Saturday, July 26, 2008

Online Forex Trading - Beginners Guide

When it comes to forex trading, understanding the terminology and the forex trading strategies before you begin is vital. There are many web based companies that provide online forex trading tutorials that revolve around real time forex trading. Using a forex tutorial will give you the beginner knowledge you need to take part in trading forex.

After you have completed your forex tutorial there are some basic forex trading tips that all beginners will find useful. The most important thing to remember when trading forex and the most important forex trading strategy is to remember to always place stop loss orders. Using this strategy in your online forex trading will help to prevent and limit your losses.

The next important step for online forex trading is to take profit orders at the same time as placing your stop loss orders. This is done by using the OCO order function that is available with most online forex trading systems. Take profit orders work on the same basis as the stop loss orders and help to eliminate the risk of locking into a profit too early.

Another beginner’s tip is to use a positive risk/reward ratio. This means that you should choose the amount you are willing to make on your forex trade beforehand and it should be more than or equal to the amount that you are willing to loose. This tip is essential if you want to be successful in your forex trading.

It is important for any forex trading beginner to note that successful online forex trading takes patience and is a long term investment. It takes controlled forex trading along with discipline and patience to make your forex trading profitable. Continued research and forex tutorials and guides will help you to learn more and remember as with all successful ventures; knowledge equals power.

Oliver Turner - EzineArticles Expert Author

Monday, July 21, 2008

Forex Trading Traps

Many new traders are attracted to the Forex market because it provides unlimited profit potential... a good trader can make anywhere from a few thousand dollars to a tens of thousands of dollars of profits in a single day. Unfortunately because of this way of thinking, many new traders mistakenly use dollar amounts to measure the success of a trader.

But while dollar amounts of profits can be a general indicator of trading success, a more accurate measure would be the number of pips made by the trader. Allow me to explain why...

Many people don't realize this, but you can still be a very rich trader even if you only make 10 pips a day.

Do you know why?

It's because pips are essentially a profit "multiplier". What this means is that 10 pips can make you $10, $100, $1,000 or even $10,000! It all depends on the size of your trading lot.

Can you see where I'm coming from?

If you trade with one standard lot, a 10 pip gain will earn you $100. But if you trade with ten standard lots, the same 10 pip gain will instead earn you $1,000! This is what I mean when I say that pips have a "multiplier" effect.

You see, two different traders can each make 10 pips a day, but still have very different profits! Again, it all depends on their trading lot size. One trader can make only $200 a day, and another trader making $1,000... but does that mean that the second trader is the better trader?

If you've been following my argument, you'll know that the answer depends on how many pips each trader makes... If Trader A made $200 by gaining 20 pips, he is a better trader than Trader B who made $1,000 by gaining only 10 pips.

This is because Trader A can easily be more profitable simply by increasing his lot size!

To learn more, download my free 26-page guide here: "Forex Trading Traps!"

Harold Hsu is the owner of ForexSystemProfits.com where he provides premium Forex trading information and resources.

Harold Hsu - EzineArticles Expert Author