Monday, June 8, 2009

FOREX EDUCATION

FOREX BASICS
Forex Basics Know what Forex or Foreign Exchange Trading is. Have you ever heard of the famous Bretton Woods Agreement? Get the details of this accord here. Is Forex trading the same as stock trading? More or less the same?! What is this leverage and margin that everyone is talking about? Get the answers here. How much do I pay when my positions carry over to the next day, or the next day after? PiPTrader has the rational for you. Last but not the least, learn a few terminologies or Forex slang such as "I am trading a YARD a month?" WoW...that's HUGE.

FOREX CHARTS
Forex Charts Why are charts so important? Because many believe charting is unbiased representation of the market movement. Knowing how to read different type of charts not only helps you predict future price movement, but also will impress the heck of your buddy. Be a charting savvy guy, learn who first invented Candlestick charts and why. Want to be able to read some not-so-frequently-used chart types? You've come to the right place.

FOREX FUNDAMENTAL ANALYSIS
Forex Fundamental Analysis Why do so many traders pay close attention to news releases? What's the falling dollar to do with interest rates besides travelling to Europe and feeling "GOSH, EVERYTHING IS SO EXPENSIVE". How is our consumption power related to the movement of US dollar? What's our GDP this year? What's the big fuzz about the subprime market? Pieces them all together and get a holistic view about our currency and its trend. US DOLLAR still dominating the world? Yes, it is and know why.
FOREX TECHNICAL ANALYSIS
Forex Technical Analysis Are you a tech guy? Don't get confused with "COMPUTER PROGRAMMERS". Tech guy refers to traders that rely heavily on technical indicators such as Fibonacci Retracement, pivot points, support and resistance levels. Can trading be done solely based on technical studies? Some say YES while others may say NO. Be your own judge. Start drawing on charts, mark crosses, entry level and possible trend-break point.

Forex Glossary

Accrual - The apportionment of premiums and discounts on forward exchange transactions that relate directly to deposit swap (Interest Arbitrage) deals , over the period of each deal.

Adjustment - Official action normally by either change in the internal economic policies to correct a payment imbalance or in the official currency rate or. Adjustment - Official action normally by either change in the internal economic policies to correct a payment imbalance or in the official currency rate or.

Appreciation - A currency is said to 'appreciate' when it strengthens in price in response to market demand.
A:-

Arbitrage - The purchase or sale of an instrument and simultaneous taking of an equal and opposite position in a related market, in order to take advantage of small price differentials between markets.

Ask (Offer) Price - The price at which the market is prepared to sell a specific Currency in a Foreign Exchange Contract or Cross Currency Contract. At this price, the trader can buy the base currency. In the quotation, it is shown on the right side of the quotation. For example, in the quote USD/CHF 1.4527/32, the ask price is 1.4532; meaning you can buy one US dollar for 1.4532 Swiss francs.

At Best - An instruction given to a dealer to buy or sell at the best rate that can be obtained.

At or Better - An order to deal at a specific rate or better.

A

Accrual - The apportionment of premiums and discounts on forward exchange transactions that relate directly to deposit swap (Interest Arbitrage) deals , over the period of each deal.

Adjustment - Official action normally by either change in the internal economic policies to correct a payment imbalance or in the official currency rate or. Adjustment - Official action normally by either change in the internal economic policies to correct a payment imbalance or in the official currency rate or.

Appreciation - A currency is said to 'appreciate' when it strengthens in price in response to market demand.

Arbitrage - The purchase or sale of an instrument and simultaneous taking of an equal and opposite position in a related market, in order to take advantage of small price differentials between markets.

Ask (Offer) Price - The price at which the market is prepared to sell a specific Currency in a Foreign Exchange Contract or Cross Currency Contract. At this price, the trader can buy the base currency. In the quotation, it is shown on the right side of the quotation. For example, in the quote USD/CHF 1.4527/32, the ask price is 1.4532; meaning you can buy one US dollar for 1.4532 Swiss francs.

At Best - An instruction given to a dealer to buy or sell at the best rate that can be obtained.

At or Better - An order to deal at a specific rate or better.

B

Balance of Trade - The value of a country's exports minus its imports.

Bar Chart - A type of chart which consists of four significant points: the high and the low prices, which form the vertical bar, the opening price, which is marked with a little horizontal line to the left of the bar, and the closing price, which is marked with a little horizontal line of the right of the bar.

Base Currency - The first currency in a Currency Pair. It shows how much the base currency is worth as measured against the second currency. For example, if the USD/CHF rate equals 1.6215 then one USD is worth CHF 1.6215 In the FX markets, the US Dollar is normally considered the 'base' currency for quotes, meaning that quotes are expressed as a unit of $1 USD per the other currency quoted in the pair. The primary exceptions to this rule are the British Pound, the Euro and the Australian Dollar.

Bear Market - A market distinguished by declining prices.

Bid Price - The bid is the price at which the market is prepared to buy a specific Currency in a Foreign Exchange Contract or Cross Currency Contract. At this price, the trader can sell the base currency. It is shown on the left side of the quotation. For example, in the quote USD/CHF 1.4527/32, the bid price is 1.4527; meaning you can sell one US dollar for 1.4527 Swiss francs.

Bid/Ask Spread - The difference between the bid and offer price.

Big Figure - The first two or three digits of a foreign exchange price or rate. Examples: If the USD/JPY bid/ask is 115.27/32, the big figure is 115. On a EUR/USD price of 1.2855/58 the big figure is 1.28. The big figure is often omitted in dealer quotes. The EUR/USD price of 1.2855/58 would be verbally quoted as "55/58".

Book - In a professional trading environment, a 'book' is the summary of a trader's or desk's total positions.

Broker - An individual or firm that acts as an intermediary, putting together buyers and sellers for a fee or commission. In contrast, a 'dealer' commits capital and takes one side of a position, hoping to earn a spread (profit) by closing out the position in a subsequent trade with another party.

Bretton Woods Agreement of 1944 - An agreement that established fixed foreign exchange rates for major currencies, provided for central bank intervention in the currency markets, and pegged the price of gold at US $35 per ounce. The agreement lasted until 1971, when President Nixon overturned the Bretton Woods agreement and established a floating exchange rate for the major currencies.

British Retail Consortium (BRC) Shop Price Index – Measures the rate of inflation at various surveyed retailers. This index only looks at price changes in goods purchased in retail outlets.

Bull Market - A market distinguished by rising prices.

Bundesbank - Germany's Central Bank

C

Cable - Trader jargon referring to the Sterling/US Dollar exchange rate. So called because the rate was originally transmitted via a transatlantic cable beginning in the mid 1800's.

Canadian Ivey Purchasing Managers (CIPM) Index – A monthly gauge of Canadian business sentiment issued by the Richard Ivey Business School.

Candlestick Chart - A chart that indicates the trading range for the day as well as the opening and closing price. If the open price is higher than the close price, the rectangle between the open and close price is shaded. If the close price is higher than the open price, that area of the chart is not shaded.

Carry Trade – Refers to the simultaneous selling of a currency with a low interest rate, while purchasing currencies with higher interest rates. Examples are the JPY crosses such as GBP/JPY and NZD/JPY.

Cash Market - The market in the actual financial instrument on which a futures or options contract is based.

Central Bank - A government or quasi-governmental organization that manages a country's monetary policy. For example, the US central bank is the Federal Reserve, and the German central bank is the Bundesbank.

Chartist - An individual who uses charts and graphs and interprets historical data to find trends and predict future movements. Also referred to as Technical Trader.

Cleared Funds - Funds that are freely available, sent in to settle a trade.

Closed Position - Exposures in Foreign Currencies that no longer exist. The process to close a position is to sell or buy a certain amount of currency to offset an equal amount of the open position. This will 'square' the postion.

Clearing - The process of settling a trade.

Contagion - The tendency of an economic crisis to spread from one market to another. In 1997, political instability in Indonesia caused high volatility in their domestic currency, the Rupiah. From there, the contagion spread to other Asian emerging currencies, and then to Latin America, and is now referred to as the 'Asian Contagion'.

Collateral - Something given to secure a loan or as a guarantee of performance.

Commission - A transaction fee charged by a broker.

Confirmation - A document exchanged by counterparts to a transaction that states the terms of said transaction.

Construction Spending – Measures the amount of spending towards new construction, released monthly by the U.S. Department of Commerce's Census Bureau.

Contract - The standard unit of trading.

Counter Currency - The second listed Currency in a Currency Pair.

Counterparty - One of the participants in a financial transaction.

Country Risk - Risk associated with a cross-border transaction, including but not limited to legal and political conditions.

Cross Currency Pairs - A pair of currencies that does not include the U.S. dollar. For example: EUR/JPY or GBP/CHF.

Currency symbols
AUD - Australian Dollar
CAD - Canadian Dollar
EUR - Euro
JPY - Japanese Yen
GBP - British Pound
CHF - Swiss Franc

Currency - Any form of money issued by a government or central bank and used as legal tender and a basis for trade.

Currency Pair - The two currencies that make up a foreign exchange rate. For Example, EUR/USD

Currency Risk - the probability of an adverse change in exchange rates.

Current Account – The sum of the balance of trade (exports minus imports of goods and services), net factor income (such as interest and dividends) and net transfer payments (such as foreign aid). The balance of trade is typically is the key component to the current account.

D

Day Trader - Speculators who take positions in commodities which are then liquidated prior to the close of the same trading day.

Dealer - An individual or firm that acts as a principal or counterpart to a transaction. Principals take one side of a position, hoping to earn a spread (profit) by closing out the position in a subsequent trade with another party. In contrast, a broker is an individual or firm that acts as an intermediary, putting together buyers and sellers for a fee or commission.

Deficit - A negative balance of trade or payments.

Delivery - An FX trade where both sides make and take actual delivery of the currencies traded.

Department of Communities and Local Government (DCLG) UK House Prices – A monthly survey produced by the DCLG that uses a very large sample of all completed house sales to measure the price trends in the UK real estate market.

Depreciation - A fall in the value of a currency due to market forces.

Derivative - A contract that changes in value in relation to the price movements of a related or underlying security, future or other physical instrument. An Option is the most common derivative instrument.

Devaluation - The deliberate downward adjustment of a currency's price, normally by official announcement.

Discount Rate – Interest rate that an eligible depository institution is charged to borrow short-term funds directly from the Federal Reserve Bank.

R

Rally - A recovery in price after a period of decline.

Range - The difference between the highest and lowest price of a future recorded during a given trading session.

Rate - The price of one currency in terms of another, typically used for dealing purposes.

Resistance - A term used in technical analysis indicating a specific price level at which analysis concludes people will sell.

Retail Sales – Measures the monthly retail sales of all goods and services sold by retailers based on a sampling of variety of different types and sizes. This data gives a look into consumer spending behavior, which is a key determinant of growth in all major economies.

Revaluation - An increase in the exchange rate for a currency as a result of central bank intervention. Opposite of Devaluation.

Risk - Exposure to uncertain change, most often used with a negative connotation of adverse change.

Risk Management - the employment of financial analysis and trading techniques to reduce and/or control exposure to various types of risk.

Roll-Over - A rollover is the simultaneous closing of an open position for today's value date and the opening of the same position for the next day's value date at a price reflecting the interest rate differential between the two currencies.

The spot forex market is traded on a two-day value date. For example, for trades executed on Monday, the value date is Wednesday. However, if a position is opened on Monday and held overnight (remains open after 1700 ET), the value date is now Thursday. The exception is a position opened and held overnight on Wednesday. The normal value date would be Saturday; because banks are closed on Saturday the value date is actually the following Monday. Due to the weekend, positions held overnight on Wednesday incur or earn an extra two days of interest. Trades with a value date that falls on a holiday will also incur or earn additional interest.

Round trip - Buying and selling of a specified amount of currency.

S

Settlement - The process by which a trade is entered into the books and records of the counterparts to a transaction. The settlement of currency trades may or may not involve the actual physical exchange of one currency for another.

Short Position - An investment position that benefits from a decline in market price. When the base currency in the pair is sold, the position is said to be short.

Simple Moving Average (SMA) – A simple average of a pre – defined amount of price bars. For example, a 50 period Daily chart SMA is the average closing price of the previous 50 daily closing bars. Any time interval can be applied here.

Spot Market - A physical market in which foreign currencies and commodities are bought and sold for cash at the current market price, settled “on the spot” and delivered immediately.

Spot Price - The current market price. Settlement of spot transactions usually occurs within two business days.

Spot Trade - The purchase or sale of a foreign currency or commodity for immediate delivery (as opposed to a date in the future). Spot contracts are settled electronically.

Spread - The difference between the bid and offer prices.

Square - Purchase and sales are in balance and thus the dealer has no open position.

Sterling - slang for British Pound.

Stop Loss Order - Order type whereby an open position is automatically liquidated at a specific price. Often used to minimize exposure to losses if the market moves against an investor's position. As an example, if an investor is long USD at 156.27, they might wish to put in a stop loss order for 155.49, which would limit losses should the dollar depreciate, possibly below 155.49. Refer to Trading Handbook for FOREX.com's Stop Loss Policy.

Support Levels - A technique used in technical analysis that indicates a specific price ceiling and floor at which a given exchange rate will automatically correct itself. Opposite of resistance.

Swap - A currency swap is the simultaneous sale and purchase of the same amount of a given currency at a forward exchange rate.

Swissy - Market slang for Swiss Franc.

T

Technical Analysis - An effort to forecast prices by analyzing market data, i.e. historical price trends and averages, volumes, open interest, etc.

Tick - A minimum change in price, up or down.

Tomorrow Next (Tom/Next) - Simultaneous buying and selling of a currency for delivery the following day.

Trade Balance – Measures the difference in value between imported and exported goods and services. Nations with trade surpluses (exports greater than imports), such as Japan, tend to see their currencies appreciate, while countries with trade deficits (imports greater than exports), such as the US, tend to see their currencies weaken.

Transaction Cost - the cost of buying or selling a financial instrument.

Transaction Date - The date on which a trade occurs.

Turnover - The total money value of all executed transactions in a given time period; volume.

Two-Way Price - When both a bid and offer rate is quoted for a FX transaction.

U

UK HBOS House Price Index – Measures the relative level of UK house prices for an indication of trends in UK real estate sector and their implication for overall economic outlook. This index is the longest monthly data series of any UK housing index, put out by the largest UK mortgage lender (Halifax Building Society/Bank of Scotland).

UK Producers Price Index Input – Measures the rate of inflation experienced by manufacturers when purchasing materials and services. This data is closely scrutinized since it can be a leading indicator of consumer inflation.

UK Producers Price Index Output – Measures the rate of inflation experienced by manufacturers when selling goods and services.

UK Claimant Count Rate – Measures the number of people claiming unemployment benefits. The claimant count figures tend to be lower than the unemployment data since not all unemployed are eligible for benefits.

UK Jobless Claims Change – Measures the change in the number of people claiming benefits over the previous month.

UK Average Earnings Including Bonus/ Excluding bonus – Measures the average wage including/excluding bonuses paid to employees. This is measured QoQ from the previous year.

UK Manual Unit Wage Costs – Measures the change in total labor cost expended in the production of one unit of output.

Unemployment Rate – Measures the total workforce that is unemployed and actively seeking employment, measured as the percentage of the labor force.

University of Michigan's Consumer Sentiment Index – Polls 500 US households each month. The report is issued in a preliminary version mid – month and a final version at the end of the month. Questions revolve around individuals attitudes about the US economy. Consumer sentiment is viewed as a proxy for the strength of consumer spending.

Unrealized Gain/Loss - The theoretical gain or loss on Open Positions valued at current market rates, as determined by the broker in its sole discretion. Unrealized Gains' Losses become Profits/Losses when position is closed.

Uptick - a new price quote at a price higher than the preceding quote.

Uptick Rule - In the U.S., a regulation whereby a security may not be sold short unless the last trade prior to the short sale was at a price lower than the price at which the short sale is executed.

US Prime Rate - The interest rate at which US banks will lend to their prime corporate customers.

V

Value Date - The date on which counterparts to a financial transaction agree to settle their respective obligations, i.e., exchanging payments. For spot currency transactions, the value date is normally two business days forward. Also known as maturity date.

Variation Margin - Funds a broker must request from the client to have the required margin deposited. The term usually refers to additional funds that must be deposited as a result of unfavorable price movements.

The VIX or Volatility Index – Shows the market's expectation of 30 – day volatility. It is constructed using the implied volatilities of a wide range of S&P 500 index options. The VIX is a widely used measure of market risk and is often referred to as the "investor fear gauge".

Volatility (Vol) - A statistical measure of a market's price movements over time.

W

Wedge Chart Pattern
Chart formation that shows a narrowing price range over time, where price highs in an ascending wedge are incrementally less, or in a descending wedge, price declines are incrementally smaller. Ascending wedges typically conclude with a downside breakout, and descending wedges typically terminate with upside breakouts.

Whipsaw -
slang for a condition of a highly volatile market where a sharp price movement is quickly followed by a sharp reversal.

Wholesale Prices – Measures the changes in prices paid by retailers for finished goods. Inflationary pressures typically show up here earlier than the headline retail.

STOCKS AND CFD

HOW TO FIND YOURSELF AMONG WINNERS?

You have a wide specter of online financial instruments with high potential profitability at your disposal. Our services are meant for natural persons and corporate clients, who get some profit from changing currency rates in the FOREX market. Now the instruments and analytical models, which the institutional players use, are offered to you!

Why do the people trade in the FOREX market?

  • Getting a stable profit, which is much higher than inflation and interest rate.
  • The profit rate in the currency market is higher that the profit rate in stock markets.
  • Independent control and administration of personal finances.
  • To start profitable trading, you will need only a small initial deposit. Your deposit will be the sum of the deposit.
  • An opportunity to gain unlimited profits.

Now it's accessible to anyone!

  • Every month over 1000 accounts are opened in the market!
  • The currency market is open 24 hours a day on working days..
  • It's possible to get some profit in the growing and falling market.
  • Using the Meta Trader trading platform, you can easily predict movements of the rates.
  • An opportunity to open positions on a sum that is 100 times bigger than the deposit itself.

It's so simple!

  • Free trading platform Meta trader
  • Free quotes
  • Free charts
  • Free trial account
  • No commissiom or transaction fees
  • No hidden fees

Take advantage of the resources available on FOREX.com:

FOREX.com is a division of GAIN Capital Group, LLC, one of the most respected online forex trading firms in the industry. The company's flagship service, GAIN Capital, is used by institutional investors, professional money managers and experienced day traders from over 140 countries. GAIN Capital Group is pleased to offer individual investors access to its award-winning trading platform and professional-level services via FOREX.com.

FOREX.com is a registered Futures Commission Merchant (NFA ID #0339826) and a member of the National Futures Association. As an FCM, FOREX.com is regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC), must uphold the highest standards and business practices and is subject to strict financial requirements and reporting.

Your feedback and suggestions are welcome.

Forex Research & Commentary

With a 24-hour streaming news feed, professional forex research and live market commentary, you’ll always be up-to-date on important economic events, price movements and market developments

Intraday Commentary
FOREX Insider
Daily & Weekly Reports
Daily Technical Analysis Report
Strategy of the Day
The Week Ahead
The Weekly Strategy

New to the Forex market?

We've worked hard to distill our collective trading experience into an approach suitable for all skill levels.

Step 1: Understand the FOREX market.
Dive into Forex 101 for a compact overview of the basics or sit back and join us at one of our live interactive webinars.

Step 2: Prepare to trade in a live environment.
Register for one of our training courses and study at your own pace or join us at a local workshop, where our experienced instructors can teach you in a dynamic classroom setting.

Step 3: Test your skills risk free.
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FOREX.com

is a division of GAIN Capital Group,
a dedicated partner to professional FX traders and fund managers worldwide. Institutional services include IB programs, white label solutions, and asset management. Individual forex traders can take advantage of the market expertise and financial strength of GAIN Capital Group and access an institutional FX trading platform, FOREXTrader, along with our powerful real-time forex charts, professional forex market research, and suite of advanced forex trading tools. For traders new to the currency trading, FOREX.com offers forex training programs, forex minis, and information about trading the foreign currency market.

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

MSI N285GTX Superpipe OC

Firingsquad.com
“With MSI’s N285 GTX SuperPipe OC, you’ve got a GTX 285 card that already has powerful cooling, and you don’t have to worry about possibly voiding your card’s warranty.”

MSI N260GTX-T2D896 OC V3

from HardOCP.com
“….easy to recommend the MSI N260GTX OC3 as the best bang for the buck without question right now.”

MSI N250GTX-2D1G

Motherboards.org
“The card Overclocks extremely well with almost 100MHz overclock attained using the cooler.”

MSI 790FX-GD70

Overall MSI
has created a very competitive board with the 790FX-GD70. It features an excellent layout, well designed functional cooling system”

MSI 790GX-G65

Motherboards.org
“MSI has put together a solid package in the form of the MSI 790GX-G65 motherboard, with good features, excellent bundle and very decent overclocking the MSI board is an easy choice over some of the other 790GX boards with support for DDR3.”

MSI 790GX-G65

LegitReviews.com
"MSI balances performance and price perfectly with this entry-level AM3 motherboard that won't break the bank."

MSI N285GTX Superpipe OC

from HardOCP.com“…the MSI N285GTX OC delivered an amazing gameplay experience out of the box…”

MSI Eclipse SLI

Motherboards.org
“MSI has exceeded all expectations with the MSI X58 Eclipse motherboard with a bundle like you wouldn't believe, performance that matches or beats the competition in this marketplace and overclocking ability like there's no tomorrow.”

MSI R4670 2D512

Viperlair.com
“If you're on a budget, that generally means that you have to compromise on your graphics card, but this R4670 performs beyond it's price bracket, offering the best bang for buck since the 6600GT appeared