Forex Strategies: Where You Should Start

By Patwin Jones

The open market on the Foreign Exchange Market can be very lucrative. We want to educate ourselves on how the markets work and with some knowledge we will be ready to jump right in. After you learn how to monitor the market trends you will be able to make some sound financial decisions. The faster you grasp the concepts, the faster you will be financially rewarded.

Always remember nothing is a 100% sure thing. We lessen our risks by gaining as much knowledge as possible. The more we know and understand the varied markets, the more likely we will make good business decisions.

Studying the numbers and statistics, having factual data and analyzing this data with each market will by far put us ahead of the competition. When you make a given choice based on the data, there will be less doubt in your mind and you won?t feel like you made a choice based on guessing what might happen. You will walk away feeling very confident about your decisions. Remember, there are never any 100% guarantees in anything we do.

Forex trading in the open market is like gambling but not like playing the slot machines. Slot machines don?t require any skill and are totally a chance of luck. Forex trading is more like playing poker or blackjack. If we watch and evaluate which cards are being played, the more likely we will come out winners. Monitoring the cards being played lessens our risk and helps us make better decisions.

You basically make the same kind of sound decision with the Forex market. You evaluate the ups and downs of a particular investment over a given time. No matter how good the data is you are provided with, it is always possible that a hiccup could occur causing a fall in the investment. The up side to all of this as in real estate that the soundness of the investment is always a lesser risk if you do your homework. The more data and statistics you have at your fingertips, the more likely your choices will have a positive affect which will lead to greater financial rewards.

Where do we get the data we need to make these financial decisions? In most cases, this will be provided to you by your stock broker or financial advisor. There are many companies available with this data and statistics of the different markets.

Some will charge a fee for this information and some financial institutions will provide this data for free. These companies monitor the markets on an hourly, weekly, monthly and annual basis. It is important for these companies to provide as accurate information as possible, because the more accurate the information, the higher the profit margin for the company.

What is a ?Chartists?? These are people who create line and bar graphs for all clients. These graphs are also called ?candlestick? graphs. The same graphs are available whether you are a new client or a VIP client. It is much simpler to analyze a graph over looking at a bunch of numbers. This helps the client in determining the market trends of a particular stock, bond, index, etc over a given period.

These ?candlestick? graphs and charts are available through your broker or financial consultant. If not, there is software available that will create these graphs for you just by inserting some numbers that your broker will provide you with. These numbers are also available from each company that participates in the Foreign Exchange Market. - 23199

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Discover more information relating to forex charts and stay informed today.

The Attraction Of American Gold Eagles

By James Stevenson

For collectors and others who choose to invest in gold, the American Gold Eagle coin is a great way to add value to your portfolio. First released back in the 1980s, it's the official gold bullion coin. There are four different coins that are offered, the one tenth oz, one quarter oz, half oz, and the 1 oz coins. Each has a different amount of gold weight and is offered to the public to purchase.

Gold that is used in the the American Gold Eagle coin must come from United States soil, and also added into the mixture are copper and silver that will help the coin more durable and wear-resistant. 22 karat gold is used to make these beautiful coins.

The reverse side that displays the American Gold Eagle shows a male bird flying while holding an olive branch. He is flying over a nest containing a female Gold Eagle with her hatchlings. The design was created by Miley Busiek. While the opposite side of the coin is a design by Augustus Saint-Gaudens', showing Lady Liberty. The picture is one with Lady Liberty holding an olive branch in one hand, while in the other is a torch.

Values of these American Gold Eagle coins will be based on the value that cold is currently at, and depending on the content of gold in each coin. Back in April 2009 the values ranged from $130 for the $5 coin, all the way up to $1,000 for the $50 face value coin.

These coins will normally be produced in the West Point Mint located in West Point, New York. The coins are made of 91. 67% American gold at 22 karats, 3% silver, and 5. 33% copper. Price depends on content of gold not face value.

Measurements for each coin are as follows, the one tenth troy ounce coin will measure 16. 50 mm diameter, and have a thickness of 1. 19 mm, and weigh 3. 393 grams. While a quarter troy ounce coins is going to weigh 8. 483 grams, measure 22 mm in diameter and be 1. 83 mm thick. Half troy ounce coins will be 2. 24 mm thick, measure 27 mm in diameter and weigh16. 965 grams. And the last American Gold Eagle coin is the one troy ounce that measures 32. 70 for diameter, is 2. 24 mm thick, and will weigh 33. 93 grams.

Investing in highly-regarded American Gold Eagle Coins are a great idea if you are considering adding physical gold to your portfolio. Also, as a consideration to future generations, you can always pass them down to your kids as they get older. - 23199

About the Author:

James enjoys writing articles on investing in gold eagle bullion coins, and finding great deals on gold proof eagle coins

If You're Dedicated, You Can Trade Stocks, Too

By Chad Reynolds

Have you always wanted to learn about stock and finally get some stock education? Well, you're not alone. There are lots of people out there who have always thought it may be too hard, too time consuming or too expensive to learn how to trade their own stocks.

Here are exactly the tools you need to become a real stock trader: hard work, dedication, focus and a great stock trading training program. Believe it or not, your ability to trade stocks on your own and eventually become a professional profit trader rests in your own hands. Many people want to know if "Trading Stock for Dummies" actually exists?

Many people don't succeed in stock trading simply because they are too distracted by everyday life events to fully dedicate themselves to learning the material. So the focus, hard work and dedication part is on you. But another problem is that sometimes people subscribe to a stock trading program that is over their heads. When they don't understand the terms being used, they get frustrated and then they easily give up.

You should pick a training program that genuinely cares about your success and will be there for you when you have questions or if you feel frustrated. It is extremely important to choose a profit trading training program that fits your needs and learning curve in order to make you a success story in the long run.

Look for a training program that can offer extra features besides the basic training courses. An excellent feature to look for is the option to join a Master Mind Training group. This will give you an opportunity to discuss trading techniques, issues and questions with other traders in your field. The group's goal is to hold everyone else in the group accountable for their stock trading goals, which will help keep you focused and motivated.

Another great feature to look for is access to the training center's resource library. This is where they keep eBooks, special reports, past recorded seminars and webinars and much more resources that can help you on your way. If the training center of your choice is up-to-date and current, then they can also offer you the option of podcasts, so you can study on the go, in the car, on the train or while you're between meetings or phone calls.

While you're choosing the best training center for you, also keep in mind that it is best to choose a center that offers materials and services for the beginner traders, as well as the experienced trader. If the trading center is beneficial to experienced traders and those traders join the membership, then that gives you an excellent opportunity to converse with professionals who are already in the field. The name of the game is to make contacts and network.

All it takes is hard work, dedication and focus. All of this can be accomplished with a great stock trading training center and you'll be trading stocks before you know it. Once you've done some research, you will see that becoming a profit trader is not out of your reach. - 23199

About the Author:

Eager to find out more about stock for dummies, then read more from Chad Reynolds' blogs. He will teach you on how to choose the best stocks and give you a real stock education.

Understading Some Risks Of A Covered Call

By Maclin Vestor

A covered call strategy is great, as it can allow you to get your income back, and put it to work elsewhere quickly. In addition, time value is certain, and covered calls will allow you to collect this value while speculators betting on a stock rising beyond the option price plus what they paid for the option will have to pay this amount to you no matter what. Even if the stock does go beyond this point, you don't incur a loss; instead, you miss out on potential gains. This can cause a covered call strategy to be more stable. You ultimately want the stock to expire at the money as this will allow you to collect the full premium, and still own the stock. Anything above this and your gains of your stock will cover the loss of the call and your gain will ultimately be the same. However, if it goes higher, you will have to repurchase your shares at a higher price, although selling another call against them will result in a higher premium.

Some covered calls will yield a 10% monthly return based on it's time value premium that you collect, meaning that in 10 months you will have your initial investment back if you can successful receive the full time value. The risk is not that the stock goes up in value and that you miss out on potential gains, as the yield will be roughly the same after appreciation, but that the stock goes down dramatically in value. However, you cannot lose more than your initial investment minus the full premium. This is a major point that critics of the covered call strategy often miss, as they say it has "the same risk profile as selling naked puts." This means that if you sell a put you are un-hedged, and if the stock goes to zero, you are also limited to the loss of the strike price minus zero times $100. Where a put owner will gain $100 per share ($10000 per contract) if a $100 stock goes to 0, a put seller will have to pay the put owner this $10,000 per contract. Selling puts is dangerous because people generally do not manage money well. The top 10% of people own the other 90% of wealth generally because the top 10% have learned to manage their money better than the other 90%.Selling puts is dangerous, because if you sell a $100 put for $500 your gain is capped to $500 per contract for a given length of time, and your potential loss is $10,000. Now a covered call owner may be capping his gain to lets say $500, and if the stock goes to zero, he is also going to potentially lose $10,000. So why is a covered call generally less risky? The reason why is that unless the seller of the put has $10,000, then he risks going on margin. In addition to actually having to have put up what the buyer affords to risk, The buyer of the stock not only is required to have that 10,000 before he can buy 100 shares of $100, but even someone with a limited understanding of risk management will do at least something to manage risks, even if it's still investing a high percentage such as 20% of the income that loss is limited to 20% of the portfolio. Technically that buyer should risk only a smaller percentage of his capital. A seller of a put receives $500, but to collect $500 and have to leave $50,000 to the side doesn't seem naturally as rational. People that invest in a covered call buying a stock for $10,000 and collecting a $500 premium and invest the remaining $40,000 will be risking less than someone who sells a naked put, but invests the remaining cash. Of course the reason is, the put seller has to have $10,000 to cash if the stock goes to zero.

However, there's an even greater difference. In the event of a loss when the stock doesn't go to 0, the covered call seller experiences a paper loss; where as a put seller experiences a real loss. The covered call owner might put up $10,000 and that $10,000 suddenly is only good for $8,000 and all he has received is the $500 premium for the covered call. However, if this person has done the research and determined that the stock is undervalued, and is currently in a panic due to margin calls and forced selling, and that the fundamentals are good, the covered call owner still owns the 100 shares of the stock that they determined to be worth $140 at $100. Technically the put seller could choose to buy that same stock at $100 which is now worth $80, and put up the money rather than take the $20 per share loss. However, the covered call owner has likely researched the stock, has determined it to be undervalued and intends on owning this stock anyways. The put seller doesn't want to own this stock, instead expects the stock to remain neutral, and just wants to collect the $500. If the covered call owner was wrong, that means the stock goes lower than he expects, however that doesn't mean that the stock still wouldn't be undervalued even more so. If the put seller is wrong, the put seller will have to buy 100 shares of an $80 stock at $100. It may just seem like semantics, but the covered call owner already has bought the stock where as the put seller may not really believe he has to buy the stock. A put seller gets paid to buy the stock at a set price, where the covered caller gets paid to own the stock. Psychologically, it's a lot easier for a put seller to say "well I'm a good investor I think, my bet is probably right, I don't need to worry about the fact that the stock might drop in value because I don't think it will. I don't need to do more research, and oh, by the way, this extra $10,000 on the side, I can invest it elsewhere because I'm a good investor, and I'm not going to lose. An over confident put seller can lose everything in the account and then some with even a drop from $100 to $80, where as a covered call owner who is over confident will probably only lose a maximum of the amount he owns in that individual stock minus the price of the stock, and that's if the stock goes to all the way to zero.

In many ways they are a similar strategy betting a stock won't go up beyond a certain point, and that it won't go down beyond a certain point. But a person who writes a covered call will be forced to have the money to pay for it and on maximum in a margin account that person can only go on 2:1 margin. If a covered call buyer with $10,000 risked $20,000 they might need to transfer some money from their bank to their stock account and come up with $10,000

If someone sells puts, they are not technically on margin until a major loss occurs, however, if they sell 10 covered calls of a stock at $100 at $500 each, they risk losing $100,000 if it goes to zero. Put sellers most likely think that has a low probability of happening. Covered callers may think the same thing is true, the difference is, covered callers can never bet more than twice what they have even on margin, and most people won't go on margin anyways simply because they don't have the account set up to. Put sellers will usually HAVE to have a margin account to sell puts.

Selling puts requires a more sophisticated understanding as well, and when lost in the technical, I believe it's easier to forget about what you are betting on happening. If you sell an out of the money covered call, you are betting on it going down less than what you received for the option, or going up to the strike price (or higher, but gain is capped). If you already own a stock, it's easier to understand that you are trading upside potential for income, where as put sellers are risking money they don't have committing to buying a stock at a certain price no matter what betting that a stock will do the same thing essentially. But leveraged buyers and sellers are generally not the type that likes to have money on the sideline.

Naked call seller as are collecting income but if the stock goes up, they have unlimited risk since they do not own the stock that will cover them in case the stock goes higher. Selling a naked call could potentially result in unlimited margin. However in order for a stock to go unlimited gains, it has to have an unlimited amount of money put into it. This does not happen, especially to the largest of large cap stocks that are already heavily owned on heavily leveraged companies... However, large amounts of cash reserves still are needed, as large caps still appreciate in value, sometimes significantly. Being un-hedged and selling any sort of shares "naked" is not recommended. In theory there may be an identical hedged strategy, but in practice it just doesn't work out the same way. - 23199

About the Author:

Maclin Vestor teaches about financial information and advice. You can even learn about finance, money management, and figuring out finance at his System Trading | Stocks Trading Systems blog.

The humble beginnings of Forex!

By Ash Naeck

The word trading is as old as mankind himself and is still present in nowadays world. Although it comes in different forms and processes, trading carries the same principle that it did thousands of years ago, which is the exchange of a particular good for another.

Trading in the older days was referred to as the barter process, where one would exchange some vegetables to get some rice in return. The process of bartering is thought to be the main source from where trading originated.

Nowadays with advancement in technology, trading is done by the use of a piece of paper commonly referred to as money. The process is still the same and the exchange of goods is still processed in the same way with only difference the use of money as the prime medium.

Trading in the world we live in has taken a new proportion which involves more than the exchange of goods and services only. The century that we live in has seen the birth of currency traders. They are the one who buys/sells the currency of one country to that of another country.

This market is called the Forex market and deals in different foreign currencies of the world. It is the biggest financial market to date with up to US$ 3.5 Trillion traded per day. A staggering number that by far surpasses all the existing financial markets combined together.

Major corporations such as Banks and Hedge funds play a big role in this market on a daily basis. Those Banks and Hedge Funds are referred to as the "Big Boys". They deal in millions of dollars on every single position they take thus causing a stir in the value of the currency. If you are familiar with the currency quotes, you may have noticed that those values never stay the same throughout the day. They are subject to changes due to the buying and selling that takes place on the currency market. Those changes in price are where the profit is made and losses incurred.

The forex market tends to be more attractive than most of the existing markets on the planet. The reason being is because the forex market is a 24-hour open market. A normal trading day starts in Sydney, then Tokyo, Europe, London and ends up in New York City which is the last market to close for the day.

EUR/USD, GBP/USD, USD/CHF and USD/JPY are referred to as the major pairs as they are backed by strong political and economical back-grounds. These pairs are the most traded ones on the currency market. Next on the list are the YEN pairs namely GBP/JPY and EUR/JPY and the commodity pairs AUD/USD, NZD/USD and USD/CAD.

My experience with trading begun when I was still in university, I had no clue of the dynamics of the market at his stage. Basically I was quite confused to how this process, which is the buying and selling of currencies, actually worked. After some readings, it all made sense. What I found is that not only could money help acquire goods and services but it could also be used to buy or sell another currency in some other countries.

Forex traders take advantage of buying and selling currencies they believe will appreciate or depreciate respectively. If they know what they are doing most of the time those appreciation and depreciation will turn out into some nice profit. Good traders make a great living through the process of buying and selling on the market.

Participating in this amazing market that is the forex has never been easier. All the tools required are available to individuals like you and me, the only thing needed is some proper education that will help understand this market.

To get started, all you need is:

- A decent computer

- Internet connection

- Some money as start-up capital

- Forex Broker

Looks quite easy in hind-sight, right?

Well, it is very easy to get started however, if you want to succeed in this market, education is crucial. Without a solid proven educational program you may well take quite a while before being successful. 5 years have passed now since I started my trading career and to tell you the honest truth I still keep on learning new things every single day. Here are some great tips to follow if you want to be successful. Be humble, disciplined and teachable. Do not expect to make thousands of dollars in a matter of days. Set a goal and follow your plans. This will be help you be on track to succeed. - 23199

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Looking for the best information on forex trading, then visit Forex Trading Domain.com for the best advice on Forex education.