The least popular least commonly used currency pairs usually have a low spread. In some cases, this can be even less than a pip. When trading the most commonly used currency pairs the spread is often at its lowest. The total value of the currency pair needs to surpass the spread in order for the forex trade to become profitable.

In order for forex brokers to increase the number of trades available to its customers, they need to provide capital in the way of leverage. Before you can trade using leverage, you must sign up to a forex broker and open a margin account. Contingent on the broker and the size of the position, leverage is usually capped at if you are a retail client non-professional trader. Some offshore forex brokers will offer much more than this if you are seeking higher limits.

It is because of the aforementioned example that you should exercise caution when using leverage. Should the worst possible scenario happen and your account falls below 0, you should contact your forex broker and ask for its policy on negative balance protection. The good news is that all forex brokers which are regulated by ESMA the European Securities and Markets Authority will be able to provide you with this extra level of protection, ensuring that you never become in debt with your broker.

Margins are a good way for traders to build up their exposure. Put simply, in order for a trader to maintain position and place a trade, the trader needs to put forward a specific amount of money first — this is the margin. Rather than being a transaction cost, the margin can be compared to a security deposit. This will be held by the broker during an open forex trade. It is commonplace for forex brokers to give their customers access to leverage see above.

In order for you to lower your risk of exposure and offset your balance, you might consider hedging. This is a procedure which involves traders selling and buying financial instruments.

When there are movements in currencies, a hedging strategy can reduce the risk of disadvantageous price shifts. The protection of this technique is often a short term solution.

Traders often turn to hedge in a panic as a result of the financial media reporting volatility in currency markets. This is usually down to huge events like geopolitical turmoil conflict in the middle east , global health crisis COVID and of course the great financial crisis of To counteract negative price movements, market players will tactically take advantage of attainable financial instruments in the market. This is hedging against risk in its truest form. Hedging will give you some flexibility when it comes to enhancing your forex trading experience, but there are still no guarantees that you will be totally protected from any losses or risks.

While it can take some time to get your head around heading in the forex markets, the overarching concept is that it presents both outcomes. That is to say, irrespective of which way the markets move, you will remain at the break-even point less some trading commissions. More specifically, the spot trade is a spot transaction, with reference to the sale or the purchase of a currency.

Essentially, spot forex is to both sell and buy foreign currencies. A good example of this is if you were to purchase a certain amount of South African rands ZAR , and exchange that for US dollars USD. If the value of the ZAR increases, you are able to exchange your USD back to ZAR, meaning you get more money back in comparison to the amount you originally paid. CFD is basically a contract which portrays the price movement of financial instruments.

So, without having to own the asset, you can still make the most of price movements, whilst also avoiding the need to sell or buy vast amounts of currency. CFDs are also accessible in bonds, commodities , cryptocurrencies, stocks, indices and of course — forex. With a CFD you are able to trade in price movements, cutting out the need to buy them at all. This section of our forex trading PDF is all about forex charts. When it comes to a MetaTrader platform, traders can use bar charts, line charts and candlestick charts.

You can usually toggle between the different charts, depending on your preferences, fairly easily. The first record of the now-famous candlestick chart was used in Japan during the s and proved invaluable for rice traders. These days, this price chart is without a doubt one the most popular amongst traders all over the world.

Much like the OHLC bar chart see below , candlestick charts provide low, high, open and close values for a predetermined time frame. Live forex traders love this chart due to its visual appearance and the range of price action patterns utilised. This allows you to gain a better understanding of how live trading works before you take any big financial risks in the market. As the title suggests, this one is a bar chart, and each time frame a trader is looking at will be displayed as a bar.

In other words, if you are viewing a daily chart you will see that every bar equates to a full trading day. With this price chart, traders are able to establish who is controlling the market, whether it be sellers or buyers.

OHLC analysis was the starting block for the creation of the ever-popular candlestick charts please further down. It is a great tool for looking at the bigger picture when it comes to trends. The line chart arranges the close prices at the end of that time frame; so in this case, at the end of the day, the line will connect the closing price of that day.

In this section of our forex trading PDF, we are going to talk about the different ways in which you can sell and buy a forex position as well as things to look out for. When it comes to forex trading you can trade both short and long, but always make sure you have a good understanding of forex trading before embarking on trades.

After all, forex trading can be a bit complex to begin with, especially when mixing long and short trades. In a nutshell, going long is usually a term used for buying. So, when traders expect the price of an asset to rise, they will go long. When forex traders expect the price of an asset to fall, they will go short. This means benefiting from buying at a lesser value. To achieve this, you simply need to place a sell order.

The current exchange rate of a forex pair is always based on market forces. This will change on a second-by-second basis. As we noted earlier, you also need to take the spread into account, so there will always be a slight variation in pricing.

For instance, if you exchange 1 USD for 17 ZAR, the sale and purchase price offered by your forex broker will be either side of that figure. The currency pairs with the most notable supply and demand attached to them will be considered the most liquid in the forex market. The supply and demand aspect is thanks to the investment of importers, exporters, banks and traders — to name a few.

The most liquid currency pairs are therefore the ones in high demand. When you feel you are ready to take the plunge and begin live trading, you need to select a forex trading system. There is a vast amount of trading strategies for you to pick from.

This is because investors, speculators, corporations and banks have been trading for decades. In this part of the forex trading PDF, we are going to explain a few of the strategies available to you. If you want to buy and sell currency pairs from the comfort of your home or even via your mobile device , you will need to use a trading platform.

Otherwise referred to as a forex broker, there are literally hundreds of trading platforms active in the online space. This makes it extremely difficult to know which broker to sign up with. In the below sections of our forex trading PDF, we explain some of the considerations that you need to make. You should also look out for analysis tools available to you. In some cases, this might be embedded, while some offer tools such as technical analysis and fundamental analysis.

Learn whats the difference between Fundamental and Technical Analysis? Information is gold and we believe the more you have, the more you should share.

That is why the only thing we ask you to do if you like what you have read is to share this PDF book with your friends and family. If it helped you, it can help them as well. Download this FREE Forex Trading pdf. Read right away or while drinking your morning coffee. PS This Forex PDF is dynamically evolving, what does it mean for You?

The forex trader may not have picked the start of the slump by looking at this kind of data, but clearly would have seen that right after the start of new home starts were in a period of weakening. When housing starts reached a peak and then started declining, it was difficult to be pro-dollar. In this case the new housing start data was a very reliable leading indicator that interest rates would not increase. A valuable source for assessing housing activity in the United States is the survey releases of the National Association of Housing Builders NAHB.

TABLE 1. The survey asks respon- dents to rate general economic and housing market conditions. The survey results in the summer of were at a peak on all HMI component measures. significant weakening in the housing market, which was an omen that increases in rates were increasingly not likely.

At the end of , the HMI survey shows that the previous rate of decline in housing starts was slowing down. This can be interpreted as possible bottoming out of the housing market. Using this data, those traders expecting an interest rate decrease would have to reconsider their confidence in a rate cut. The importance of housing data as an indicator for traders is reflected in the fact that new sources of data on housing are being developed for investors.

It is a bench- mark measure for housing prices. It tracks the value of single-family homes in the United States. Twenty metropolitan areas are tracked, and the index is measured monthly. The TABLE 1. last Tuesday of each month at 9 A. is the release time of the announcement. Traders looking for leading indicators of a housing recovery will likely see it in increases in hous- ing prices tracked by this monthly index, posted at www.

Detailed housing data can also be found at www. ALSO WATCH HOUSING EQUITY SECTOR STOCKS Another way for the forex trader to get a grip on housing data is to watch equities that are housing related. For example, Lennar Homes is a leading home builder. Its stock price and earning forecasts offer good clues regarding the direction of the housing market and by inference interest rate policies Figure 1.

Chart courtesy of Aspen Graphics, www. When these housing equity stocks start probing their weekly support, resistance, and trend lines, the trader will have clues as to a potential change in the housing market. HOUSING DATA AND GREAT BRITAIN As discussed earlier, housing provides a strong indicator regarding interest rates throughout the world. For example, as ended, the situation in Great Britain re- garding housing indicated a very strong housing market and therefore supported sen- timent of interest rate increases by the Bank of England.

In , housing prices in- flated by nearly 10 percent in Great Britain. Economist Diana Choyleva believed prices could rise by as much as 15 percent in In other words, expectations of an interest rate cut in Britain would require evidence of a slowdown in housing price increases.

The trader trading the British pound should watch British housing data very carefully and gain an edge in shaping trading strategy. A useful web site for staying on top of British housing data is www. SUMMARY Tracking changes in how an economy is growing is clearly an important part of gaining a sense of whether a currency will be strengthening or weakening.

The relationship of growth and currencies applies throughout the world. An increase in interest rates tends to strengthen the currency.

The trader needs to go further than just knowing what the rate levels are. They trader needs to assess whether the economy is strengthening or weakening. Housing data is one of the most important areas that affect the decision to increase rates, keep rates the same, or decrease rates. The forex trader should keep track of housing data when trading a currency. I Much progress has been made over the decades. In the period of through , inflation levels in industrialized countries were near the 7.

A decade later, in , inflation levels ranged at the much lower level of 3 percent. Many central banks, in fact, announce inflation targets. In fact, Bernard Bernanke, the successor to Alan Greenspan, has favored formal inflation targeting for the U. Central banks around the world monitor inflation and raise interest rates to try to slow down inflation.

Central banks often include in their statements accompanying in- terest rate decisions that they will be vigilant over potential risks of inflation. A fear of lingering inflation tends to generate in the market the anticipation of higher rates, and therefore works to support the buying of a currency. That is also why strong retail prices tend to undermine bond prices. Bondholders fear increased rates because they reduce the attractiveness of the bonds they hold, and the market lowers the prices of the bonds in order to equalize the yield of the old bonds with the new interest rates.

Inflation is the ever-present yet stealthy ghost that spooks the forex market and chal- lenges central banks. It is particularly difficult to track. even among the best economists on how to measure and detect inflation, and as a result there are many data sets relating to inflation. Central banks all over the world are trying to get an accurate answer to the question of what is true core inflation? This level of complexity in measuring inflation sets up the forex market for surprises when data comes along that inflation has not been contained.

Surprises can be ex- pected. For example, in December , when inflation data rose the highest in 30 years, it provided a boost in the dollar value as more traders were betting that the Fed would not decrease rates, or might even increase rates.

The challenge to getting a true measure of inflation has also been a focus of recent activity in Britain. The Office of National Statistics is introducing a new inflation calcu- lator that allows persons to calculate their own inflation measure!

In other words, the other measures [such as the Retail Price Index RPI , the Retail Price Index excluding Mortgage Payments RPIX , and the Harmonized Index of Consumer Prices HCIP ] are still in force, but there is recognition that inflation needs more measures for an accurate assessment.

This confusion and debate over how to detect inflation in Great Britain un- derscores the issue is an international one. The Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England www. htm offers more details on this subject.

D in economics to follow inflation data. There are many key measures of inflation that are tracked. But you have to check the central bank web sites. The best way to do this is to first check the web site of the central bank. They contain a great deal of information on inflation and inflation policy. Core inflation refers to the components of inflation that are more durable and not a result of temporary events, such as a hurricane.

Core inflation excludes food and energy prices, which vary temporarily. The PCE is now the favorite measure used by the Federal Reserve. However, in an at- tempt to be even more accurate, economists have gone further and developed a trimmed PCE, which is designed to give a truer view of inflation. Table 2. The Producer Price Index PPI is another key measure that is reported and tracked. The PPI measures what businesses charge one another for everything from iron ore and diesel fuel to cases of soda pop.

The U. Bureau of Labor Statistics generates PPI data for over different product categories, reflecting price pressures among differ- ent industries. A net PPI figure, of course, is more general in nature www. In November , the PPI surprisingly rose 2 percent higher than the month before.

The index had not risen by that much in a single month in more than 32 years, since the energy and stagflation crises of the mids. The fact that the PPI and the core infla- tion may differ adds to the uncertainty of the true condition of the economy regarding inflation.

The Consumer Price Index CPI tracks consumer price changes given a fixed basket of goods and is part of the data set watched by traders in all countries. Bureau of Labor Statistics provides comprehensive data on inflation and, in fact, tracks the vari- ous inflation rates. It conducts extensive sampling of 87 urban areas, 50, homes, and 23, retail establishments.

From time to time, the CPI basket changes to more accurately reflect new items TABLE 2. available in the economy. Tracking gold, the Commodity Research Bureau, and other commodity indexes and patterns will also help you get a handle on inflation. We look at the commodity-currency connection in Chapter 5. The main point here is that the forex trader needs to pay serious attention to inflation rates and expectations of inflation rates, because they are a key to discerning what the central banks fear, and a clue to whether they will raise interest rates.

Which Countries Have Inflation above the Target Rate? Take the indicators or economic data releases coming out and group them. Which are leading? Which are lagging? Which are coincident? Which countries have inflation rates over 2 percent? Which country has a central bank policy to increase inflation?

Countries that are experiencing economic growth generate more jobs in their economy. Con- sumer spending therefore increases. In turn, the demand for housing increases as peo- ple have more disposable income and can better afford housing. The transactions of a modern economy intimately involve global flows of capital as exports and imports are part and parcel of the vitality of an economy.

The term economic growth is really a wide category. How is economic growth measured and tracked by the forex trader? The rate of economic growth or development of a country is mainly measured es- sentially by its gross domestic product GDP , so news about GDP becomes an essential ingredient in shaping trader sentiment about the value of a currency.

A slowdown or ex- pected slowdown in GDP translates into anticipation that interest rates will not go higher or may even decrease. The importance of economic development statistics in currency trading is evidenced by the fact that whenever an economic data release is scheduled, the currency market hes- itates in its price movements and then often moves vigorously when the news surprises the market. In fact, one of the best times to trade is after a news release.

Technical strate- gies for trading the news will be thoroughly explored in a later chapter. Traders can gain insight into economic growth and development data by following several sources that track global economic growth, such as the Organisation for Eco- nomic Co-operation and Development www.

org , the Group of Seven, www. ca , and the World Trade Organi- zation www. A growing econ- omy has new job creation and lower levels of employment. An economy that is slowing down or showing signs of slowing down has increased jobless claims, a declining rate of job creation, and higher unemployment levels. Whenever job data is released by governments, the forex markets react. There are many layers of information regarding employment data. Manufacturing Employment Payroll Employment of Wage and Salary Workers Total Population of the United States U.

Employment in Service-Producing Industries Civilian Unemployed for 15 Weeks and Over Civilian Unemployed for Less Than 5 Weeks Median Duration of Unemployment Unemployed: all civilian workers Unemployment Rate U.

Employment in Construction U. Employment in Finance, Insurance, and Real Estate U. Employment in Goods-Producing Sectors U. Employment in Mining U. Employment in Services U. Employment in Transportation and Public Utilities U. Employment in Retail Trade Industry U. Employment in Wholesale Trade Industry For more information on job data, visit the following web sites: www. com www.

As long as the world is dependent on hydrocarbon-based energy, oil prices become a factor in stimu- lating or delaying economic growth. In the near term, higher oil prices result in reducing economic growth expectations as well. Higher hydrocarbon prices portend increases in transportation costs and the per- unit cost of outputs in the economy, and therefore become an inflationary factor in the costs of goods.

One of the most important as- pects of oil prices is that the market reaction to oil price increases often tends to overem- phasize its importance, particularly for the U. econ- omy. translates into only a 3. A quick rise in oil prices, or even just the fear of a rise, offers trading opportuni- ties.

Hurricane Katrina is a good example, as we saw some countries benefit from high crude oil prices, while others did not. The result impacts currency prices as well. Closely tracking oil is important in shaping currency-trading strategies.

See Figure 3. Oil has another impact. Oil-producing countries have amassed huge sums of money, and what they do with their increasing petrodollars impacts currency values. FIGURE 3. Source: CQG, Inc. Copyright © The economies of Organization of Petroleum Exporting Coun- tries OPEC nations are accumulating current account surplus due to petrodollars that are nearing 30 percent of their GDP!

If oil producers start to shift into nondollar assets such as the euro and pound sterling, the dollar fundamentally weakens. This has already begun. OPEC and Russia data showed that the dollar holdings were cut from 67 percent to 65 percent.

It was not a coincidence that the highs of the euro coincided with the last known shift of oil producers from dollars to euros. It is also not a coincidence that the Canadian dollar strengthens when oil prices increase and weakens when oil prices decline.

We can see that crude oil patterns have had wide ranges and are likely to continue to have such swings. This will benefit the forex trader. YIELD CURVE AND ECONOMIC GROWTH As Arturo Estrella and Frederic S. Source: Federal Reserve Bank of New York. Guessing what phase of the business cycle an economy is in is a great game.

Is the economy going into a recession? However, sentiment about an expected recession is not stopped by lack of data. One of the most important measures that traders track is the shape of the yield curve.

The yield curve is defined as the difference between the year Treasury note and the 3-month Treasury bill. We see here the key role that interest rates play in reflecting expectations in the market. The Federal Reserve Bank of New York published an important study of the yield curve and recessions, which included a table relating probability of recession to the yield curve Table 3. A separate study see Figure 3.

We can see that the yield curve provides an important barometer for the future GDP growth. With regard to the yield curve, what is particularly important to track for the forex trader is the shape of the yield curve. Is it flat? Is it upward sloping? Is it inverted? These are the key patterns to observe.

In normal times, people are willing to pay more for longer-term maturities and bonds. This is a natural reaction to the fact that there is more risk over a longer period of time. But a slowdown or fear of a recession causes the market to demand higher interest rates for short-term borrowing.

The yield curve becomes inverted. Short-term interest rates become greater than longer-term rates! Note: The figure plots 4-quarter GDP growth together with the quarter term spread upper panel and the 1-quarter short rate lower panel lagged 4 quarters.

common interpretation is that when the yield curve inverts, a recession is coming. An inverted yield curve situation makes it difficult for the central banks to increase rates and more likely, in fact, that rates may decrease. Such a situation becomes negative for the dollar or any currency involved. A flat yield curve indicates uncertainty about the economy. On December 27, , the yield curve inverted for a few days for the first time in five years. Also, there is no guarantee that an inverted yield curve will always predict a recession, but when the yield curve inverts, the forex trader should be very vigilant.

Strategies favoring a weaker dollar or currency pair should be considered. The formula for those who want to set up an Excel spreadsheet is www. federal reserve. bond, the 3-month yield, and the federal funds rate at www. On March 21, according to the current model, the probability of a recession due to the relationship between the year and 3-month bond yield curve was 52 percent.

Table 3. One month later, on April 21, the data showed that the probability of a recession was even lower, at These proba- bilities are the results of models. They are not guarantees but do give insights into what the professional economists are thinking. A further visualization of the relationship between a recession and the yield curve as developed by the Federal Reserve researchers is shown in Figure 3.

Obviously, a great FIGURE 3. Federal Funds Rate for 50 Percent Probability of Recession Occurring in Next 12 Months. Source: www. deal of work is being constantly done by economists to try to pinpoint the probability of a recession. At the same time, ask yourself the question: Is the dollar getting stronger or weaker? Doing this assignment will help you sharpen your understanding of sentiment toward the dollar and whether that sentiment reflects economic fundamentals.

This chapter provides a review of key China developments that every trader should know about. Watching Chinese economic developments is likely to become a daily pastime for many traders all over the world. China is impacting every region of the world and every industry. This occurred after a 21 percent increase in imports from China to the 25 countries forming the European Union Financial Times, March 23, , p.

exports to China grew almost percent, while U. exports to the rest of the world rose by only 16 percent. During that period, China accounted for roughly 25 percent of total U. Fred Bergsten, Bates Gill, Nicholas R. Lardy, and Derek Mitchell, China: The Balance Sheet: What the World Needs to Know Now about the Emerging Superpower. New York: PublicAffairs, CHINA REVALUES YUAN: A TURNING POINT? On July 21, , after more than a decade of strictly pegging the renminbi to the U.

dollar at an exchange rate of 8. This was the beginning of a long-term strategy to integrate China into the world economy by easing the abil- ity of capital to flow into and out of the country.

The ability to exchange currency is a key factor in this process of integration. The revaluation signaled that China was begin- ning to allow the strengthening of its currency.

As of March , the renminbi value was at approximately 7. This means that it takes fewer renminbi 6 percent to con- vert to one dollar since revaluation. Many economic studies believe that a free-floating Chinese currency would appreciate by 20 percent. The five currencies are the U. dollar, the yuan, the yen, the Korean won, and the pound. However, the exact weighting of these currencies in the basket is not being disclosed and there may be other currencies included.

Even though the Chinese currency known as the renminbi does not float on the mar- ket, and it is tied to the dollar within a narrow price, the influence of China on global currency flows is profound. There is increasing pres- sure on China to allow the renminbi to increase in value, either through a wider managed envelope or through a full float. A full float is highly unlikely because the Chinese gov- ernment is not interested in giving up control of its economy, which would occur in a full float.

Any increase in the value of the renminbi could result in a significant benefit to exporters in the United States and Japan. In recent years, even speculation that the Chinese were about to allow the renminbi to increase in value led to price moves that strengthened the Australian dollar and the yen. China is becoming a global economic power that impacts the economic development of the world. It is the processing plant of the world, wherein many product components are imported and then put together.

But just over 40 percent of its trade is with Asia. Federal Reserve chairman Bernard Bernanke at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences Beijing, China, December 15, : The emergence of China as a global economic power is one of the most important developments of recent decades.

For the past twenty years, the Chinese economy has achieved a growth rate averaging nearly 10 percent per year, resulting in a quintupling of output per person [see Figure 4. Currently, however, this process is not balanced. The Chinese export more than they import, and therefore accumulate a great deal of cash.

dollars will have a major impact on the direction of the U. The Chinese State Admin- istration of Foreign Exchange SAFE is the key agency on the future of these dollar reserves. For the forex trader, following Chinese developments and intentions on global trade and currency policies can be rewarding because it can point the way for new trad- ing opportunities. One big effect could result from a possible slowdown in the China economy. RMB 12, 10, 8, 6, 4, 2, 0 60 80 90 00 70 65 75 85 95 19 19 19 20 19 19 19 19 19 FIGURE 4.

Sources: National Bureau of Statistics, China Statistical Yearbook ; National Bureau of Statistics Plan Report. cover the U. budget deficit. An economic crisis in China has the potential to raise the U. interest rates, thereby placing major additional costs on U.

businesses and individual consumers and producing dislocation in the U. It could also exacerbate Chinese domestic political tensions in an unpredictable fashion. October 30, If a possible slowdown in China worries U.

assets worries them even more. dollar around the world. This is historically an extremely high level that no other country has been able to sustain for any significant period. The danger is that the U.

economy could suffer a precipitous decline if the ability of the United States to borrow ever-greater amounts should end abruptly. Inter- est rates and inflation might suddenly soar as the dollar fell and the stock market crashed. Since the Chinese growth rate of over 10 percent per year GDP generates a voracious appetite for resources such as oil, copper, steel, iron ore, cement, and Ag complex, the countries that provide these resources experience a demand for their dollars.

When China buys copper from Australia, renminbi must be converted into Australian dollars. This provides support for the Australian dollar and the Australian economy.

Since China imports major resources such as copper from Australia, the aussie would be affected by a potential Chinese slowdown. Also, Japan, a significant trading partner of China, and its currency will often weaken or strengthen on expectations of a Chinese slowdown or sustained growth. Chinese influence has begun to extend also to Africa.

For example, Chinese exports are beginning to shift to the Suez Canal, rather than going around Africa. This is causing Turkey, Italy, and other nations to invest in Egypt to tap into Chinese export to Europe. In the coming years, the trading world will focus on whether China can control its growth rate, avoid inflation, and increase its currency float. Traders need to keep track of key per- formance parameters such as Chinese GDP and inflation projections, as well as Chinese interest rate decisions.

Between and July , China increased its interest rates to reach a level of 6. Whether this will work is unknown. But as China, which is now the seventh largest econ- omy in the world and the second largest in purchasing power parity, becomes more of a consumer economy, the status of the Chinese economy will become easier to monitor.

Companies such as Home Depot, Wal-Mart, Kingfisher British , and Best Buy are en- tering the Chinese market, and many other firms are acquiring Chinese companies. As a result, the coming years will provide more reliable data on Chinese consumer spending and growth.

The Shanghai Composite Index is very sensitive to whether the ren- minbi will strengthen. Their value would increase Wall Street Journal, March 22, , p. com and find the latest value of the renminbi in the quote table that is supplied. It is listed as the symbol CNY as shown in Figure 4.

Is it getting stronger or weaker? FIGURE 4. Commodities are key resources in world growth, and they impact global inflation. This chapter focuses on what the forex trader should know about the commodity connection to currencies. GOLD Gold price movements are important for currency traders to understand.

But gold is also a commodity on its own, adding strength or weakness to currencies of countries that produce gold. South Africa, of course, is the leading producer of gold, but its currency, the rand, is not floating, so traders can look to the Australian dollar and the Canadian dollar for trading those cur- rencies when gold patterns provide trading opportunities.

Gold price action can also be a misleading guide to the currency trader. In recent years, Gold has attracted a great deal of investment demand from exchange-traded funds ETFs.

In , ETFs were buying 20 tons of gold, and this rose to tons in The trader who looks at gold prices rising may interpret it as a reaction to the dollar, when it actually can be reacting as a function of investment demand.

Figure 5. Dollar Index USDX. Central banks have an important role regarding gold. They hold gold as part of their reserves see Figure 5. FIGURE 5. the USDX. reserves, and 15 percent is in gold. The key variable that can affect currency prices is whether a central bank will increase its gold reserves and thereby decrease its reserves of dollars or another currency. As a result, rumors of central banks increasing gold reserves can disrupt currency prices.

The idea that gold is important to currency moves is sound, but needs to be qualified and put in the context of world events. Sometimes gold acts as a store of value in times of crises. But the correlations between gold moves and currency moves provide a great deal of variation.

The trader needs to be vigilant regarding what factors are moving gold. At the end of the day, in the words of Phillip M. Source: Phillip M. Hildebrand, member of the Governing Board, Swiss National Bank.

For example, copper plays an important part in the industrial development of China. As the world grows, more copper is in demand. The forex trader has to ask the question: Who benefits from copper demand? To answer this question, we should look at who produces copper. Australia is the second largest producer of copper, and since its currency is freely floating, the Australian dollar can be traded. The commodity connection with currencies is particularly strong for the Australian dollar, the New Zealand dollar, and the Canadian dollar.

A closer look is presented in our section on currency personalities. CRB INDEX Traders looking to track the commodity and currency relationships should follow the Commodity Research Bureau CRB Index. The CRB Index consists of a basket of com- modities and provides a useful measure of potential inflationary pressure. When com- modity prices rise, this price increase can spread into the economy by increasing the costs of production and goods.

This inflationary tendency is closely watched by central banks. We can see in Figure 5. EQUITIES AND FOREX The relationship between currencies and equities is an area of interest that is becoming increasingly evident and important for traders to become knowledgeable about.

In all equity markets around the world, exporting sectors benefit from a weaker home currency or the expectation of one. DaimlerChrysler, Renault, and Peugot suffer share declines when the euro surges beyond expectations. As we noted in our section on China Chapter 4 , when there is specula- tion that the renminbi will increase, many Chinese equities increase in stock value due to expectations that their assets will increase in value.

housing sector equities have a direct link to forex. Dow Jones Industrial Index suffered its worst day in four years, was a direct example of the link between equities and forex. The sell-off was precipitated by a sudden fall in the dollar against the yen. This decline caused a liquidity crisis as hedge funds needed to sell equities to release funds to buy back their positions in the yen. See Chapter 1 for a discussion of this event.

As globalization increases, strong currency moves will impact equity markets as it did on February In a real sense, tracking equities where their dollar earnings are important can benefit a trader in providing leading indicators of forex price moves.

The relationship between the dollar and the equity markets is further underscored by the Dow Jones Industrial Index reaching historic highs. This occurred as the USDX entered into an extended downtrend see Figure 5. Why has the relationship been in- verse between the equity market and the value of the dollar? A deeper look reveals the answer. As the dollar value declines versus other currencies, the companies that export to the rest of the world benefit from increased sales, as exports become more attractive to foreign buyers.

Additionally, multinational corporations having assets abroad experi- ence an increase in the dollar value of those assets. the Dow. Are any of these commodities in a channel pattern?

These reports are results of extensive profes- sionally designed surveys that are conducted on a regular basis in many countries. When these survey results are released, they provide important information on expecta- tions regarding the economy of a country.

This information is seriously assessed by cen- tral banks in determining their next moves in controlling inflation. Growth in business or consumer confidence has inflationary potential, while a decline in business or consumer confidence portends economic slowdown. When these releases come out, they move the market, especially if the results are surprising. Beyond having an impact upon their release, confidence indicators can also provide a leading indicator for the forex trader.

If business confidence is at its highest in years, the market will interpret it as positive for the currency because greater confidence in- dicates expansion and growth of an economy.

Where there is expectation of expansion and growth, there is the concomitant expectation of interest rates not going lower and possibly going higher. These confidence surveys are not perfect predictors of resulting currency moves. They are one of the most important ingredients in the mix of fundamen- tal forex factors. Some of the important confidence indicators are listed on page 42 and should be fol- lowed.

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Need an account? Click here to sign up. Download Free PDF. Forex Trading For Beginners. Fikri Fathan. Abstract Ready to expert. Continue Reading Download Free PDF. FOREIGN EXCHANGE FOREX FOR BEGINNER TRADERS financeillustrated. com by financeillustrated. Majors represent f developed economies and are highly liquid with low spreads.

They are stable I SELL BUY and predictable in relation to other 'V 7, As our journey progressed, it was immediately obvious that finding any 🏆 We compared losing rate, com- missions, social trading feature, customer useful trading advice for a beginner was almost impossible. We went deep, so you won't have to. information was bad, but things got even worse when we needed to find specific an- swers related to forex. If you wanted to learn about leverage Google searches. We knew there had to be a better Instead, what this book offers is a safe way how to learn Forex Trading.

So we built it. learning to trade currencies. More and more players are entering the forex market, allowing you to leverage your capital and make money from fluctua- tions in the forex market. Work While Lying in a Hammock You can literally trade forex markets while sipping on a cool drink and lying in a hammock.

All you need to get started is some capital to trade with, a computer, 📱 laptop or smartphone and an internet connection. You decide when you want to trade and therefore your working hours. No crisis Even during a financial crisis, you can still make money trading forex markets.

Any oscillation in the currency can be taken advantage of by going long 📉 or going short. Whether a market is bullish or 📈 bearish, you can trade either way with forex unlike stocks or other financial instruments.

Learn from Pros with social trading You can watch what professional traders are doing and observe their trades with 💸 Social Trading. With stocks, you 😴 have to analyse company reports and choose from thousands of companies to invest in.

However, forex markets generally revolve around eight cur- rencies, known as the Majors. Social trading allows you to connect with experienced traders, see their performance statistics, discuss their trading ideas, learn from 👈 their mistakes and copy their successful strategies. In essence, you make professionals work for you. View their past performance stats, read status updates on their strategies, analyze results and communicate with them. Your task is to carefully analyze their results and learn as much as possible from their trades.

The ultimate goal of social trading is to build a portfolio of the best traders. Moreover, leverage allows one to trade using more money than they have in their account. Currency rates move very slowly. This makes small trades unfashionable as they only return small profits and losses for every pip rate changes. Therefore, leveraging helps one to trade in larger deals hence amplifying their potential profits and losses. Typically, it is the fourth decimal point, although many brokers quote using the fifth decimal.

However, the fifth decimal doesn't really affect the price as it changes really quick. Currency pairs that include the U. The bid is the price that a trader can sell the base currency while the ask is the price they can buy the base curren- cy.

Spread refers to the difference between the two prices. The spread is measured in pips. Most currency pairs- the base currency and quote curren- cy- have a pip value equal to 0. Find Out Here! Currencies are traded in pairs as their value is relative to one another. The first currency shown is the controlling one in terms of placing your order. MAJORS are widely traded by beginners and profes- sionals alike. This is because they have the most liquid- ity, lowest spreads and the broadest range of move- ments.

Unlike small currencies, majors are generally more stable. The economic and political institutions of these nations are generally long established and pre- dictable compared to other nations. Too much US Dollar exposure can lead to all your trades heading in the same direc- tion, a big problem if that direction is against you.

THE "EXOTIC" currency pairs are less traded and so much more costly to buy or sell. Leverage in Forex trading is all about entering borrowed capital into transactions. The money is borrowed from a broker who acts like a bank that fronts you some cash to invest, which in this case is to buy currencies. This shows that the higher your leverage, the higher your chance of a better ROI. The stop loss order lets your broker know to sell a currency when it hits a certain set price.

These stops work around the clock in the forex market, therefore, protecting your position when you are logged out of the system. In addition, the strategic stop caps the losses while also protecting the profits. While the Forex market is open 24 hours a day, five days a week, trading is not always active during this entire time.

So it is essential that you know the crucial hours and days of forex trading when traders are the most active. As a result, there are three active and in the afternoon overlaps with main forex trading sessions you should the opening of the New York or American be aware of; the Tokyo or Asian session, session, so there can be good opportuni- the London or Eurpoean session and fi- ties to trade forex and make a profit.

Seasoned traders considered 10am EST The busiest times are when these ses- to be the best time to trade forex markets sions overlap, for example, in the early as during this time, traders in London and hours of the morning in London, the trad- Europe are preparing to close their positions ing session in Tokyo is just winding down.

and traders are getting ready to make a European traders are getting to their move in the American session. As the focus desks and analyse and digest information shifts from Europe to the US, this often cre- from the Asian trading session, so early ates big swings in currency prices, opening 6am GMT is a great time to make trades up opportunities to profit.

These days generally show the biggest movements in currencies as major data releases relat- ed to the economy are usually released on these days. Fridays are busy as well, but only until 12am. During the second half of Friday, movements can often be unpredictable since major banks, hedge funds and financial institutions will close some of their positions for safety reasons over the weekend. Share now 🙅🏻 When NOT to Trade Forex?

Also, novice traders should be very careful with the Asion sessions. Let's look at the three most popular types of forex charts: line chart, bar chart, and candlestick chart.

It is created by simply connecting the data points depicting the closing prices of certain periods with a line. Therefore, they can track its closing prices accurately. They are also called the OHLC charts in reference to the Open, High, Low and Close values of the currency under consider- ation.

These charts are similar to bar charts only that they present the price information in an aesthetically pleasing graphic format. It also con- centrates more on the opening and closing prices of the trading period.

Even if you don't have time to stare at charts all day long, you can spot great trading opportu- nities by simply viewing the news and economic calendar on a daily basis. In other words, by performing fundamental analysis. Basically, all fundamentals are indicators of where investors intend to put their money and which currencies will be influenced as a result. All the drivers are divided in 4 major categories: central banks, state economics, political stabili- ty and natural disasters.

Politics Economics Central Banks Natural Disasters 👉 Public Statements 👉 GDP, inflation, debt 👉 Finance Circulation 👉 Hurricanes 👉 Change of Officials 👉 Sales amounts 👉 👉 Stability of governments 👉 Interest from investors 👉 Mandatory Reserve Funds 👉👉 Earthquakes Interest Rates Floods 💸 In the chart below you can see how the British Pound dropped because of the Brexit related events. This was a great opportunity to make money shorting betting that it would decline the British Pound.

ative for the associated currency since the price level is relatively higher than Since people possess skills, knowledge and inflation in other countries, diluting its experience, this human capital can be used value. Therefore, employment data ed, where a lower rate of inflation translates releases have a substantial effect on ex- to an improvement in purchasing power.

change rates. of that currency. unemployment rate should act to depress A high inflation rate discourages investment, the currency in question.

reduces the purchasing power of consum- ers and makes planning for the future more The most important employment data re- difficult. lease in foreign exchange markets is the US Non-Farm Payroll figures. Some other Conversely, a low and stable inflation rate important data releases are the unemploy- encourages investment, increases the pur- ment rate, participation rate and other labour chasing power of consumers and business- market statistics, all of which have a moder- es can plan for the future more easily.

ate to high impact on exchange rates. Share now 3 Trade balance 4 Quantitative easing Trade with other countries is a major part Quantitative easing is an unconventional of most economies and therefore the trade monetary policy tool that is used to expand a balance can affect the value of a currency.

Learn everything you need about this foreign exchange market by studying with this selection of over 15 forex books in PDF format. They may very well have used it to buy another house or not spent it at all, but added it to savings. Employment in Retail Trade Industry U. As a result, there are three active and in the afternoon overlaps with main forex trading sessions you should the opening of the New York or American be aware of; the Tokyo or Asian session, session, so there can be good opportuni- the London or Eurpoean session and fi- ties to trade forex and make a profit. For this list, we have searched and tested several forex trading platforms offering services suitable for beginner traders.

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