Log and journal everything you do when you are trading. By carefully tracking your successes and failures, you give yourself a reference point by which to make future decisions. If you do not have a personal log of your experiences, you will be taking positions blindly and experience more losses.
Before you open a real money account, you should try a demo program. This will allow you to make the same investments that you would, but with little to no risk. Analyze your performance and when you feel comfortable entering the market, make your transition into a real money account.
If you are on a streak and have a great percentage of profitable trades over a short period of time, do not think that things will slow down. Generally, when the market is good, you will have to take advantage of it, as you should continue to invest to capitalize on your opportunities.
The first step in becoming a Forex trader is to find a broker. Without a broker you can't get into the market to begin trading. Your broker should charge a reasonable commission on your profits. Also take into account the minimum and maximum amount the broker will let you deposit or withdraw at any one time.
Remember that Foreign Exchange trading is about playing the odds, not about trying to predict what will happen next. Nobody can truly predict the future of a currency on the Forex market. Instead, you have to set up a system that pays attention to the statistical odds of a currency pair.
Remember that Foreign Exchange trading is not rocket science. You should be able to clearly explain why you are investing in the currency that you are investing in. You should avoid over-analyzing situations as this could lead to a bad investment. Your investments should be very clear and easy to explain.
Do not place multiple positions of identical size on forex markets. The size of your position should be calculated as a percentage of your available liquid capital, not as a lump sum. When you place one position, your liquidity drops, so your next position should be smaller. This will prevent you from unintentionally taking on more risk than you want.
To give yourself the best shot at a profit in the forex market, pay attention to the trends. Currency values do fluctuate; but over the long term, they generally show steady movement in one direction. Over the long term, following the trends will give you the best odds in foreign exchange trading.
Find a broker you can trust. An unreliable broker can negate any and all gains you acquire through your trading. It is also important that your goals and level of expertise match that of your broker's offer. Look at what kind of clientele they service, and be sure their trading software is up to your needs.
Take the time to look at the big picture of the market price movements. If you plan to trade in 15 minute time frames, take a look at least one hour charts. If you are trading with one hour charts, take a look at the weekly movements. The larger the time frame you look at, the more likely you are to see the trend to go with.
To avoid making ill-timed and costly trading moves, you should consider staying out of the market if the fundamentals just don't justify market entry at the time. In forex trading south africa other words, avoid entering the markets out of boredom or just for the sake of trading. Staying on the sidelines is a position in itself, and sometimes it just pays to hold that "out-of-market" position until the fundamentals improve.
Always have a stop-loss when trading. Keep the risks in mind before the profits. Always set a specific limit to trade in a day and don't go over it, no matter what. Three trades a day is a good number to use as a general rule. By using this risk management strategy, you will look before you leap and avoid big losses.
Remember that the foreign exchange market might not be busy on weekends. You can still sell and buy, but it might be hard to get immediate responses. You should check the situation on Friday nights and decide if you want to keep what you have over the weekend or sell it before that.
Go with the trends rather than against them, especially when you're first starting your trading career. Going against the market will cause unnecessary stress and risk. Following trends while you're first refining your system will make decisions simpler and safer. Once you have more experience, you will have the knowledge necessary to go against trends to follow your long-term strategy.
Trading in the foreign exchange market does not have to be a solo thought process. You should try to discuss your experiences with other traders to see what opinions they may have on your situations. While doing so, keep in mind that ultimately, it is up to you to make the final decision in your trading choices.
Know your own limits before you get into Foreign Exchange trading. How much risk tolerance can you tolerate right now? How much capital do you have to play with? You must fully analyze your personal financial situation before you start trading, otherwise you could end up in a hole you can't get out of.
Be careful using leverage. If you are a beginning trader, do not stray beyond the leverage formula of 10:1. A trader with more experience may use leverage up to 50:1. Beginners should start with a small position, and then increase it if the price is going up.
Check for a profit/loss ratio of at least 2:1 before you accept any trade signals. When you divide the projected pip profits by the projected pip losses, you will arrive at the profit/loss ratio. If the number is less than two, stay out of the market. This will keep you profitable over the long run.
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