The Forex Robot Blog

People new to foreign exchange trading may be surprised to find that their forex broker may operate in some surprising ways. In fact, some companies offering forex trading services are not brokers in the traditional sense at all.

Traditionally a broker would work for you as a client, placing your buy and sell orders for you through their dealing desk and charging commission (for stock exchange transactions) or making their money from the spread (the difference between bid and ask prices) for forex trading. At one time orders would be placed by telephone. Now they are placed online, with you in full control of your account.

But standard forex accounts require significant investment. Typically the minimum deposit is anything from $10,000 to $50,000. Now that forex trading can be done from home, there are many new services springing up with lower deposit requirements, offering forex mini accounts. But their business model is not necessarily the same as traditional brokers, and this can have implications for you.

So these days, there are other types of companies that operate in different ways in order to provide services to the smaller investor. Most of these do not have dealing desks of their own.

Forex NDD (No Dealing Desk)

Brokers without a dealing desk communicate with external liquidity providers to provide prices and match clients’ trades. Because there is a range of liquidity providers, the real spread tends to be small but the broker may increase the spread to give themselves a reasonable profit margin.

Forex ECN (Electronic Communications Network)

ECN brokers provide a marketplace where many market users including banks, market makers and regular traders can see to have their trades filled. Trades will be entered in the name of your ECN provider for anonymity. Spread is generally small but the ECN will often charge a matching fee per trade.

Forex Market Makers

When you have an account with a market maker, your trades are not being matched by external providers but by the market maker themselves. This means that they take the opposite position and offer their prices to you, although of course these prices relate to the current price in the market. They will then offset their risk by taking an equivalent position to yours in an ECN or other environment.

Since they are not actually placing your order in the market, market makers are not brokers in the true sense of the word although most traders use the term forex broker loosely and include them. Others consider that the difference between market makers and bucket shops is not clear and prefer to avoid them.

Forex Bucket Shops

Bucket shops work a little like market makers but they do not offset their risk and may have very little connection to the real spot forex market. When you deal with a bucket shop you could be said to be betting against them. They oppose your trade and they profit by your loss. Like commercial bet takers, if you are successful they tend not to want your business and will probably close your account, returning your funds to you.

Bucket shops are illegal in some jurisdictions, and even if they are legal in your country, they are best avoided, certainly for beginners. A bucket shop is working against you, not for you, and is not a forex broker at all.

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Some of the forex scalping expert advisor programs that were popular until recently have been getting a bad press in the last few months. It seems that they are selling when they should buy and buying when they should sell. So what is happening, and can you still trade successfully with a scalping expert advisor?

Scalping is a tactic that relies on making small, quick trades to exit with a profit not many times the size of the spread. In fact generally anything more than 3 times the spread is not considered scalping at all. Scalpers are aiming to move in and out of the market in just a few minutes, or sometimes even less than one minute. They plan to do this many times in a day to achieve many small profitable trades adding up to good profits over the course of time.

The first problem for all forex scalpers is finding a broker who will allow you to do this. Brokers, even if they are not deliberately taking a position against you, often have some time delay before they cover your position in the open market. This may only be a few seconds to one minute which is not significant with long term trading but can put them into a loss position with successful scalpers who may close their trade before the broker has covered it.

But assuming that you are hooked up with a broker who will accept your EA working in this manner, why does it happen that sometimes the EA itself starts to foul up the trading?

One reason is that some EAs have been based around indicators that lag, such as moving averages. It should be obvious to anybody that if you are trading on small price movements you need to react very fast to new trends and a lagging indicator is not the best to use.

However, while the market was relatively stable with slow moving trends, it was possible to profit from scalping tactics even with lagging indicators. This pattern may continue for several years, long enough for many people to believe this is a genuinely possible system and certainly long enough for scalping expert advisor software to be developed to implement these strategies. 

But sooner or later the market will enter a more volatile period. This may only happen every 7-10 years but when it does, lagging indicators become useless for scalping techniques. It is better to use indicators such as Bollinger bands which do not rely on measuring movements over such a long period in the past.

So if you want to continue scalping during times when the market is particularly volatile, you should ask questions about the basis of the software that you are thinking of buying and look for a scalping expert advisor that does not rely on lagging indicators.

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If you want to trade forex for profit, there is one thing that you must have and that is a trading plan. The forex market is a fast moving financial environment where a lot of money can be made in a short time, and lost too. This makes it stressful and confusing in the beginning.

If you do not have a plan for your trading strategies you will be making decisions based on the emotions of the moment which could be fear, greed, panic or euphoria. Decisions made from emotion will almost certainly not be good decisions.

First establish your goals and your boundaries. Do you have a clear idea of how much you might expect to make if your trading is successful? It will probably not be millions. Plan for a slowly increasing level of profits and start small. If you have big expectations you will be tempted to take big risks to try to meet your profit targets, and you could end up with nothing but losses.

Boundaries means risk. How much money are you prepared to risk when you trade forex? This should be money that you do not need for any other purpose. Are you confident enough that you have a good chance of making money with it, rather than losing it? Have you already been trading successfully with a demo account?

You also need to be clear about your position size for each trade. This means taking account of the consequences when a trade goes against you. This will certainly happen sometimes.

Your position size will also relate to your system. Some systems aim to provide a very high percentage of winning trades but losses are large when they happen; others have more losing trades but each loss is smaller. What are the chances of your system giving you two, three, or five or more losses in a row? You need to adjust your position size to provide for the worst that can be expected, because sooner or later it will happen.

A forex trader needs to remain as calm as a poker player and accept losses as well as gains. It is all part of the experience. Remind yourself that your trading system is based on sound analysis and if you keep to your trading plan you should profit. At all times you should know how much you have at risk, what is your potential gain and your potential loss, and where you plan to close the trade in both cases.

Your trading plan should also include how you will implement your forex trading system. What sources of information will you use? Which of the indicators are most valuable for your forex trading style? Where will you go for advice when you need it?

Foreign exchange trading requires a clear strategy that you can set out in a written plan. Remember, if you fail to plan you are planning to fail. You can modify your plan if it needs it, but do not change it while you have open trades. Never enter the market to trade forex without a clear trading plan that you know you can stick to!

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As the popularity of trading the currency exchange markets online from home increases, the number of forex trading signal providers is increasing too. In fact they are proliferating to such an extent that it can be very difficult to know how to find the best one.

Signals are the main source of information for some traders who do not have the time, experience or inclination to analyze the markets for themselves but do not want to trust their trading to a robot. Equally they can be a useful source of additional information and trades for those who mainly make their own trading decisions.

You usually have to pay to subscribe to a forex signal service. Fees may be charged per month or per signal. Some companies offer a trial period where you can test their service on a demo account. If not, you will be paying out money from the start so to have a chance of making profits, you need to be trading at a level where you can expect to make more money from the signals than they are costing you.

The first thing that most people look at when considering forex trading signal providers is their recent results. This can be a mistake. Recent results are not as important as performance over the long term. So do not be seduced into signing up with a company who make a huge deal of their last month’s good results but will not tell you what their signals have made over a full year. Also remember that when they show their profits, they do not have to take account of the cost of the signal service itself.

Remember that most traders starting out in the forex markets lose money. Forex is a risky form of investment and you should be prepared for this. Losses are not always the fault of the information. Even if you are receiving profitable signals, you can make losses if you do not have a clear plan for managing your funds. It is very easy to take bigger risks than you should, so that an unexpected loss has a big impact.

Most companies who offer forex signals will send them to you by email and/or SMS text message. It is best to get both, although SMS alone can be enough for some people. The only problem with SMS messages is that it is very frustrating when one arrives and you are too far from a computer to access your account. If you are a serious forex trader relying on signals, you may want to get your PDA hooked up to your trading account so that you can deal with those signals that arrive when you are stuck in traffic or having lunch with a client.

Remember that the foreign exchange is a 24 hour market. Be prepared to be woken in the middle of night by your cell phone bleeping with an SMS that you need to act on right away. You may want to check how your spouse feels about this too. Even the best information from the top forex trading signal companies is probably not worth getting a divorce for!

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The MACD indicator is one of the most useful tools of FX technical analysis but it is not usually well understood. This is a pity because many traders could probably use it more effectively if they understood it better.

The letters of its name stand for Moving Average Convergence Divergence. It is true that the name sounds rather complicated and unfortunately this is often enough to put people off from wanting to know more. So they only use the very simplest applications without understanding the power of the tool itself.

Like most forex tools, this indicator is used to show us when a new trend is forming, so that we can get in on it and make money. The MACD does this by plotting the relationship between two moving averages.

Settings

The settings are usually expressed as three numbers. Commonly you might see 12,26,9.

Traders using FX technical analysis often make the mistake of thinking that the first number on the MACD indicator (12 in this example) relates to the faster moving average line, the second number (26) relates to the slower moving average line and the third number (9) relates to the histogram at the bottom of the chart. That is not quite correct.

In fact the first two numbers (12 and 26) indicate the number of periods used to calculate two moving averages. The faster moving average line, which is often green on the chart, measures the moving average of the difference between the 12 period and the 26 period moving averages.

The slower moving average line is often red on the chart. This line plots the average of the last 9 (or whatever is the third number) periods of the faster moving average line. It usually shows smoother curves because its effect is to smooth out the fast moving average line.

Divergence And Convergence

The histogram that measures convergence and divergence is the series of blocks stretching above and below an axis near the bottom of the chart. This simply records the difference between the faster and slower moving averages.

As the two moving averages separate from each other (diverge), the blocks of the histogram will become longer. As they get closer (converge), the blocks become shorter. If the two lines cross, the blocks of the histogram will switch from stretching above the line to dropping below it or vice versa.

So the histogram measures the convergence and divergence of the two moving averages. And that is why this tool for FX technical analysis is called a Moving Average Convergence Divergence or MACD indicator.

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The stochastic indicator is an oscillator that enables you to see at a glance the momentum of the market. Momentum is the pressure or weight behind the current trend. It is based on the idea that while prices are rising, the closing price will tend to be higher than it would be if the market was stable. Equally, when prices are falling, the closing price will tend to be low. From this assumption the oscillator measures when a trend is considered to have reached its limit and is about to turn.

The actual calculations are complex but fortunately you do not need to do them because most trading software will do this automatically for you. This means that you should be able to access the indicator plotted on a chart in your forex brokerage account.

The stochastic indicator will give you two lines that usually run fairly close together:

- the line called %K gives a comparison of the last closing price to previous closing prices.

- the line called %D smooths out the %K line and can be used as a signal line.

So what does the stochastic indicator actually tell you, and how can you use it to make money?

Using it is quite simple. It gives a signal that a market is overbought or oversold. In other words, it will tell you when a trend should be about to reverse, according to the basis of their calculations.

If both lines are high, this is a signal that the market is overbought. If you are trading forex on the basis of this indicator you would put in an order to sell.

Conversely if both lines are low, they are telling you that the market is oversold and you could put in an order to buy.

Keep in mind that you should not trade on the basis of one indicator alone, but always seek confirmation from at least one other.

You will normally have horizontal lines on your charts marking the high and low points for you so that you can see at a glance when to act. In many cases you can alter the position of these lines to suit your trading style. The most common settings are 70, 75 or 80 for the high line and 30, 25 or 20 for the low line.

If your settings are closer (70 and 30) you will want the stochastic lines to stay above or below your trigger lines for a longer time before you trade. If your settings are at 80 and 20, any movement above them would be a strong signal. Check this out with your own backtests to decide when you would be comfortable putting in an order.

Many currency traders also regard the relative positions of the two stochastic indicator lines as a signal for forex trading. They would buy when %K crosses %D line from below going upwards, or from above going downwards.

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If you want to make money from the forex market then you will need to know foreign exchange basics. You may have a good mathematical understanding of trends and charts but it is also important to understand the foundation on which the currency trading markets are based. If you do not, you could enter a trade at exactly the wrong time.

The forex market is heavily influenced by national and international news and current affairs. This especially relates to financial news but other major events can have an effect too. These may be expected or unexpected.

For example a disaster such as a major earthquake or terrorist attack is usually unpredictable but could affect currency values. There is not much you can do about this except always to be sure to use stop losses.

A more predictable event would be the announcement that the Olympic Games will be held in a certain country. This could strengthen confidence in that country’s economy and lead to a rise in the value of its currency. At the same time the other major contenders for the Games may suffer a fall in currency values. So it is important for a trader to know when an announcement like that is expected, and which countries are involved.

Similar situations are the financial reports that are released almost daily in many countries. Less regularly, but usually foreseeable, there will also be announcements about interest rates, inflation, gross domestic product and other matters of national economic importance.

Try to avoid trading on rumors. You might see news reports or hear other traders speculating that an announcement will go one way or the other. Do not trade on the basis that they are right. First because they still could be wrong, and second because if it is such a sure thing, the price has probably already changed to take into account the rumors and you will not gain much even if they are right.

Do not forget that you are always trading on two nation’s currencies, not just one. If your own country is one of them, you will have much easier access to financial reports for that currency and it is easy to forget to check on events in the second country. This is particularly true for Americans because dollar news tends to dominate the forex alerts anyway. It is even more true if you are trading the dollar against a minor currency. You may have to take positive steps to ensure that your information is not one-sided.

Even if you are just beginning as a forex trader, it is important to keep in mind these aspects of fundamental analysis for the forex market. Exiting the market before any major announcement is usually the best move for a beginner. As you become more experienced you may develop a system based on this type of forfundamental analysis, but it is important to become familiar with all of the foreign exchange basics first.

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There is a wide choice of foreign currency trading software for the forex market. When you are just getting started with forex trading you will need to shop around to find the platform that will suit you best. But what types of program are available and what features should you look for?

Online brokerage accounts are always run through forex software. Your broker may either give you access to a platform that runs on their server or you may have something that runs on your own computer.

Brokers may have their own custom forex trading platform or they may use a generic platform which they can have tailored to their company. This should provide you with many features including a wide variety of charts, tools and analytical capabilities that can indicate changing patterns and trends in the price movements. There may also be a forex alert feature or a running commentary on the financial news.

In some cases you can customize your desktop view of the software. This is more useful than you may realize at first. It can save a lot of time to have your preferred settings or combination of tools and charts load automatically when you log in.

If you choose to use automated foreign currency trading software, otherwise known as a forex robot, this will need to connect to your brokerage account to make the trades. Most robots use the platform etatrader 4.

If you are running a program yourself, be aware that this usually means that your computer must be switched on and connected to the internet at all times while you have open trades, stop losses or orders to open a trade at a certain point. If your internet connection is often broken by storms or other factors, or if your internet provider automatically cuts the connection any time there is no activity from your machine for more than a certain time, you will not be able to trade effectively unless your instructions have already been passed to your brokerage account and are stored there.

The software should be simple to access and use. Clear instructions plus an FAQ page or manual that you can go to for reference are essential. Beyond that there should be some kind of support, either live or by email, when you need more detailed help or cannot find the answer to your question in the documentation.

Forex trading is risky and you can make losses as well as gains. In this very fast moving market it is vital to have all of the information that you need at your fingertips, plus the power to make your selected trades fast. Automated foreign currency trading software can help you massively and you need the best that you can get your hands on.

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A forex trading forum is a popular place for beginners to go when they are just getting into forex trading. There are many internet forums and you can discuss any aspect of currency trading there. But should you trust the answers that you get? Are these online discussion sites really a valuable source of information, or just a drain on your time?

Forums began in the time of the Roman empire. At that time they were a physical space in the middle of the city a little like a market place but without a market. The men of the city would meet there to hear and debate matters of importance such as politics and the law.

Since then the word has come to mean any location or group in which discussion takes place and opinions can be aired. On the internet, it has gradually taken over from the term ‘bulletin board’ which was used for the old style of sites where members could post messages. The new format of forums is much easier to navigate and people can more easily get involved in discussions than they could on bulletin boards.

This means that it is very easy to either start or join in a discussion. If you have a question you can post it and you are almost certain to see replies. For some aspects of foreign exchange trading this can be very useful.

For example if you are thinking of investing money, time or both in a forex system, ebook, robot or training program, it can be very useful to check a forex trading forum for reviews and feeback from people who have already used the product that you are considering. Use the search facility to see if there is already a thread about the product and if not, start one by asking if anyone has experience of the product. Feedback from other users can help you decide whether something would be suitable for you or not.

It is best to find several different opinions before making up your mind. Remember that one person’s opinion is only one view and you might not agree with that person. They might have been looking for something different, or they might have had unusually good or bad luck with the product. If you find a lot of different opinions it is much more helpful. You can see what kind of person has a good experience with the product and what kind of person has a bad experience.

If you have questions about trading, a currency trading forum can be useful too. But again you need to think about who is replying to your question. You might not necessarily want to trust everybody.

Sometimes different users will disagree with each other because they have different ways of making money with FX. There are many different methods and when you get conflicting advice it can be confusing. So do not be distracted by all the people who will tell you that their way is best.

It is very easy to sound like an expert in a place where nobody knows you. All a person has to do is to make a lot of posts and sound experienced. In fact a high post count often just means that the person likes hanging out in the forum and does more talking than trading. Some users may never even have traded for real at all, but only used demo accounts.  Remember that you do not know who these people are. You should not automatically trust everybody’s opinion.

Finally, take care that you are not becoming an addict yourself. It is very easy to waste a lot of time following random discussions and chatting. Have a clear purpose when you enter a forex trading forum and leave when you have found what you were looking for.

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Forex mini accounts are ideal for just about anybody who is starting out in forex trading. You would have to be very rich or very confident to start right out with a standard account if you are a retail trader (i.e. somebody trading on their own account from home). A mini account lets you get started without risking so much money and this makes it a very attractive option for most people.

Mini forex trading accounts generally allow you to trade with just one tenth of the normal lot size. This usually means 10,000 units of currency instead of 100,000.

Of course you do not have to have this much in your account. Currency trading works with leverage. If you are using 100 times leverage then you need $100 to control $10,000 in your mini account or $1,000 to control $100,000 for a standard account.

$100 or 100 units of other currency per trade is enough for most people to commit to a trade when they are starting out and that is why the mini trading account is so attractive.

The pip size is also usually smaller in a mini account. Pips are units in which you will measure your profits, losses and costs (the spread). Their dollar value can vary depending on the currency pair that you are trading, the lot size and other conventions of your broker, but a common standard pip size is $10 and mini pip size is $1.

Some brokers are now quoting prices to 5 decimal places which technically would make one pip 0.00001 of the quoted price, but we will continue to use the standard 4 decimal place pip for this example.

So if you have a standard forex account you can expect to put up $1,000 on each trade, be involved in trading lots of $100,000 and measure your profits in $10 units.

If you have a forex mini account you can expect to commit $100 on each trade, be involved in trading lots of $10,000 and measure your profits in $1 units.

Of course you can set stop losses so that you do not have to risk all of the money that is committed to the trade. But your losses will be measured in terms of pips so these too will be 10 times greater in the standard account.

If you are successful and your fund grows, you may want to move up to trading greater sums. You can still do this in your mini account by trading more than one lot at a time. So if you want to trade a standard lot size you would just trade 10 mini lots. This has the advantage of still giving you the ability for fine control of your stops because your pip size is still just $1.

The standard account used to be all that was available before so many people had powerful home computers and high speed internet connections that made it possible for the ordinary person to trade from home. The forex mini account is a development that has opened up the market to people who have the technology but not the money for standard currency trading investment.

If you want to risk even less of your money, you could look at forex micro accounts which allow you to make even smaller trades. Be aware though that the spread is often a little high and you might find it difficult to profit with a micro account. It may be better to use a demo account until your confidence builds and then open a forex mini account for real trading.

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