What are Pips ?

To understand pips on the forex market you must understand how the market works. If you are new to forex trading there are many worthwhile, free offers and software online to help you learn and practise before risking your money.

Forex is an abbreviation of foreign exchange, the buying and selling of one foreign currency for another. As one currency strengthens so another weakens and knowing when to buy and sell is how money is made on the Forex markets. The Forex market is similar to the buying and selling of stocks but in many ways it is much more difficult. On the stock market you may spot a company that has potential, buy shares and hopefully make a profit, but on the money market there may be long term trends where a currency strengthens and weakens, but much of the trading is based upon daily fluctuations that change by the minute.

A pip is the smallest unit of price that is traded for a currency. Most currencies are traded to four decimal points, so that a pip is 0.0001 or 1/100 of a cent. This may seem a minuscule amount until you realise that on a standard trade of $100,000 that is $10. The exception to the four decimal points is the Japanese yen which is normally traded to two decimal points.

Obviously if you are buying a currency you must also be selling another and therefore prices are always quoted in pairs, the USD/EUR being the most active. The more active a pair the narrower the difference between the bid/ask price is likely to be, with a possible spread of just two pips for the most actively traded.
Unlike the stock market there are no broker fees to pay, but as each trade involves both selling one currency and buying another, the difference in the spread is the cost of the transaction and must be taken into account when calculating profit. Therefore, as a buyer, the pip spread is very important to you. When you buy you have to accept an immediate loss. The value of the currency you have bought must rise by the extent of the pip spread before you break even and the value rise again to make a profit. The lower the spread the easier it is to make a profit.
Active markets tend to have a lower pip spread, for example 2-3 pips. Currencies that are bought and sold less frequently may have a far higher spread. However, before you go to a broker offering a very narrow spread, do check that they are reputable. You should also remember that pip spreads are not guaranteed, they can change if the market fluctuates widely. It is wise to check a broker's spread policy before trading.

Market Participants

Unlike the equity market - where investors often only trade with institutional investors (such as mutual funds) or other individual investors - there are additional participants that trade on the Forex market for entirely different reasons than those on the equity market. Therefore, it is important to identify and understand the functions and motivations of the main players of the Forex market.

Governments and Central Banks
Arguably, some of the most influential participants involved with currency exchange are the central banks and federal governments. In most countries, the central bank is an extension of the government and conducts its policy in tandem with the government. However, some governments feel that a more independent central bank would be more effective in balancing the goals of curbing inflation and keeping interest rates low, which tends to increase economic growth. Regardless of the degree of independence that a central bank possesses, government representatives typically have regular consultations with central bank representatives to discuss monetary policy. Thus, central banks and governments are usually on the same page when it comes to monetary policy.

Central banks are often involved in manipulating reserve volumes in order to meet certain economic goals. For example, ever since pegging its currency (the Yuan) to the U.S. dollar, China has been buying up millions of dollars worth of U.S. treasury bills in order to keep the Yuan at its target exchange rate. Central banks use the foreign exchange market to adjust their reserve volumes. With extremely deep pockets, they yield significant influence on the currency markets.

Banks and Other Financial Institutions
In addition to central banks and governments, some of the largest participants involved with Forex transactions are banks. Most individuals who need foreign currency for small-scale transactions deal with neighborhood banks. However, individual transactions pale in comparison to the volumes that are traded in the interbank market.

The interbank market is the market through which large banks transact with each other and determine the currency price that individual traders see on their trading platforms. These banks transact with each other on electronic brokering systems that are based upon credit. Only banks that have credit relationships with each other can engage in transactions. The larger the bank, the more credit relationships it has and the better the pricing it can access for its customers.

Banks, in general, act as dealers in the sense that they are willing to buy/sell a currency at the bid/ask price. One way that banks make money on the Forex market is by exchanging currency at a premium to the price they paid to obtain it. Since the Forex market is a decentralized market, it is common to see different banks with slightly different exchange rates for the same currency.

Hedgers
Some of the biggest clients of these banks are businesses that deal with international transactions. Whether a business is selling to an international client or buying from an international supplier, it will need to deal with the volatility of fluctuating currencies.

If there is one thing that management (and shareholders) detests, it is uncertainty. Having to deal with foreign-exchange risk is a big problem for many multinationals. For example, suppose that a German company orders some equipment from a Japanese manufacturer to be paid in yen one year from now. Since the exchange rate can fluctuate wildly over an entire year, the German company has no way of knowing whether it will end up paying more Euros at the time of delivery.

One choice that a business can make to reduce the uncertainty of foreign-exchange risk is to go into the spot market and make an immediate transaction for the foreign currency that they need.

Unfortunately, businesses may not have enough cash on hand to make spot transactions or may not want to hold massive amounts of foreign currency for long periods of time. Therefore, businesses quite frequently employ hedging strategies in order to lock in a specific exchange rate for the future or to remove all sources of exchange-rate risk for that transaction.

For example, if a European company wants to import steel from the U.S., it would have to pay in U.S. dollars. If the price of the euro falls against the dollar before payment is made, the European company will realize a financial loss. As such, it could enter into a contract that locked in the current exchange rate to eliminate the risk of dealing in U.S. dollars. These contracts could be either forwards or futures contracts.

Speculators
Another class of market participants involved with foreign exchange-related transactions is speculators. Rather than hedging against movement in exchange rates or exchanging currency to fund international transactions, speculators attempt to make money by taking advantage of fluctuating exchange-rate levels.

Some of the largest and most controversial speculators on the Forex market are hedge funds, which are essentially employ unconventional investment strategies in order to reap large returns. Given that they can place such massive bets, they can have a major effect on a country’s currency and economy.

Bid and Ask

As with most trading in the financial markets, when you are trading a currency pair there is a bid price (buy) and an ask price (sell). Again, these are in relation to the base currency. When buying a currency pair (going long), the ask price refers to the amount of quoted currency that has to be paid in order to buy one unit of the base currency, or how much the market will sell one unit of the base currency for in relation to the quoted currency.

The bid price is used when selling a currency pair (going short) and reflects how much of the quoted currency will be obtained when selling one unit of the base currency, or how much the market will pay for the quoted currency in relation to the base currency.

The quote before the slash is the bid price, and the two digits after the slash represent the ask price (only the last two digits of the full price are typically quoted). Note that the bid price is always smaller than the ask price. Let's look at an example:

USD/CAD = 1.1915/1.1920
BID = 1.1915
ASK = 1.1920

If you want to buy this currency pair, this means that you intend to buy the base currency and are therefore looking at the ask price to see how much (in Canadian dollars) the market will charge for U.S. dollars. According to the ask price, you can buy one U.S. dollar with 1.1920 Canadian dollars.

However, in order to sell this currency pair, or sell the base currency in exchange for the quoted currency, you would look at the bid price. It tells you that the market will buy US$1 base currency (you will be selling the market the base currency) for a price equivalent to 1.1915 Canadian dollars, which is the quoted currency.

Whichever currency is quoted first (the base currency) is always the one in which the transaction is being conducted. You either buy or sell the base currency. Depending on what currency you want to use to buy or sell the base with, you refer to the corresponding currency pair spot exchange rate to determine the price.

Hedging in the Forex Market

Just like in the stock market, forex investors often use a strategy called hedging to decrease some of the risk associated with trading. Many people think of hedging as buying an insurance policy for their currency position, and it acts in much the same way. By using investment instruments known as derivatives, forex traders can rest easy knowing that any losses will be covered by the backup plan.

One type of derivative that many forex traders use to hedge a position is a futures contract, which is an agreement to exchange one currency for another at a specified date in the future at the price on the last closing date. Currency futures are bought and sold on a market just like any other instrument such as stocks or currencies, and are a great way to hedge against changing currency exchange rates. For example, say you used dollars to take a long position in euros, but you are a little worried that the price of euros will fall relative to the dollar. One thing you could do is take out a futures contract on dollars using euros. As external factors affect the price of currencies, the price of futures contracts rise and fall as well, allowing your euros-to-dollars contract to counteract your long position in euros. If the euro weakens, the futures contract price rises, and vice-versa, so you have therefore eliminated the risk from your currency investment.

Another form of hedging in the forex market that is practiced regularly is done by businesses that deal internationally. A company that has many customers in Europe may be concerned that a weakening euro would cost it money in the long run, as the original price quoted in euros wouldn’t translate into as many dollars going forward. By taking a long position in dollars using euros, the company would make just as much money in the forex market as it lost due to the fall in the euro’s value. Likewise, if it lost money in the forex market due to a fall in the value of the dollar, the company would make up for it in increased profits due to the greater value of the euros it is bringing in while selling its products. The position in the forex market has effectively neutralized any threat the company may have faced due to a weakening euro. This type of hedging can take several other forms, including futures contracts and options.

Traditional forex options are derivatives that allow the buyer to purchase an amount of currency from another trader for a set price, and make a great hedging tool. Again, these are instruments that are traded on the open market, and the investor is under no obligation to follow through with the option. But sometimes following through is a good way to negate a currency loss. For example, a person who bought an allotment of yen with dollars wants to hedge against the price of yen falling relative to the dollar. What he can do is buy an option to purchase the same amount of dollars using yen at the price for which he originally bought the yen. Since options only cost a small fraction of their denomination, this investor has just taken out an insurance policy on his long yen position for a relatively small amount of money. If the price of yen rises, then he has made a profit on his long position and he is just out the money he used to buy the option. But, if the dollar strengthens relative to the yen, he can always wait and exercise his option, buying additional yen at the now reduced rate as specified by the currency option. Thus, for a small option price, he has negated the loss he incurred when the dollar strengthened and the yen weakened.

By using instruments such as futures contracts and options, traders can hedge their currency positions for a fraction of what they paid for their original investment. Also, businesses operating internationally often hedge in the forex market as well, taking currency positions to offset any losses caused by fluctuation in exchange rates. Hedging is a powerful tool that serves well those who take the time to use it.

Market Participants in Forex Market

Banks

The interbank market caters for both the majority of commercial turnover as well as enormous amounts of speculative trading every day. It is not uncommon for a large bank to trade billions of dollars on a daily basis. Some of this trading activity is undertaken on behalf of customers, but a large amount of trading is also conducted by proprietary desks, where dealers trade to make the bank profits.


The interbank market has become increasingly competitive in the last couple of years and the god-like status of top foreign exchange traders has suffered as the equity guys are back in charge again. A large part of the interbank trading takes place on electronic broking systems that have negatively affected the traditional foreign exchange brokers.





Interbank Brokers

Until recently, foreign exchange brokers were doing large amounts of business, facilitating interbank trading and matching anonymous counterparts for comparatively small fees. Today, however, a lot of this business is moving onto more efficient electronic systems which function as a closed circuit for banks only. Still, the broker box providing the opportunity to listen in on the ongoing interbank trading is seen in most trading rooms, but turnover is noticeably smaller than just a year or two ago.

Risk Managment in Forex Market.

Plenty of questions have been passed around recently about position sizing and money management. If you ever hear me use the words "play defensively" this is what I am referring to. Properly sizing your bets and how you manage your money is the key ingredient to being a successful trader. Allow me to elaborate.

Successful trading is not always winning or losing. It is how you distribute your capital, withstand emotional decision making (psychology), and staying disciplined to your rules and financial goals. Money management is a defensive concept and keeps you alive to trade another day. Lets go over a few of the specifics in order to effectively plan your betting (position) size. Keep in mind if your ideas here are to be told exactly what YOU should do, close this window now. As usual, I try to promote original thought, and the reasons behind concepts, but since you and I are different people, what works well for one of us, might not be in the best interest of another (disclaimer).

Risk

Risk is the likelihood of a loss. At the moment we take a trade we are at risk of a loss. Positions are constantly fluctuating in value and there are many variables that influence risk. In order to account for this risk you have to consider these variables. Assuming we are talking about options... stock conditions, news, fundamental conditions, volatility, and time. Having done this research you need to quantify a likely risk (how much the stock could move) and a comfortable level of risk (what you are comfortable losing on this trade). Not just with the individual trade but as a portfolio as well (stop & bet size).

Technical Analysis

One of the underlying tenets of technical analysis is that historical price action predicts future price action. Since the Forex is a 24-hour market, there tends to be a large amount of data that can be used to gauge future price activity, thereby increasing the statistical significance of the forecast. This makes it the perfect market for traders that use technical tools, such as trends, charts and indicators.
It is important to note that, in general, the interpretation of technical analysis remains the same regardless of the asset being monitored. There are literally hundreds of books dedicated to this field of study, but in this tutorial we will only touch on the basics of why technical analysis is such a popular tool in the Forex market.

Fundamental Analysis


In the equities market, fundamental analysis looks to measure a company's true value and to base investments upon this type of calculation. To some extent, the same is done in the Forex, where fundamental traders evaluate currencies, and their countries, like companies and use economic data to gain an idea of the currency’s true value.

All of the new reports, economic data and political events that come out about a country are similar to news that comes out about a stock in that it is used by investors to gain an idea of value. This value changes over time due to many factors, including economic growth and financial strength. Fundamental traders look at all of this information to evaluate a country's currency.

Given that there are practically unlimited fundamental trading strategies based on fundamental data, one could write a book on this subject. To give you a better idea of a tangible trading opportunity, let’s go over one of the most well-known situations, the carry trade.

Technical Analysis

One of the underlying tenets of technical analysis is that historical price action predicts future price action. Since the Forex is a 24-hour market, there tends to be a large amount of data that can be used to gauge future price activity, thereby increasing the statistical significance of the forecast. This makes it the perfect market for traders that use technical tools, such as trends, charts and indicators.
It is important to note that, in general, the interpretation of technical analysis remains the same regardless of the asset being monitored. There are literally hundreds of books dedicated to this field of study, but in this tutorial we will only touch on the basics of why technical analysis is such a popular tool in the Forex market.

How to read Forex Charts.

Learning the basic skills in forex
, such as how to read forex charts, is really important.

This is because once you have this vital skill under your belt, it will be a lot easier and quicker when the time comes for you to learn and practice an actual forex trading system.

By the time you finish this article, you'll learn how to read forex charts, as well as know the pitfalls that can occur when reading them, especially if you haven't traded forex before.

Firstly, let's revise the basics of a forex trading as this relates directly to how to reade forex charts.

Each currency pair is always quoted in the same way. For example, the EURUSD currency pair is always as EURUSD, with the EUR being the base currency, and the USD being the terms currency, not the other way round with the USD first. Therefore if the chart of the EURUSD shows that the current price is fluctuating around 1.2155, this means that 1 EURO will buy around 1.2155 US dollars.


And your trade size (face value) is the amount of base currency that you're trading. In this example, if you want to buy 100 000 EURUSD, you're buying 100 000 EUROs.

Now let's have a look at the 5 important steps on how to read a forex chart:

1. If you buy the currency pair, that is, you're long the position, realise that you're looking for the chart of that currency pair to go up, to make a profit on the trade. That is, you want the base currency to strengthen against the terms currency.

On the other hand if you sell the currency pair to short the position, then you're looking for the chart of that currency pair to go down, to make a profit. That is, you want the base currency to weaken against the terms currency.

Pretty simple so far.


2. Always check the time frame displayed. Many trading systems will use multiple time frames to determine the entry of a trade. For example, a system may use a 4 hour and a 30 minute chart to determine the overall trend of the currency pair by using indicators such as MACD, momentum, or support and resistance lines, and then a 5 minute chart to look for a rise from a temporary dip to determine the actual entry.

So ensure that the chart you're looking at has the correct time frame for your analysis. The best way to do this is to set up your charts with the correct time frames and indicators on them for the system you're trading, and to save and reuse this layout.

3. On most forex charts, it is the BID price rather than the ask price that's displayed on the chart. Remember that a price is always quoted with a bid and an ask (or offer). For example, the current price of EURUSD may be 1.2055 bid and 1.2058 ask (or offer). When you buy, you buy at the ask, which is the higher of the 2 prices in the spread, and when you sell, you sell at the bid, which is the lower of the two prices.

If you use the chart price to determine an entry or exit, realise that when you place an order to sell when the chart price is say 1.330, then this is the price that you'll sell at assuming no slippage.

If on the other hand, you place an order to buy when the chart price is the same price, then you'll actually buy at 1.3333. A forex system will often determine whether your orders will be placed simply according to the chart price or whether you need to add a buffer when buying or selling.

Also note that on many platforms, when you're placing stop orders (to buy if the price rises above a certain price, or sell when the price falls below a certain price) you can select either "stop if bid" or "stop if offered".

4. Realise that the times shown on the bottom of forex charts are set to the particular time zone that the forex provider's charts are set to, be it GMT, New York time, or other time zones.

It's handy to have a world clock available on your computer desktop in order to convert the different time zones. This is important when you're trading major economic announcements.

You'll need to convert the time of an announcement to your local time, and the chart time, so you'll know when the announcement is going to happen, and therefore when you need to trade.

5. Finally, check whether the times on your forex charts corresponds to when the candle opens or when the candle closes. Your charting software may be different to someone else's in this way.

The reason I mention this, is that if you need to trade major economic announcements, either by entering a trade based on the movements that happen after the announcement, or to exit a trade before the announcement in avoid getting stopped out during it, then you need to be precise (to the minute!) as these trades are performed according to what happens at the 1 minute immediately after the announcement, not the candle afterwards!

So there you have it.

Fundamental Versus Technical Analysis

While technical analysis concentrates on the study of market action, fundamental analysis focuses on the economic forces which cause prices to move higher, or lower, or stay the same. The fundamental approach examines all of the relevant factors affecting the exchange-rate between two currencies to determine the intrinsic value of each currency.



The intrinsic value is what the fundamentals indicate one currency is actually worth against another currency. If this intrinsic value is under the current market price, then the currency is overpriced and should be sold. If market price is below the intrinsic value, then the market is undervalued and should be bought. Both of these approaches to market forecasting attempt to solve the same problem, that is, to determine the direction prices are likely to move. They just approach the problem from different directions.



A "fundamentalist" studies the cause of market movement, while a technician studies the effect. Most market traders classify themselves as either technicians or fundamentalists. In reality, there is a lot of overlap. Most fundamentalists have a working knowledge of the basic tenets of chart analysis. At the same time, most technicians have at least a passing awareness of the fundamentals.



The problem is that the charts and fundamentals are often in conflict with each other. Usually at the beginning of important market moves, the fundamentals do not explain or support what the market seems to be doing. It is at these critical times in the trend that these two approaches seem to differ the most. Usually they come back into sync at some point, but often too late for the trader to act. One explanation for these seeming discrepancies is that market price tends to lead the known fundamentals.



Stated another way, market price acts as a leading indicator of the fundamentals or the conventional wisdom of the moment. While the known fundamentals have already been discounted and are already "in the market," prices are now reacting to the unknown fundamentals. Some of the most dramatic market movements in history have begun with little or no perceived change in the fundamentals. By the time those changes became known, the new trend was well underway.

Investing and Trading

Investing and Trading are not the same thing. The returns you seek, the length of time it takes to achieve those returns, the amount of risk one is prepared to take, and the commitment one can make to monitor the investments dictate the strategy of whether to invest or trade.



Investing

Investing is holding an asset for a longer term, expecting it to increase in value. The most common example is investing in equity mutual funds through a retirement plan. Many of these funds are held for years and are expected to show a substantial appreciation over the long term.



You can also invest in individual stocks and hold them for 6 to 18 months or longer, sometimes much longer. This is referred to as the "buy and hold" strategy.

Real estate would be another example of investing, unless the property is purchased for quick flipping.



Jewelry, art, stamps, and collectibles are still other examples of investing where they are kept for a long time in the hope their value appreciates.



Trading

Trading is also investing but the time frame for a return on that investment is a much shorter period, usually a matter of a few days or weeks.



The most obvious example would be day trading where a trader is in and out of a market the same day.



Still other trading takes place over a period from a few days to a few weeks.



Most trading takes place with individual stocks and commodities, with commodity markets being the most predominant vehicle.

Meta Trader 4 Platform

As of today, MetaTrader 4 is one of the most innovative and powerful trading platforms. It outperforms and stands out from competition - on the the average machine MetaTrader 4 can serve over 10,000 traders working with multiple accounts simultaneously. The server is capable of processing dozens of different financial instruments with quotes history going back many years.

From a technical standpoint, the MetaTrader 4 platform is a lot more than just a state-of-the art trading platform utilizing the IT industry best practices and latest developments. Its distributed architecture, robust security system, convenient mobile trading, and innovative automated trading are some of the core competences that give MetaTrader 4 its compelling competitive advantages, thus offering the perfect solution to the most demanding trading needs.

MetaTrader 4 combines an accessible, user-friendly interface with a wide range of powerful of functions, making it a highly flexible platform. It enables to easily and efficiently manage the set-up of traders' groups, financial instruments, databases, data feeders and many others. The Introducing Brokers (IB) service is also available. With MetaTrader 4, you can easily set up an efficient network of your company branches and manage it with a great deal of accuracy.

Among a great many key competitive advantages of MetaTrader 4 are multi-currency and multi-language support, effectiveness and performance, reliability and security. The platform contains Application Program Interface (MetaTrader 4 API) that makes it possible to extend its functionality and integration with any other systems. Moreover, you get access to ready plug-ins designed to facilitate various aspects of the platform operation.

These advantages have made MetaTrader 4 the most popular trading platform in the world. The fact that hundreds of brokerage companies and traders choose MetaTrader 4 is the best testimony that it delivers outstanding value and meets their expectations.

Forex Signals Systems

A set of analyses that a forex trader uses to determine whether to buy or sell a currency pair at any given time. Forex signal systems could be based on technical analysis charting tools or news-based events. The day trader's currency trading system is usually made up of a multitude of signals that work together to create a buy or sell decision. Forex trading signals are available for free, for a fee or are developed by the traders themselves.
Forex signal systems can create executions that are either manual or automated. A manual system involves a trader sitting at the computer screen, looking for signals and interpreting whether to buy or sell. An automated trading system involves the trader "teaching" the software what signals to look for and how to interpret them. It is thought that automated trading removes the psychological element that is detrimental to a lot of traders.

Both automated and manual day trading signals are available for purchase on the internet. However, it is important to note that there is no such thing as the "holy grail" of trading signals. If the system was a perfect money maker, the seller would not want to share it. This is why big financial firms keep their "black box" trading programs under lock and key.

What are Forex Indicators

Simple Moving Average (SMA) - The average price of a given time period, (5 minutes, 10 minutes, 1 day, etc.) where each of the chosen periods carries the same weight for the average. Example using the closing prices of the USD/JPY currency pair: Day 1 close = 124.00, Day 2 close = 126.00, Day 3 close = 124.00, Day 4 close = 126.00; The 4-day SMA is 125.00 (the average of the prior four closes).



Exponential Moving Average (EMA) - Here, the averages are calculated with the recent forex rates carrying more weight in the overall average; for example: In a 10-day exponential moving average, the last 5 days will have more effect on the average than the first 5 days. The idea is to use the most recent data as a better indication of trend direction.


Bollinger Bands - The basic interpretation of Bollinger Bands is that prices tend to stay within the upper and lower bands. The distinctive characteristic of Bollinger Bands is that the spacing between the bands varies based on the volatility of the prices. During periods of extreme currency price changes (i.e., high volatility), the bands widen to become more forgiving. During periods of low volatility, the bands narrow to contain currency prices. The bands are plotted two standard deviations above and below a simple moving average. They indicate a "sell" when above the moving average (or close to the upper band) and a "buy" when below it (or close to the lower band). The bands are used by some forex traders in conjunction with other analyses, including RSI, MACD, CCI, and Rate of Change.


Parabolic SAR - The Parabolic SAR (stop-and-reversal) is a time/price trend following system used to set trailing price stops. The Parabolic SAR provides excellent exit points. Forex traders using this technical indicator should close long positions when the price falls below the SAR and close short positions when the price rises above the SAR. If you are long (i.e., the price is above the SAR), the SAR will move up every day, regardless of the direction the price is moving. The amount the SAR moves up depends on the amount that currency rates move.
Rate of Change - The oldest closing price divided into the most recent one.
RSI (Relative Strength Index) - The RSI is a price-following oscillator that ranges between 0 and 100. A popular method of analyzing the RSI is to look for a divergence in which the currency price is making a new high, but the RSI is failing to surpass its previous high. This divergence is an indication of an impending reversal. When the RSI then turns down and falls below its most recent trough, it is said to have completed a "failure swing." The failure swing is considered a confirmation of the impending reversal in the price of the currency.

Stochastics - Stochastic studies are based on the premise that as prices rise, closing prices tend to be near the high value. Conversely, as prices fall, closing prices are near the low for the period. Stochastic studies are made of two lines, %D and %K, that move between a scale of 0 and 100. The %D line is the moving average over a specified period of time of the %K line. The %K line measures where the closing price of a currency is compared to the price range for a given number of periods.


Momentum - Designed to measure the rate of price change, not the actual price level. Consists of the net difference between the current closing price and the oldest closing price from a predetermined period. The Momentum indicator can be used as either a trend-following oscillator similar to the MACD or as a leading indicator.


MACD - Moving Average Convergence/Divergence - Consists of two exponential moving averages that are plotted against the zero line. The zero line represents the times the values of the two moving averages are identical. The MACD is calculated by subtracting a 26-day moving average of a currency's price from a 12-day moving average of its price. The result is an indicator that oscillates above and below zero. When the MACD is above zero, it means the 12-day moving average is higher than the 26-day moving average. This is bullish as it shows that current expectations (i.e., the 12-day moving average) are more bullish than previous expectations (i.e., the 26-day average). This implies a bullish, or upward, shift in the forex rate. When the MACD falls below zero, it means that the 12-day moving average is less than the 26-day moving average, implying a bearish shift in the currency.


ADX - Measures the strength of a prevailing currency trend and whether or not there is direction in the currency market. Plotted from zero on up, usually a reading above 25 can be considered directional.


William's %R - A momentum indicator that measures overbought/oversold levels in the price of a currency. The interpretation of Williams' %R is very similar to that of the Stochastic Oscillator, except that %R is plotted upside-down and the Stochastic Oscillator has internal smoothing. Readings in the range of 80 to 100% indicate oversold, while readings in the 0 to 20% range suggest overbought.


Volatility - Measures the overall volatility of a currency in a given time period.

Pips Spread

Currencies are traded in pairs and exchanged against each other. The majority of currencies are traded against US Dollar. The first currency in the exchange pair is called Base Currency and the second currency is called the Counter Currency or Quote Currency.

The exchange rate tells you how much of the counter currency must be paid to buy one unit of the base currency. The exchange rate also tells the seller how much is received in the counter currency when selling one base unit. For example, an exchange rate for EUR/USD of 1.2083 specifies to the buyer of Euros that 1.2083 USD must be paid for one Euro.


Spread is the difference between the buy and sell price. Like in stock market ask and bid. This is the difference between the market makers selling price and the price the market maker is ready to pay to buy the same currency. This means that if you buy a currency and then sell the currency before the price has changed you will lose money because of the spread. Bid price is always lower than the ask price, thus the situation. For example if EUR/USD bid/ask is 1.2010/1.2015 then by selling the security before the price has changed, you will lose 5 pips.


Now you might be wondering what the heck the pip is. I know that when I first started reading about forex and such I wondered for quite a bit what is that pip they are talking about. Basically, as currency rates do not change a lot then the changes are brought out in pips. One pip is 0.0001 in case of all the currencies excluding Yen. For Japanese Yen one pip is 0.01. So if the exchange rate changes by 20 pips then now you’ll know it means 0.0020.


When in banks the exchange rates – buy/sell rates (spread) for different currencies may vary even more than 1000 pips, in forex market it’s a lot smaller and because of that investors may profit even from only small price movements.

Currency Pairs

All forex trades involve the simultaneous buying of one currency and selling of another, but the currency pair itself can be thought of as a single unit, an instrument that is bought or sold. If you buy a currency pair, you buy the base currency and sell the quote currency. The bid (buy price) represents how much of the quote currency is needed for you to get one unit of the base currency. Conversely, when you sell the currency pair, you sell the base currency and receive the quote currency. The ask (sell price) for the currency pair represents how much you will get in the quote currency for selling one unit of base currency.

For example, if the USD/EUR currency pair is quoted as being USD/EUR = 1.5 and you purchase the pair, this means that for every 1.5 euros that you sell, you purchase (receive) US$1. If you sold the currency pair, you would receive 1.5 euros for every US$1 you sell. The inverse of the currency quote is EUR/USD, and the corresponding price would be EUR/USD = 0.667, meaning that US$0.667 would buy 1 euro.

Pips Spread Definition & Summary

What do you understand by the term pip? Definition for the term may confuse you if you are new to the forex market. Here is everything you need to know about pips, what they are and how they are important to the forex market.

#1- Definition-a pip is essentially the smallest price unit that is traded with respect to a currency. It is actually a shortened form of 'percentage in points'. As most currencies are usually traded up to four decimal points, a pip would indicate a value of.0001 i.e. one hundredths of a cent! Sounds incredibly tiny? Well, not really! You see, a standard trade in the forex market would translate into a value of $100000. So, a pip here would be equal to $10! Doesn't sound that tiny now, does it?

#2-The Spread- currency trading always comes in pairs. So, if you are buying a currency, you are naturally selling another. In actively traded pairs, the spread may be as little as 2 pips.

#3-The Pips spread- this is very important to you as a trader. In a forex market, there are no broker fees to be paid. However, the difference in spread is the total cost for the transaction. You should always take this into consideration when you are estimating profits.

#4- The Factors Affecting the Pip Spread- the currencies that are active on the market have a lower pip spread. However, you should remember that these pip spreads are not fixed. They may fluctuate with changes in the market. It is a better idea to verify the spread offered by your broker before you go for a trade.

#5-The Pip Value- as a forex trader, you understand that the currencies are fluctuating all the time. So how do you decide the pip value? If a USD is your base currency, divide a pip with the exchange rate and that's your pip value! If the USD is the quote currency, your task is easy! Your value is 1 pip itself!

Forex Indicator Definition

Simple Moving Average (SMA) - The average price of a given time period, (5 minutes, 10 minutes, 1 day, etc.) where each of the chosen periods carries the same weight for the average. Example using the closing prices of the USD/JPY currency pair: Day 1 close = 124.00, Day 2 close = 126.00, Day 3 close = 124.00, Day 4 close = 126.00; The 4-day SMA is 125.00 (the average of the prior four closes).



Exponential Moving Average (EMA) - Here, the averages are calculated with the recent forex rates carrying more weight in the overall average; for example: In a 10-day exponential moving average, the last 5 days will have more effect on the average than the first 5 days. The idea is to use the most recent data as a better indication of trend direction.


Bollinger Bands - The basic interpretation of Bollinger Bands is that prices tend to stay within the upper and lower bands. The distinctive characteristic of Bollinger Bands is that the spacing between the bands varies based on the volatility of the prices. During periods of extreme currency price changes (i.e., high volatility), the bands widen to become more forgiving. During periods of low volatility, the bands narrow to contain currency prices. The bands are plotted two standard deviations above and below a simple moving average. They indicate a "sell" when above the moving average (or close to the upper band) and a "buy" when below it (or close to the lower band). The bands are used by some forex traders in conjunction with other analyses, including RSI, MACD, CCI, and Rate of Change.


Parabolic SAR - The Parabolic SAR (stop-and-reversal) is a time/price trend following system used to set trailing price stops. The Parabolic SAR provides excellent exit points. Forex traders using this technical indicator should close long positions when the price falls below the SAR and close short positions when the price rises above the SAR. If you are long (i.e., the price is above the SAR), the SAR will move up every day, regardless of the direction the price is moving. The amount the SAR moves up depends on the amount that currency rates move.
Rate of Change - The oldest closing price divided into the most recent one.
RSI (Relative Strength Index) - The RSI is a price-following oscillator that ranges between 0 and 100. A popular method of analyzing the RSI is to look for a divergence in which the currency price is making a new high, but the RSI is failing to surpass its previous high. This divergence is an indication of an impending reversal. When the RSI then turns down and falls below its most recent trough, it is said to have completed a "failure swing." The failure swing is considered a confirmation of the impending reversal in the price of the currency.

Stochastics - Stochastic studies are based on the premise that as prices rise, closing prices tend to be near the high value. Conversely, as prices fall, closing prices are near the low for the period. Stochastic studies are made of two lines, %D and %K, that move between a scale of 0 and 100. The %D line is the moving average over a specified period of time of the %K line. The %K line measures where the closing price of a currency is compared to the price range for a given number of periods.


Momentum - Designed to measure the rate of price change, not the actual price level. Consists of the net difference between the current closing price and the oldest closing price from a predetermined period. The Momentum indicator can be used as either a trend-following oscillator similar to the MACD or as a leading indicator.


MACD - Moving Average Convergence/Divergence - Consists of two exponential moving averages that are plotted against the zero line. The zero line represents the times the values of the two moving averages are identical. The MACD is calculated by subtracting a 26-day moving average of a currency's price from a 12-day moving average of its price. The result is an indicator that oscillates above and below zero. When the MACD is above zero, it means the 12-day moving average is higher than the 26-day moving average. This is bullish as it shows that current expectations (i.e., the 12-day moving average) are more bullish than previous expectations (i.e., the 26-day average). This implies a bullish, or upward, shift in the forex rate. When the MACD falls below zero, it means that the 12-day moving average is less than the 26-day moving average, implying a bearish shift in the currency.


ADX - Measures the strength of a prevailing currency trend and whether or not there is direction in the currency market. Plotted from zero on up, usually a reading above 25 can be considered directional.


William's %R - A momentum indicator that measures overbought/oversold levels in the price of a currency. The interpretation of Williams' %R is very similar to that of the Stochastic Oscillator, except that %R is plotted upside-down and the Stochastic Oscillator has internal smoothing. Readings in the range of 80 to 100% indicate oversold, while readings in the 0 to 20% range suggest overbought.


Volatility - Measures the overall volatility of a currency in a given time period.

Technical Analysis for the Forex Market (Definition)

A method of evaluating securities by relying on the assumption that market data, such as charts of price, volume, and open interest, can help predict future (usually short-term) market trends. Unlike fundamental analysis, the intrinsic value of the security is not considered. Technical analysts believe that they can accurately predict the future price of a stock by looking at its historical prices and other trading variables. Technical analysis assumes that market psychology influences trading in a way that enables predicting when a stock will rise or fall. For that reason, many technical analysts are also market timers, who believe that technical analysis can be applied just as easily to the market as a whole as to an individual stock.

Can I set pending orders in the WSB trading platform?

Yes you can. The WSB MT4 software accepts the following pending order types:
Limit orders:
- A SELL Limit Order may be set when a client wants to open a sell trade at a price that is 15 pips or more above the current market price. The order is executed when the BID price rises to the level set in the Sell Limit Order.
- BUY Limit Order may be set when a client wants to open a buy trade at a price that is 15 pips or more below the current market price. The order is executed when the ASK price falls to the level set in the Buy Limit Order.
Stop Orders:
- A Buy Stop Order may be set when a client wants to open a buy trade at a price that is 15 pips or more above the current market price. The order is executed when the ASK price rises to the level set in the Buy Stop Order.
- A Sell Stop Order may be set when a client wants to open a sell trade at a price that is 15 pips or more belowe the current market price.. The order is executed when the BID price drops to the level set in the SELL Stop Order.
Stop Loss Orders:
A Stop Loss order is an important feature which can be used to either cut out of a losing trade without risking the entire account and to minimize the loss, or to lock in profit on a profitable trade.
Take Profit Orders:
The Take Profit order is used to automatically exit a trade at a profitable level of your choosing.
Trailing Stop:
The Trailing Stop is a useful and advanced feature of the MT4 platform. It is useful to automatically lock in profits as the market moves. As a practical example, you have a BUY trade on GBP/USD at 1.6000 open and it is in profit. You may set the Trailing Stop to automatically adjust your stop loss level as the market moves in your favor. For example, you may have your trailing stop level set at 25 pips. Once your trade is +25 pips in profit, the trailing stop will automatically move your stop loss level to 1.6000 or break even. This means in that trade, it is impossible to lose! Further, if the market continues to move in your favor, the trailing stop will continue to adjust the stop loss to lock in profits. If for example the trade is now +26, your stop loss will be set at +1, at +27 your stop loss will be set at +2 thus "trailing" the market. Why is this useful? Well, in this example, the market moved +27 pips in your favor, and your 25 pip trailing stop had locked in a profit of 2 pips by automatically setting the stop loss order. If the market then reversed against your buy position, you would still be guaranteed a profit of 2 pips instead of loss. To activate the Trailing Stop loss on a position, go to 'Trade' in the 'Terminal' at the bottom of the trading platform, right-click and choose Trailing Stops. Please note that you have to be making a profit of minimum 15 pips before you can activate it.