CurrencyTradingABC.com

Many people are looking for a way to make a living online.  E-currency trading is one of the fastest growing arenas for doing just that.  E-currency trading is just a short name for electronic currency trading.  Trading in the currency  market has skyrocketed in recent years.  With globalization of economies the market has been getting a lot more attention and therefore attracting a lot of new traders.

It is estimated that over four trillion dollars is traded daily on the foreign currency exchange.(FOREX)  In addition to globalization, the 24 hour trading that takes place five days a week makes e-currency trading extremely attractive.  This schedule allows flexibility for those traders who have other jobs or just want to set their own work schedule.

Another important reason so many people are getting involved in e-currency trading is the low amount of money required to get started.  Some brokers require only $500.00 to set up an account.  This is because there is a large amount of leverage used in currency trading.  Brokers will lend you the majority of the lot price when you trade.  Leverage will increase the amount of risk you are taking on so it is very important to manage it closely.

E-currency trading is a complex task.  As mentioned earlier there is a huge amount of competition because of the recent growth in the number of traders.  It is very important that you educate yourself about the market and how it operates before you become active as a trader.  There are many  books written on the subject.  It is highly recommended that you use a few of them to become fluent about the market.

Currencies are traded in pairs. For instance, the US dollar is matched up with the Japanese yen.  The euro is paired with the US dollar.  The British pound trades against the US dollar and the US dollar trades against the Swiss franc.  These are just some of the most common pairs.  The first currency in the pair is called the base currency.  It will be purchased or sold at the current exchange rate with second currency called the quote currency.  The objective is very simple.  Buy a currency if you feel it will move higher with the objective of selling later for a profit.  You can also sell a currency if you think it will decline in value against its pair currency.  You will have to buy it back later to cover your short position, hopefully at a lower price, realizing a profit.

Now that you see how easy it is to trade in the market, the only thing you have to do is trade profitably.  Not such an easy task.  Before getting involved with real money you should find a course that is taught by a professional trader who is willing to share his/her knowledge with you.  Learning from someone who has become successful is the best way to start.

There are many factors that you will need to understand to be able to make accurate e-currency trading decisions.  Technical analysis is a major tool used by most traders.  Understanding how it works will take a major effort, but it will be well worth it if you are serious about trading.  Fundamental factors affect currency prices constantly.  Understanding how they affect them is your responsibility.

If you can develop an understanding of the market and what causes currency prices to move up and down, with e-currency trading you can work anywhere almost anytime.  This is definitely the ideal way to make a living if you can do it.

Currency trading has become a popular sport in the financial markets worldwide.  It is a complex and competitive market.  If you are just starting to look at this as a possible venture you will need to start with currency trading basics.  Rest assured that simply understanding the basics is not going to help you make money in the market, it is purely a place to start.

The currency market has gained popularity because it is the largest financial market in the world.  It is estimated that over $4 trillion is traded every day.  This is a huge volume compared to any other financial market in the world.  It is so large because globalization of economies initially necessitated higher volume.  However, speculation soon caused the trading volume to explode.  The higher volume makes trading easier because there is always a ready buyer or seller.

Currencies trade 24 hours a day somewhere in the world.  This takes place 5 days a week.  This factor alone has made market participation grow, because you can trade anytime of day or night that you want to during the week.  You will be required to deposit only a small percentage of the money you will need to buy the currency.  This is because leverage is used as a matter of course in currency trading.  Your broker will lean you most of the capital for trading.  This increases your exposure to risk.  You must manage the risk so that you don’t get hurt by it.

Currencies trade in pairs.  Essentially you trade one currency against another.  Some of the most common pairs are the EURO/USD(euro/dollar),USD/CAD(US dollar/Canadian dollar), USD/JPY(dollar/yen), GBP/USD(pound/dollar) and USD/CHF(dollar/Swiss franc).  The EURO/USD may be listed as 1.45.  This means that to buy one euro it will cost $1.45.  The currency named first in the pair is the currency being purchased(base), using the second currency(quote).  If you think that the euro will move higher you can purchase the euro at $1.45.  If you are correct hopefully you can sell it later at a higher price realizing a profit. Currencies trade usually in lots of 100,000.  If you are trading the EUR/USD and your broker allows you to use 100:1 leverage, you will need $1,000 for each lot you trade.

It doesn’t matter if a currency price is expected to move up or down.  You can purchase the currency if you feel the base price will move higher.  If you think the base price will decline you can sell short with the intention of buying the currency back at a lower price later.  This all sounds pretty simple.  “Buy low and sell high.”  “Sell high and buy back low.”  How do you determine which way the base currency price will move?  Now we have to move beyond currency trading basics.

Professional traders usually use two things to make their trading decisions.  Technical analysis is one of those things.  Technical analysis involves using charts to plot historic price movements.  This is essence shows a picture of how prices have behaved in the past.  Since every trader is watching the charts to determine price movements, history tends to repeat itself.  Sometimes just hitting a certain point on the chart can cause massive buying or selling of the currency.  Fundamental analysis is the other way trading decisions are made.  Fundamentals are things like outside economic factors like interest rate changes or money supply changes.  These two need to be used in combination in order to trade successfully.

To develop the ‘trading instinct’ you must study the market until you can begin to see what causes price changes.  If you can learn to recognize trends from the charts, this will help you make accurate trading decisions.  Practicing for a while will help build your confidence and your skill.

Just understanding currency trading basics will not be enough to prepare for a profitable career in the market.  You must develop intense knowledge of how money is made in currencies before you begin.

Many people are getting the bug to day trade in the financial markets.  One activity that is growing rather rapidly is currency futures trading.  Why is this?  In recent years trading in the foreign currency market has expanded at a phenomal rate.  Globalization has caused some of this.  So many companies do business internationally and need to pay for goods and services with currencies other than their own.  With the need for this market increasing, speculators have come into the market in drooves.

The currency markets are estimated to trade over $4 trillion daily.  The market trades somewhere in the world 24 hours a day, 5 days a week.  The liquidity as well as the 24 hour market makes it very attract for speculators.  They can work whenever they want to and they are assured of getting orders done easily.  The currency futures markets are very similar.  There are some important differences one should be aware of.

The foreign currency market is loosely regulated.  There is no definite agency that regulates the trading in the market.  Trades are basically done between the buyer and seller.  This is known as market making.  The trader will take one position and the broker or market-maker will take the opposite side.  This type of trading is fine, however there is a better way for an individual trader to day trade in this market.

Getting involved in currency futures trading is another way for the individual speculator to day trade currencies.  Futures on currencies are contracts traded on the Chicago Merchantile Exchange(CME). One of the benefits to the individual trader is that the exchange is regulated much like the stock market is regulated.  This is better for the individual because he/she is not trading against a market-maker like in the actual currency market.  The conflict of interest factor is eliminated.

Currency futures trading takes place 24 hours a day, 5 days a week just like the FOREX.  The most popular currency pairs that trade on the CME are the EUR/USD, GBD/USD, CAD/USD and CHF/USD.  The pricing of the contracts is centralized, so all prices are the same no matter which broker you trade with.  The volume on the futures exchange is much smaller than the volume on FOREX.  If you are just using the market for day trading though, this should not cause problems.

Contract dollar amounts are preset.  For example the EUR/USD futures contract is for $125,000.00 worth of euros.  Since the contracts are based on the underlying currency pair prices, trading is very similar to trading the actual currency.  Economic factors will cause fluctuations in both currency prices making decision making with futures the same as if you were trading on the FOREX.

So how do you decide whether to trade on the FOREx or trade in currency futures?  If you have a huge amount of money you are trading, use the FOREX.  The higher liquidity will make it much easier for you to trade without affecting currency prices with your transactions.  If you are simply day trading for yourself, use the futures market.  You are not likely to trade such a large number of contracts that you will affect prices.  The futures market is more heavily regulated also.  For an individual trader this is best.

Whether you trade on the FOREX or become active in currency futures trading, you will need to have a solid understanding of the same factors that affect the underlying currency prices.  Becoming an expert at predicting price movements is the most important factor in becoming successful with either type of trading.