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  • Ascending Triangles -Short Trading Strategy

    Jeff Cartridge 8:42 am on August 20, 2009 | 0 Permalink
    Tags: Ascending Triangles, , , Chart Patterns, day trading, Short Trading, Short Trading Ascending Triangles, , Trading Ascending Triangles, , Trading Chart Patterns

    Ascending triangles have been very popular with traders on the long side and are not so often traded when it breaks in the downward direction. An ascending triangle is defined by two lines, one on the upper boundary of the price movement which is horizontal and one on the lower side which slopes up.

    Ascending Triangles Can Be Profitable Short

    Most ascending triangles would be expected to break up and most of the time this is true, but 36% break out to the downside making it possible to trade on the short side. Just 44% of these breakouts are profitable and on average the profit per trade is only 0.31% over a period of 9 days. The ascending triangle is not one of the best chart patterns when it breaks to the downside, but applying some filters can make this pattern more attractive to trade.

    Improve Your Trades

    Short breakouts from ascending triangles work better in falling markets which is clear from the results that were achieved in 2000, 2002 and 2008. The best short trades occur at market turning points. The market and the stock should be in an up trend or consolidating, with the sector consolidating or falling for the best results when trading ascending triangles short.

    Avoid ascending triangle trades that break down at the start of the pattern, but it is ok to let the trade go all the way to the point of the ascending triangle before breaking out. Another key to picking successful short breakouts from ascending triangles is to look for a turning point up from the lower boundary that fails to reach the upper boundary and then falls away.

    If the volume supports the breakout the results are better. Supportive volume means the volume on the way down is higher than the volume on the way up.

    Ascending Triangles Can Be Profitable

    Following a series of simple rules to determine which ascending triangle to trade can improve results dramatically. By applying these filters ascending triangles are profitable on 52% of the trades and return an average of 1.07% per trade in 10 days. This is a profitable pattern to trade.

    Note: Statistics for this article have been provided by Patterns Trader after analyzing over 60,000 chart patterns on the Australian market from 2000 – 2008.

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  • Forex Autopilot System Or Forex Automatic Trading Robots?

    Marty Alison 8:22 am on August 13, 2009 | 0 Permalink
    Tags: , , day trading, , foreign currency, , , fx trading, , ,

    When you look online for Forex automatic trading robots or an Autopilot system for trading Forex currency, you will be bombarded with results. They will tell you that you can make money in your sleep. There is a difference between an autopilot system and a robot.

    A Forex autopilot will be different from a Forex bot. The bots will run your account for you, the autopilot system will tell you what and when to buy, but you’re pulling the trigger. The choice is really up to you which style you would like to bid from.

    There are plenty of autopilot systems out there and you will need to do some research for ones to buy. First I would suggest doing research and find the ones that seem more functional than fancy. Check demonstrations on the website and see if the interface is something you would like to work with.

    Look for demonstrations on life accounts with real money. This is a good way for the suppliers of the auto pilot system to have to answer their claims. Unfortunately it’s really hard to tell with the demonstrations if they are doctored or not.

    The best way to really test the Autopilot system is to agree to a 30 day free trial or what ever money back guarantee offer they give you. Simply create a dummy broker account and put in a few hundred dollars you have to test it, or even use a practice account using fake money. This will get you used to the system and give you a chance to learn how to use it.

    Before deciding on a Forex automatic trading robots or autopilot system, you must be familiar with the workings of Forex trading. It’s easy to do but there is high risk to losing your money. 70% of traders tend to loose their money in the long run. I suggest manually trading before you use a program like this. It may give you good tips for now, but there’s always the chance that it chooses wrong and it’s up to you to be able to discern a good trade and a bad trade.

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  • Learn Technical Analysis Terminology

    Ahmad Hassam 9:53 am on August 10, 2009 | 0 Permalink
    Tags: , , , day trading, , , , , , , ,

    Lets first define what Technical Analysis is. Technical Analysis is the study of historical and ongoing price data through charts, price patterns and chart indicators. Charts display price in time intervals using bars and candlesticks.

    Technical Analysis is based on the following assumptions. 1) All available information is already impounded in the market prices of the securities. 2) Prices always move in trends or patterns. 3) History repeats itself meaning you can predict the future market by studying the past market prices.

    Historical studies have shown that once a trend is in motion, it is most likely to continue rather than reverse it. Only a bigger force in the opposite direction can reverse a trend once set in motion. The more one studies chart patterns, the clearer it becomes that reading and interpreting chart patterns are more an art form than a skill in technical analysis.

    Charts come in two types. Bar charts and Candlesticks charts. Bar charts display price data in vertical lines. These vertical lines represents price action during a given time period. The tip at the top is the high for the period. The tip at the bottom is the low for the period. The open and close are represented by small horizontal dashes called tics. The tic to the left of the line is the open. The tic to the right of the line is the close.

    Candlestick charts are similar to bar charts in that the top of the vertical line represent the high and the bottom of the vertical line represents the low. However, the market activity between the open and the close is represented differently by the use of candlestick bodies. A hollow body represents a higher closing above a lower opening. A shaded body represents a lower closing below a higher opening.

    The price activity above and below the body is referred to as wicks or tails. A trader may use a 3, 5, 10, 15, 30, 60 and 180 minutes charts. For swing and position trading, a trader may use a daily, weekly or a monthly chart. These charts all use the Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) or the Eastern Standard Time (EST) depending on the software that you use. But you can always adjust them according to your local time.

    While doing technical analysis, you need to understand what are markets patterns? What are Uptrends? What are downtrends and what are sideway trends? Markets expand and retrace constantly. Market prices may continue to expand for sometimes either upward or downward. It is the nature of the markets to surge then pause and retrace.

    Trends make a series of peaks and troughs as they move. An uptrend consists of a series of ascending peaks and troughs. A downtrend consists of a series of descending peaks and troughs. A sidways trend consists of a series of horizontal peaks and troughs.

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  • Learn How To Use Moving Averages and Bollinger Bands

    Ahmad Hassam 9:28 pm on August 9, 2009 | 0 Permalink
    Tags: , , day trading, , , , , , , ,

    Moving averages are a very popular tool among the traders because they are a lagging indicator of the price action. Short and long term trends are easier to identify using moving averages.

    MAs are calculated on the traders specifications. They can be formatted to different style of trading and time frames. For example, in case you want to use a 90 time frame moving average, the prices of the last 90 times frames is added together and divided by 90.

    A moving average can be calculated based on the opening, high, low or closing price. Most traders prefer to use the closing price because it is the most important. There are three types of moving averages. 1) Simple Moving Average. 2) Weighted Moving Average and 3) the exponential moving average.

    The simple MA is simply calculated by dividing the price in each time frame by the number of time frames as the name suggests. A weighted MA places more weight to the current prices as compared to the prices in the last few time frames. In an exponentially smoothed MA, the chart is exponentially smoothed out with less emphasis on the prices in the latter time frames.

    Another important technical indicator is the Bollinger Bands. What are Bollinger Bands? These are bands plotted at a standard deviation above and below a moving average. The base of a band is moving average. The bands width is determined by volatility. The standard deviation is a measure of volatility so the bands are self adjusting. They widen during volatile markets and contract during less volatile periods. Bollinger bands bracket almost 90% of the market action.

    Bollinger bands have many useful characteristics. Knowing when the prices are high and low, a trader can make rational investment decisions by comparing price action with the action of other indicators. They are curves drawn in and around the price structure. This provides relative definitions of high and low.

    Bollinger bands can be applied to currency trading, futures, indices, mutual funds and most other trading. Usually sharp price action tends to occur as the bands tighten and as volatility lessens. When the price moves outside the bands, a continuation of current trend is implied.

    A move that originates at one band tends to go all the way to the other band. When bottoms and tops made outside the bands are followed by bottoms and tops made inside the bands, reversal of the trend is highly likely.

    When the bands are flat and narrow, this indicates that price volatility is lower as compared to previous time periods. The 10% price action that takes place outside the bands is most likely going to approximate areas where prices will return to within the bands.

    When the bands begin to flare, this indicates increased volatility and start of a new strong directional or trend move. Wide bands are an indication of a very strong move.

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  • Getting Educated With the Day Trading Software

    Sheryl Bocelli 2:44 pm on August 8, 2009 | 0 Permalink
    Tags: , , , day trading, day trading software, , , , , , , ,

    The day trading software is a must-have for a day trader. It is a very valuable study material for someone who has preferred to do this trading style. The style is one which is applicable to traders and investors who have enough time and sufficient funds for personal surveys and research. These people in the stock exchange business employ different styles of trade executions and this is just one of those styles.

    The up and down trends in the market changes without prior warning and all the key players in the market are much aware of that fact. There is a need for consistent studies and learning to do when one is involved with the stock exchange market. The market cycles changes inevitably thus the stock exchange is characterized with speculative judgments due to its volatility.

    With great thanks to the advance of technology, traders are able to see the current activities of the different sector in of stock exchange. The stock charts are employed by these players to translate their technical analysis of the movements in a market of certain sectors. Most traders find themselves to be closely affiliated with some sectors because of prestige and their status in the industry.

    It is basic for traders and investors to understand the stock charts for these contain the truthful figures of the exchange market. The chart displays the vital signs that can influence their decisions as to when they should approach the market place. Charting is an art that every player in the market must learn and master.

    The techniques and strategies vary depending on the players mode of transaction which can be discovered through the day trading software. A specific chart is often adapted by a trader or investor which is suitable to his or her trading style. A lot of very important aspects have to be considered in this sort of business and with more reason is the need for a day trading software.

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  • Doing Intraday Trading Style

    Sheryl Bocelli 1:34 pm on August 8, 2009 | 0 Permalink
    Tags: , , , day trading, , , intraday trading, , , , , ,

    You must also know the intraday trading stocks that are suitable for your system. You must execute within a predefined set of rules and guidelines that you prefer to use. You also have your own strategies and techniques which you have adapted according to your ease and convenience. A trade execution style is the first thing you need to develop before you will become successful in your approach and moves in the market place.

    There are the factors that determine whether it is the right time for you to enter the market or to stay away for a while and just observe. The factors or feature you must consider for your choice of products are liquidity, spread and volatility. Every stock that you choose for your intraday trading style must possess some of these basic features that make them suitable for you.

    Liquidity is important for it can dictate you to enter into your intraday trading move and exit quickly as soon as you have successfully executed the trade. Liquidity also makes some pattern to be stronger, imagine a channel breakout that occurs; if the stock is not liquid then nobody will make the stock moving higher.

    Spread is important to know if you are aiming at a bull spread or a bear spread. It is important for this will help you reduce your slippage. This is affected by the reduce of liquidity. It is important that you get the best execution with your intraday trading style. Always remember that price can change every second and this is very crucial in your approach in the market. You must be concerned of the difference between the current price and the executed price when you enter and exit trades at market price.

    Volatility in the price of the stock is the reason for the unpredictable movements of the market. This is another important factor for your intraday trading move for this involves the actual or expected price movement of a stock. Bear in mind that the more volatile the stock the more it offers you bigger profitable gains especially for your style in intraday trading.

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  • Observing When to Buy Stocks Online

    Sheryl Bocelli 12:14 pm on August 8, 2009 | 0 Permalink
    Tags: , , buy stocks online, , day trading, , , , , , ,

    The stock exchange key players buy stocks online in the comfort of their office desk or at home. Business owners nowadays have found the Internet as a very good place to publish their wares worldwide. The advancements of technology have paved the way to open the virtual markets to the public over the net.

    The expected uncontrollable shifts in the market cycles happen practically every second which is extremely unavoidable. The exchange industry has a highly volatile market and the key players in the industry are always wary of this. Traders and investors readily see the movements of the entire market place through the Internet with the advancements in modern technology.

    Web sites have proven to be beneficial and convenient to both the buyers and the sellers. The set-up has provided the investors and traders the convenience of observing the rugged terrains of the exchange market at any time at their own disposal. All movements in sectors of the exchange can already be observed in the comforts of the homes of the key players of the industry.

    In these days, the traders and investors are able to watch the movements of the market before the screens of their computers. There are several sectors in the exchange market as much as there are different markets where traders can choose to trade. With great thanks to the advance of technology, traders and investors have freed themselves from the riotous activities of the market place through the screens of their monitors at home or in their office.

    In these times, all the different sectors of the exchange market are readily seen and available online with their corresponding commodities. Currently, the job of the traders and investors is to know the stocks that they need to trade and from what particular sectors. By the moment they have decided, all they need is to buy stocks online.

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  • Characteristics of Day Trading Stocks

    Sheryl Bocelli 10:40 am on August 8, 2009 | 0 Permalink
    Tags: , , , , day trading, day trading stocks, , , , , , ,

    In day trading, it is important for the trader to know each market and the bonds, commodities or securities at stake. These goods can be found anywhere and they are to be traded within the same trading day in a particular market. The stock exchange is a very wide business world. It is composed of different sectors depending on the type of market.

    Thorough understanding of the systems in particular market and the basic knowledge of stock charts applicable for that particular sector is very helpful. You must understand that learning the types of stocks and the strategies as well as the charts that you need for your style of trade execution is very important. The trader or investor must study carefully the movements of the price for mere speculation is not very helpful when dealing with different markets.

    If you find fast-moving commodities it only means that they are saleable and implies liquidity. When a stock is liquid, you can surely make good profit and you will have a quick entry and exit in the market when you deal with liquid commodities. The characteristics of liquidity in a stock would diminish the spread and slippage of your trade execution. Always aim at liquid day trading stocks when you trade.

    The intelligent speculations are likewise vital in cases of commodities like these. The more volatile the stocks are, the more they can move quickly and you likewise get quick profits. The up and down trends in the market is due to volatility of the price at stake which is important for day trading stocks.

    It must be reminded, however, that day trading can be extremely risky for some traders. It can lead to financial breakdowns within a short period of time. That is also the reason why it is very important to find the best strategy that suits your trading style with the proper education.

    To check online is just additional information but the move is up to the trader if he can profit or not. You need a support from a day trading software to address your concern. The software is your guide in the proper choice of day trading stocks.

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  • CFDs Versus Stock

    Jeff Cartridge 2:12 am on August 8, 2009 | 0 Permalink
    Tags: , , , cfds, cfds versus stock, cfds vs stock, contracts for difference, , day trading, , , , , stock vs cfds, , trading stocks

    Many people ask what is the best instrument to trade and the answer to that is dependent on what it is that the trader wants to achieve. Today we will take a look at CFDs vs Stock and weigh up the advantages and disadvantages of each.

    Cash Is Not Essential

    When buying stock it is necessary to have all of the cash to purchase the stock. While it is possible to reduce this requirement by using margin loans at the very best you will be required to have 30 – 40% of the value of the underlying stock in cash.

    When trading CFDs very little cash is required. With margin requirements from as little as 3% for stocks a small amount of money controls a much larger position. The potential for profit is very strong because of the leverage that is used and returns can be 10 times that which you would make with stocks.

    So for efficient use of capital and profit potential in the battle of CFDs vs Stock, CFDs win hands down.

    What Happens When It Doesn’t Work?

    The other side of leverage is risk as leverage amplifies both gains and losses. The most you can lose when investing in stocks is 100% of your capital, assuming you have not borrowed any money to invest.

    It is possible to lose more than 100% of the money you invested in the first place with CFDs, so risk management is very important.

    It is much easier to manage your risk when you are trading stock than when you are trading CFDs. The leverage available when trading CFDs makes this a much more challenging undertaking as losses can add up very quickly.

    What Does It Cost?

    There are two costs to consider when comparing CFD vs stock, finance charges and brokerage. It will depend on who your broker is, but brokerage on CFDs is usually cheaper with rates from 0.08%.

    Interest costs do not apply to stocks, but because CFDs are leveraged, interest charges do apply.

    It will depend on the balance between higher interest costs and lower CFD brokerage costs as to which is cheaper CFDs vs stock. The longer a position is held the advantage will swing in favour of the stock holder.

    The Impact of Tax

    When CFDs were created they allowed institutional traders to avoid stamp duty charges associated with stock purchases.

    In Australia CFDs are taxed differently to stock as the capital gains tax regime does not apply to CFDs, so there is no exemption for holding CFDs for 12 months or more. Franking credits also do not apply when receiving dividends associated with CFDs. Stocks may have a tax advantage in Australia.

    Tax advantages vary dramatically from country to country so it is hard to call a definitive ruling here in the battle of CFDs vs stock.

    Conclusion, Which is Better?

    There is no clear advantage to CFDs vs stock as it does depend on what your preferences are. CFDs give you access to greater gains and losses, so if you are able to effectively manage you risk then trading CFDs could give you an edge. Stocks on the other hand can survive more volatile times with less impact on the account and risk management is easier.

    From a cost perspective CFDs may have an advantage due to low transaction costs, but this advantage can disappear if CFDs are held for long periods of time as interest charges accrue. In conclusion I personally like the access to leverage that CFDs provide and I actively manage my risk to control the impact of leverage on my portfolio.

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  • Small Stop Loss Forex Trades

    Caden James 1:17 am on August 8, 2009 | 0 Permalink
    Tags: , , , day trading, , , , , ,

    As a foreign currency trader, you’re gonna lose when you take these trades. You’re gonna to lose often, too. You’re going to get tired of losing. You’re going to start thinking maybe you know nothing about trading. You’re going to question your ability all together and consider giving up. Don’t. If you know you’re going to lose often in advance, why on earth would I tell you these are no-brainer trades you must take to skyrocket the equity in your Forex account? Its simple: reward-to-risk.

    Small, strategically-placed stop losses are the single most important key to your Forex trading success. Why? Because your success is always tied to the stop loss. How much you can make on a trade is directly tied to that stop loss. I love to show a little math with my writing so lets get into this.

    The basics you need to know are as follows: account base equity is $2000, you’re going to place a trade with a 100-pip stop loss and a take profit of 120 pips, and finally, you’re going to risk 2% on this trade or $40. That means that each pip is worth $0.40. Your potential gain from this trade is $48. Cool enough. Lets say you win this one. Awesome. You’re now rockin’ with a $2048 Forex account. Life is good.

    Now, lets look at a series of trades with nice, tight stops. You’ve got four trades here well look at. These all have 12-pip stops with, say, 60-pip potential. These trades are not out-of-the-ordinary nor are they impossible to find. Keep following me. The juicy stuff is coming up right now.

    The first three trades stop out. Lets look at the math. By the way, Im starting this one out with a $2000 account just to compare the two sets of trades equally.

    The first trade has a 12-pip stop at 2%. That means each pip is worth $3.30. You always, always, always round down to the nearest dime anytime you’ve got under $100,000 in your Forex account. You stopped out so you multiply that by your 12-pip stop loss and you’re out $39.60. The next trade is worth 2% again, and since these trades could all be happening simultaneously, were going to make things easy and stick with the $2000 equity for all of them. These pips are worth $3.30 like before.

    Again, you’ve taken a no-brainer trade that just bit the dust. Grrr Stupid market. Don’t go there. Don’t start over-thinking or getting emotions involved. Keep it mechanical, non-emotional, and completely financial. Youre out another $39.60. So what.

    Now your account is at $1920.80 and you’re feeling uneasy about taking the next no-brainer, small-stop trade. But, you do it anyway because some chic named Caden told you to. Here we go.

    You’re risking 2% yet again and you’re still at $3.30 per pip. Well, crap, this one stopped out, too. You’re down $39.60 for a total of $118.80. That’s about 6% of your account gone in a short while. Ugh, do you really have to take all of these no-brainer, small-stop trades? Haven’t you suffered enough?

    Yes, you do and no, you haven’t. They are no-brainers. That means you do it. Period. Its a rule all foreign currency traders should follow yet so few do. Perhaps that’s why only about 3% of Forex traders ever make any real cash in the foreign currency market. Hmm food for thought.

    Lets trade.

    The final trade of the day is the same as the others: 12-pip stop with a 60-pip take profit. This one wins! Now, lets do the math and figure this bad boy out.

    You’re risking 2% again so your pips are $3.30 each. You hit your take profit at +60 pips. I don’t know about your math skills but mine tell me that’s a win of $198 on that stupid, no-brainer, small-stop Forex trade. Lets look a little deeper.

    You won a 100-pip stop loss trade for 120 pips. You got $48 and were happy with that. Awesome or is it?

    You just took a royal bath with three losing trades in a row. You were down $118.80 and feeling like a loser until you won that final trade. After calculating your returns on those 4 trades which were a whopping 75% loss-rate, you’re up $79.20″far more than you made on that 120-pip gain earlier. Remember, that one was only worth $48.

    You know whats really cool? You could even lose two more trades of the same type as above, win the 6th trade, and be at $2000″exactly what you started with! That’s an 83.3% loss rate to come out at break even. Are you kidding me?

    This is just a small but vital secret you must always remember as a foreign currency trader. The power of the small stop loss is huge, my friend. Trade it like a machine and its easy to watch your account grow”and grow”and grow”and grow.

    You get my point. Trade it.

    If you have a small Forex account you want to grow into an equity-exploding MONSTER, I invite you to come see me at Simply Signals and let’s turn that dinky account into something really spectacular. My goal is 400% equity growth in 12 months for all of my clients. Try and find a stock broker or other investment vehicle that can do that for you! Come see me and let’s trade!

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