3 Things I Wish I Knew When I Started Trading Forex.
Trading Forex is not a shortcut to instant wealth. Excessive leverage can turn winning strategies into losers. Retail sentiment can act as a powerful trading filter.
Everyone comes to the Forex market for a reason, ranging between solely for entertainment to becoming a professional trader. I started out aspiring to be a full-time, self sufficient Forex trader. I had been taught the 'perfect' strategy. I spent months testing it and backtests showed how I could make $25,000-$35,000 a year off of a $10,000 account. My plan was to let my account compound until I was so well off, I wouldn't have to work again in my life. I was dedicated and I committed myself to the plan 100%.
Sparing you the details, my plan failed. It turns out that trading 300k lots on a $10,000 account is not very forgiving. I lost 20% of my account in 3 weeks. I didn't know what hit me. Something was wrong. Luckily, I stopped trading at that point and was fortunate enough to land a job at a Forex broker, FXCM. I spent the next couple of years working with traders around the world and continued to educate myself about the Forex market. It played a huge role in my development to be the trader I am today. 3 years of profitable trading later, it's been my pleasure to join the team at DailyFX and help people become successful or more successful traders.
The point of me telling this story is because I think many traders can relate to starting off in this market, not seeing the results that they expected and not understanding why. These are the 3 things I wish I knew when I started trading Forex.
#1 – Forex is Not a Get Rich Quick Opportunity.
Contrary to what you’ve read on many websites across the web, Forex trading is not going to take your $10,000 account and turn it into $1 million. The amount we can earn is determined more by the amount of money we are risking rather than how good our strategy is. The old saying “It takes money to make money” is an accurate one, Forex trading included.
But that doesn’t mean it is not a worthwhile endeavor; after all, there are many successful Forex traders out there that trade for a living. The difference is that they have slowly developed over time and increased their account to a level that can create sustainable income.
I hear about traders all the time targeting 50%, 60% or 100% profit per year, or even per month, but the risk they are taking on is going to be pretty similar to the profit they are targeting. In other words, in order to attempt to make 60% profit in a year, it's not unreasonable to see a loss of around 60% of your account in a given year.
"But Rob, I am trading with an edge, so I am not risking as much as I could potentially earn" you might say. That's a true statement if you have a strategy with a trading edge. Your expected return should be positive , but without leverage, it is going to be a relatively tiny amount. And during times of bad luck, we can still have losing streaks. When we throw leverage into the mix, that's how traders attempt to target those excessive gains. Which in turn is how traders can produce excessive losses. Leverage is beneficial up to point, but not when it can turn a winning strategy into a loser.
#2 Leverage Can Cause a Winning Strategy to Lose Money.
This is a lesson I wish I had learned earlier. Excessive leverage can ruin an otherwise profitable strategy.
Let's say I had a coin that when heads was hit, you would earn $2, but when tails was hit, you would lose $1. Would you flip that coin? My guess is absolutely you would flip that coin. You'd want to flip it over and over. When you have a 50/50 chance between making $2 or losing $1, it's a no-brainer opportunity that you'd accept.
Now let's say I have the same coin, but this time if heads is hit, you would triple your net worth; but when tails was hit, you would lose every possession you own. Would you flip that coin? My guess is you would not because one bad flip of the coin would ruin your life. Even though you have the exact same percentage advantage in this example as the example above, no one in their right mind would flip this coin.
The second example is how many Forex traders view their trading account. They go "all-in" on one or two trades and end up losing their entire account. Even if their trades had an edge like our coin flipping example, it only takes one or two unlucky trades to wipe them out completely. This is how leverage can cause a winning strategy to lose money.
So how can we fix this? A good start is by using no more than 10x effective leverage.
#3 Using Sentiment as a Guide Can Tilt the Odds in Your Favor.
The 3rd lesson I've learned should come as no surprise to those that follow my articles. .. using the Speculative Sentiment Index (SSI). I've written many articles about this topic. It's the best tool I've ever used and is still a part of almost every trading strategy I am using, present day.
SSI is a free tool that can be found here that tells us how many traders are long compared to how many traders are short each major currency pair. It's meant to be used as a contrarian index where we want to do the opposite of what everyone else is doing. Using it as a direction filter for my trades has turned my trading career completely around.
Learn From My Mistakes.
If I could tell my younger self 3 things before I began trading Forex, this would be the list I would give. I hope they help your trading as much as its helped mine.
---Written by Rob Pasche.
Are you new to FX trading? We created this guide just for you.
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10 Ways To Avoid Losing Money In Forex.
The global forex market boasts over $4 trillion in average daily trading volume, making it the largest financial market in the world. Forex's popularity entices traders of all levels, from greenhorns just learning about the financial markets to well-seasoned professionals. Because it is so easy to trade forex - with round-the-clock sessions, access to significant leverage and relatively low costs - it is also very easy to lose money trading forex. This article will take a look at 10 ways that traders can avoid losing money in the competitive forex market. (There are no specifically forex focused programs, but there are still some advanced education alternatives for forex traders. Check out 5 Forex Designations .)
1. Do Your Homework – Learn Before You Burn.
2. Take the Time to Find a Reputable Broker.
Traders should also research each broker's account offerings, including leverage amounts, commissions and spreads, initial deposits, and account funding and withdrawal policies. A helpful customer service representative should have all this information and be able to answer any questions regarding the firm's services and policies. (Discover the best ways to find a broker who will help you succeed in the forex market. Refer to 5 Tips For Selecting A Forex Broker .)
Nearly all trading platforms come with a practice account, sometimes called a simulated account or demo account. These accounts allow traders to place hypothetical trades without a funded account. Perhaps the most important benefit of a practice account is that it allows a trader to become adept at order entry techniques.
Few things are as damaging to a trading account (and a trader's confidence) as pushing the wrong button when opening or exiting a position. It is not uncommon, for example, for a new trader to accidentally add to a losing position instead of closing the trade. Multiple errors in order entry can lead to large, unprotected losing trades. Aside from the devastating financial implications, this situation is incredibly stressful. Practice makes perfect: experiment with order entries before placing real money on the line.
Once a forex trader has opened an account, it may be tempting to take advantage of all the technical analysis tools offered by the trading platform. While many of these indicators are well-suited to the forex markets, it is important to remember to keep analysis techniques to a minimum in order for them to be effective. Using the same types of indicators – such as two volatility indicators or two oscillators, for example – can become redundant and can even give opposing signals. This should be avoided.
Any analysis technique that is not regularly used to enhance trading performance should be removed from the chart. In addition to the tools that are applied to the chart, the overall look of the workspace should be considered. The chosen colors, fonts and types of price bars (line, candle bar, range bar, etc) should create an easy-to-read and interpret chart, allowing the trader to more effectively respond to changing market conditions.
While there is much focus on making money in forex trading, it is important to learn how to avoid losing money. Proper money management techniques are an integral part of successful trading. Many veteran traders would agree that one can enter a position at any price and still make money – it's how one gets out of the trade that matters.
Part of this is knowing when to accept your losses and move on. Always using a protective stop loss is an effective way to make sure that losses remain reasonable. Traders can also consider using a maximum daily loss amount beyond which all positions would be closed and no new trades initiated until the next trading session. While traders should have plans to limit losses, it is equally essential to protect profits. Money management techniques, such as utilizing trailing stops, can help preserve winnings while still giving a trade room to grow.
6. Start Small When Going Live.
Once a trader has done his or her homework, spent time with a practice account and has a trading plan in place, it may be time to go live – that is, start trading with real money at stake. No amount of practice trading can exactly simulate real trading, and as such it is vital to start small when going live.
Factors like emotions and slippage cannot be fully understood and accounted for until trading live. Additionally, a trading plan that performed like champ in backtesting results or practice trading could, in reality, fail miserably when applied to a live market. By starting small, a trader can evaluate his or her trading plan and emotions, and gain more practice in executing precise order entries – without risking the entire trading account in the process.
Forex trading is unique in the amount of leverage that is afforded to its participants. One of the reasons forex is so attractive is that traders have the opportunity to make potentially large profits with a very small investment – sometimes as little as $50. Properly used, leverage does provide potential for growth; however, leverage can just as easily amplify losses. A trader can control the amount of leverage used by basing position size on the account balance. For example, if a trader has $10,000 in a forex account, a $100,000 position (one standard lot) would utilize 10:1 leverage. While the trader could open a much larger position if he or she were to maximize leverage, a smaller position will limit risk. (For additional reading, see Adding Leverage To Your Forex Trading .)
8. Keep Good Records.
9. Understand Tax Implications and Treatment.
10. Treat Trading As a Business.
It is essential to treat forex trading as a business, and to remember that individual wins and losses don't matter in the short run; it is how the trading business performs over time that is important. As such, traders should try to avoid becoming overly emotional with either wins or losses, and treat each as just another day at the office. As with any business, forex trading incurs expenses, losses, taxes, risk and uncertainty. Also, just as small businesses rarely become successful overnight, neither do most forex traders. Planning, setting realistic goals, staying organized and learning from both successes and failures will help ensure a long, successful career as a forex trader.
The worldwide forex market is attractive to many traders because of its low account requirements, round-the-clock trading and access to high amounts of leverage. When approached as a business, forex trading can be profitable and rewarding. In summary, traders can avoid losing money in forex by:
Being well-prepared Having the patience and discipline to study and research Applying sound money management techniques Approaching trading activity as a business.

Can you make fast money with forex

by: I-key Benney, CEO.
Begin Forex day trading with an account from FXCM.
Hello, how do you do?
Until now, you may have never known how easy it is to make fast money from forex day trading, because nobody has ever given you the correct information, as I will in this article.
Most people from middle class make their money from investments in real estate, stock trading, bond trading, mutual funds, CDs, auction programs and various internet programs and other small businesses.
They may have never heard about day forex trading, which is where multi-millionaires and billionaires make their money.
Forex day trading is the most profitable and attractive investment opportunity because you can do it from home or office and from any country in the world.
In forex day trading, you don’t need to do any marketing or selling or internet promotion to succeed.
In forex day trading, you don’t need to spend thousands of dollars to do any internet promotion.
In forex day trading, you don’t need any stocks or warehousing.
In forex day trading , all that you’ve to do is open an account with one of the brokers with as little as $300 or $2000.
Then follow simple instructions to buy and sell the currencies.
When the price of the currency is low, you buy.
In a few seconds or minutes, the price will go up, and you sell it and make a profit.
By so doing , in a day, you can easily make $500-$1000 by just buying, selling and trading these foreign currencies for about 3 or 4 hrs!
The more money you put in your forex day trading account, the more money you can make.
You can use $1 to control $200 investment in foreign currencies.
$200 to control $50,000 investment.
And $1000 to control $200,000 cash.
You don’t even have to be stuck sitting behind your computer buying and selling these foreign currencies.
You can enter all your buy trades and specify the sell prices you desire and then log off.
Whenever the values of these foreign currencies rise and your selling prices reach, the currencies will be automatically sold for you and you make money!
If you put $300 in your LIVE "Forex day trading", you can generate a minimum of "$10 in 10 mins." or about "$50" minimum daily, 6 days/wk!
If you put $1000 in your LIVE "Forex day trading", you can generate "$100 in 10 mins." or about "$400" minimum daily, 6 days/wk!!
If you put $10,000 in your LIVE "Forex day trading", you can generate "$300 in 10 mins." or "$1000" minimum daily, 6 days/wk".
If you are very ambitious build your live account to $50,000-$100,000 account, you may possibly rake in $1,000,000 in 1 year!
You can do forex day trading and at the same time keep your day job, because in forex day trading, there is no work to do.
In the future when you have made hundreds of thousands of dollars, you may then quit your job and just keep doing forex day trading forever and go on permanent vacation!
To understand the beauty of forex day trading Picture this:
In the morning, you get up from sleep at 6 am.
You go to your bathroom and have your shower.
At 7am, you hurry and eat your breakfast.
At 7.20 am, you login into your forex day trading account on the internet and spend 10 minutes to buy about 3 or 4 different currencies, [for example British Pound, Euro, CHF (Swiss Currency) and Yen (Japanese currency).]
You can specify the price at which you wish to sell each currency.
Then you can log off.
By 9 am, you’re at work in your office or business place.
You do your job as usual and by 5 pm, you’re finished and heading home.
When you get back home around 6.30 pm, you login into your forex day trading account to see how much money you’ve made.
Holy Molly, there in your account it says you have made $750!
“Is this for real?”, you wonder.
Yes, it is. (Your eyes are not deceiving you. )
$750 in a day for just clicking your mouse twice and doing no work?
(Whereas at your job, you work 8 hrs, but make only probably $150..)
This is how easy it is to make money from forex day trading.
But before you use real money to open a live forex day trading account, you have to open a free trial (demo) forex day trading account and practice first, to understand how it works and to acquire the right skills.
This free demo (trial) forex day trading account (forex simulation trading) will help you to reduce a lot of risks that can lead to loss.
In forex day trading, you can choose how much money to invest, how much money to make and when to make it.
You can make money daily, 365 days all year from forex day trading.
Your computer can be transformed into a personal, home “ATM” machine that cranks out cash for you daily (without large investment or hassles) from forex day trading.
In forex day trading, you can choose what type of risk you can manage, when to invest and when not to invest.
In forex day trading, you’re the boss. You may do as you please.
When forex day trading is compared to other investment programs such as stock trading, bond trading, mutual funds, real estate and regular business, it is evident that forex day trading is the fastest and greatest way to make money in the world.
Forex day trading is a 2.5 trillion dollars daily business and it is larger than all the stock trading in the world combined.
These are some of the reasons why I believe that forex trading is the fastest and best way to create fantastic wealth.
Perhaps from reading this article you’ll now come to know why forex day trading is the secret behind the greatest wealth on earth and why it has been kept hidden from the average people of the world and therefore little known to the masses.
May these forex day trading insights open your eyes to the possibility of infinite wealth and success that can be yours from forex day trading.
Please feel free to print or publish this article anywhere and read and also send to your friends and well wishers and please preserve the author’s resource box below.

Tips to Make Money Fast in Forex.
This is all about making a fortune with Forex. Most traders just go with the flow and make average gains, with this article you will learn what makes some traders stand out and a lot richer than others!
We are going to assume that you know how to trade, and has quite an experience in trading.
With simple changes in your trade selection, money and risk management, and mindset, you can change that average gains into larger ones!
Fast money is in Forex, it is a lifestyle. here is it how its done.
Tip 1 . Embrace Changeability and Risk With a Smile.
Forex systems have instability.
If you cannot manage and calculate your risk, then don't ever think about trading in Forex. Many traders back away from forex because of this ( why do you even traded in the first place?). But taking manageable risks has its rewards.
It's just simple, you know what your losing if ever it doesn't work out, yet what you gain is unpredictable but sure is high! That is what I call excitement, my friend.
To a well-educated Forex trader, this is something you shouldn't be afraid of, might as well embrace it.
Tip 2. Trade Less, gain more.
Most traders think that if they don't trade, another door has closed, or miss some move. The tendency, they trade frequently. Most of the trades that come big come a few times in a year. Focus on the trades that make the really big gains. Be alert, and informed.
Tip 3. Diversify is a no-no.
Most Investors accept the fact that diversification can make money fast - in reality it does exactly the opposite.
Tip 4. Money and Risk Management.
This article has been concentrating on the Big gains, because this is your money, so every penny should be controlled, this is where money management kicks in.
Control your risks, but increase your chances of success:
- Give yourself staying power by buying options at or in the money, this prevents you from getting stopped out. Many traders lose not by the market direction, but because they were stopped out by a instable move, and options will give you staying power.
- Keep your stop in its original position - until the move is well in profit, before moving it up.
- Trading fast and selectively - have the courage to trade when you feel it is good. and enjoy the cash.
Tip 5. Compound growth has its benefits.
The way to make money fast in forex, is to understand the power of compound growth. For example, if you target 50% a year in your trading, you can grow an initial $20,000 account, to over a million dollars, in under 10 years.
Break the norm, and gain more. Follow some of these tips and make your way into the big gains!