Thursday, July 29, 2010

The Establishment Survey and the Forex Market

The Establishment Survey and the Forex Market

Building a strategy for the Forex market hinges upon two main variables: technical and fundamental analysis. The technical aspect analyzes various currency rate fluctuations over time (through charts), while the fundamental facet focuses on macroeconomic data and political news. That macroeconomic data is available on most online Forex trading system platforms, and usually at no extra charge. One such piece of data is the establishment survey, which is a major part of the Employment Situation Report, or Labor Report.

Defining the establishment survey

The establishment survey measures a few different employment variables by surveying roughly 400,000 businesses with a total of about 47 million people throughout the country. The survey is conducted on a monthly basis (on the 12th of each month), with results reported on the first Friday of each following month. Here are the major sections of the establishment survey:

Non-farm payrolls

This number represents the number of paid workers in the country excluding the following employees:

  • Farm employees (hence, the name non-farm payrolls)
  • Independent contractors working out of a private residence
  • Government employees
  • Employees of non-profit organizations

Even though the non-farm payroll number excludes a sizeable section of the population, its significance is still important as its extremely timely and with such a huge number of survey participants, it's able to keep its pulse on the nation's overall employment situation.

Average hourly earnings

This section of the establishment survey represents the average hourly wage during a given month. This information is important since it can measure monthly changes in an individual's income or buying power, which can have a real effect on an economy's overall condition. That rise or fall in average hourly earnings can also be matched up against the monthly inflation rate to see if wages are keeping up with inflationary pressures.

Average workweek

Even though it might seem like an unimportant economic indicator, the average workweek numbers can have a real impact on the economy. If the average workweek even changes one-tenth of a percent, then it can translate into real measurable gains or losses for the economy's overall productivity and personal income numbers.

Aggregate hours worked

This number represents the sum of all hours worked per month for all non-farm payroll employees (part-time and full-time). It's a valuable indicator to gauge the overall health of the economy.

Forex Market Trading Hours

Forex Market Trading Hours

The Forex market has a huge advantage over the other investment markets - it's open 24 hours a day, six days a week. Whereas the commodities and stock market operates five days a week (Monday through Friday) during normal business hours, the Forex market continues its activity around the clock. If you want to trade at 2:00 am EST Monday morning, feel free to place your trade. If you would like to invest at 9:00 pm Thursday night when you have the time to concentrate on the market, simply place your trade on one of the many online Forex trading systems. However, even though the market is considered a 24-hour market, it's important to know when the market is actually active and when is the best time to place a trade on the market.

Actual operating hours

Even though the Forex market is open 24 hours a day, each financial center (i.e. New York, London, Frankfort, Tokyo, and Australia) has its own operating hours, which are usually from 8:00 am - 4:00 pm, local time. That means if it's 8:00 am (Tokyo time) on Monday morning, the Tokyo market will be open for trading even though it's 10:00 pm EST, on Sunday night. You could therefore take advantage of trading on the Forex market late Sunday night from your New York apartment.

Overlapping of hours

With so many financial centers around the globe, you will have times when two or more markets overlap. For instance, the New York and London markets overlap from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm EST, while the London and Tokyo markets overlap from 3:00 am to 4:00 am EST. The Sydney and Tokyo markets also overlap from 7:00 pm - 2:00 am EST. These overlapping periods are the best time to trade since volume (liquidity) is at it's greatest.

Other good times to trade

Besides the overlapping periods, it's best to trade at the following times:

  • During the middle of the week (shows most movement)
  • During trading hours of the three largest markets - London, New York, and Tokyo.

Times to avoid

It's best to avoid the following times/days:

  • Sundays (limited volume)
  • Fridays (unpredictable)
  • Holidays (limited volume)
  • Release of economic reports (volatility)
  • 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm EST (low market volume).

Forex Scalping & Scalping Methods

Forex Scalping & Scalping Methods

Forex scalping is one of the most used and highly demanding forex trading strategies nowadays. In the Forex scalping methods, trading is done over shorter time frames and profits are taken after relatively small moves in the market.

Since the time that the position is exposed to the market is shorter, small profits are taken more frequently in Forex scalping methods. Therefore, it has less chance of facing the market events that may cause the price to go against the trade.

Forex scalping method of trading is different from other traditional forex trading methods where the profits are allowed to run and losses are cut shorter.

When somebody is scalping the market he/she is not looking for the big move of the markets; instead he is looking for the small moves in his favour that will result in significant gain without any risk or insecurities involved in waiting for big move.

Forex scalping is nothing but playing with spreads. In the Forex scalping method a currency is bought at the Bid price and sold at the Ask price to gain the bid ask difference.

This procedure is profitable in the case even when the Bid and Ask prices don’t even move. Traders even pay market price for any currency because they can make profit by doing that as well. The Forex scalping method normally involves establishing and liquidating a position quickly, usually within minutes.

People who are expert in forex scalping methods of trading are the markets makers or specialists who are into maintaining the liquidity and order flow of a product of a market. These forex market makers can have superior execution speed as an insider. They also have a greater knowledge of trading and actual market situation due to their information gathering capacity.

Scalpers are only exposed in a relatively short period. They do not hold overnights. So, the exposure they get is lower than other trades while the risk is also less in this type of trading. Here are some of the factors that affect Forex scalping:

  1. Liquidity: Scalpers like to trade in more liquid market since they can make thousands of trades a day to add up their small profits offered on each trade.

  2. Volatility: Stable forex market attracts forex scalpers. If the prices don’t move throughout the day, the scalpers can still make profits by placing their orders on same Bid and Ask and can make thousands of trades. They do well in trade, as they don’t have to think about sudden price changes.

  3. Time frame: The scalping method of Forex trading is done on a very short time frame. People even make profit from the market waves that are too small to be seen even on the one-minute chart. Therefore, the more the number of moves during the day the scalper can make more profits.

Forex Analysis Software Reviews and Comparisons

Forex Analysis Software Reviews and Comparisons

1st Choice:
2nd Choice:
Lazy Trading
Cost
$995
$67
Range of charting tools
Excellent
None
Customizable Spreadsheets
Yes
No
Step-by-step wizard
Yes
No
Signal Quality
Excellent
Average
Free Evaluation Download
Yes
No
Ease of Use
Good
Excellent
Overall Rating
Excellent
Average

Relying on other products, services, or individuals for information as to where to invest your cash next is not always a good choice. True there are some great services out there as we highlighted in our Forex strategy review section, however, for some people analyzing the market and drawing their own conclusions is where the thrill lies.

It is recommended that you only attempt to analyze the market and make trades based upon that analysis once you feel you are suitable educated and experienced in Forex trading. Once you have made the decision that you are ready then the choice of analysis software comes in to play. Carry on reading to find out how some of the best Forex analysis software is rated in our reviews.

Top Forex PlatformTop Forex PlatformTop Forex PlatformTop Forex PlatformTop Forex Platform

The Best Forex Software in a Snapshot

Trading Solutions

My best rated Forex analysis software goes to Trading Solutions simply because I have not seen any other software that is even worth reviewing, let alone one that can compete with the superior knowledge Trading Solutions easily allows you to gain.

A massive range of charting and analysis tools are just one mouse click away once you have the software installed. Whether you want bar charts, candlesticks, price area, signal charts or whatever, Trading Solutions allows you to do it.

I have personally used this software to develop my own strategy thanks to its easy but in-depth ability to analyze past and current trends so that you make the right decision in Forex everytime. The is the tool of the future and can turn your profitability around drastically. Use the link below to get your free evaluation download of the software.

Read on for my full detailed review or click here to download Trading Solutions free software

#1 Forex Trading Software Review - Trading Solutions



Top of our Forex analysis software reviews is Trading Solutions due to the sheer detail their software can delve in to without compromising the ease of use.

With neural networks and traditional technical analysis tools, this software allows you to spot movements in the Forex market way beyond the abilities of simple charting methods.

With built in wizard software, Trading Solutions means that even a beginner in Forex analysis can set up the software and use it with complete ease. Unless you are experienced in using this kind of software this is absolutely critical to your success.

Free Forex Analysis Software Download

Free Forex Analysis Software Download


Visit Trading Solutions Forex Software

There comes a time when every Forex trader decides that to maximize their profits from exchanging currencies online they will need to up their game to stay one step ahead.

It is at this point when many successful traders turn to analyzing market movements themselves. Sure, strategy services can help you along the way but nothing beats the sense of achievement you feel when you have analyzed and then spotted a profitable trading opportunity yourself.

Technical analysis is one of the key components of successful currency trading. The top Forex professionals do not rely on luck, they do not even rely heavily on judgment.

Instead they will meticulously analyze the Forex market history and attempt to spot where the next big move is going to happen. It is then when they make the trade and sit back watching their profits go up and up.

If you really want to be a success in Forex you should be looking to perform analysis yourself and not rely on other 'experts' - the ultimate aim is to become an expert yourself. Using an in-depth reliable piece of analysis software is the way to achieve this.

Few Free Forex Analysis Tool Downloads Offer so Much

Trading Solutions offer a software which I believe is second to none. Whilst the software itself is relatively simple to use, the power of it's analysis is outstanding. Whether you want to create line charts, bar charts, signal charts, high/low/open/close charts, candlestick charts, or price area charts, this software has it covered.

With easy export of data in to your own spreadsheets and customizable trading analysis this is the perfect Forex tool for developing your own strategy, and what's more you can download an evaluation version free of charge.

The theory is simple, you set up the parts of analysis you wish to perform, set you own guidelines and the innovative portfolio system will provide you details of where to trade based upon your own strategy.

Even if you decide not to trade an opportunity that has arisen from your implemented strategy you can still get a report of how that trade would have turned out. This means you can spend as long as you wish developing and testing your strategy before you risk any capital.

Whilst you are perfecting your strategy you can also take advantage of the free signals and commentary that Trading Solutions provides. If you have any desire to be a success in Forex then I suggest you at least

Forex Candlestick Trading Method

Forex Candlestick Trading Method

When you are dealing with Forex, you cannot ignore the importance and impact of a methodology involving Technical analysis of the market. It is important to predict future price trends from available price and volume data.

An effective technical analysis takes care of all fundamentals, including expectations, and is reflected in exchange rates. This branch of studies evolved from empirical observations of financial markets over hundreds of years.

The oldest is perhaps the Candlestick Techniques used by the Japanese Rice traders which date back to the 18th century and surprisingly popular till today.

Candlestick technique originated in Japan when Munehisa Homma of Dojima Rice Exchange used past prices to predict future price movements and generated an enormous amount of wealth. The concept was adopted to analyze the Forex market which later proved to be extremely effective.


Candlestick Forex Trading For Pinpoint Accuracy

The Candlestick trading incorporates the thought processes of the majority of the investors in the markets and therefore generates visual signals of an investors’ emotion! That is the reason behind the greater appeal of a Candlestick chart over other charting methods like bar charts.

It presents the same data with a dramatically dynamic visual interpretation. If you can recognize the change in an investor’s sentiment your profits will multiply by utilizing the added information depicted in the signals.

The Candlesticks have basic patterns comprise of Long days, Short days, White Marubozu, Black Marubozu, Spinning tops, Stars, Rain drops. The reversal patterns, Dark Cloud Cover, Engulfing, Evening Star, Harami, Morning Star Doji, Piercing Line, Three Black Crows, and Three White Soldiers. A single candle pattern can be Doji's (Dragonfly Doji or Gravestone Doji), Hammers/Hanging Man, Shooting Star, Hollow Red Candle and Filled Black Candle

The open, high, low, and close are depicted in a candlestick. If the close is higher than the open, the candlestick is hollow or white. If the close is lower than the open, the candlestick is filled or black. The hollow or filled section of the candlestick is the body while the thin lines above and below the body represent the period's entire trading range - which are called shadows.

The top of the upper shadow represents the high and the bottom of the lower shadow represents the low. The candlestick shadow reflects the intra-period high and low. The periods can be 5 min, 15 min, 1 hour, daily and weekly. If you find long shadows, it means the trading extended well beyond the opening and/or closing price. On the other hand a short shadow will tell you that the trading was confined closely to the open and/or closing price.

Generate Amazing Forex Wealth

If you know how to read the Candlestick charts you may be surprised to find out the amazing trends it reflects. A Long white candlestick will show strong buying pressure.

This means that the prices advanced significantly from open to close and buyers were quite aggressive. After an extended period of declines, long white candlesticks can mark a turning point or support level.

A Long black candlestick reflects strong selling pressure. The longer the black candlestick is, the further the close is below the open. This shows that the prices declined significantly from the open and sellers were aggressive. After a long decline a long black candlestick can indicate panic or capitulation.

Potent long candlestick in Marubozu brothers, which do not have upper or lower shadows, the high and low are represented by the open or close. A White Marubozu is formed when the open equals the low and the close equals the high, indicating that the buyers controlled the price action. Black Marubozu form when the open equals the high and the close equals the low. This indicates that sellers controlled the price action.

The Candlestick signal empowers you with the ability to pinpoint a change of direction. If you use other technical methods as supplemental tools it can generate enormous amount of wealth for you in Forex trading.

The Nostradamus Forex Trading Method

The Nostradamus Forex Trading Method

A Forex trader knows the highly volatile nature of currency trading can bring great rewards but also it can result in substantial losses. Therefore the traders seek a ‘Good’ and ‘Fool Proof’ money management system or tool for achieving stronger gains and mitigating unwanted losses.

Like the famous French publisher of prophecies Nostradamus, The Nostradamus Trading Indicator claims to have the ‘mythical power’ to predict the future trend of the Forex market. It is a Compass, which shows the directional force of the market.

The data is updated constantly on a second by second basis. It is designed to indicate signals when markets are trending -- reversing from a previous trend, or going range bound. So it can warn you when you should reverse out of a position at the end of a trend, and when you can expect target highs and lows to act as a good range.

Nostradamus - Constantly Updating Forex Trends

The working principle is based on software that is capable of testing millions of combinations of indicators and optimized parameters before predicting the near future market movements.

Nostradamus gives neural network based predictions of the high and low of the chosen market for the next two and 8 hours. The Compass indicator gives you the direction and strength of any market move based on which you can form an ideal intraday trading strategy.

The Nostradamus method presents a framework for the intraday trader on basis of which the trader can form the opinion to enter, maintain, and exit positions for maximum profits. The trader may perceive the market trends in their own way and can use Nostradamus to strengthen their confidence, and help in suggesting the timing of any position they choose to take.

Nostradamus uses the bid side of the last updated market price of the instrument, to calculate charts, actual highs and lows. The Compass indicator provides a 5 minute chart.

The Nostradamus Compass - Easy But Effective

If you open the system, you can find values for the time of the last update marked in Cyan at the top of the chart. The Compass shows the current bar, and a current value based on the Open, High, Low and Last price of the instrument. You may also view additional Compass dial windows for different currency pairs by clicking on the blue link. All times on the system are always London times.

The Compass dial has three main zones, Long Position in green, Rangebound that is blue, and Short Position in red, separated by two smaller regions called Reversal/Signal, which are purple. In the middle of the pointer is a number, which is the latest calculated value of the Compass indicator.

Compass is always a number between 0 and 100, and as the value of Compass changes, the pointer moves and points at the various zones, telling the trader what the market is doing, and what position one should have in the market.

The yellow line on the chart is the historical plot of the Compass indicator, with a scale between 0 and 100 on the left axis. Two relevant levels on the chart are marked corresponding to the red and green position areas on the Compass dial. They are the 80 level in red, and the 20 level in green.

Use Nostradamus to Mazimize Your Forex Profits

On the top corner of each graph - you can find a button for Alert Settings. You can monitor four fields individually by sound, by a pop up window or both. The Level to check fields contain default values which prevent any limits being triggered. For example you can be warned by a pop up window once when the Compass reaches 20 by setting the Compass high to 19.

The Compass reading updates on a regular basis, and must be watched constantly to get a true feeling for its signals. With all updates taking place in the market the track record of the system automatically updates the results from the previous period. It compares the actual high and actual low reached in the market with the prediction, and show the error rate in pips.

According to the veteran traders of Forex market, the Nostradamus method is one of the best indicators to predict the near term future, based on a detailed examination of their performance in the past.

Technical Analysis in the Forex Market

Technical Analysis in the Forex Market


Technical analysis is the method of forecasting price movements in the forex market by looking at purely market-generated data. Almost every trader uses some kind of technical analysis.

Price charts are one such basic method of analysis. These charts help traders in determining the ideal entry and exit points for a trade by providing a visual representation of the historical price action. Just by looking at a chart, the traders come to know if they are buying at a fair price or selling at a cyclical top.

An ideal technical analysis also incorporates the fundamental considerations by incorporating them in the charts and data tables. Technical analysis assumes that all market fundamentals are represented in the actual market data.

Technical Analysis - An Armory of Forex Trading Tools

There are three basic principles behind all technical analysis. These are the actions of the market in relation to current events, trends in price movements and past Forex history.

Technical analysis systems largely depend on mathematical representations of the Forex market patterns and behaviors. These include price charts, volume charts, and a long list of other more specific methods of analysis.

Market data are used to determine the strength and sustainability of a particular trend. Technical analysis is therefore one method that helps you forming a disciplined trading method.

Few of the basic Price charts include various chart patterns that show price action. The most common are bar charts where each bar represents one period of time which can be anything from one minute to one month or even several years.

Forex Charting Techniques for Detailed Analysis

Candlestick patterns can also be used to forecast the market. With colored bodies, candlesticks provide greater visual detail in their chart patterns than bar charts. Point and figure patterns are essentially the same as bar charts but Xs and Os are used to market changes in price direction.

  • Technical indicators like Trend, Strength, Volatility, Cycle, Support or Resistance, Momentum indicators are again quite helpful segment of technical analysis. Trend describes the persistence of price movement in one direction over time. Trends can move in three directions -- up, down and sideways.
  • Market strength is the intensity of market opinion with reference to a price by examining the market positions taken by various market participants. They are based on volume or open interest.
  • Volatility is the magnitude, or size, of day-to-day price fluctuations independent of their direction. It has been observed that changes in volatility tend to lead changes in prices.
  • Cycle indicates repeating patterns of market movement, specific to recurrent events, such as seasons, elections, or yearly budget. Cycle indicators determine the timing of a particular market patterns. Elliott Waves are one of the most well known examples of Cyclic indicators.
  • Support and resistance describes the price levels in which the markets repeatedly rise or fall and then reverse.
  • Momentum is the speed at which prices move over a given time period. The momentum indicators determine the strength or weakness of a trend. Momentum is highest at the beginning of a trend and lowest at trend turning points. If momentum is trending strongly and prices are flat, it forecasts a potential change in price direction.

Effective Implementation of Technical Analysis = Profitable Forex Trading

To use Forex technical analysis effectively, you must have a good understanding of the basic tenets of technical analysis. You must remember that price is your primary tool. But almost all the systems incorporate serious technical studies to delve deeper into the data.

Some such time tested studies are Moving Averages, Stochastic, RSI (Relative Strength Index), Bollinger Bands, MACD (Moving Average Convergence Divergence), Fibonacci Retracements etc. But you should not get engrossed in the mathematics involved in putting together each study.

Technical Analysis in the Forex Market

Technical Analysis in the Forex Market


Technical analysis is the method of forecasting price movements in the forex market by looking at purely market-generated data. Almost every trader uses some kind of technical analysis.

Price charts are one such basic method of analysis. These charts help traders in determining the ideal entry and exit points for a trade by providing a visual representation of the historical price action. Just by looking at a chart, the traders come to know if they are buying at a fair price or selling at a cyclical top.

An ideal technical analysis also incorporates the fundamental considerations by incorporating them in the charts and data tables. Technical analysis assumes that all market fundamentals are represented in the actual market data.

Technical Analysis - An Armory of Forex Trading Tools

There are three basic principles behind all technical analysis. These are the actions of the market in relation to current events, trends in price movements and past Forex history.

Technical analysis systems largely depend on mathematical representations of the Forex market patterns and behaviors. These include price charts, volume charts, and a long list of other more specific methods of analysis.

Market data are used to determine the strength and sustainability of a particular trend. Technical analysis is therefore one method that helps you forming a disciplined trading method.

Few of the basic Price charts include various chart patterns that show price action. The most common are bar charts where each bar represents one period of time which can be anything from one minute to one month or even several years.

Forex Charting Techniques for Detailed Analysis

Candlestick patterns can also be used to forecast the market. With colored bodies, candlesticks provide greater visual detail in their chart patterns than bar charts. Point and figure patterns are essentially the same as bar charts but Xs and Os are used to market changes in price direction.

  • Technical indicators like Trend, Strength, Volatility, Cycle, Support or Resistance, Momentum indicators are again quite helpful segment of technical analysis. Trend describes the persistence of price movement in one direction over time. Trends can move in three directions -- up, down and sideways.
  • Market strength is the intensity of market opinion with reference to a price by examining the market positions taken by various market participants. They are based on volume or open interest.
  • Volatility is the magnitude, or size, of day-to-day price fluctuations independent of their direction. It has been observed that changes in volatility tend to lead changes in prices.
  • Cycle indicates repeating patterns of market movement, specific to recurrent events, such as seasons, elections, or yearly budget. Cycle indicators determine the timing of a particular market patterns. Elliott Waves are one of the most well known examples of Cyclic indicators.
  • Support and resistance describes the price levels in which the markets repeatedly rise or fall and then reverse.
  • Momentum is the speed at which prices move over a given time period. The momentum indicators determine the strength or weakness of a trend. Momentum is highest at the beginning of a trend and lowest at trend turning points. If momentum is trending strongly and prices are flat, it forecasts a potential change in price direction.

Effective Implementation of Technical Analysis = Profitable Forex Trading

To use Forex technical analysis effectively, you must have a good understanding of the basic tenets of technical analysis. You must remember that price is your primary tool. But almost all the systems incorporate serious technical studies to delve deeper into the data.

Some such time tested studies are Moving Averages, Stochastic, RSI (Relative Strength Index), Bollinger Bands, MACD (Moving Average Convergence Divergence), Fibonacci Retracements etc. But you should not get engrossed in the mathematics involved in putting together each study.

Forex Fundamental Analysis

Forex Fundamental Analysis

There are two major methods of analysis used in forecasting the behavior of the Forex market; they are Technical analysis and Fundamental analysis.

They differ greatly but the trader can apply both to complement and supplement the study of the market for achieving superior results.

They also have the same goal i.e. to predict a price or movement of the market. The technical analysis studies the effect while the fundamental analysis studies the cause of market movement.

Fundamental Analysis has a very broad spectrum. One aspect looks at the general or qualitative factors; the other side considers tangible and measurable i.e. the quantitative factors.

Use Fundamental Analysis With Technical Analysis

In general the fundamental analysis method looks to forecast the future of price movements based on events that have not taken place yet. Important factors and statistical methods are used to predict how these events will affect supply and demand and the rates of the Forex.

We must remember that Fundamental analysis and Technical analysis are not the reliable factor on their own, but each needs to be used in conjunction with the other to form opinion about the changes in the Forex market.

Fundamental analysis is therefore the method of forecasting the future price movements based on economic, political, environmental and other relevant factors and statistics that are going to affect the basic supply and demand of the market.

A fundamental analysis involves in-depth study of the market. It focuses on what is going to happen in a market based on supply and demand, seasonal cycles, and weather and government policy.


Predicting Future Forex Trends For Profits

Fundamental analysis can be defined as the macro or strategic assessment of where a currency should be trading based on the movement of the currency's price itself.This is often highly dependent on the economic condition of the country of that currency, monetary policy, and other "fundamental" elements.

The analysis is performed on historical and present data, but the objective is to predict the future trend.

Economy condition reflects how the country is attractive for foreign investments and capital inflow. In general it can be said that the better the macro economic indicators – the stronger the domestic currency is.

According to Fundamental analysis, the markets may misprice in the short run but the "correct" price will eventually be reached. Profits can be made by trading the mispriced and then wait for the market to recognize its "mistake" and reprice the security.

Traders may use fundamental analysis within different portfolio management styles. Buy and hold traders find out 'good' buys from the past trend which can lower their risk and probability of wipe-out. In fundamental analysis you make your own decision rather than going by the apparent movement of the market.


Analyzing Economics and Macro Forex Factors

With fundamental analysis, one can find out if the prices in the market are undervalued, overvalued, or working in a fair value by applying the concept of intrinsic value as the market price tends to move towards its intrinsic value. If the intrinsic value is above the current market price, the investor would purchase the currency and if it is below, the investor would sell it from the portfolio or take a short position.

A top-down trader starts the analysis with global economics, including both international and national economic indicators, such as GDP growth rates, inflation, interest rates, exchange rates, productivity, and energy prices. The bottom-up investor starts with specific currency pair, regardless of their current position.

So we come to the conclusion that as a trader in forex market one would require to take help of Fundamental analysis along with Technical Analysis methods to maximize the gain by correctly recognizing the market trends.

Forex Strategy Service Reviews and Comparisons

Forex Strategy Service Reviews and Comparisons

1st Choice:
2nd Choice:
3rd Choice:
Price
$197 per month
$97
$97
Auto trading Option
Yes
No
No
Free Trial
2 Weeks
No
No
Strategy Quality
Excellent
Average
Poor
Strategy Training
Web-Seminars
eBook
eBook
Signal Alert Delivery
Online + Cell Phone
N/A
N/A
Support
Excellent
Good
Poor
Overall Rating
Excellent
Average
Poor

When choosing a strategy to follow for your Forex trading there are two ways you can go. One is to sign up to a signal alerts service which will provide you signals every time there is a trade with substantial profit potential. The other way is to purchase a pre-tested strategy and implement it in to your daily Forex trading activity.

I prefer Forex signal alert services myself since they offer the ultimate ease in trading. No need to get your head stuck in facts and figures trying to workout how to implement the strategy, and no fear of getting the strategy wrong since the experts are implementing it for you and just providing you with the results.

Top Forex PlatformTop Forex PlatformTop Forex PlatformTop Forex PlatformTop Forex Platform

The Best Forex Signals in a Snapshot

Netpicks

My best rated Forex signal service goes to Netpicks for a service that has turned in massive profits time and time again for me. In 2006 it made over 120% profit for me and the signs in 2007 are that it will surpass that amount!

Netpicks offers automated trading so that you can earn money even while you are out shopping, on the beach or at work. They also give you instant signal alerts sent straight to your inbox and cell phone so that you never miss a profit making opportunity, and free web seminars to help you become a better trader.

All of this combined with an awesome and profitable strategy makes for the perfect signal service provider! If you still are not convinced then no worries, you can check out the power of Netpicks youself as they will give you a 2 week free trial if you click the link below.

Read on for my full detailed review or click here to get a free 2 weeks trial of Netpicks

#1 Forex Signal Strategy Service - Netpicks


Visit Netpicks Forex Strategy Service

Netpicks is one of the longest running and most respected Forex strategy services available anywhere. Due to this and the undoubtable results it delivers I am giving this service my full backing.

The strategy behind the Netpicks system has been running profitably for over 10 years, in 2006 the results were quite staggering, +121.91% of profit in the year!

One of the unique features of the Netpicks service is the auto trading option. When you sign-up you have the option to allow them to run your account with their strategy. You can just sit back and watch the money roll in.

This autotrade Forex service is very much in demand, more and more people are trusting Netpicks to trade their strategy automatically. This is probably because in the modern age people have less time for social activities, by allowing an auto trade system to take care of your Forex activity you can go out and enjoy yourself.

Think of it this way, when Netpicks has a profitable day auto trading your account you might have been out having a meal, playing golf, or even on holiday, and yet when you get home you find Netpicks has just recovered all of your entertainment costs for the day and more!

Netpicks - Key Features Summary:

Feature
Details
Trading Method
Both self trade (based on live signals) and auto trade functions are available when you join Netpicks - it is your choice!
Buy/Sell Signals
Signals can be sent to your email inbox or your cell phone or both! Again, it is your choice!
Free Trial
Netpicks offers a complete 2 week free trial so you can test out the success of their strategy before you commit to buy
Customer Support
24 Hour live support via email, telephone, or live chat
Extras
Free weekly web-seminars for ongoing tutoring in the Forex market and strategy, you also receive a day trading strategy if you trade in other markets and expert price pattern analysis

The Netpicks system covers all 8 major currency pairs so you know you are always covering all bases and maximizing your chances of profitable trading.

The signal alerts are of top quality and also almost instantaneous, as soon as the software spots a trade you will know about it so you need never miss a trade (even more so if you choose the autotrade service!)

Overall, if you are looking for the most comprehensive, professional Forex signal strategy service the Netpicks is my recommendation to you.

Click here to sign up to the Netpicks free, no obligation 2 week trial

#2 Forex Signal Strategy Service - Forex Science



If you are looking for a Forex strategy system that you can implement yourself without the use of swing signals or managed accounts then perhaps the G7 Forex system from Forex-Science will suit you.

I maintain that given the choice I would always go for a full service such as Netpicks as being told exactly what to do and when not only minimizes risk (you are unlikely to misinterpret the strategy) but also makes it much easier for you to trade profitably.

Nevertheless, if you want a strategy that you can learn yourself and then adapt and implement then the G7 Forex Science strategy is a good choice. For starters it is cheaper than full services at just $97. What you should be aware of though is that you are not paying for any fancy software or service, just for an e-book explaining the strategy in detail.

At the moment the G7 system ebook also comes with a months free access to the G7 alerts service which would normally cost you $99 on its own. This is a substantial bonus but it is only a month free and they obviously hope that you extend your subscription hence the free gift.

The good part of this strategy is that it can make you profit even from a low starting capital and it is not just a strategy but also a sort of mini training course too.

Overall, I would say go for Forex-Science if you cannot afford the cost of Netpicks (once you have taken their free trial) but do remember you are paying for an ebook to help teach you a strategy so you will need to put some work in to see returns.

Click here to visit Forex-Science

#3 Forex Signal Strategy Service - Market Turn Strategy



An alternative option to Forex-Science (if you are looking to learn a strategy you can implement yourself) is Market Turn Strategy, another ebook based Forex system.

The overall aim of the system is to reduce bad trades which of course will leave you with mainly good trades and hence a profitable Forex experience.

Unlike many systems that will teach you a 'winning strategy', Market Turn Strategy uses a spreadsheet based system which will help identify entry and exit points for profitable Forex trades.

Like Forex-Science, this is an ebook based strategy tutorial. It will provide you with full details of how the strategy works as well as the spreadsheet to use to work the strategy with the most effectiveness.

Overall, Market Turn Strategy is not a bad option but I just don't feel their actual strategy offers enough. Sure it helps you minimize bad trades but it doesn't do a great job of maximizing the good trades. This means you are left with more profit but a feeling that you could still take things further.

For this reason I rate Forex-Science as the marginally better ebook based strategy and Netpicks as by far the best overall strategy package.

Click here to visit Market Turn Strategy

Forex Strategy Service Comparison Table:

1st Choice:
2nd Choice:
3rd Choice:
Price
$197 per month
$97
$97
Auto trading Option
Yes
No
No
Free Trial
2 Weeks
No
No
Strategy Quality
Excellent
Average
Poor
Strategy Training
Web-Seminars
eBook
eBook
Signal Alert Delivery
Online + Cell Phone
N/A
N/A
Support
Excellent
Good
Poor
Overall Rating
Excellent
Average
Poor

Free Netpicks Forex Strategy & Auto-Trade Trial

Free Netpicks Forex Strategy & Auto-Trade Trial


Visit Netpicks Forex Strategy Service

Netpicks is a strategy service with a strong reputation for providing consistently profitable trading recommendations.

Based on a strategy that has been running for over 10 years with 121%+ profit in 2006, Netpicks is probably the most popular strategy and auto-trade service in the Forex industry.

The Netpicks service normally retails at $197 per month which may seem a lot to some but the fact is, this service produces results which can easily cover the monthly fee many times over.

Probably the best news is that you can try their strategy service for a full 2 weeks completely free of charge with no obligation to purchase.

This is gold to anyone looking for a strategy and/or auto-trade service since many are not prepared to let you test them out for free simply because they know their service doesn't produce consistent results.

Free Forex Strategy Trials = Complete System Confidence

The fact Netpicks are willing to give people a free two week trial speaks volumes about their confidence in their strategy. With your free strategy service trial you will receive:

  • Access to Real-Time Short Term Trading Forex Signal Broadcast. You'll receive EventTrades with high reliability for day trading
  • Receive a free book "Insider's Forex Trading Secrets"
  • A 100% Mechanical and completely non-subjective forex trading strategy.
  • Free 24 Hour Auto-Trade Service
  • Free support via email, telephone and online chat

Remember, this is all being provided to you at no cost which makes the Netpicks trial a no-risk strategy service. If you wish you can read our full review of Netpicks by clicking here.

One thing I should point out though is that to get the free trial you will need to register with your credit card, nothing will be charged in the first two weeks but if you do not cancel your card will be automatically charged.

This shouldn't put you off though since it really is an excellent strategy service and I am confident you will want to carry on the service since it will probably be generating you much more than $200 a month of profit!

Developing a Forex Strategy

Developing a Forex Strategy


A fool-proof trading strategy can help you gain profit from day one in the Forex market. If you spend some time to study the market you will find some price patterns that recur consistently.

You can substantiate your observations with charts or graphs using a strategy builder software and then finally develop a strategy unique for your trading habits.

So developing a sound and effective trading strategy is the important foundation of the trading. You must develop working knowledge of technical analysis as well as knowledge of some of the more popular technical studies before deciding which is going to be the best strategy for you.

A trading strategy should optimize your risk with respect to the reward, or vise versa. It should have a disciplined method of limiting the risk and make the most out of favorable market moves.

Using Technical Analysis to Build your own Forex Strategy

Technical analysis can supplement your trading strategy. Many professionals for example make use of moving averages along with other indicators. This method has an element of risk control (built-in) – where a long position will be stopped out fairly quickly in a falling market generating a stop-and-reverse signal or a sell signal in a rising market

At the initial stage you should rely on a logical system in having a view of the market. Discipline will be the keyword for establishing yourself as a successful trader. Your trading decisions should not be based on irrational emotions where you continue to experience losses with the hope of regaining the position. Your ability to limit your losses is just as important as determining the entry points.

For example you can be more comfortable with a mini account where the pip value is just $1 per pip which limits the losses as well as helps you in gaining confidence. In a mini account, a 30-pip floating loss is approximately $30 but the same 30-pip move on the 100K account becomes a $300 floating loss.


Choose Your Forex Broker Wisely For Best Results

Your strategy should be supported with intuitive and user-friendly trading software which will have a rapid execution from live, streaming prices and fixed spreads intra-day and night. You should increase your trading size as your confidence builds.

Choose a trading platform that allows you to formulate and test trading ideas in identify opportunities in real-time. An automated trading system will save your time with fast executions.

You should only risk 1-3% of the available capital allocated to your trading. You can calculate that using the size and, the difference between the entry price and maximum stop price.

You should always be comfortable with the size of a trade; the moment it turns you uneasy you should bring down the amount. Staying for long in any forex trading market is the key factor for making money. Therefore, you should trade slowly over a longer time with minimal risk.

Your trading platform should be based on a positive expectancy system. Your profit will be directly proportional with the number of trades your system actually makes, how much capital you allocate and how accurately you use the trading signals. Expectancy is calculated using profit or loss on each trade - dividing that by the initial risk, and then taking the average from a series of trades.


The Right Forex Strategy = Unlimited Profitability!

Some of your conventional as well as online forex broker systems can offer you only marginal profitability and trading implementation costs like high commission, wide spreads, and large amounts of slippage. This can be avoided by carefully choosing the right broker.

If you decide that you wish to pursue building your own Forex trading strategy then please go careful, perhaps re-read this page to make sure you fully understand the key rules to follow.

Binary Equation Forex Trading


Binary Equation Trading has been expressed as the “trading strategy with a mathematical advantage”. Based on the work of the 18th century mathematician, Jean le Rond d'Alembert, it produces a "Probability Advantage" that can bring amazing profit!

One need not be a mathematics genius to understand the working principles behind binary equation trading. It has no complicated indicators or does not encourage news trading. In other words it is quite easy and fast.

It allows the traders to take a view on the expected direction of the exchange rate between major world currencies. For example, on a specific day, for USD/CHF > 1.3000 the method allows the traders to take a position on whether the USD/CHF exchange rate will be greater than 1.3000 or not for the day.

The trader can buy if the USD/CHF exchange rate (according to him or her) is going to be greater than 1.3000, and sell if he or she thinks that the USD/CHF exchange rate will be less than or equal to 1.3000.

Binary Equation Trading = Confident Trading

What is most important for you as trader to identify and interpret the signals based on which you can form your own decision in forex trading. If your trading platform is based on the century old binary equations the predictions are going to be fool proof. The rules and logics are fully explained and therefore you can have confidence in the system even when you experience a string of consecutive losses.

Most of the systems based on binary equations have made money in the real world of trading - not just hypothetically. These are always better than any optimized system which uses unique rules or different parameters to trade in specific financial markets. But the trading methods based on binary equation works satisfactorily for a broad spectrum of financial instruments.

You can always build your own system with some inputs from the trading methods based on binary equation to customize the system and to implement a rigid discipline, which is the key to building consistent profits.


Gaining the Forex Mathematical Advantage

If your automated forex trading is based on the binary equation method, it is easy for you to rely on it. It conducts trade in real time and as you need to take quick decisions they are to be accurate so that you do not incur unwanted losses.

As the trading has to be performed within milliseconds, it is to be based on the mathematical formulations for producing fast and accurate results.

The trading method based on binary equation brings in the diversification you require for maximizing your profit. As the mathematical backbone is present for the entire system, it can be applied for any market operating in any time zone, with equal considerations. You can also adopt multiple trading models.

Your automated model to analyze short-term data will be based on the mathematical models which is rather impossible to achieve for a manual trader.


Analyzing Short-Term Data for Long-Term Profits

You can use these short-term data to analyze how the market is going to move in the next 15 minutes or half an hour, and accordingly take decisions. High frequency trading based on binary equation allows you to use existing data in different ways and in different markets.

A trading method based on binary equation improves liquidity. The risk management logic is also based on mathematical calculations; this ensures that you are not going to take wrong steps resulting losses.

Automated Forex for Easy Trading

Automated Forex for Easy Trading

Automated forex trading is defined as the ability to trade forex with the help of a trading program or solution. This type of trading offers the opportunity of diversification to the trader which is most important to capitalize from a market that operates 24 hours a day.

Automated trading makes possible for you to trade in different markets, and also in diverse time zones. You can systematize a multiple trading model and use the automated system to scrutinize short-term data.

You can use this data to find out how the market will move in next 15 minutes or half an hour, and can take the decision accordingly.

Automated trading can be broadly classified into two categories: first - through managed Forex where the trading program executes the trades rather than a human team, and the second is - an independent program in which you can select parameters according to your choice.

Automated Trading + Signal Alerts = Profitable Forex

An automated trading system can have automatic Forex Signal Alerts that continuously monitor the market for high-probability real-time buy and sell opportunities. This includes precise trade entry and exit signals with a built-in automated trailing stop-losses option.

The system can notify you by email or phone instantly. It can have audio or visual alarms whenever a forex signal is generated. The systems are backed with forex charting software in which you can visualize the movement of the market.

The success of automated trading lies into its capability to conduct the trade in real time, which is almost impractical for a manual or physical trader.

Decisions are executed in milliseconds and that poses an edge over any manual trading systems. Another major problem that can be greatly helped or avoided with automated trading is that it does not demand the physical presence of the trader.

Automated Forex Trading - The Advantages:

  • You do not have to physically trade in the system. It is not just mechanical, but is fully programmable.
  • It can trade at anytime of the day or night. This increases the profitability to great extent. You need not to wait through non-trending markets and can spend your time in developing new trades.
  • It offers greater diversification. You can trade in different markets in different time zones at once.
  • You can trade in multiple systems, like systems that work on different types of indicators, or for shorter or longer time frames, which diversifies the risk.
  • The models can analyze short-term data. This ensures that you can predict in as short a period of times as fifteen minutes to half an hour.
  • Automated trading is unaffected by your psychology or emotions. It performs based on the set criteria and reduces the risk of panic trading. Therefore the system performs faster and more accurate trade execution.
  • With automated trading you can develop new methods which are difficult to achieve with human system such as running high frequency of trades using tick data.

Personalize Your Automated Trading System

Automated trading software allows you to cancel all open orders and flatten all positions automatically at the end of the day. So it works perfectly for a day trader.

You can find constant updates of order status like Filled, Cancelled, and Placed round the clock for a quick operation.

You can personalize the automated trading system to work on Mathematical, Arbitrage or Risk management models with incorporating streaming executable prices.

For example you can place 20 orders at any one point of time and you can program them with different parameters.

With a convenient user interface you can work manually at the same time. You need not to have any programming skill to work in theses systems. But you must enquire beforehand to check the historical or back tested performance of the system to ensure that the system is going to work satisfactorily for you.

Thursday, July 22, 2010

#1 Forex Trading Software Review - Trading Solutions

#1 Forex Trading Software Review - Trading Solutions

Trading Solutions Forex Analysis Software
Visit Trading Solutions Forex Software

Top of our Forex analysis software reviews is Trading Solutions due to the sheer detail their software can delve in to without compromising the ease of use.

With neural networks and traditional technical analysis tools, this software allows you to spot movements in the Forex market way beyond the abilities of simple charting methods.

With built in wizard software, Trading Solutions means that even a beginner in Forex analysis can set up the software and use it with complete ease. Unless you are experienced in using this kind of software this is absolutely critical to your success.

The advantage of software such as Trading Solutions over simple signal analysis is that you can easily test your theories without risking losing any money. The software is able to to tell you how your trades would have performed should you have chosen to lay out the cash which is a god send if you are looking to develop your own currency trading strategy.

Trading Solutions - Key Features Summary:

Feature
Details
Ease of Use
Offers 'wizard' functions to help set-up and use all parts of the software
Charting Tools
Line charts, bar charts, signal charts, high/low/open/close charts, candlestick charts, price area charts
Analysis Methods
Both traditional technical analysis tools and advanced neural network predictions
Data Extraction
Allows complete extraction of data to spreadsheets with full manipulation
Signals
Optimal signal technology that allows you to pinpoint historic trades and produce profitable trading strategies
Extras
Free daily signals sent to your desktop, comprehensive help system, import and export functions, multi-input options, free evaluation download
Guarantee
30 Day money-back guarantee

More than just a charting program with plots and lines, the intuitive portfolio-based interface in Trading Solutions lets you display the actions you need to take. You can import the data for the days trading and you'll know immediately what you need to trade based on the systems and models that you have selected.

One of the really neat functions of the Trading Solutions software is that you get free daily trading signals and commentary imported directly in to your trading portfolio. This means you can make all of your Forex trading decisions from within the software tools for ultimate convenience.

Overall, Trading Solutions offers a unique piece of software that I have not seen matched anywhere else. The overall package contains pretty much everything you need to become a successful trader and for that reason it is worth the considerable price tag.

If you are still not convinced they offer a free evaluation version of their software so you can take it for a test run before you decide if the software is right for you.

Click here to visit Trading Solutions and
download their free evaluation software package today

#2 Forex Trading Software Review - Lazy Trading

Lazy Trading Forex Signal Software
SOLD OUT

Perhaps it is not entirely fair to include Lazy Trading in the same section as Trading Solutions since this ebook is more of a strategy service than analysis software.

However, I have had emails from people asking me for a lower-priced and simple to use alternative to Trading Solutions. It is to these people that I recommend Lazy Trading.

Lazy Trading is based around the fact that not everyone has the time, knowledge or desire to spend time in front of a screen of various charts trying to work out which trade to make next.

Rather than presenting you with masses and masses of information and leaving you to make your own calls, Lazy Trading teaches you how to spot perfect entry and exit trading points for ongoing profitability .

The strategy comes with an ebook explaining the strategy in detail so you are not left completely in the dark with what is happening when you click to check for signals.

Overall, LazyTrading is a good option if you have low funds, are a complete beginner, or just do not want to get bogged down with all the technical analysis yourself.

NOTE: Lazy Trading has now sold out

Forex Analysis Software Comparison Table:

1st Choice:
2nd Choice:
Lazy Trading
Cost
$995
$67
Range of charting tools
Excellent
None
Customizable Spreadsheets
Yes
No
Step-by-step wizard
Yes
No
Signal Quality
Excellent
Average
Free Evaluation Download
Yes
No
Ease of Use
Good
Excellent
Overall Rating
Excellent
Average