Sunday, December 27, 2009
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Forex Foresee
Finally, the Euro is something of a wildcard. On the one hand, the EU economy is stagnating, and the ECB has hinted that rate cuts are a possibility. On the other hand, the Euro theoretically stands to inherit a significant amount of risk-averse capital, especially from foreign investors looking for a stable alternative to the Dollar. Accordingly, the Market Oracle forecasts a short-term decline in the value of the Euro but a long-term appreciation.
Forex Capital Markets - Fractional Pip Pricing
Forex transactions
Forex transactions are carried out by Forex brokerage companies, also known as major banks dealers. Forex market is worldwide and your European colleagues may make a transaction with Japanese traders when it's time for you to sleep in the North America. There are 3 shifts for the major institutions to work in due to 24-hours a day activity of the Forex market. It's possible to ask for overnight execution for take-profit and stop-loss orders of the client.
Prices in the Forex market fluctuate without any dramatic changes unlike stock market where considerable gaps are likely to be seen. There isn't any problems entering and exit the market due to its daily turnover of about $1.2 trillion. Forex market can not ever be forced to stop. The transactions were carried out even in 2001, on September, 11th.
Beginners Guide to Forex
Forex trading begins each day in Sydney
Description of the Forex | sigma forex
The Foreign Exchange market, commonly referred as FOREX, is where banks, investors and speculators exchange one currency to another. The largest foreign exchange activity retains the spot exchange (i.e.., immediate) between five major currencies: US Dollar, British Pound, Japanese Yen, Eurodollar and the Swiss Franc. It is also the largest financial market in the world. In comparison, the US stock market may trade $10 billion in one day, whereas the Forex market will trade up to $2 trillion in one single day. The Forex market is an opened 24 hours a day market where the primary market for currencies is the 24-hour Interbank market. This market follows the sun around the world, moving from the major banking centres of the United States to Australia and New Zealand to the Far East, to Europe and finally back to the Unites States.
Until now, professional traders from major international commercial and investment banks have dominated the FX market. Other market participants range from large multinational corporations, global money managers, registered dealers, international money brokers, and futures and options traders, to private speculators.
There are three main reasons to participate in the FX market. One is to facilitate an actual transaction, whereby international corporations convert profits made in foreign currencies into their domestic currency. Corporate treasurers and money managers also enter the FX market in order to hedge against unwanted exposure to future price movements in the currency market. The third and more popular reason is speculation for profit. In fact, today it is estimated that less than 5% of all trading on the FX market is actually facilitating a true commercial transaction.The FX market is considered an Over The Counter (OTC) or ‘Interbank’ market, due to the fact that transactions are conducted between two counterparts over the telephone or via an electronic network. Trading is not centralized on an exchange, as with the stock and futures markets. A true 24-hour market, Forex trading begins each day in Sydney, and moves around the globe as the business day begins in each financial center, first to Tokyo, London, and New York. Unlike any other financial market, investors can respond to currency fluctuations caused by economic, social and political events at the time they occur - day or night.
Forex Gold Special
Options on stocks and Exchange Traded Funds (ETF's) were discussed in detail in my November 8, 2007 post. The main difference between options on stocks and options on futures is that a futures option gives you the right to buy or sell one futures contract at a set price at a set future date, instead of 100 shares of an underlying stock. Other than that difference, the underlying concept is basically the same. A speculator looking for the maximum leverage would purchase a futures contract on a given commodity, and would consequently assume the risk of greater losses than his or her initial investment if their margined position moved against them far enough before they closed it out. A speculator looking for high leverage, but also looking to avoid margin calls, would instead purchase options on a futures contract.
Let's look specifically at some examples for each method. As of this writing, with gold trading at $787 per troy ounce, a speculator with $10,000 could choose to control two full size 100 troy ounce gold futures contracts (leaving a $1,900 cash cushion), or 10 e-mini 33.2 troy ounce gold futures contracts (leaving a $2,300 cash cushion). The speculator could also choose to buy two call options that would give him or her the right to purchase two full size 100 troy ounce gold futures contracts at a price of $800 per troy ounce on November 20, 2008 (leaving a $180 cash balance). If the price of gold moved from $787 to $887 per troy ounce sometime in that period and the speculator decided to take profits at that point, the respective profits would be $20,000 for the two full size contract choice, $33,200 for the 10 e-mini contract choice, and $12,700 for the two call options.
The $12,700 profit on the call options represents a gain of just under 160%, but was achieved without having to worry about margin calls or getting stopped out of the position at a loss. True to the concept of greater risk taking opening up the possibility of greater gains, the margined futures contract positions were up 247% and 431%, respectively, but if at any time following the opening of the position the price of gold had gone down by just $4 to $783, the futures contract holders would have received margin calls asking them to deposit more money, at which point most futures traders would have closed out their positions. There is also the ongoing mental stress associated with holding heavily margined positions to consider.
Options on futures should only be considered by a speculator who has a very firm view of the future direction of a particular commodities market, as options can expire worthless if they are not rolled over. So the obvious question at this point in time is whether or not gold is certain to move significantly higher in the next few years. Since nothing is certain in this world except for death and taxes, a better question is what it would take for gold NOT to move significantly higher. The only scenario that derails the ongoing gold bull market is one in which: (1) the Fed embarks on an aggresive campaign to raise interest rates to protect the dollar, thereby throwing millions more homeowners out on the street than are headed out on the street already; and (2) the politicians in Washington embark on an aggressive campaign to cut federal spending on defense, Social Security, Medicare, etc. enough to generate huge annual budget surpluses for at least the next generation. Each speculator or investor will have to make up their own mind as to whether or not they see the above scenario coming to fruition anytime soon.
Forex Software Tool That Can Help Prevent Errors
Recently, good news was made public for traders about a new tool that can help with online investing. A company by the name of My Forex Edge, LLC, which develops and distributes various forex software programs and foreign exchange trading techniques, unveiled its new Forex Position Allotment Calculator. This tool gives investors a foreign exchange trading platform that helps avoid over leveraging and does away with the fear and greed that comes with online forex trading.
The Forex Position Allotment Calculator uses a special "set it and forget it" feature, which lets forex traders set the buy and sell prices, the stop price and limits without forcing the investor to constantly manage trades. Foreign exchange daytime traders, position traders, and swing traders are currently making use of the new Forex Position Allotment Calculator. According to Milan Stevanovich, the director of My Forex Edge, LLC, mentions that these traders have boosted forex currency trading profits by twenty five percent.
With this new forex software, traders no longer have to handwrite and enter in risk percentages, which means that there is less potential for error. Stevanovich also mentions that, "using the Forex Position Allotment Calculator could save you ten times the amount of an error."
He also claims that the new calculator has a smaller price tag than other forex trading computer programs, costing traders only 97 dollars for the complete software kit.
U.S. Currency & Euro Face to Face in Forex Market
General predictions are saying that the United States economy will create roughly one hundred thousand new jobs, but many researchers have been improving their predictions upon seeing the major employment components from this week's Institute of Supply Management surveys.
As a result, the U.S. dollar experienced a slight increase overnight, but other currencies have remained the same during early London trade, with all eyes being stuck on the recent activity of U.S. currency.
A trader from TradIndex.com, Mic Mills, mentioned that, "Everything is on hold until non-farm payrolls."
Mills also mentioned that the Forex market is one step ahead in terms of virtually pricing as a result of further interest rate drops from the Federal Reserve, allowing the U.S. dollar to boost in the event of more concrete information.
Even though the basics for the U.S. dollar are not too strong, it is generally viewed as oversold and now will be corrected after recently shooting to an all time low when put next to the euro.
Important Tips For Finding a Forex Broker
Forex News: U.S. Dollar and U.S. Housing Both Drop
Forex Broker Information
1. Spreads - make sure the company is giving tight spreads. A spread is the difference between the buying price and selling price at a certain time, and the lower it is, the easier it is for you to profit.
2. Supported currencies - all forex brokers support "the majors" - the currencies with the highest trading volume: the US Dollar (USD), the Euro (EUR), the British Pound (GBP), the Japanese Yen (JPY), and the Swiss Franc (CHF). Most brokers also support additional currencies, even exotic ones (such as Polish Zloty, PLN, and Israeli Shekel, ILS). However, when trading currencies other than the majors, it's important to check the spreads, since they are often much higher than the spreads on the majors.
3. Required invetment - some brokers, such as easy forex allow you to open an account with as little as $25. It is NOT recommended to start with such small capital, but if you do not have much to invest in a forex account, see what is the minimum deposit before opening an account.
4. Technical support - all forex traders, beginners and experts, run into trouble. It's very important to check whether a forex broker offers a good technical support, especially if you are a beginner.
Forex Special Post
Forex Swap Foreign Exchange Option Retail Forex Forex News : US Dollar Facing 1Q GDP, FOMC, Earnings and G20 forecasts Forex News : Euro at Critical Crossroads versus US Dollar Forex News : Japanese Yen Trades Must Gauge Risk and the Currency’s Relation to It Forex News : British Pound to Follow Stock Prices Lower if Risk Appetite Abates Forex News : Swiss Franc Recent Strength Puts It At Risk For Verbal Intervention Forex News : Canadian Dollar – Crude Oil Correlation Hits 20+ Year Highs Forex News : Australian Dollar Outlook Hinges on Trend in Risky AssetsForex Swap
In finance, a forex swap (or FX swap) is a simultaneous purchase and sale of identical amounts of one currency for another with two different value dates (normally spot to forward).
Structure
A forex swap consists of two legs: a spot foreign exchange transaction, and a forward foreign exchange transaction. These two legs are executed [...]Foreign Exchange Option
In finance, a foreign exchange option (commonly shortened to just FX option or currency option) is a derivative financial instrument where the owner has the right but not the obligation to exchange money denominated in one currency into another currency at a pre-agreed exchange rate on a specified date.
The FX options market [...]Retail Forex
In financial markets, the retail forex (retail off-exchange currency trading or retail FX) market is a subset of the larger foreign exchange market. This “market has long been plagued by swindlers preying on the gullible,” according to The New York Times[1]. Whilst there may be a number of fully regulated, reputable international companies [...]Forex News : US Dollar Facing 1Q GDP, FOMC, Earnings and G20 forecasts
Fundamental Outlook for US Dollar: Bullish
- First quarter earnings may have been a positive factor so far, but the outlook is still far from encouraging
- Fed says recession ‘substantially reduced’ some banks’ capital though most are still well-capitalized
- Do technicals support a [...]Forex News : Euro at Critical Crossroads versus US Dollar
Fundamental Outlook for Euro This Week: Bearish
- Euro gains as PMI shows signs of “Second Derivative” Growth Improvement
- German IFO Business Confidence survey improves – Euro rallies
- Euro Bear Trend may nonetheless be in its infancy
The Euro finished the week marginally higher against the US [...]Forex News : Japanese Yen Trades Must Gauge Risk and the Currency’s Relation to It
Fundamental Outlook: Bearish
- G7 forecasts a ‘weak’ rebound later this year; though banks’ toxic assets still a serious problem
- Japanese trade balance marks it worst annualized deficit in 29 years
- Bank of Japan Governor Masaaki Shirakawa tells economists not to [...]Forex News : British Pound to Follow Stock Prices Lower if Risk Appetite Abates
Fundamental Forecast for British Pound: Bearish
- UK House Prices Rose for Third Straight Month in April, Says Rightmove
- Retail Prices Turned Negative for the First Time Since 1960 in March
- Unemployment Rate Rises to Highest in Over a Decade
- UK Budget [...]Forex News : Swiss Franc Recent Strength Puts It At Risk For Verbal Intervention
Fundamental Outlook for Swiss Franc: Bearish
- Swiss ZEW Survey improved from -57.1 from -27.7, as investor confidence rose for a sixth month.
- Swiss Trade Balance surplus shrunk to 0.12 from 0.72 billion, as exports fell by 5.0%
The Swiss Franc rallied nearly [...]Forex News : Canadian Dollar – Crude Oil Correlation Hits 20+ Year Highs
Fundamental Outlook for Canadian Dollar: Bearish
- Canadian dollar surges as Bank of Canada fails to announce immediate Quantitative Easing
- Surprise BoC interest rate cut nonetheless forces Loonie sell-off
- Check out our USD/CAD outlook from a technical and fundamental perspective.
The Canadian dollar finished [...]Forex News : Australian Dollar Outlook Hinges on Trend in Risky Assets
Fundamental Forecast for Australian Dollar: Bearish
- Producer Prices Unexpectedly Fell in the First Quarter
- RBA Governor Stevens Says Australia is in Recession
- Inflation Falls to Slowest in 18 Months as Downturn Deepens
The Australian Dollar looks likely to succumb to heavy selling pressure if [...]
Forex Worldwide Markets
Forex Currency Trading Useful Information
Friday, July 17, 2009
Commentary: Anatomy of a Currency Trader
To make this idea more concrete, let’s look at how the credit crisis has impacted forex markets. In general, it has favored major currencies, such as the Dollar and the Euro, although sometimes one more than the other. This is to be expected since the capital markets of the US and the EU are the most stable and in times of uncertainty, investors seek out stability. Likewise, the Japanese Yen has fared well. Despite a continuation of its easy money policy, investors have unwound their Yen carry trade positions, ever-fearful that a spike in volatility could cost them dearly. On the other end of the equation are emerging market currencies and beneficiaries of the carry trade, which have faltered as investors pare their exposure to risk. The underlying narrative is the same; only now, investors are willing to accept lower returns in exchange for proportionately lower risk.
Vietnam Nears Crisis
Analysts said that the rising risk of a sudden and crippling depreciationcomes as the cracks in Vietnam’s vaunted “economic miracle” have grown toolarge to ignore.
Inflation or Economic Growth?
Two-year yields in all three markets have been on a wild ride in June, driven up by tough inflation rhetoric from central banks, then down again by renewed worries about the credit crisis and the state of financial markets.
Fed Increases Liquidity
Others…think liquidity problems and inflation concerns are two separate issues. [One analyst] believes that the Fed is still on track to raise rates inSeptember.
UK Housing Crisis Could Affect Pound
[One analyst] is…a long-term bear on the British pound and believes any rallies in the currency represent an opportunity to enter short at a better price. Selling the pound against the dollar with a 10-12 month time frame may present one of the best opportunities in the currency markets today.
Emerging Markets: To Hedge or Not to Hedge?
"Currency movements tend to be noisy but over the long term they are just reflective of the economy and not the driver of economic performance."
Geopolitics Affect Dollar
Analysts said geopolitics could soon take a back seat again once macroeconomic newsflow picks up after a lack of first tier economic releases from U.S. or euro zone.
G8 Ignores Currencies
Exporters in Germany, Europe’s biggest economy, are grappling with the euro’s 15 percent appreciation against the dollar and an 18 percent gain against the pound in the past year. That’s eroding competitiveness just as a U.S.-led global slowdown and record oil prices cool the world economy.
Chinese Yuan Appreciation to Slow
Once the Olympics are out of the way, the vigil on inflation may have to resume. But unless China gets flooded by speculative flows, a one-shot revaluation will remain off the table.
Credit Crisis is “Ongoing”
Continue to monitor this situation, paying particular attention to whether the bigger investment banks are still lending to customers. Any shutdown in the system would be extremely bearish for the Dollar across the board.
Forex is Risky
[He] recommends…hedging your bets in you think the dollar will continue to weaken…[through] specialized mutual funds or exchange-traded funds that move inversely to the dollar. He holds the Pro Funds Falling U.S. Dollar Fund
Canada to Hold Rates
Canadians will get a better idea of the central bank’s thinking when it releases its monetary policy update and governor Mark Carney opens himself up to public questioning at a news conference later on its rate-setting decision…
AUD: Closer to Parity
The local dollar rose to its highest since 2000 against the New Zealand currency before an inflation report tomorrow that may support the case for the Reserve Bank of Australia keeping interest rates at a 12-year high.
Dollar Intervention Loses Support
"It would take a rare set of circumstances to get the U.S. right now to intervene," said David Gilmore, a managing partner in Foreign Exchange Analytics in Essex, Conn.
Dollar Rangebound, but for How Long?
A Dow Jones Newswires survey last week of 23 analysts forecast the dollar wouldbegin to recover on longer-term basis.
Options Portend Currency Moves
To explain further, the premiums built into options contracts serve as a proxy for demand for those particular currencies. When premiums on call contracts, which give the holder the right to buy a particular currency at a fixed price, are unusually high, it signals a "risk reversal;" the currency may be overbought. To offer a practical example, call premiums on EUR/USD contracts are approaching a one-year high, which has led some analyst to speculate that a Dollar rally is just around the corner. MarketWatch reports:
"Whenever risk reversals hit critical levels, it indicates that everyone who wants to be long euros are already long and as a result, sentiment has hit an extreme." The last time euro/dollar risk reversals were that high….a U.S. dollar "relief rally" followed.
Read More
FX Intervention: Still Possible
In his testimony yesterday, Ben Bernanke, stated that “dollar Intervention should be done rarely” but that it “may be justified in disorderly times.”[In addition,] Treasury Secretary Paulson said last month that he would never rule out currency intervention as a potential policy tool.
China May Dip Into Reserves
Fed Losing Control Over Monetary Policy
The credit cycle will progress with or without central bankers. If their rhetoric convinces investors of the Fed’s probity, it’s all to the good. But market forces are far stronger, and they’re what should be watched.
Credit Crisis Could Lift Yen, Franc
The Swiss franc and the Japanese yen…were the great beneficiaries during the Crash of ‘87, the Debt Crisis of 1998 and again during the current credit crisis, enjoying sweeping and massive upward moves.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Open market
“The MMA is pleased to have added Nick Macilveen to the North America Board of Directors for 2009,” said Mike Wehrs, president and CEO of the MMA. “The goal of the MMA is to advance the mobile marketing industry worldwide, and Nick Macilveen and OpenMarket have been key to driving the success of the MMA in North America. I would like to personally thank Nick for his commitment to driving mobile marketing initiatives, and welcome him to the Board of Directors.”
Macilveen is the Senior Director of Strategic Corporate Development and Industry Relations for OpenMarket, a business unit of Amdocs Interactive, and brings more than a decade of wireless industry and mobile channel experience to the MMA. He has extensive relationships with major mobile operators, media companies and content providers globally, many of whom belong to the MMA. Macilveen is an active member of the mobile community. He is a member of the MMA's Consumer Best Practices Committee, Mobile Commerce Committee and Mobile Advertising Committee, as well as the CTIA's Wireless Internet Caucus.
“I am honored to continue serving member companies on the MMA Board of Directors and committee teams,” said Macilveen. “Now more than ever the mobile marketing and off-portal industries need honest dialogue, strong leadership, and decisive action. The MMA can provide a forum that represents many parties in the value chain, which makes our work even more important this year.”
About OpenMarket
OpenMarket is the largest and most reliable mobile transaction hub in the United States. We provide a comprehensive set of messaging, payment and emerging services to meet mobile business needs. From the largest consumer brands to the smallest new ventures, OpenMarket empowers businesses to expand their marketing initiatives and strengthen customer relationships by leveraging the off-portal mobile channel. OpenMarket provides the most direct mobile operator connections in the U.S. market today. OpenMarket is a business of Amdocs. For more information, please visit www.openmarket.com.
About Amdocs
Amdocs is the market leader in customer experience systems innovation, enabling world-leading service providers to deliver an integrated, innovative and intentional customer experienceTM at every point of service. Amdocs provides solutions that deliver customer experience excellence, combining the software, services and expertise to help its customers execute their strategies and achieve service, operational and financial excellence. A global company with revenue of $3.16 billion in fiscal 2008, Amdocs has more than 17,000 employees and serves customers in more than 50 countries around the world. For more information, visit Amdocs at www.amdocs.com.
Amdocs Forward-Looking Statement
This press release includes information that constitutes forward-looking statements made pursuant to the safe harbor provision of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements about Amdocs' growth and business results in future quarters. Although we believe the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are based upon reasonable assumptions, we can give no assurance that our expectations will be obtained or that any deviations will not be material. Such statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause future results to differ from those anticipated. These risks include, but are not limited to, the effects of general economic conditions, Amdocs' ability to grow in the business segments it serves, adverse effects of market competition, rapid technological shifts that may render the Company's products and services obsolete, potential loss of a major customer, our ability to develop long-term relationships with our customers, and risks associated with operating businesses in the international market. Amdocs may elect to update these forward-looking statements at some point in the future, however the Company specifically disclaims any obligation to do so. These and other risks are discussed at greater length in the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including in our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2008, filed on December 8, 2008, and in our quarterly 6-K furnished on February 9 and May 12, 2009.
Forex trading system
The transactions between the counterparts of Forex market are carried out via electronic network or over the phone. That's why Forex market is known as an "interbank" market. There is not any trading center for FX market unlike futures and stock markets.
The borrowed capital is often used for trading in Forex. In this case currency speculations are carried out through getting a credit line and called marginal trading. This fact confirms that you can trade in Forex without being supplied by any real money. So, the trader may deal with large transactions at a high speed and low fee without having a considerable initial capital.
Forex has two fundamental trading strategies: Fundamental and Technical Analysis. The sense of technical analysis is to invest money after studying past data with hope that the history would behave cyclically. Fundamental analysis deals with analyzing various different fundamental factors within the country, like economical and political situation hoping that they will affect exchange rates.
Start Forex trading
Only national banks, multi-national corporations and other large players used to have an unlimited access to foreign exchange recently. 1980's gave birth to new rules that have established margin accounts making participation possible even for small investors. Forex has gained its popularity thanks to margin accounts. Having a $1,000 investment and 100:1 margin accounts you get an access to $100,000 funds.
A reputable broker is usually required for Forex traders to carry out their transactions. CFTC (the Commodity Futures Trading Commission) registers such reputable broker as FCM (a Futures Commission Merchant). Lots of beginner traders often make 2 following mistakes: starting their trading without having a strategy and trading lead by emotions. It happens when you, having just bought and watching the rate decline, start panic and rapidly sell just to see the following market growth. Be sure to lose your money trading like this. Profitable Forex trader has an adequate strategy and doesn't let his emotions deal with trading.
Forex trader requires good education concerning movements of the market as well as different kinds of orders to carry out his trade with maximum profit and minimum risk.
Understanding the market along with the forces affecting it is the first step to becoming a successful trader. You can base trading strategies on this knowledge for successful usage in your trading.
Forex has 5 most important groups participating in the trades: Banks, Governments, Corporations, Investment Funds, and traders. Traders are the only group that doesn't have an external control having only themselves to report to. A margin agreement, conducted during establishing Forex account includes the statement that any trades which the broker considers too risky may be interfered by him. You may start your trading after establishing your Forex account.
There are various kinds of accounts offered by brokers. Standard deposit depends on the broker but is generally from $1000 to $2000 however there are mini accounts that let you in having only $200. Leverage can also be different. You get an access to higher amount of money with higher leverage possessing the same investment.
You can find out how various software tools and the system in general work by using demo accounts. They are strongly recommended to be used for every newbie Forex investor.
There are some tools that are common to all brokers despite each broker has its own software. These common tools that you can expect to see practically in any broker's software are: news feeds, real time quotes, technical analyses and charts, analyses of profit and loss.