Forexunderstanding

Forex Trading Education: Things You Should Know About Forex Trading

How difficult is it to make money trading the Forex market? How much time does it take to actually be able to make a living trading the Forex market? These and other important aspects of trading are to be discussed in this article.

Trading the Forex market has many benefits over other financial markets, among the most important are: superior liquidity, 24hrs market, better execution, and others. Traders and investor see the Forex market as a new speculation or diversifying opportunity because of these benefits. Does this mean that it is easy to make money trading the Forex Market? Not at all.

Forex brokers agree that 90% of traders end up losing money, 5% of traders end up at break even and only 5% of them achieve consistent profitable results. With these statistics shown, I dont consider trading to be an easy task. But, is it harder to master any other endeavor? I dont think so, consider musicians, writers, or even other businesses, the success rates are about the same, there are a whole bunch of them who never got to the top.

Now that we know it is not easy to achieve consistent profitable results, a must question would be, Why is it that some traders succeed while others fail to trade successfully in the Forex market? There is no hard answer to this question, or a recipe to follow to achieve consistent profitable results. What we do know is that traders that reach the top think different. Thats right, they dont follow the crowd, they are an independent part of the crowd.

A few things that separate the top traders from the rest are:

Education: They are very well educated in the matter; they have chosen to learn every single and important aspect of trading. The best traders know that every trade is a learning experience. They approach the Forex market with humility, otherwise the market will prove them wrong.

Forex trading system: Top traders have a Forex trading system. They have the discipline to follow it rigorously, because they know that only the trades that are signaled by their system have a greater rate of success.

Price behavior: They have incorporated price behavior into their trading systems. They know price action has the last word.

Money management: Avoiding the risk of ruin is a primary subject to the best traders. After all, you cannot succeed without funds in your trading account.

Trading psychology: They are aware of every psychological issue that affects the decisions made by traders. They have accepted the fact that every individual trade has two probable outcomes, not just the winning side.

These are, among others, the most important factors that influence the success rate of Forex traders.

We know now that it is not easy to make money trading the Forex market, but it is possible. We also discussed the most important factors that influence the rate of success of Forex traders. But, how much time does it take to have consistent profitable results? It is different from trader to trader. For some, it could take a life time, and still dont get the desired results, for some others, a few years are enough to get consistent profitable results. The answer to this question may vary, but what I want to make clear here is that trading successfully is a process, its not something you can do in a short period of time.

Trading successfully is no easy task; it is a process and could take years to achieve the desired results. There are a few things though every trader should take in consideration that could accelerate the process: having a trading system, using money management, education, being aware of psychological issues, discipline to follow your trading system and your trading plan, and others.

An investment, as defined by Merriam-Webster, is the commitment of funds with a view to minimizing risk and safeguarding capital while earning a return. Generally speaking, investments are made for the long haul, with the belief that the value of the investment vehicle of choice will increase in value. When you say investment to most people in the United States, the first vehicle of choice in their minds is the Stock Market, with Mutual Funds in second place, followed more recently by property in third place, and Bonds in a distant fourth. Commodities and currency trading are rarely considered investments because of the speculative nature of those markets. Speculation, as defined by Merriam-Webster, is the assumption of unusual business risk in hopes of obtaining commensurate gain.

A quick review of the definitions of investment and speculation immediately highlights the inherent amount of risk as the major difference between both practices. If you were to survey all those people who invested their life savings in the Stock Market and Mutual Funds just prior to the market crash of September 2000, do you think that they would agree that the Stock Market and Mutual Funds still fit the definition of a safe investment? Bonds in reality are extremely low risk trading vehicles and are therefore considered investments. While bonds were also affected in the market correction, they are still primarily an institutional trading vehicle and did not affect individual investors as broadly. While the ownership of private property seems to have escaped the dark shadow of a high risk investment, recent market forces and speculation in private property have eroded the quality of this investment. As of today, the housing boom in the United States has apparently run its course due to rising interest rates and increased inventory of discounted properties due to default and foreclosure. Many of the paper millionaires which this market has created will soon feel the pinch of paying off properties mortgaged much higher than their present values. And to all those owners of property which has long been paid for, you are in possession of a wasting asset against the forces of inflation and the intentional devaluation of the pound.

It would seem that the safest investments would be in the purchase of hard assets. Gold immediately comes to mind, but its greatest value is as a universal currency standard. A man with a silo filled with corn will not starve in the near future. A home will keep a family safe from the elements no matter what it is worth. The only problem is that these assets will only earn you money when they are sold, assuming that their value has increased. These investments are not typically made for the purpose of earning a suitable return on ones capital. Speculation, on the other hand, is synonymous with large and fast gains on your capital with the higher risk of loss.

The additional risk introduced into traditional investments by current market forces has made the FOREX Currency Exchange an attractive option to investors by blurring the lines between investment and speculation. The FOREX is the most liquid of all the exchanges, trading in excess of 1.5 trillion pounds daily, 24 hours per day. Trading practices include everything from intra-day to trend following. Paper trading is highly recommended to sharpen your skill, and an account balance of as little as 300.00 will get you started.

Joseph Napolitano

I invite anyone who would like an informative report, and to enroll for a free trading course to visit my website at http:www.Trade-Forex.Online-HQ.com .