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FOREX Benefits Over FuturesFrom Agricultural Products To Financial Instruments The origins of the modern futures market lies in the agriculture markets of the 19th century. Farmers started selling contracts to deliver agricultural products at a later date. This was done to anticipate market needs and stabilize supply and demand during off seasons. The current futures market has moved far beyond agricultural products. It is a worldwide market for all sorts of commodities, including manufactured goods, agricultural products, and financial instruments such as currencies and treasury bonds. When the futures market is played by speculators, the actual goods are not important because there is no expectation of delivery. Rather, it is the contract itself that is traded, the value of which changes constantly throughout the day as expectations change regarding the value of the commodity itself. Win Or Lose In every futures contract there is a buyer and a seller. The seller takes the short position and the buyer takes the long position. The futures contract specifies a buying price, a quantity and a delivery date. Speculators hope to profit by the daily fluctuations in the futures market by buying long (from the buyer) if they expect prices to rise, or by buying short (from the seller) if they expect prices to fall. Futures accounts are settled every day. At the end of the contract period, the contract itself is settled. The final contract buyer can now take delivery of his truckload of whatevers. Of course, he may opt to just start the process all over again by writing up a contract to deliver his whatevers on a certain date at a certain price. FOREX Benefits The foreign exchange market (FOREX) has several advantages over the futures market. More Liquid. FOREX is an extremely liquid market. As the largest financial market in the world it dwarfs the futures market in daily exchanges. This means that FOREX stop orders can be executed more easily and with less slippage. The FOREX is open 24 hours a day, 5 days a week. Most futures exchanges are open 7 hours a day. This makes FOREX more liquid and allows FOREX traders to take advantage of trading opportunities as they arise rather than waiting for the market to open. Commission-Free. FOREX transactions have no commissions. Brokers earn money by setting a spread -- the difference between what a currency can be bought at and what it can be sold at. In contrast, traders must pay a commission or brokerage fee for each futures transaction they enter into. Instant Transactions. Because of the high volume of trading, FOREX transactions are executed almost instantly. This minimizes slippage and increases price certainty. Brokers in the futures market often quote prices reflecting the last trade -- not necessarily the price of your transaction. Safeguards. Final prices in futures are always a little uncertain because of market gap and slippage. The FOREX is less risky because of built-in safeguards in the trading system.
Ron King is a full-time researcher, writer, and web developer. Visit http://www.forex4u-now.com to learn more about this fascinating trading vehicle.
Forex Trading Pal Launches Rebate Program to Strengthen its Introducing Broker Status (PRWeb via Yahoo! News) - Tue, 02 Dec 2008 07:01:00 GMT Forex Automated Trading Signals Sell EUR/USD Using Breakout2 in Final Week of Free Trial (Daily FX) - Mon, 01 Dec 2008 02:07:44 GMT Forex Automated Trading Signals Buy GBP/JPY Using Breakout2 in Final Week of Free Trial (Daily FX) - Sun, 30 Nov 2008 23:37:44 GMT The New Risks of a Popular Forex Trading Strategy (TradingMarkets.com via Yahoo! Finance) - Fri, 28 Nov 2008 17:16:00 GMT KPMG chief comments on impact of harsh trading climate (Accountancy Age) - Tue, 02 Dec 2008 06:40:47 GMT |
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Calculating FOREX Profits and Losses FOREX currencies are traded in much smaller divisions than cash. Whereas the smallest division in US cash is the penny ($0.01), US currency can be traded on the FOREX in divisions of $0.0001. This smallest division is called the pip (short for Price Interest Point - sometimes just called 'points'). Since currencies are traded in large lots of (say) $100,000 - small movements in value can generate substantial profits and losses. In a lot of US$100,000 one pip is worth $10 so an increase in 40 pips (4/10 of one cent) can generate a profit or loss of $400. FOREX Brokers Most FOREX traders use a broker to handle their transactions. What exactly is a broker? Strictly speaking, a broker is an individual or a company that buys and sells orders according the investor's decisions. Brokers earn money by charging a commission or a fee for their services. FOREX Signals One of the disadvantages of FOREX trading is the time investment needed to monitor the markets for advantageous entry and exit points. It's possible to sit in front of a computer monitor for hours watching the markets. FOREX Trading Strategies To be a successful FOREX trader you need a trading strategy. There is no one set strategy that is good for all traders; rather, each trader needs to develop his or her individual approach to the FOREX. Some traders rely solely on technical analysis while others prefer fundamental analysis, but many successful FOREX traders use a combination of both to get a broad overview of the market and for plotting entry and exit points. FOREX Training Knowledge is the key to successful FOREX trading. The knowledgeable trader has greater awareness of how the market moves and more chances of making profitable transactions. Without knowledge you are shooting in the dark. You may succeed on a few deals but the odds are that you are going to lose in the long run. FOREX versus Stocks Stocks have been a popular investment for hundreds of years. Companies issue stocks to raise capital for expansion and new projects, and each share of the stock represents a partial ownership in the company. How to Read FOREX Quotes Currency prices are determined by a number of factors, the most important of which are economic and political conditions in the issuing country. Political stability, inflation, and interest rates are all factored into the price of any currency. In addition, governments can try to control the price of their currency by either flooding the market (to lower the price) or buying extensively (to raise the price). Introduction to Fundamental Analysis FOREX traders almost always rely on analysis to make plan their trading strategies. There are two basic types of FOREX analysis - technical and fundamental. This article will look at fundamental analysis and how it used in FOREX trading. Risks of FOREX Trading Despite the claims you may see on some FOREX web sites, FOREX is not risk-free. You are trading with substantial sums of money and there is always a possibility that trades will go against you. There are several trading tools, however, that can minimize your risk, and with caution, and above all education, the FOREX trader can learn how to trade profitably and while minimizing losses. Trading Currencies on Margin The key to FOREX popularity is margin. Without margin, the FOREX would be beyond the reach of the average investor. So, what exactly is margin and how does it work? |
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