Are You Trading to Your Strengths?

In your trading, are you playing to your strengths, or are you simply being an "opportunity seeker"?

There is a huge difference between the two and if you're just an opportunity seeker, then you are leaving yourself open to frustration and losses.

There are many parallels between trading, business and gambling, and your ultimate success long-term will be determined by how you approach any of the three. Playing to your strengths is critical in all three.

In any of the pursuits, there is competition and you always want to make sure that you're playing to your strengths and not your weaknesses.

The objective is winning, that is profiting, and you want every advantage that you can get.

Too often, the opportunity seeker will go after an opportunity just because they see that there's money to be made, and they figure that they can shore up their weaknesses (learn more) enough to go get that money.

Let's take a brief look at how this applies in each area, keeping in mind the parallels between them.

In business, the long term successes are built by those with an end goal in mind, a vision of what the business will look like when it's mature.

This is critical because the company must stay on a course that is consistent with its vision while it is growing. Distractions and deviations from the path only serve to slow it down or even take it backwards.

Successful business leaders know when to pursue an opportunity and when to say "no". Saying "no" is essential to keeping the company's activities (investments of time) focused where competitive advantages exist and avoiding those where the company is at a disadvantage.

In gambling, the poker player will stay at the BlackJack table and make his money there. He won't jump up and run to the Roulette table just because he heard somebody just won $50,000 over there. He knows what he's good at and will only venture over to other tables for entertainment, not to make money.

In Trading, let's say investing for the sake of argument, a good real estate investor that knows how to make $1 million a year isn't necessarily going to do well in trading. They are completely different games.

Just because a person knows how to buy properties right, increase their value through rehab or raising rents, does not mean that they will have the talents or skills to make money in the Futures or Forex markets.

Even an experienced trader should be hesitant to jump from one game to the next. A buy-and-hold position trader should exercise great caution before jumping into day-trading, and a spread better should hone his skills before thinking about buying (or selling) outright futures contracts.

Each strategy (or game let's say) has different skills associated with it, and different emotional requirements.

The other serious consideration is your proficiency level - period. This combined with your ability to devote time to trading.

If you are completely new to trading or you haven't yet become proficient at the necessary skills to trade, then you definitely should seek out help.

The learning curve can be very costly in trading, and if you don't have the time or a plan to become proficient, how do you ever expect to make regular profits from it?

If you don't have the proficiency, the strengths, needed to be a good trader, nor do you have the time and resources to become one, you may want to consider other choices available to you.

If you have neither the skills nor the time to develop them, but want to take advantage of the nice money to be made in trading, you may want to consider a managed account. Why settle for an amateur trading with your money (YOU), when you can have a pro do it for you?

Do your Due Diligence first though!!! Ask for the track record and the plan going forward.

Your next option if you're "starting from scratch" is to trade with the assistance of a seasoned broker.

That's what they are there for. Of course you can find very low commission brokers to deal with, but you may get just what you pay for. A good broker can be found for $50-$100 round turn commission, and they'll give you the best advice they can.

In the long run, you're likely to be way better off - if you'll follow their advice!

Again, ask for their track record, and check with the NFA to see if they have any complaints.

It wouldn't hurt to see if the broker you're considering is recognized within the trading community as being good.

Many very good brokers publish regular articles or advisory columns on respected websites and in established periodicals.

Generally, if you see that the person has been published for a period of years, then that is a good sign.

The wackos and charlatans bounce around too much and aren't allowed to stay in one place for long before their reputation catches up with them.

Until you have the strengths yourself, borrow them from someone who has them while you're developing.

When you have the proficiency, the skills, and the resources, only then should you venture out on your own. And that is only if you are so inclined to actually becoming a trader and doing it all yourself.

If your true objective is to make money, then play it smart. Make use of other people's knowledge and skills until you have developed your own.

Of course, if you really don't want to devote the time to being a full-time or highly active trader, but still want trading to be part of your income portfolio, consider your other choices.

Whatever you do, don't simply chase another "opportunity" to make money if it doesn't play to your strengths.

For Trading, those strengths need to be discipline, emotional control, coach-ability, ability to focus, follow-through, decisiveness, understanding of probabilities, dealing with uncertainty, and a slew of others.

There are activities for entertainment and others for making money.

Trading can be both, but if it is not taken seriously, with a sincere review of your own characteristics and desires, then it can wind up being neither. In any endeavor where money is the end result, get help from a trusted friend. Rememer, a good mentor is there to show you the right steps to take and those to avoid.

Copyright 2006 New Ireland Ventures, LLC

Brian McAboy, The Aspiring Trader's Best Friend http://www.subtletrap.com/1.html

Online Forex Trading Today

With the introduction of the internet, many new opportunities have opened up for people to make money, learn new trades and improve their lifestyle. The internet has changed our lives in many ways. One of the most popular ways to make money online is through forex trading online. Todays forex traders are granted access to the international forex market over the internet. This has revolutionized the way business is done on this market and allows every trader direct access to the productive forex market. This has led to increased popularity of forex trading around the world and and government regulation has been relaxed in the United States, making way for this revolution.

Another aspect of forex currency trading that has been affected by widespread internet access is the proliferation of innumerable websites offering training courses and advice on forex trading. Many of these are not very useful, but there is a large number that do offer excellent advice and forex trading education. Many of these services nclude access to historical data and online libraries, interactive videos, live chat with experts, in-depth advice and analysis on using forex currency trading systems and demos of forex currency trading software online. The forex trading online training courses will often include live workshops and seminars or else let you know where such an event will be scheduled near you. The experience of learning from other amateur and professional forex traders is also invaluable and many of the online forex training courses will offer message boards and forums for members.

Some courses will include video presentations by a financial whiz, generally the proponent of the forex trading system that the course promotes, and his team. These can certainly be beneficial when you're selecting a system to use personally and help make the rationale of the system clearer. Further, live chat with the expert or members of his or her team is a great bonus and should be used to get answers to any questions you may have.

Online technical analysis software is also a highly beneficial tool, used by most professional forex traders and made available to amateurs by various websites offering forex training courses. This forex trading software is used to analyze and identify emerging trends so that forex currency traders can tap into these patterns and apply techniques to capitalize on many of them. A forex trading system works in conjunction with the software tools for technical analysis in this way. This ensures a orex trader can learn to use the forex currency trading system, understand how to successfully trade, and execute their forex trades completely online, without ever leaving home.

These elements serve to make online forex trading a popular means of livelihood for many people and contribute to its continued popularity. You can learn about forex trading in your spare time at work or at home and take a few minutes a day to keep checking your trading account, all the while making money and never leaving home or the office.

Andrew Daigle is the owner, creator and author of many successful websites including ForexBoost, a free forex trading resource and CashCurve, a resource for making money online.

Top Web Entrepreneur's Paradox

Trend following is a strategy normally associated with trading. You wont see it associated with Top Web Entrepreneurs. This is surprising. The strategy serves both types of activities quite well. I intend to set the record straight with this article!

First, A Bit Of Background

If you lookup trend following on Google, it will report that some 286,000 pages mention the expression. I am willing to bet that most, if not all, are related to speculative trading.

However, I am also willing to bet that Top Web Entrepreneurs, whether knowingly or not, use a strategy based on trend following to guide them in their choice of Web endeavors.

Let me explain.

I used to invest my money. That has brought me a certain significant return. But, it took decades of compounding the meager crumbs that the banks and other financial institutions were (reluctantly) giving me in interest.

One day, in 1998, I switched strategy. I became trader. I am what is known as a system trader. I have developed a system to protect myself while trading. My trading is based on a trend following strategy.

Im proud to say that it works remarkably well. For me, that is. Theres a catch, you see. It requires strict adherence to the a plan: my plan.

My plan, discipline, tight control over emotions, and patience make up the name of the game.

What Does Trend Following Trading Have To Do With Top Web Entrepreneurship?

The skills required to become a Top Web entrepreneur are not much different than the ones a consistently successful trader uses. Note the use of the word consistently. Anyone can be a lucky trader. Many think that Top Web Entrepreneurs were lucky to find their niche. Not so. They all worked hard at identifying it, and at planning how to best exploit it sometimes months, or years, before the event makes the news.

Top traders also work hard. Most of their energy goes into preserving their capital, so that they will always have enough to trade the next day, and never go broke. They never take risks! They manage risk. Theres a major difference.

So much so, that managing risks is the most important factor between success and failure, both in trading, and in business.

When the trend becomes newsworthy, it rapidly ceases to be worthy of exploiting! It is cresting, in its adult phase, then. It will soon begin to decline.

Top Web Entrepreneurs, just like Top Traders, plan to get in as close to the (confirmed) beginning of the trend as possible. They avoid entry when the trend has already given most people a good run for their money! The probabilities of cresting are getting bigger, at that point. They do not want to enter a trend, just as it is about to decline.

How does one become a successful Web entrepreneur without taking risks?

By testing your ideas offline first!

Successful traders, do their testing outside of the markets. That use sophisticated computerized systems, either bought commercially, or home brewed. The very Top traders use home brewed systems. They feed their system years of historical data about the stock, or foreign currency they are interested in trading. The tests are computerized, so they take a few moments only. In a flash, they know what potential their idea may have about that given stock or currency. They also know what the risks are. They can prepare to counter them.

Successful Web entrepreneurs also make use of computers, of course. But not in the same way. They do not have years of historical data to test their ideas on. Only uncharted grounds are potentially ripe to give new types of crops. Its in the very nature of innovative ideas to not have a history.

Top Web entrepreneurs use sophisticated systems to mine the Web for the data they need. They develop their own system (around a strategy), but use the computerized applications that are available on the Web. Remember, the data they need does not exist at least, not as a coherent, filtered set yet. They have to look for signs of it. Then they analyze the signs. This analysis leads them to retain some pieces of data, and reject others as irrelevant. Not an easy task at best.

Top Web entrepreneurs will use their brain, and their experience in a given field of interest, to analyze what they find.

Their imagination gave them a business idea. They will carefully validate it, plan for it, and time their move into implementation.

They are like top competition surfers. They know what signs to look for, and they have the acquired a sense of timing to take advantage of a building wave. They are in there even as the wave is beginning to form (below the surface and most everyones radar). Sometimes, like Top traders, they reach the zone, totally concentrated. They are already stalking and preparing for the next profitable wave (trend), in the right spot, at the right time, before the coveted event even begins to form!

To get there, Top Web entrepreneurs use sophisticated, flexible Web searching tools to mine the Web for information. These tools exist, and are mostly free to use. However, they are scattered, uncoordinated, about the Web. Sometimes, they only exist as beta applications that only a few enthusiasts know about.

To give you an idea of what trend stalking might mean on the Web, have a look at the Google Alerts, and Google Trends. Many Web entrepreneurs use them, as general purpose tools, in an attempt to identify the trend they are looking for.

There are dozens of much more specialized and powerful tools for Web research and analysis available. You just have to try them until you find the ones that best fit your requirements, and personality.

When The Signs Are There

When it begins to look like their idea is being confirmed by enough verifiable signs (note the word verifiable), Top Web Entrepreneurs will immediately start planning its implementation carefully. They will give it a structure that will later house what they will be offering their targeted clientele. They will also have identified the latter through thorough research.

Their Web business is taking shape offline, at that stage. No risks involved. I hope you get my drift! They make sure their idea will work, before they commit themselves! Thats what planning is all about.

The First Small Step

If the idea looks viable, they start small. Very small! Just to give you an idea, I never bet more than one percent yes, you have read correctly, never more than 1% of my total equity on any given trade idea. Thats how small a step I am willing to take at any given time. That should give you a measure of how careful, patient and disciplined successful trading is. After a while, if my trade idea works, I will add to my position progressively. If all the conditions of my trading system continue to be met, I continue to execute my trading plan in a very disciplined way.

When Top Web Entrepreneurs have thoroughly researched and tested their business idea offline they will create the home page of their Web site, and publish it online.

They will slowly add to their position, from there. Meanwhile, they keep up their research effort. They watch for signs of their idea drifting away from the trend they have identified, and chosen to follow.

In fact, they go wherever their traffic leads them. They will patiently, and dutifully follow that trend to destination and success.

They will publish one well researched, keyword focused Web page at a time. They will slowly furnish the structure they planned in the first stages of preparation and thus progressively increase their tailor made offer to their target clientele.

A New Web Business Is Born!

As you can see, it did not happen suddenly. Nor, was it due to a stroke of luck.

Top Web Entrepreneurs innovate and follow trends.

Thats the apparent paradox.

Claude Jollet is a former planning advisor to major industrial and commercial clients. He specialized in weather related operational planning issues. He holds a bachelors degree in applied computer science, specializing in business process analysis and automation. Mr. Jollet now devotes all his free time to the promotion of entrepreneurship on the Web. He reaches his following with his Web site http://www.top-web-entrepreneurs-plan-it.com

Forex Course Trading

Nothing can help you better understand the nuances of the exciting tools and strategies of the forex market than a forex course trading. If you are a first time player or want to start as a foreign currency trader, a course in the forex market can guide you and build your confidence to face the real world.

The foreign currency market is highly developed with some of the most advanced trading systems and features available to make your decisions more scientifically. Whether you are a day trader or a long term player, you need to develop your own strategies to time the market and your entry and exit points. Forex course trading can help you in your understanding of the terms and concepts. As you learn the basic tricks of the trade, you can learn the advances strategies, straddle concepts, technical analysis indicators, charting software and other tit bits to gain your foothold in the forex market.

Forex market demands a fair bit of knowledge about the finer aspects of trading and techniques to be successful consistently. Hence it is all the more important that you are armed with right training. Forex course trading can fill that gap and make even a novice an expert in the field.

While it is true that no forex trading course can make you rich overnight, it is also true that there are no magic formulae to make money in the shortest possible time. It is only patience, hard work and consistency that brings dividend in the long run. A good course will equip you not only with the trading strategies but also how to handle exceptions and time your market moves.

Charting and Technical Analysis are one of the most important tools for predicting the future trends and fluctuations. Forex course trading will help you do that to give shape to your strategies for your good. A good trader does not spend his time and energy trading all day. He looks for 4 or 5 good trading opportunities in a week and place his orders based on that analysis. The timing is very important and so is the correctness of his prediction. This way you can earn better than the expected returns without having to time the market all the times. Hence an understanding of the trading systems and rules allow you to concentrate on exceptions rather than all the currencies and commodities for making an entry in the market.

If you are planning to take forex course trading, never be enamored by all those claims of making risk free profits by trading in currency spot and futures. Remember that there are no free lunches. Currency trading is a specialized field and has its own risk reward paradigm. In most of the cases, you will have to adjust your trading strategies to fit that paradigm to remain within the ranges. One wrong move and all your equity may be wiped out. The forex course trading will also help you to understand that sometimes it is better to cut losses than to cut a sorry figure later.

Thomas D. Houser
The key to successful Forex trading is knowledge.
http://www.bestforexcurrencyinfo.com/

Forex Online Broker Trading

Finding a good forex online broker trading service can be an extremely difficult task, but is essential if you want to ensure that you make as much profit as possible from your trades. Hiring the wrong company could lead to devastating results as if you were actually doing the trading on your own without any training or assistance.

When looking for any firm to assist you with your Forex trading, you should be extremely diligent and carry out as much research as possible with regard to those you would like to handle your investment portfolio.

Look for those firms which will provide you with details of those clients who are willing to provide information with regards to their services and how successful they have been. A reputable firm will have plenty of client testimonials which will indicate to you that they are have a strong knowledge and background relating to this type of trading. However these testimonials should not be used as the way of making a decision in relation to which firm you are going to be using.

Also another way of testing out the reliability of any firm that is providing services for people to trade Forex online is the amount of information that they make available to their clients. Also what sorts of literature and any training that they are willing to provide to those who become clients with them.

So the more that a Forex broker trading firm is willing to do for you then this will then provide you with a way to better understand Forex trading systems and so will make you in to a much more competent trader yourself.

A great way of searching out a reputable and good brokerage firm is through friends and family. Ask them if they can suggest anyone and if they do you will still need to carry out your own investigations with regards to their qualifications and knowledge base before you commit to any type of formal agreement with them.

Finally another thing you will need to consider when looking for a good Forex online broker trading firm is to see what margin of return they are offering to their clients. Avoid those that are offering very low margins of return. It is important to remember that these people are providing a service to their customers and if you find that the firms you are considering are not returning your calls within a reasonable amount of time then it is best that you carry on searching for the ones that will.

Ricky Lim runs an online forex trading education site for beginners. Visit his site today for more forex tutorials such as a free forex trading strategy.

What Day Traders Don't Want You To Know

I had a discussion with a good friend of mine yesterday about how Day Traders made their money.

They are in for profits and nothing but profits. While many people who own stock or shares, however you want to call them. They are looking for the next stock to pump on (what I mean by pump, is get people hyped) and when they pump or get people to pump, it's because they own a significant amount of shares. Another tip, if you ever look in your email box or whatnot & see a stock tip. The stock is about to run out of juice and they are looking to get to cash out once the newbie investor has dumped their life savings. A pump and dump are notorious for scams, the SEC always has their work cut out for them.

I like to think that I am helping investors that are looking to build their financial security. I really encourage people to look at the solid big picture of if it's too good to be true then more than likely it is.

In today's society where it is so hard to be able to have something that you know is stable & money is often hard to come by. Everyone seems to be looking at cheating someone these days. I know it isn't easy..

I like to think that I make good financial decisions and here is my pie to prove it :0)

Investments are easy to do as long as you know what you are doing & you have someone who you can count on to do the job right...

Diversify is key...

Alison G. Teaching you to Invest Wiser

What Would Jesus Invest In?

According to the bible, we already know how Jesus felt about moneychangers in a house of worship but what investments would Jesus possibly deem acceptable and suitable in today's society?

Residential Real Estate
A residential dwelling is a good place for a family to live in and a good thing for a family to own. A home can be the foundation and centerpiece for a family unit and family values. A good home can create a stable environment for the family members, the surrounding neighborhood, the town or city and the country as a whole.

Commercial Real Estate
Commercial real estate can be a boon to commerce and the local community. It can generate local and convenient marketplaces for vendors and consumers, can house businesses in a community, can create jobs on a local level - for construction workers, electricians and, of course, carpenters. Commercial real estate is a critical and fundamental component of successful local community development.

Savings Accounts, Savings Bonds, CD's, etc.
It is good to save some money and put it away for a rainy day; for into each life some rain must fall. And putting your savings in a secure financial institution is safer than keeping it under your mattress.

Stocks
Yes, the stock market is the bastion of capitalism, and capitalism these days is feared and hated around the world and by liberals here at home. Upon further examination here is what we will also find: in fact, the stock market is an excellent and efficient way for small, medium and large companies to acquire expansion capital. With the additional capital these enterprises can create new jobs, new products and more new tax revenues for the society.

An individual or other investing entity can purchase common stock shares of a company, and, in doing so, legally becomes an actual owner of that company, with voting rights regarding the affairs of that company. And an individual may even choose the specific company or companies he or she wishes to invest in. If an investor is a devout socially conscious person if they so desire they can even choose to invest in companies involved in alternate energy, environmentally beneficial products and services or invest in other politically correct fields.

Profits
Whatever the investor chooses to invest in, if the investment becomes successful and profitable, he or she can then choose to help those who need help, their less fortunate brothers and sisters, by donating the profits they make to a house of worship, a charity or other organization of their choice.

What Would Jesus Invest In?
Jesus most probably would not invest at all. After all, He would need no money (I'm sure His earthly needs would be provided for), would accumulate no wealth, have no investable funds, and thus would probably not be interested in financial investments of any kind.

But I don't believe that Jesus would mind if we mortals, as we go forth and multiply, make some good, solid, productive investments along the way.

Alan Korber is a successful investor and creator of the Korber Strategy, a simple and successful stock investment strategy for returns of 50%-100% annualized, published online at www.akorber.com.

Learning Forex Trading - The Eight Steps To Get You On Your Way

Learning forex trading can certainly be a daunting process if you have no idea where to start. Although forex is less complex than some other methods of trading because it only deals with one specific commodity, it can still be a chore to get to grips with. There is so much involved when learning forex trading, especially if you want to be successful, but by following the tips below, you can soon obtain the knowledge and know how that you need.

1. Research forex trading You can never walk into any kind of investment without first investigating the possibilities and weighing up the advantages and disadvantages, and learning forex trading is no different. You should at least know what it is and how the concept of forex trading works before committing yourself to attempting to profit from it.

2. Learn all about currencies Most individuals know a little about the dollar, pound and euro, but it is essential to learn about all currencies and their histories whilst learning forex trading. Without having basic knowledge of the fundamentals of currency, you cannot hope to do well at forex trading.

3. Assess the odds The odds of success and failure are part and parcel of learning forex trading because you need to be able to recognise trends, analyse profit margins and recognise potential.

4. Learn the key terms Every investment opportunity has some form of jargon attached to it. Ensure that you have a full understanding of the jargon associated with learning forex trading before progressing to the next possible step.

5. Watch the market As with anything in life, always watch the market to get the feel of it before progressing to participation. Learning forex trading is all about understanding before participating, and the only way for you to do that is to watch other before attempting it yourself

6. Use software to trade for free Some softwares enable the learning forex trading before you actually invest. You can trade imaginary amounts via simulators to give you practice and give a greater understanding of the system. You can analyse your mistakes and rectify them before actually investing your own money!

7. Set a budget Always work out what you can afford to trade whilst you are learning forex trading. It is easy for an individual to get in over his or head and end up losing far more than he or she can afford, so make sure that you are not one of those people!

8. You are ready to begin for real Your learning forex trading crash course is complete so as soon as you feel confident, go for it!

Simon Aridej is the owner NewForexLive.com a site which provides a good information about forex trading tips, how to trade like a professional forex trading free forex trading ebook and much more. You can download forex trading ebook for free by Click Here!

Major Advantages to Trading Forex

When most investors hear the word forex, the words that flash through their brain are risky, complicated, and tiny profit margins. This is because the information on currency trading isn't as available and easy to access as the stock market. A stock investor just needs to pick up the Wall Street Journal or turn on CNBC to instantly see what's new and exciting. When you're a stock investor, you can talk to your friends, neighbors, and co-workers about what you're buying, share tips, and brag about your profits. Everyone is familiar with the stock market. Forex is a different beast. To find information, you have to turn to the internet or privately run newsletters. You can't talk about forex with anyone in your everyday life because they won't understand the lingo and will have no idea what you're talking about. It's a shame, because our game has some major advantages over stock trading. Maybe if forex information was more public, the average investor would realize the following 5 things to be true.

One thing that most people doesn't realize is that there is no trading commission involved in currency trading. When you're trading stocks frequently, even if it's done online at $20 a pop, the fees start eating into your profits. If you're trading options, you're not only paying a commission on the trade, but you're also paying additional fees per contract. Fortunately for forex investors, the only retail transaction cost is the bid/ask spread which is usually less than 5 pips (0.05%).

Secondly, the currency market is open 24 hours a day, 5 days per week. Unlike the stock exchange, which is only active between the opening and closing bells, you can trade forex first thing in the morning or in the wee hours of the night. There are people all around the world trading at all hours, so a trader can take advantage of any market condition at any time.

Another big benefit to the foreign exchange is the huge leverage opportunity. Leverage, also called margin, is when you borrow your broker's money and add it to your own capital in order to make a larger investment. In the stock market, you have to pass your brokers strict guidelines to be approved for a margin account, and if you do, you'll get a maximum of 2:1 (which means if you invest $10,000, you can borrow $10,000). In forex, a ratio of up to 400 is considered normal. If you use that massive amount of leverage properly and hit some big winners, you can make substantial money in short periods of time. Of course, the opposite is true as well. You can lose substantial money very quickly also. But you can't get a better opportunity to use other people's money.

A fourth advantage to currency trading is it's size. Because the forex market is so huge and has so many traders active at all times, no single investor can corner the market. In the stock market, each equity issue has a finite amount of outstanding shares. For many small cap companies, a large investor could amass a large percentage of those outstanding shares, and because of the low liquidity, their choice to buy, sell, or hold will have drastic effects on the price of that particular stock. With currency, no single investor, not even a central bank, can accumulate a controlling amount of something like the dollar, pound, or franc.

The last great characteristic of the forex that we'll discuss in this article is the never ending bull market. Forex is a zero sum game. A gain is only made when one currency rises in value in relation to another currency. So this means that if one currency is going down, another is going up. In the stock market, when a bear market hits, the vast majority of stocks are all going down. If Microsoft drops 5 points, that certainly doesn't mean that GE went up 5 points. Sure, you can short stocks in a declining market, but the average investor isn't too keen on the unlimited downside risk and probably doesn't even have the margin to be able to make the trade. Just remember that something is always guaranteed to go up in the currency market.

There are dozens of other reasons why the forex is one of the best playing fields in the investment world. If you are an investor, do some research and see for yourself. Open up a demo trading account at one of the several online forex brokers and see how you do. You might just find that it blows the stock market out of the water.

This article is just a small piece of the free Forex Trading Course at forexgameplan.com Go learn about this incredible market and sign up today while the 30 day course is still free.

Arbitrage Trading or E-currency E-currency?

If you are reading this you most be wondering what way is better to make money E-currency Exchange or Arbitrage Trading?

Lets first look at how both systems work, and if these systems will still be around in 5 years or so.

Arbitrage Trading Is and unknown way to make money on the Internet. Very few people know little or no information about arbitrage trading. So can you make money? Yes you can. Arbitrage Trading makes money by placing trades on arbs that are created when two different bookies disagree on the same sporting event.

When you get two bookies that disagree on a sporting event this makes and arb. If you where to place money on this arb you would win the trade. This is how arbitrage trading works. This is 100% legal and can be done anywhere in the world.

Now will arbitrage trading be around for a long period of time? Yes arbitrage trading will be around as long as there are sports. Arbitrage Trading will never die and go away.

E-currency Exchange This is also unknown to many people. E-currency exchange works by investing a small amount of money into the e-currency system. Each day your money is compounded making 3 to 5% each day. People who have started off with and investment of only $200 have be able to turn there small investment into $1000 in just a moths time. Using this system has changed many peoples lives.

Will e-currency be around in 5 years or so? Everyone I asked is unsure of how long e-currency exchange will last. Some say it will be around forever. Right now the system is still running but a little slow. This in my eyes means the system is falling apart. Now I still invested money into e-currency and I have made money from it.

I also invested money into arbitrage trading. If I had to pick between the two systems of making money I would bet on arbitrage trading. Although its newer then e-currency it seems to me that it's more stable and will be around for years to come. E-currency exchange on the other hand is not looking so hot. One month the system is flying and the next month the system is a running a little slow.

In the end I choose to work with both systems. I have thought about pulling out of e-currency and going solo on arbitrage trading. Well just have to wait it out and see how e-currency does compared to arbitrage trading.

I use both e-currency and arbitrage trading to make money working out of my house. Today I can say that these two money making systmes have changed my life for the good. I recommened this programs to anyone and everyone. Visit Arbitrage Trading for more information on e-currency and arbitrage trading.

The History of GM - General Motors

The history of GM, the world's largest automaker, saw its beginning in 1908. The company was founded by William Durant in the year 1902. The shrewd businessman that he was, Durant realized that the future lay with cars and not carriages. Initially, the company was founded as a holding company for Buick. The latter part of the year saw the company acquiring Oldsmobile, followed by the possession of Cadillac, Oakland and Elmore in the very next year.

Many of the motor companies were in dire straits during the difficult years of the early 1900's. The stock market panic in 1907 put a lot of small companies into financial distress. Many of these companies were running on credit from various bankers. This was a golden opportunity for Durant, who proceeded to buy smaller car builders, and companies that built car parts as well as car accessories. In 1908, these various companies were folded into a single unit, thus creating the new GM entity. This marked the exciting beginning of the true history of GM.

William Durant was a flamboyant businessman whose curious mix of genius and over-reaching took GM both to its heights as well as plunged it into financial distress. In 1910, bankers were forced to step in to prevent financial collapse of GM, and Durant was removed from the company he had founded. But by 1911, the company had made enough advances into the international market that the General Motors Export Company was established to handle sales outside the U.S and Canada.

Durant managed to use another company he formed, Chevrolet, to come back to power in GM during 1915, and the history of GM from 1915-1920 is full of successes. During this time, the Cadillac became wildly successful. In 1918, GM bought the operating assets of Chevrolet Motors. But, soon America was hit by a power recession and in 1920, Durant again found himself out of the company.

During the financial boom in the 1920's, the history of GM virtually glowed with success. Auto sales reached the 4.5 million mark, and the auto industry now had three giants - GM, Ford and Chrysler. GM now had a brilliant engineer turned industrialist at its helm. Alfred Sloan who was later acclaimed for his marketing genius had slowly worked his way up among the ranks of GM. His marketing genius breathed a fresh lease of life into GM that was beginning to get overshadowed by Ford.

Ford's philosophy of giving the public the best value for their money offered little variety. But Sloan and GM were interested in providing the public with more than a black box. Stylish colors, features and comfort became the new motto of the company. GM also made a path-breaking offer - the public could now buy a car on credit. The five brands of GM - Pontiac, Cadillac, Buick, Oldsmobile and Chevrolet began changing every year with the focus being directed mainly at looks and style. This strategy paid rich dividends. Ford was pushed to the backseat again by GM.

The great Wall Street crash in 1929 put an abrupt stop to all expansion plans at GM for the time being. Stocks of GM fell rather badly. But, by early 1930's GM bounced back and bought the Yellow Coach bus company. In 1930, GM bought Electro-Motive Corporation, the internal combustion engine railcar builder. The next 20 years saw GM powered diesel locomotives running on American railroads. December 31, 1955 is another landmark in the history of GM. GM became the first company to make more than a billion dollars in a year.

There was a time in the History of GM when it was the largest corporation in the US. The history of GM also shows that there was a time when GM was the single largest employer in the world. But, in recent times GM has been beset with financial woes. November 2005 saw GM booking a $4 billion loss and about 30,000 employees were laid off. 12 plants were closed down.

This article was provided by William Berg who also rites about other beloved parts of the automotive history like the Corvette with classical models like the 1963 corvette and the 1967 corvette.

Forex Trading - Spotting the Big Trends For Big Profits Part 2

In part 1 we looked at how human psychology pushes prices away from fair value.

When there are extreme moves away from fair value you can make a contrary trade to the majority and pile up big profits with low risk.

So what tools do you need? Lets take a look.

As a general rule these tools will work in any market not just forex markets.

What sets ups do you look for?

Generally you want a set up that is the news where there is no end in sight to a spike move.

This generally indicates that greed and fear have taken hold and the market being looked at is emotionally driven and away from fair value.

This happens all the time:

The recent spike in crude oil, the 87 stock market crash and many others including in the forex market.

First place to start

Is the chart look for huge price spikes in short time spaces accompanied by experts and the news telling you there is no end in sight.

Now delve a bit deeper to see the true picture.

Useful technical tools are:

RSI, Sochastics and Bollinger bands

Then add in these sentiment tools to the mix.

% Bullish

This indictor is a poll of people, experts, brokers etc that have a view or interest in the market.

When this poll indicates above 70% are bullish the market is in overbought territory and when below 30% is in oversold territory.

In the currency markets we like to look for even more extreme readings of below 20% and above 80%

Commitment of Traders Net - Traders Position Report

This is a tool used for years by futures traders and shows the breakdown of open interest among three main participants.

We will explain what it means in a minute buy here is its definition of the groups.

Hedgers The smart money commercial traders

Large speculators These are normally large funds with reportable positions

Small speculators everyone else.

The commercials are long term traders and are close to the fundamentals and move very slowly they are hedging not speculating and not influenced by greed or far and are the smart money.

Speculators on the other hand, both funds and small speculators, are driven by greed and fear

If you see a set up where commercials start to move the opposite way to speculators at a market top or bottom and hold an opposite extreme, then prices have moved to far from fair value.

With the commercials taking and building the opposite position to speculators in a rampant bull or bear market you know prices are probably due to re bound.

You must only use extremes with this tool and this normally means 8 months to 2 years.

Breaking it down

Study chart first, look for experts telling you there is no end in sight to the move, then look at % bullish and then net trader report.

Finally, use the technical indicators to confirm the move.

These moves do not happen often.

Maybe a few times a year.

But when they do

You can zero in on a contrary trade that not only offers huge profit potential but offer low risk.

FREE ESSENTIAL CONTRARY TRADING PDF'S

On all aspects of becoming a profitable trader including features, downloads and your essential FREE Trading PDF's visit our website at http://www.net-planet.org/index.html

Dare to Invest for Your Future

Investing is a word that most people equate with taking risk by investing into the stock market. Real estate is another venue of investing. Some people invest in rare metal such as gold. In my opinion, one of the most important investments you can make is in yourself. It involves self improvement via education and setting optimistic financial goals. There are many venues of investing and I will cover a few in this short article.

I believe the main purpose of investing is giving you peace of mind knowing that your future is secure. This sense of well being is euphoric and it is well worth the effort to pursue. Financial security is something that is within the reach of everyone despite income levels. Money does not always bring happiness, but it does allow you the freedom to pursue your dreams. Money is just another tool you can use to gain what you want and deserve.

Investing in yourself is something no one else can do for you and only if you’re willing to make the effort within. You have to find your niche in life and pursue it with a passion. It can be through a formal education, working with a mentor, it can be a hobby or any combination. When you find something you love, it’s not all that important that you’re the best at it. What is important is that it makes you happy inside and that is the key to lifting your inner spirit to a new high. When you’re happy, it radiates around you and to others around you and that is important. You attract people when you’re happy within.

Investing in your financial future is very important also. It allows you the freedom to explore new dreams later in life or branching out into another line of work at your leisure. Financial investing is something that everyone can and should do throughout their life. In my early adulthood, I thought financial investing was only for the very rich, but that is not true at all. All it takes is a little discipline and setting goals.

It’s so easy to put down on paper what you should invest for your future. It’s quite another to actually set up a payment allotment plan and begin. I had to make a decision in 1985 on how to invest into a new retirement savings plan at work. I was 28 years old at the time and was in the process of buying my first house, so I really didn’t think I could spare any money for investing. I was fortunate to have a friend who understood investing and he asked me a couple very basic questions. What is the maximum I can contribute per year and what is the minimum amount. He also wanted to know roughly how many years I had to retirement. He prepared a spreadsheet showing how invested money can grow over time. At the time, I was only making 22K per year, when I saw a figure approaching 500K my eyes lit up and I decided this was something I had to do.

The “Magic of Compound Interest” was a term my friend brought up and is something that meant very little to me in 1985, but it’s a term you should understand. It is something a great mathematician named Albert Einstein knew quite well. Albert Einstein said that compound interest is “the greatest mathematical discovery of all time”. Albert understood how earning interest and time allowed you to build wealth. The reinvestment of your interest earnings and time spent in a savings plan are very critical. I did not grasp compound interest until my friend put figures on paper that clearly demonstrated the magic of compound interest.

It’s hard for people to grasp how compound interest works, but basically the interest you earn is not paid out to you, it’s reinvested. So, you’re account grows not only by what you put into it, but also on the interest earned in the past. It’s almost like rolling a snowball down a snow covered hill. By the time it reaches the bottom, it’s huge and it’s large enough to become your new foundation.

The United States government encourages people to save for their retirement by making their contributions tax deferred. This is another huge advantage to setting up a retirement savings account for you. Many tax payers fall into the 15 percent tax bracket, so if you save 2000.00 per year, that is a savings of 300.00 right off the top. Your tax free deposit is not seen as taxable income. I would much prefer to save 300.00 per year by not sending it to the IRS. You win not only by building a nest egg for yourself, but your saving money that would normally go to the IRS.

One of the biggest reasons people do not invest money into a retirement plan is because they think they can’t afford to do it. That is a very legitimate reason, but you need to understand how little it takes to make a difference in your life. I use to smoke cigarettes when I joined the Navy in 1975. Back then, it seemed as if just about everyone did. Fortunately, for my health I managed to quit many years ago. Just one carton of cigarettes in California today can cost almost $40.00. Just by quitting the smoking habit, I saved myself roughly 40.00 per week. As an example, let’s say an 18 year old smoker quit today and put just 40.00 per week into a savings plan that averages 8 percent interest. At age 65, that ex smoker would not only be a lot healthier, he would be sitting on a nest egg worth over 1 million dollars. Actually, it would be exactly $1,017,394.90.

Some people will say that this is a silly example because when you’re young you spend every dime you make. If you think like that, you will spend everything you make. Your inner thoughts are more important than you will ever realize. By focusing on what you want and staying positive, it will come to you. Just dare to imagine what your retirement would be like at age 65 if you had over a million dollars!

I’m not a grandparent yet, but that day is just around the corner I’m sure. I think a great gift to a grandchild is something you can give them long after your gone. The gift is teaching them the gift of giving and also investing. If you were to put away $4000.00 and put it in an account that earns 9 % interest, it would be worth one million when that child turns 65. So you can pass this life lesson on to someone who will keep your picture on the wall for years after your gone. But more importantly, that person will pass on what they learn from you to their grandchildren.

In conclusion, I just want everyone to realize that if you want a comfortable retirement, it is in your hands. If you visualize your financial goals and set forward a plan, it will happen. All it takes is having a clear plan in your mind and staying focused on your dreams. I hope this article will help you and your family realize that investing is for everyone. If you wish, you can contact me or post a comment and I will get back to you if you have any questions. Have a great day, stay positive and take charge of your future.

Richard Sizemore resides in Los Angeles California and enjoys writing articles for this website. My wife, Cynthia also writes articles on her website, http://www.cyndall.com Her Self Improvement articles are outstanding and I highly recommend them.

How to Select a Forex Broker

Selecting a forex broker is not an easy process. You need to think about what kind of trader your are and select the best forex broker for your style of trading. If you're a day trader and like to execute many trades each day, you may want to find a forex broker that offers low spreads. We pay spreads for exvery trade we execute and the larger the spread, the more commission you will pay to your broker for your trades.

A good forex broker will explain various forex trading systems and strategies to their clients and will assist in their process of putting these strategies to workThe advice from forex brokers will basically. The advice you receive from your broker will basically include technical analysis approaches and research methods followed by experienced traders and brokers that boost the client trader's performance as a forex trader.

In the earlier days of forex trading, the banks and large financial institutions had sole access to the forex market, but now with the advent of the internet technology, things have changed. As more novice traders have taken up forex trading as a home based business, the forex brokers are also realizing the importance of this trend and moving away from the conventional banks. More and more forex brokers hrough internet based businesses and offer their clients a complete suite of services based online. Today's forex brokers recognize that their customers are no longer the rich individuals or large institutions and have tailored their forex trading strategies to conform with the needs of their new, home based, middle class client. They know that the stakes for this type of client are lower and that they wish to maximize their profit but have a different appetite for risk. Also, in terms of certification, it is useful to work with an NFA (National Futures Association) member broking house.

Forex brokers that offer sound advice and have well recognized and verified credentials are, of course, the ones that you should be looking for. Additionally, don't rely blindly on the advice of a forex broker. If it sounds too good to be true, it probably isn't. Learn to trust your own judgment and ask your forex broker lots of questions. A reliable broker won't be bothered by this.

Let your needs guide you and your trading level help you choose the right broker for you. It will typically depend on whether you are a novice or an experienced forex trader. There are many forex trading brokerage firms that are targeted towards the beginner in forex trading. These will generally offer detailed research material and plenty of advice for the newbie trader. Additionally, these types of firms will provide access to forex trading software that will simulate the real trading environment and help to make the forex trader accustomed to using the tools of the trade.

For experienced forex traders, these types of detailed instructions may not actually be required, since these individuals will know their way around the forex market. For them, there are different forex brokerage firms that will offer advice with a greater emphasis on the logic behind the forex trading strategy and will go into greater depth on this matter. To find the best fit, read about various forex brokers, ask friends, ask about the forex broker's package offering and take the trials offered by a few of the online forex trading firms.

Andrew Daigle is the owner, creator and author of many successful websites including a free forex training web site ForexBoost and CashCurve, a resource for making money online.

A Little About Lot Sizes In Forex Trading

understanding lot sizes in forex trading is very important to help you avoid the pitfalls of trading on a leveraged account. Forex trading involves the use of dramatically leveraged accounts and before you put one dime into a live forex account you need to understand how leverage works and what is happening in all the different sized lots. Also what is the optimal size lot to use when learning forex trading.

Let me talk to you a little about forex lot sizes. OK I am reaching with a play on words there but a lot of people who read my articles should know by now that I think forex trading should be fun and profitable.

normal Lot: Many forex brokers will require $10,000 to open an account and on it you can trade a normal lot size. There is usually a 1 lot minimum trade.The normal lot is worth $100,000 in currency and when you trade a lot it is 1:100 leverage. What this means is that you are getting a loan from the broker to control $100,000 for your $1,000. Now lets look at this leverage thing a bit more because so many people make a big deal about how wonderful forex trading is due to the leverage you can get. I completely agree that leverage is one of the many benefits of forex trading but it seems to me not many people properly understand the concept.

as an example you have a standard account with 1:100 leverage then for every 1 Pip you gain there is $10 in profit for you ( basically not factoring spreads commissions etc. ). Now leverage is a 2 way street and for every 1 pip the forex market moves against you then you lose $10 and this is what makes leverage fascinating to many. The fact is that you must understand both sides before getting into forex trading. Most markets swing up to 100+ pips a day easily and this means at 1:100 leverage you can in theory gain 100 pips in 1 day thus taking a $10,000 account to $11,000. Now for the bad news you can also lose 100 Pips on most markets and take $10,000 to $9,000 in a day just trading 1 lot. So when you hear people talking about 1:400 leverage they better be very accurate with their forex trading.

Mini Lots: Ok now lets look at a Mini lot and how leverage works with it. Most brokers require at least 1 mini lot to be traded. The mini lot is worth $10,000 this means you are trading with 1:40 Leverage. Let's do some math and I promise it want hurt much. $250 x 40 = $10,000 and since $10,000 is 1/10 of a standard forex lot this is why for every 1 Pip in your favor you earn $1 profit. Conversely for every 1 pip that moves against you forex trading you lose $1.

Micro lots: Now some brokers allow micro lots where you can do forex trading at 1:4 leverage again lets hit the math book a second. $250 x 4 = $1,000 which is 1 / 10 of a ($10,000) mini lot

and this means for every 1 pip in your favor forex trading you will make 10 cents profit and of course conversely for every 1 pip against you then you will lose 10 cents. I know to the novice this does not sound like much but if you had only $100 and traded an account with 1 micro lot then every 10 pips in your favor will mean 1% gain on your account. The micro is in my opinion a great size to trade when learning in a small account if your Broker allows this. Practicing forex trading with micro lots will give you room for forex market swings and time to develop your skills as a forex trader.

That is just a little about forex lots and I hope it clears some things up and explains some of the risk and rewards of forex trading.

For more information visit at http://www.digital-intuition.com and Download your free copy of forex flows the best forex trading software available using computerized A.I.

Watch some of our videos here: http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=FE856782219FEDFC

Online FOREX Trading - To Be Successful Don't Listen To The News

The online forex trader today has a vast amount of news at his fingertips due to growth of the web and many investors think the more news they study and act on the more likely they are to win, however the exact opposite is true:

Pay to much attention to the news and you will lose.

The reason for this may not be obvious, so lets look at this question in more detail and see why.

Will Rogers once said:

I only believe what I Read in the papers

He was joking but the majority of new online forex traders think they can use the news to their advantage, but they cant heres why:

Markets discount

Lets face it, we see stories all the time from news wires that are full of convincing reasons why a currency will rise and fall, but in most cases there simply good stories and the currency often moves in the opposite direction.

The markets however dont move on supply and demand fundamentals and opinions nor do they move logically.

Currency prices move to the following equation:

Supply and demand fundamentals + Investor psychology = Market movement.

Investors are in the equation and it is how they view the news that is so important, not the news itself.

Investors are driven by emotions greed fear and hope and it is they that determine the price.

Markets discount news instantly in todays world of lightening fast communications, so it is almost impossible for most traders to trade off news stories.

Throw in the unpredictably of human nature and trading news for most investors means losses.

Discipline

If you pay to much attention to the news, your emotions can well come into play.

You will hold positions you should not, simply because the experts are saying they are right in the press.

Dont forget these experts are selling stories and are not traders.

If you pay to much attention to the news you will simply let your emotions get in the way and discipline will go out the window.

Its a fact, that:

Major market tops are formed on bullish news and major market bottoms are formed on bearish news.

A compelling conclusion

For small traders the best way to trade fore markets is with a disciplined technical system.

Why? Because it takes the news into account anyway.

All it assumes is that fundamentals are instantly discounted and will show up in price action.

Not only does technical analysis take into account the fundamentals and news, it also takes into account investor psychology.

Taking into account investor psychology is critical, as investors determine the price of anything.

Human nature never changes.

Repetitive price patterns can be seen in charts that reflect human psychology and can be traded for profit.

That is the opportunity, if you trade with a technical system and ignore the news.

MORE FREE TRADING INFO & A SYSTEM WITH A REAL TIME TRACK RECORD

On all aspects of becoming a profitable trader including info and for an exclusive Gann Trading Course visit our website at http://www.net-planet.org/index.html

Forex Currency Trading Systems

While the market is swamped with websites and books offering advice on the best' and newest' forex currency trading systems, it is important to do a thorough check of the system to ensure that it really works. There are a large number of such forex trading systems that are completely fraudulent or simply do not work, and have been created with the sole intention of making a quick buck. But despite this, there are plenty of forex currency trading systems out there that do work and can be quite reliable if used in a disciplined and consistent manner.

Everyone is looking for a forex trading system that works and gives them high and continuous profitability over a period of time. One must be realistic in searching for a good system, and keep in mind some essential factors when selecting a forex trading system. Firstly, it is critical to fully understand the logic on which the trading system is based. Only a complete understanding will enable you to use the system effectively over a long period of time. Not only grasping the logic, but also agreeing with it is important. The forex trading system of your choice must seem logical and intuitive to you or else you will find it impossible to stick with it.

Secondly, you should embrace a good forex currency trading system for the long term, and put in the appropriate amount of research and trial based on this idea. A solid system will tap in to long term patterns and the potential for sustained success of any system in the short term is negligible. Thirdly, be ready for a hit. Be financially prepared for a downturn and based on the assumption that at some point you will face this event, plan for your staying-afloat strategy. Emotionally and money-wise, be ready for the big one when it comes.

When you commit to a forex currency trading system, ensure that you give the system adequate time to start showing profitability. This may be not be months, but possibly years, since every system experiences a time when it produces losses or lowered returns. Give your selected system a fair trial and try to trade consistently and logically. In addition, some forex trading systems will not offer real trading data, but will be simulations that are based on a particular logic and work using historical data. As long as the logic is solid, there is no reason to reject these systems outright.

The simplest forex trading systems tend to work most effectively in a rapidly shifting market place. Just because a system seems complicated, doesn't mean it will perform better. Pick a forex trading strategy that's easy to learn and easy to use and you feel comfortable with. Identify the major trends that affect a currency and select a forex trading system that works in tandem with it. Finally, a cardinal rule of the trade: Always rely on a system that is disciplined and rational. Do not be swayed by emotions. This has spelled the downfall of some of the most influential and successful forex traders, including the pros, and must be avoided at all costs. While it may seem unlikely to you now, once you are in the midst of your forex trading experience, you will find it easy to be moved by your emotions.

The biggest advantage of a forex currency trading system is that it works completely without emotions and if you can follow it mechanically, it will be the key towards a long term career in forex trading.

Andrew Daigle is the owner, creator and author of many successful websites including a free forex currency exchange training site called ForexBoost and Forex Training blog for the Novice and Advanced Forex trader.

Harddrive Crash Helper

If you have lost some data due to either hardware failure or physical damage it is very likely that you will not be able to recover the data yourself. In such a situation you will need to look elsewhere to get your data recovered. In the, now, big business of data recovery there are many companies offering service. It is important to choose the right data recovery service for your business. In addition to choosing wisely it is also important that you move quickly.

While deciding which service provider to choose from look for one that has a good track record and has the capabilities to recover data lost due to multiple reasons. For example, they should not only be able to assist if you have a general hardware failure but also if your harddrive itself has failed or is damaged. If available, review any references from other clients.

Some service companies specialize in particular brands of harddrives. It is often prudent to contact the manufacturer of your harddrive and see if they have a list of service providers they can recommend to you.

After selecting a service, read the service agreement very carefully. You will need to understand your financial obligations. Some services will only charge full price upon the successful recovery of your data while other services base their fees on the time and attention your situation called for. Ask for an estimate of the final cost. This will give you the best ballpark figure of your final expense. Although data recovery services can often be expensive, the value of the information you recovered can be priceless.

In this day of age it is not unheard of for a laptop computer to be dropped in water or for lightning to strike your phone line and damage your computer through your modem. Businesses loose thousands of dollars of information every year to data loss. For individuals the cost can seam much higher when personal photos and videos are at stake. If you computer suffers damage and you loose some files the best course of action is to pay the price of contacting a professional service.

Find out more about what to do when your harddrive crashes by visiting http://harddrive-data-recovery.com, a site dedicated to making the task of recovering your lost data easier.

Forex Trading Knowledge Is Power Not in FOREX Trading It Isn't!

I read all the time about how important it is to learn lots of information to trade forex and how you continually need to learn, but this is NOT true.

Succesful Forex trading is actually very simple and the knowledge is easy to acquire, yet 90% of traders lose - so why is this ?

Because knowledge alone is not enough, furthermore you need to learn the right knowledge and most forex traders dont.

There are plenty of very smart people who lose and plenty of small potato investors who make a lot. The fact you have a lot of knowledge or are clever does not ensure success and in most cases ensures you lose.

Lets look at this in more detail.

The right knowledge

Is not hard to acquire and starts from learning yourself and not trying to get a short cut to success by buying it - if you think you can buy success you are going to lose.

Trading means getting knowledge that works and you can have confidence in.

Your aim is to make money, not be clever and you can build a simple system from free resources on the net.

Simple systems beat complicated systems as they are easier to understand, easier to apply and make more money as they are more robust.

Fact is most of the top traders in the world use simple systems.

We have been traders for over 22 years and our system is simple:

Trend lines, support and resistance to spot trends and 3 confirming indicators and thats it and it works.

The right knowledge is easy to acquire but the trick is you MUST understand it, to have confidence and this gives you the trait that most traders lack.

Discipline

If you try and follow someone else you wont have confidence and you wont be able to follow a system with discipline.

Unless your knowledge is acquired by you and you have confidence, you wont be able to follow your trading system through losing periods. You will simply throw in the towel

Discipline sounds easy to acquire but it isnt its extremely hard to hold your emotions in check.

How do I get the RIGHT Knowledge

Forget all the e-books, courses and other forex education sold on the net.

Go to Amazon and get some books by top traders, who have walked the walk rather than simply talk the talk.

Most sold info on the net is not worth the money and you can get far better knowledge cheaper at your local bookstore.

Good books to start with are Jack Schwager Market Wizards and New Market Wizards the interviews here are all with legendary traders and is a great inspiring read.

Then get some books on trader psychology.

I am a big fan of Jake Bernstein who really shows how important and elusive getting the right trading psychology is and really hits it home.

Another favourite of mine is Trader Vic by Victor Sperandeo, a fantastic book covering all you need to know from money management to system building.

Done that?

Then go on the net and build a simple system based around technical analysis, a breakout methodology find a few indicators you like to confirm trend momentum and youre all set to go.

Sounds simple?

Building the system is the easy part getting the right mindset is the hard part - good luck.

GRAB 3 X FREE TRADER PDF'S AND MUCH MORE!

On all aspects of becoming a profitable trader including features, downloads and some critical FREE Trader PDF's and more FREE Forex Education visit our website at http://www.net-planet.org/index.html

Mika Brzezinski Sets Paris Hilton On Fire

This story is entirely true. I swear that this did happen. In a parallel universe. And if you don't believe in parallel universes, you are a scientifically illiterate monkey and you should stop reading this article right now.

Okay, okay... I was only joking. As a theoretical physicist by training, I may be wrong about the monkey part (and may I suggest that you consult it with a zoologist to be perfectly sure about it), but the idea of parallel universes, as crazy as it sounds, may not be that crazy after all. Certainly not by scientific standards.

Now, in the Universe we happen to inhabit, also known as "the best of all possible worlds," the effect of Paris Hilton set on fire turned out to be pretty washed out. Fortunately for Paris... I am not so sure about the rest of the world, though.

In this Universe, Mika Brzezinski only attempted to set on fire a report about Paris Hilton release from prison having found it trash- rather than news-worthy. Since the lighter she was using refused to fully cooperate, she ended up tearing the report into pieces.

This simple act of journalist defiance against conveying trash information and, let's be perfectly honest here, some well calculated showmanship (or should we rather call it "showpersonship??") as well, made Mika Brzezinski an instant journalist superstar on YouTube.com and other hot Internet channels.

Nice job, Mika, although if I am to be totally honest, and with all due respect, this somewhat pales in comparison to what some Polish journalist, also a female (you male brownies take a note!), did some 17 years ago, when she publicly and demonstratively told the audience of TV news that she was quitting her job because she could not stand relaying the news the way her bosses insisted on. She then walked out of the studio. It was all live.

Mika Brzezinski is a daughter of Zbigniew Brzezinski, arguably the most influential Polish-American political strategist, a former member of the Carter administration.

For another, more interactive, version of this article, please see this page:
http://www.eminimethods.com/mika_paris.html

Waldemar Puszkarz, Ph.D., is a web veteran with 15 years of web surfing under his belt. By training, he is a theoretical physicist, but his interests are much broader than science and include trading financial markets, sports betting, poker, and researching online business opportunities. He is also an avid book reader and sports afficionado. Currently he is making his living mostly as a day trader. He has been in the trading trenches for almost a decade during which he has traded a variety of financial instruments. He is the owner and webmaster of Eminimethods.com (http://www.eminimethods.com) which provides free common sense trading education and simple trading systems for e-mini and stock markets as well as reviews of honest online business opportunities in Meet HOBO (http://www.eminimethods.com/HOBO.html) section of his site.

British Pound Live Trade - A Short Trade and a Big Profit Awaits

Here we will look at a trade in real time and look at reasons why the BP will not sustain current levels and looks set to blow off and trend lower. The majority of traders think the BP is going higher against the dollar, but the odds are shifting to the bears.

First lets look at the long term trend on the monthly chart and look at some important resistance.

The Monthly Chart

If you look at it you will see a triple top at the $2 level and this represents near term resistance. Now look back to 1992 and you will see resistance again at this level.

Resistance is at multi year highs and we think it will hold on a monthly basis. This resistance is major and we think the market is to bullish now for it to be penetrated in the short term.

The Weekly Chart

We have a weekly new near term high and the RSI is approaching 70. On the two previous occasions that the RSI hurdled this level (the high was 80) prices could not be sustained and the Pound traded lower.

The Daily Chart

On the daily chart just like on the monthly chart, we can see a triple top at just above the $2 level - The RSI is now in overbought territory and the previous high is exactly the same as on the weekly (80).

With multi year resistance being tested and a triple top at current levels, are there any other indicators we need to take into consideration?

The answer is yes, we need to look at the bi weekly net traders positions issued by the CFTC.

This is a great market for checking if a market is overbought.

Its a known fact that markets normally crash when speculators are most bullish and they certainly are with the last report (July 2nd) showing BP longs at record highs. The previous high in these positions saw 7.5 cent decline and due to the overbought level of the market at current levels a similar fall should occur.

The market is simply overbought and the momentum does not look to be there to push it higher.

Trading the Move

So the bears have the nod and we expect a good decline to unfold from current levels.

If you are looking to trade the short side:

Look for RSI Momentum to peak and fall and a cross of the stochastic lines with bearish divergence to give you confirmation.

Be alert from Mondays open and wait for the bears to take charge.

If you trade options:

If you are an option seller, selling premium looks a great way to take money off the speculators and if you are a buyer Look to buy at or in the money options with plenty of time to expiry.

Options are great as they will give you the staying power just in case we get one final blow off to the highs.

The above trade right or wrong, has compelling evidence supporting it and has low risk and high profit potential and you cant ask for more than that!

Good luck and good Trading.

GRAB 3 X FREE TRADER & FREE TRADER PROFITS NEWSLETTER

More on becoming a profitable trader some critical FREE Trader PDF's and more FREE Forex Education visit our website at http://www.net-planet.org/index.html

FOREX Trading Software Programs Improve Your Trading Skills

The foreign exchange market, or Forex, is where one currency is traded for another. This market is the largest financial market in the world, averaging a daily trade exceeding $1.9 trillion. The major players in this market are large banks, central national banks, governments, currency speculators, multinational companies, and other financial institutions.

The foreign exchange market is huge, and quite complicated, with a lot of factors affecting the exchange rates between currencies. And unlike the stock market, in which having inside information can play a huge part, the foreign exchange market operates on information which is available to every participant. Analyzing this data and following the trends can be done manually, but it is an extremely detailed and difficult job, and the likelihood of missing out on some profitable trends is high.

This is where Forex trading software comes in. These programs and software were created to help humans in the task of keeping track of every piece of information that is relevant to the Forex market. That task is actually well suited for a computer, as it involves a huge volume of information to be sorted and analyzed.

These software programs can take some of the drudgery out of the process by organizing the information and displaying it in more helpful charts and graphs. They can automatically retrieve the relevant information through an Internet connection, and then depending on your settings, use particular algorithms to interpret the data. The more sophisticated of these programs would then be able to offer detailed and in-depth analyses after the processing. Simpler programs would just determine if you should trade, and if so, what.

The simpler (and thus cheaper) Forex trading programs would be good tools to start with, for a beginner. Although they would lack some advanced features, this would also mean that the beginner would be less likely to be overwhelmed. Using these programs still allows for learning, as you can observe which factors combine to give the final analysis.

More experienced Forex traders can then move on to more advanced software with more options and details to work out. These will give more detailed predictions, but would also require a bit more work on the part of the user.

Max Walker is a keen and active day trader, and recommends using FOREX Trading Software

eBay Feedback : How to Grow It and Keep Positive Feedback for Your Business

Positive feedback is vital for growing a business and good reputation on eBay, especially when building feedback to sell BUY IT NOW or open a shop on eBay. Bad feedback can be avoided, even removed, read on to learn how.

eBay Feedback is the process where buyers and sellers rate one another based on actual trading experience. If the transaction is good you can expect positive feedback from buyers and sellers. Neutral feedback indicates room for improvement; negative feedback denotes an unacceptably flawed transaction

Usually!

I say usually because things dont always go according to plan. Feedback is subjective some people are more easily pleased than others, some more forgiving while some are more honest. I have seen positive feedback left by people who havent even received their product yet, and negative from others who just enjoy being cruel or havent even paid the seller. Jealousy, bad hair days, downright nastiness, all contribute to negative feedback which few sellers can avoid.

Positive feedback is vital for growing a business and good reputation on eBay, especially when building feedback to sell BUY IT NOW or open a shop on eBay. Feedback positive and negative (neutral doesnt count for % rating) is represented as a proportion of overall feedback. So the lower your feedback rating, the higher the impact negative feedback has, unlike PowerSellers with, say, 10,000 feedbacks, for whom one more negative has little or no effect.

Once feedback is given, even in the heat of the moment, it cant be changed, so a negative stays with you for life. Thats more or less what eBay says, but the reality is different. Feedback can be retracted by mutual consent (learn more via Feedback in your eBay account) and via firms like SquareTrade www.squaretrade.com who mediate between members to remove negatives.

It's vitally important to understand why people leave negative feedback and take steps to avoid these most common reasons:

* Delay in sending product. Delay for some people is more than a day between paying and receiving their product, for most three or four days is acceptable. Seven days is too long. If there is a delay, be upfront about it, write to buyers, apologize and give an explanation and revised delivery date.

* Sending product badly wrapped. Pack products carefully, using bubble wrap or padded bags. It can be expensive but you are allowed to add packing charges to postal costs.

* Not sending product at all. More than three negatives for this will get you suspended or barred from eBay. Not sending a product is inexcusable and you should only list items you already have or can easily obtain.

* Item not as described. Describe items as carefully and comprehensively as possible and always include a message like: Item described to the best of our ability. Money back on all items with inadvertent listing mistakes or errors.

* Not answering emails. Often the problem isnt yours, the other person may have spam filters preventing your email getting through, often they just dont check before leaving negative feedback. An estimated one-third of emails miss their intended destination, mainly due to spam filters.

But most PayPal letters make it through spam filters and theyre rarely missed by people whove binned many of your earlier communications. Virtually everyone opens emails saying Theres money in your PayPal account. Poor communications can be solved by sending a small amount of money via PayPal with a message You have spam filters in place, contact me asap. Or similar. Be careful, remember the recipient of money usually pays PayPal a transaction fee. Not so where you partially refund someone paying you through PayPal. Do this by entering the appropriate transaction within your PayPal account, scroll down to refund, pay a small amount back. The recipient wont pay but he will get your message. Dont refund by PayPal for buyers paying you by cheque or cash. They will be charged. The exception is where you send a token amount, plus PayPal charge, to the recipient.

* Charging high postage and trying to make more money that way. You can charge extra for packing and processing but be realistic. Dont charge $10 for a package costing $3 to post and $2 for packing materials. It's unprofessional and will earn negative feedback and complaints to eBay.

* In retaliation for leaving negative feedback for other eBayers. This is the most common reason for negative feedback and something you must learn to live with. If you're honest and leave negative feedback to warn other buyers and sellers against a member you consider dishonest or untrustworthy you will get negatives. You must decide if warning others is worth the red mark!

* Just Because! You will never please them all and it isnt worth your time trying.

Getting Good, Avoiding Bad and Managing Problem Feedback

* Retaliatory negative feedback is the most worrying aspect of all for serious business eBayers who, though they know its their duty to warn other sellers about undesirable customers, are often too afraid of incurring negatives in return. I only give feedback when its already been left for me. In my listings and compliments slip I say: If you have a problem email us at myemailaddress and well sort it out right away. Otherwise, leave feedback to let us know your product has arrived in good order and we will reciprocate within 24 hours.

* Reciprocate is the important word, and if someone leaves positive feedback we normally leave the same; if they leave neutral or negative we contact them to ask why. If we consider reciprocal neutral or negative feedback is warranted, thats what they get. To my mind it is totally, totally wrong to leave neutral or negative feedback for anyone without first trying to resolve the problem. In this case our negative or neutral feedback isnt retaliatory, its simply to warn other sellers about the buyers lack of care and communications skills.

* You can pre-approve bidders, allowing you to sell purely to individuals who have no negative feedback themselves and dont leave it unnecessarily for others. You might get people to email you before bidding, you check them out, you approve or bar them from bidding. Personally, I cant see the point.

* You can cancel bids or forbid certain people from bidding. Visit eBays Feedback Forum for lots of advice and comments from seasoned sellers.

* A friendly, considerate disposition, and the ability to handle difficult people, all help avoid the Big N* which can seriously damage your business. (*Negative feedback!!!). Now let us get real, bear in mind the bigger you get, the more items you sell, the more negatives you might genuinely earn, and the more difficult people you will encounter. Be careful, considerate, communicate.

Learn from earned negative feedback, try to avoid undeserved complaints, and learn to live with whatever else happens.

Avril Harper is a triple eBay PowerSeller and editor of eBay Confidential and webmaster of http://www.publishingcircles.com. She has produced a free guide - 103 POWERSELLER TIPS - which you can download with other free to distribute reports and ebooks at http://www.toppco.com

National Savings - The Right Option For You?

When we deal with new clients, we encounter Premium Bonds frequently, but it's not very often that we see the many other products offered by National Savings and Investments (NS&I).

Some NS&I returns are currently looking quite attractive, and so it is worth perhaps looking at two such investments, Premium Bonds and Savings Certificates.

The purpose for NS&I offering savings accounts and bonds is to raise money for the government. The various offerings range from tax free to taxable, and of course are safe havens for your cash as they are backed by the UK Government.

Around a quarter of all the money invested in NS&I is held in Premium Bonds. Of course, strictly speaking, they are not investments as they are based not on earning interest but effectively a lottery in the form of a monthly prize draw.

Of course this means that you may be lucky, or not. The chance of you winning equates to a rate of 3.8% tax free.

But you are only risking the interest not the capital.

For a higher rate taxpayer assuming income tax at 40%, this is an equivalent rate of 6.33% gross.

Now let's look at Savings Certificates.

One of the problems for higher rate taxpayers is having a large chunk of their gains taxed at 40%. One of the major benefits of Savings Certificates is that they are tax free.

The fixed rate Certificate, for example the 2 year option, pays 3.95%. This comes out at 6.58% for a higher rate tax payer and 4.94% for a basic rate payer. There is also a 5 year option, which is currently paying 3.85%.

Turning to index linked certificates, the picture looks even more attractive. Due to increasing inflation, judged for these purposes to be 4.5%, the 3 year issue returns 1.35% above this. This gives a net return of 5.85% p.a. and a gross equivalent for a higher rate taxpayer of 9.75%! The rate is also the same for the 5 year product.

You can invest from 100 to 15,000 per issue, with no limit on reinvesting matured Certificates.

You can learn more about NS&I at nsandi.com

The Financial Tips Bottom Line:

Ensure that you take into account all the rates and products out there, particularly if you pay higher rate tax. NS&I could be ideal for you, especially if you are in a phase of your life where you don't need to take any risk with your capital.

Now could be a good time to review all your cash and bond based investments.

Ray Prince is an Independent Financial Planner with Rutherford Wilkinson plc, and helps UK Resident Doctors and Dentists get the best deals on mortgages, protection and investments, as well as helping them achieve their financial objectives. Just visit http://www.medicaldentalfs.com to get your free retirement planning guide.

Rutherford Wilkinson plc is authorized and regulated by the Financial Services Authority.

Think, Buy, Sell... Repeat As Needed

Generally, a trader should meet buying with selling and vice versa when it comes to the stock market. Typically, stocks (especially when considered on an intra-day basis) will only go so high, or so low, before tending to attract the next group of contrarian thinkers and switch direction. Often times crowds (such as the markets) are wrong in their actions and over react to the up or down side. When the "markets" as a whole are moving up dramatically or down dramatically, there is a strong case to be made that these actions ultimately will be wrong or will tend to reverse simply as the contrary views of things builds on each side of the fence.

If you can train yourself to go against your natural emotions, you'll tend to be able to keep a clearer outlook on the markets. When stocks are being bought, you have to train yourself to think, "These stocks are buying bid up too high - maybe I should sit back and wait". By the same token, when there is a great deal of panic selling in the market, you need to train yourself to think, "Wow, look at all these prices falling - I may find good deals here soon". It's more difficult than you think to be "happy" when the markets are falling and "cautious" when the markets are rising. However, normally taking this view of things will help improve your trading over the long haul. The old saying, "Buy when there is blood in the streets" stems from this basic idea of going against the masses on Wall Street.

People tend to have a desire to buy at the bottom and sell at the top. Not just near the top, but the "exact" top. It's simply human nature to want to be the best at something, and trading is no different. Most people that take up daytrading want to be the best they can be. However, aiming for exact tops and bottoms when buying stocks can be very detrimental to your overall trading.

I would much rather give away 10% at the top and 10% at the bottom. You will drive yourself crazy if you punish yourself for not selling at the high or buying at the low, as it's almost impossible for most people to do on any sort of consistent basis. Far more often than not, you'll simply end up missing the trade. Even missing a top or bottom by 20% is nothing to worry about. As many a successful trader has said, "You can worry about the tops and bottoms, and I'll worry about the remaining 60%". In fact, it's often much safer to wait until a stock clearly signals a move either up or down before taking up your position.

Some people use stop orders quite often, some people hardly use them at all. In my view, stops are best used to protect a nice profit and/or limit down side risk in a trade that isn't acting as you think it should. How a stop is used (or placed) is largely dependent on the individual stock and how the overall market is behaving at any given time as well.

Often times using stops also helps to remove some of the emotions from trading. It's far easier to place a stop on a trade than watch it trade tick-by-tick and try to decide the exact moment to get out.

What about taking profits at big gains? At some point, just like experiencing a large loss, you are likely to hit a really big winner. When this happens, consider taking 1/2 your gains off the table right away to reduce risk to the profit you have just made. This allows you to continue to profit, but protects a large amount of the money you have just made. Additionally, you may wish to consider selling enough of the position to recoup your original investment. This results in the remaining shares effectively being "free" and allows you to hold them indefinitely without any fear of a "loss" to your original capital (which has now been removed completely).

When shorting stocks, there are several points to always keep in mind. Never short a stock simply based on the stock price. To really be successful as a short player (i.e. someone that shorts stocks), you need to locate stocks that are extended with a significant void of fundamental reasons. There must be some reason for the stock to decline in the near term (e.g. declining profits, lack of direction, etc.). Simply shorting a stock "because it has a high share price" is just inviting danger.

Additionally, keep in mind that shorting stocks exposes you to additional risks that are not present when buying or going "long" a stock. These include having the stock called away from you, as well as being caught in a short squeeze. Also keep in mind that the very act of shorting a stock increases the pent up demand for the stock - namely the number of people that will ultimately have to repurchase the security down the road to cover.

Finally, a good rule of thumb is to never short a stock which may end up on the front page of the Wall Street Journal or some other major financial publication. Typically, the best short candidates are stocks that have moved up rapidly on little or not fundamental changes and which are generally not well know to the investment public at large. While it's true you can make money shorting well known, large cap stocks, it tends to expose you to additional risks not associated with smaller and less well known companies.

Good luck in the markets!

No permission is needed to reproduce an unedited copy of this article as long the About The Author tag is left in tact and hot links included. Questions and comments can be sent to Ray at marketing@TraderAide.com.

Ray Johns is the founder and Senior Market Editor of Daytraders.com, Proudly serving day traders & short-term investors since 1996, at http://www.daytraders.com

Daytraders.com is the publisher of the award winning Morning Stock Market Report and the home of the Internets finest real time trading desk. Ray has been on the forefront of trading and investing in the markets and has appeared as a guest on a number of radio and television shows including CNBCs Market Talk. If you would like a free trail of the newsletter and the live trading desk log on to Daytraders.com. Comments and questions can be sent to articles@daytraders.com.