It is common now for people to undertake stock trading online. Historically there have been American stock markets from the 1700s. In Philadelphia an exchange for trading currency was established to enable business owners to support their business and to grow the economy.
In the early 1800s, the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) replaced the Philadelphia exchange. Initially New York Stock Exchange was a group of business people who met on a daily basis on Wall St to trade their stocks or bonds. This initial trading was all done outside until the Exchange moved indoors in the early 1900s. Whilst this traditional formuala served its purpose admirably, trading is no longer the bricks and mortar industry it once was. Trading no longer requires you to be in Wall St.The way the New York Stock Exchange works could be compared to an auction. If a company is listed on the stock exchange, they have a post in Wall St whereby trades are listed and a specialist is employed as an "auctioneer" to oversee the bidding on each trade. This form of trading keeps an accurate balance between supply and demand in the stock market so the price of the shares is kept in check.
These days, it is far easier to get involved in investing in stocks. In traditional stock trading, you engage a stock broker to take and place your order for you. You phone your broker to take the order and then there can be a delay in the order being executed. Now you no longer need to worry about using a stock broker to act on your behalf. If buying or selling stocks online you can place your order with the click of a mouse. Conveniently, trading this way is also a time saver. Setting up an account with a reputable, online brokerage company is easy. These online companies provide access to a wide range of services that were previously only available via a traditional bricks and mortar stock broking service. Setting up an online account gives you access to a variety of services including: up to the minute stock quotes, detailed historic performances of individual stocks, as well as detailed information about company fundamentals.One of the most common reasons investors like buying and selling stocks online compared with traditional brokerage is price. There are much lower brokerage fees for buying and selling stocks online than there are through buying and selling stocks at a traditional brokerage house.An important advantage of using an online brokerage service to trade stocks online is the significant price saving in brokerage fees. This is combined with the immediacy at which you can gather information required in making your stock purchasing decisions when trading online. Many investors also like the independence associated with trading shares online. Many traditional brokerage houses would try to influence your decisions when trading shares, but an online account means all the decisions you make are fully your own.
Online brokerage sites are not just about trading shares online. By giving you access to a wealth of information, online trading sites provide an important resource in formulating trading decisions. Many online brokerage sites will also provide courses designed to help you learn the tips and tricks of trading online. You can also get immediate access to your portfolio, instead of having to find all your stock certificates or calling your brokerage house.
Keeping pace with increases in technology has allowed the global economy to grow. The ability to buy and sell stocks online becomes a reflection of the economy adapting to meet the abilities of new technology head on. The ability of an investor to log in to their portfolio, no matter where they are in the world at that particular time, to trade shares online gives them the chance to take a greater role in securing their own financial future.
Most people who want to establish a financially-secure future choose to invest or trade in real estate. Indeed, if you take a look at the list of names of the wealthiest people in any category, most of them have allocated major portions of their assets in real estate. Donald Trump, who made his fortune in real estate is very popular and his success story is an inspiration to all of us.
Books like Rich Dad, Poor Dad , by Robert Kiyosaki and other property investing books written in the last fifteen years, introduced the average person to real estate investing. Thanks to these books, many people have opened their minds to new possibilities which they can now envision for themselves.
This article will not dispute the validity and the wisdom of investing in real estate. However, it might not be the best option for everybody. Each of us has different limitations and our circumstances vary. At the start -- for most of us -- we have to choose which area to specialise in since there is only so much money to go around. What I can do, is to at least highlight a few aspects of trading and investing in both areas. I then leave it to you to decide what you would like to focus on.
I should let you know that I have not yet invested in real estate myself, but I have considered it and I have asked myself the same questions you might be asking yourself now. I have read a lot on the subject matter and my assessment is purely based from my readings. Individuals using real-estate as their vehicle to create wealth may have different perspectives and I strongly advise you to seek their counsel to gain a more balanced outlook on this issue.
PASSIVE INCOME OR CAPITAL GAINS
If you like the idea of buying property to receive rent revenue, then the real estate market maybe better for you. You can structure your properties and contractual agreements to maximise the passive income you get from your tenants.
However, if you prefer to buy a property mainly because you think you can resell it at a higher price later, then you want to make money mainly from capital gains. If this is your philosophy, then forex could be a better trading vehicle for you than real estate because exchange rates fluctuate faster than real estate prices. Furthermore, transactions are easier and they are instantaneous to complete.
CAPITAL
To buy real estate, you need have at least 10% of the acquisition cost of the property, if your bank is willing to lend you the other 90%. If the house costs $350,000, you will need to cough up $35,000. That is a year's gross income for many people.
If you want to start trading forex, most brokers allow you to open a trading account for just $200. With $50, you can trade 10,000 units of a currency, if you have a margin ratio of 200:1.
LIQUIDITY
Whenever you want to buy or sell currencies, there is always someone willing to buy from - or sell to - you at the most competitive price. The forex market is the biggest market in the world and if you have hundreds of thousands of dollars you want to exchange for another currency, you can do so within a couple of seconds. To buy or sell a house or an apartment, you expect to wait for weeks, if not months.
PRODUCT HOMOGENEITY
In the real estate market, one house is not the same as another. Each property is unique. One might have a better foundation, a worse design or a prettier garden than another. Knowledge of these strengths and weaknesses become a significant factor if you are to make money from a transaction. Therefore, if you enjoy or if you are good at selling, promoting, negotiating and bargaining based on these differences, the real estate market is for you. Further, your lawyers, accountants, advisers, real estate agents and consultants play a significant role in your success.
If you want to trade currencies, there is no need to negotiate the price with the other party. If you are a seller, there is no need to educate potential buyers as to the benefits of your product. If you are buying, you have piece of mind that you are getting the best possible price for the currency from your broker at that particular point in time.
TRANSACTION COSTS
Buying and selling real estate is much more expensive than buying and selling currencies.
'SHORTING' MARKETS
When you have a property and you suspect that its price will go down in the future, your options are limited: hang on to the property or sell it now. In forex, if you suspect that a particular currency will depreciate in value, then you can exchange it for another currency. You buy it back again after it has already reduced in value to realise your gain.
MEDIATED TRANSACTIONS
In real estate you are dealing directly with the other party, taking on the other side of the transaction. This is why you need to go through a lot of paperwork and consult your lawyers to ensure that you know about the options available to you when the other party fails to fulfil his or her end of the bargain.
In forex, you do not have to worry about whether a buyer or a seller is going to fulfil his or her end of the bargain for whatever reason, because you are not directly dealing with that particular person. You are dealing with the broker who ensures that somebody will always take the other side of your trade.
CONVENIENCE
The forex market is open 24 hours a day. You do not have to meet the buyers or sellers in person. You do not have to conduct meetings with lawyers, accountant, bank representatives and so on. You can buy and sell currencies in your pyjamas at midnight if you like and the transaction will be complete before you go back to bed.
CONCLUSION
All in all, if you are an investor looking to make money from a combination of rent revenue and capital gains, you may want to invest in real estate for the long-term. If you are a trader wanting to profit purely on capital gains, then trading forex is probably better for you than trading real estate because you can start with a small fund and your rate of return is limited only by your ability to trade well. The transactions are mediated, it is more convenient and transaction costs are a lot smaller. The market is also more efficient due to product homogeneity and liquidity. Lastly, there are opportunities to profit regardless if the prices are going up or down.
I believe that if done right, neither venture is more or less riskier than the other. The risks are up to you to manage. With this article, I hope I helped you make a decision appropriate to your circumstances.
When you first start banking online, you may be offered free online bill pay. Online bill pay is a brilliant invention that saves you time and simplifies your budget, but only if you use it the right way. These tips can help you avoid surprise late fees and overdraft charges:
Set up reminders. Some banks let you send yourself reminders if you would rather not pay your bills automatically. Each month, you'll get a reminder to check on your latest bills and then pay them online. While this option is not automatic, you can check your balance to make sure you can cover the payment, and it takes less time than writing a check. Reminders come in handy for bills with changing values, such as the electric bill, and you can also use reminders to alert you when the money in your checking account dips below a certain level.
Make sure you know when the payment posts. Just because you make an online payment on a certain day doesn't mean the company or person you are paying will receive the money on that day. If you make the payment just before a deadline, but the payment posts afterward, you still missed the deadline, and you might be charged a fee. However, many online banks let you know when the payment will arrive, and you can schedule the date of the delivery. Give yourself a little extra time between when you schedule the payment and when the payment is due, and take weekends into account.
Find out if the money has been withdrawn. Since you aren't writing paper checks, you may fall out of the habit of balancing your checkbook. However, you need to make sure the transaction has cleared so you know how much you actually have. Some online bill pay services have features that let you balance your checkbook, but you can use good old paper and pen to track what you've paid out.
Learn about the bank's security practices. While online banking is secure, even more so than banking on paper, you still need to read about your bank's security standards before you sign up. Many sites offer details on their security standards. If your bank has a bricks-and-mortar branch near you, you can set up an appointment with a banker. Many of them have been briefed about online security and can tell you exactly what the bank is doing to keep your information safe.
Stay involved with your money. Even with online bill pay, it is your responsibility to keep your accounts balanced and find out if you have enough money to pay your bills; otherwise, you may wind up dealing with a late fee.
The advantages and disadvantages of online banking are both persuasive, and many people nowadays use a hybrid of both internet banking and a physical banking account with a local bank. While online banking doesn't seem as tangible as withdrawing and depositing your cold hard cash, you can do almost anything with online banking that you did at your bank branch.
Save Time and Money
Arguably one of the biggest advantages of online banking is saving time and money. When you use online banking, you can check your account, schedule bill payments and manage deposits with a few clicks of the mouse. Even better, you have control of your money 24/7; not on a 9-to-5 physical banking schedule at some place across town.
No more phone calls or trips to the ATM to check your balance; no more fussing around with paper bills, losing one and having to go search for it, and missing a payment; and no more wondering whether cousin Sally has cashed her birthday check, or waiting until your paper statement arrives in the mail to find out.
Online Bill Pay
Most internet banking institutions give you the option of setting up online bill pay. By using online bill pay, you can either choose to make a one-time payment on your bills, or you can set up recurring bill payments for monthly bills, such as an auto loan, car insurance or your mortgage. This advantage of online banking is invaluable since you can set up payments anytime and know exactly when the payment is credited.
No more putting a bill in the mail and receiving a notice the next month that the check arrived late, or that the recipient didn't get around to processing it until after your deadline. Online bill pay also saves you the worry of losing a bill; manage your bills electronically, and you never have to worry about a missing piece of paper.
Interest-Earning Accounts
It's common knowledge that online savings accounts typically earn a better interest rate than the savings accounts at a bricks-and-mortar bank, but you might not realize that some internet banking institutions also offer interest-earning checking accounts. Internet banking interest rates for checking accounts range from 0.5% to 3.40% annually. These rates rival the interest rate you'd get for a savings account at any traditional banking institution, and you're unlikely to find an interest-bearing checking account at a regular bank, either.
Funny Money
While internet banking makes it easier for you to manage your money, it might make it easier to forget to check how much you have so you can budget. Online banking is a lot like using a credit card-the easy access makes it easier to spend without thinking about why you are spending. You can set up e-mail alerts to let you know how when your account dips below a certain number, but nothing beats looking at it yourself and keeping your checkbook balanced.
Also, when you get a credit-card statement in the mail and open it on a monthly basis, you are instantly reminded to check if any strange charges appear on your account. It's easier to forget to keep track of such information online, and you'll need to have good money management habits.
Security
Hackers can break into nearly any computer system, so how can you be sure they won't break into your bank's system? You can't, but any online bank site you consider should have statements on the type of security they use. You should also e-mail the bank or head to the bank branch to find out exactly what would happen if there were a security breach and press the point or go to another bank if the answer is vague. In general, you should think of your money as being as safe online as it would be in a vault, but it is your responsibility to find out just how secure the bank is, if it is FDIC-insured and if they keep their security systems up-to-date. Finally, you should also make sure that you use security software on your personal computer to reduce the chance that anyone can get your personal data.
You Might Miss That Physical Location
While online banking has many advantages, one of the biggest disadvantages is the absence of a physical location. Being able to make deposits to a physical bank account assures peace of mind; you don't have to wonder if your check is lost in the mail or when it's going to be credited to your account.
You might also want that physical location for other reasons. Finances are complicated enough, and it's not a stretch to think that you might have a question about a transaction or fee someday. One of the disadvantages of online banking is that you can't speak to a customer service representative in person; you must either send an e-mail or call a number and wait for your call to be answered. If it's a sensitive question or if you are dealing with a mistake on your statement, you might get an answer faster if you go to a bank branch.
Internet Banking That Makes Sense: The Hybrid Approach
While an increasing number of companies have gone electronic, giving you the option of checking statements and paying online, some occasions even today simply require doing business on paper. Some companies aren't set up for online banking, so you'll need paper checks for those businesses. If you rent an apartment, your landlord probably isn't equipped to receive payments electronically, so you'll need a check to pay rent. While it's convenient to be able to use electronic bill pay, you're going to need to use a paper check at some point.
Deposits constitute another disadvantage of online banking. If you use a bank that doesn't have a physical location, you'll have to mail your deposits to your online bank. In these cases, you may be waiting a week or two for your deposit to be received and processed, and that's time in which you can't access that money. Sometimes things are lost in the mail, so the security of making a deposit by mail is questionable. Many people who use banks that exist solely online keep a second banking account at a nearby physical bank to make deposits and then transfer them electronically to their internet banking institution.
Even if you're inclined to rely solely on internet banking, the disadvantages of online banking are strong enough to make it prudent to keep a second banking account at a physical bank. Finding a physical bank that offers online banking provides the best of both worlds, giving you a location for fast and easy deposits, but the freedom to access your money anytime.
Set up computer barricades, choose a legitimate bank, keep passwords secret, check statements regularly and beware scam emails. These steps will help ensure happy surfing, shopping and banking.
Banking online tip 1: Barricades
Before even going online, install computer security. If your operating system came with a firewall, make sure it's activated. If not, install and activate a firewall. Keep it activated at all times. Install anti-virus and anti-spy software. There are several free and paid versions available. Whatever you choose, use the software regularly and keep it updated. Most software programs allow you to set run times as well as making updating an automatic process.
Banking online tip 2: Legitimate Banks
Most banks now offer banking online. Make sure you're doing business with an FDIC insured bank. Check for the FDIC logo or go to www.fdic.gov and see if your bank is on the list. When using bank services, there should be an extra 's' in the URL (example: https) letting you know the site is secure and encrypted. A locked padlock should be visible in the right hand corner of your screen. Click on the lock to view the type of encryption the site uses. If there is no padlock and no other visible sign of security, do not enter private passwords or other information.
Banking online tip 3: Protect Passwords
When creating personal identification numbers (PINs) and passwords, it's easy to use the same password everywhere. Some people even use the word password as their password. While these practices may be easy, they aren't safe. Nor are passwords containing family names, pet names, birthdays, anniversaries, telephone or address numbers. Such passwords are too easily hacked.
Create passwords from combinations of letters and numbers. Change your passwords regularly. If you are storing passwords, make sure the storage method is encrypted. When choosing security question answers, try to choose questions with answers that aren't readily known by other people.
Keep a password and banking information list with important papers inside a safe or deposit box. If something happens to you, someone may need the information to take care of business for you or to settle things in case of your death.
Banking online step 4: Check Statements Regularly
Keep an eye on bank and credit card statements and other financial mailings. If you find errors or suspect fraud, contact customer service immediately. Keep record of all communication with banks and financial services.
Be wary of unknown companies seeking your private information. When using credit or debit cards online, maintain the same safe practices that apply to banking. Make sure the site is secure before divulging information. Print ourt receipts for all online transactions. Check statements regularly and immediately report errors or possible fraud.
Banking online step 5: Beware Phishing (fishing) Emails
Never click on emails from unknown senders. Scam artists send emails that appear to be legitimate in an effort to steal your money and or identitiy. Banks, Credit Card Companies, Paypal and Ebay are often featured in fake emails.
Legitimate emails from your bank, credit card and other companies will not ask for personal information via email. They will not ask for passwords or account numbers in emails.
Never click on links inside emails from questionable sources. Scam artists imitate legitimate websites and steal your information when you log on to their phony sites.
Never download attachments from unknown sources. You could be opening your computer up to viruses, trojans and worse.
Banking Online Summary
Bill paying, shopping and banking online are convenient and save time and money. Before you log on, make sure you've activated barricades to protect your privacy and prevent fraud. Once online, make sure you're doing business with a legitimate bank. Use creative passwords and protect them. Check financial statements regularly and monitor for any sign of errors or potential fraud. Beware fake emails. Practice smart, safe banking online.Sound tips and strategies for online stock market trading are the key to success. Equally, avoiding pitfalls and traps is paramount to swinging the balance of winning trades in your favour. Ultimately, having successful strategies will minimize risk and in so doing lead to healthier online trading profits.
There can be a wide range of information sources to which you are exposed. Once people know you are involved in trading, it is very likely you will receive trading advice from all quarters, ranging from your distant relatives to your neighbour to the clerk at the local store. Nevertheless, some tips may be based on study, experience and expertise and yet this may not be apparent without further investigation or questioning. The point here is not to take offered information at face value but to conduct your own research to validate or discard the information.
Information overload is one pitfall which most traders face. Nevertheless, no matter how much research is used to guide your investment decision, stock market trading is about taking reasonable risks with no safety net. This is important to understand. It is about using the information resources to minizing risk and then taking the plunge. Seeking absolute certainty should not be a factor.
There are likely to be changing trends in the popularity of various information resources used for gathering stock trading tips. This is human nature. Allow enough time to properly evaluate the worth of your tips resource rather than acting impulsively and at the same time retain a watchful eye for any change in consistency or reliability.
Free information can be very useful to guide initial research. However it may also lack the depth required to make robust decisions which effecively minimize risk. Be prepared to cut your free information resource if it fails to be valuable in arriving at decisions on which you can take action.
Software to analyze stocks and patterns of trading can be very useful to save valuable time in arriving at buy and sell decisions. If however the software cannot be customized to provide recommendations which match your own trading strategy then it is a waste of your valuable time.
Adopt consistency in the application of your online trading strategy. Your chosen methodology should fit any tips you consider, not the other way around. Tips will come and go. It is unwise to change your strategy to fit the latest tip.
Finally, be aware of the various strategies and pitfalls when considering trading tips. Take the time to evaluate your information sources. Be true to your trading strategy and use tools which support your methodology.
Todays current futures market is quite unlike the futures of the 19th century. Todays future market is a worldwide one that includes manufactured goods, financial currencies and treasury bonds, and agricultural products.
When you speculate on futures it is not the actual good that is speculated upon rather it is the contract for the goods that is traded as value. Every futures contract includes a buyer and a seller. The following is an example of a futures speculation: A farmer agrees to deliver 1000 bushels of corn to a baker at a price of $5.00 a bushel. If the daily price of corn futures falls to $4.00 a bushel, the farmer's account is credited with $1000 ($5.00 — $4.00 X 1000 bushels) and the baker's account is debited by the same amount. Futures accounts are settled every day.
Using the above as an example this is how the contract settlement would play out: If the price of corn futures is still at $4.00 the farmer will have made $1000 on the futures contract and the baker will have lost an equal amount. However, the baker can now purchase corn on the open market at $4.00 a bushel — $1000 less than the original contract, so the amount he lost on the futures contract is made up by the cheaper cost of corn. Also, the farmer must sell his corn on the open market for $4.00 a bushel, less than what he anticipated when entering the futures contract, but the profit generated by the futures contract makes up the difference.
Speculators profit by daily fluctuations in the futures market by choosing to buy from the seller (buying short) or from the buyer (buying long).
The FOREX market has advantages over the futures market. FOREX is the largest financial market in the world. It is a liquid market and stop orders can be executed more easily and with less slippage than in other markets. The FOREX market is open 5 days a week, 24 hours a day. Traders can take advantages of opportunities as they become available. FOREX transactions are usually instantly executed. FOREX transactions are commission free. Brokers earn money on the spread.
Some investors feel that due to built in safeguards that FOREX trading is safer than futures trading.
Courage Under Stressful Conditions When the Outcome is Uncertain
All the foreign exchange trading knowledge in the world is not going to help, unless you have the nerve to buy and sell currencies and put your money at risk. As with the lottery “You gotta be in it to win it”. Trust me when I say that the simple task of hitting the buy or sell key is extremely difficult to do when your own real money is put at risk.
You will feel anxiety, even fear. Here lies the moment of truth. Do you have the courage to be afraid and act anyway? When a fireman runs into a burning building I assume he is afraid but he does it anyway and achieves the desired result. Unless you can overcome or accept your fear and do it anyway, you will not be a successful trader.
However, once you learn to control your fear, it gets easier and easier and in time there is no fear. The opposite reaction can become an issue – you’re overconfident and not focused enough on the risk you're taking.
Both the inability to initiate a trade, or close a losing trade can create serious psychological issues for a trader going forward. By calling attention to these potential stumbling blocks beforehand, you can properly prepare prior to your first real trade and develop good trading habits from day one.
Start by analyzing yourself. Are you the type of person that can control their emotions and flawlessly execute trades, oftentimes under extremely stressful conditions? Are you the type of person who’s overconfident and prone to take more risk than they should? Before your first real trade you need to look inside yourself and get the answers. We can correct any deficiencies before they result in paralysis (not pulling the trigger) or a huge loss (overconfidence). A huge loss can prematurely end your trading career, or prolong your success until you can raise additional capital.
The difficulty doesn’t end with “pulling the trigger”. In fact what comes next is equally or perhaps more difficult. Once you are in the trade the next hurdle is staying in the trade. When trading foreign exchange you exit the trade as soon as possible after entry when it is not working. Most people who have been successful in non-trading ventures find this concept difficult to implement.
For example, real estate tycoons make their fortune riding out the bad times and selling during the boom periods. The problem with trying to adapt a 'hold on until it comes back' strategy in foreign exchange is that most of the time the currencies are in long-term persistent, directional trends and your equity will be wiped out before the currency comes back.
The other side of the coin is staying in a trade that is working. The most common pitfall is closing out a winning position without a valid reason. Once again, fear is the culprit. Your subconscious demons will be scaring you non-stop with questions like “what if news comes out and you wind up with a loss”. The reality is if news comes out in a currency that is going up, the news has a higher probability of being positive than negative (more on why that is so in a later article).
So your fear is just a baseless annoyance. Don’t try and fight the fear. Accept it. Have a laugh about it and then move on to the task at hand, which is determining an exit strategy based on actual price movement. As Garth says in Waynesworld “Live in the now man”. Worrying about what could be is irrational. Studying your chart and determining an objective exit point is reality based and rational.
Another common pitfall is closing a winning position because you are bored with it; its not moving. In Football, after a star running back breaks free for a 50-yard gain, he comes out of the game temporarily for a breather. When he reenters the game he is a serious threat to gain more yards – this is indisputable. So when your position takes a breather after a winning move, the next likely event is further gains – so why close it?
If you can be courageous under fire and strategically patient, foreign exchange trading may be for you. If you’re a natural gunslinger and reckless you will need to tone your act down a notch or two and we can help you make the necessary adjustments. If putting your money at risk makes you a nervous wreck its because you lack the knowledge base to be confident in your decision making.
Patience to Gain Knowledge through Study and Focus
Many new traders believe all you need to profitably trade foreign currencies are charts, technical indicators and a small bankroll. Most of them blow up (lose all their money) within a few weeks or months; some are initially successful and it takes as long as a year before they blow up. A tiny minority with good money management skills, patience, and a market niche go on to be successful traders. Armed with charts, technical indicators, and a small bankroll, the chance of succeeding is probably 500 to 1.
To increase your chances of success to near certainty requires knowledge; acquiring knowledge takes hard work, study, dedication and focus. Compile your knowledge base without taking any shortcuts, thereby assuring a solid foundation to build upon.
Most investors who trade Forex stocks use a broker. A broker is an individual or a company, who buys and sells stocks according to the investor's wishes. Brokers earn money by collecting commissions or fees for their services.
You should check that a broker is registered as a Futures Commission Merchant (FCM) with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) as protection against fraud or abusive trade practices. A Forex broker also needs to be associated with a financial institution, such as a bank in order to provide funds for margin trading. Picking the right Forex broker for you will take some work on your part. There are brokers who charge a flat fee and some that charge commission. It may be a good idea to talk with friends and business associates about their brokers. You may get some good leads, and you're certain to hear who to stay away from. There is nothing like word of mouth advertising.
If you are thinking of investing online, you could choose several online brokers and contact their help desks. Seeing how quickly they respond to your questions could be key in how they will respond to their customers needs. If you don't get a speedy reply and a satisfactory answer to your question you certainly wouldn't want to trust them with your business. Just be aware that as in other types of businesses, pre sales service might be better than after sales service.
Before you choose an online broker get a copy of their online demo account. What features are included? Is the software reliable? Does it offer automatic trading? Are there extra software features that cost more?
Before setting up an account with a Forex broker you will need to do further investigation. How quickly will these brokers execute your buy/sell orders? What is their policy on slippage? What are the transaction fees? What is the spread, fixed or variable? What are the margin requirements and how are they calculated? Does the margin change with currency traded? Is it the same for mini accounts and standard accounts?
Don't forget to ask about minimum account balances and interest payments on account balances. Make sure that your funds will be insured.
Investors and traders can trade currencies worldwide, in any trading zone, 24 hours a day, in today's foreign exchange market. London, Japan and New York top the top three currency traders among the currency dealers. These currencies are being traded 24 hours a day. The only time that currencies stop trading is on Friday when the Japanese market shuts its doors. There is a one day window after Japan closes before Europe steps in on Monday morning to open for business.
The majority of trading comes from banks, brokerages and investment companies. Companies that sell and buy foreign currencies as part of their business, like independent brokers and currency dealers, make up only a small part of the foreign exchange currency trading. The Forex market will continue to develop and grow at a steady pace as more currency traders become aware of the foreign exchange markets potential for earning and raising capital. The Forex market reaches an average daily turnover 30 times higher than any other U.S. market.
Added to the drive for supply and demand, the Forex market presses on as the enormous scope for profit potential among the currency dealers is steadily rising. The Forex market also uses the free floating system that is considered more practical for today's foreign exchange market which can experience a change in the currency rates at an estimated 4.8 seconds. The Forex market is taking on a prodigious role in the country's economy, after developing from connective financial centers to one unified market. Having expanded worldwide, the Forex market is reflecting the constant growth of all international trades and their countries. When you consider the size of the foreign exchange market, it would be important to understand that any transactions that are made with a future trading broker or an independent broker, can lead to more transactions. This can be due to the brokerage businesses as they work to readjust their positions.
Understanding your overall portfolio and its sensitivity to market unpredictability is necessary in order to be an effective day trader. This is especially important when trading foreign exchange currencies, because these currencies are priced in pairs and no single pair will trade completely independently of the others. Gaining an understanding of these correlations and how they can change will help you use them to your advantage to control your portfolio's exposure.
Correlations Defined
There is a reason for the interdependence of foreign currency pairs. For instance, if you were trading the British pound (GBP) against the Japanese yen (JPY) or GBP/JPY pair, then you're trading a type of derivative of the USD/JPY and GBP/USD pairs. Therefore, the GBP/JPY must be slightly correlated to one or both of the other currency pairs. Even so, the interdependence amongst these currencies will stem from more than the fact that they are in pairs. While there are some currencies that will move one right behind the other, the other currency pairs can move in different directions often resulting in a more complex force. In the financial world, correlation is the statistical measure of a relationship between two securities.
Then there is the correlation coefficient that ranges between -1 and +1. The correlation of +1 indicates that two currency pairs can move in the same direction nearly 100% of the time. While the correlations of -1 indicates that two currency pairs are likely to move in the opposite direction 100% of the time. If the correlation is zero, this indicates that the relationships between the currency pairs will be completely at random.
Correlations are not always stable. Correlations change, just as the global economic system and other various factors can change on a daily basis, making the ability to follow the shift in correlations very important. The correlations of today may not be in line with the long-term correlations between any two-currency pairs. This is why it's suggested to take a look at the past six months trailing correlation to provide a more clear perspective on the average relationship between the two currency pairs. This change is the result of a variety of reasons — the most common reasons being a currency pair's predisposition to commodity prices, the diverging monetary policies and unique political and economic circumstances.
