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What to Watch for - When Reading a Forex Book

When it comes to forex trading, there are many, many resources out there to help you learn the ropes. There are online courses, seminars and even one-on-one training available. But sometimes the best way to learn is the old-fashioned way: by reading a book.

The marketplace abounds with forex books, and many new traders find them the best way to learn because it allows them to re-read passages as many times as necessary to fully grasp the concepts. Imagine asking the speaker at a large public seminar to repeat himself and you can see why a book has its advantages!

The question is, which forex book should you read? Like any other field, the forex trading world has its share of hucksters and liars. Be wary of any book that makes outrageous claims in its title or on the cover -- “Be a forex pro in an hour!” or “Make millions while you sleep!” for example. If a forex book promises something that’s too good to be true, it probably is. And if the book downplays or neglects the inherent risk in forex trading, you should skip it.

What you want in a forex book instead is calm, reasonable, practical advice. Showy, glitzy language suggests the writer is trying to pull a fast one. (And you have to wonder: If it’s SO EASY to make millions in forex trading, why is this guy writing books about it instead of doing it?) Restrained, logical language suggests the writer knows the market and is simply explaining what he’s learned.

Take note also of the book’s presentation. Is it an e-book sold by some guy off his Web site? Is it riddled with grammar and spelling errors? Or does it appear to have been written and edited by professionals, and presented in an appealing, straightforward manner? You want a book that fits the latter description. It’s more likely to be reliable and up-front about the pros and cons of forex trading.

Finally, when considering a forex book, it’s worth taking a few minutes to Google the author’s name and see what comes up. Are there reviews of the book written by actual readers (not testimonials provided on the author’s Web site)? Has the author been mentioned in any news stories? What is his or her background? Does he or she have any real-world trading experience, or do they just write forex books? Remember, those who can do, do. Those who can’t do, teach.

Using Forex Signals to Navigate the Currency Market

There are dozens of world currencies being traded around the clock on the foreign currency exchange, and no one can possibly monitor them all at once. That is why many traders rely on forex signals to keep them apprised of movement in the market.

Many brokers and other forex-related businesses offer forex signals to subscribers. Forex signals are simply recommendations to buy or sell based on mathematical algorithms and professional know-how. Usually these signals include specific entry, stop and target levels. They might say something like, in essence, “Right now the EUR/USD bid is at 1.2529 and dropping. When it gets to 1.2465, sell.”

Forex signal providers usually charge for their service, sometimes as much as $100 a month. For this the subscriber gets 1-5 signals a day, sent via e-mail, text message or instant messenger. The trader is under no obligation to do anything with the information, of course. They are advisory in nature, and the trader is free to ignore them entirely if he wants to. But most traders generally go along with the advice that comes to them through forex signals. They wouldn’t pay for the service if they didn’t find the advice useful.

There are two schools of thought about forex signals. One says that you’re a sucker if you pay for them, with the reasoning that if the people behind them are so good at playing the market, why do they have to sell signals to make a living? The opposing point of view says that since signals require analysis and experience to create, why shouldn’t the people who distribute them get paid for their efforts?

If you do choose to pay for a signals service, you should get a trial membership first. Be wary of a service that won’t give you a free trial period before you start paying, or that only offers a trial period of a couple days. (What do they have to hide? If their service is good, showing it to you for a week or two will only help sell it to you.)

On the other hand, one maxim usually holds true: You get what you pay for. Sites that offer free forex signals may not be as reliable or experienced as the professional sites. And in either case, you shouldn’t blindly follow the advice of forex signals. A smart investor will look at the trends himself to make sure he agrees with the signals he received. The decision to buy or sell is ultimately his, after all.

The Different Forex Trading Strategy to Help You Make More Money and Minimize Risks

People need to make money in order to live a comfortable life. They need it in order to pay for the utility bills, pay for food, for education and other things that are necessary in life. This is why people tend to do anything to make money. Some people work in a company, some people prefer putting up their own business and some people trade in the financial market as a career.

One such financial market that you can really make money from is the Forex market. The Forex market is the largest and the most liquid market in the world with trades open for 24 hours a day and exchanges that amounts to trillions of dollars each trading day.

In order for you to be successful in this market, you need to know the basics about the Forex market. You need to be able to know how to trade, when to trade and what to trade. You will also need to know the different trading strategies in the largest financial market in the world which is the Forex.

Knowing about the different trading strategies in Forex will allow you to minimize the risk of losing money and increase your chances of making huge profits. First of all, it is important that you should remember that the Forex market can give you the chance to earn a lot of money. It is a known fact that people who have traded in this very liquid market have made millions of dollars almost overnight. You also have to know that the Forex market is also a very risky market to be in. It is also a known fact that many traders in this market have experienced losing a lot of money even to the brink of bankruptcy or beyond.

This is why you should know the different strategies that are necessary in the Forex market. Without these strategies, you will be like a blind man crossing a busy intersection with no one to guide you. First, you need to realize that Forex trading strategies are very different from the strategies used in stoke trading. If you know about the different trading strategy in Forex, then you will really earn a lot of money from this very large financial market.

One of the most useful strategies that you can apply in the Forex market is called leverage. This is one of the most common strategies that you can use in the Forex market and most Forex traders are familiar with the leverage strategy and many have made large profits from this strategy. If you already have a funded Forex account, you can use the leverage strategy to help you trade more effectively in the Forex market. Leverage strategy works by giving you 100 times the amount of money that you can trade in your deposited account. Therefore, if you do win, your income will also increase 100 times. This will allow better results in your trades.

Another strategy that is commonly used in the Forex market is called the stop loss order. This strategy is used to protect you from potentially losing a lot of money. This works by letting you choose a predetermined point in the trade where you will not trade. Therefore, it will eventually minimize the risks. However, if the movement of the currency is not like what you actually predicted, you will end up losing potential money making opportunity with this kind of trade.

Automatic entry order is another Forex trading strategy that you can use when you trade in the Forex market. This will allow you to enter the Forex market automatically when the price of a particular currency is right for you. The price is predetermined and once it reaches that predetermined price, you will be automatically entered into the trades.

These strategies will help you trade in the Forex market more effectively. It will eventually help you minimize the risk and maximize your income earning potential. However, you should always remember that you should know when you should use these strategies. It is also important that you should remember that there is always the risk of losing money when trading in Forex. These strategies will not necessarily eliminate the risk but will minimize it.

Money to be Had in Forex Trading For a First-Time Investor

Forex trading is done on a much greater scale than any other kind of market in the world. Some 1.9 trillion dollars are handled every single day. About 73 percent of all forex trading is done by 10 international banks with names you’re familiar with: Merrill Lynch, Citigroup, and so forth. National banks and other financial institutions account for another chunk of forex trading, and transactions by “day traders” -- regular individuals, people like you and me -- account for only 2 percent of all trading.

Nonetheless, many average investors do try their hand at forex trading, and there are many financials institutions who handle such transactions. It’s known as “retail forex,” and it’s handled much the same way that day trading of stocks is handled. The downside is that unlike the stock market, the forex market is not particularly well regulated, and people inexperienced with it can be taken advantage of. The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) gives several bits of advice for amateur forex traders. Among the CFTC’s tips:

- Avoid companies that predict or guarantee large profits, or that promise little or no financial risk. There is ALWAYS a financial risk in forex trading, and no one can guarantee profits when it comes to speculative endeavors.

- If someone won’t give you his background, don’t deal with him. Likewise, always check out a company’s track record before doing any trading with them.

- The Internet is a haven for shady types. Be wary of anyone wanting you to send cash.

- Above all, remember that if an opportunity sounds too good to be true, it probably is!

There are plenty of honest and reliable forex trading firms out there, including ones that operate online. But even if the trading company is legitimate, there are still risks inherent in trading. Because currency rates can fluctuate for such a variety of reasons, it’s difficult to predict what investments to make. Even seasoned professionals get blindsided sometimes.

In short, forex trading can be lucrative, but only if you know what you’re doing. Before embarking on any investing, study the details of how the market works, what causes fluctuations, how to interpret financial indicators, and all the other ins and outs of the market. Forex trading isn’t something to be entered into lightly. There is much potential for profit, but there is even greater potential for loss, both at the hands of unscrupulous trading firms, and of your own inexperience.

FOREX TRADING 102: Learning the Forex Trading Strategies

If you’re a potential investment player who’d like to make it big in the business and financial world, then you go for forex trading. The FOREX, also known as the foreign exchange market is one of the largest financial markets in the world with and estimate of $1.5 trillion turn-overs every day. Here are a few strategies on how to make it big in the forex market.

Strategy One: Know your market. The best way to get advantage, earn profit and minimize losses is to familiarize yourself with the market and how the whole system works. In the forex market, the players are usually commercial banks, central banks and firms involved in foreign trade, investment funds, broker companies and other private individuals with large capital.

With the speed and high liquidity of asset, most companies engage in this business than in any other trading venture. Transactions are done in a jiffy; there are no membership fees and there is always the allure and promise of big, big profit.

Trading is done in pairs. The most commonly traded currencies are usually the US Dollar, Japanese Yen, Euro, British Pound, Canadian Dollar, Australian Dollar and the Swiss Franc. The more commonly traded currency pairs are the US Dollar and the Japanese Yen, the Euro and the US Dollar, the Swiss Franc and the US Dollar.

In Forex trading, everything is speculative and virtual. There is no actual product being sold or bought. The activity mostly consists of computed entries made on the value of one currency against another. Say for example, you can buy Euros with US Dollar, hoping that the Euro will increase it value. Once its value rises, you can sell the Euro again, thus earning you profit.

Strategy Two: Learn the language. There are three concepts you need to know in the currency market. Pips refer to the increase of one hundredth of a percent of the value of the currency pair you are trading. Usually each pip has a value of $10 or $1. Volume is the quantity or amount of money being traded at one particular time in the market. Buying is the acquisition of a particular currency.

A trader buys with the hopes that the price of the currency will increase. Selling is putting a currency up for grabs in the market because of a potential or possibility of a decrease in its value. There are also two techniques of analysis usually used in this business – the fundamental and the technical analysis. Technical analysis is usually used by small and medium players. Here, the primary point of analysis revolves on the price.

Fundamental analysis, on the other hand, is used by bigger companies and players with higher capital as it involves looking at the other factors affecting the value of a particular currency. In this type of analysis, the player also looks at the situation of the country, particularly issues like political stability, inflation rate, unemployment rate, and tax policies as these are seen to have an effect on the currency’s value.

Strategy Three: Develop a sound trading strategy. Your trading strategy would depend on what kind of trader you are. The basic thing with developing a trading strategy is to identify what kind of forex trader you are. A good trading strategy should lessen, if not, eliminate losses. Plan also the size of your transactions. It is better to conduct many different trades than one huge transaction. Not only does it develop discipline, but it also lessens any possible loss as only a fraction of the capital is affected. Part of a trading strategy is developing the values of discipline and proper money management.

Strategy Four: Practice. Try paper trading, a great way to practice your skills, see how the market works and get acquainted with the software and tools being used. There are online brokers who allow free paper trades, which allows practice and experience before doing it with real money.

Strategy Five: Choose the right forex dealer. Make sure that they are regulated by the law. Take not of dealers with investment schemes that give out too-good-to-be-true-just-false-hopes promises. Look at investment offers before getting started.

Forex trading may seem easy and manageable. But the emotional stress, the demands and challenges of being a forex trader requires more than just the knowledge of the market. It requires more than just a keen and sensible head for business. It’s all about a gameplan, a strategy.

 

Trying to Forecast Forex Rates is an Acquired Skill

It’s not easy to forecast the forex markets, but it’s what thousands of forex traders and brokers do every day, with varying degrees of success. Like forecasting the weather, predicting the forex market is sometimes a crapshoot, sometimes a guessing game, and always an adventure.

There are two basic philosophies on how to forecast the forex markets. One is technical analysis; the other is fundamental analysis. We’ll look at them both.

The technical approach examines past market action and uses that data to predict the future. Previous trends in most areas of life are almost always good indicators of the future; forex is no different. People have not changed much in the decades since the forex market was created. People still buy and sell and react to stimuli in much the same way as they did 50 years ago.

Since forex rates change constantly throughout the day, every day, looking at all the years of past data can be daunting. Smart analysts learned to look at the big picture, to skip the minor details and examine trends over a longer period of time. Using fundamental analysis to forecast forex markets is a bit more in-depth, but it can also be highly accurate.

Basically, fundamental analysis means forecasting the market based on external factors -- political moves, government involvement, social movements, even the weather. Someone good at fundamental analysis might forecast forex drop-offs because he knows a country’s government is unstable at the moment, or increases because the country has just elected a popular new leader. Anything that can affect a nation’s economy can affect the exchange rates, and that’s what a fundamental analyst uses to guess at the forex market’s future.

Naturally, this means having to know a particular country in-depth, which is hard to do for more than a few countries at a time. (It becomes even more complicated when trying to forecast the euro, since several different countries use that currency.) But having that kind of intricate knowledge makes it much, much easier to forecast forex trends.

Most good traders use a mixture of both processes, technical and fundamental. For example, a trader might see that a country is currently facing a particularly strong hurricane season (fundamental) and know that in the past, strong hurricane seasons have meant a weaker economy for that nation (technical). Thus, he can predict down-turns for that nation with some degree of confidence.

When it Comes to Smart Investing - All World News is Forex News

Forex traders know one of the advantages of their field is that the forex market is open 24 hours a day, five and a half days a week. But a 24-hour marketplace means there’s forex news coming in constantly, too. With so much information coming from so many markets literally at all hours of the day, it can be hard to keep up with all the news available to you.

But at the same time, an informed trader is a successful trader. To make informed decisions on when to buy and sell currencies, you’ll have to keep an eye on all the news you can get your hands on. Many Web sites make it relatively easy for you by corralling the forex news into one place, often dividing it into subcategories for easy navigating. Any forex trader, whether new or experienced, should find a news source he likes and check it often.

Many of these forex news sites also offer commentary and analysis, beyond just a simple ticking off of the latest rates. Here you’ll find experts talking about the issues involved and perhaps offering insights beyond what you would have come up with on your own. Some news sites charge a registration fee for access to all their materials, but it can be worth it in the long run.

Aside from running 24 hours a day, another reason there is constantly a stream of forex news is that so many factors can influence a currency’s strength. Natural disasters, government actions and other things -- both foreseeable and not foreseeable -- can cause a nation’s currency to go up or down in relative value. An experienced trader will look at all this news and know how to predict what effect it will have.

Often, forex news isn’t labeled as such. Any economic news at all can affect the forex market; a sharp-eyed trader is on the lookout constantly for news that might impact his trading. In other words, a good trader will have to be an expert on world affairs, monitoring political, social and other developments in other countries. All of this, combined with the more specific forex news dealing with the details of exchange rates and so forth, gives you the information you need to be successful at currency trading.

Major Components of Forex Trading Strategy

Before, the forex market was limited only to long-term investors, banks and people who have greater capitals. The trading occurs via an agent or voice broker who will inform clients on what is going on. Later on, it was been replaced by a computerized automated systems. This was the early form of forex trading strategy.

The trader which is either home-based or office-based or retail investor can possibly trade on real time with different banks with an aid of a broker. The broker then uses the computerized platforms of trading. It contains traders on live desks which places the trades on the broker’s books or on real investors. However, when the trade was placed in the broker’s book, 95% of the money will be lost by the traders. So the brokers take this is an advantage on them.

Forex trading strategy comprises two major components. The first component is technical analysis. The technical area is based from the charts. It uses a mathematical formula to observe the market movements. The traders learn about announcements and news on economics which influences forex markets. Its fundamental side is helpful in proper identification of the do’s and don’ts.

Technical analysis uses chart indicators. It is helpful in determining the areas of resistance and support. The situation where the price reverses, stop or get stuck are revealed. The method that is very accurate and popular in calculations of the levels of resistance and support is the Fibonacci.

Seven hundred fifty years ago, Fibonacci discovered a sequential number form. Its proportions are also found in nature such as sunflower seeds, and pineapple rinds. This method is commonly learned in mathematics during your high school days, called as Fibonacci sequence. It says about finding the next number given with a series of numbers.

If Fibonacci numbers are put adjacent to each other, the percentage ratios are obtained. It can then be plotted on the chart. However, you don’t need to become a math wizard just to do this. The charting forex software is able to do the Fibonacci sequence for you. The key areas of resistance and support are potentially revealed to you as you move along the charts.

The Fibonacci sequence combined with proper indicators can show the strength and momentum of the latest market condition. It will help you create a strategy that will be most profitable to you just by basing on this mathematical rule. The rules clearly states that history can really be repeated, as what has happened before in the forex market can still happen in the future.

The second component is the fundamental analysis. Each day, there are figures being disseminated to reveal some economic circumstances of a particular country. Take for example, non-farm payrolls that can possibly bring unpredictable effect on the forex markets. The impacts will depend on the previous data and the figures implications. The most important rule for beginners even for veterans is to keep away from the market when important announcements take place.

Forex trading profits are being made almost similar to a traditional business. The procedure is very simple. You are going to buy something at a lower price then sell it at higher prices. The only difference is that in forex trading this can be reversible. The process is very easy. A trade is being placed either in the sell or buy categories. Then the base currency will automatically buy or sell its opposite currency in pairs.

The price will lively change every second. Take for instance; you purchased the GBP/USD pair. It literally means that you have purchased the pound currency and sold the dollar currency. You want a rise on the pound’s value which will later on have a higher price when you resell it in the forex market. That would make a profit on the value difference.

If the brokers allow you to have 200:1 capital leverage, then you can possibly control a lot of money than what you really have. It is because you have bought one currency and sold the other. So, your capital can stay unmoved. The only crucial part which should be considered are the proportions which can be either gained or lost whenever changes in currency pair values occurs. Other than that, the basic forex trading strategies are great.

Finding a Forex Broker in a Crowded Marketplace

So you want to get involved in the foreign exchange market, or forex. You’re itching to trade one currency for another and make some profit. But you can’t just barge into Citigroup of Merrill Lynch and start throwing euros and yen around. To participate, you need a forex broker. The preeminent forex broker for day traders (i.e., average Joes) is Advanced Currency Markets, or ACM. To many people, the Swiss company, founded in 2002, is synonymous with “forex broker,” trading about $70 billion a month.

There are dozens of other brokers, though, who service day traders. It’s done almost exclusively online, and in fact ordinary citizens rarely got involved with forex trading at all until the computer boom of the 1980s, and then exponentially more with the advent of the Internet in the 1990s. Since then, forex brokers have proliferated.

As you might expect, levels of reliability and competence vary from one broker to another. The Internet is rife with unsavory types seeking to take advantage of suckers, so you would do well to investigate thoroughly any broker you’re planning to use. Does their Web site look professional and reassuring, or is it riddled with dead links and spelling errors? Google the broker to see if they’ve been mentioned in news articles. Ask about their track record. And above all, avoid anyone who promises things that sound too good to be true, or who downplay the financial risk involved in forex trading.

Look for a broker that seems to genuinely want your business. Does the firm have customer service representatives available? Is there a phone number you can call to speak to a live person? The Web site should explain things clearly. If the site is full of language that seems designed to go over your head, look for a different broker.

If you set up an account with an online forex broker, it will work like this. First, you must apply for an account, which most brokers allow you to do online. This is to verify your identity and the validity of your bank accounts and financial records. Some brokers also require you to download their forex trading software, while others let you use whatever software you prefer. You will also have to transfer a minimum deposit to your account with your new broker. The minimum can be anywhere from $100 to $2,500.

Ideally, the broker you choose should offer service and support when you need it but should mostly simply stay out of the way and let you conduct your business. If you can find a forex broker who is professional and helpful, your experience in the forex market should be full of smooth sailing.

Online Forex Forums Connect Traders Around the World

Most forex trading is done online, with investors looking at forex charts, considering trends, and making decisions. There’s very little interaction, even via the Internet, with other human beings. That’s one of the reasons that many traders also spend time in forex forums, chatting with other investors and sharing tips.

There are dozens of forex-related forums and message boards on the Internet. Some are tied to brokerage firms, while others are just freestanding forums on forex-related sites. Since the market is active 24 hours a day, you can usually count on the forums being busy at all hours too.

As mentioned, one of the reasons for visiting forex forums is simply psychological: Humans like to interact with other humans, especially when their day jobs require them to be alone with a computer for hours at a stretch.

Furthermore, there are a lot of emotions involved in trading. It’s real money, after all, and often large amounts of it. Online forums give traders a place to discuss the psychological effects of long-term trading, how it can become addictive and nerve-racking, and what impact it has on everyday life. You could think of message boards as being a sort of support group for traders, or the equivalent of the office water cooler.

Forex forums have more practical uses, too, of course. Traders find the tips and strategies offered by their fellow traders to be invaluable. Forums are often rife with people more seasoned and experienced than the average person, which benefits the newcomers. And many experienced traders enjoy visiting the forums because it gives them a chance to share their wisdom with others.

Forex forums are also useful for gauging the general mood of the marketplace. The charts and rates give you the cold, hard facts. But many times making a decision to buy or sell comes from the gut, based not just on the numbers but on how the market FEELS. The forums are a place to see what other traders are thinking right now. Do they feel optimistic? Pessimistic? Are things looking up? Are they discouraged? All of this information can be taken into account when considering a trade.

ForexFactory.com and ForexForum.net are two very popular, widely visited message boards. There are dozens of others out there, too. All forex forums give traders a chance to connect with their colleagues and to learn from one another.

Hedging Your Bets Against the Future: the Forex Option

All speculation-based markets are full of uncertainty, and none more so than the forex market. A currency might be strong and vibrant today, weak and sickly a month from now. One way to guard against major fluctuations like that is through forex option trading.

A forex option is when you buy the right -- but not the obligation -- to buy or sell a particular currency at a particular rate any time between now and the expiration date of the option. Let’s say you’re worried that the Japanese yen is going to drop in value sometime in the next six months.

You might buy an option that basically locks in the current exchange rate for whatever period of time the option seller allows, usually anywhere from 30 days to six months. You set a number of yen, too. Say you choose 10,000 yen at a rate of 116 yen per U.S. dollar for three months. The option basically says, “I may want to sell 10,000 yen sometime in the next three months, but I’m worried the yen is going to devalue in that time. So I’ve locked in this rate of USD/JPY 116.”

Then three months pass. If your prediction was correct and the yen has weakened in that time -- say it’s now USD/JPY 122 -- then you exercise your right to sell 10,000 yen at the rate you bought three months earlier. Everyone else selling yen today (everyone who didn’t have a forex option, that is) is selling it at 122 per U.S. dollar, and you get to sell it at 116. If, on the other hand, the yen has stayed the same or gotten stronger, you are under no obligation to actually sell that 10,000 yen your option talked about. You can simply do nothing, and all you’ve lost is the premium you originally paid for the option.

Ah yes, there is a premium. Brokers who sell forex options charge a fee for the privilege. Think of it as insurance; calling it a “premium” certainly fits. The price of a forex option for 10,000 yen for three months might be $200, which you must pay up front. If the yen drops enough in value, you’ll hopefully turn enough of a profit to make up for the $200 you had to pay. If it increases in value, and you wind up not exercising the option, all you’ve lost is the $200 premium.

Forex option trading used to be done only by major banks and corporations, but now many brokers who cater to individual traders offer the service, too. If you’re a heavy-duty trader, a forex option is definitely something to consider to guard against future setbacks in the currency you hold.

The Forex Market Uses Margins to Increase Your Profits

Forex is a nickname for the foreign exchange, a vast market of trading in which the commodity is money itself. In the forex market, traders are buying and selling foreign currencies -- trading dollars for euros, pounds for yen, and so forth.

Forex is profitable because national currencies fluctuate from day to day based on predictions of the nation’s gross domestic product and other factors. As with the stock market, the idea with the forex is to buy low and sell high: Buy a lot of a particular currency when it’s weak, then sell it when it becomes stronger.

For example, bad financial news in Great Britain means that forex traders will be selling off their British pounds as fast as possible, as the pound is about to become devalued. Once the pound recovers, those traders will sell it for something else, thus turning a profit.

Though we talk of “buying” and “selling” pounds, euros, yen and francs, the transactions performed in the forex are not literal. That is, if you want to buy 100,000 euros, you don’t have to withdraw the equivalent U.S. dollars from your bank account and swap them out for a big stack of euros. Everything is done on paper only, though the resulting profits and losses are real.

Because the transactions are not done physically, there is room in the forex for what are called “margins” or “leverage.” Put simply, this means you don’t have to actually put up the full amount of the position you’re taking. Usually the margin is 1%, meaning that when you put $1,000 into it, you’re actually getting $100,000. Of course, margins multiply your losses as well as your profits, so you have to be careful.

One of the reasons for allowing a 100:1 margin like this is that the major world currencies in the forex market usually fluctuate less than 1% a day. (In the stock market, a typical stock might fluctuate as much as 10% in one day.) With changes that small, your daily loss or gain on an initial investment of $1,000 would be almost imperceptible, usually less than $10 either way. By multiplying it by 100, the gains and losses in the forex market are more pronounced.

With leverage implemented that way, the basic “lot” for buying and selling currencies is usually 100,000 (which of course only costs 1,000). Most firms that handle day-trading on the forex market don’t go any lower than that.

Let Your Money Work for You with Automated FOREX Trading

In our modern world of luxury and ease, some financial speculators are finding it advantageous to do FOREX trading the easy way: through automated FOREX trading systems.

Automated FOREX trading is exactly what it sounds like. A highly sophisticated and complicated computer program uses mathematical algorithms to determine when to buy and sell currency, and it makes the trades for you. You put an initial investment into the account, and then let the system do all the work for you.

It may sound risky to let a computer program choose when to buy and sell currency, but automated trading can often be safer than doing it yourself. Humans are subject to error, to misreading charts, and to overlooking data. Humans can also let their emotions get in the way of making smart decisions, like the gambler who loses everything because he just can’t tear himself away from the blackjack table.

An automated trading program has none of those flaws. With the software doing it for you, it’s as if you were always watching every market, noticing every trend, instantly analyzing all available data, and making the smartest decisions. There is a cost for this, of course. Most brokers that offer it require a minimum investment of several thousand dollars or more, and they may charge a fee on top of that.

But the benefits of automated FOREX trading can be great. Whereas manual trading requires an investor to study the market intensely before jumping in to it, automated trading requires no training at all. Learn the very basics of how the market works so you can tell what your automated system is doing for you, and that’s it. Sit back and let it make your money work for you.

Automated trading is also useful for companies and other institutions that want to diversify their assets but don’t have the time or resources to devote to FOREX trading. If a computer program can do it for you, there’s no need to have one of your employees handle it, right?

It goes without saying that automated trading systems rely on technical analysis rather than fundamental analysis. That is, the algorithms examine past market performance and general trends and base their trading decisions on that, not on external factors such as politics and environmental concerns, which may affect a nation’s currency. Nonetheless, automated trading has proven to be highly effective and accurate for many investors, freeing up their schedules to focus on other things.

How to Read a Forex Chart

The forex chart is among the most basic tools in a forex trader’s arsenal. Simply put, it is a graph of a particular currency pair’s performance over a given period of time. Reading forex charts is essential to a trader’s business, so it’s important to know how to read them and understand what they mean.

Every forex chart will be labeled with a currency pair: EUR/USD, USD/GBP, etc. Remember, all forex trading deals with different countries’ currency in relation to each other. The EUR/USD chart, for example, tells you how the euro and the U.S. dollar compare. Along the bottom of the chart is the timeline -- 15 minutes, an hour, a day, a week, or some other period. Going up the right-hand side are incremental amounts. For the EUR/USD chart, the amounts might be 1.2531 at the bottom, going up to 1.2561 at the top. And of course the middle of the chart shows what position the EUR/USD pair held at what time.

The forex chart is useful because it shows in graphic terms how a currency pair is doing. You can see at a glance whether a currency is getting stronger or weaker, and you can act accordingly. Choosing the time frame helps you see very minor trends (in a 15-minute period, say) or more long-term ones (over the course of several days, perhaps).

You can find forex charts all over the Internet, on Web sites for forex brokers, tutors, and on other forex-related sites. Those are fine for glancing at trends now and then. But to be a serious trader, you need to have access to charts much more readily, without having to go to a Web site. That’s why trading software gives you forex charts, too (you need to have broadband Internet so you can be “always connected”). Obviously, if you’re going to be trading, you need to have convenient access to the very latest charts.

With dozens of world currencies, there are far too many possible currency pairs for anyone to keep track of mentally. Forex charts show at a glance what any currency pair is up to, and good software allows you to save multiple charts as “favorites.” Naturally you’ll want to keep an eye on the charts representing investments you’ve already made, and it’s smart to have a few additional ones saved, too, so you can watch for trends in currencies you haven’t traded yet. You never know when a lucrative new opportunity is going to be revealed.

Covering the basics of the forex market

The foreign exchange, or forex, market is relatively young, having begun in the early 1970s after the United States dropped the gold standard and national currencies started to fluctuate widely. For about 30 years prior to that, most nations had agreed to keep their currency values stable in relation to the U.S. dollar, making a forex market unnecessary. With that no longer the case, banks quickly realized that a profit could be made in “buying” currency when it was devalued and “selling” it after it strengthened, just like any other commodity.

Today, the forex market handles about $1.9 trillion in transactions every day, and it runs 24 hours a day, five days a week. (With nations around the world involved, it’s always daytime somewhere.) The most traded currencies are the U.S. dollar, the euro, Japanese yen, British pound, Swiss franc and Australian dollar.

The forex market is overwhelmingly dominated by international banks, government banks, investment banks, corporations, and hedge funds. In fact, individual traders account for only about 2 percent of the market. Nonetheless, a lot of people do try their hand at it, with varying degrees of success.

In the forex market, transactions are always handled in pairs: You buy one currency and sell another one. The idea is to make a trade when you believe the currency you’re buying is going to go up in value compared to the one you’re selling. Then, if it turns out your prediction was correct, you do another trade in the reverse direction -- selling the currency you originally bought and buying the one you sold -- in order to reap the profits.

For example, let’s say the market reports this: GBP/EUR 1.2200. That means the cost of buying one British pound is 1.22 euros. If you believed that course was going to change, and the euro was going to become more valuable than the pound, you might sell 100,000 pounds, buy 100,000 euros, and wait. Then let’s say a few weeks later, the exchange rate fluctuates to this: EUR/GBP 1.3100. Sure enough, the euro is now worth 1.31 pounds, a profit of 0.11 per unit.

The forex market is vast and daunting and mostly inhabited by giant organizations. But it can be navigated by individuals who have studied the finer points and who want to take a risk on something potential profitable. And since the whole world uses money, the trading of that money is always going to be a major force in the financial world.

Forex Software Can Help Investors Make Wise Decisions

One of the unique things about the forex market as opposed to markets like the New York Stock Exchange is that it runs 24 hours a day. The forex market covers the entire world, all 24 time zones, so no matter what time it is, currency trading is taking place. Because of this, many traders have found it helpful to have forex software on their computers. These programs enable users to stay informed about the very latest prices and to buy and sell currencies 24 hours a day.

Forex software also helps the online firms that deal in retail forex trading. Without the software, customers would have to log on to the site to conduct their transactions. But with the software installed on their computers, customers can handle their buying and selling without having to log in and potential overload the company’s server.

Most retail forex companies offer some kind of software for their clients to use, and most programs are about the same. They give up-to-the-minute values of currencies, allow customers to make transactions, and provide for transferring balances. Essentially, this software lets you do the things you once had to do online without actually having to log in to a Web site.

There are also third-party companies that offer forex software, programs that aren’t pegged to a particular retail trader but that offer users a way of staying informed and conducting business. Many of these programs also give tutorials and practice runs, to help new investors learn the ropes before getting into the real thing. Such practice is extremely valuable, as forex trading is complicated and can be perilous to a first-time trader.

Another advantage of forex software is that many programs do analysis, too -- that is, they’ll look at the data over a specified period of time and identify trends and patterns. Have certain countries’ currencies been steadily declining lately? Does one currency habitually grow stronger at a particular time every year? Will the U.S. dollar be stronger or weaker right around the time of an election?

All of this data can aid you, the investor, in deciding which currencies to buy and sell. Nothing is certain in speculative markets like forex, because there are simply too many factors and variables that determine exchange rates from day to day. But forex software can help you make informed decisions, which is invaluable to an investor in a tumultuous marketplace.

Do You Need to Buy a Forex System?

Any time there’s financial speculation involved, whether it’s gambling in Vegas or playing the stock market, people want to find a “system” that ensures success. The forex market is no different in that regard. But is there a forex system that will eliminate risk and guarantee profits for the investor? If you believe there is, we’ve got a bridge in Brooklyn we’d like to sell you, too...

You hear gamblers talk about their “systems,” but who are these gamblers? They’re never the high rollers, never the people who actually win a lot. They’re people who WANT to win and have convinced themselves they will if they adhere to their “system.” The same is usually true of forex systems. The Internet is riddled with people selling some system or other. They’re are always very mysterious -- the sites never give any clues about what the system entails -- and they’re full of people giving breathless testimonials about how easy this system is, and how quickly they learned it, and how rich they are now.

No system can guarantee success. It’s impossible: The currency market changes every day, and while experts can use past history and external factors to make educated GUESSES as to how it will perform, they are still guesses. You can still lose your shirt, no matter what forex “system” you’re using.

Are all systems worthless? Not entirely. Some are no more than sound advice and common sense practicalities, probably gleaned from other books and Internet sites. In those cases, it’s not that the system is lousy; it’s that there’s no reason to pay for it when you could get the information it contains for free elsewhere.

You can usually tell that a forex system is suspect simply by the way it’s advertised. Web sites full of large fonts and exclamation points are a tip-off. So are sites full of grammar and spelling errors, written in an extremely unprofessional, too-casual style. You have to ask yourself: If this system is so foolproof, why haven’t the authors made millions with it? Why must they resort to selling a system ABOUT forex instead of engaging in it themselves? Or at the very least, why can’t they afford to pay a proofreader to give their site a once-over? With forex systems, as with everything else in life, remember: If it’s too good to be true, it probably is.

Being a forex trader: Is it for you?

Being a forex trader is not for the faint of heart. The foreign exchange market is a fast-paced world that operates 24 hours a day, 5 and a half days a week. For some traders, fortunes are made and lost very quickly. Yet for someone with the right know-how and enough motivation and drive, forex trading can be rewarding both personally and financially.

How many people make their living as forex traders? It’s hard to say for sure, but we know the number is smaller than the number of stock traders. Most forex traders are actually international banks and other huge corporations; private citizens comprise only about 2 percent of the entire forex market.

Nonetheless, they are out there, and the number is growing. As the Internet and other technological advancements make it more accessible, the forex market becomes more manageable and more average citizens become traders. To begin with, most of these “day traders” keep their regular jobs and do forex as a side project. It’s notoriously difficult to make a living as a forex trader at the start, and most new investors find they must allow for the learning curve before they’re really ready to do it full-time.

Once a new trader gets the hang of it, buying and selling currencies with some degree of confidence and turning a profit, he may find that he can quit his day job and focus on trading full-time. There is certainly enough activity to fill a forex trader’s day, with news that could affect currency rates coming in almost constantly. A smart trader watches this information continually, almost obsessively, always on the watch for a sign that the time is right to buy or sell.

With home computers and high-speed Internet service available nearly everywhere, being a trader from home has become feasible. Some traders eventually become brokers, but the excitement -- and the potential profit -- lies in working for yourself. With a stock market, a bad day could mean disaster. But with the forex market, a bad day for one nation’s economy hardly matters, since there are still a dozen more strong, viable currencies to be traded.

In that way, some consider being a forex trader slightly more stable than being a stock broker. Either way, there is always risk when money and speculation are involved, but with dedication and resourcefulness, you can make a handsome living as a forex trader.

The Basics of Reading a Forex Quote

The foreign exchange market can be a baffling place for newcomers, and one of the sources of confusion is the forex quote. A forex quote is a small bit of information, yet it’s packed with numbers that may not make sense to someone unfamiliar with the forex system. Here’s a basic explanation of how it works.

A forex quote consists of a currency pair -- forex deals always involve simultaneously selling one currency and buying another -- a bid price and an ask price. For example, one quote might be this:

USD/JPY 118.71/75

The first currency is the base currency, and the other one is the quote currency. The value of the base currency is always 1 -- in this case, 1 U.S. dollar. The number tells you how many of the quote currency (the Japanese yen, in this case) you can buy with $1.

But what kind of number is 118.71/75? It’s actually forex shorthand for two numbers: 118.71 and 118.75. The lower number is the bid price, the other is the ask price. The bid price is the price that dealers will buy the base currency for. The ask price is what dealers will sell it for. So if the above were the current quote, it would mean right now, you could SELL U.S. dollars in exchange for 118.71 yen per dollar. Or, if you preferred, you could BUY U.S. dollars at a rate of 118.75 yen per dollar.

The difference between the bid price and the ask price in a forex quote is called the “spread,” and those tiny units are called “pips.” In our example, the spread for USD/JPY was four pips. The spread is usually that small for the most commonly traded currencies, which means anything involving the U.S. dollar, Japanese yen, Great British pound, the euro, Swiss franc or Australian dollar. In fact, thanks to the great competition in the forex trading market, some quotes will have spread of as little as one pip.

Of course, for less commonly traded currencies, the spread can be much greater. And even when the quote delivers a small spread, it adds up when you’re trading hundreds of thousands of units. If you were dealing with 100 U.S. dollars, the difference between selling them for 11,871 yen and buying them for 11,875 yen wouldn’t be much at all -- just four yen. But if it were 100,000 U.S. dollars, suddenly that four-pip spread means a 4,000-yen difference. So the spread in a quote is more important than its smallness would suggest.

Getting Started in Trading With a Forex Seminar

The world of forex trading can be baffling, especially for someone who’s new to it. While it has similarities to the stock market, there are many differences, too. And what’s even more confusing, some terminology means one thing in the forex world and something else in the stock market. So even veteran stock traders have to learn new vocabulary when they move into the foreign exchange!

Luckily, many companies offer forex seminars to help newcomers understand the complex but lucrative world they’re jumping into. Some seminars are held free of charge (in the hopes you’ll sign on with that broker) and last an hour. Others are more intensive, last longer, and require a registration fee, though obviously the training goes a bit more in depth at those particular seminars.

At a forex seminar you can expect to learn:

- The basics of forex trading -- what it is, how it works, etc.
- The differences between forex and the stock market.
- How to know when to buy and sell currencies.

To find a seminar, search the Internet for forex brokers and browse their pages until you find one offering live seminars. Most major cities host forex seminars fairly regularly, though you may be out of luck if you don’t live near a major city. In some cases, the firms offering seminars aren’t brokerage companies at all, but are simply financial training firms that teach you how to do trading and then leave it to you to find a broker to actually do it.

At a forex seminar you’ll find a variety of people. Some will have had experience in the stock market or took business classes in college. Others will be complete novices interested in diversifying their investments. Still others might not have a lot of income but are looking for a way to use the money they do have more wisely.

One of the latest innovations in forex seminars is to hold them exclusively online. This is much cheaper for the company offering the seminar, obviously, as they don’t need to rent a hotel conference room. It also allows people from all over the world to participate. Hosting online makes the seminar more useful to more people, and since anyone can ask a question, you don’t have to worry about being lost in the crowd.

Whether in person or online, a forex seminar can be an invaluable tool as you start your forex market experience.

Using Other Peoples Info To Increase Your Adsense Cash

Adsense is really making a huge impact on the affiliate marketing industry nowadays. Because of this, weak affiliate merchants have the tendency to die faster than ever and ad networks will be going to lose their customers quickly. If you are in a losing rather than winning in the affiliate program you are currently into, maybe it is about time to consider going into the Adsense marketing and start earning some real cash.

Google is readily providing well written and highly relevant ads that are closely chosen to match the content on your pages. You do not have to look for them yourselves as the search engine will be the doing the searching for you from other people’s source.
You do not have to spend time in choosing different kind of ads for different pages. And no codes to mess around for different affiliate programs.

You will be able to concentrate on providing good and quality content, as the search engines will be the ones finding the best ads in which to put your pages on. You are still allowed to add Adsense ads even if you already have affiliate links on your site. It is prohibited, however, to imitate the look and feel of the Google ads for your affiliate links.

You can filter up to 200 URLs. That gives you a chance to block ads for the sites that do not meet your guidelines. You can also block competitors. Though it is unavoidable that Adsense may be competing for some space on web sites that all other revenues are sharing.

Owners of small sites are allowed to plug a bit of a code into their sites and instantly have relevant text ads that appeal to your visitors appear instantly into your pages. If you own many sites, you only need to apply once. It makes up for having to apply to many affiliate programs.

The only way to know how much you are already earning is to try and see. If you want out, all you have to do is remove the code from your site. The payment rates can vary extremely. The payment you will be receiving per click depends on how much advertisers are paying per click to advertise with the use of the AdWords. Advertisers can pay as little as 5 cents and as high as $10-12, sometimes even more than that too. You are earning a share of that money generated.

If your results remain stagnant, it can help if you try and build simple and uncluttered pages so that the ads can catch the visitor’s eyes more. It sometimes pay to differ from the usual things that people are doing already. It is also a refreshing sight for your visitor once they see something different for a change.

Publishers also have the option of choosing to have their ads displayed only on a certain site or sites. It is also allowed to have them displayed on a large network of sites. The choice would be depending on what you think will work best for your advantage. To get an idea if some Adsense ads you see on the search engines has your pages, try to find web pages that have similar material to the content you are planning to create and look up their Adsense ads.

It is important to note that you cannot choose certain topics only. If you do this, search engines will not place Adsense ads on your site and you will be missing out a great opportunity in making hundreds and even thousands of dollars cash. It is still wise to look at other people’s information and format your Adsense there. Just think about it as doing yourself a favor by not having to work too hard to know what content to have.

Topic to be avoided includes gambling, firearms, ammunition, tobacco or drugs. If you are being offered more cash in exchange of doing Adsense with these kinds, it is just like signing your own termination paper. With all the information that people need in your hands already, all you have to do is turn them as your profits. It all boils down to a gain and gain situation both for the content site owners and the webmasters or publishers. Make other people’s matter your own and starting earning some extra cash.

What Is a FOREX Card

If you are planning to travel abroad, it is smart to carry a debit or credit card with you instead of only cash. Some credit and debit cards can not be used internationally. The main purpose of a forex card is for international travel.

Function
The forex card is a pre-paid debit card designed for foreign travelers and is a secure way to carry currency around wherever you go. You can load any amount of money onto the Forex card. It is accepted wherever Visa and Master are accepted worldwide, and it is reloadable at any time.

Features
With a forex card you can use a card add-on, which allows the money to be transferred to another card in case of loss or theft. You can also bank online. When you purchase your card, you pay the exchange rate in advance so you are not affected by currency exchange fluctuations.

Considerations
When first loading your forex card, you have to provide a copy of your passport, a check for the amount that you wish to be activated onto your card, an A2 form and a PAN card or Form 60. Before leaving for your trip, you should sign a form with your bank stating you are allowing one chosen person to reload your card if needed. This will help when you are traveling and cannot reach a bank. There is a fee for checking your balance at ATMs but you can check online for free.



Source - eHow

Using Ebay to Advertise Offline Stores

Ebay is a fabulous way to sell items, but did you know that it can also be used to advertise and drive sales for your offline business? When you list items on Ebay, you can also include information about other offline businesses. This results in a marketing one-two punch; buyers are drawn to your auction as well as your store information. It’s a legitimate tactic that does not violate Ebay’s terms of use, and savvy sellers are taking advantage of it.

With a bit of research and practice, you can soon come up with auction titles that catch the eyes of potential buyers. When these buyers view your item description, they will also be exposed to any information you list about an offline business. This is particularly useful for sellers of antiques, collectibles, and other items that can take a long time to sell. Smaller items can be listed on Ebay, along with the address and phone number to the seller’s offline store where larger merchandise can be found. If this sounds like an easy and effective marketing tool, that’s because it is.

There are a few tips to remember before you advertise your other businesses on Ebay. First, consider whether this sort of advertising will benefit you. If you sell products within a niche market, such as musical instruments or rare artwork, advertising your shop in your auction listings will probably drive business to your offline store. But if you’re a supplier of general goods that are easily obtained, you might not benefit as much.

Successful merchants who use this marketing strategy always include basic information about their offline stores. You need to list a phone number and physical store address so that buyers can contact you. Put up a schedule of store hours. If your store is in an urban location where parking is a bit tricky, be sure to give a brief description of the parking situation. Will buyers need to pay to park? Will they need to park down the street? Extra information like this will prepare buyers for a trip to your boutique.

Another thing to consider is a map of your store and the surrounding area. Buyers like to know where they are going. If they can visualize your store’s location, they will be more likely to visit. Also, put up a picture of your storefront and interior. This makes your store seem more familiar to buyers and paints an accurate picture of your establishment.

Finally, buyers like to know that you want their business. In your Ebay listing, put in a brief paragraph about how your business prides itself on excellent service. Then invite buyers to call or come by. Even a simple invitation can make the difference between a casual browser and someone who will take the time to come and look at your merchandise.

Many offline shops use Ebay to sell their overstock, but really sharp sellers use Ebay to market their other stores, too. Advertise your business on your Ebay auction listings and you will bring your store’s name to a whole new audience.

Understanding the Different eBay Auction Types.

Over the years, eBay has introduced all sorts of different auction types, in an effort to give people more options when they buy and sell their things on eBay. There are many people who don't like the idea that their item might sell for a far lower price than they intend. Equally, there are people who have hundreds of the same item and don't want to sell them individually. This email gives you an overview of the different kinds of auctions and how to spot them.

Normal Auctions
These are the bread-and-butter of eBay, the auctions everyone knows: you bid, others outbid you, you outbid them, and the winner gets the item. Simple.

Reserve Auctions
Reserve auctions are for sellers who don't want their items to sell for less than a certain price - a concept you'll know about if you're familiar with real auctions. They work just like normal auctions on eBay, except that you will be told if your bid has not met the reserve price set by the seller. If no-one is willing to meet this price, then the auction is cancelled, and the seller keeps the item. You can spot these auctions by looking out for 'Reserve not met' or 'Reserve met' written next to the current bid on an item's description page.

Fixed Price ('Buy it Now') Auctions
Buy it Now auctions can work in one of two ways. A seller might add a Buy it Now button to a normal auction, meaning that you can choose either to bid normally or to simply pay the asking price and avoid the whole bidding process. Some sellers, though, now cut out the auction process altogether and simply list all their items at fixed price. Recently, eBay added a twist to fixed price auctions: the 'best offer'.

This means that you can negotiate a price to someone who offers their items using Buy it Now, which could be a great way to get a bargain on things that don't seem to be selling. Fixed price auctions are easy to spot, as they have a little 'Buy it Now' logo either next to or instead of the current number of bids on the search listings page.

Multiple Item ('Dutch') Auctions
These are auctions where a seller is selling more than one of a certain item. Dutch auctions can be done by bidding. Buyers bid a price and say how many items they want, and then everyone pays the lowest price that was bid by one of the winning bidders. If you have trouble getting your head around that, then don't worry - everyone else does too! These auctions are very rare.

What is more common is when a seller has a lot of one item, and lists it using a combination of two auction types: a multiple-item fixed price auction. This just means that they say how many they have, and offer them at a fixed price. You can enter how many you want and then just click Buy it Now to get them.


After all this, you might find yourself facing a dilemma: when you have the option, should you bid, or should you just use Buy it Now and save yourself the hassle? That's what the next email will be about.

Tools for Adsense

If you're just boarding on the AdSense train, and looking to find a quick way to make the profits you've seen all being pulled of all over the Internet, you might be interested in a couple of tools.



These software tools are designed to aid AdSense publishers in getting a better understanding on how traffic flows through their site. Some will help you in understanding which keywords gain you more money and which locations give you the best AdSense payment.



One of the best such tools available is AdSense Gold (http://www.profitbooks.com/go/astracker) which allows you to have a better understanding of which ads and formats actually get more clicks and which are useful or nearly useless.



This program works by tracking views and clicks on all the publisher's pages. It even goes as far as offering you the possibility to see which referrer each visitor came in through.



There's a free tool called SynSense (http://www.singerscreations.com/RSS/Posts/235.asp) which is more of an AdSense monitoring tool. This sits in the tray and offers actualized AdSense stats as you hover your mouse over its icon. It's a very nice tool for those which like to be informed on how their AdSense is doing at all times of the day.



Google provides you with stats in a csv format on their site. So someone made a tool that can automatically download such files and extract a lot of information from them. The name of this tool is CSV AdStats and it is available from http://www.nix.fr/en/csvadstats.aspx?q=download



It has a large number of features, including the possibility to highly customize reported stats, exporting data and charts to other formats. It's in French but the language can very easily be changed to English.



Of course any tool can only access these stats as often as 15 minutes but the authors are well aware of that fact and none of these tools will get you in trouble with Google because of that.



If, however, you're browsing content most of the time, and your tool of choice is the Firefox Internet browser, there's an extension for this program that allows you to view the stats in your status bar.



Again, this software is aware of Google's 15 minute rule and enforces its usage, 15 minutes being the minimum time between updates. The Google AdSense notifier for Firefox can be obtained from http://code.mincus.com/?p=3



There is also a program called Golden Keywords out there that helps you in getting the best keywords for your site. It's really efficient and very easy to use. It does come with a price tag though, it costs $49.95 and it can be obtained from http://www.regnow.com/softsell/nph-softsell.cgi?item=8616-2



So as you can see, software developers are making more and more programs meant to help you in your quest to maximize your AdSense profits. But before you go out looking for them remember that Google has a few features of its own as well.



It does offer some reports (albeit a bit more limited) and using the 'channels' feature is a good way of finding out which ads on your site are really bringing in most of the revenue.



Be on the look out as new tools appear daily and make sure to invest time in your site, as that is the real key in success with AdSense.



You need to have optimized niche website templates for best results. You may find the best adsense templates and blog templates at www.AdsenseTemplates.com (http://www.adsensetemplates.com). They are offering 100 fresh new templates every month.

What Is Forex Management

Foreign exchange, or forex, is essential to transacting global business. Consumers must convert domestic currency to make overseas purchases, while businesses are concerned with trading international profits for domestic banknotes. Global commerce, however, does carry distinct risks of losses. Effective forex management minimizes these economic risks, while providing cash flow to meet everyday expenses and improve earnings.

Identification
The foreign exchange market refers to the network of individuals, banks and organized financial exchanges that trade global currencies. Foreign exchange management requires its participants to enter the market to deliver and accept currencies at fluctuating exchange rates. From there, individuals may either hold foreign currency in reserve to make payments or return overseas profits back home in the form of domestic banknotes. Proper foreign exchange management accounts for these transactions, while anticipating shifts in currency valuations that affect the bottom line.

Features
Foreign exchange management requires you to follow current events that translate into fluctuating exchange rates for a particular country. Savers prefer to do business in nations that feature stable governments and strong economies. Institutions and private individuals must trade for these currencies---in order to establish businesses and purchase investments that they believe will grow in value. Alternatively, investors liquidate overseas holdings in the case of economic recession and political instability that is attributable to a particular country. For example, businesses would quickly sell assets and retreat from a nation that is undergoing military coup---where the new regime is hostile to foreign investors.

Considerations
Beyond buying and selling goods, currencies may be traded for financial gain. Foreign exchange management analyzes the economic records of prospective countries---in order to uncover and buy undervalued currencies. The goal is to hold these notes until exchange rates improve to mirror favorable developments, such as strong national employment reports and falling budget deficits. Successful currency trading increases profitability and buying power.

Risks
Foreign exchange management must also identify the distinct risks of transacting global business. Adverse shifts in currency valuations can translate into losses. For example, exporters lose sales when domestic exchange rates strengthen. At that point, exported goods become more expensive to foreign buyers. Further, businesses that hold large foreign exchange reserves also lose purchasing power at home when the domestic currency values appreciate. Meanwhile, consumers face the risks of declining domestic exchange rates that increase the costs of imported goods and overseas purchases.

Strategy
Foreign exchange management may use diversification and currency derivatives to manage risks and preserve profits. Currency derivatives are bought to establish predetermined exchange rates for set periods. These derivatives include futures, options and forwards. Currency futures and options trade on organized exchanges, such as the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. Forwards, however, are customized agreements between two parties to negotiate future exchange rates between themselves.


Smaller investors may elect to diversify with mutual funds according to geography, instead. For example, high commodity costs may lead Japan into economic recession, while mutual funds investing in resource-rich Russia are making money.



Source - eHow

Why You Should Become an eBay Seller

Are you currently looking for ways to make money online? If you are, you may have come across eBay. eBay is known as an online auction website. What is nice about eBay is that just about anyone can become an eBay seller, including you. What does this mean for you? Essentially, it means that if you have items to sell, you can do so on eBay; while making money at the same time. So, if you are currently looking for ways to make money online, you are urged to examine becoming an eBay seller, as there are a number of reasons as to why you should.

Perhaps, the greatest reason as to why you should become an eBay seller is because there are no minimum auction requirements. For you, this means that you could just test the waters if you wanted to. If you were unsure as to whether or not you should rely on eBay to make money, you may want to sell a few items that you no longer need and see how it goes. Should you like the eBay selling experience, you could continue on. However, if you were not satisfied with the results, you could stop selling on eBay right away. eBay is flexible to all sellers, particularly those just getting started.

Another reason why you should become an eBay seller is because it is easy to do. eBay has a relatively easy learning curve. When listing an auction or selling an item on eBay, you are given step-by-step instructions on how you list your items and get your auctions up and running. As long as you follow the instructions provided to you by eBay, you could have your items listed online in a matter of minutes. It has been said that those with minimal computer experience are also able to sell on eBay, without any problems.

Speaking of the items that you want to sell on eBay, you will find that you can sell just about anything on eBay, within reason. There are only a few restrictions, which include inappropriate content and such. For a detailed list of prohibited eBay items, you will want to visit eBay’s help center. Despite a few restrictions, there are a large number of items that can be sold on eBay. These items include real estate, vehicles, clothing, toys, movies, books, gaming consoles, computers, beauty items, and much more. Whether you are looking to sell something that you have in your home, something you bought from a yard sale or a thrift store, or something that can be dropped shipped from another company, you should be able to do so online with eBay.

The ability to make a profit is another one of the many reasons as to why you should become an eBay seller. What is nice about eBay is that they let you set your own price for your auctions. In fact, if you would rather outright sell your products, instead of selling them in a bidding auction, you can do so with “Buy It Now,” listings. The ability to set your own prices is one the many reasons why you should check out eBay. Having the ability to set your own prices increases your chances of being able to make a profit on eBay.

If you would like to become an eBay seller, and as previously mentioned there are a number of reasons as to why you should, you will want to register for a free eBay account. Although your eBay account is free, it will cost a small amount of money to sell items on eBay. Your eBay selling fees will all depend on how much you list your items for, as well as how much they sell for. Despite having to pay small fees, eBay is more than worth your time.

The least that you should do is give it a shot. As previously mentioned, if your eBay selling experience doesn’t go as well as you had originally hoped for, you can stop and look for other online money making opportunities.

What Does FOREX Mean

Forex stands for foreign exchange. It is used to represent the global foreign exchange trading market, which is the largest financial market in the world in terms of currency exchanged.

History
The foreign exchange market blossomed in 1971 when currency valuations were allowed to float freely instead of being tied to the U.S. dollar and gold valuation.

Function
Forex is used primarily for speculation and profit although corporations, and governments utilize it to convert profits and payments into other denominations.

Time Frame
The Forex market operates 24 hours a day from 5 p.m. EST Sunday to 5 p.m. EST Friday.

Geography
Trading is global and starts each day in Sydney, Australia, and moves across the globe through Tokyo and London, ending in New York.

Types
The Forex market is an over-the-counter (OTC) market. There is no central exchange, and all business is conducted via telephone or electronic networks by individuals, brokers and banks.



Source - eHow

Watch Out for eBay Automobile and Computer Scams.

There aren't that many scammers on eBay - but the ones there are tend to be greedy. This means that they will always try to pull their scams on high-value items like cars and computers, so that they can make a lot of money quickly. Since buyers generally buy these items very rarely, they may not know about the various scams out there.

Automobile Scams
With cars, you will generally find that scammers try to get you to send them money in advance, for whatever reason. For some reason, some people aren't all that reluctant to pay 50% or 25% of the money before delivery using a relatively insecure payment method, especially on a car. They reason that the seller will obviously deliver it, as they'll want the other half of the money.

But there never was a car! Pictures of cars aren't hard to find, and the experienced scammers will have a whole library of pictures of different cars. The seller just got your $5,000 for nothing, and you can leave them all the negative feedback you like. They'll just go and open another eBay account and find their next sucker.

While it's not an outright scam, what you might find is that the car does turn up, but simply doesn't live up to the description - it has been oversold, in the tradition of used car dealers through the ages. If this happens to you then you should open an eBay dispute and say your item was not as described - you might get a partial refund.

Computer Scams
If you bid in a computer auction but don't win, the seller might email you to ask whether you would like to buy a computer the same as the one they just sold through their own website. This is a bad idea! You have no guarantee that the item will ever arrive, and you haven't just given them your money - you've given them your credit card details too.

There are sellers with nothing but positive feedback who use this scam often - and since you won't be able to leave them any feedback on the transaction, their reputation will stay that way. If you complain to eBay that you bought an item outside the site and got scammed, they will tell you to get lost and not do it again.

How to Beat the Scams
There are lots of ways to beat the scams. First, whenever you buy anything expensive, be sure to check your seller's reputation thoroughly. Make sure they have sold items of a similar high value before, and haven't just sold a string of $10 items to get their feedback rating artificially high. If you want to be even more cautious, insist that the money is placed in an escrow service (eBay recommend escrow.com - don't use any other service unless you're sure of it).

To be honest, it's generally quite a bad idea to use eBay to buy things like cars and computers to begin with - you can get them anywhere, and the discounts aren't that big any more. It's better to use eBay for those rare, special things that you can't find anywhere else. The next email will give you some tips for buying collectibles

What is Forex Scalping

Forex scalping is a currency trading strategy used on short time frames, such as one to 5-minute charts, with quick buy/sell transactions that extract between 2 to 15 pips from the session. These quick transactions are often executed with larger lot sizes so that the smaller amounts of pips scalped will still lead to high profit margins.

Warning
The term scalping may conjure up images of someone removing the enemy's hair as a trophy, or the guy standing outside a sold out concert selling tickets for an inflated profit. Forex scalping is almost as scary, but definitely comes with a huge adrenaline rush - and possibly, quick profit.

Forex scalpers need to increase their per pip dollar value to extract similar profit from more conservative transactions where the cost per pip was lower, and the risk was lower. In other words, the risk to reward ratio is potentially heavier toward the risks. However, Traders who are primarily scalpers may disagree with this statement.

Scalpers user tight stop loss limits as a strategy to minimize loss should the trade go negatively. Tight stops means little play for a market that moves in an up down motion toward a target. Scalpers therefore may be stopped out of many trades that were going in the direction they anticipated, racking up large losses.

Time Frame
Forex scalpers tend to use trading charts on small time frames such as ticks at 1, 3, or 5 minutes. The purpose is to spot quick trade entry and exit opportunities. Scalpers would therefore not hold any overnight trades, or execute trades that will require long time frames to extract profit. Scalpers look for maximum liquidity, so tying up funds in trades that take long to execute does not match the scalping strategy.

Significance
For example:
150 pips x $2/pip = $300 profit (two hours to complete this transaction)
5 pips x $60/pip = $300 profit (5 minutes to complete this transaction)

Benefits
Potentially, scalpers can make high profits quickly because they are willing to risk more. By increasing the per pip value, with just a few pips, they can exit the market with similar profit margins as more conservative traders. It is easier and quicker for the market to move 5 pips in the positive, than it is for the market to move 150 pips in your favor. By anticipating that, the scalper makes multiple small trades scalping out anywhere from 2 to 15 pips at a time at high pip values and quick exits for quick profit.

Considerations
Scalpers tend to be chartists or technical analysts rather than fundamentalists. In other words, they are more focused on what the chart is immediately indicating is about to happen in the very short term, rather than look to news events to consider what the chart may do based on a fundamental reaction to the news.

As a result, the hard core scalper may also consider using software that can be taught or manipulated to scalp automatically. Since forex scalping is very limited in its fundamental analysis of the market, an automated system can be used to react to the pre-determined parameters of the trading charts to automatically enter and exit trades.

The scalpers that do watch the news are the momentum scalpers that take advantage of the immediate drastic response to a news announcement which tends to cause a spike upwards or downwards within the first few minutes of the announcement, then carry a trend for an extended period based on that news. The scalper is not interested in the extended trend, just the immediate reaction.

Expert Insight
According to Mr. Chima Burey, Forex Trader Trainer and Consultant, "Forex scalping is DEFINITELY NOT for the faint of heart, or the conservative investor. Scalping is a very risky form of currency trading. The speed at which the transactions occur, means unless the trades are on an automated system, the Trader should not walk away from their computer when a live trade is open."



Source - eHow

What Is a FOREX Account

The foreign currency exchange (Forex) market is one of the largest financial networks in the world. Traders may participate in Forex much like they participate in the stock market or other financial markets. To trade Forex, you must open a Forex account with an established Forex broker. If you believe that you can accurately predict how currency exchange rates will change over time, trading Forex can be an effective way to profit from your insights.

Forex Market
The Forex market is a vast electronic network of individual traders and large institutions that together create an environment where nearly anyone can speculate on the valuation of major world currencies. The amount of trading capital that passes through the international Forex market each day is more than 10 times the total capital of all the daily stock market transactions in the world. A Forex account is a small part of this huge financial system that allows you to potentially profit from your predictions of future exchange rates between any two currencies.

Trading Platforms
Most Forex brokers provide their own proprietary trading software that interfaces with their brokerage system. These programs allow you to trade Forex directly from your PC in real time as prices fluctuate. Because of the fast-paced nature of the Forex market, your comfort level with the software associated with your Forex account is important. Different brokers may provide considerably different features in the form of screen layouts and the manner in which you place Forex orders.

Demo Accounts
Because individual Forex trading strategies vary, as do traders' desired software features, most Forex brokers provide free demo accounts to prospective clients. These temporary accounts provide full access to the software from a virtual trading account that is funded with fake capital. You can benefit not just from trying out the broker's software components, but also from practicing your Forex trading skills without the risks of using real money. This is an effective way of opening a Forex account. If you are satisfied with the platform, you can easily convert it into a real account by completing the broker's application.

Leverage
Most Forex accounts provide extraordinary leverage so you can profit considerably from small investments in currency exchange rates. Leverage is the ability to control large assets with little actual cash. A typical Forex account can provide anywhere from 20 to 100 times the buying power of the cash it contains. Thus for only $1,000 you could buy up to $100,000 worth of currency. If the exchange rate moves only a little, this magnifies into considerable profit or loss due to the leverage. This is a significant component of Forex accounts, and introduces considerable risk into Forex trading.

Open 24 Hours
Unlike the stock market, which is open during business hours, the Forex market never closes. This is an attractive aspect to using a Forex account. You can trade in the evenings or overnight while you continue to work other jobs during the day. For novice traders who want to learn how to actively trade, this is a good introduction into the financial markets.



Source - eHow

When to "Buy Now" and When to Bid.

You will often find yourself facing the choice of whether to pay a fixed price or keep on bidding. This choice might be presented to you in a single auction, or you might be choosing between different auctions of the different types. So should you use that 'Buy it Now' button or keep on trying to outbid everyone else? It's all a question of weighing up the advantages and disadvantages.



Buy it Now.



- The Advantages.



When you use Buy it Now, you know the asking price and you can take some time to decide whether to pay it or not - you can even negotiate. You don't need to keeping your eye on the auction, or get caught up in the last-minute bidding frenzy that is now inevitable on any popular item. Not only that, but the seller will be happy to get a fixed price for their item, and they're likely to nicer to you than usual. Some sellers can be a little resentful when they feel that you got a little too much of a bargain on their item.



- The Disadvantages.



You will almost certainly pay more for the item, especially with more expensive items. Also, it takes some of the fun out of eBay. Aren't you there for an auction, after all? If you want to pay a fixed price then there are thousands of online stores you could be visiting. It's like pressing 'collect' instead of 'gamble' on a fruit machine: it's the boring option. But then, maybe that's what you want.



These rules are relatively constant: there are few times when using Buy it Now would allow you to get something cheaper, or when bidding would be an easier way to do it. In the end, as with so many things in life, it's a simple question of price vs. convenience, and it's up to you.



There are those times, though, when the strategic use of the Buy it Now button can be a useful tool to help you outwit your competition. If the current bid is almost as high as the Buy it Now price, then why bid higher and keep the contest going? Clicking that button is a no-brainer. The same goes for times when a seller has, for some reason, set the Buy it Now price only slightly higher than their starting price for bids. Why bother to go through all the hassle of bidding?



You might also find that there are times when you should leave the Buy it Now button as a last resort: it can be a useful way of ending last-minute contests with a decisive 'this is mine' gesture.



In fact, there are all sorts of tricks you can use on eBay, if you want to get ahead of the game. Remember that most buyers on eBay are casual, and don't know what they're doing: a little knowledge can go a long way in getting you an advantage. Our next email will have a few tips and tricks for you.

Who Created Ebay

In 1995, Pierre Omidyar created a site called AuctionWeb. Two years later, the name would be changed to eBay, and Omidyar would become a billionaire. "ebay password security meter" is Copyrighted by Flickr user: snowcrash (Pete Stott) under the Creative Commons Attribution license.

Pierre Omidyar
Omidyar was born June 21st, 1967, in France to Iranian immigrants. His family moved to Washington, D.C., when he was 6.

Early Career
After graduating from Tufts University with a degree in computer science in 1988, Omidyar worked for the Apple subsidiary Claris and then co-founded Ink Development, which in 1993 was renamed eShop.

AuctionWeb
Omidyar designed and developed AuctionWeb personally; it went live on Sept. 4, 1995, as part of a larger site.

EBay
In 1997, AuctionWeb had already begun to hire a full-time staff and received $5 million in funding from Benchmark Capital; the same year, the company changed its name from AuctionWeb to eBay.

Early Employees
The first eBay employee was Chris Agarpao, who was hired by Omidyar in 1996. The same year, Jeffrey Skoll became the first president. In March 1998, Meg Whitman became the first CEO.



Source - eHow

You Won that eBay Auction! Now What Do You Do?

It's a heady feeling when you win your first eBay auction: a mixture of happiness and perhaps just a little fear. After all, there seems to be so much to do before you can actually get your item. What do you do next? The simple answer is: you send payment to the seller, as quickly as possible. The quicker you pay, the more your seller will like you, and the sooner your item will arrive. But how you go about it? That all depends on how you plan to pay.

PayPal
PayPal is one of the most popular options for paying on eBay, to the point where eBay decided to buy the company. It allows instant electronic payment across the Internet. Money goes instantly from your credit or debit card to the seller's PayPal account, where they can either use it for Internet purchases or transfer it out to their bank.

eBay offer incentives for using PayPal, and almost all sellers now accept it. Its instant nature makes sellers very happy, and means that they can have your item packed and sent and leave you some positive feedback within a few hours of the auction ending. When paying by PayPal, you will be covered by PayPal's own insurances and guarantees, as well as any that your card might have.

Cheques and Money Orders
This is payment the old-fashioned way, and will lead to a long wait to your item. You need to post the cheque or money order, then the seller has to take it to the bank and get it cleared, and only then do they send the item. The only reason to use this method is if either you or the seller distrusts electronic payment methods. If you're willing to go to the trouble with these sellers, though, you might get an item very cheaply, as most buyers just can't be bothered.

When you pay by cheque or money order, make sure to print the eBay order confirmation page (it will be emailed to you) and put it in the envelope with your payment. Underline or circle key information like your mailing address and the item number. Finally, remember to be patient: keep in contact with the seller, as it really can take a month or two before everything falls into place and your item turns up.

Money Transfers and Bank Deposits
Some sellers may ask you to pay them using a wire service like Western Union, or simply give you a bank account number and ask you to pay money into it. Unless you really trust the seller, this is generally a bad idea - these methods are hard to trace and you're unlikely to get any money back if anything goes wrong. Paying in cash, it hardly needs to be said, is an even worse idea.

It's all a lot to take in, isn't it? I'm sure by now you've got a few questions, which is why the next email will be a little eBay buyer's FAQ. Let's hope we can solve any problems you might have.

Who Else Wants To Make Money With Adsense?

Fact number 1: Kids in high school are making thousands of dollars every month with Adsense.
Fact number 2: Housewives, retirees, mom and dads, who are just staying at home and have never made a dime on the internet have created full-time incomes by simply placing Adsense ads on their web site or blog.

These are just some of the “super Adsense earners”. You may have already heard about their story for they are among the few who are on their way to making millions worth of cash just by promoting Adsense sites. Anyone, any age and gender can become money generating Adsense publishers as long as they what it takes. How does one go about this Internet advertising?

Writing articles for Adsense is the way to do it. Using the right keywords in your articles and having Google ads on a certain site has become the most profitable way of marketing that anybody can get into. No experience and level of education needed. If you are not using this strategy, or may not be aware of it in the first place, chances are you may be losing thousands of dollars worth of extra income and still do not know it yet.

This is one of the many reasons why writing original quality content articles is now the latest in marketing buzz. Content and links. When combined together becomes a really powerful tool to a successful web site and richer individuals. Many internet marketing professionals are already aware of the value of an original quality content and how using keywords can drive targeted traffic into their sites from the search engines.

So why don’t all these web site owners write and submit their own articles if that is what is important? The simple and understandable answer is that it takes time to write articles, submit them and get targeted traffic to their websites. That is why they get the services of those who can spares sometime to write the articles that would cater to their site purpose but still turn out as a good quality and unique piece of work.

To get into the Adsense marketing business and start earning some good cash, ask yourself. Did you enjoy writing when you were in school? If you answer yes to this question, you already have an initial advantage over most internet marketing business owners that wants to make money online and doing it at home.

With the boom in the Adsense market comes the need for sites to want fresh, quality and original keyword rich content. This way, web site owners can have a steady supply of articles with the proper keywords that they relate to their site contents. The result of this is seen in the sites page rank when indexed by the search engines. Which, in turn, gets moreAdsense ads to show above, below or next to the article on their website with targeted traffic.

What do people have to do?

Write quality and original content, keyword or phrase rich articles with links to your website in the resource box. Then build a website or web page with targeted keyword or phrase rich original content for the targeted traffic that originates from the articles you wrote. Finally, you will have a Google Adsense ads that are targeted to your keyword or phrase rich original content site where visitors will get to visit when they come looking for information.

A win-win situation if you think more about it. A favor for persons looking for quality content and information. For the persons writing the original content articles. And the person with the quality original content rich website. Of course, the search engines and its advertisers are getting targeted traffic and sales but so what? As long as you are getting something in your favor, it does not really matter what the others are getting for themselves.

So who else wants to start earning money with Adsense. You. Everyone. Anybody. Internet marketing has many opportunities wide open for this people. Writing articles and using Adsense for your kind of internet marketing strategy is one sure way of getting a piece of that action and cash. Better not be left behind the many making millions already.

Where to Get Educated in Forex Trading

Forex or Foreign Exchange is the most liquid and the largest financial market in the world. Unlike other financial market, the Forex market doesn’t have a centralized location. Exchanges are done through electronic network and the whole world participates in the trade.

Forex trading involves buying and selling of different currencies. As with most trades, to make a profit in Forex, you need to buy low and sell high. Forex isn’t really complicated. However, there are things that you need to consider in order to successfully make some profit out of this very liquid financial market.

Forex trading can really give you a chance to earn large amounts of money. In fact, people who traded in Forex became instant millionaires almost overnight. However, you need to realize the fact that aside from the earning potential you can get when trading Forex, there are also risks involved and many people suffered huge financial losses trading in Forex.

This is why it is important for you to get an education on Forex trading. You have to get a proper education and not just a crash-course-read-articles kind of education.

In most business schools in the United States, there are courses that specialize in trading in the financial market such as Forex. These schools can really give you that proper skills and knowledge you need in order for you to successfully trade in the Forex market. Not only that. Getting a proper education from good business schools about Forex prepare you when you enter the Forex market to trade.

A good Forex trading school will educate you on how to read charts effectively and how to spot trends. Since knowing how to read the Forex market charts can give you an idea on where a particular currency is heading, you will have an idea on which currency you want to buy and sell. Knowing how to read the charts is one of the most important skills you need to have when you enter the Forex market. This skill will substantially minimize the risk of losing money and maximize the chances of earning.

As much as possible, you should look for a school that offer real-time trading with dummy accounts and real accounts. Since the best teacher is experience, schools should require you, as their students, to set up dummy accounts for practice and also real funded accounts to trade currencies in the actual Forex market. However, the real funded accounts should be in mini Forex accounts to avoid risking and losing a lot of money in case you made a mistake in the trades.

Another benefit that you can gain if you trade in real or dummy accounts for practice is experience. Once you enter the Forex market, you will have a better idea on how Forex markets work. The school should also have different trading systems to allow you to choose which trading system you are most comfortable with. Also, you will get a first hand feel on how to use these systems and avoid making mistakes in the real world.

Since trading Forex today is widely available for all kinds of people with a computer and an active internet connection. Most people don’t realize that Forex requires you to have skills and considerably, a high amount of money to invest. Forex doesn’t guarantee that everyone will win; you should know that Forex is a very risky financial market to invest in and having the proper knowledge and skills is essential for your success in trading in the Forex market.

You should know about the risks involved in Forex and you should also know that many people have suffered financially because they entered the Forex market without having the knowledge and skills required to be successful. Therefore, it is very important for you to get the proper education first before you enter the Forex market.

Always remember, with the proper knowledge about trading Forex, the better your chances will be to profit in this financial market. There are different schools available that teaches all about the basics in Forex and allow you to experience trading in Forex with a trial account. Look for the things mentioned above and you can be sure that you will obtain all the things you need in order to start trading in the Forex market.