Understanding Fibonacci Trading (Part II)

By Ahmad Hassam

Fibonacci Price Retracements: Fibonacci price retracements are run from a prior low to high swing using the ratios 0.382, 0.50, 0.618 and 0.786 to identify possible support levels as the market pulls back from a high.

Similarly you need to identify possible resistance levels when the price action bounces back from a low. Retracements are run from a prior high to low swing using these same ratios looking for resistance as the market bounces from a low. Most basic technical analysis software will run the Fibonacci retracement levels for you when you choose the swing you want to run them from.

Multiply the length of the swing (from low to high or high to low) by the retracement ratios and then subtract the result from the high if you are running low to high swings or add the results to the low if you are running high to low swings in case you want to understand how to calculate the Fibonacci price retracements yourself.

Fibonacci Price Extensions: Fibonacci price extensions are almost similar to the Fibonacci Price retracements in that they are run from the prior lows to highs or from prior highs to lows using only two data points to run the price relationship.

The difference between the Fibonacci price extensions and the Fibonacci price retracements is that we are running the relationship of a prior swing that are less than 100% or retracing the price move whereas with the extensions we are running the relationships of a prior swing that are extending beyond 100% of it.

Fibonacci Price extensions are run from prior low to high swings using the ratios 1.272 and 1.618 for potential support. They are run from prior high to low swings using the ratios 1.272 and 1.618 for potential resistance. These two techniques are named differently to indicate whether the price relationship is occurring within the prior swing or extending beyond it.

Fibonacci Price Projections: Fibonacci price projections are run from three data points and are comparing swings in the same direction. They are run from a prior low to high swing and then projected from another low for possible resistance or they are run from prior high to low swing and projected from another high for possible support. We use 1.00 and 1.618 ratios to run the projections.

Price clusters identify key support and resistance zones that can be considered to be trade setups. A price cluster is the coincidence of at least three Fibonacci relationships that come together within a relatively tight range.

A price cluster can also develop with a coincidence of more than three price relationships. Three is just the minimum number required to meet the definition. You may see five to ten price relationships come together in a relatively tight range. There are times when you see these large clusters develop not too far from the current market activity and they tend to act like a magnet for price. - 31391

About the Author:

Mr. Ahmad Hassam is a Harvard University Graduate. He is interested in day trading stocks and currencies. Try These 1500 Pips A Day Forex Signals From Heaven. Know Forex Rebellion!

Currency Trading Sessions

By Ahmad Hassam

The currency pairs that are heavily traded during the Asia Pacific session are USD/JPY, EUR/JPY and AUD/JPY. The financial centers active during the Asia Pacific session are Wellington, Sydney, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Singapore. Currency trading volumes in the Asia Pacific session account for about 21% of the total daily global volume. Most of the transaction involves JPY as Japanese companies are trying to convert Japanese Yen into other currencies in order to do business with the rest of the world.

In terms of the most actively traded currency pairs during the Asia Pacific trading session that means news and data reports from Australia, New Zealand and Japan are going to be hitting the market during the session.

Because of the size of the Japanese market and the importance of Japanese data to the market much of the action during this session is focused on the Japanese Yen currency pairs. The Japanese financial centers are most active during this session so you can get a sense of what the Japanese market is doing based on price movements.

European trading session is very important for currency traders. European financial centers and London represent over 50% of the total global trading volume. European financial centers begin to open up and the market gets to its full swing about midway through the Asian trading day.

The forex market interest and liquidity is at its peak during the European session The European session overlaps with half of the Asian trading day and half of the North American trading day.

London is the global forex center with the highest volume of foreign exchange transactions. As a result some of the biggest moves and the most active trading takes place in the European currencies (EUR, GBP and CHF) and the euro cross currency pairs (EUR/CHF and EUR/GBP).

Because of the overlap between the North American and European trading sessions, the trading volumes are much bigger. Some of the biggest and most meaningful directional price movements take place during this crossover period.

The North American trading session accounts for roughly the same share of the global trading volume as the Asia Pacific market, or about 22% of the daily global trading volume.

Most US data reports are released around 8:30 AM EST with others coming out later at around 9 AM and 10:00 AM EST. The North American morning is when US key economic data are released and the forex market makes many of its significant decisions on the value of USD.

However, there are some US economic reports that come out at noon or at 2:00 PM EST livening up the New York afternoon market. Canadian economic data reports are also released between 7 and 9 AM EST. Most of this news affects the CAD/USD pair. There are news traders who try to trade around these specific times and take benefit from the volatility caused in the markets by the release of this news.

The London or European close can bring volatile flurries of activity. London and European financial centers begin to wind down their daily trading operations around noon eastern time each day.

Market liquidity and interest falls off significantly in the New York afternoon on most trading days. This can make for challenging trading conditions. On quiet days, the generally lower market interest typically leads to stagnating price action. This is the best time for scalping as the market is moving sideways. - 31391

About the Author:

Mr. Ahmad Hassam has done Masters from Harvard University. He is interested in day trading stocks and currencies. Try These 1500 Pips A Day Forex Signals From Heaven. Know Forex Rebellion!

Forex & Other Markets (Part II)

By Ahmad Hassam

Take oil as an inflation input and a limiting factor on the overall economic growth. The higher the price of oil, the higher the inflation would be and the slower the economic growth is going to become. The lower the prices of oil, the lower the inflationary pressures are going to become but this is not always true.

We would like to factor changes in the prices of oil into our inflation and growth expectations and then draw conclusions about the course of US Dollar from them. Above all, oil is just one input among many.

Stocks: Almost everyone is familiar with stocks and the stock markets. Stocks are units of ownership rights that get traded on the stock exchanges. You can take stocks as microeconomic securities rising and falling in response to individual corporate results and prospects.

On the other hand, currencies are essentially macroeconomic securities fluctuating in response to wider ranging economic and political developments. As such there is no intuitive reason that stock market should be related to the forex market.

There was a boom in the Tokyo Stock Exchange a decade back. Many investors wanted to take part in that boom. But in order to invest in Japanese stocks, they needed Japanese Yen (JPY). Heavy buying pressure on JPY made it appreciate. So sometimes a relationship develops between a stock market and a currency for the time being. However, long term correlation studies bear this out that there is no major relationship between stocks and currencies. Major USD currency pairs and the US equity markets over the last five years have almost zero correlation coefficients. However, the two markets occasionally intersect.

The US stock market may drop on an unexpected hike in the US interest rates while USD may rally on the surprise move. For example, when equity market volatility reaches extraordinary levels like when S&P 500 Index loses 2% in a single day, USD may experience more pressure than it otherwise would have. But there is no guarantee of that.

Bonds: When interest rates are on the rise, at some point, doing business becomes difficult, and when interest rates fall, eventually economic growth is energized. The bond market rules the world. Everything that anyone does in the financial markets anymore is built upon interest-rate analysis.

That relationship between rising and falling interest rates makes the markets in interest rate futures, Eurodollars, and Treasuries (bills, notes, and bonds) important for all consumers, speculators, economists, bureaucrats, and politicians.

Both the bond market as well as the forex market reacts to interest rate changes. Bond or fixed income markets have a more intuitive relationship with the forex markets as both are heavily influenced by the interest rate expectations. However, the short term supply and demand fluctuations interrupt most attempts to establish a viable link between the two markets on a short term basis.

Just about every country in the world with a convertible currency has some kind of bond or bond futures contract that trades on an exchange somewhere around the world. Sometimes, the bond markets more accurately reflect the changes in interest rate expectations with the forex market doing the catch up. At other times, the forex markets react first and fastest to the shifts in the interest rate expectations.

Changes in the relative interest rates exert a major influence on forex markets. As a forex trader, you definitely need to keep an eye on the yields of the benchmark government bonds of the major currency countries to better monitor the expectations of the interest rate market. You can keep an eye on the US interest rates by following the yield curves of the treasury bonds. Similarly, you can watch the flow of money between the US and EU economies by watching the differential between the US Treasury Bonds and the German Bunds. - 31391

About the Author:

Mr. Ahmad Hassam is a Harvard University Graduate. He is interested in day trading stocks and currencies. Try These 1500 Pips A Day Forex Signals From Heaven. Develop Your Own Forex Trading System!

Forex Trading Sessions Explained

By Ahmad Hassam

The currency pairs that are heavily traded during the Asia Pacific session are USD/JPY, EUR/JPY and AUD/JPY. The financial centers active during the Asia Pacific session are Wellington, Sydney, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Singapore. Currency trading volumes in the Asia Pacific session account for about 21% of the total daily global volume. Most of the transaction involves JPY as Japanese companies are trying to convert Japanese Yen into other currencies in order to do business with the rest of the world.

The three currencies are important for the Asia Pacific region JPY, AUD and NZD. News and data reports from Australia, New Zealand and Japan are going to be hitting the market during the session. In terms of the move actively traded currency pairs during the Asia Pacific trading session this news and data affects their price action.

Much of the action during this session is focused on the Japanese Yen currency pairs because of the size of the Japanese market and the importance of Japanese data to the market. The Japanese financial centers are most active during this session so you can get a sense of what the Japanese market is doing based on price movements.

European financial centers begin to open up and the market gets to its full swing about midway through the Asian trading day. European financial centers and London represent over 50% of the total global trading volume.

The European session overlaps with half of the Asian trading day and half of the North American trading day which means that the market interest and liquidity is at its peak during the European session.

As a result some the biggest moves and the most active trading takes place in the European currencies (EUR, GBP and CHF) and the euro cross currency pairs (EUR/CHF and EUR/GBP). London is the global forex center with the highest volume of foreign exchange transactions. GBP is still the most liquid currency in the world and favorite of currency traders.

Because of the overlap between the North American and European trading sessions, the trading volumes are much bigger. Some of the biggest and most meaningful directional price movements take place during this crossover period.

The most important financial markets in North America and US are located at New York and Chicago. The North American Session basically comprises New York and Chicago as financial centers. The North American trading session accounts for roughly the same share of the global trading volume as the Asia Pacific market, or about 22% of the daily global trading volume.

The North American morning is when US key economic data are released and the forex market makes many of its significant decisions on the value of USD. Most US data reports are released around 8:30 AM EST with others coming out later at around 9 AM and 10:00 AM EST.

Canadian economic data reports are also released between 7 and 9 AM EST. There are some US economic reports that come out at noon or at 2:00 PM EST livening up the New York afternoon market.

London and European financial centers begin to wind down their daily trading operations around noon eastern time each day. The London or European close can bring volatile flurries of activity.

On most trading days, market liquidity and interest falls off significantly in the New York afternoon this can make for challenging trading conditions. On quiet days, the generally lower market interest typically leads to stagnating price action. - 31391

About the Author:

Mr. Ahmad Hassam is a Harvard University Graduate. He is interested in day trading stocks and currencies. Try These 1500 Pips A Day Forex Signals From Heaven. Know Forex Rebellion!

Become Successful In Forex Trading With A Solid Education

By Flynn Sanders

Currency trading can be a lot of fun and can make you a lot of money if you know what you are doing. Trading currencies is not only a nice alternative to stock investing, but it seems to be easier to learn and getting involved in. However, before your get into the forex market, you should seek out the best training possible.

While some people leap into FX currencies before they learn to crawl, you will make the most money by learning as much as you can before you take the real-world plunge. This training is the foundation to your success and will propel you forward into unlimited possibilities.

While their stories may excite and inspire you, there's another side to he coin that you have not heard. Most often before they start becoming successful, they learn all they can about the forex market. Once they are confident, they start off by doing small trades and build from there.

So what is Forex trading? It is simply the process of exchanging the currency of one country for the currency of another. When the value of a countries currency goes up, you make money on the difference. Traders invest in various currencies in hopes to make a profit when the currencies of one country increase in value.

You can learn the dynamics of the forex market in one of several ways. The Internet provides a wealth of information on currency investing. This would be the first place that I would start. Many sites offer free forms of training covering all the basics. Some actually have demo accounts that you can you alongside your training.

Visit your local bookstore and ask the sales representative for references to learning forex. A good book should cover all the basics as well as some great starting strategies. College classes also provide a great foundation for learning the currency markets. In most cases the instructors are experienced traders themselves and can provide you wit a wealth of insight.

You forex training should cover all the basics of currency investing. This means learning the dynamics of the markets and how they change as well as what influences those changes. A good course should also teach you all the tools and strategies used by successful traders so you can manage risks properly. This involves learning how charts and signals work as well as the fundamentals of using these tools for maximum profits.

A solid training system will also teach you how to open and manage a basic trading account so you can get some hands on experience. Don't worry, you won't be trading with real money because the accounts you will be trading in are demo accounts. By using a demo account you will gain experience and confidence you need to succeed before you enter a live account. Always remember, you can be successful at forex trading with the right training. - 31391

About the Author:

Hope you enjoyed the forex trading system course article. Please see forex trading system course for more information.

EUR/USD Currency Pair

By AHmad Hassam

EUR/USD is the most heavily traded currency pair in the global currency markets at the moment. Trading currencies can be exciting and lucrative. Its a great market because of the way politics affect the trends. Elections, strikes, and sudden developments, both good and bad, can lead to significant trading profits if you stand ready to trade the euro is a convenient currency because it encompasses the policies and the economic activity and political environment of a volatile but predictable part of the world: Europe.

In the United States, where the free-market approach and a usually vigilant Federal Reserve make more frequent adjustments on interest rates. France, Italy, and Germany, the largest members of the European Union (EU), normally operate under high budget deficits and tend to keep their interest rates more stable.

The general tendency of the Fed is to make the dollar trend for very long periods of time in one general direction. Here are some general tendencies of the euro on which you need to keep tabs aside from the technical analysis:

- The European Central Bank is almost fanatical about inflation, given Germanys history of hyperinflation in the first half of the 20th century and the repercussions of that period, namely the rise of Hitler. That means that the European Central Bank raises interest rates more easily than it lowers them.

2) The US and the EU are two major trading partners. This gives EUR/USD currency pair very interesting characteristics. EUR/USD pair is affected by what is happening politically and economically both in Europe and the US. The European Central Banks actions become important when all other factors are equal, meaning politics are equally stable or unstable in the United States and Europe, and the two economies are growing. For example, if the U.S. economy is slowing down, money slowly starts to drift away from the dollar. In the past that meant money would move toward the Japanese yen; however, because the market knows that Japans central bank will sell yen, the default currency when the dollar weakens is often now the euro. USD is inversely correlated to the gold prices. All these facts should be taken into consideration while forming your bias about a particular currency pair.

3) EUR/USD currency pair is heavily influenced by the political developments in the Eurozone. Especially when the European economy is slowing The flip side is that the market becomes jittery and often sells the euro during political problems in the region.

As usual, you want to closely monitor major currencies and the cross rates. Its okay to form an opinion and have some expectations, but the final and only truth that should make you trade is what the charts are showing you. The direction that counts is the one in which the market is heading.

It is always best to choose only two or three currency pairs and become a specialist in them. Two currency pairs that I would recommend for you are the EUR/USD and the GBP/USD. Both these currency pairs are highly liquid and very popular among the currency traders. Fundamental analysis can help you determine the strong/weak currency pair. Use fundamental analysis to determine if USD is expected to lose value and EUR is expected to gain more strength that means that the currency pair EUR/USD is perfectly timed for swing trading. Use technical analysis to make the entry and exit decision. Combining fundamental analysis with the technical analysis can give you the edge as a forex trader. Sometimes there is a fundamental shift in the direction of a currency pair. As long as you are not following a currency pair like EUR/USD on the daily basis, you wont be able to understand what is happening. - 31391

About the Author:

Mr. Ahmad Hassam has done Masters from Harvard University. He is interested in day trading stocks and currencies. Try These 1500 Pips A Day Forex Signals From Heaven. Know Forex Rebellion!

EUR/USD Currency Pair

By Ahmad Hassam

EUR/USD is the most liquid currency pair in the currency markets. There are four currency pairs that are known as the major currency pairs namely EUR/USD, GBP/USD, CHF/USD and JPY/USD that are heavily traded in the global currency markets. The rest of the currency pairs dont have the liquidity to trade big volumes as these four pairs do. Almost like 90% of the global currency exchange is in these pairs. Out of these four pairs, EUR/USD has the most liquidity and is the most popular among the currency traders all over the world. EUR/USD is the most heavily traded currency pair in the global currency markets at the moment. Most of the currency traders are in fact speculators. Trading currencies can be exciting and lucrative. Its a great market because of the way politics affect the trends. Elections, strikes, and sudden developments, both good and bad, can lead to significant trading profits if you stand ready to trade the EUR/USD is a convenient currency pair because it encompasses the policies and the economic activity and political environment of a volatile but predictable part of the world: Europe.

France, Italy, and Germany, the largest members of the European Union (EU), normally operate under high budget deficits and tend to keep their interest rates more stable than the United States, where the free-market approach and a usually vigilant Federal Reserve make more frequent adjustments on interest rates.

The general tendency of the Fed is to make the dollar trend for very long periods of time in one general direction. Here are some general tendencies of the euro on which you need to keep tabs aside from the technical analysis:

- The European Central Bank is almost fanatical about inflation, given Germanys history of hyperinflation in the first half of the 20th century and the repercussions of that period, namely the rise of Hitler. That means that the European Central Bank raises interest rates more easily than it lowers them.

- The European Central Banks actions become important when all other factors are equal, meaning politics are equally stable or unstable in the United States and Europe, and the two economies are growing. For example, if the U.S. economy is slowing down, money slowly starts to drift away from the dollar. In the past that meant money would move toward the Japanese yen; however, because the market knows that Japans central bank will sell yen, the default currency when the dollar weakens is often now the euro.

- The flip side is that the market often sells the euro during political problems in the region, especially when the European economy is slowing and the economy in the United Kingdom (UK), which often moves along with the U.S. economy, is showing signs of strength.

As a word of caution, its okay to form an opinion and have some expectations, but the final and only truth that should make you trade is what the charts are showing you. As usual, you want to closely monitor major currencies and the cross rates. The direction that counts is the one in which the market is heading.

It is always best to choose only two or three currency pairs and become a specialist in them. Two currency pairs that I would recommend for you are the EUR/USD and the GBP/USD. Both these currency pairs are highly liquid and very popular among the currency traders. Fundamental analysis can help you determine the strong/weak currency pair. Use fundamental analysis to determine if USD is expected to lose value and EUR is expected to gain more strength that means that the currency pair EUR/USD is perfectly timed for swing trading. Use technical analysis to make the entry and exit decision. Combining fundamental analysis with the technical analysis can give you the edge as a forex trader. Sometimes there is a fundamental shift in the direction of a currency pair. As long as you are not following a currency pair like EUR/USD on the daily basis, you wont be able to understand what is happening. - 31391

About the Author:

Mr. Ahmad Hassam is a Harvard University Graduate. He is interested in day trading stocks and currencies. Try These 1500 Pips A Day Forex Signals From Heaven. Know Forex Rebellion!