Hedging Options » Currency Trading

Forex Currency Trading Explained — Fx Trading

admin — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 07:02:43 +0000

FOREX MARKET HOURSAt 7:00 pm Sunday, New York time, trading begins as markets open in Tokyo, Japan. Next, Singapore and Hong Kong open at 9:00 pm EST, followed by the European markets in Frankfurt (2:00 am), and then London (3:00 am). By 4:00 am, the European markets are in full swing, and Asia has concluded their trading day. The U.S. markets open first in New York around 8:00 am Monday, as Europe winds down. Australia will take over around 5:00 pm, and by 7:00 pm Tokyo is ready to re-open.All times are quoted in Eastern Standard Time (New York).FX or Forex, currency trading is the trading of one currency against another. In terms of trading volume, the currency exchange market is the world’s largest market, with daily trading volumes in excess of $1.5 trillion US dollars. This is orders of magnitude larger than the bond or stock markets. The New York Stock Exchange, for example, has a daily trading volume of approximately $50 billion. Currencies are traded for hedging and speculative purposes. Various market participants such as individuals, corporations, and institutions trade forex for one or both reasons. Corporate treasurers, private individuals and investors have currency exposures during the the regular course of business. The FXTrade Platform is an ideal platform to hedge any such exposure. An investor, who has bought a European stock and expects the EUR exchange rate to decline, can hedge his currency exposure by selling the EUR against the USD. Currency markets are ideally suited for speculative trading. The foreign exchange market has a daily volume in excess of 1.5 trillion USD, which is 50 times the size of the transaction volume of all the equity markets taken together. This makes the foreign exchange market, by far, the most liquid and efficient financial market of the world. Thanks to its efficiency, there is little or no slippage of market price for the execution of even large buy and sell orders. Traders are able to take advantage of intra-day volatility thanks to the low spreads and enter positions for short time periods, such as minutes and hours. Unlike equity trading, where restrictions limit a trader’s ability to profit from a market down turn, there are no such constraints on currency trading. Currency traders can take advantage of both up and down trends thus increasing their profit potential.The most commonly traded currencies are: USD, EUR, JPY, GBP, CHF, CAD and AUD.The most commonly traded currency pair is EUR/USD.Forex Symbol Guide Symbol Currency Pair Trading Terminology GBP/USD British Pound / US Dollar “Cable” EUR/USD Euro / US Dollar “Euro” USD/JPY US Dollar / Japanese Yen “Dollar Yen” USD/CHF US Dollar / Swiss Franc “Dollar Swiss”, or “Swissy” USD/CAD US Dollar / Canadian Dollar “Dollar Canada” AUD/USD Australian Dollar / US Dollar “Aussie Dollar” EUR/GBP Euro / British Pound “Euro Sterling” EUR/JPY Euro / Japanese Yen “Euro Yen” EUR/CHF Euro / Swiss Franc “Euro Swiss” GBP/CHF British Pound / Swiss Franc “Sterling Swiss” GBP/JPY British Pound / Japanese Yen “Sterling Yen” CHF/JPY Swiss Franc / Japanese Yen “Swiss Yen” NZD/USD New Zealand Dollar / US Dollar “New Zealand Dollar” or “Kiwi” USD/ZAR US Dollar / South African Rand “Dollar Zar” or “South African Rand” GLD/USD Spot Gold “Gold” SLV/USD Spot Silver “Silver” CURRENCY PAIRSAll currencies are assigned an International Standards Organization (ISO) code abbreviation. In currency trading, these codes are often used to express which specific currencies make up a currency pair. For example, USD/JPY refers to two currencies: the US Dollar and the Japanese Yen. SPOT FOREX Spot foreign exchange is always traded as one currency in relation to another. So a trader who believes that the dollar will rise in relation to the Euro, would sell EUR/USD. That is, sell Euros and buy US dollars. The following is guide for quoting conventions: What does it mean to be “long” or “short” a currency?Being long means buying a currency. Being short means selling a currency. If a trader goes long USD/JPY, he or she buys US Dollars and sells Japanese Yen. Buying a currency is synonymous with taking a long position in that currency. A trader takes a long position in a currency if he or she believes it will appreciate in value.If a trader goes short USD/JPY, he or she sells US Dollars and buys Japanese Yen. Selling a currency is synonymous with shorting that currency. A trader would short a currency if he or she believes it will depreciate in value.CURRENCY TRADING: BUYING AND SELLING CURRENCIESAll Forex trades result in the buying of one currency and the selling of another (currency trading), simultaneously. Buying (”going long”) the currency pair implies buying the first, base currency and selling an equivalent amount of the second, quote currency (to pay for the base currency). It is not necessary to own the quote currency prior to selling, as it is sold short. A trader buys a currency pair if he/she believes the base currency will go up relative to the quote currency, or equivalently that the corresponding exchange rate will go up. Selling (”going short”) the currency pair implies selling the first, base currency, and buying the second, quote currency. A trader sells a currency pair if he/she believes the base currency will go down relative to the quote currency, or equivalently, that the quote currency will go up relative to the base currency. An open trade or position is one in which a trader has either bought or sold one currency pair and has not sold or bought back an adequate amount of that currency pair to effectively close the trade. When a trader has an open trade or position, he/she stands to profit or lose from fluctuations in the price of that currency pair.Forex is the backbone of all international capital transactions. Compared to the slim profit margins rendered in other areas of commercial banking, huge profits are generally produced in a matter of minutes form minor currency market movements. Some banks generate 60% of their profits from trading currency aggressively.Trading volume has been growing at a rate of 25% per year since the mid-1980s and therefore it is not difficult to accept the notion that the currency market is one of the world fastest growing industries. What used to require days to accomplish in Europe or Asia now oly takes a few minutes. Needless to say, technology has changed everything and millions of Dollars are moved from one currency into another every second of every day by major banks through computers and for the average investor, with the touch of a computer key.Foreign exchange is the backbone of all international capital transactions. Compared to the slim profit margins rendered in other areas of commercial banking, huge profits are generally produced in a matter of minutes from minor currency options market movements. Some banks generate up to 60% of their profits from trading currency aggressively. Transactions in foreign currencies take place when one country’s currency is purchased (exchanged) with another country’s currency. The price agreed upon or negotiated for the currency purchased is referred to as the foreign exchange rate. Major commercial banks in the money market centers throughout the world are responsible for the majority of foreign currencies bought and sold. Trading volume has been growing at a rate of 25% per year since the mid-1980s and therefore it is not difficult to accept the notion that the currency options is the world’s fastest growing industry. What used to require days to accomplish in Europe or Asia now only takes a few minutes. Needless to say, technology has changed everything and millions of Dollars are moved from one currency into another every second of every day by major banks through computers and for the average investor, with the touch of a phone.FOREX BASICS – What’s a PIP A “pip” is the smallest increment in any currency pair. In EUR/USD, a movement from .8951 to .8952 is one pip, so a pip is .0001. In USD/JPY, a movement from 130.45 to 130.46 is one pip, so a pip is .01. CALCULATING THE WORTH OF A PIP How much in dollars is this movement worth, for example, per 10,000 Euros in EUR/USD? How much is one pip worth per 10,000 Dollars in USD/JPY? We will refer to the size, in this case 10,000 units of the base currency, as the “Notional Amount”. The formula for calculating a pip value is therefore: (one pip, with proper decimal placement / currency exchange rate) x (Notional Amount) Using USD/JPY as an example, this yields: (.01/130.46) x USD 10,000 = $0.77 or 77 cents per pip Using EUR/USD as an example, we have: (.0001/.8942) x EUR 10,000 = EUR 1.1183 But we want the pip value in USD, so we then must multiply EUR 1.1183 x (EUR/USD exchange rate): EUR 1.1183 x .8942 = $1.00 This is in fact a phenomenon you will see with any currency in which the currency is quoted first (such as EUR/USD or GBP/USD): the pip value is always $1.00 per 10,000 currency units. This is why pip (or “tick”) values in currency futures, where the currency is quoted first, are always fixed. Approximate pip values for the major currencies are as follows, per 10,000 units of the base currency: USD/JPY: 1 pip = $.77 (i.e. a change from 130.45 to 130.46 is worth about $.77 per $10,000) EUR/USD: 1 pip = $1.00 (.8941 to .8942 is worth $1.00 per 10,000 Euros) GBP/USD: 1 pip = $1.00 (1.4765 to 1.4766 is worth $1.00 per 10,000 Pounds) USD/CHF: 1 pip = $.59 (1.6855 to 1.6866 is worth $.59 per $10,000)SpreadThe spread is the difference between the price that you can sell currency at ( Bid) and the price you can buy currency at ( Ask). The spread on majors is usually 3 pips under normal market conditions. Market HoursThe spot Forex market is unique to any other market in the world; trading 24-hours a day. Somewhere around the world a financial center is open for business and banks and other institutions exchange currencies every hour of the day and night, only stopping briefly on the weekend. Foreign exchange markets follow the sun around the world, giving traders the flexibility of determining their trading day and the ability to take advantage of global economic events.FOREX or The Foreign exchange rate market is an international market where various currency exchange transactions take place; this is in the shape of simultaneously buying one currency and selling another. The most commonly traded currencies are referred to as “Majors”; over 85% of daily transactions on Forex trading involve the Majors. These seven currencies are the US Currency (Dollar, USD), Japanese Yen (JPY), Euro (EUR), British Pound (GBP), Swiss Franc (CHF), Canadian Dollar (CAD) and Australian Dollar (AUD). The Forex system in operation today was established in the 1970s when free currency exchange rates were introduced, this period also saw the US Dollar overtake the British Pound as the benchmark currency. Prior to this and in particular during World War II, exchange rate remained more stable. Forex trading in simplest terms is the buying of one currency and the selling of another. Forex trading, also referred to, as “FX” is open to corporations, small businesses, commercial banks, investment funds and private individuals, it is the largest financial market in the world averaging a daily turnover of over $1 trillion dollars, making it a diverse and exciting market. It is a 24-hour market enabling it to accommodate constant changing world currency exchange rates . According to New York time, trading begins at 2.15pm on Sunday in Sydney and Singapore and progresses through to Tokyo at 7pm, London at 2am and reaches New York at 8am. This leaves investors free to respond to global political, economic and social events when they take place, day or night. Unlike trading on the stock market, the forex market is not conducted by a central exchange, but on the “interbank” market, which is thought of as an OTC (over the counter) market. Trading takes place directly between the two counterparts necessary to make a trade, whether over the telephone or on electronic networks all over the world. The main centres for trading are Sydney, Tokyo, London, Frankfurt and New York. This worldwide distribution of trading centres means that the forex market is a 24-hour market.

Forex Trading… Let Robots Trade Largest Market 24 Hours

admin — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 18:58:23 +0000

Software that Fights Insomnia There are two definitions for the word Forex. It is, along with FX an anagram for foreign exchange market which trade’s currencies. In a forex trade, you buy one currency while simultaneously selling another – that is, you’re exchanging the sold currency for the one you’re buying. The foreign exchange market is an over-the-counter market. The other Forex is a major conglomerate that is, in their own words, a global provider of online trading services, servicing customers in more than 140 countries. In the next few minutes I will attempt to educate you on both of these terms, and what they can mean to your future. For an awful long time the foreign exchange market had been one of the financial world’s best kept secrets. This is hard to believe considering it is the largest market in the world and accept for weekends trades 24 hours a day. It was mostly the playground for large banks, corporations and hedge fund managers. Currencies are trade in pairs, like the Euro-US Dollar (EUR/USD) or US Dollar / Japanese Yen (USD/JPY). Unlike stocks or futures, there’s no centralized exchange for forex, so all transactions happen via phone or electronic network. That electronic network path is the reason for this astounding day trader like mentality, and also the reason that perhaps you are reading this in the first place. Your computer allows you to tap into this market, and take advantage of fact that it does indeed trade 24 hours. With average daily turnover of US$3.2 trillion, forex is without a doubt the most traded market in the world. Starting Sunday 5:00 P.M. ET to Friday 5:00 P.M. ET, forex trading begins in Sydney, and moves around the globe as the business day begins, first to Tokyo, London, and New York. So trading currencies is unlike other financial markets, because investors can respond immediately to currency fluctuations, whenever they occur – day or night. I guess that means getting involved with FX will mean you’ll get very little sleep. Until the massive access to affordable software, that might have been the scenario. So that leads us to the next Forex. With the right platform Forex day trading can be almost like a vacation for the trader who deals with other financial products in other markets. Not only are there less governing bodies to deal with, it means less binding rules and regulations to pay heed to when making your trades as well. For instance, in the Forex world, there is no such thing as “insider trading.” If you know something either harmful or beneficial to the exchange rate of the Euro, then feel free to capitalize on that information at will. The equivalent information at the stock exchange, might very well lead to an investigation by the SEC. Always keep in mind that 95% of currency trades are speculative. What that means is that this is a very risky venture. Without correct and through training and the right kind of software to trade on, you can very easily lose your investment. To be affective the platform should meet at least a minimum of three qualifications. 1. It must be able to offer live streaming technical data. (Otherwise the program is merely educational) 2 Visually it has to be large enough for all the data to be seen easily. (Many of the online brokerage’s technical data is too small to be useful) 3. It must be cost effective. (Most good systems can be purchased for between one and two hundred dollars)The Forex platforms not only meet but exceed these qualifications. They not only offer live streaming technical data, but you can view real-time prices in 37 currency pairs and spot gold. Also you can execute market orders with just one mouse click and choose from eight available order types. Remember we are trading currency, which is vulnerable to political and economic news, so all of the platforms have access to view up to the minute news headlines and market commentary. I don’t profess to being an expert, but I do know of some. I obviously don’t have the time to go into all the details now, but at my site Market Mentalist you will find all you need to know about investing online. There is access to some of the top trading systems available including Forex software, books, newsletters, and Forums. Whether you are an inquisitive novice or a seasoned pro Market Mentalist offers the online investment resource you just might be seeking.

Commodities Trading… Do You Know Your Peas and Qâs Of Futures?

admin — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 07:50:12 +0000

More Than One Hundred and Fifty Years of U.S. HistoryAnyone who has seen the classic movie Trading Places knows what commodities are. For those of you who have not gotten the privilege of seeing Eddie Murphy at his best,Â commodities are any physical, tangible goods. From crops such as corn or wheat, to oil, gold, and currency, commodities get traded on the futures market. Rice was undoubtedly the very first commodity traded at the original market of the Chinese. Here in the U.S. it began more than 150 years ago at the Chicago Board of Trade with the first agricultural futures contract. In 1982 options on futures was introduced, and in the 1990’s exchanges introduced electronic trading. Futures trading is now a 24 hour, seven days a week enterprise, and undoubtedly the main reason you are researching it.Â Like all financial instruments, the futures market is highly regulated, but not by the SEC. The SEC administers and enforces the federal laws that govern the sale and trading of securities, such as stocks, bonds, and mutual funds, but they do not regulate futures trading. The federal agency that does regulate futures trading is the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. With limitedexceptions, the trading of futures must be executed on the floor of a commodity exchange. Similar to broker-dealers that are members of the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. or some other self-regulatory organization, all firms and individuals who trade futures with the public or give advice about futures trading must be registered with the National Futures Association (NFA).Hedgers and SpeculatorsTwo Kinds of Commodities Traders:Commercial hedgers are corporations and sometime individuals, that seek to ensure the stability of a given commodity by taking a position in the commodities market. Take peas for example, and the hedger, a food processor who cans them. If pea prices go up the hedger ends up having to pay the farmer or pea dealer more. Because it is basically a cash commodity, to protect himself against higher pea prices, the processor can âhedgeâ his risk exposure by buying enough pea futures contracts to cover the amount of peas he expects to buy. Since cash and futures prices do tend to move in tandem, the futures position will profit if the price of peas rise enough to offset cash pea losses.Speculators are the second major group of futures players. These participants include independent floor traders and investors. A speculator is a person, or more likely an institution, that purchases or sells the commodities based on factors other than simply analysis. Whereas investors will focus, by and large, on detailed analysis.The Proâs and Conâs of Speculating Futures Looking ProsperousSince most individual traders are speculators, here is a list of some of the advantages and disadvantages of the futures market over other investment possibilities. 1. The possibility exist that a person can make more money faster in the futures market, becauseÂ the speed of prices tend to change faster than stocks. Conversely, bad judgment can cause one to suffer greater losses than traditional investments.2. Futures are highly leveraged investments. The trader only puts up about 15-20% as a margin, yet still being able to ride the full amount of the contract. Unlike stocks where at least 50% of its value has to be put up, and the investor pays interest on the difference between the margin and the full contract value. 3. For the most part there is no inside trading. Everyone has the same insiders information on the weather, for example. This is an open outcry market, very public, which insures a fair outcome.4. Commission charges on futures trades are small compared to other investments, and the investor pays them after the position is liquidated.5. Most commodity markets are very broad and liquid. Transactions can be completed quickly, lowering the risk of adverse market moves between the time of the decision to trade and the trade’s execution. I hope this has helped in your research. I donât profess to being an expert, but I do know of some. I obviously donât have the time to go into all the details now, but at my siteÂ Market Mentalist you will find all you need to know about investing online. I have a page devoted to commodities. There is access to some of the top trading systems available including software, books, newsletters, and Forums. Whether you are an inquisitive novice or a seasoned pro Market Mentalist offers the online investment resource you just might be seeking.

Currency Trading…There Is Money In Money

admin — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 18:54:06 +0000

We Are Not Talking Chump Change Perhaps you have seen the recent infomercial showing how easy it is to trade currencies, or you are a seasoned trader looking to branch out. It makes no difference about your experience, only your will to expand your scope of investments. For an awful long time the foreign exchange market had been one of the financial world’s best kept secrets. This is hard to believe considering it is the largest market in the world and accept for weekends trades 24 hours a day. Forex or FX as it is referred to was mostly the playground for large banks, corporations and hedge fund managers. If this is your first venture into Forex, you must understand that they play by a whole different set of rules. With average daily turnover of US$3.2 trillion, forex is without a doubt the most traded market in the world. Starting Sunday 5:00 P.M. ET to Friday 5:00 P.M. ET, forex trading begins in Sydney, and moves around the globe as the business day begins, first to Tokyo, London, and New York. So trading currencies is unlike other financial markets, because investors can respond immediately to currency fluctuations, whenever they occur – day or night. Currencies are trade in pairs, like the Euro-US Dollar (EUR/USD) or US Dollar / Japanese Yen (USD/JPY). Unlike stocks or futures, there’s no centralized exchange for forex, so all transactions happen via phone or electronic network. That electronic network path is the reason for this astounding day trader like mentality, and also the reason that perhaps you are reading this in the first place. Your computer allows you to tap into this market, and take advantage of fact that it does indeed trade 24 hours. As I have mentioned currency trading is not done in the same way that stocks, futures or options are. There is not a regulated exchange for currency trading, nor is there a governing body, therefore the trades come down to a matter of trust and the word of one trader to another. Burning the Midnight OilSoftware That Lets You Sleep Prosperously I guess that means getting involved with FX will mean you’ll get very little sleep. Until the massive access to affordable software, that might have been the scenario. With the right platform Forex day trading can be almost like a vacation for the trader who deals with other financial products in other markets. Not only are there less governing bodies to deal with, it means less binding rules and regulations to pay heed to when making your trades as well. For instance, in the Forex world, there is no such thing as “insider trading.” If you know something either harmful or beneficial to the exchange rate of the Euro, then feel free to capitalize on that information at will. The equivalent information at the stock exchange, might very well lead to an investigation by the SEC. Always keep in mind that 95% of currency trades are speculative. What that means is that this is a very risky venture. Without correct and through training and the right kind of software to trade on, you can very easily lose your investment. To be affective the platform should meet at least a minimum of three qualifications. 1. It must be able to offer live streaming technical data. (Otherwise the program is merely educational) 2 Visually it has to be large enough for all the data to be seen easily. (Many of the online brokerage’s technical data is too small to be useful) 3. It must be cost effective. (Most good systems can be purchased for between one and two hundred dollars)Knowledge and Training Will Exude ConfidenceForex Software Will give You Power The Forex platforms not only meet but exceed these qualifications. They not only offer live streaming technical data, but you can view real-time prices in 37 currency pairs and spot gold. Also you can execute market orders with just one mouse click and choose from eight available order types. Remember we are trading currency, which is vulnerable to political and economic news, so all of the platforms have access to view up to the minute news headlines and market commentary. I don’t profess to being an expert, but I do know of some. I obviously don’t have the time to go into all the details now, but at my site Market Mentalist you will find all you need to know about investing online. There is access to some of the top trading systems available including Forex software, books, newsletters, and Forums. Whether you are an inquisitive novice or a seasoned pro Market Mentalist offers the online investment resource you just might be seeking.

Futures Trading…Know The Market Before The Experts

admin — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 08:17:54 +0000

You Don’t need a Crystal BallOne might say that there has to be some kind of mystical knowledge being used, considering the price for the commodity doesn’t yet exist. Commodities are any physical, tangible goods, such as crops like corn or wheat, to oil, gold, and currency, just to name a few. The futures market has nothing to do with the use of a crystal ball, though there are many traders who wish they had one. A futures contract is a standardized contract to buy or sell a specified commodity of standardized quality at a certain date in the future, at a market determined price (the futures price). The contracts are traded on a futures exchange.A futures contract gives the holder the obligation to make or take delivery under the terms of the contract, whereas an option grants the buyer the right, but not the obligation, to establish a position previously held by the seller of the option. Like all financial instruments, the futures market is highly regulated, but not by the SEC. The SEC administers and enforces the federal laws that govern the sale and trading of securities, such as stocks, bonds, and mutual funds, but they do not regulate futures trading. The federal agency that does regulate futures trading is the Commodity Futures Trading Commission. With limitedexceptions, the trading of futures must be executed on the floor of a commodity exchange. Similar to broker-dealers that are members of the National Association of Securities Dealers, Inc. or some other self-regulatory organization, all firms and individuals who trade futures with the public or give advice about futures trading must be registered with the National Futures Association (NFA).The Players In This Chess MatchHedgers and Speculators

Commercial hedgers are corporations and sometime individuals, that seek to ensure the stability of a given commodity by taking a position in the commodities market. Take peas for example, and the hedger, a food processor who cans them. If pea prices go up the hedger ends up having to pay the farmer or pea dealer more. Because it is basically a cash commodity, to protect himself against higher pea prices, the processor can “hedge” his risk exposure by buying enough pea futures contracts to cover the amount of peas he expects to buy. Since cash and futures prices do tend to move in tandem, the futures position will profit if the price of peas rise enough to offset cash pea losses.Speculators are the second major group of futures players. These participants include independent floor traders and investors. A speculator is a person, or more likely an institution, that purchases or sells the commodities based on factors other than simply analysis. Whereas investors will focus, by and large, on detailed analysis.Gambling With Your FuturesFive Reasons To Roll the DiceSince most individual traders are speculators, here is a list of some of the advantages and disadvantages of the futures market over other investment possibilities. 1. The possibility exist that a person can make more money faster in the futures market, because the speed of prices tend to change faster than stocks. Conversely, bad judgment can cause one to suffer greater losses than traditional investments.2. Futures are highly leveraged investments. The trader only puts up about 15-20% as a margin, yet still being able to ride the full amount of the contract. Unlike stocks where at least 50% of its value has to be put up, and the investor pays interest on the difference between the margin and the full contract value. 3. For the most part there is no inside trading. Everyone has the same insiders information on the weather, for example. This is an open outcry market, very public, which insures a fair outcome.4. Commission charges on futures trades are small compared to other investments, and the investor pays them after the position is liquidated.5. Most commodity markets are very broad and liquid. Transactions can be completed quickly, lowering the risk of adverse market moves between the time of the decision to trade and the trade’s execution. I hope this has helped in your research. I don’t profess to being an expert, but I do know of some. I obviously don’t have the time to go into all the details now, but at my site Market Mentalist you will find all you need to know about investing online. I have a page devoted to futures. There is access to some of the top trading systems available including software, books, newsletters, and Forums. Whether you are an inquisitive novice or a seasoned pro Market Mentalist offers the online investment resource you just might be seeking.

Hedging of My Forex Positions Using Binary Options

admin — Fri, 18 Dec 2009 07:22:11 +0000

Non-farm payroll (NFP) number is being released today at the exact same time that ECB President Trichet begins his press conference, which means that we could see unusual volatility at the morning of US hours. The ECB press conference and the Non-farm payroll report will either neutralize each other or be a toxic combination for the US dollar.Trading the Non-farm payroll is usually very difficult given the inherent volatility of the currency pair but given the 2 big event risks – the ECB rate decision and the NFP release.The market currently expects a bad number, so a negative non-farm payrolls report will not be enough of a surprise. The current forecast calls for 60k jobs to be shaved off US payrolls. If payrolls come any where near -90k, the dollar would collapse against the Euro as the market questions the viability of a 2008 rate hike by the Federal Reserve. If payrolls on the other hand are better than -40k, it suggests that the labor market is bad but not as bad as everyone may have feared, which would be dollar positive. Currently I am holding 2 forex positions: 1. Shorted 100,000 NZD/USD at 0.7605, stop at 0.7645, target level at 0.7570. Current price is 0.7604, unrealised gain is US$6.2. Bought 100,000 USD/CHF at 1.0154, stop at 1.0120, target level at 1.0200. Current price is 1.0159, unrealised gain is US$58.22.Since I do not know the outcome Non-farm payroll and the ECB press conference, there are a few ways to reduce my risk:a) I can close my positions before the announcement can miss out the opportunity to profit when my initial view is correct. b) I can adjust my stop closer to my cost level but the great volatility from post NFP announcement can easily trigger stop to my positions. c) I can hedge my position using binary options.Binary option trading platform: IG Markets.1. Since I had shorted NZD/USD, I had bought Over for the binary option. So this means that in the situation that NZD/USD rises, I lost money from my convention forex position, at least I still win some money from my binary option.I had bought US$80 for NZD/USD Over trade for Daily expiration, strike price is 0.7649, odds is 3. This means if NZD/USD goes above 0.7649 by 5am China time, I will win US$240. If not I will lose US$80, but I may gain much more from my forex position.

2. I had done the same for USD/CHF. Since I had bought NZD/USD, I had bought US$80 Under for the binary option. So this means that in the situation that USD/CHF falls, I lost money from my convention forex position, at least I still win some money from my binary option.I had bought US$80 for USD/CHF Under trade for Daily expiration, strike price is 1.014, odds is 1.78. This means if USD/CHF goes below 1.014 by 5am China time, I will win US$142.40. If not I will lose US$80, but again I may gain much more from my forex position.

Official website: TradingEducationProgram.org

What are the Types of Risks in Forex Option Trading?

admin — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 09:56:56 +0000

Just as any other transaction in any type of financial market trading, the investor will always be facing risks. In the currency trading transaction involving forex options, some types of risks are to be expected. The main risk in options trading, just like with any other securities trading, is the value of the option changing over a period of time. The risks in forex options are even more complicated to predict and understand than that of the risks in securities trading. The beauty of the said risk is that it can be quantified and estimated. This can be done by using the hedge parameters of the option as well as the expected changes in the inputs of some models. To do the mentioned calculations, some technical valuation models have to be used such as the Black-Scholes and Ito’s lemma.

Two types of risks are involved in forex options trading, the pin risk and the counterparty risk. The first one is a special situation that happens only when underlier will close at/very close at the strike price of the option on the last day it was traded before the expiry date. This puts the seller in a situation wherein he is not sure if the option will be taken or allowed to expire. This would have the seller end up with an unwanted large residual position the day the market opens after expiry date.

The counterparty risk, although seldom happens and is generally ignored, involves the situation wherein the seller will refuse to buy or sell the assets agreed upon on the option contract. This risk may not happen at all if the trader makes use of intermediaries known to have strong financial capabilities. Only a major crash or widespread panic may bring about such situations.

What Are The Strategies Involved In Options Trading?

admin — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 19:16:27 +0000

Just as in any form of financial market trading, the trader gains an edge if he makes use of proven methods and strategies. This holds true especially in Forex trading. Currency trading is the biggest financial market globally trading with the amount of more than 4 billion dollars daily.As big as it is, it is only expected to involved many types of transactions. One way to make money in foreign currency trading is through option trading. As its name suggests, what the trader buys or sells is just the right go through with the transaction if the agreed price and time come. A contract involving the agreement of the price and the expiration date will be drawn between the option buyer and the option seller. The trader pays a premium price to buy the right. He is under no obligation however to go through the transaction if he finds it not within his best interest.In forex options trading, various strategies can be used with two main goals in the mind of the investor, to gain profit and to hedge against other positions. Based on these two main purposes in trading options, two basic strategies are also formed, the profit motivated strategies and the hedging strategies. The first strategy speaks of the use of options trading to gain great profits with a very low risk of loses since only the premiums stand to disappear in cases of unsuccessful forecasts. Traders usually make use of these options during situations where there is an important report or event and movement in the market can be sudden. For hedging strategies, options are great in decreasing risks. Other traders make use of options along with stop-loss points that makes possible the potential for unlimited profit if price moves continuously against trader’s position.

How To Start A Home Business With Options Trading And Credit Spreads

admin — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 18:58:11 +0000

If you are like most people, in these times of economic uncertainty you are looking for a way to earn extra money, that doesn’t take a lot of time, preferably from home and that doesn’t require a lot of capital to get started. If you fall into this category then options trading might be just what you are looking for. Although trading is a simple business to get started in, it is far from easy and be wary of anybody who tells you differently. Also you may have heard that trading options is risky, and while nothing in life is risk free, there are ways to substantially reduce the risk.

How much money do I need to start?

One of the beautiful things about options trading is it’s one of the few businesses that you can take for a free test drive to see if you can be successful at it. By trading in a simulator you can start your business with no money. Obviously you won’t be earning anything either, but you will be gaining valuable knowledge. You can find a simulator at CBOE.com. After you’ve traded in the simulator for a few months and become consistently profitable you can start with as little as $2,000.

Finding a broker

The first step in getting started in an options business is finding a broker. There are many (excuse the pun) options available, a few of the good ones include, OptionsXpress, TradeStation and Interactive Brokers. These are all members of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC), which are two organizations that protect you against fraud from financial brokers.

Putting the Odds in your favor

While this isn’t a comprehensive list there are a few things that you can do to stack the odds in your favor when dealing in stock options. First of all rather than buying puts and calls you can use credit spreads. This method of selling a higher priced option and purchasing a lower priced option alone will stack the odds enormously in your favor simply because this method can allow you to make money whether the markets go up, down or sideways. As a matter of fact using this method can allow you to win as much as 80-90% of the time, which is why professional traders use this type of trade to generate consistent income. The next thing you want to do is a bit of technical analysis and look at the S&P stock index. If the index is moving above it’s 200 day moving average you generally want to be purchasing stocks or using bull put credit spreads. If the index is moving below it’s 200 day moving average you should short sell stocks or use bear call spreads. How much can I earn? This can fluctuate depending on market conditions but by using credit spreads you can make anywhere from 5-20% a month. So with $10,000 you can generate anywhere from $500-$2000 in extra income a month.

Reducing Your Risk

1.Start off by trading in a simulator at CBOE.com

2.Always use a stop loss or have your positions hedged.

3.Never trade with money that you need to pay for you day to day expenses with such as rent and bills. Nervous money always loses.

If you’d like to find out more about options trading and credit spreads click on the link in the resource box below and sign up for a free 10 part course.