Thursday, April 30, 2009
PARTNERING WITH CANADIAN FOREX BROKERS
But when looking for a qualified group of forex brokers in Canada, you should also consider the following things:
1. Network and Size of Operations - Most of these groups have websites where you can easily fish out information regarding their background. There are also several sites online which discuss everything about Canadian forex brokers so you can have a glimpse of the people whom you will most likely consider getting in touch with. Check out their client’s page to know which groups or individuals they are still working or have worked with.
2. Are they regulated or not - Forex brokers in Canada are closely tied with the government and other relevant agencies which monitor the progress of their forex industry. It would be a smart decision to consider forex brokers that are regulated because this means that they strictly operate under legal terms. You should also look at their focus of operations, if they are catering to small to medium scale businesses. They may specifically operate according to their coverage of certain industries.
3. Trading platform being offered - These days, there are lots of different trading platforms being used in the forex business. Forex brokers are known to heavily utilize these platforms because it makes it easier for them to build their networks and connections. It also allows them to scan the market effectively. Check if the platform being offered is web-based or purchased software. These can have a bearing on the rates which they will most likely charge you with.
4. Scrutinize packages - Most of these forex brokers will offer premium features such as discounts or even waived fees for a specific duration. Make sure you keep an eye on these things so that you can take advantage of them accordingly. You will be surprised how some forex brokers would be very willing to waive some charges and offer free consultation which can really be helpful if you are new in the foreign currency trading game. Some also allow you to be able to download their forms and applications so that you can closely inspect their work process.
Canadian forex brokers are generally easy to work with. They are professional, reliable, and they know their game when it comes to trading in their specific currency. If you wanted to expand your horizons in forex, then getting their services would be a good investment. Just make sure you affiliate yourself with the right people and that you take a good look at their offered services before signing up with anyone.
For the most recent forex news alerts & updates, there’s no better place to visit but Freshpips.
Remember to stay tuned on who are the best brokers you can count on. Know them through Forex Broker Reviews
WHY I AM SHORT THE EURO
Right now, there is a lot of activity in the FX markets. Traders and Investors worldwide are trying to ascertain which currency is the most sound and stable, and which will produce the best return. For my money, currently, I am short the Euro. While a lot of people are bashing the U.S. Dollar (and believe me, there are plenty of reasons to do so) from an FX standpoint, the dollar appears to be in much better shape than the Euro.
As all currencies trade in pairs, which means that one trades against another, if I am short the Euro, I will be long the USD. Currently the USD is trading about $1.30 to the Euro. This means it costs $1.30 to buy one of the European currency. I am looking for this to fall over the longer term down to what is called “parity” level. This is where $1 USD will buy 1 Euro. That would be a drop of 30 cents– or 3,000 pips.
If you are keeping score at home, that would equal $300.00 at 10 cents/pip, or 30% on a $1,000.00 investment.
However, a larger trader may size his pip to 10.00 each. That would provide a return of $30,000.00. And all we are doing is trading against the disparities between the two currencies.
As with all markets, the FX does not move straight up or down, and there will likely be a lot of bumps in the road between here and parity. But each one offers a new chance to enter as we sell the rallies.
Until next time…Happy Trading!
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
FOREX TRADING
Being new to FOREX trading? Don’t worry, getting started in FOREX trading is easy and you can always test your skills first in a demo account before you go ‘live’ with real money. To get started in FOREX trading, we have to get to know what FOREX is. For the inexperienced, FOREX trading involves buying and selling the different currencies of the world. A FOREX deal is made when one buys one currency and sells another at the same time. It is always traded in pairs, Euro/USD, CHF/USD, USD/JPYyou get ’short’ in a currency every time to buy another and the profit is made when you buy-low and sell-high.
Facts on FOREX market
FOREX market is the largest trading market in the world. It yields an average turnover of $1.9 trillion daily and the figure is nearly 30 times larger than the total volume of equity trades in United States. FOREX trading is very unique as the trades are done between two counterparts via electronic network or telephone connections. There is no centralized location as stocks or futures markets and trades are done around the clock. Everyday FOREX trade begins when the financial centers in Sydney start their day, and moves around the globe to Tokyo, London, and then New York. Traders can always response to the market regardless of the local time.
Although FOREX trading involves such a big volume of trades nowadays, it is not made available for the publics until year 1998. In the past, the FOREX market was not offered to small speculators or individual traders due to the large minimum business sizes and extremely strict financial requirements. At that time, only banks, big multi-national cooperation and major currency dealers were able to take advantage of the currency exchange market’s extraordinary liquidity and strong trending nature of world’s main currency exchange rates. Only until the late 90s, FOREX brokers are allowed to break huge sized inter-bank units into smaller units and offer these units to individual traders like you and me. Nowadays with the rapid growth of Internet and communications technology, FOREX trading has become one of the hottest make-money-at-home-businesses for those who wish to avoid conventional 9-5 day job.
As a fact in FOREX trading, FOREX is mainly traded in large international bank. According to Wall Street Journal Europe, 73% of the trade volume is covered by the major ten. Deutsche Bank, topping the table, had covered 17% of the total currency trades; followed by UBS in the second and Citi Group in third; taking 12.5% and 7.5% of the market. Other large financial cooperation in the list is HSBC, Barclays, Merril Lynch, J. P. Morgan Chase, Coldman Sachs, ABN Amro, and Morgan Stanley. For market participants segment, approximately half of the transactions done were strictly between dealers (i.e. Bank, or large currency dealer); others are mainly between dealer and non financial institutions.
advantages and disadvantages
Advantages of forex trading
Leverage. Huge leverage is available in Forex trading, often up to 100:1 meaning that large profits can be generated from small margin deposits.
Liquidity. The enormous size and global trading of the forex markets means that the markets in the major currency pairs are very liquid making trade executions almost instant with little slippage.
Ability to go short. Since currency trading always involves buying one currency and selling another, there is no structural bias to the market. This means a trader has equal potential to profit in a rising or falling market.
Trends. Fundamentally, the value of a country’s currency is determined by interest rates and the strength of the economy in relation to other countries. Currencies, therefore, have a greater tendency to trend until the fundamentals change.
Disadvantages of forex trading
Leverage. With huge leverage available to forex traders the danger is that positions which carry too much risk for the account size can be taken on, leading to margin calls. Effective money management rules must be adhered to.
Brokers. Retail traders must use a broker rather than dealing directly in the interbank market. The broker will be the counterparty in all transactions and is, effectively, making the market. They can, therefore, widen spreads or even refuse to trade during volatile trading conditions. To avoid dealing with brokers an alternative to forex is to use futures. See online futures trading for more details.
Spreads. As the retail trader must use a broker to trade, they cannot deal at the interbank rates. A broker will generally quote a fixed spread of 3-20 pips depending on the currency pair. The underlying interbank rate might be as little as 1 pip.
Forex is a very large market but for most retail traders dealing with brokers the odds are shifted against them. Online futures trading provides a much more level playing field for most traders who want to take part in forex trading.
Stocks Options Trading
Let’s assume that you want to make some serious money and you have chosen to take things into your own hands rather than depend upon a “professional trader” to make your trading decisions. This is usually only recomended if you can afford to lose the money that you are trading with, and you appreciate the fact that there is much more upside potential with this added risk. In any case, you have decided on 3 stocks that you like and are now at your computer ready to purchase them.
Before you decide to get into the market, you will want to do some research. Determining a good time to get into the stock market is very hard, but it can also be one of the most important decisions you make. When traders get carried away and think too optimistically, the market gets over valued and it is ripe for a downturn. After that downturn is when you want to enter the market. Once believe that time is now, the next step is to sign up for a online brokerage account. Then, you will want to choose at least 3 stocks from different sectors of the stock market. Perhaps you like Genentech- DNA or Phizer - PFE as a drug stock, google - GOOG or intel - INTC as a tech stock, and Exon Mobile - XOM or Valero - VLO as an energy stock.
Then, it’s as simple as entering the symbols for the stocks that you have chosen to invest in and setting a limit price. Or, if you prefer to have your trade placed instantly at the best available price, just make it a market order and it’s even simplier for you. Now, unless you have the time and interest, let your stocks sit for a year or more before you even consider selling them. This way you can avoid short term capital gains tax which can eat into your profits.
Of course, if you prefer a less risky approach consider purchasing a no load mutual fund. You will want to make sure it is a no load mutual fund otherwise you could be charged up to 5% or more by your broker on each trade you make. With all the competetion out there, don’t get sucked into a mutual fund with “hidden fees” like that.
I hope this article has given you an introduction to online investing and will help you.
The 10 Commandments
Wall Street has been preaching for years and years to investors how and where to put their money. The “experts” have put forth these ideas for so long that they seem to be carved in stone just like Moses did with God’s 10 Commandments. The only difference is that what Wall Street preaches is lies that will make you broke.
It will be difficult in this short space to elaborate on them, but please stop and give a long think to all of these commandments.
1. Do research
2. Buy and Hold
3. Dollar Cost Average
4. Diversify
5. Buy a good stock and put it away
6. You can’t afford to be out of the market
7. Never try to time the market
8. Rearrange your portfolio with age
9. Your broker will watch your account
10. The market always comes back
Bankruptcy Tips And Helpful Alternatives
Before you file bankruptcy, it is a good idea to look into other alternatives if at all possible. New bankruptcy laws make it more difficult to file than it used to be.
Why Has Filing For Bankruptcy Doubled?
From the period of 1994 to 2004, filing for bankruptcy has doubled. Bankruptcy filing has spun out of control with consumers being targeted with easy credit. This has become a major cause for bankruptcy cases.
New Bankruptcy Laws?
There is now a new law for bankruptcy that was passed called the “Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act”. People struggling to pay their credit debts are now going to have to deal with this new bankruptcy law.
Bankruptcy Can Stay On Your Credit Report For 10 Years
Filing for bankruptcy can be on your credit for up to a decade. It’s a good idea to look into alternatives for bankruptcy. Buying anything on credit can be a real challenge for many years after you file bankruptcy.
Alternatives To Filing Bankruptcy
Contacting creditors is an alternative to bankruptcy. Instead of filing for bankruptcy, you work out payment options with your creditors. In many cases they are very willing to work with you. It’s to their advantage to keep you as a customer. The creditors know the alternatives for bankruptcy will bring them more profits if you don’t file for bankruptcy.
Getting a debt consolidation loan is a good alternative for bankruptcy. Financial services can combine all your debts into one loan payment every month. A consolidation loan as an alternative for bankruptcy, can help pay off debts. For bankruptcy consolidation loans, you can shop online for the best terms and rates. Lenders are very competitive to earn your business online.
You may also consider a debt workout for bankruptcy alternatives. With a debt workout, an attorney contacts your creditors and makes arrangements. In most cases the monthly payments will be less than if the credit account was settled in full. For some cases they want the payment in full, but over a longer period of time than originally stated on the credit agreement.
Bankruptcy alternatives are a good idea to consider, before you rush off to file for bankruptcy. If you look into some of these alternatives, at least you will know you tried your best to avoid bankruptcy. Having bankruptcy on your credit report for 10 years can be a long time.
How To Find A Bankruptcy Lawyer?
If you have decided there is no alternative to filing bankruptcy,you may be asking yourself, “how do I find a good bankruptcy lawyer? The best way to find a good bankruptcy lawyer is through referrals. Family members and friends who filed bankruptcy in the past can refer you to a good bankruptcy lawyer. The yellow pages in a phone book is another great place to find reputable bankruptcy lawyers. Another invaluable place to find a good bankruptcy lawyer and services in on the Internet. When you search for a lawyer, try to find a lawyer that deals with your type of bankruptcy. You can get free advice with the first meeting.
Is The Law Firms Bankruptcy Lawyer Experienced?
Find out if your type of bankruptcy case is right for the law firms lawyer. Has the bankruptcy lawyer handled similar cases in the past? Take time to look over the alternatives to bankruptcy with your lawyer. There may be a way out of bankruptcy. A good bankruptcy lawyer can give you free advice on what chapter bankruptcy you should file. Bankruptcy lawyers will have you fill out a bankruptcy evaluation to see what is right for your debt and financial situation. To save yourself from wasted time and frustration, discuss in detail, options available to you with your bankruptcy lawyer.
What Information Will I Need For A Bankruptcy Lawyer?
With your first visit, it’s important to bring everything you can on the first consultation. You will need a list of all the creditors and how much you owe for your bankruptcy lawyer to consider. This includes any insurance, medical bills, auto loans, taxes, student loans and any personal loans. Your bankruptcy lawyer can give you the advice you need with this important information. This will make the filing process easier if you do decide to file bankruptcy.
Copyright 2005 Dean Shainin
Dean Shainin offers online bankruptcy and debt advice at
Ways to Acquire Discipline in Trading
One way to acquire discipline in trading…
“Hey Joe! When you were teaching us at our Forex office in Florida, you stressed discipline. Our head trader stresses discipline. What I want to know is if discipline can be acquired or is it just something you are born with? I’m having trouble finding it in myself.” - trader -
Personally, I believe discipline can be learned, although at times it is very painful. When I began trading, I was a very undisciplined person. But trading and the markets forced me to become disciplined. Was the discipline already there and just needed to be extracted? Or did I actually learn it? I can’t truly be sure.
One of the largest trading firms kept their offices near Yeshivas. A yeshiva is a rabbinical school that produces rabbis of the Jewish religion. The students coming out of the yeshiva were highly disciplined and made excellent traders. Was the discipline innate in those yeshiva students? Or did they learn it under the strict supervision of the rabbis who controlled their lives? I think they learned it.
I’ve mentioned previously that it can help to keep a journal if you want to learn discipline. The journal I kept was very basic and included what trades I made during the day and my reasons for getting into the trade. It is what I did with the journal that helped me to be disciplined. Anyone can make entries into a journal. I let the contents of my journal keep me in line. It became my supervisor. I took to heart what I wrote there. I no longer keep that kind of journal because it has served its purpose in making discipline into a habit in the way I trade.
Buyer Of Structured Annuity Settlement - How To Find the Structured Annuity Buyer That Suits You
Annuities are important and valuable policies for many senior citizens in the USA. Sometimes, however, any one of us may have need to plan for the future differently. Our plans may change, we may require cash fast and decide to sell the annuity or part of it for a large lump of cash.
Annuities are usually paid annually in small amounts and for some people, it may not be enough to support their lifestyle. Many people need cash today to invest in their own business even after retirement, some may have loans to pay off, or many people with good financial standing would rather have a large sum in advance, than having small payments deposited annually. Selling your annuity may give you more leverage for your “future” money, today.
It must be noted that selling your annuity, may have tax implications so it would be wise to have some idea of your situation.
There are a few reputable financial companies on the market that will work with you and based on your situation, provide you with the plan that may suit you best.
Even if you have already decided to sell your annuity, it would be extremely wise to shop around. This point cannot be stressed enough, as many people accept the first offer they come across and think this is the best they can do. Because of the years involved, even a small percentage variation in time periods can mean difference in hundreds of dollars in, or out of your pocket.