Planning and Discipline in Forex Trading

by ’Kunle Adeyeri

The last two articles on education and live trading are a build-up to this one. Education as the bed rock, live account trading as the launch pad and closing on these two to cap it all is planning and discipline in forex trading.

Planning (also called forethought) is the process of-thinking about and organizing the activities required to achieve a desired goal. Planning involves the creation and maintenance of a plan. As such, planning is a fundamental property of intelligent behavior.

This thought process is essential to the creation and refinement of a plan, or integration of it with other plans; that is, it combines forecasting of developments with the preparation of scenarios of how to react to them.

An important, albeit often ignored aspect of planning, is the relationship it holds with forecasting.

Forecasting can be described as predicting what the future will look like, whereas planning predicts what the future should look like. The counterpart to planning is spontaneous order. – Wikipedia

Wikipedia also explains that the phrase “to discipline” carries a negative connotation. This is because enforcement of order – that is, ensuring instructions are carried out–is often regulated through punishment. Discipline is a course of actions leading to a greater goal than the satisfaction of the immediate. A disciplined person is one that has established a goal and is willing to achieve that goal at the expense of his or her immediate comfort.

Discipline is the assertion of willpower over more base desires, and is usually understood to be synonymous with self-control. Self-discipline is to some extent a substitute for motivation, when one uses reason to determine the best course of action that opposes one’s desires. Virtuous behaviour is when one’s motivations are aligned with one’s reasoned aims: to do what one knows is best and to do it gladly’.

The bane of colossal loss in forex trading has to do with lack of proper planning and much more discipline. A forex trader is expected to have a trade plan before execution.

This has to do with determining entry point, size or volume of his trade, entry and exit points, stop loss, trailing profit etc. All these come under planning to achieve a set goal.

Discipline now will focus on executing the plans to the letter. Discipline involves sticking to your trade plan which is backed up by what you have put in the risk management. No matter how your plan is, executing it to the letter is another thing. Supposing you have a trade plan and strategy to roll in an order, discipline will come in if you have the willpower to do so. It will also test if you can stick to your targets in case when price moves in counter direction.

A to-be successful trader must be disciplined. It is a virtue and can be cultivated as well. A disciplined trader will not be too happy because he has winning traders nor be emotionally down if he loses if all were to fall within his keeping to his plans. A disciplined trader will not add more to winning or losing trades. Plan well and be disciplined. Happy trading.

Types of Forex Brokers You Need to Know About

By Dragan Lukic

There are various types of Forex brokers available for you to choose from when you start Forex trading so it can be difficult to pick out the best one, especially if you are a beginner. They range from illegal trading floors to international award-winning Forex brokers that have direct access to the market.

 You may be one of the lucky ones that has been told which broker to use through your schooling or you may be a beginner that simply doesn't know where to even start searching. Whatever your situation, the list below will simplify and direct you towards various types of Forex brokers that are available to you:

Retail Forex brokers (market makers) - these are used the most, especially with new traders. Accounts can be easily created online and deposits as small as $100 can be made in order to start trading. The functionalities available are great and the process of trading is quite simple. Be advised to shop around and find out what each broker offers. This could be factors such as live support or instant buy/sell into the market; some could have a small delay depending on their market access which can be quite frustrating.

Institutional Forex brokers (market makers) - The sales angle these types of brokers use is their even more direct access to the market. Unfortunately, because of this feature they require large amounts of capital in order to start trading. Similarly to the above they are also perfect for beginners but because of the large capital requirement, they are usually side-lined until people acquire larger amounts of cash.

Institutional Forex brokers (non-market makers) - unless you are working in a bank you will not have access to these brokers. Large number if international banks trade in this manner where the access is direct to the interbank market.

Spread betters -these are currently only legal in a few countries - this does not include USA. The way in which they make money is different to the traditional manner. Instead of making money on their winnings, they make their money on the spread between two currencies. They usually also include the ability to trade other products like stocks, indices or commodities. As the trade you are putting is a bet in this instance your winnings are not taxable; if you have another form of employment.

The above list and explanations should give you a good idea about the different type of Forex brokers available for your perusal. Just remember to do your research and speak to a few brokers first; before you make a decision on which one to go with. You should probably review your account every year to see if better offers are available elsewhere to make your Forex trading cheaper.

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15 Most Common Forex Trading Mistakes

By Danielle Franklin 

Starting forex trading career is an exciting journey. The mind-blowing financial challenges, economic riddles, potential sky rocking profits and psychological effects - all assembled together in one profession. As a new forex trader you need to recognize the universal mistakes which can easily turn your forex trading adventure into unnecessary, costly ride. What are the common mistakes traders make and how can you avoid making them?
Here is the summary of slip-ups every trader should avoid:

1. Risking Too Much
There is no way of getting rich quick in forex trading. You have to be consistent and disciplined, and by no means try to compare forex to gambling. Every dollar you invest in forex must be a dollar you can afford to lose, a dollar which will not leave you butt naked on a street. Every successful forex trader protects ones capital, and therefore instead of risking too much and praying for it to turn into a goldmine, it is more important to focus on good entry techniques and understanding of trend.

2. Over trading
Most new traders think that in order to make huge profits you have to trade all the time. It is important to realize that forex market is volatile and changes direction all day long. You cannot expect profitable trades from every price movement. It is so easy to get addicted to winnings which can lead to sloppy trading. Depending on your trading style, the opportunity to profit strikes a few times a day and it is your job to figure out when it happens. After each win, give yourself a time out to ensure that you make right decisions based on your trading plan and not on the luring crave to win again! As soon as you learn to ignore all market swings, control your emotions and focus on profitable movements, you will become consistently profitable trader.

3. Errors in Order Entry
There is a time in every forex trader's life when the wrong order entry is made. Whether the clumsy fingers or lack or alertness are to blame, awkward errors happen to all of us. To save yourself a lot of stress, avoid heart attack and evade losing money, take two extra seconds to check that everything is correct before you click!

4. Not Having Your Own Trading Plan
I believe that every trader is unique and requires different set of approaches when it comes to forex trading. Just because other traders succeed in scalping, for example, it doesn't necessary mean that it is suitable for you. It is your responsibility to figure out what kind of trader you are. Are you a quick thinker or rather analytical? Are you aggressive or rather patient? Can you devote enough time to forex or you plan to trade part-time? What is your investment capital? Do you have a full grasp of fundamental analysis? What are your psychological weaknesses? The sooner you figure out who you are, the faster your trading plan will materialize and the better forex trader you will be.

5. Losing is The End of the World!
There is no such thing as forex trading system that works 100% at a time. You can become crazy rich by being right only about 10% of a time. Kick the perfectionist out of your mind and open mind to a larger picture. The most important thing in forex trading is win/loss ratio. It doesn't matter how many times you win or loose; what really matters is how much money you gain when you win and how much money you loose when you lose! Concentrate on monthly profits, and not on every single trade.

6. Ignoring Money Management
Money management is very important in forex trading. The purpose of money management is to protect you from risking too much and therefore grow your profits in a stable, consistent manner. Without a proper money management technique, you can empty your trading account within 5-10 clumsy trades.

7. Ignoring Psychological Issues
Psychology is a big part of forex trading. You have to train yourself to control your emotions, deal with losses and understand that success does not depend on every trade. Many traders keep a journal and write down not only the trading outcome, but their feelings and emotions during the trading hours. This can significantly help to analyze yourself and avoid, for example, over-trading, revenge trading, greed trading, ego trading etc.

8. Constructing Complicated Indicators
Simplicity is the best way in forex trading. You don't have to keep adding indicators or come up with extraordinary trading plan. Many indicators only add chaos and unnecessary information. Try not to overdo it; the basic idea behind indicators is to give hints to direction of a trend, support/resistance levels and buying/selling pressure.

9. Trading News
Unfortunately, in most cases even the most straightforward news releases are used as a tool to affect the investment psychology of the crowd. This is, in a way, a manipulation used by governments and traders. Analyzing only the news can be quite problematic, since often a forex market that seems extremely bullish can actually be an undercover bear! It is close to impossible to predict how the market will react to the news. I personally have seen markets going down more than 100 pips in one second and rising 100 pips back up within couple of more seconds. That's like playing a Russian roulette!

10. Using Too Much Leverage
The beauty of forex trading is the ability to use leverage or margin, however too much leverage can be extremely harmful. Having a small trading account and making big trades using leverage can turn into a complete disaster whenever the market moves against your positions by just a tiny swing.

11. Demo Trading The Amount You Don't Have
Most forex brokers offer demo account for practice. My personal advice is to trade demo account with the amount of money you actually plan to invest. Usually practice account comes with hundreds thousands of dollars, so in order to actually learn how to trade and understand the forex market reality, it is important to demo trade the amount of your actual capital. It doesn't make much sense to practice trading with thousands while you plan to invest $500.

12. Switching Strategies Like Pair of Gloves
You shouldn't jump from one strategy to another the moment you experience couple of losses. Your forex strategy should not be discarded the moment things get rocky. Every strategy need time to be optimized. Changing strategy from one to another will not turn you into successful trader. Give it time, consider losses as a down payment for the future wins.

13. Seeking Shortcuts to Learning about Forex
There is no shortcut - you have to learn. Most successful forex traders know exactly what is happening in forex market. You have to read, learn, practice and analyze all the time in order to be up to date and make profits. Forex trading is a lifelong learning career. Since forex market is complex and very flexible, a lot of learning is needed in order to adobt to new changes and become a skilled trader.

14. Ignoring Stop Loss
Ignoring stop loss is a no-no! You need to have a clear entry/exit plan. Decide now many pips you want to make, what is your loss limit, what are the reasons for entering a trade in the first place. Sometimes you have a feeling that if you want a little more your luck will turn around. No, this is a very bad idea. Stick to your plan and always set stop/loss targets. There is no such thing as a "trade of a life time". If you miss one, there Is always a set of new trades right around the corner!

15. Deciding on Forex Broker Too Quickly
Choosing the right broker takes time - so get ready for a long ride. There are hundreds online forex brokers today and all of them are attractive in one way or another. It is important to figure out which broker is most suitable for you. A broker good for one trader might not be the best choice for the other. There are many factors to consider, including:
¨ Trading Platform (download, online, metatrader 4, user-friendly, graphical etc.)
¨ Regulation (regulated brokers are usually more reliable)
¨ Features (news, daily analysis, mobile trading, free seminars, bonuses etc)
¨ Technical and Customer Support (it is important to have all the contact information for the broker including phone number, online support and email address. I also suggest testing all of the contact methods before making a deposit with the broker - Do forex broker representatives answer the phones? How fast does the broker respond to emails? Is online support proficient and professional?)
¨ Terms and Conditions (always go over terms and conditions you agree to with a forex broker. You might find nasty hidden costs involved or certain unprofitable trading conditions)
¨ Spreads or fixed price (the lower the better, of course!)
¨ Free Practice Account for practice and get to know the trading platform
¨ Minimum Deposit Requirements (How much are you planning to invest?)
¨ (Payment Methods (how are you planning to deposit/withdraw? Wiretransfer? Credit Card? Paypal? Moneybookers?

Forex Trading Indicators - The Keys to Finding Forex Success

By Steve Crown 

The Forex Market or Foreign Exchange market is where a professional trader purchases and sells currencies. The best way to initiate trades is to become fully familiar with the Forex trading indicators: In fact it is necessary that you do so. By understanding the Forex indicators you are in a position to properly evaluate information and affect successful trades. The various types of Forex indicators are discussed below.

1. Trend indicators will show three movements with respect to (the market) price including up, down and to the side. The trend indicators are helpful in implementing your Forex trading strategy. The trend indicators show you what to expect with regard to price consistency and inconsistencies over specific (time) periods.

2. Volume indicators are relative in that they are useful in supplying information as to the interest level of investors in the Forex market. If the investor volume is high then it is more than likely indicative of a new trend. A low level of interest may suggest investor uncertainty or also that investors are simply not interested in a particular currency market. Conceptually in order to fully appreciate volume indicators you will need to become knowledgeable in what the (supplied) data means. Additionally, you will need to know the best way to respond to the information provided. Quick increases or decreases in volume may suggest reversals. A decrease in volume that is continual yet consistent may be supported by movement that is fast-paced within the market.

3. The third type of indicator is the momentum indicator. The momentum indicator tracks the rates within the currency exchange during particular time periods. It also charts simultaneously the weakness or strength of a trend's movement. The greatest momentum is found at the start of a trend. The lowest level of momentum is naturally at the end of a trend.

In order to use the Forex indicators successfully you will need to establish incompatibility with the Forex rate(s) and the data provided by Forex indicators. Movements with respect to indicators and rates suggest the following information:

1. Changes in trend may be expected when the momentum indicator is strong and the rate of exchange is moving sideways.

2. A weak momentum indicator is a sign that the currency exchange rate is about to increase.

3. Diversity in direction between the momentum indicator and rate is illustrative of the fact the current trend is starting to weaken.

4. Another important Forex indicator is the volatility indicator. The volatility indicator provides the trader with information as to the relative proportion of a price or rate increase or decrease. As a trader you will find sometimes the Forex market is highly volatile and other times it is less risky.
The indicators make it possible for the Forex trader to achieve profits when conducting trading activity within the Forex market. If the Forex market is at a low level of volatility you may surmise that there is little investor interest. In this light you may anticipate an enormous movement within the market. This is your sign that it may be the time to reap substantial profits with respect to your trading activities.
You will need to select indicators that provide you with the necessary data essential to your success as a Forex trader. You do not want to use too many indicators that are similar. What you want is an indicator that provides information and an indicator that subsequently verifies the information (previously) supplied by the initial indicator.

Safeguarding Your Investments With Forex Risk Management

By Delores Lee 

Forex trading is one of engines that run the world economy. It is the place where people earn higher profits, create their names and gain stability in the trading business. It is a one big platform of opportunities and great benefits which would likely be an open door for success. The chance to get financial success significantly depends on how you execute Forex risk management. However, there are a lot of business owners who are afraid to try foreign exchange trading. This is due to the fact that they are blind by the thought that investing in a currency is a scam or by other fraudulent schemes made to rip them off. But this is just a false belief. They just don't know how helpful their investments would be in the world market.

What happens on a Financial Market?
People buy and sell different stocks and currencies taking the advantage of their daily fluctuations. Here competencies and different innovations never run out of style. The Forex market is a highly sophisticated type of financial market and therefore traders should be aware of modern Forex risk management systems. A lot of quick decisions are to be made, so traders should really be flexible and focus on every trading process in order to get full control of the whole transaction. By doing so losses and future financial troubles will be avoided.

Two Groups of Traders in the Fx Market

• Banks and Companies. This first type of traders are trading for the sake of business. Once they profited in the currency of one country, they will then convert it to the currency of another country in order to earn more. This method will help them to save a lot since converting through the Central Bank is too costly.


• Individual Traders. This refers to struggling traders that want to earn higher profits. They are self governing and are the ones designing their own trading systems and methods. Some big investors may consider them as nothing in the Forex world, but somehow their investments also contribute to the value of currency that affects the economic growth.

What is Forex risk management?
It is one of the most popular strategies of this new era. One of the features of this method allows traders to trade online without using real money. One of the advantages is that you have small risk due to not exposing your investment. This is very helpful especially for small traders or even for neophytes of trading.
Whatever the Forex market may bring you, just remember that confidence is not effective if not anchored with great competency and responsibility. Success in trading is easy to reach only if you have a proper Forex risk management.

Let's all admit the fact that Forex market is the place not only for success and profits but also for losses and high risks. Perhaps, the reward and financial gains you acquire here is just similar or with very little difference to the risks you take. Because of the market's volatility, there is no stability on its direction, not to mention that the price of currencies and stocks often fluctuates. As a result, traders are prone to drawbacks and losses if they won't implement proper Forex risk management.

This kind of business requires hard work and higher competency in order not to encounter troubles in the future. Traders really need to commit an enough time to study and master the major processes in trading. They also need to be familiar with all the factors that significantly affect the market's flow that may influence trading transactions. Part of their responsibility is also to be aware of the risk they are taking, they're future outcome if not taken into account, and on how to manage or lessen its intensity. That's why a Forex risk management was developed in order to:

• Avoid surplus stocks. One of the ways to avoid financial troubles is to limit your stock orders. Purchase only an average quantity needed for trading. This way, you could avoid extra expenditure and debt.

• Conquer your emotions. In the trading business, it is ideal to not let your emotions overrule in the process. It would only add up to your worries and burden.

• Do not invest your money in just one trading transaction. Higher risks are taken if you will just concentrate and put all your investments in one trade. Chances are, if unfortunate events will happen, you'll just going to lose all your money leaving you with no resources to pull you up.

Forex risk management is essential in every trading. It does not only lessen the risks you are taking, but also gives you the confidence to overcome hardships and difficulties the Forex market may give you. Remember, the key to success is hard work and competence. This two work hand in hand for the achievement of goals.

Difference Between Demo and Live account in Online Forex Trading.

A consistent live account trader of one month is better than the consistent of five years of demo trading. The fact is that you cannot grow or be successful if your money is not involved in forex trading. As a demo account trader you can try all experiments but with live or real account it is a different psychological frame of mind. You learn faster from your mistakes and get refined, matured and disciplined in the market.

As a beginner trading live account, you will see money on the table (i.e. sure trading position that will yield profit) yet fear of loss grips you and you just sit down there and watch the market move in the trend you have envisaged or analyzed. But if it were demo account you will go for it. On demo account you take risks which ordinarily you would not dare on a live account, you end making money there. But it turns out to be another story when it’s a live account.

Even though demo account is a near perfect simulation of live trading, the trader’s emotions and fears are completely wide apart. It is traditional or conventional for most trainers to ask you to begin demo trading after your training, but with my training, I am changing that course. My experience, boldness and success stem from the fact that I got burnt in the market, but I decided to face the question of why I encountered losses and since I found that answer I have nearly been on over 95 per cent success story.

Most people who have lost money in forex trading and hence loathe forex are those who (by my guess) spent much time demo trading without a good psychological preparation for the real or live trading. Also, those who lose money initially to inadequate education (on technicals and fundamentals) of the market think forex trading is a herculean task. The initial losses discourage them and they never go far beyond overcoming that trauma to look for the right answer rather the blames are heaped on the market. Forensic analysis on their account history will definitely show their wrongdoings.

In summary, good education and fearless early live market entry is a sure way to finding the door to successful career and profitable trading.  No pain, no gain!

Free Forex Bonus €100 To Start Your Trading Career - No Deposit Required!

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► Step 1:
 Register with tradimo, click here to register

► Step 2:
Pass the 6 quizzes on the Forex trading beginner strategy
Answers of the questions are following:

* QUIZ 1
 Forex beginner strategy: getting started (10 questions)
1. A and D
2. B
3. B and D
4. D
5. A
6. A and C
7. B and E
8. C
9. E
10. B

* QUIZ 2
1/5 Determine the market direction (7 questions)

1. C
2. A
3. B
4. A
5. C
6. B
7. A

* QUIZ 3
2/5: Identify the trading opportunity (9 questions)

1. A
2. C
3. A
4. A
5. D
6. C
7. D
8. C
9. B

* QUIZ 4
3/5: Enter the pending order (10 questions)

1. B
2. A
3. A
4. B
5. C
6. C
7. C
8. A
9. B
10. D

* QUIZ 5
4/5: Manage the pending order while you wait for your trade (10 questions)

1. A, B and C
2. D
3. E
4. E
5. D
6. B
7. B
8. A
9. B
10. A

* QUIZ 6
5/5: Trade management (8 questions)

1. B
2. A
3. B
4. B
5. A
6. C
7. A
8. B

► Step 3: Apply for an account at Varengold

► Step 4: Enter the Varengold user number (Account number) you receive via email

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