, losses, discipline, how much do you worry etc) and can you trade that strategy without overriding it?
8. What timescale do you want to trade? (Using intra-day or end of day data)
9. How much data do you keep on past trades to help identify strategy weaknesses?
10. How does all this fit with your trading objectives?

Once you have an answer to each question you need to do one final thing. Make sure all those things fit together and complement each other. For example, if the ideal stop loss position represents a big average risk and conflicts with your own attitude to risk, you need to start again. If you will override your exit point because greed makes you hang in for more, you need to think again. Perhaps you shouldn’t trade that stock in the first place - look for one with a different "personality" which will lead to a strategy you can trade comfortably.

It is a long and sometimes painful iterative journey. You might need to go round and round in ever decreasing circles over a long time. Testing and refining, testing and refining before you can truly have a reliable and repeatable strategy that REALLY WORKS for you.

THEN, you can look for other things to trade that have the same "personality" as your specialist stock, index, commodity or currency.

But if it were easy, everyone would be doing it right?

Good luck and enjoy your trading

The Seven Most Traded Currencies in FOREX

Currencies are traded in dollar amounts called “lots”. One lot is equal to $1,000, which controls $100,000 in currency. This is what is known as the "margin". You can control $100,000 worth of currency for only 1,000 dollars. This is what is called “High Leverage”.

Currencies are always traded in pairs in the FOREX. The pairs have a unique notation that expresses what currencies are being traded. The symbol for a currency pair will always be in the form ABC/DEF. ABC/DEF is not a real currency pair, it is an example of a symbol for a currency pair. In this example ABC is the symbol for one countries currency and DEF is the symbol for another countries currency.

Here are some of the common symbols used in the Forex:

USD - The US Dollar EUR - The currency of the European Union "EURO" GBP - The British Pound JPN - The Japanese Yen CHF - The Swiss Franc AUD - The Australian Dollar CAD - The Canadian Dollar

There are symbols for other currencies as well, but these are the most commonly traded ones.

A currency can never be traded by itself. So you can not ever trade a EUR by itself. You always need to compare one currency with another currency to make a trade possible.

Some of the common PAIRS are:

EUR/USD Euro / US Dollar "Euro"

USD/JPY US Dollar / Japanese Yen "Dollar Yen"

GBP/USD British Pound / US Dollar "Cable"

USD/CAD US Dollar / Canadian Dollar "Dollar Canada"

AUD/USD Australian Dollar/US Dollar "Aussie Dollar"

USD/CHF US Dollar / Swiss Franc "Swissy"

EUR/JPY Euro / Japanese Yen "Euro Yen"

The listed currency pairs above look like a fraction. The numerator (top of the fraction or "left" of the / however you want to SEE it) is called the base currency. The denominator (bottom of the fraction or "right" of the /however you want to SEE it) is called the counter currency. When you place an order to buy the EUR/USD, for instance, you are actually buying the EUR and selling the USD. If you were to sell the pair, you would be selling the EUR and buying the USD. So if you buy or sell a currency PAIR, you are buying/selling the base currency. You are always doing the opposite of what you did with to base currency with the counter currency.

If this seems confusing then you’re in luck. You can always get by with just thinking of the entire pair as one item. Then you are just buying or selling that one item. Thinking like this will still enable you to place trades. You only need to be aware of the base/counter concept for Fundamental Analysis issues.

So why is it important to know about the base/counter currency? The base/counter currency concept illustrates what is actually taking place in a Forex transaction. Some of you reading this, know that short-selling was restricted in the stock market *(Short-selling is where you sell a stock/currency/option/commodity first and then try to buy it back at a lower price later). But in the FOREX you are always buying one currency (base) and selling another (counter). If you sell the pair you are simply flipping which one you buy and which one you sell. The transaction is essentially the same. This allows you to short-sell with no restrictions.

You want to be able to short-sell with no restrictions so you can make money when the market drops as well as when it rises. The problem with traditional stock market trading is that the market has to go up for you to make money. With FOREX trading you can make money in all directions