How To Choose a Forex Trading System That Works and Suits You

 

There are so many different trading systems you could use to trade the forex market, some better suited to certain people than others. For example some people may find it easier to comprehend and take into account fundamental factors as opposed to looking at a screen covered in technical indicators, and vice-versa.The first logical step in determining what type of trading system would best suit you is actually being aware and understand the widely known methods of analysis used in trading the currency market. Once you are aware of the tools that are available, you can generally tell what type of analysis suits you. For example some of the main technical analysis methods which are popular include:Pivot pointsChart patternsFibonacci retracementsCandlestick patternsAnd some fundamental factors which are widely used include analyzing:Interest ratesTrade balancesUnemployment ratesGross domestic product (GDP)You may now actually be able to develop your own system by combining certain methods of analysis together, giving you a method which you are comfortable with. On the other hand you may decide that you would like to trade someone else’s system, either way, that brings us to the next step which is determining the profitability of a trading system.Determining ProfitabilityMost people would think that back testing is the best way to determine a systems profitability. However back testing doesn’t always give you a true idea of how profitable a system is. The reason for this is because when you’re back testing your system on historical charts, you are only seeing the obvious setups which have occurred, and not always seeing the ones that are less obvious. These less obvious ones sometimes can produce losses, which is why back testing isn’t always the best method to implement.A better method of determining profitability is by trading your system in real-time with a demo account. This would give you a true understanding of what your system is capable of. This would also allow you to familiarize yourself with your trading platform at the same time. When determining profitability you must look at it in terms of expectancy and opportunity.Expectancy & OpportunityThese two factors together will be able to tell you what you could expect to make over a period of time. Expectancy is calculated with the following formula:(Probability of winning × average win) – (Probability of losing × average loss)This will give you a figure which is the average amount you can expect to make per trade. This shouldn’t be a negative amount, if it is you should look at some other method of trading since you cannot make money on a system that produces a negative expectancy. Obviously the higher this figure is the better. Now to the opportunity factor.The opportunity factor is how often you are able to trade using your system. By multiplying your expectancy figure with your opportunity factor it will tell you how much you could expect to make over a period of time. The more opportunity you have to trade, the more money you should expect to make. This now brings us to the last component of a trading system, money management.Money ManagementWithout proper money management you will end up as a statistic. In other words one of those 90%+ of traders who loose their money. Money management tells you how much of your account balance to risk per trade. The whole point of money management is to ensure your survival over the long term, and to preserve your capital.The most common form of money management is the percent risk model which tells you not to risk more than x percent of your account balance on any one trade. A range between 1-3% is generally an accepted amount which has been a reliable percentage to use in order to make money in the long term.ConclusionBy taking into consideration the above factors you will be able to determine if a trading system best suits you, and with some simple mathematical calculations you will be able to determine its profitability

Broker Forex Trading – Pick A Forex Broker To Suit Your Trading Approach

Broker Forex Trading

The Forex market is huge, with in excess of 3 trillion dollars traded per day. It is therefore not surprising that there are many Brokers in the market place competing for a share of this business. But which Broker should you choose? As with any thing in life, the broker that is best suited for one trader may not best another.

When selecting a Forex Broker you will need to choose one that most closely matches your personal requirements. In order to do this you will firstly need to determine what your particular trading requirements are. For example if you intend to follow a scalping strategy then finding a broker with a low spread and quick execution will be paramount. If you are a longer term trader then these requirements may not be at the foremost of your thoughts. Instead it may be the news feeds supplied or technical resources on offer that determine the broker you choose.

To find out what is on offer from a broker the first place to start is the Forex brokers website. This will contain all the information that you need about their services; the currency pairs they offer, their dealing platform and account opening information. From this information you can begin to build a profile of the Broker.

The dealing platform is perhaps one of the most important decisions that you will make when it comes to settling on a broker. Therefore it makes sense to get exposure to the platform before committing to a live account. Most brokers will allow you to download their trading platform and try it out via a demo account first. This means that not only can practice getting to grips with the platform in a risk free environment, you can also check out the resources on offer. Note however that some features may be restricted to live account clients only. Broker Forex Trading

It is common now for many brokers to offer more than one dealing platform. It is therefore worthwhile in making comparison between the platforms on offer to find which works best for you. Ultimately the platform that you chose is important because it is your interface to the brokers dealing desk. Other things to consider are whether you want an internet based client or a platform that you download onto your personal machine. Mobile trading is also increasingly becoming an important consideration for many traders.

For those who are new to Forex Trading, it is also important to consider how much help the broker will provide for you. Some brokers cater more specifically for those taking their first steps with Forex trading, providing educational material in the form of ebooks or video courses. These can provide a great source of information for the beginner. It is also possible to find dealing platforms specifically designed with the beginner in mind. These tend to focus on the fun elements of trading with games designed to introduce the beginner to basic trading concepts.

Ultimately take time before making your selection. Your broker is your interface to the Forex markets and therefore also the interface by which you will win or lose money. Select from the range of Forex Brokers carefully. One final thought is that if you are following several strategies it may make sense to run separate broker accounts for each strategy. Each broker would be selected for offering the best approach for each of the strategies you are trading. Broker Forex Trading