Strangle Options Strategy » forex

Forex Options Trading – What is a Forex Call and Put Option?

admin — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 21:59:18 +0000

What is a Forex Call Option?

A forex option gives you the right but not the obligation to buy or sell a currency pair at a certain price on a certain date. The certain price in this case is called the ’strike price’. That is the option gives you the flexibility of choosing where you want to buy or sell the currency pair. The certain date in this case is called the ‘expiry’ or the expiration date of the option.

If you think that the market is going to go up then you would buy a call option. Likewise, if you think that the market is heading down, you would buy a put option. The seller (or “writer”) of the forex call option is obligated to sell the currency pair should the buyer so decide. The buyer of the call option pays a fee (called a premium) for this right.

The buyer of a forex call option wants the price of the chosen currency pair to rise in the future; the seller either expects that it will not, or is willing to give up some of the upside (profit) from a price rise in return for the premium (paid immediately) and retaining the opportunity to make a gain up to the strike price. Call options are most profitable for the buyer when the price of the chosen currency pair has moved up past the strike price greatly. When the price of the chosen currency pair surpasses the strike price at the time of expiration, the option is said to be “in the money”. When the price of the chosen currency stays at or around the strike price at the time of expiration, the option is said to be “at the money”. When the price of the chosen currency pair goes under the strike price at the time of expiration, the option is said to be “out of the money”.

However, to be truly profitable, the gains resulting from the upward movement must also cover the cost of buying the forex call option (premium paid). For example, if the cost (premium) of buying a call option expiry in 1 week’s time is 120 pips then the chosen currency pair must move upwards more than 120 pips past the strike price. If it rises 300 pips above the strike price by expiration your profit would be (300 pips – 120 pips) 180 pips!

What is a Forex Put Options?

A forex put option gives you the right but not the obligation buy or sell a currency pair at a certain price on a certain date. The certain price in this case is called the ’strike price’. That is the option gives you the flexibility of choosing where you want to buy or sell the currency pair. The certain date in this case is called the ‘expiry’ or the expiration date of the option.

If you feel that the market is going to go down greatly then you would buy a put option. Likewise, if you think that the market is trending up, you would then buy a call option. The buyer of the put option pays a fee (called a premium) for this right as the buyer expects the price of the chosen currency pair to drop in the future while the seller expects that it will not.

Put options can only make profits for the buyer if the price of the chosen currency pair has moved down past the strike price greatly. When the price of the chosen currency pair falls past the strike price at the time of expiration, the put option is said to be “in the money”. When the price of the chosen currency stays at or around the strike price at the time of expiration, the put option is said to be “at the money”. When the price of the chosen currency pair goes above the strike price at the time of expiration, the put option is said to be “out of the money”.

Please note that the gains resulting from the downward movement must also cover the cost of buying the forex put option (premium paid) to be profitable. For example, if the cost (premium) of buying a put option expiring in 1 week’s time is 135 pips then the chosen currency pair must move downwards more than 135 pips past the strike price. If it falls 250 pips below the strike price by expiration your profit would be (250 pips – 135 pips) 115 pips!

Forex Options Trading can do a very good model for people who want to do Forex Trading. What you need is a right system, the willingness to work and determination to not give until you reach your goal. If you are willing to take action, then this Forex Trading is suitable for you.

Forex Options Trading – How Forex Options are Calculated (part 1 of 2)

admin — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 09:11:05 +0000

Forex options are calculated with ‘Greeks’. A basic explanation of these ‘Greeks’ will help you understand how and why the forex options move and behave in a certain way. An option is a derivative and how it’s value is derived is from a formula that combines these Greeks together. The Greeks are how these options respond to various factors such as price movement, time decay, volatility, and interest rates.

There are 5 Greeks involved and we share go through them one by one.

Delta: The speed of the option’s price gain or loss against the gain or loss of the ‘mother’ or underlying asset price is known as the Delta. The Delta is a figure that shows us how fast or slow the option will move relative to its ‘mother’ or underlying asset. A Delta of 1 means the option price is moving at the same speed and direction as the ‘mother’ or underlying asset. A Delta of -1 means the option price is moving in the opposite direction for every point the ‘mother’ or underlying asset moves.

The probability of an option expiring in-the-money is also expressed in the Delta. An at the money call option has a Delta of 0.5; i.e., 50%, meaning a 50% chance of expiring in the money. A deep in the money call will have a Delta of near 1, or 100%, meaning a near 100% chance of expiration in the money. A very out-of-the-money call option will have a Delta of close to zero, meaning a near zero chance of expiring in the money.

How to Find a Broker for the FOREX Trading Market

admin — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 21:05:33 +0000

It’s not always easy to know what to look for in a broker in any market, much less a market as complex as the FOREX. But, if you want to trade in FOREX you need a broker. While it might be tempting to simply ask the brokers what they can do for you, you can’t always depend on them to give you a straight answer. Here are a few things to consider when choosing your broker.
You will want a broker that has low spreads. Since FOREX brokers don’t charge a commission, this difference is how they make money. Low spreads will save you money.
Along with this, you should be looking for a broker attached to a reputable institution.
Unlike equity brokers, FOREX brokers are usually attached to large banks or lending institutions. The broker should also be registered with the Futures Commission Merchant (FCM) as well as regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).
Once you’ve narrowed your choices down to brokers that won’t cost you too much, and that are reputable, consider the trading tools that they are offering you. FOREX brokers have many different trading platforms for their clients, just like brokers in other markets. These often show real-time charts, technical analysis tools, real-time news and data, and may even offer support for the various trading systems.
Before you commit to any one broker, request free trials of their tools. Brokers generally provide technical as well as fundamental commentaries, economic calendars, and other research to help you make good trades. Shop around until you find a broker who will give you what you need to succeed.
The next item that you will need to evaluate carefully is the number of leverage options your potential broker has. Leverage is a necessity in FOREX trading because the price deviations in the currencies are set at fractions of a cent. Leverage is expressed as a ratio between the total capital that is available to be traded and your actual capital. For example, when you have a ratio of 100:1, your broker will lend you $100 for every $1 of actual capital you have. Many brokerage firms will offer you as much as 250:1. If you have low levels of capital you will need a brokerage with high levels of leverage to make reasonable profits.
If capital is not a problem, any broker that has a wide variety of leverage options would be a good choice for you. A variety of options will let you vary the amount of risk you choose to take. For example, less leverage (and therefore less risk) may be preferable if you are dealing with highly volatile (exotic) currency pairs.
Along with different levels of leverage, look for brokers that offer different types of accounts. Many brokers will offer you two or more types. The smallest account is known as a mini account and it requires you to trade with a minimum of around $300. The mini account also generally offers a high amount of leverage.
The standard account allows you to trade at a variety of different leverages, but it requires minimum initial capital of $2,000. And finally, there are premium accounts, which often require significant amounts of capital. They also generally have different levels of leverage available to the traders who use them, and often offer additional tools and services. You will need to make sure that the broker you choose has the right leverage, tools, and services for the amount of capital that you are able to work with.

Forex Boomerang – Can This Software Do a Good Job in Forex Trading?

admin — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 20:56:48 +0000

In today’s world, you do not need to be a Forex trade expert to be able to make money from this market. You can be a novice and yet make double and triple profits in the Forex trade market. Now you may ask how? Forex Boomerang is the answer! This amazing Forex robot automates the Forex trading system.

This means that you do not need to be glued to your computer screen for hours working hard to figure out the best trading option for yourself. All you need to do is buy this incredible Forex trading software and install it in minutes on your computer. The easy and simple download process allows people with little knowledge about computers to download it easily on their machine.

There are many competitors of Forex Boomerang that promise to give as much or greater profits than this software. However, all claims had to face dust. Forex Boomerang stands tall among all its competitors with the great features and advantages that it offers. By installing Forex Boomerang, you automate the entire Forex trading process. This incredible software uses complex mathematical calculations to find the best trade options that have the maximum possibility and potential to generate huge profits.

Now, you can sit back and do whatever you feel like. You can enjoy a day at the beach, sit with friends, laze in your weekends, or go for a date while this software works 24 hours a day and five days a week to get the best trading deals for you.

A great feature of Forex Boomerang is that it works with any metatrader platform and broker. It offers very high ratio of profits that ensures minimum risk for your investment. If you feel that that you need time to understand and test this Forex robot, you can start trading with the demo accounts. This ensures that you do not risk losing real money.

With proper settings, Forex Boomerang has the potential to give you tremendous returns on your investments. The latest technology of this software gives it the brain to select the right trading options for you. Now, you do not need to take help from experts and pay them enormous fees for analyzing and selecting the appropriate Forex trading option for you.

Just buy this reasonably priced Forex trading software and see your money grow immensely within days.

Start making online income stream now! To get more information on Forex Boomerang, you can visit the following link: http://automated-forex-software.com/best-forex-trading-software-products.html

George Fontanills Incorporates Options to Lower Risk

admin — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 20:50:28 +0000

Trader George Fontanills first began utilizing options in order to go “delta neutral” on his futures positions, which would allow him to “still sleep well at night.” Since he began using options in conjunction with his futures trading, Fontanills believes he has found a way to accelerate his profits while decreasing his risk.
Fontanills began his professional life as a certified public accountant, but “decided that being a CPA wasn’t for me.” After earning a degree at Harvard Business School, Fontanills got involved in the real estate market, but then “the real estate market died.”
In 1988, with a few other partners, Fontanills decided to give the futures market a shot. “We hired a couple of guys. They happened to lose 10% of our money in 30 days and I thought ‘Hey, I could do that,” and Fontanills began to explore trading on his own.
In a systematic fashion, Fontanills studied the market. “I was probably one of the first users of Omega TradeStation and I started writing programs to try and figure out all the variables that were involved in a trade,” he explained.
“The first thing I figured out was that volatility and movement in a market meant that everyone was confused,” he said. To this day, Fontanills says he searches out markets with high volatility in order to place his trades.
Originally, Fontanills began as a day-trader, believing he could better control his risk in that fashion. However, he began to believe that he was missing a lot of the moves, which occurred overnight. At that point, Fontanills began to study options strategies. “I learned how to use options and how to become delta neutral so I could hedge myself in both directions and still sleep well at night and that’s when I really started to accelerate my profitability,” he said.
“Delta, by definition, is the rate of change of a price of an option to the rate of change to the price of the future,” Fontanills noted. “It’s how fast an option will change, relative to the speed of the futures.”
“Delta neutral means whether the market goes up or down, I’m in a position to make money,” Fontanills said. For example, “I’m short wheat and long two wheat calls, at the money. If wheat goes down, I’m making money on my short wheat position and eventually the rate of change will allow me to make more money on that position.”
While he notes that some traders tend to be scared away by the perceived complexity of options, Fontanills said “someone who can figure out how to make money with options can make money easier and safer than just using futures.”
In terms of fundamental factors, Fontanills said, “I don’t ignore fundamentals because I like to see what other people are thinking. Most of my money is made being a contrarian to what everyone else is thinking. The masses are usually wrong.”
In searching out his current trades, Fontanills said, “I look at the momentum of what is happening. If volatility and momentum goes to a certain level of what is way out of line, I’m looking for a reaction in the other direction and then I put on a trade … my greatest returns are made when something is really out of whack.”
The main future markets Fontanills trades are gold, oil, agriculturals (soybeans and wheat), S&P 500, interest rate markets and currencies. “I’m looking for fast, volatile markets and the S&P and bonds are definitely up there,” he said. Typically, Fontanills said his trades last “thirty days, at most.”
Advice he has for beginning futures traders: “Trade small–until you learn what you are doing. “Everyone overtrades at the beginning. I probably lost 20% of my account on my first trade,” Fontanills admitted. “Learn how to use all the methods that are out there to trade … learn how to use options, because every successful trader I know, knows how to use all instruments. Why reinvent the wheel? Follow the (methods) of people who have been successful,” he said. He does note, however, the importance of “whatever methodology you use, it has to fit your personality.”
Finally, of course, “learn how to limit your risk … if you can stay in the game long enough, you will learn how to become successful,” Fontanills said.

Forex Trading – How to Choose the Best Fx Broker for your Needs

admin — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 21:15:41 +0000

Choosing a good FX currency broker can be as complex as Forex trading or even algebra it seems! For this reason you need to do precise due diligence when choosing a broker that is right for YOUR specific needs and budget. In this article you’ll learn what you need to look for and what questions you need to ask of prospective brokers.

In the U.S., any worthwhile Forex broker will be registered as a Futures Commercial Merchant (FCM) with the CFTC (Commodities Futures Trading Commission). Finding one doesn’t end the need for research, it’s just the bare minimum you should require.

Since Forex trades are highly leveraged (in effect, the broker ‘lends’ an investor up to 99% of the money required to make a trade), the broker you select should be associated with a firm with deep pockets.

Forex accounts are not FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation) insured, so you can not expect the U.S. government, or any other authority to bail out the broker firm or repay you if the market turns critically downward. Large institutions, with ample capital to withstand downturns in the market, and rapid drains on their deposits if clients withdraw en masse, are crucial to your financial peace of mind.

Beyond those fundamental basics there are many options.

Since the Forex markets trade 24 hours per day all around the world, you may want to trade after normal business hours in your home country. Whether your broker resides in the same country (usually, for language and legal reasons) or not, you want one who will pick up the phone when you call.

Forex trading has moved into the Internet age, but it is still very much a phone-based business. Getting a broker on the phone at any time 24-7 can – and often does – mean the difference between profit and a nasty loss. Sometimes, big profit or loss.

Since Forex brokers don’t work off standard commissions the way stock or bond brokers do, you need to research the firm’s spreads. Forex trading is always done in currency pairs. A spread is the difference between the bid and ask price – what the broker pays to buy versus the amount they sell a currency for.

Some brokers offer fixed spreads on some or all trades. This has the advantage of predictability. It’s a kind of fixed ‘commission’. But that might or might not suit your budget or trading style as they are normally larger than variable spreads.

All brokers will offer a “standard” account to a qualified budget proven client. Typically you have to fill out an application form that states you have adequate capital and understand the risks involved in Forex trading. Standard accounts trade currency in standard lots of 100,000 units. You can’t buy 100 euros for $150, you have to buy 100,000 euros.

Since that’s a very large investment for the average trader, brokers offer leverage. Professional traders use leverage as well, of course. In other words you put in, say 1% of the total, the broker puts up the rest. That has huge profit (or loss) potential, but it entails significant risk. So be aware of a broker’s margin call policy.

Most mainline brokers today will offer some type of ‘mini’ or starter account. Instead of trading in standard lots, they trade in smaller units, such as 10,000. This reduces your investment from, for example, $1,500 to only $150. Most clients can easily meet that minimum.

But that lower leverage requirement limits the potential for profits. That may or may not suit your investment needs. Only you can decide.

You’ll want a broker with software that provides you with the research and other trading tools you will need to be effective in Forex trading. Forex investing is much more complex and volatile than even stock or bond trading, which is already not simple when done well.

Be sure to use the trial accounts offered and make several ‘fake’ trades in order to test out the software and research available. You need real-time prices – Forex moves very fast – and lots of technical and fundamental analysis information at your fingertips.

There are websites and forums where specific brokers are discussed, but take what’s said there with a grain of salt. Just as with complaints about vendors on eBay or Amazon and other large Internet trading arenas, a few bad remarks shouldn’t ruin the reputation of honorable brokers.

Beyond all that, the factors become a little more difficult to judge. Above everything, you want to feel you trust the person on the other end of the line. They are not there to be your friend or listen to personal complaints or trade tips. But you should get the sense that they are competent, professional and ethical.

Take your time to research. After all, your decision will affect ALL your trades.

Day Trading Software Choices …Puts You In The Right Call

admin — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 21:34:51 +0000

As a former broker for a few years, in the late 90’s, I had many of my clients tell me that they couldn’t take advantage of a certain recommendation because they had lost their extra money day trading. Back than the access to sophisticated software programs was limited and also rather costly. Today we are so inundated with software systems, it’s almost impossible to know where to turn. There is a way to make your decision easier if we break it down into the areas you wish to learn more about. For instance, are you searching for educational help or a better method to track an asset concentrating on its trends? Stock trading has become one of the Internet’s largest growing activities, not only at the professional level, but as an investment-based extra activity as well. This will also determine which program or system best fills your requirements.To properly consider what software will best suit your needs, we must first determine a mutual understanding. Most investors who use the internet, know about swing trading. If you are not a day trader or long term investor, you are a swing trader. Many so-called experts lump all online traders into the bag of day trading. For the sophisticated observer it is plain to see the obvious differences. A day trader rides the rush of the asset, while a swing trader diagnosis the trends and holds onto it as long as the momentum last. If we are in agreement on these points than you will be able to comprehend the following suggestions I strongly feel is necessary for any software to be useful.1. It must be able to offer live streaming technical data. (Otherwise the program is merely educational) 2. The platform should defiantly include candlestick charting.3. Visually it has to be large enough for all the data to be seen easily. (Many of the online brokerage’s technical data is to small to be useful) 4. It must be cost effective. (Most good systems can be purchased for between one to two hundred dollars)For those of you not yet familiar with candlestick charting, I will try to give a brief but accurate explanation. The Chinese invented the market concept, and the Japanese perfected charting techniques with the use of the candlesticks. It is easy to understand this complex system, if we simply break it down to the ticks on the chart you follow everyday. We know that the lower tick is where the stock opened and the higher is where it closed. Now if we made the two lines parallel and connected them, what would we have? A candle. However, during that movement, the stock might have gone lower or higher then where it opened or closed, So our candle has formed a tail and a wick. Is it starting to make a little sense to you? Take these examples:

1. Lets assume a stock opens two cents higher than it closed yesterday. It later closes three cents higher than that. Should we get in? Not necessarily. Because as the candlestick showed us, even though it had a five cent swing from the day before, a long wick was created. This meant that it went even higher then it eventually settled on. That tells us that the pressure to go higher wasn’t strong enough. We will put it on our watch list, and keep a keen eye on it.2.A few days pass with similar results. Suddenly there is a break in the resistance. The stock has formed a candlestick with a long tail. What does this convey? We might put a buy signal for a couple of cents higher, because the long tail tells us that the bulls are ready to take over.3. Ideally you want to wait for clusters to form. Of course the greatest indicator is a long candle. One that opens and closes with hardly any wick or tail.This synopsis could have very easily taken place over a few hours rather than days, if you were day trading, for example. There are many “characters” in candlestick charting, and those who master reading them become successful.

If you can acquire software that gives you even the slightest edge in your favor, it is well worth the Investment. I don’t profess to being an expert, but I do know of some. I obviously don’t have the time to go into all the details now, but at my site Market Mentalist you will find all you need to know about investing online. There is access to some of the top trading systems available including software, books, newsletters, and Forums. Whether you are an inquisitive novice or a seasoned pro Market Mentalist offers the online investment resource you just might be seeking.

Swing Trading…Less Pressure Than a Day But Big Rewards

admin — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 08:58:50 +0000

Between Day Trade and TrendsIf you are not a day trader or long term investor, you are a swing trader. It usually means you are holding on to a stock for at least a few days, but not more than a few weeks. Swing trading is traditionally considered a low risk venture, especially for thosewho trade the large cap stocks. But is there really such things as low risk in these volatile times? Of course you can always just keep shorting the market. I think that can be the most risky in our current atmosphere. Some experts will tell you that swingtrading only works in a stable market, where the prices don’t fluctuate. I think most regular folk always saw the market as a playground for the big cats. That was until the influx of trading companies to the internet. So how much investment capital should you have? To quote the investment companies disclosure, and I’m paraphrasing; “never invest more than you have to lose.” It is like gambling, make no mistake about it. However instead of just rolling the dice, putting your chips all on lucky #7, or hopelessly watching the little pea spin around, you can learn what is the equivalent of counting cards. Before we go any further, I would first like to determine that you are indeed researching swing, and not day trading. All part time traders are swing traders, because you simply can’t monitor an asset that you might want to transact at any second, on a part time basis. These rebels of tradition are literally traders, rather than investors, but can reap huge rewards in a relatively short period of time. This is the itinerary of a day trader. If you can’t commit or don’t have the time to pursue this strategy properly, I suggest you do indeed look into swing trading. Please don’t misunderstand me, swing trading can be a full time job as well, and for thousands it is. You just can’t do day trading part time.

Make no mistake however, in both strategies as with anything connected with investments, you had better be knowledgeable. Always have an exit plan or stop loss in place and it is essential that you have an excellent technical charting platform. Knowledge and Training Lead to ConfidenceConfidence Leads to ProfitLet us assume that you have some knowledge or you wouldn’t be researching the market. Any training you receive should be for technical analysis, or you are just wasting time and money. As far as software platforms, the following suggestions I strongly feel are necessary for any software to be useful.1. It must be able to offer live streaming technical data. (Otherwise the program is merely educational) 2. The platform should defiantly include candlestick charting.3. Visually it has to be large enough for all the data to be seen easily. (Many of the online brokerage’s technical data are too small to be useful) 4. It must be cost effective. (Most good systems can be purchased for between one and two hundred dollars)Let the Candles Light Your WayInclude Candlestick Charting for Even Greater ProfitsFor those of you not yet familiar with candlestick charting, I will try to give a brief but accurate explanation. The Chinese invented the market concept, and the Japanese perfected charting techniques with the use of the candlesticks. It is easy to understand this complex system, if we simply break it down to the ticks on the chart you follow every day. We know that the lower tick is where the stock opened and the higher is where it closed. Now if we made the two lines parallel and connected them, what would we have? A candle. However, during that movement, the stock might have gone lower or higher then where it opened or closed, So our candle has formed a tail and a wick. Is it starting to make a little sense to you? Can you see the advantage of knowing this information, for getting in and out, and setting a stop loss?I don’t profess to being an expert, but I do know of some. I obviously don’t have the time to go into all the details now, but at my site Market Mentalist you will find all you need to know about investing online. There is access to some of the top trading systems available including software, books, newsletters, and Forums. Whether you are an inquisitive novice or a seasoned pro Market Mentalist offers the online investment resource you just might be seeking.

Stock Market Trading Software…Up Or Down You Make Money

admin — Sun, 10 Jan 2010 21:31:48 +0000

These Fundamentals Aren’t TechnicalI believe in order to lay a solid foundation for successful trading, there are three basic fundamentals you must adhere to. The first is knowledge. There are only three things really that separate us from an expert. Training and experience comes after knowledge. Knowledge comes first, and expertise is accomplished through experience and constant training. So, how knowledgeable are you? Let us assume that you have some knowledge or you wouldn’t be researching the market. Do you know the difference between day trading and swing trading? To me there is a major difference. Many so-called experts lump all online traders into the bag of day trading. For the sophisticated observer it is plain to see the obvious differences. A day trader rides the rush of the asset, while a swing trader diagnosis the trends and holds onto it as long as the momentum last. Knowing these subtle nuances will determine what kind of software you need.Training encompasses a lot of different meanings. For our purposes I want to address technical analysis. I strongly feel any trader not taking advantage of the immense knowledge gained from technical charts is wasting time and money. Of course the fundamentals are important. They are much more important to the investor than the trader, however. A company’s financials don’t matter a great deal if you are planning on dumping the asset in a few minutes, a day, or a week. If there was any news about the company’s financials, believe me you would see it reflected on the technical charts.Use Software for Your AdvantageA Solid Platform to Build Your WealthNow based upon the idea that my assumptions are accurate, and you are still with me, as far as software platforms, the following suggestions I strongly feel are necessary for any software to be useful.1. It must be able to offer live streaming technical data. (Otherwise the program is merely educational) 2. The platform should defiantly include candlestick charting.3. Visually it has to be large enough for all the data to be seen easily. (Many of the online brokerage’s technical data is to small to be useful) 4. It must be cost effective. (Most good systems can be purchased for between one to two hundred dollars)More on Candlestick ChartingA Candle Burns Bright in Your FutureFor those of you not yet familiar with candlestick charting, I will try to give a brief but accurate explanation. The Chinese invented the market concept, and the Japanese perfected charting techniques with the use of the candlesticks. It is easy to understand this complex system, if we simply break it down to the ticks on the chart you follow every day. We know that the lower tick is where the stock opened and the higher is where it closed. Now if we made the two lines parallel and connected them, what would we have? A candle. However, during that movement, the stock might have gone lower or higher then where it opened or closed, so our candle has formed a tail and a wick. Is it starting to make a little sense to you? Can you see the advantage of knowing this information, for getting in and out, and setting a stop loss?Take these examples: 1. Lets assume a stock opens twenty cents higher than it closed yesterday. It later closes ten cents higher than that. Should we get in? Not necessarily. Because as the candlestick showed us, even though it had a thirty-cent swing from the day before, a long wick was created. This meant that it went even higher then it eventually settled on. That tells us that the pressure to go higher wasn’t strong enough. We will put it on our watch list, and keep a keen eye on it.2.A few days passes with similar results. Suddenly there is a break in the resistance. The stock has formed a candlestick with a long tail. What does this convey? We might put a buy signal for a couple of cents higher than it has previously gone, because the long tail tells us that the bulls are ready to take over.3. Ideally you want to wait for clusters to form. Of course the greatest indicator is a long candle. One that opens and closes with hardly any wick or tail.This synopsis could have very easily taken place over a few hours rather than days, if you were day trading, for example. There are many “characters” in candlestick charting, and those who master reading them become successful.If you can acquire software that gives you even the slightest edge in your favor, it is well worth the Investment. I don’t profess to being an expert, but I do know of some. I obviously don’t have the time to go into all the details now, but at my site Market Mentalist you will find all you need to know about investing online. There is access to some of the top trading systems available including software, books, newsletters, and Forums. Whether you are an inquisitive novice or a seasoned pro Market Mentalist offers the online investment resource you just might be seeking.

Stock Trading Tips…Power Moves For The Day Trader

admin — Sat, 09 Jan 2010 20:59:15 +0000

Day Trading Power and Understanding All of the Rules To understand the concept of day trading power, you must know a few other key facts first. Most people who trade online have some kind of understanding about the differences between the styles of trading. First of all, if you are buying and selling any asset in a short term manner, you are a trader, not an investor. Many traders are also investors. There are basically two kinds of traders, although that is sometimes up for debate, day traders and swing traders. Many so-called experts lump all online traders into the bag of day trading. For the sophisticated observer it is plain to see the obvious differences. A day trader rides the rush of the asset, while a swing trader diagnosis the trends and holds onto it as long as the momentum last.Day trading power is the limit of the amount of these trades that can be done by an individual trader, which also includes a minimum amount of trades that can be transacted per day. You must also be aware of The Securities Exchange Commission, and all rules concerning day trading. A day trader must function under certain regulations which include minimum equity requirements for a day trader account, as the day trade buying power of that account and what defines a trader as a day trader.

Once a trading account has been designated as a day trader account, you must calculate the day trading power of that account. That formula is fairly complex, and I highly recommend that, as with all online investing, you seek professional guidance. There are many ways to get help with this information, with a minimal cash outlay.For those of you math wizards that love formulas, here it is.4X Maintenance Excess = DTBP. For those of you currently scratching your head, you must also figure what maintenance excess as well. That calculation is: Total Positions + Total Cash = Total EquityTotal Equity-Non-Margin Positions= Margin EquityMargin Equity-Maintenance Requirement= Maintenance ExcessThese figures are based on the previous day’s closing prices. Along with figuring DTBP and knowing what makes a trade account a day trader account, you must understand the minimum equity requirements for such an account. Most brokerages require a fairly substantial amount of twenty to thirty thousand to set up your account. If your day trading account goes below that minimum equity requirement, you will be issued a “call” to bring it up too minimum, if not, your trades left in the account can be liquidated. Your day trading power can only remain operational if you maintain your minimum equity requirement and your trading activity remains within the set limits. I don’t profess to being an expert, but I do know of some. I obviously don’t have the time to go into all the details now, but at my site Market Mentalist you will find all you need to know about investing online. There is access to some of the top trading systems available including software, books, newsletters, and Forums. Whether you are an inquisitive novice or a seasoned pro Market Mentalist offers the online investment resource you just might be seeking.