Ajari Saya Trading Forex

Perdagangan valas dengan Alpari: ketergantungan dan inovasi dalam trading Mengapa memilih Alpari Today Alpari adalah salah satu broker Forex terbesar di dunia. Berkat pengalaman yang telah diakuisisi perusahaan tersebut selama bertahun-tahun, Alpari dapat menawarkan kepada kliennya berbagai layanan berkualitas untuk perdagangan internet zaman modern di pasar mata uang asing. Lebih dari satu juta klien telah memilih Alpari sebagai pemasok terpercaya layanan Forex mereka. Apa itu Forex The Forex (FOReign EXchange) pasar muncul pada akhir tahun 1970an setelah banyak negara memutuskan untuk membatalkan nilai mata uang mereka dari dolar AS atau emas. Hal ini menyebabkan terbentuknya pasar internasional dimana mata uang bisa ditukar dan diperdagangkan dengan bebas. Saat ini, Forex adalah pasar keuangan terbesar di dunia. Tidak masalah di mana Anda tinggal atau bahkan di mana Anda berada sekarang karena Anda memiliki akses ke internet, terminal perdagangan (program khusus untuk trading Forex) dan akun dengan broker Forex, semua instrumen dan peluang Forex adalah Terbuka untukmu Siapa pedagang Pedagang adalah orang-orang yang bekerja di pasar Forex, mencoba untuk memastikan arah di mana harga mata uang akan pergi dan melakukan perdagangan untuk pembelian atau penjualan mata uang tersebut. Dengan demikian, dengan membeli mata uang lebih murah dan menjualnya lebih banyak lagi, trader mendapatkan uang di pasar Forex. Pedagang membuat keputusan berdasarkan analisis semua faktor yang dapat mempengaruhi harga, sehingga memungkinkan mereka untuk bekerja secara tepat ke arah mana harga bergerak. Keuntungan bisa dilakukan trading Forex pada jatuhnya harga suatu mata uang, sama seperti profit yang bisa diraih pada kenaikan harga mata uang tertentu. Selanjutnya, trader bisa melakukan trading di pasar Forex dari manapun di dunia, entah itu London atau Timbuktu. Di mana Anda bisa belajar bagaimana bertransaksi Forex Bagi pemula yang baru saja mengambil langkah pertama mereka ke pasar Forex, kami merekomendasikan untuk mendaftarkan diri ke salah satu kursus pendidikan Akademik Investasi. Kursus akan mengajarkan Anda tidak hanya dasar-dasar pasar valuta asing, tetapi juga metode untuk menganalisis Pasar Forex dan bagaimana menghindari perangkap umum. Dengan pendidikan dari Akademi Investasi Anda akan mendapatkan pengetahuan teoritis yang berharga yang dapat Anda terapkan saat melakukan perdagangan. Selain itu, Anda akan mencari tahu tentang Pengelolaan Uang, belajar mengendalikan emosi Anda, temukan bagaimana robot perdagangan bisa bermanfaat dan banyak lagi. Anda bisa mengikuti kursus dari kenyamanan rumah Anda sendiri: online. Analisis dan berita keuangan mingguan, ide perdagangan siap pakai serta layanan analisis gratis di situs web Alpari akan membantu Anda membuat keputusan yang benar saat melakukan trading Forex. Bagaimana Anda bisa trading Forex Jika Anda belum pernah bekerja dengan Forex sebelumnya, Anda bisa menguji semua peluang perdagangan mata uang pada akun demo dengan dana virtual. Dengan akun demo Anda akan dapat menjelajahi pasar Forex dari dalam dan mengembangkan strategi trading Anda sendiri. Anda selalu bisa memanfaatkan solusi siap pakai dengan mengenalkan diri Anda dengan umpan balik dari pedagang lain. Setelah Anda membuka rekening, apakah itu demo atau live account, Anda perlu mendownload program khusus untuk bekerja di pasar Forex sebagai terminal perdagangan. Di terminal Anda dapat melacak penawaran pasar, melakukan perdagangan dengan membuka dan menutup posisi dan terus diperbarui dengan berita keuangan. Anda dapat memilih dari terminal perdagangan untuk PC dan juga perangkat mobile: semua yang Anda butuhkan untuk membuat pekerjaan Anda dengan Forex senyaman mungkin. Anda bisa memulai trading di pasar valuta asing dengan Alpari yang memiliki sejumlah dana di akun Anda. Jika Anda ingin mencoba trading Forex di akun live, namun untuk menjaga risikonya serendah mungkin, cobalah trading dengan akun nano. mt4 dimana mata uang diperdagangkan di eurocents dan sen dolar AS. Forex Pola Pelemahan Candlestick Terbaru Sebagian besar trader forex Yang menggunakan analisa teknikal sebagai dasar untuk posisi mereka menghabiskan banyak waktu menonton chart candlestick. Jenis bagan ini berguna di sejumlah bidang yang berbeda, dan salah satu contoh terbaik dari hal ini dapat ditemukan pada grafik kandar dapat membuatnya lebih mudah untuk menemukan pembalikan. Ketika kita berbicara tentang pembalikan, gagasan utamanya adalah bahwa setiap tren yang berlaku telah mulai mencapai titik lemahnya dan harga siap untuk mulai bergerak dalam arah yang berlawanan. Pada saat ini, nampaknya sangat sulit untuk mengetahui bahwa semua momentum arah sebelumnya benar-benar berjalan dengan sendirinya. Tapi saat kita menggunakan formasi candlestick sebagai alat identifikasi, ada beberapa sinyal spesifik yang dikirim secara reguler. Di sini, kita akan melihat berbagai formasi doji, serta pola bearish dan bearish engulfing. Pola Doji Pola candlestick doji adalah sinyal pembalikan kuat yang menunjukkan momentum pasar hampir habis. Karena sebagian besar aktivitas jual beli telah terjadi, indikasi bahwa jumlah mayoritas peserta berkurang dapat digunakan sebagai kesempatan untuk mulai mengambil posisi forex ke arah lain. Pola doji bisa bullish atau bearish di alam, semua tergantung dari arah tren sebelumnya. Chart Source: Forexmachines Formasi candlestick yang ditunjukkan di atas mungkin terlihat berbeda dalam bentuk, tapi pada dasarnya mereka menceritakan hal yang sama. Pola doji yang umum terdiri dari tubuh lilin yang sangat kecil dengan sumbu atas dan bawah. Doji berkaki panjang juga memiliki tubuh lilin yang sangat kecil yang kira-kira berada di tengah formasi. Dalam kasus ini, bagaimanapun, sumbu atas dan bawah lebih panjang yang pada akhirnya menunjukkan bahwa ada lebih banyak ketidakstabilan selama interval waktu tersebut. Nisan doji adalah salah satu versi yang paling kasar dari pola. Dalam hal ini, pola menunjukkan tubuh lilin yang sangat kecil di bagian bawah, dengan sumbu panjang ke bagian atas. Pola ini menunjukkan bahwa pasar naik dengan cepat ke tingkat yang tidak berkelanjutan. Penjual kemudian mengambil alih dan interval waktu berakhir. Jika formasi ini diikuti oleh candle bearish bertubuh penuh, konfirmasi sudah ada dan posisi short bisa diambil. The capung doji adalah salah satu versi yang paling bullish dari pola. Dalam hal ini, pola menunjukkan tubuh lilin yang sangat kecil di bagian atas, dengan sumbu panjang di bagian bawah. Pola ini menunjukkan bahwa pasar jatuh ke tingkat yang tidak berkelanjutan. Pembeli kemudian mengambil alih dan interval waktu berakhir. Jika formasi ini diikuti oleh candle bullish bertubuh penuh, konfirmasi sudah ada dan posisi long bisa diambil. Chart Sumber: Metatrader Pada grafik di atas, kita dapat melihat bahwa aktivitas harga sangat bullish di AUDUSD. Tapi tidak ada tren yang bisa bertahan selamanya, dan momentum pasar mulai melambat saat proses naik di atas area 0.9300. Di sini, pola doji bearish membentuk 8212 yang menunjukkan bahwa tren bullish sebelumnya siap dibalikkan. Setelah doji terlihat, bentuk lilin bearish yang kuat, membenarkan pola pembalikan. Posisi pendek bisa saja diambil pada tahap ini, dan trader forex bisa kemudian memanfaatkan semua pergerakan turun yang diikuti. Pola Bullish and Bearish Engulfing Dalam hal formasi candlestick, pola doji relatif ekstrem dan memerlukan definisi tegas untuk apa yang dapat dilihat di dalam tubuh agar valid. Tapi ada bentuk pola lain yang kurang kaku namun sama kuatnya dengan cara memprediksi pembalikan tren. Selanjutnya, kita melihat pola bearish dan bearish engulfing, yang merupakan indikator candlestick lain yang bisa digunakan dalam membangun posisi forex. Berikut ini menunjukkan struktur pola bullish engulfing: Dalam pola bullish engulfing, tren turun terlihat akan segera berakhir. Downtrends didominasi oleh candle bearish, dan candle bearish kecil inilah yang dibutuhkan untuk memulai pola bullish engulfing. Lilin bearish kecil ini kemudian diikuti oleh candle bullish yang lebih besar yang membesar, atau menelan apa yang pernah dilihat sebelumnya. Pada grafik di atas, kita dapat melihat bahwa badan lilin pertama kira-kira setengah dari ukuran tubuh lilin bullish yang mengikuti. Pasar awalnya mendorong harga lebih rendah, dan celah turun ini menciptakan sumbu bawah yang meluas di bawah candle bearish awal. Momentum pasar kemudian membalikkan, berlanjut ke level tertinggi baru dan penutupan positif yang kuat yang lebih tinggi pada Hari ke 2. Berikut ini adalah struktur pola bearish engulfing: Pada pola bearish engulfing, tren naik terlihat akan segera berakhir. Uptrends didominasi oleh bullish candle, dan candle bullish kecil inilah yang dibutuhkan untuk memulai pola bearish engulfing. Candle bullish kecil ini kemudian diikuti oleh candle bearish yang lebih besar yang membesar, atau menelan apa yang pernah dilihat sebelumnya. Pada grafik di atas, kita dapat melihat bahwa badan lilin pertama kira-kira setengah dari ukuran tubuh lilin bearish yang mengikuti. Pasar pada awalnya mendorong harga lebih tinggi, dan celah ke atas ini menciptakan sumbu yang lebih tinggi yang berada di bawah candle bullish awal. Momentum pasar kemudian membalikkan, menuju ke titik terendah baru yang lebih rendah dan penutupan negatif yang kuat yang lebih rendah pada hari ke 2. Chart Sumber: Metatrader Tipe pola engulfing hadir di sini Karena tren awal turun dan kemudian kita akan melihat pembalikan bullish. Jenis struktur disini adalah pola bullish engulfing. Di sini, kita dapat melihat bahwa harga jatuh ke sekitar 115 8212 dan rangkaian lilin merah kecil diakhiri dengan lilin hijau yang kuat yang menunjukkan pembalikan sudah dekat. Pedagang valas bisa saja mengambil posisi panjang di sini. Dan memanfaatkan keuntungan yang diikuti. Carry Trades Pasar forex dikaitkan beberapa strategi perdagangan yang tidak dapat ditemukan di kelas aset lainnya. Salah satu contohnya bisa dilihat pada carry trade, yang mendapat keuntungan dari perbedaan suku bunga yang bisa ditemukan saat memasangkan mata uang bersama. Semua posisi forex melibatkan pembelian dan penjualan simultan dari dua mata uang yang berbeda. Ketika pedagang membeli mata uang dengan tingkat bunga tinggi dengan imbalan mata uang dengan tingkat bunga lebih rendah, perbedaan tingkat suku bunga terakumulasi setiap hari. Seiring waktu, posisi ini bisa menjadi sangat menguntungkan karena nilai carry dari perdagangan ini pada dasarnya terjamin (selama perbedaan suku bunga tetap utuh). Untuk alasan ini, ada banyak pedagang yang memilih untuk berfokus secara eksklusif pada jenis strategi ini. Di sini, kita akan melihat beberapa contoh carry trade hipotetis untuk melihat bagaimana keuntungan dapat ditangkap dari waktu ke waktu. Mata Uang dan Suku Bunga Semua mata uang dikaitkan dengan tingkat bunga tertentu. Tarif ini ditentukan oleh bank sentral di setiap negara. Inilah sebabnya mengapa pertemuan kebijakan moneter di bank sentral dipandang dengan tingkat kepentingan yang tinggi oleh trader forex. Bila Anda membeli mata uang, Anda akan mendapatkan tingkat bunga selama Anda memegang posisi. Misalnya, jika Bank Sentral Eropa telah menetapkan suku bunga acuan pada 2,5, Anda akan mendapatkan 2,5 pada posisi Anda untuk setiap tahun Anda memegang mata uang itu. Jika Anda menjual mata uang (misalnya dalam posisi short di EURUSD), akun forex Anda akan didebet -2,5 untuk setiap tahun Anda memegang posisi tersebut. Dalam semua kasus, kredit dan debit ini akan terakumulasi setiap hari sekali posisi dipegang melalui periode rollover jam 5 sore. Contoh Trading Mari pertimbangkan beberapa contoh perdagangan hipotetis dengan menggunakan alasan carry trade. Secara historis, Dolar Australia (AUD) dikaitkan dengan suku bunga tinggi sementara Yen Jepang (JPY) dikaitkan dengan suku bunga rendah. Untuk alasan ini, AUDJPY adalah salah satu pilihan paling populer untuk carry trade. Secara hipotetis, mari kita asumsikan bahwa Bank of Australia telah menetapkan tingkat suku bunga dasarnya di 5. Mari kita juga berasumsi bahwa Bank of Japan telah menetapkan tingkat suku bunga dasarnya pada 0,5. Perbedaan suku bunga untuk dua mata uang ini kemudian menjadi 4,5, jadi jika Anda membeli AUDJPY dan memegang posisi selama satu tahun, Anda akan mendapatkan 4.5 yang dijamin di posisi Anda. Ini akan terlepas dari perubahan yang terlihat pada nilai tukar yang mendasari antara kedua mata uang ini. Negatif Carry Sebagai ilustrasi, perlu dipahami pula bahwa carry value juga bisa bekerja dalam arah yang berlawanan. Mari berasumsi bahwa Federal Reserve telah menetapkan suku bunga untuk Dolar AS di 3.5. Pada saat yang sama, Bank of Canada telah menetapkan tingkat suku bunga untuk Dollar Kanada di 2. Apa yang akan terjadi jika Anda memilih untuk mengambil posisi short di USDCAD Posisi short di USDCAD akan berarti bahwa Anda menjual USD dan Membeli CAD Karena Anda akan membeli mata uang dengan tingkat bunga lebih rendah, posisi Anda akan terkena negative carry 8212 yang dalam hal ini berarti akun trading Anda akan didebet dengan nilai sama dengan -1,5 dari posisi Anda untuk setiap tahun posisi dipegang. . Ini karena perbedaan suku bunga antara USD dan CAD adalah 1,5 (3,5 dan 2). Karena itu, posisi jangka panjang yang terkait dengan carry negatif terkena risiko lebih besar karena kerugiannya terjamin. Setiap keuntungan yang mungkin dihasilkan oleh perubahan potensial dalam nilai tukar yang mendasarinya masih perlu memperhitungkan biaya carry yang terjadi selama masa jabatan tersebut. Pedagang Posisi Jangka Panjang Pedagang valas yang menggunakan strategi carry trade cenderung menjadi trader yang memiliki pandangan jangka panjang. Hal ini karena biasanya membutuhkan banyak waktu agar menghasilkan keuntungan yang cukup untuk membenarkan posisinya. Nilai suku bunga yang dikutip oleh broker forex Anda diberikan setiap tahun. Ini tidak berarti bahwa Anda akan diminta untuk memegang posisi Anda selama setahun penuh untuk mendapatkan keuntungan dari carry trade. Semua posisi pro-rated, dan keuntungan akhir dan kerugian Anda akan ditentukan oleh lamanya waktu yang Anda miliki setiap posisi. Pasar Berkorelasi Sebagian besar trader forex pada tahap lanjut karir mereka cenderung menempatkan sebagian besar fokus mereka pada pasar mata uang. Ada alasan bagus untuk ini, karena memungkinkan keakraban yang lebih besar dalam kelas aset tertentu. Tapi satu masalah dengan pendekatan ini adalah kenyataan bahwa menjadi sangat mudah untuk melupakan bahwa semua pasar saling terkait dan sangat mempengaruhi satu sama lain. Forex tentu tidak berbeda, dan masuk akal untuk memiliki pemahaman tentang berbagai bidang seperti saham dan komoditas bekerja dengan (dan melawan) pasar mata uang. Di sini, kita akan melihat beberapa faktor yang mendorong korelasi antara forex dan kelas aset utama lainnya. Saham individu tidak berpengaruh sedikit terhadap pasar valas, tapi ini tidak terjadi ketika kita melihat indeks patokan secara keseluruhan. Instrumen yang diawasi dengan ketat seperti SampP 500 atau FTSE 100 dapat memiliki pengaruh signifikan terhadap mata uang 8212 terutama mata uang yang paling terkait erat dengan wilayah geografis tersebut. Hari bullish yang sangat kuat di DAX Jerman dan CAC Prancis 40 cenderung mendukung pasangan forex seperti EURUSD dan EURJPY. Aktivitas positif di Nikkei 225 cenderung menciptakan tekanan jual dalam pasangan forex dalam mata uang Yen Jepang (karena JPY adalah mata uang kontra dalam pasangan ini). Perubahan harga di GBPUSD akan sering dipengaruhi oleh FTSE 100. Dan banyak trader forex akan menunggu untuk melihat tren yang berlaku di setiap tolok ukur ini sebelum menetapkan posisi short-term. Dalam kasus Dolar AS. Hal-hal cenderung bekerja terbalik. Karena USD umumnya dianggap sebagai aset safe haven. Itu akan sering diperdagangkan dalam arah yang berlawanan relatif dengan tolok ukur utama di 8212 AS Sampson 500 dan Dow Jones Industrials. Ini berarti bahwa pada hari bursa negatif, pedagang cenderung mengambil uang mereka dari persediaan dan menyimpannya secara tunai. Ini menguntungkan USD dan menunjukkan bahwa ada hubungan korelasi negatif antara mata uang dan tolok ukur saham yang paling erat kaitannya. Jadi hari-hari yang sangat bullish untuk SampP 500 dan Dow Jones umumnya akan menciptakan outlook yang lebih negatif untuk USD. Pasar Komoditas Komoditi akan berdampak pada harga valas dengan berbagai cara. Negara-negara yang dikenal dengan produksi logam cenderung mendapatkan keuntungan ketika harga untuk aset tersebut meningkat. Misalnya, ada sejumlah besar produksi tembaga di Australia. Pada hari dimana harga tembaga naik, pasangan mata uang seperti AUDUSD cenderung mendapatkan keuntungan. Dengan cara yang sama, tingginya tingkat produksi emas di Kanada menciptakan korelasi positif antara harga emas dan CAD. Pada hari dimana harga emas naik, pasangan mata uang seperti CADJPY cenderung naik (dan sebaliknya). Pada saat yang sama, USD cenderung bekerja berlawanan arah. Ini karena harga komoditas di harga US Dollar, jadi trader pada umumnya harus menjual Dollar agar bisa membeli emas atau minyak. Jika Anda melihat hari perdagangan dimana minyak sedang rally, setidaknya ada tekanan turun pada USD karena arus pesanan yang lebih luas yang terlihat di pasar akan membutuhkan penjualan ekstra Dollar. Kesimpulan: Tetap Menyadari Tren di Pasar Alternatif Untuk semua alasan ini, masuk akal untuk tetap mengetahui tren di kelas aset lain 8212 bahkan jika sepertinya tidak ada hubungan langsung antara perdagangan valas Anda dan pergerakan harga terbaru dalam saham atau Komoditas. Untuk sebagian besar, apa yang seharusnya Anda cari adalah korelasi negatif dan positif, dan kemudian perhatikan apa yang terjadi di pasar alternatif sebelum Anda menempatkan posisi forex baru. Korelasi ini saja mungkin tidak cukup untuk digunakan sebagai dasar tunggal untuk posisi baru. Tapi ini adalah faktor yang harus diperhatikan, karena ada pengaruh jelas yang bisa diukur. Memiliki pemahaman yang kuat tentang keterkaitan yang lebih luas antara pasar ini dapat membantu Anda mengubah probabilitas kesuksesan Anda kembali ke pilihan Anda dalam jangka panjang. Diversifikasi Portofolio Forex Sebagian besar dengan pengalaman trading di pasar keuangan memahami bahwa diversifikasi pada umumnya adalah hal yang baik. Ketika kita memikirkan diversifikasi, biasanya dikaitkan dengan investasi saham yang tersebar di sejumlah sektor industri yang berbeda. Tapi ada kemungkinan keragaman portofolio forex Anda juga. Hal ini dapat dilakukan dengan memisahkan mata uang ke dalam kategori yang berbeda dan memastikan bahwa Anda tidak berlipat ganda pada satu aset. Di sini, kita akan melihat beberapa faktor yang masuk ke dalam diversifikasi portofolio valas. Hindari Penggandaan Pertama, harus dipahami bahwa memiliki banyak posisi dalam mata uang tunggal dapat menjadi sangat bermasalah. Sebagai contoh, mari kita asumsikan seorang trader forex membeli satu lot di EURUSD dan satu lot di EURGBP. Kelihatannya pedagang itu mengambil dua posisi yang sama sekali berbeda, tapi tidak ada yang bisa lebih jauh dari kebenaran. Dalam skenario seperti ini, trader forex pada dasarnya akan mengambil posisi ganda di EUR 8212 meskipun sedang dilakukan terhadap dua mata uang yang berbeda. Di sini, pedagang pada dasarnya akan menempatkan semua telur dalam satu keranjang dan akan sangat rentan jika ada kelemahan yang terlihat di Euro. Dalam kasus seperti ini, akan jauh lebih bijaksana bagi trader untuk mengambil setengah posisi di kedua pasangan mata uang ini, karena hal ini akan membatasi eksposur berlebihan dalam mata uang Euro. Mengambil eksposur berlebihan dalam mata uang tunggal bisa sangat berbahaya, dan melanggar banyak aturan dasar forex yang memerlukan pengelolaan perdagangan yang tepat. Tidak ada yang salah dengan memisahkan sikap Anda di lebih dari satu pasangan mata uang. Tapi peraturan manajemen perdagangan yang tepat mendikte bahwa tidak ada posisi forex yang harus mengekspos saldo akun Anda dengan kerugian lebih dari 2-3. Jadi jika Anda ingin mengekspresikan pandangan pasar Anda menggunakan lebih dari satu pasangan mata uang, penting untuk menghindari mengambil posisi berukuran penuh yang membeli atau menjual mata uang tunggal. Ini tidak jauh berbeda dengan mengambil dua posisi dalam satu pasangan, karena aktivitas penurunan dalam mata uang yang Anda beli akan menghasilkan kerugian dua kali secara efektif. Korelasi Mata Uang Mata Perhatikan faktor lain yang perlu dipertimbangkan adalah korelasi mata uang. Banyak mata uang cenderung masuk dalam kategori yang sama, dan jika Anda ingin mencapai diversifikasi dalam portofolio valas Anda, Anda perlu menciptakan keterpaparan pada lebih dari satu jenis aset. Misalnya, Dolar AS (USD) dan Swiss Franc (CHF) keduanya masuk dalam kategori safe haven yang mendapat keuntungan dari ketidakpastian ekonomi dan penurunan pasar saham. Yen Jepang (JPY) adalah mata uang lain yang mendapatkan keuntungan dari jenis skenario ini karena trader forex sering terlihat untuk menutup posisi carry trade. Contoh lainnya termasuk mata uang dengan yield tinggi tradisional seperti Dolar Australia (AUD) dan New Zealand Dollar (NZD). Pada saat yang sama, Euro dan British Pound (GBP) cenderung bergerak dalam arah yang sama, mengingat sifat kedua ekonomi yang saling terkait. Mencapai Diversifikasi Dengan semua ini dalam pikiran, investor forex dengan pandangan jangka panjang harus melihat untuk menyebarkan portofolio mereka di lebih dari satu jenis mata uang sambil menghindari penggandaan pada satu posisi. Misalnya, investor forex mungkin terlihat menciptakan beberapa eksposur terhadap mata uang yield tinggi sambil tetap mempertahankan posisi long dalam safe haven currency untuk melindungi dari kejutan yang tidak terduga di pasar. Dengan cara ini, teori portofolio modern dapat diterapkan pada pasar selain saham dan dapat digunakan untuk memperlancar volatilitas dalam posisi kolektif Anda. Pedagang valas harus melihat portofolio mereka sebagai kumpulan posisi, bukan kendaraan untuk membeli satu mata uang dalam beberapa pasang. Bila Anda bermain dengan kekuatan beberapa jenis forex, akan menjadi lebih mudah untuk memanfaatkan hal-hal positif yang terlihat pada setiap kelas mata uang. Paling tidak, harus diingat bahwa diversifikasi sejati tidak dapat dicapai dengan menggunakan lebih dari satu posisi penuh dalam satu mata uang tunggal. Namun, ada kemungkinan untuk mengambil posisi mayoritas dalam satu mata uang sambil menggunakan ukuran posisi yang berkurang. Pada contoh awal yang disajikan di sini, trader akan jauh lebih aman dan terlindungi dari risiko jika posisi EUR berkurang. Ini bisa berarti berkurangnya posisi di antara pasangan seperti EURUSD, EURGBP, dan EURAUD. Forex Algorithmic dan Quantitative Trading Kita telah melihat banyak tren baru dalam perdagangan keuangan selama dekade terakhir. Salah satunya adalah fakta bahwa perdagangan Forex menjadi populer karena internet semakin meluas. Tapi seiring dengan hal ini telah terjadi peningkatan tren dalam perdagangan berbasis komputer yang memungkinkan penerapan strategi otomatis. Untuk sebagian besar, perdagangan ini didasarkan pada strategi analisis teknis yang telah ditentukan sebelumnya yang telah diuji kembali dan terbukti berhasil seiring berjalannya waktu. Konon, perdagangan otomatis memang melibatkan beberapa tingkat risiko dan ada banyak paket kotak hitam yang menjanjikan tingkat pengembalian yang signifikan dalam waktu singkat. Setiap janji ekstrem seperti ini harus dipenuhi setidaknya beberapa tingkat skeptisisme. Tapi faktanya tetap bahwa perdagangan algoritmik dan kuantitatif adalah bagian yang valid dari pasar forex 8212 dan ini tidak akan berubah dalam waktu dekat. Di sini, kita melihat beberapa faktor yang harus dipertimbangkan sebelum menempatkan perdagangan algoritmik yang didasarkan pada strategi kuantitatif. Strategi Kuantitatif Algoritma Ditetapkan Pertama, pedagang harus memahami apa yang dimaksud dengan perdagangan algoritmik dan kuantitatif. Secara khusus, istilah-istilah ini mengacu pada contoh di mana trader forex memulai posisi yang ditentukan oleh rumus matematika yang telah ditentukan sebelumnya. Misalnya, perdagangan mungkin dipicu saat harga naik di atas atau di bawah rata-rata pergerakan tertentu. Faktor-faktor seperti momentum harga, standar deviasi, rata-rata historis dan kekuatan tren cenderung digunakan sebagai dasar untuk sebagian besar strategi ini. Setelah serangkaian kriteria tertentu terpenuhi, perdagangan ditempatkan 8212 dan ini bahkan dapat mencakup elemen tambahan seperti penempatan perintah stop loss dan kerugian keuntungan. Expert Advisors Untuk memicu perdagangan ini secara otomatis, trader forex umumnya akan menggunakan Expert Advisor. Atau EA. Ini bisa dilakukan dengan menggunakan platform trading forex yang memungkinkan untuk trading otomatis. Beberapa pilihan yang paling umum di sini termasuk TradeStation dan Metatrader. Yang keduanya merupakan platform yang sangat mudah disesuaikan yang memungkinkan perdagangan algoritmik dan kuantitatif. Jadi jika Anda tertarik untuk benar-benar menggunakan jenis strategi ini, Anda akan ingin memastikan bahwa Anda menggunakan broker forex yang menawarkan platform seperti ini atau yang serupa. Saat mencari EAs sendiri, pilihannya jauh lebih luas. Untuk mendapatkan beberapa perspektif, platform trading forex Anda dapat dianggap sebagai perangkat komputasi Anda dan EA yang Anda gunakan dapat dianggap sebagai sebuah aplikasi. Aplikasi ini akan memicu perdagangan secara otomatis 8212 asalkan kriteria pasar yang Anda tentukan sudah terpenuhi dan stasiun perdagangan Anda terbuka dan berfungsi. EA dapat ditemukan melalui pencarian web sederhana, namun beberapa sumber untuk ini tentu lebih bereputasi daripada yang lain. Seringkali lebih baik menggunakan EAs yang dapat ditemukan melalui komunitas forex trading, karena ini dapat diuji dan ditinjau secara objektif. Tanpa keamanan tambahan ini, terkadang sulit untuk mengetahui apakah EA telah diuji coba secara akurat dan benar-benar mampu menghasilkan hasil yang diklaimnya. Dua sumber populer untuk EA dapat ditemukan di Forex Peace Army dan Forex Factory. Banyak EAs yang terdaftar di situs ini tidak dipungut biaya. Pro Dan Kontra Seperti yang kita katakan sebelumnya, trading forex otomatis dikaitkan dengan serangkaian manfaat dan kekurangannya sendiri. Di sisi positif, strategi algoritmik dan kuantitatif memungkinkan pedagang forex secara efektif memantau semua aspek pasar forex 8212 bahkan ketika mereka tidak secara aktif memantau stasiun perdagangan mereka. Anggap saja dengan cara ini, Anda mungkin memiliki strategi yang sangat sukses tetapi tidak mungkin untuk menonton setiap pasangan forex untuk kasus di mana kriteria yang telah Anda tentukan sebelumnya terpenuhi. Strategi berbasis komputer memiliki kemampuan itu dan ini memungkinkan Anda memanfaatkan perdagangan forex yang mungkin telah Anda lewatkan sebelumnya. Di sisi negatifnya, Anda pasti akan melihat contoh di mana EA Anda telah membuka perdagangan yang mungkin bisa Anda hindari sendiri. Sayangnya, algoritma komputer adalah model digital yang dimaksudkan untuk memahami dunia analog 8212 dan akan ada contoh di mana model EA Anda akan membuka posisi lebih agresif daripada yang Anda miliki sendiri. Untuk alasan ini, umumnya ide bagus untuk menjaga ukuran posisi forex Anda lebih kecil dari mungkin saat Anda melakukan trading secara manual. Secara keseluruhan, yang terbaik adalah melihat tingkat kesuksesan Anda dari waktu ke waktu dan kemudian tinggal dengan EA yang diberikan jika menghasilkan hasil positif yang konsisten. Perdagangan algoritma dan kuantitatif bukanlah sesuatu yang harus dilakukan dengan cara yang serampangan, karena bisa membuka akun trading Anda menjadi potensi kerugian. Tetapi jika strategi ini diteliti dengan benar (dan diuji secara akurat), strategi otomatis bisa menjadi alat yang ampuh untuk ditambahkan ke gudang perdagangan forex Anda. Momentum Forex Oscillator Untuk menghasilkan uang di pasar forex, Anda perlu memiliki beberapa cara untuk meramalkan di mana harga cenderung menuju ke depan. Salah satu cara terbaik untuk melakukan ini adalah dengan membuat penilaian tentang di mana mayoritas adalah momentum pasar ditempatkan. Ada banyak cara untuk melakukan hal ini namun analis teknis cenderung memiliki keunggulan di bidang ini dengan bantuan beberapa alat bantu charting yang terbukti. Dua pilihan paling populer dapat ditemukan di Momentum Oscillator dan Relative Strength Index (juga dikenal sebagai RSI). Di sini, kita akan melihat beberapa cara trader forex menggunakan alat ini dan kemudian memberikan beberapa contoh visual pada grafik mata uang aktif. The Momentum Oscillator Ketika melihat untuk menilai momentum dominan yang terlihat di pasar forex, tempat yang bagus untuk dilihat adalah Momentum Oscillator. Alat charting ini memungkinkan trader forex untuk mengukur tingkat perubahan yang terlihat pada harga penutupan setiap interval waktu. Momentum yang melambat bisa menjadi indikasi bagus bahwa tren pasar siap berbalik arah. Ketika titik balik ditunjukkan secara akurat, pedagang forex dapat membeli dengan harga rendah dan menjual tinggi sebelum pasar lainnya melakukan transisi. Singkatnya, pedagang harus berpihak pada trend dominan saat Momentum Oscillator mengindikasikan penguatan. Pedagang harus bertaruh melawan tren saat Momentum Oscillator melambat dan menunjukkan bahwa pasar mencapai titik kelelahan. Mari kita lihat contoh bagan real-time menggunakan GBPJPY: Chart Source: Metatrader Di sini, Momentum Oscillator diplot di bawah aktivitas harga dan ditampilkan dengan warna biru. Garis yang meningkat menunjukkan momentum pasar sedang dibangun. Bila garis momentum turun ke dasar pengukuran, momentum akan meninggalkan pasar. Dalam contoh ini, kita dapat melihat bahwa harga jatuh ke posisi terendah di dekat 119,20. Harga kemudian mulai naik dan ini disertai dengan sinyal tren kuat yang dikirim oleh Momentum Oscillator (ditunjukkan pada panah pertama). Ini akan menjadi indikasi bagi trader forex untuk menyamping dengan arah pergerakan harga terbaru 8212 yang, dalam hal ini, adalah bullish. GBPJPY kemudian mengalami reli besar di atas angka 160. Dalam hal ini, trader forex bisa melihat sinyal awal yang dikirim oleh Momentum Oscillator dan memprakarsai posisi long di GBPJPY. Jika ini dilakukan, keuntungan yang signifikan bisa direalisasikan dengan sedikit atau tanpa penarikan. Indeks Kekuatan Relatif (RSI) Pilihan lain untuk mengukur momentum di pasar forex adalah dengan menggunakan Indeks Kekuatan Relatif. Atau RSI. Alat bagan ini membandingkan keuntungan dan kerugian baru-baru ini untuk menentukan apakah sapi jantan atau beruang benar-benar mengendalikan pasar. Selanjutnya, kita akan melihat contoh RSI yang dipetakan menggunakan USDJPY: Chart Source: Metatrader RSI berkisar antara 0 sampai 100. Indikator pembacaan diatas 70 mark dianggap overbought. Sementara pembacaan di bawah angka 30 dianggap oversold. Sinyal beli dihasilkan saat indikator turun di bawah angka 30 dan kemudian bergerak kembali ke atas ambang batas tersebut. Menjual sinyal dihasilkan saat indikator naik di atas angka 70 dan kemudian bergerak kembali ke bawah ambang batas tersebut. Dalam contoh USDJPY di atas, kita dapat melihat bahwa persyaratan untuk bearish stance terpenuhi saat indikator menyentuh area overbought sebelum pembacaan RSI mulai berbalik lebih rendah. Karena ini terjadi, USDJPY diperdagangkan di 85.80. Pada akhirnya, pasangan jatuh ke 80,90 sebelum kembali ke atas, yang berarti bahwa setiap trader yang bekerja pada sinyal momentum yang dihasilkan oleh sinyal penjualan RSI bisa berhasil meraih hampir 500 pips keuntungan dengan penarikan yang sangat kecil. Dengan cara ini, RSI bisa menjadi alat yang sangat efektif menilai apakah momentum pasar cenderung bullish atau bearish pada jam, hari, dan minggu depan. Pedagang valas yang ingin membangun posisi berdasarkan momentum mendasar yang hadir di pasar bisa mendapatkan keuntungan yang besar setelah berkonsultasi dengan RSI, karena ini adalah cara cepat dan mudah untuk menilai apakah harga pasar telah menjadi overbought atau oversold. Forex News Trading Pedagang valas yang ingin mendasarkan posisi mereka dari perspektif analisis fundamental hampir selalu akan menggunakan rilis baru dalam membentuk sikap pasar. Rilis berita ini dapat mengambil berbagai bentuk yang berbeda, namun yang paling umum (dan relevan) bagi trader forex adalah rilis berita ekonomi. Laporan ini dijadwalkan sebelumnya dan umumnya terkait dengan ekspektasi pasar yang berasal dari survei analis. Kalender data ekonomi dapat ditemukan dengan mudah dalam pencarian web, satu contoh bagus dapat ditemukan di sini. Dalam beberapa kasus, harapan ini akurat. Dalam kasus lain, mereka tidak. Jadi penting bagi trader forex untuk memantau perkembangan di area ini, karena ada banyak peluang trading yang bisa ditemukan begitu rilis berita penting diumumkan. Salah satu cara terbaik untuk mendekati strategi ini adalah mencari perbedaan signifikan antara harapan awal dan hasil akhir. Ketika pasar bereaksi terhadap informasi baru, lonjakan volatilitas terlihat dan perubahan besar dalam harga bisa sangat menguntungkan jika tertangkap pada tahap awal. Menilai Pentingnya Data Tentu saja, tidak semua rilis ekonomi dikaitkan dengan tingkat kepentingan yang sama. Laporan seperti GDP kuartalan, inflasi, pengangguran, dan manufaktur cenderung naik ke puncak daftar. Tapi akan ada kasus di mana laporan ekonomi kecil lainnya lebih relevan untuk skenario tertentu. Untuk alasan ini, penting untuk menghindari jatuh ke dalam rutinitas yang kaku saat menilai laporan data mana yang mungkin penting dan mana yang tidak. Salah satu cara terbaik untuk menilai apakah laporan yang diberikan akan memindahkan pasar secara signifikan hanyalah dengan melihat laporan yang akan datang mendapatkan perhatian paling besar di media keuangan. Laporan ini cenderung menghasilkan berita utama begitu hasilnya akhirnya dipublikasikan, dan berita utama berita keuangan sering menentukan tren mana yang dominan pada hari perdagangan manapun. Contoh Bagan Waktu Nyata Mari kita lihat contoh bagan real-time di USDJPY. Dalam kasus ini, pasar dengan penuh semangat menunggu angka PDB triwulanan dari Amerika Serikat. Analis Forex memperkirakan penurunan sebesar -0,5 untuk periode tersebut. Dan harapan negatif ini membuat USD turun di seluruh papan. Tren ini memaksa USDJPY ke posisi terendah di dekat level 92.70 sesaat sebelum rilis data. Chart Sumber: Metatrader Tapi onces laporan itu benar-benar dipublikasikan, dengan cepat menjadi jelas bahwa perkiraan konsensus tidak benar 8212 dan PDB triwulanan AS naik pada tingkat 1. Pada grafik di atas, kita bisa melihat bahwa reaksi pasar cukup terasa dan bullish secara terbuka untuk USD. Harga akhirnya rally di atas 99,50, sebagian besar didorong oleh ekspektasi pasar yang terus berubah untuk keseluruhan prospek di USD. Setiap trader yang secara aktif menonton newswires selama rilis ini bisa melompat ke dalam reli ini pada tahap awal dan meraih keuntungan besar dengan sedikit atau tanpa penarikan. Skenario seperti ini selalu terjadi. Kenyataannya adalah cukup sulit bagi analis forex untuk secara akurat memprediksi hasil data ekonomi dalam semua kasus. Data makroekonomi dipengaruhi oleh banyaknya faktor (baik nasional maupun global), sehingga pada dasarnya tidak mungkin bagi peramal untuk membangun model matematis yang dapat membuat ramalan yang akurat setiap saat. Tetapi penting untuk diingat bahwa perbedaan antara harapan dan kenyataan adalah contoh yang menciptakan peluang terbesar di pasar forex. Intinya, kejutan besar membuat pergerakan harga besar. Dan pergerakan harga ini bisa diterjemahkan menjadi keuntungan besar jika tertangkap di tahap awal. Minimizing Risk A final point to note is that news driven market events tend to create extreme volatility in forex prices. This increase potential reward also carries with it the increased potential for risk, so it is absolutely essential for forex traders to make sure that any established position is placed using a protective stop loss. In most cases, news data tends to force prices on one direction with very little to be seen in corrective retracements. But this will only work for positions that are taken in the direction of the data (ie. bullish positions for positive data, bearish positions for negative data). It can be difficult to place news positions quickly in some cases, so all orders must be placed to a good deal of care and attention. News trading can be quite profitable when done correctly 8212 but a certain level of caution is warranted, as well. Forex Technical Indicators Technical analysis is a popular method used in the forex markets, as it allows traders to view price activity in objective ways. This is helpful because it allows traders to spot not positioning opportunities before big price moves start to take shape. It can be argued that technical analysis is even more popular in forex than it is in areas like stocks or commodities. So, for those looking to tackle the currency markets and achieve long-term profitability, it makes sense to have a solid understanding of the terms and strategies that are commonly used. Since chart analysis has such an important impact on forex trading, it is not surprising that we see some technical indicators used that are less commonly known in other markets. Indicators like the Relative Strength Index (RSI) and the Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) have their place in forex trading just as they do in stocks, commodities, and futures. But alternative indicators like Stochastics and Bollinger Bands are two examples of charting tools that might be less commonly known in the other financial markets. Here, we will look at ways trades can be placed when using these technical indicators. Bollinger Bands Bollinger Bands were developed by a famous chart technician named John Bollinger. They are designed to literally envelope price action and give traders an idea of how far valuations might move if market volatility starts to increase. Lets take a look at a real-time example using the AUDUSD: Chart Source: Metatrader In the example above, we can see that Bollinger Bands are composed of three different lines that move in tandem with price activity. The upper band can be thought of as a resistance line . the lower band can be thought of as a support line . These two lines are then plotted along with a 21-period moving average . which is generally near the middle of the underlying price action. The upper and lower bands are placed two standard deviations away from price activity. These bands will tighten as market volatility declines, and then widen as market volatility increases. In terms of buying and selling signals, there are a few different points to note. First is that Bollinger Bands can be great in predicting future volatility. Again, we look at price activity in the AUDUSD : Chart Source: Metatrader In the chart above we can see that the Bollinger Bands constrict. This indicates a period of indecision in the market as fewer traders are activity buying and selling. But conditions like this can only last for so long. It might be that the majority of the market is waiting for an important economic release, and once that data is made public volatility should start to increase in a relatively predictable direction. Essentially, tight Bollinger Band readings suggest that the market is getting ready to make a big move (although the direction of that move is not yet apparent). Wide Bollinger Bands suggest the reverse, as excessive volatility will probably start to settle. Next, we look at ways the Bollinger Band indicator sends buy and sell signals to the market. Again, we look at the AUDUSD: Chart Source: Metatrader In this chart example, we can see the various says that Bollinger Bands send buy and sell signals to the market. Since the upper and lower bands should be thought of as dynamic support and resistance levels . the currency should be bought when prices fall to the lower band and sold when prices rise to the upper band . This is true because any time prices have reached the outer band, it shows that prices have now moved two standard deviations away from their historical average. Prices can only exist in these areas 5 of the time, so when prices are seen in these areas a reversal should be expected. For this reason, the currency pair should be sold when it rises to the upper band, and bought when it falls to the lower band. Stochastics Another technical indicator that is largely unique to common use in the forex market is the Stochastics indicator. This technical tool is useful in determining when prices have become cheap relative to the historical averages (oversold) or too expensive relative to the historical averages (oversold). Where Bollinger BAnds are plotted with price activity, the Stochastics indicator is plotted separate from the price action (below). Lets take a look at a chart example using the GBPUSD: Chart Source: Metatrader As you can see, the Stochastics indicator is plotted on a graph from 0 to 100. Readings above the 80 mark qualify as overbought, while readings below the 20 mark suggest the currency pair is oversold . Overbought readings suggest that traders should consider selling the currency pair, oversold readings indicate traders should consider buying the currency pair. Next, lets look at some sell signals that were sent in this chart: Chart Source: Metatrader In this chart, we can see a clear downtrend. But if we look at the activity in the Stochastics readings, sell signals were sent early on. When we look at the oversold readings that start near the halfway point, we can see slowing momentum in the levels that were hit by the indicator. This weakening momentum (ie. the indicator is no longer able to reach the same highs) should have signals that forex traders could start to sell the currency pair, prior to the massive downtrend that followed. Trade Management and Trailing Stop Losses One of the biggest mistakes made by new traders comes from the belief that once you initiate a trade, the process and your work as a trader is over. Unfortunately, nothing could be further from the truth. And if you fail to actively manage your trades once they are placed, you will almost certainly encounter unnecessary losses. The forex market is always moving and evolving, and in many cases the environment can change significantly after your trade is placed. For these reasons, there will be instances where traders will need to adjust their stop loss levels and profit targets. Here, we look at some methods to manage your trades from a protective standpoint in adjusting your stop losses after the initial trade is executed. Active Stop Management On the positive side, if you are ready to adjust your stop loss it probably means that your position is gaining (in the money). If the market was moving against you, your stop loss likely would have been hit on its own. Many traders will look at trade management from a pip standpoint. For example, a trader might start to adjust the stop once the trade is positive by 50 pips. One strategy in a situation like this is to take profits on half the position . and then moving the stop loss to the break even point (the price level at which the trade was opened). This method effectively allows traders to capture some profits while removing any potential for further risk. If the stop loss is hit later, no losses will be seen. There are other methods that follow the same general logic but do not rely on pip values. For example, a trader might instead look at percentages as a way of determining when a stop loss should be moved. If the trade has made gains of 1-2 it would generally be a good idea to start taking risk off of the table and moving your stop losses to the break even point. In any case, there is nothing wrong with taking profits on at least some portion of your trade. As the old forex markets maxim goes, nobody ever went broke taking trading gains. Parabolic Stop and Reverse (SAR) An alternative approach require more aptitude in technical analysis. Here, we will introduce a less commonly used chart indicator called the Parabolic Stop and Reverse, or Parabolic SAR. The Parabolic SAR indicator is much easier to understand through visuals, so lets take look at the indicator at work using the EURUSD: Chart Source: Metatrader Visually, the Parabolic SAR looks like no other indicator and it might even be a bit difficult to see on the chart. But here we can see purple dots that follow price action and send buying and selling signals in the process. Specifically, buy signals are sent when prices are above the plotted indicator reading. Sell signals are sent when prices are below the indicator reading. But these signals can also be used in positions that have already been established. For example, forex traders that are in active long positions might want to consider exiting those positions when sell signals are sent. Conversely, those in active short positions might want to consider reversing that stance if the indicator issues a buy signal. This is why the indicator is named the stop and reverse. Lets look at this chart again with the buy and sell signals identified: Chart Source: Metatrader Here, we can see how it looks when the Parabolic SAR sends its buy and sell signals. Lets pay special attention to the first two signals. The first downward arrow signals an opportunity to sell the EURUSD currency pair. Assume that this short position was taken and held until a buy signal was sent at the second upward arrow. Here, a forex trader could have capitalized on a price move of roughly 600 pips before there was any indication that the position should be closed. If we look at the differences between the second and third signals (a buy signal and a sell signal, respectively), an even larger move is seen. With this in mind, it should be understood that the Parabolic SAR is a very powerful tool in terms of the ways it can allow traders to actively manage their positions once established. Forex Breakouts A large percentage of forex traders focus on technical analysis and use it as a basis for establishing new positions. To some extent, this makes a good deal of sense because analyzing the currency markets is a much broader task than analyzing the earnings outlook for a single company. Many more factors influence the economic prospects for an entire nation, so one solution for dealing with this is to pay more attention to price charts and using that information to establish forex trades. There are many sub-strategies that forex traders use when attacking these markets, but one of the most common is the breakout strategy . In this case, forex traders look for chart signals which suggest that currency prices are on the verge of a big move (in either the upward or downward direction). Here, we will look at some of the elements that go into spotting breakouts as well as some of the trade management rules that are typically associated with this type of trading. The End of a Sideways Market In order for a breakout to occur, we must first have a sideways, or consolidating, trading environment. Those familiar with some of the basics of technical analysis will understand the trading range 8212 which is where prices bounce back and forth between support and resistance levels with no dominant trend in place. Below is an example of a sideways market with range trading characteristics present: Chart Source: Metatrader The above chart shows sideways trading activity in the EURGBP . which is a currency pair that is often caught in trading ranges. Prices bounce back and forth from the support zone to the resistance zone and no dominant trend is present. Trading ranges cannot last forever, however, and once this trading range breaks down, there are increased for breakouts as the market adjusts to the new directional momentum. Breakouts Signal New Trend Beginning When one of these support or resistance levels is breached, forex traders start to position for the beginning of a new trend. The logic here is that market energy was building as price activity was constricting. Once these consolidative ranges break, the momentum that follows is often very forceful. When forex traders are able to spot these events in the early stages, significant profits can be captured when new positions are established in the direction of the breakout. Lets take a look at a downside breakout in the EURGBP: Chart Source: Metatrader In the chart above, we can see an example of a bearish breakout where prices are trading mostly sideways against a clearly defined level of support. In forex, breakout traders would be looking for an opportunity for new trades as the level of support finally breaks. This event occurs at the downside arrow, which comes in near the 0.9150 mark. Short trades could have been taken here, and roughly 350 pips could have been captured as the GBP strengthened and prices soon fell below 0.8800. Next, lets assess a bullish example using the USDJPY : Chart Source: Metatrader In the chart above, we can see an example of a bullish breakout where prices are trading sideways against a clearly defined level of resistance. Here, breakout traders would be looking for an opportunity for long trades as the level of resistance finally breaks. This event occurs at the upside arrow, which comes in near the 81.80 mark. Long trades could have been taken here, and roughly 200 pips could have been captured as the USD strengthened and prices later rose to the 83.80 region. An added factor that can be seen in this example is the fact that prices pushed through the critical resistance zone, made a small rally 8212 and then dropped back slightly to retest the area of the breakout. Basic technical analysis rules tell us that once a level of resistance is broken, it then becomes a level of strong support. (Just as a broken level of support will then become a level of strong resistance). In this USDJPY example, we can see that after the initial bullish breakout prices dropped to test the 81.80 breakout zone. This is shown at the red candle near the sideways arrow. The long bottom wick on this candle shows that prices bounced forcefully out of this area 8212 strong indication that the breakout is valid and that 81.80 will now be viewed as support for the uptrend that follows. Commodities Intermediate Forex AdvancedForex Trading South Africa by safx Jan 17, 2016 Articles 4 Comments A list of the best forex trading companies in South Africa. Before we list them we have to list the different categories: Best Forex Trading Course in South Africa Best forex trainer in South Africa Best forex trader in South Africa Best forex broker in South Africa Best forex platform in South Africa Best forex Software in South Africa Best forex robot The best forex trading trading course in South Africa As I offer a forex course I would be very biased in this category and therefore I will simply list the forex courses that I am aware of that you can do in South Africa SAFX 8211 This is our course and includes everything you need. Market Trader 8211 Market Trader provides a course in Forex and Shares Global Forex Institute 8211 I have not done this course, you can attend a free seminar to find out more. Learn to Trade 8211 Greg Seckers Courses (formerly Knowledge to Action) Forex Coach 8211 Riaan is a great guy and gives a good course. Forex Training 8211 I have not done this course but they have been around for a while (Midrand) These are the forex courses I can think of off the top of my head. Google to find mor but beware of the posers, ask them for performance history and check reviews on the net before going ahead. The best forex trainer in South Africa You may find this category very close to the previous one but they are in actual fact two very different things. As online trading is very much like a sport where you need training it is very important to do a course with a good trainer. As I am a trainer myself I have not done training from any of the above mentioned companies. Then why did I mention this category It is simple. Ask your trainer to give you a call. You will immediately know whether or not there is synergy between you and your trainer. Ask them some questions regarding the content and trading process. You can do this with all the trainers and pick the one you like best. Best forex trader in South Africa Again I will be biased as I have not seen anyone else with the same consistent results as me. I will admit that there are probably much better traders than me around but I have yet to meet them. If you do get trading history from a trader training company ask if they would mind to have the results verified by an auditor. If they say no, with whatever excuse, you know that their results are fake. Best forex broker in South Africa When it comes to forex brokers it is difficult to say as they all have different offerings. If you want to play it safe when choosing your broker than choose from one of the two biggest brokers in the world which are both present in South Africa. Saxo Markets and IG Markets are both huge international brokerages. Find out more about these to see which suites you best. Best forex trading platform in South Africa This depends on your requirements. My favourite is MetaTrader 4 as I have become very accustomed to it. There are however a host of platforms. Look at different brokers to see what trading platforms they offer. For those who do not know a trading platform is the software you use to execute buy and sell orders from your PC or Mobile device. The best forex trading software in South Africa When I say trading software I mean software that helps you decide what to buy and sell and when to buy and sell. There are many providers that claim to have their own software but often tho is just a feed from somewhere else. At SAFX we provide you with the best proprietary software in SA. Easy-to-use and unbelievably accurate. There you have the information, we hope this helped if you want more information on any of the topics discussed feel free to contact us at any time. Metatrader 4, also known as MT4, is a trading platform mostly used to trade CFDs. CFDs include forex, shares, metals indices and many more trading instruments. A trading platform is an application that you use to execute your trading transactions ie it is where you buy and sell. The Metatrader 4 platform is the most popular trading platform in the world and is found in most countries. It is superior to most other platforms because of usability, scalability and the ability to integrate easily with other software. Here is a list of reasons why Metatrader 4 is the most popular platform. Ease of use Charting Capability Indicators Custom Code Low memory consumption Mobile Friendly Automated Statements investor Access Multiple Instances Ease of use Metatrader 4 The Metatrader 4 does not need a lot of training for you to understand. Although there is a comprehensive set of tools it is very easy to trade by using just a few buttons. The interface seems overwhelming when you start out but it becomes very familiar very quickly. The whole platform is setup in a very logical way and its ease of use becomes apparent when you have practiced for a few days. Charting capability of Metatrader 4 There are not many, if any, platform that exceed the charting capabilities of the Metatrader 4 platform. The platform comes with a host of preloaded tools which forms the basis of the trading experience. The trading tools found on metatrader 4 include chart drawing tools, different fibonacci applications, indicators both traditional and custom. The charts can be personalised by choosing the different colours of every element on the graph. You have 3 types of graphs by default, line graph, and candle stick graph. You can get custom graphs such as renko form 3rd party providers. There are set timeframes from 1 minute to 1 Month but this can also be modified by use of 3rd Party Products. It really is too much to mention in one article. Request a list of brokers from email160protected to open a demo account and see for yourself. An indicator is a visual representation of a mathematical formula. An Indicator is displayed either on the trading chart itself or at the bottom of the chart. You get thousands of different types of indicators, some more effective than others. There are 2 groups of indicators. Traditional indicators and custom indicators. Traditional indicators come preloaded on the MT4 platform. These include indicators such as MACD, Stochastic, RSI, Moving Averages and many more. Custom indicators are indicators that have been created by coders using unique or custom formulae. These indicators come in very handy when you are analysing charts and market cycles. Good indicators are often used independently to make trade decisions and many traders are totally reliant on the indicators for their success. At SAFX we code our own highly effective indicators. The Metatrader 4 comes with a very user friendly coding platform which allows people with coding knowledge to build different kinds of software. This makes the MT4 platform easy to integrate with other software. There are thousands of coders that specialise in coding in the MT4 coding language called MQL (Meta Quotes Language). You can code simple indicators to highly complex trading robots that take decisions for you and trade on your behalf. If you can think it you can code it in MQL and that is one of the main reasons why metatrader4 is so popular. Low PC Memory Usage The Metatrader 4 as with its default settings and state does not take a lot of PC memory. It download and installs quickly and also opens and runs quickly once installed. As mentioned in the previous section there are complex robots that can be built on this platform and if you run these complex codes it does affect the speed of the metatrader 4 platform. Mostly however it runs easily and smoothly. Metatrder 4 is mobile friendly. There are MT4 apps for most mobile devices that allow you to use the core functionalities of the MT4 platform on your mobile device. This makes it easy to trade while travelling and and also to check your trades on the move. You can use standard indicators and other trading tools but unfortunately this does not allow custom indicators for now. The MT4 platform sends you daily statement if there is activity on your account and monthly statements. You can easily view your trade history and go through your trade performance trade by trade. The statements can also be used as trade logs to see where you are making mistakes and to assess whether there are pattern that are either beneficial or hinder your trading. Investor accounts on the Meta Trader 4 platform allows an investor to login to the trading platform in a sort of view-only mode. The investor can look at all trades and orders and progress on their account but they cannot open or close trades or orders. It makes it great for transparency without risk. You can have many different instances open on the same device and across different trading devices. This allows you to trade different strategies and accounts from the same device. You can have a currency account, an indices account and shares account and trade them all at the same time. The Metatrader 4 is a great platform. Download a demo version today and go through the functions for yourself. Free courses often dont have the same quality as paid for courses as is the case with most products. In forex trading you will often find that free courses are watered down versions of professional courses. There is one stand out free forex course on a website called Babypips. Babypips has an excellent free forex trading course which you can access through this link. babypipsschool. The content is better and easier to understand than most commercial currency trading courses and covers everything you need to know. The course is well setup in terms of structure where a general education structure is used from kindergarden to university. Complete the modules in order for the best results. The one thing thing that Babypips does not offer is 1-on-1 training which I believe is vital to trading success. What I would suggest you do is complete the free babybips course and see if you think online trading is for you. If you want to go further have a look at the SAFX products and services on safx. co. za. It is really important to get professional 1-on-1 lessons before you start trading live as forex trading is much like playing a sport. You can read up on rules and strategies but need a coach to show you how to execute what you have learned in a practical way. You can have a look at our complete course options. Trading takes a bit of time to learn but the most important part is practice which takes a lot of self-discipline. There are a few steps you need to start with trading forex. Find a good forex broker that is local. Open a demo trading account. Familiarise yourself with the brokers trading platform. Get education to understand the forex trading concept. Get a professional trading coach with professional trading software. Practice until profitable If you follow these steps and combine it with a proper forex trainer you will be trading profitably in no time. The trick as mentioned earlier is to get education with proper 1-on-1 coaching. Without 1-on-1 coaching you will not be successful I can guarantee it. As with all products you get some that are good, some that are bad, some that are average and very few that are great. With forex trading this could have a huge financial bearing. If you want to do a forex trading course in Johannesburg do not settle for mediocre, do the course that will pay for itself over time. Forex trading is not difficult to learn just like soccer is not difficult to learn, the steps and rules are easy but you need a good coach to make you successful. What should you look at when considering a forex trading course Is the person who compiled the course a successful trader Does the company providing the course have a certified track record of performance Do you really get 1-on-1 training or do you just get emailed links to videos Does the company code their own proprietary software Will you get webinars and live trading sessions Does the company offer testimonials to prove the effectiveness of the product Has the company been in business for longer than 5 years If the answer to any of these questions was no then steer clear. Number 2 on the list is probably the most important. You should only take currency trading lessons from a successful professional trader. The only way to really be sure is to request audited trading results for at least 12 months. At SAFX we can very confidently answer yes to all the questions above. Not only are we the best course provider in the market but we also offer our courses at very reasonable rates. If you are looking for the best forex trading course in Johannesburg you have come to the right place. Here is what we cover in our forex trading course. Module 1 8211 An overview of the forex trading market. Module 2 8211 Forex trading in South Africa with emphasis on Johannesburg. Module 3 8211 Selecting the correct forex trading broker. Module 4 8211 Opening and examining live and demo accounts. Module 5 8211 Selecting your instruments. Module 6 8211 Opening your first trade. Module 7 8211 Setting a stoploss and take profit. Module 8 8211 SAFX Trading System Software Module 9 8211 Putting it all together. Module 10 8211 Your first live trade. Once you have completed these training modules you will have access to our live online trading room where you can watch us do trades and see all the trades we have open. We also have weekly webinars to go through our trading strategies and some advanced forex trading course material. Well that is a really difficult question to answer but I will try to give you some idea of what to expect. As more and more make you rich quick schemes hit the market the perception of trading shares becomes warped. Although most people know these products to be scams they still remember the figures they were given and somehow store this information as fact. Kesulitannya masuk saat Anda mencoba membuktikan bahwa saham trading tidak sehebat yang dipikirkan beberapa orang karena ada banyak contoh perusahaan yang telah berkembang 10.000 dan ketika ini terjadi, ada bukti bahwa Anda bisa menjadi jutawan dalam semalam saat melakukan trading. The reality however is that the chance you will correctly pick one of those shares or get the timing right is highly improbable. Does this sound familiar It should. At a casino many people become millionaires, most dont. So you really should not base your belief on a stock exchange on the best possible scenario, neither should you base it on the worst possible scenario although you should be aware of what the worst possible scenario is. So what is an average return from the stock exchange and how can it be determined The best indicator to look at is indices within the stock exchange. In South Africa the best index to look at will be the JSE Top 40 Index. This shows the performance of the top 40 companies listed on the JSE. Many asset managers and fund managers use the JSE top 40 as their main investment instrument. This includes the major banks in South Africa. The growth of the top 40 over the last five years is shown in the table below: As you can see, there is quite a change year on year and although all the results are positive they still fluctuate quite substantially. So if you would like to work out what a compounded investment would have made over the last five years simply do the following: Initial deposit x X x X x X Total Value of the Investment The Profit Total Value of Investment 8211 Initial Deposit. Using an initial deposit of R20,000.00 would have totalled a profit of X over the last five years. It is very important to note that this is what would have happened had you invested 5 years ago. There is no guarantee that this trend will continue as there is no guarantee that the Top 40 will carry on growing. We can look at past performance as an indicator but it is a rough guide to what is possible and by no means an accurate prediction tool. As with all investment there is always risk involved and it is your responsibility to fully understand the risks and also be aware of the worst case scenario should everything go against you. It is wise to start trading shares with money that you can afford to lose, therefore protecting yourself from financial ruin if there is a company crash. In conclusion, if you invested in the top 40 JSE companies over the last 5 years you would have made X on your investment had you not sold any of your shares over the last 5 years. What can you expect going forward I am not brave enough to take a guess but it is always a good idea to look at indices before you look at individual stocks because your risk is spread over a large portfolio. This is a question I get more often than I should and the answer, if you want a yesno answer is no it is not a scam. The reality is however that there are a lot of scams associated with and connected to forex trading. Why is forex trading such a target for scams It is basically because of its accessibility. Anyone with a computer, internet and a trading account can have access to the forex market. A lot of people use impressive looking graphs and figures to lure people into giving away their hard earned cash to get a piece of the market. If for is so synonymous with scams is it a wise idea to trade it Well luckily there are ways to avoid being scammed in forex trading. Never pay your money into an individuals account. If you want to start trading you will open your own account with a forex brokerage. You will pay money into this account ONLY. You are the only person that should be allowed access to this account. Make sure the forex brokerage you use is FSB regulated. 2. Do not purchase software without a certified track record. If trading software truly works you will be able to get a certified track record from the software provider. Make sure the track record is certified by a large auditing company such as KPMG of Price Waterhouse Coopers or something similar. If the software provider cannot provide this stay away. 3. If it seems to good to be true it DEFINITELY is. If someone has found the secret to trading which can meek you a billionaire why would they share it with you Are they a billionaire Trading can be very profitable but if it was that easy to become a millionaire why is anyone still working for a salary Do not believe people when they promises you the stars and the moon. Forex trading should be seen as a business. Yes you can become successful but you will not become a millionaire over night. 4. Make sure your provider has a FSB license. Although this is not a requirement for software or education providers, you can be sure if you do use FSB regulated entities you will be covered up to a certain extent. It is important for the provider to have some affiliation to a regulating or regulated body. If they do not it means they could be anyone from the street. 5. Make sure they have a physical office and visit it if you can. This is one of the best ways to spot a scam. If the company selling you a product does not have an office it means they have not been in the market for long. If you can go to their office do so as it will tell you a lot about the size of the company as well as the value of the product. If you use these 5 simple steps you will be able to separate the scams from the good products. Always do a bit of research before jumping into something. So in conclusion, no forex is not a scam, it is however your responsibility to avoid scams associated with forex trading. Starting in a field you have very knowledge of can be very daunting especially if it means that you could lose considerable amounts of money. Of course you could also make a considerable amount of money but you need to know how. Trading forex in South Africa is unique as there are different laws that we have to abide to than the rest of the world. Forex or currency trading has its benefits as well as a few cons which should be considered before delving in. Lets have a look at this in the form of lists: You can lose your total investment. There is a lot to learn before you can start trading online. You need an internet connection. The forex market is very volatile. There are many scams surrounding the forex market. You have to find a good regulated broker. You can lose your total investment when trading forex. As the most popular way to trade forex is through trading CFDs (Contracts for Difference) it involves using leverage to trade. Leverage allows you to trade considerably more amounts than your initial deposit and although this might sound great and can be used to your advantage it also greatly increases your risk. Using leverage incorrectly could cause you to lose your entire investment in a matter of seconds. There is a lot to learn before you start trading. Although most providers claim that you can learn how to trade currencies within a very short period of time, you can really only start trading properly after learning and acquiring quite a large range of skills. Learning not only includes literature but also, and probably more important, a lot of practice time. Most people are not aware that they have to practice for at the very least 3 months before you start trading live. You need an internet connection for online trading. As the name suggests it is an online activity. You need a good internet connection to be able to trade effectively as this affects your slippage (transaction speed). If you are offline you cannot open or close trades and therefore if you have a bad connection this could really negatively influence your trading. The forex market is volatile. The forex market is not really volatile when trading on 1:1, but as almost everyone trades forex at a leverage of greater than 1:50 it changes the market into the most volatile tradeable market. Currencies fluctuate mostly because of news and economic events that have influence on the country or countries to which the currency is connected. As there is so much news and economic activity the currency market is an every changing animal with ebbs and flows that are as unpredictable as the sea. There are a lot of scams in the forex market. Currency or forex trading is extremely accessible as you only need an internet connection and a small investment to start trading. This has made the forex market a target for scams and scam artists. For a seasoned trader it is very easy to pick up which products are scams and which are not but as in most cases in life if it sounds to good to be true it most probable is. You have to find a good forex broker that is regulated in South Africa Probably the most important first step to trading is finding a good broker that is regulated in South Africa. Again, as in the previous section, it is easy to do if you know what to look for but if you are new to the market it could be difficult to decide which broker to chose. SAFX will help you with a list of the best forex brokers in South Africa. Let us now look at the Pros list for online trading: You can trade a large amount with a small investment. It is very easy to start. There is great software available. It is the biggest market in the World Commissions in forex are very small. You can manage your risk. You can trade from anywhere in the world. The forex market is the most liquid market in the world. How much do you need to trade forex This depends on the broker you use but in most cases it is R5000 or even less. The even bigger advantage is that most brokers give you a demo or dummy account to practice using their platform software without risking your own money. This gives you a great opportunity without you having to risk 1 cent of your money. So in summary you do not need a cent to start practicing and a small amount to start trading. It is very easy to start. As we mentioned earlier there is a higher learning curve than most people think, it is however by no means difficult to get going. What you need is an internet connection, a trading device in the form of either a PC, tablet or smartphone, a trading platform, this is the software that allows you to execute trades, and a strategy or system. There are many strategies and systems, have a look on the safx. co. za website for more information on trading strategies and trading systems. There is great software available. A few years ago you basically had to be a mathematician to take advantage of technical indicators and other trading tools as you had to work out values with complex formulae. Nowadays you are able to take advantage of tools and software that have made the process of decision-making in online trading much easier. At SAFX we have developed a number of trading tools and software that will aid you in your decision making process. It is very important to watch out for scams when it comes to software as there are many products out there that just do not do what they promise. For peace of mind have a look at our products or let us assist you to determine whether or not a product is suitable or not. Forex is the biggest market in the world. There are a huge amount of currencies and currency combinations, or what most people refer to as currency pairs, that you can trade. The forex market has an estimated daily trading volume of roughly 5 Trillion Dollars. Yes that does mean that 5 Trillion is moved in the forex market everyday. How much commission do you pay to trade forex Well to be quite frank this depends on your broker but mostly the commissions payable i forex is in the form of a spread. A spread just means that if a dollar is worth R14 the broker will sell it to you at R14.03 and the R0.03 would be the commission. It depends on the currencies that are traded. Your most traded currencies are the cheapest. In most cases the EURUSD pair would be the cheapest and a good indication whether the broker is competitive or not. You can manage your risk. As we said earlier forex trading can be risky and you can lose your entire investment. It is very important to note however that you can take full control of your risk and how much you are comfortable with. You determine your risk on every trade and you can trade forex very safely if you have a good risk management system in place. You can trade currencies from anywhere in the world. As you only need a trading device with an internet connection and a forex trading account you can trade from anywhere in the world. You do not have to be stuck in an office. You can literally trade forex while travelling the world. You obviously would have to learn to do so properly beforehand but it is a real possibility. Have a look at our trading education packages at safx. co. za What is liquidity in trading The forex market is the most liquid market in the world, this simply means when you are ready to buy you can do so at the click of a button and when you are ready to sell you can also do so at the click of a button. When trading shares you need shares available to buy and when you want to sell there has to be a willing buyer on the other side. In forex this is not the case. You buy when you want and sell when you want. We hope that was helpful information for forex trading South Africa . The simple answer is yes. It is however important not to look at the simple answer but to look at the probabilities and reasons why some people make money from trading forex and others dont. Most studies claim that 95 of people fail when trading forex, this surprises me as I have worked in the industry for a long time and I have found the figure to be closer to 99. This figure is extremely important as it puts an emphasis on the scale of skill required to be a successful trader. Most trading products are sold as easy to use and no experienced required. The harsh reality is that most of these trading tools and software is the reason that the figure above is so high. Lets use a simple example to illustrate. You have never made a fire before and prior to your first time of making fire you seek instructions to do so. You find instructions online by paying 99 and you are sent a how to make a great fire pdf to your email. The PDF instructs you to do the following. Get yourself a box of matches. You have a fire. The flaws in this method are obvious, if you do not see them let me point them out. How do you know that the person that has written the PDF actually knows how to make a fire The instructions are vague. e. g what matches and what type of wood should you use It is a potentially dangerous situation and yet no safety advice or the potential of disaster is mentioned. All this applies to forex trading products. They are usually sold by people who cannot trade. The instructions are vague so that it can be defended when you make a loss. The potential of losing your capital is either understated or not mentioned at all. As with fire, forex trading is a very powerful thing when used correctly. You can make a lot money trading forex when you trade correctly. When it is used incorrectly you will lose all your money. Most people reading this article will fail. The reason is most often greed. Start slowly and take the least amount risk possible and work your way up. If you do not go about it this way then the answer is simple. No you cannot make money from forex trading. So how do you make sure you will not fall victim to poor products and bad trading habits That answer is really simple, use only trading products from SAFX, South Africas ONLY proper forex trading software and tools. At SAFX, Forex Trading South Africa . we have been trading forex for over 10 years now and there is probably no one more experiences in this field in South Africa. We have learned the hard way, through trial and error, and we have come up with some of the best forex trading software and systems available in the world today. We teach traders to trade for themselves and we have been doing so for the last 5 years. We are not your flashy over-the-top forex training company, we teach you what works and let our software speak for itself. Steps to learning forex trading : Open a Demo Account with a FSB Regulated Broker Learn how to use your trading platform properly. Learn how to buy and sell forex. Learn how to use a Stop Loss and Take Profit Learn money management. Get trading software. Trade and withdraw profits regularly. Open a Demo Account with a South African Forex Broker This seems easy enough and it is. There is one catch, make sure the broker is registered with the Financial Services Board of South Africa (FSB). A demo account is 100 free, make sure that you are not charged for opening a demo trading account. A demo account is a dummy account, this allows you to trade with all the same tools and pricing but with dummy money. It is very important to start making profit on a demo account before you attempt to trade on a real account with real money. Learn how to use your trading platform properly. At SAFX we stick to the MT4 platform as we know it inside-out. A trading platform is the application that you use to buy and sell forex over the internet. It is extremely important that you understand the functions of your platform prior to trading live. At SAFX we provide 1-on-1 training on the MT4 platform and our proprietary software. If you do not have the money to purchase our product or if you do not qualify for our financing there are tons of resources online. These are sometimes scattered and confusing but you should be able to get the basics by looking around. Learn how to buy and sell forex. This is simply a function of the trading platform. It is very important that you can do this quickly and correctly and it needs you to practice a lot. It might seem very simple but remember that at some point you will be faced with a high pressure situation that would require speed and accuracy. The only way to make sure you are ready for this is to buy and sell as many times as possible till you can almost do it in your sleep. Learn how to set a Stop Loss and Take Profit A stop loss or SL allows you to limit the loss you are willing to take on a single trade. A take profit or TP is the profit target. Both these levels can be and should be set for every trade. When a trade reaches either of these levels it closes automatically in either a profit or loss. As in the previous section, it is very important to set these levels quickly and accurately and therefore takes a lot of practice before you get them absolutely perfect. Learn Money Management Money management is probably THE most important aspect of trading. Money management is where you determine the amount that is risked on every trade. If you use proper money management you will be successful, if you do not use proper money management you will fail, it is as simple as that. Money management is the combination of Stoploss, Take Profit and Lot Size. This is a very in-depth topic which we cover fully in our training programme. You are welcome to google more on money management to see its importance in trading forex. Get Trading Software There is a lot of trading software out there. They all promise riches and they all promise success. 99.9 of the trading software out there is useless and will lose you all your money. If you do not believe us you are welcome to try them but I guarantee you will lose all your money within 2 weeks. SAFX is the ONLY South African provider of tested and proven forex trading software, it is as simple as that. buy software elsewhere and lose all your money. Enough said. Once you have learned how to properly use your trading software on your demo account it is time to step up and open and fund a live account. Always start with a small amount that you are prepared to lose. Trade for one month and withdraw the entire amount. This sounds like a strange thing to do but it works. Now redeposit the original amount into your account and do the same process over and over and over. So you want to learn how to trade shares but you are not sure where to start First of all you need to decide which share you want to trade. You get such a large number of stock exchanges that you will need to narrow down what exactly it is you want to trade. If you want to trade local south african shares you would be looking at the JSE. Johannesburg Stock Exchange. If however you feel that the rand will carry on weakening then it would be wiser to trade another stock exchange such as the New York Stock Exchange or the Australian Stock Exchange. Let us say that you would like to trade the New York Stock Exchange, where would you begin If you take into account that you probably do not know too many of the companies listed on the NYSE it would be wise to trade the whole stock exchange as an index. Trading an index allows you to take part in a stock exchange without having to do research on each company that you trade. Two well known indices (indexes) are the SampP 500 which is the top 500 companies by Standard and Poors and the JSE Top 40 which is the Top 40 companies on the Johannesburg stock exchange. You can buy these as a unit where they are already combined spreading all the risk out over these companies as a whole. How effective is it to trade indices Well it is very simple to trade indices, you just buy and wait. As to how effective, well the answer is simple, most large Fund Managers and Asset Management Companies only trades indices and ETFs (Exchange Traded Funds) for their clients and very rarely buy or sell shares in single companies. So the answer is that it is probably the safest and most effective way to start trading the market. Find a FSB Regulated Broker Make sure they offer indices. Deposit a Small Amount to Start Buy an Index and Sell when you have Made a Profit Request a withdrawal from your broker. In South Africa there are various ways to get involved with the stock stock exchange. The fist thing you will require is to get a broker which allows you to buy and sell shares online. The whole stock exchange system has been made electronic. This allows buyers and sellers to transact from the comfort of their own homes by means of a trading device which could be a phone, tablet or PC. The only catch is that you will require an internet connection. Types of Stock Exchange Brokers Direct Share Brokers 8211 You get brokers which allow you to buy and sell physical shares. This allows you to hold onto a share which makes you a shareholder of the company which you purchased. You can sell the shares when you like but there has to be a willing buyer. This type of trading is the traditional way of trading shares and the advantage is that you actually own a part of the company in which you invested. CFD (Contract for Difference) Brokers 8211 These type of brokers focus on the price of a share rather than the physical share itself. You buy or sell the price not the share equity. This is also called spread-betting and as you are speculating on the price it could be seen as closer to gambling than trading. The advantages of trading CFDs vs Physical Shares are great though. You do not require a willing buyer to sell a CFD. If the price is right you sell the CFD back to the broker and take your profit. The commissions on CFDs are far less than that of buying physical shares. You can use leverage on CFDs. this allows you to trade a lot more than the initial invested amount by a sort of lending structure called leverage. Lastly and very importantly you can go short with CFDs. This means if you predict the fall of a share company correctly you can make a profit although the stock falls. In South Africa we have many stock exchange brokers and stock exchange platforms. You really need to do your research before choosing a broker. These steps may help. Always select a FSB regulated brokerage. Start with a small amount. Do 5 trades and request a withdrawal. If you were able to follow these steps chances are you will be ok. If you have any issues with a broker it is very important to report them to the FSB so that other people do not go through the same problems as you. Once you have an account open with a Stock Exchange Broker you will require training. Some training is free with the broker, this often just covers the basics. Use google to find stock exchange courses that are of value, make sure to do proper research before jumping into a course and lastly remember that trading shares will not make you a millionaire over night no matter what anyone says. So you want to start trading forex and you reside in South Africa Here are the steps you need to follow. This is your choice of course but there are a few minimum requirements to look at when choosing a broker, you will start by searching for FSPs or Financial Services Providers that are registered and in good standing with the FSB. Once you have found a list you need to look at the platforms trading software each broker provides. If you are purchasing a product from a developer make sure to ask which platform their software is compatible with. Lastly, give the broker a call and ask a few questions. The questions need not be technical, the way in which the questions are answered will give you a good idea of the company you are dealing with. Do a course amp get trading tools. With all the crap out there it is difficult to decide which education software providers are legit and which are not. To get around this ask for a track record in the form of a statement or even better investor login details. If the firm does not want to give you a track record it means they either don8217t have one or don8217t have a good one. Why would you hide something that proves you are good at what you do. This will very quickly narrow down your options. Open a demo Trading Account Open an account with the broker you chose in step 1. Make sure to start with a demo account for you to practice on while learning your trade. Do not get pushed into trading on a live account before you are ready. Remember that the broker does not make any money on a demo account so they will push you to open a live account as soon as possible. Make sure you are profitable for at least 3 months running before trading live. Yes this sounds like a long time but remember your hard-earned money is at risk. Stick to the 3 month rule, it will do wonders for you. If you are unable to make profit for 3 months running it means you are not using the correct system, do ore research and use another tool until you pass the 3 months rule. Open a Live Account Here it gets interesting. So you have prepared yourself and have become confident in your system. The first thing that happens on a live account is you get a brain shutdown. Why does this happen Well its simple, you can for the very first time see YOUR money move up and down with the markets. It is very important to stick with the system you used on demo, including relative lot sizing and risk protection. These are the steps 8230 in a nutshell. This process took me well over 5 years before I really understood what I was doing. There are also much better courses and software tools then when I started out. It is very important not to confuse trading and gambling. Make good decisions and stick to your plan and risk management and you will be just fine. 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