Daily or Position Trader, their strengths and weaknesses

Day-trading overview

Day-trading, which was once the exclusive domain of the floor trader, is now fair game for all speculators. Inspired in part by large intraday price swings, instant availability of quotes, affordable high-powered computers and competitive commissions, the new wave of day-trading methods and systems has attracted thousands of traders in recent years. The undeniable thrill of trading within the time span of one day is, however, a double-edged sword: one that can hurt as well as heal. To be successful, a day-trader must have the discipline of a machine, the instincts of a fox, the emotions of a rock, the skills of a surgeon and the patience of a saint. (And a little luck wouldn’t hurt either.) The day trader works more with the emotions along with the fundamental analysis.

Factors Affecting the Market

Currency prices are affected by a variety of economic and political conditions, most importantly interest rates, inflation and political stability. Moreover, governments sometimes participate in the Forex market to influence the value of their currencies, either by flooding the market with their domestic currency in an attempt to lower the price, or conversely buying in order to raise the price. This is known as Central Bank intervention. Any of these factors, as well as large market orders, can cause high volatility in currency prices. However, the size and volume of the Forex market makes it impossible for any one entity to «drive» the market for any length of time.

Fundamental Analysis

The future is coming quickly upon us; very soon millions will be on the Internet trading foreign currency. Forex trading is gaining momentum now, as the word goes out that is a SAFE market to trade in.
The major reasons why Forex trading is catching on to the individual trader are Safety, Liquidity, Trade when you wish, guaranteed stop losses, and it’s fun.
You do not have to sit in front of your computer all day long to trade the Forex, although once you see the power of Forex trading you might want to. Our teaching methods will show you the correct entry and exit points. All you have to do is glance at the charts occasionally to see if correct entry point is approaching, and if it is then get in on the trade. We will even show you how to leave your computer and have your trade be closed automatically at the level that you wish.

Best Times to Trade

EUR/USD
During the Tokyo session, the Euro only trades 15% of all volume so it is best to start watching the Euro late in the Tokyo session. It trades 39% of all Forex volume during the London session. It can also be traded during the New York session.
GBP/USD
The pound trades extremely lightly during the Tokyo session. Start watching it near the end of the Tokyo session as it can start moving then. In the London session, GBP/USD accounts for approximately 23% of all Forex trading volume. The pound can be traded in the New York session also.
USD/JPY
During the Tokyo session, USD/JPY accounts for approximately 78% of all Forex volume. This drops to about 17% during the London session. There are occasional days when these 3 pairs make significant price moves outside the sessions which normally have the most trading volume.

Currency pairs

The currencies are always traded in pairs. For example, EUR/USD, which means Euro over US dollars, would be a typical pair. In this case, the Euro, being the first currency can be called the base currency. The second currency, by default USD, is called the counter or quote currency.
As mentioned, the first currency is the base, therefore in a pair you can refer the amount of that currency as being the amount required to purchase one unit of the second currency.
So, if you want to buy the currency pair, you have to buy the EURO and sell the USD simultaneously.
On the other hand, if you are looking forward to sell the currency pair, you have to sell the EURO and buy the USD.
The most important thing to understand in a currency pair, or more precisely in a Forex transaction,
is that you will be selling or buying the same currency.

Benefits of Forex Trading vs. Equity Trading

• 24 hour trading
• Liquidity
• 50:1 Leverage to 400:1 Leverage
• Lower transaction costs
• Equal access to market information
• Profit potential in both rising and falling markets

Benefits of Online Investing

Online trading has caused a major paradigm shift in investing. At the turn of the millennium, there are over 6 million online investment accounts, up from 1.5 million in 1997. As a result, start-up firms now compete directly with financial institutions to serve investors in the new Economy, and the clear winner is the customer. The competition between the brick and mortar institutions and the Internet-based companies has dramatically lowered the costs of investing, and empowered the individual investor to take control of their own investment strategy.