Archives for August 2007

FOREX Trading Systems

Almost every online FOREX broker has a software package for their clients to make transactions and get information about market prices. Due to the relative maturity of online trading there is a consensus among FOREX brokers about what clients need in terms of software tools. There are two main classes of FOREX software – web based and client based.

All FOREX software needs to provide up-to-the-second market information. The fast moving pace of the FOREX demands real-time data delivery for making decisions about when to enter and exit the market. FOREX dealers claim their software performs well with a minimum of delay, but in fact there can be a number of factors that could delay data transmission.

Internet connection speed and distance from the broker’s servers are the two main factors that can slow down data transmission. FOREX traders should have a reasonably modern computer and a high speed Internet connection to take full advantage of the FOREX software offered by their broker. It may also pay to choose a broker in the same area as you live. Traders in Bangkok who deal with brokers in Ohio may experience delays – especially during volatile market conditions.

Web Based or Client Based?

Web based software is on the broker’s website – you don’t have to install any software on your computer. Client based software requires you to download and install the software package used by your broker. Which is better? More and more brokers are offering web based client software for reasons of convenience, safety and reliability. Web based software allows you to log on to your account from any computer – you can make trades from any location that has an Internet connection. Client based software, on the other hand, restricts you to making trades from just one computer.

Besides the convenience, web based software offers greater security. Data is secured with high-strength encryption making it impossible for outside parties to access during transmission. Client based software is also secured during transmission but there are more possibilities for data loss from the trader’s computer. Viruses and hackers may be able to access valuable financial data stored in a home or office computer.

Features

FOREX software needs to access real-time quotes and offer a means to enter and exit the market. Even the most basic packages offer these functions. Current quotes can be seen for most currency pairs and the software allows you to buy or sell at market prices or enter and exit the market using stops or limits. Ideally, trading software should have integrated charting functions with a variety of viewing functions.

Basic software packages should be offered free of charge, but many brokers also have more advanced packages available for a monthly fee. Some of the features you could expect to see in advanced software include the ability to trade directly from the chart and full analytical functions.

Technology

The backbone of FOREX software is a series of data servers that allow you to connect to your broker’s web site and make transactions. Servers operated by the FOREX broker need to be reliable and secure for maintaining data integrity and assuring accurate transaction processing. Servers are subject to power outages and natural disasters, so to ensure maximum uptime, the broker should operate at least two sets of servers in separate locations. Brokers should also offer regular data backups to guarantee the integrity of their customer’s financial data in case of server failure.

?The World Makes the Forex Market Go Round

You may wonder if it’s possible to day trade currencies along with trading stocks. Yes, it is possible to day trade currencies as well as trading stocks. In case you have ever wondered how the foreign exchange market, or Forex, works, here is an overview of some of the markets basic features.

First and foremost there are the foreign exchange rates, which is the proportional value of two currencies. To be more specific, it’s the required quantity of one particular currency to sell or buy a unit of another currency. There are two methods used to express a foreign exchange rate. The most common method would express the amount of foreign currency that is needed to buy one U.S. dollar. For instance, if a foreign exchange quote expressed as USD/CND at 1.4300, this means that one U.S. dollar can be exchanged for 1.43 Canadian dollars, and vise versa.

The second method is when the foreign exchange rate is expressed under the terms that the USD amount can be exchanged for one unit of a foreign currency. For instance, if a quote of CND/USD at 0.6700 means that one Canadian dollar can be exchanged for the same 0.6700 USD. When the USD is not used to convey an exchange rate, then the “cross rate” term is used to convey the proportional values between the two currencies. For instance, if the quote is DEM/SFR at .7000, this means that on German Mark can be exchanged for only .7 Swiss Francs.

Basis points are normally when the foreign exchange rate is expressed by a whole number followed by four decimal points. For example, 0.0001 is called a basis point. Therefore, if an exchange rate rises from 1.4550 to 1.4590, then the currency is said to have changed by 40 basis points.

The forex market is used to invest in other countries or even to buy foreign products. Sometimes individuals or firms who wish to buy foreign currencies or products, may need to get hold of some of the currency, beforehand, from the country in which they wish to do business with. Also, the exporters may require payment for services or goods in their own currency, or in USD, which is accepted throughout the world.

In the Forex market, a majority of selling and buying of foreign currencies throughout the world is taken place, mostly by the large commercial banks, who are the major traders in the forex market. With five major institutions based throughout the world in New York, London, Frankfurt, Zurich and Tokyo, the forex market is considered the largest financial market in the world by far, with the multitude of trading volumes exceeding 1.5 trillion USD on most days.

Consisting primarily of world wide network interbank traders who are connected together by computers and telephone lines, forex traders are incessantly negotiating prices among one another. These artful negotiations normally ensue in a market bid, or asking price, for a specific currency which is then introduce continuously into computers to be displayed on official quote screens. When the forex exchange rates are quoted between banks, this is called “Interbank Rates.”

The foreign exchange spreads are when the exchange rates in the forex market are cited as a two tier “bid” or “ask” rate. For instance, when a USD and a DEM is cited as 1.6000/15, the forex trader who cites this exchange rate is agreeing to buy the DEM’s at 1.6000 and sell them at 1.6015. The “spread” is the actual difference between cites of purchase and cites of sale and also illustrates the profit expected from the transaction for the forex trader. The “spread” may vary comprehensively on any specific currency, all depending on the currency’s strength or weakness, and even it’s past history or prospective volatility.

Many individuals may not be able to get hold of some foreign currencies at forex rates unless they become licensed traders through forex. Instead, those individuals may be able to come across foreign currency through a commercial bank, which may charge the individuals with either a commission or a higher spread than those reigning in the forex market. Sometimes these commercial banks will even charge individuals both commission and higher spread as to enable the bank to make a reasonable profit from the transaction.

The Highly Profitable World Of Forex Brokers

Being in the middle is a very advantageous position. You’d get to have more opportunities to exploit, since you’ll have access to many parties around you. Hence, brokering has always been a profitable profession. You’ve got brokers for stocks and commodities exchange, for joint ventures and other forms of partnership, and for real estate transactions too. With foreign currency exchange slowly emerging as a hot industry, forex brokers have also enjoyed amazing success in recent years.

But what are forex brokers and what do they do, exactly?

Forex brokers are like your typical middlemen. They help facilitate deals involving the exchange of foreign currencies. Whether you’re a buyer of a “quiet” currency, or a seller of a hot one or one which is in danger of severely depreciating in value, you would be better off consulting with forex brokers to finalize some transactions really fast.

The job of forex brokers isn’t really that difficult to understand. If you’re a buyer who engages their services, these forex brokers would look for sellers whom you could do business with. If you’re a seller, on the other hand, these forex brokers would try to find interested and willing buyers for your currencies.

How do forex brokers earn their keep, you might ask?

They get paid through a variety of options. Some forex brokers demand a fixed rate. Once they get paid the stated fee, your relationship with them is through, at least for that particular deal. Some forex brokers, however, demand a percentage of the transaction’s total cost. If you’re selling $100,000 worth of currencies, for example, and the forex brokers manage to find a buyer for you, they could demand 5% of the deal’s worth, which would equate to around $5,000. Also, there are some forex brokers who won’t demand any price at all. They’ll just sell what you offer and put some markup on them. The markup would serve as their profit.

There are so many forex brokers plying their trade in the virtual and the real world. Whenever you would need their services, you’d be happy to know that they’re not that difficult to find. In fact, they may even approach you with their marketing strategies once you start dabbling with foreign currency exchange.

With foreign currency exchange heating up at such a blistering pace, what with the fantastic earning opportunities it presents, forex brokers have also increased in numbers. This is a testament to a bustling field, and a guarantee that the future looks bright for this industry.

Basic Forex Terminology

What is Basic Forex Terminology? Basic Forex terminology is used by most individuals and companies that trade Forex. Forex stands for foreign exchange markets. Forex is the largest financial market in the world and trades global currencies in real time. In order to excel at Forex, you should be aware of basic Forex terminology. Here are some widely used terms.

One of the most basic Forex terminologies is ask price. Ask price is the price a currency is offered for. When trading Forex, you will usually see both the ask price and sell price for each currency listed next to each other.

Base currency, stands for the currency that all your currencies are converted to once you close the trade. The base currency usually is the US Dollar for people doing business in America.

Going long and going short are also popular basic Forex terminologies. Going long means that you invest in a currency for the long term. Going short means that you sell a currency that is not yet owned by you- the seller. Going short can be a great way to profit in certain situations, but can involve high risk.

Pip is also a popular basic Forex term. Pip stands for the difference between the bid price and the asking price. The range is also an important term because it offers the seller information on the highest and lowest prices of currencies being offered.

So if you are interested in trading Forex, it is important that you read and understand the above basic Forex terminology.

?Hedging in the Forex Market

For those who are not familiar with the Forex market, the word “hedging” could mean absolutely nothing. However, those who are regular traders know that there are many ways to use this term in trading. Most of the time when you hear this phrase it means that you are trying to reduce your risk in trading. It is something that everyone who plans to invest should know about. It is a technique that can protect your investments to some degree.

What Is It?

While hedging is a popular trading term, it is also one that seems a little mysterious. It is much like an insurance plan. When you hedge, you insure yourself in case a negative event may occur. This does not mean that when a negative event occurs you will come out of it completely unaffected. It only means that if you properly hedge yourself, you won’t experience a huge impact. Think of it like your auto insurance. You purchase it in case something bad happens. It does not prevent bad things from happening, but if they do, you are able to recover a lot better than if you were uninsured.

Anyone who is involved in trading can learn to hedge. From huge corporations to small individual investors, hedging is something that is widely practiced. The manner in which they do this involves using market instruments to offset the risk of any negative movement in price. The easiest way to do this is to hedge an investment with another investment. For example, the way most people would deal with this is to invest in two different things with negative correlations. This is still costly to some people; however, the protection you get from doing this is well worth the cost most of the time. When you begin learning more about hedging, you start to understand why not many people completely know what it is all about. The techniques used to hedge are done by using derivatives. These are complicated instruments of finance and most often only used by seasoned investors.

Is There A Downside To Hedging?

When you decide to hedge, you must remember that it comes with a cost. You should always be sure that the benefits you get from a hedge should be more than enough to make it worth your while. You should make sure the expense is justified. If it is not, then you should not hedge. The goal of hedging is not to make money. You will not make large gains by hedging yourself. You have to take some risks in order to gain. Hedging is intended to be used to protect your losses. The loss cannot be avoided, but the hedge can offer a little comfort. However, even if nothing negative happens, you will still have to pay for the hedge. Unlike insurance, you are never compensated for your hedge. Things can go wrong with hedging and it may not always protect you as you think it will.

Should I Hedge?

Keep in mind that most investors never hedge in their entire trading careers. Short-term fluctuation is something that the majority of investors do not worry with. Therefore, hedging can be pointless. Even if you choose not to hedge however, learning about the technique is a great way to understand the market a bit more. You will see large corporations and other large traders use this and may be confused at why they are acting this way. When you know more about hedging you can fully understand their strategies.

Whether you decide to use hedging to your advantage or not, you will benefit from learning more about it. You can use it like an insurance policy when trading. You should remember however that hedging can be costly. Always check to make sure the costs of hedging will not run against any profits you may or may not make. Be sure those costs are realistic and that your need for hedging is realistic as well. You will be able to use hedging to help cut your potential losses, however hedging will never guard against the negatives altogether. Learning about it will give you a better understanding at how large traders work the system however, which can in turn make you a better player in the trading game.