Forex Trading Strategies And Systems

I've recently been trading the forex markets for several years now so I've developed quite a few different systems in my season. However there are some that are more productive than others, so let me share you with you some of my most profitable forex trading strategies.

4 Hour Trading Strategy

I created this trading strategy myself and have been using it for several years now. This one system has generated more profits that any other system I have ever used, and yet it's surprisingly simple.

I simply look at the daily trend for a particular currency pair (usually the GBP/USD, EUR/USD or USD/JPY pair) using a very simple but effective technical indicator, then I wait for two EMAs (exponential moving averages) to cross over in the same direction on the 4 hour chart.

I will then enter a position (usually after a slight pull-back) and will employ a two-part exit strategy to maximise my profits. One half of the position will be closed out early for a safe profit, and the other half will be left to run for as long as possible in order to capture those really big price moves.

As I say, this particular forex trading strategy is highly effective, as regular readers of my blog will know because I share my trading results every week in my 'Weekly Trading Updates'.

Anyway if you would like to read all about my 4 hour trading method, you can access it (for free) by filling in the short form to the right and subscribing to my newsletter.

The only problem with trading this strategy is that there will always be quiet periods and particular days where you know you are not going to get any set-ups on any of the major currency pairs. Therefore at times like these I will often employ some of the other trading methods that I keep in reserve:

CCI Divergence Trading System

This is a forex system that I've recently created and it basically uses the popular CCI indicator with two different settings. The key here is to wait until there is divergence between both of the CCI indicators at the same time because this will give you a set-up with a very high success rate.

You don't get that many good set-ups per day using this trading strategy, but when you do, you are likely to make some decent profits because it is a very high probability set-up.

I have discussed this particular strategy elsewhere on this blog so please click here if you want to find out more about this CCI Divergence Trading System.

Forex Income Engine 2.0 Methods

At the time of writing (20 June 2009) I've just started using the three day trading methods included in the Forex Income Engine 2.0 course as well. I've always been quite sceptical about many of the short-term forex methods that I come across, but I've been very impressed with these three methods so far because they do actually produce some very good returns.

Anyway if you would like more details about each of these methods you can read all about them on my Forex Income Engine 2.0 review page.

Forex Nitty Gritty Method

This trading method was included in the Forex Nitty Gritty course and although it is a very basic method, it is actually surprisingly effective. The goal is to look for pairs that are in strong upward or downward trends, wait for a pull-back, and then enter a trade if the trend continues.

I've been using this method on the 15 minute charts for quite a while now and it has always performed well for me because these continuation trends occur all the time.

Again if you would like to find out more about this particular trading method, you may like to read my full review of Forex Nitty Gritty.

Long-Term Trading Strategy

I'm not really a long-term trader but I do occasionally open a position if a good trading opportunity arises. I will usually use the daily charts for these trades and will look at a variety of indicators such as the 200 day moving average, the supertrend indicator, established support and resistance levels, fibonacci levels if applicable, and Marketclub's excellent trading signals.

I will regularly post my long-term analysis of the various currency pairs on this blog, but I will only follow this up with an actual trade if I'm really confident about my predictions.

Other Forex Trading Strategies

Finally as well as all of the trading systems and strategies listed on this page, I also have a few breakout strategies that I like to use when a good opportunity presents itself. I'm also constantly testing out new ideas and reviewing the various trading systems that I get sent regularly by product owners who want me to promote their product.

However for the most part it's my 4 hour trading strategy that I spend most time on because this is my core system which generates the most consistent and reliable profits. All of the other forex trading systems are used to boost my trading pot during the quieter periods of the week.

Essential Elements of a Successful Trader

Courage Under Stressful Conditions When the Outcome is Uncertain

All the foreign exchange trading knowledge in the world is not going to help, unless you have the nerve to buy and sell currencies and put your money at risk. As with the lottery “You gotta be in it to win it”. Trust me when I say that the simple task of hitting the buy or sell key is extremely difficult to do when your own real money is put at risk.

You will feel anxiety, even fear. Here lies the moment of truth. Do you have the courage to be afraid and act anyway? When a fireman runs into a burning building I assume he is afraid but he does it anyway and achieves the desired result. Unless you can overcome or accept your fear and do it anyway, you will not be a successful trader.

However, once you learn to control your fear, it gets easier and easier and in time there is no fear. The opposite reaction can become an issue – you’re overconfident and not focused enough on the risk you're taking.

Both the inability to initiate a trade, or close a losing trade can create serious psychological issues for a trader going forward. By calling attention to these potential stumbling blocks beforehand, you can properly prepare prior to your first real trade and develop good trading habits from day one.

Start by analyzing yourself. Are you the type of person that can control their emotions and flawlessly execute trades, oftentimes under extremely stressful conditions? Are you the type of person who’s overconfident and prone to take more risk than they should? Before your first real trade you need to look inside yourself and get the answers. We can correct any deficiencies before they result in paralysis (not pulling the trigger) or a huge loss (overconfidence). A huge loss can prematurely end your trading career, or prolong your success until you can raise additional capital.

The difficulty doesn’t end with “pulling the trigger”. In fact what comes next is equally or perhaps more difficult. Once you are in the trade the next hurdle is staying in the trade. When trading foreign exchange you exit the trade as soon as possible after entry when it is not working. Most people who have been successful in non-trading ventures find this concept difficult to implement.

For example, real estate tycoons make their fortune riding out the bad times and selling during the boom periods. The problem with trying to adapt a 'hold on until it comes back' strategy in foreign exchange is that most of the time the currencies are in long-term persistent, directional trends and your equity will be wiped out before the currency comes back.

The other side of the coin is staying in a trade that is working. The most common pitfall is closing out a winning position without a valid reason. Once again, fear is the culprit. Your subconscious demons will be scaring you non-stop with questions like “what if news comes out and you wind up with a loss”. The reality is if news comes out in a currency that is going up, the news has a higher probability of being positive than negative (more on why that is so in a later article).

So your fear is just a baseless annoyance. Don’t try and fight the fear. Accept it. Have a laugh about it and then move on to the task at hand, which is determining an exit strategy based on actual price movement. As Garth says in Waynesworld “Live in the now man”. Worrying about what could be is irrational. Studying your chart and determining an objective exit point is reality based and rational.

Another common pitfall is closing a winning position because you are bored with it; its not moving. In Football, after a star running back breaks free for a 50-yard gain, he comes out of the game temporarily for a breather. When he reenters the game he is a serious threat to gain more yards – this is indisputable. So when your position takes a breather after a winning move, the next likely event is further gains – so why close it?

If you can be courageous under fire and strategically patient, foreign exchange trading may be for you. If you’re a natural gunslinger and reckless you will need to tone your act down a notch or two and we can help you make the necessary adjustments. If putting your money at risk makes you a nervous wreck its because you lack the knowledge base to be confident in your decision making.

Patience to Gain Knowledge through Study and Focus

Many new traders believe all you need to profitably trade foreign currencies are charts, technical indicators and a small bankroll. Most of them blow up (lose all their money) within a few weeks or months; some are initially successful and it takes as long as a year before they blow up. A tiny minority with good money management skills, patience, and a market niche go on to be successful traders. Armed with charts, technical indicators, and a small bankroll, the chance of succeeding is probably 500 to 1.

To increase your chances of success to near certainty requires knowledge; acquiring knowledge takes hard work, study, dedication and focus. Compile your knowledge base without taking any shortcuts, thereby assuring a solid foundation to build upon.

What are the advantages of the Forex Market over other types of investments?

When thinking about various investments, there is one investment vehicle that comes to mind. The Forex or Foreign Currency Market has many advantages over other types of investments. The Forex market is open 24 hrs a day, unlike the regular stock markets. Most investments require a substantial amount of capital before you can take advantage of an investment opportunity. To trade Forex, you only need a small amount of capital. Anyone can enter the market with as little as $300 USD to trade a "mini account", which allows you to trade lots of 10,000 units. One lot of 10,000 units of currency is equal to 1 contract. Each "pip" or move up or down in the currency pair is worth a $1 gain or loss, depending on which side of the market you are on. A standard account gives you control over 100,000 units of currency and a pip is worth $10.

The Forex market is also very liquid. When trading Forex you have full control of your capital.

Many other types of investments require holding your money up for long periods of time. This is a disadvantage because if you need to use the capital it can be difficult to access to it without taking a huge loss. Also, with a small amount of money, you can control Forex traders can be profitable in bullish or bearish market conditions. Stock market traders need stock prices to rise in order to take a profit. Forex traders can make a profit during up trends and downtrends. Forex Trading can be risky, but with having the ability to have a good system to follow, good money management skills, and possessing self discipline, Forex trading can be a relatively low risk investment.

The Forex market can be traded anytime, anywhere. As long as you have access to a computer, you have the ability to trade the Forex market. An important thing to remember is before jumping into trading currencies, is it wise to practice with "paper money", or "fake money." Most brokers have demo accounts where you can download their trading station and practice real time with fake money. While this is no guarantee of your performance with real money, practicing can give you a huge advantage to become better prepared when you trade with your real, hard earned money. There are also many Forex courses on the internet, just be careful when choosing which ones to purchase.  

Learn Forex

This Blog is being updated, Please keep with us

What is FOREX/Spot FOREX?                               বাংলায় FOREX
In the word FOREX we can find basically two word, they are FOR & EX
Here FOR means Foreign 
EX means Exchange
By joining two word we get the meaning of FOREX is Foreign Exchange.

Forex or Spot Forex is buy or sale of foreign currency. In the forex Market you can buy one currency (Examply: Currency of Country X) against to sale other currency (Examply: Currency of Country Y)

FOREX  the foreign exchange market or currency market or Forex is the market where one currency is traded for another. It is one of the largest markets in the world.

AS AN EXAMPLE

The currency of America is Doller (USD)& the currency of London is Pound (GBP). In the FOREX market your can buy doller (USD) against to sale Pound (GBP). Again you can sale Doller (USD) against ot buy Pound (GBP).


How To earn by FOREX?
We know the currency of one country is changeable against to other country. You could be seen that American Doller (USD) become stronger against to Bangladeshi Taka (BDT). At that time if you have USD youSometime it become opposite. Like the currency of America & Bangladesh, all of the currency of the world is changeable one currency against another.

What is the facility in Forex trade? 
▲ Investor can trade with very small amount minmum 1USD. Most of the Forex broker deliver Demo    software to their prospective client. After trade with demo they can trade with the real one with small amount.

▲ All of the broker facilitate their client leverage/Loan Facility. It basically 1:100, 1:400, 1:500, 1:600, 1:1000. The limit of the leverage facility depend on the broker.

▲ There are different kinds of  Bonus Facility in forex market thats are provide by the broker to their client. For example: welcome Bonus, investment bonus & Educational Bonus. The rate of bonus is 30%-100%. The rate of bonus is depends on the types of bonus. Some bonuses are withdrawal (have some terms & conditions) others types bonus are not withdrawal.

▲ Scalping is the familier word to the short time trader. Any trader can close the trade after he/s got profit.

▲ Market open 5days in week so any trader can trade anytime in 5 days in a week (Monday-Friday) & 5*24=120 hours in week.

▲ There is no limit of profit. Anyone can make profit $100+ with initial deposit $20 in a week or less.

▲  There is no dull season in Forex market because treader can buy or sale any paired

▲ No commissions No clearing fees, no exchange fees, no government fees, no brokerage fees. Most retail brokers are compensated for their services through something called the "bid-ask spread"

▲ No middlemen Spot currency trading eliminates the middlemen and allows you to trade directly with the market responsible for the pricing on a particular currency pair.

▲ No fixed lot size In the futures markets, lot or contract sizes are determined by the exchanges. A standard-size contract for silver futures is five,000 ounces. In spot foreign exchange, you decide your own lot, or position size. This enables traders to participate with accounts as small as $25 (although we'll report later why a $25 account is a bad idea).

▲ Low transaction costs  The retail transaction cost (the bid/ask spread) is usually less than 0.1% under normal market conditions. At larger dealers, the spread could be as low as 0.07%. Of work this relies on your leverage and all will be explained later.

Market Players of FOREX

1. The Super Banks

2. Large Commercial Companies

3. Governments and Central Banks

4. The Speculators

 

When Can You Trade Forex?

# Market Open/Close:

Market Open: Monday 3 AM

Market Close: Saterday 2 AM

Below are Forex market sessions and examples of the most active currency pairs:

London/ New York sessions:

EUR/USD

USD/CHF

GBP/USD

Tokyo/Sydney sessions:

EUR/JPY

AUD/USD

USD/JPY

AUD/JPY

Sydney session:

AUD/USD

EUR/USD

During the week the most active Forex trading days are: Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Sundays (opening) and Mondays are days when traders are mostly watching and analyzing the market and predict further price moves. Fridays are traded approximately till noon, after that all actions slow down and almost freeze before the actual market closing at 5 pm EST.

London        –       3 AM through 12 noon Eastern time (~35% of total FX volume)

New York    –       8 AM through 5 PM Eastern time   (~20% of total FX volume)

Sydney         –       5 PM through 2 AM Eastern time   (~4% of total FX volume)

Tokyo           –       7 PM through 4 AM Eastern time   (~6% of total FX volume)

 

What is Traded?

The simple answer is MONEY.
Because you're not buying anything physical, this kind of trading can be confusing.
Think of buying a currency as buying a share in a particular country, kinda like buying stocks of a company. The price of the currency is a direct reflection of what the market thinks about the current and future health of the Japanese economy.

When you buy, say, the Japanese yen, you are basically buying a "share" in the Japanese economy. You are betting that the Japanese economy is doing well, and will even get better as time goes. Once you sell those "shares" back to the market, hopefully, you will end up with a profit.

In general, the exchange rate of a currency versus other currencies is a reflection of the condition of that country's economy, compared to other countries' economies.

By the time you graduate from this School of Pipsology, you'll be eager to start working with currencies.

 Major Currencies

 

Symbol	Cuntry	Currency	NickName
USD	United States	Doller	Buck
EUR	Euro Zone Members	Euro	Fiber
JPY	Japan	Yen	Yen
GBP	Great Britain	Pound	Cable
CHF	Switzerland	Franc	Swissy
CAD	Canada	Doller	Lonie
AUD	Australia	Dollar	Aussie
NZD	Newzland	Dollar	kiwi

 

 

 

 

 

Currency symbols always have three letters, where the first two letters identify the name of the country and the third letter identifies the name of that country's currency.

 

For Example,

Take NZD for instance. NZ stands for New Zealand, while D stands for dollar.

 

Currencies Are Traded in Pairs

Forex trading is the simultaneous buying of one currency and selling another. Currencies are traded through a broker or dealer, and are traded in pairs; for example the euro and the U.S. dollar (EUR/USD) or the British pound and the Japanese yen (GBP/JPY).

 

When you trade in the forex market, you buy or sell in currency pairs.

 

Imagine each pair constantly in a "tug of war" with each currency on its own side of the rope. Exchange rates fluctuate based on which currency is stronger at the moment. 

 

Major Currency Pairs

The currency pairs listed below are considered the "majors". These pairs all contain the U.S. dollar (USD) on one side and are the most frequently traded. The majors are the most liquid and widely traded currency pairs in the world. 

 

Pair	Countries	FX Geek Speak
EUR/USD	Euro zone / United States	"euro dollar"
USD/JPY	United States / Japan	"dollar yen"
GBP/USD	United Kingdom / United States	"pound dollar"
USD/CHF	United States/ Switzerland	"dollar swissy"
USD/CAD	United States / Canada	"dollar loonie"
AUD/USD	Australia / United States	"aussie dollar"
NZD/USD	New Zealand / United States	"kiwi dollar"

 

 

Major Cross-Currency Pairs or Minor Currency Pairs

Currency pairs that don't contain the U.S. dollar (USD) are known as cross-currency pairs or simply as the "crosses." Major crosses are also known as "minors." The most actively traded crosses are derived from the three major non-USD currencies: EUR, JPY, and GBP.

 

Euro Crosses 

Pair	Countries	FX Geek Speak
EUR/CHF	Euro zone / Switzerland	"euro swissy"
EUR/GBP	Euro zone / United Kingdom	"euro pound"
EUR/CAD	Euro zone / Canada	"euro loonie"
EUR/AUD	Euro zone / Australia	"euro aussie"
EUR/NZD	Euro zone / New Zealand	"euro kiwi"

Yen Crosses

Pair	Countries	FX Geek Speak
EUR/JPY	Euro zone / Japan	"euro yen" or "yuppy"
GBP/JPY	United Kingdom / Japan	"pound yen" or "guppy"
CHF/JPY	Switzerland / Japan	"swissy yen"
CAD/JPY	Canada / Japan	"loonie yen"
AUD/JPY	Australia / Japan	"aussie yen"
NZD/JPY	New Zealand / Japan	"kiwi yen"

Pound Crosses

Pair	Countries	FX Geek Speak
GBP/CHF	United Kingdom / Switzerland	"pound swissy"
GBP/AUD	United Kingdom / Australia	"pound aussie"
GBP/CAD	United Kingdom / Canada	"pound loonie"
GBP/NZD	United Kingdom / New Zealand	"pound kiwi"

Other Crosses

Pair	Countries	FX Geek Speak
AUD/CHF	Australia / Switzerland	"aussie swissy"
AUD/CAD	Australia / Canada	"aussie loonie"
AUD/NZD	Australia / New Zealand	"aussie kiwi"
CAD/CHF	Canada / Switzerland	"loonie swissy"
NZD/CHF	New Zealand / Switzerland	"kiwi swissy"
NZD/CAD	New Zealand / Canada	"kiwi loonie"

 

The Dollar is King

You've probably noticed how often we keep mentioning the U.S. dollar (USD). If the USD is one half of every major currency pair, and the majors comprise 75% of all trades, then it's a must to pay attention to the U.S. dollar. The USD is king!