Wednesday, January 7, 2009

How to Avoid Losing Money on Bad Investments

Step1
Study. Read financial news, personal-finance magazines, corporate annual and quarterly reports, proxy statements, registration statements and prospectuses.

Step2
Develop goals and strategies for meeting your goals and for picking stocks and other investments. Ask for professional advice in these areas if you are uncomfortable.

Step3
Diversify. Avoid putting large portions of your portfolio in a single stock or industry.

Step4
Take advantage of tax breaks. Your employer might offer a 401(k) plan. If not, you might be able to set up an Individual Retirement Account or, for self-employed people, a Keogh plan.

Step5
Buy stocks that you will want to keep for three to five years. Remember that "good" stocks at unrealistically high prices are a bad buy.

Step6
Invest in what you know. Conversely, avoid buying stocks in industries and companies with which you are unfamiliar.

Step7

Shop for total value. That means learning to calculate key financial figures such as price-earnings ratios so that you can compare one stock with others.

Step8
Resist fads. If everyone is buying gold, variable annuities or some other faddish investment, watch out. The herd soon will change direction.

Step9

Know when to fold. Your objective may be to hold a particular stock or mutual fund for three to five years, but if it appears to be on terminal descent, bail out.

[ForexGen Live Accounts Contest]

Trade, Compete, and Win - Begins the 1st of Every Month!
ForexGen has the pleasure to announce the launching of its first monthly Live Accounts contest,
This is NOT a demo contest

this is a live trading [competition] open for all live mini account holders. At the beginning of each month, the slate is wiped clean and traders have a new opportunity to win the monthly prizes.

What makes this contest unique?


All prizes are CASH prizes with no restrictions on withdrawing the prize money! How Do I Enter?
You don't have to pay any fee to enter this contest, all [ForexGen] mini Accounts with a balance of "$1000" and a default leverage of 1:200 are entitled to participate in this contest upon their account holder request by sending an e-mail request on live.contest@forexgen.com

For more information about our current and future promotions, kindly contact one of our customers support agents at promotions@forexgen.com

Trade Forex


Step1
Pay attention to the values of currencies around the world. The British pound and the U.S. dollar are the most common traded currencies, as are the Japanese yen and the Swiss franc. Changes in value between these currencies is often gradual.

Step2
Exchange one currency for another as the difference in price shows significant change or the potential for significant change. For example, if you have U.S. dollars and it appears that the euro is about to become more valuable against the current value of the dollar, then exchange your dollars for euros.

Step3

Change currencies back and forth between different denominations as values fluctuate. For example, once the euros in the previous step become markedly more valuable than the U.S. dollar, then it might be a good time to sell those euros back.

Step4
Research the conditions of the economy in certain countries to determine if there is a bargain to be had. For example, currencies in developing countries often fluctuate in response to an increase or decrease in humanitarian aid or trade. Investing in those currencies when they are at rock-bottom prices can pay off tremendously in the future.

Step5
Invest in the forex market for the long term by simply leaving your present investments alone. This is not as safe in riskier currencies, like those of developing nations, but for currencies like the euro or the Swiss franc, you can often see a steady increase in value over the years.


ForexGen offers three types of business partnerships:

*Introducing Broker *White label *Money Manager

ForexGen Introducing Brokers, White Label and Money Manager holders are recognized as a strategic business partners. The main focus of our service is to satisfy our partner's needs in order to deal with a qualified service and gain a huge income sharing plan.

[ForexGen] provide appropriate services satisfying the needs of all business partner's specified situation and requirements.

One of the best Trading Platforms that are making the automated trading of the forex market possible

MetaTrader is a forex trading platform built by MetaQuotes. The MetaTrader platform has a built in programming language called MQL4 (MetaQuotes Language 4) that allows the user to create and backtest trading strategies using historical data. MQL4 is used to write Expert Advisors, mechanical trading systems which can be used for both trading alerts and automated trading. Custom Indicators are indicators created by you or by other MetaTrader users in addition to the suite of built in technical indicators. MQL4 is easy to learn and understand even for those with limited programming experience. MetaTrader has a large and active user community online, discussing strategies and helping eachother with programming issues. The MetaTrader platform can be used with a variety of different forex brokers.

Conclusion

Both the forex market and trading systems are here to stay and have a long evolution ahead. The future outlook is bright for the speculator - increased fx market regulation, tighter spreads, better execution and constant innovation and improvement in trading systems technology.

ForexGen Scalping Enabled Account

Trade and scalp the market [ForexGen] has the pleasure to announce the availability of both Dealing Desk and No Dealing Desk Platforms. No Dealing option provide traders with direct access to the best bid/ask prices through multiple bank access. No re-quotes & No dealer confirmation is the main characteristic of the no dealing option made specifically for “scalpers” and active FX professionals. Absolute freedom to trade during news and economic events. The no dealing desk option allows traders to place entry orders inside the spread! Unlike competing FX firms, [ForexGen offers] traders all the advantage of a “no dealing desk” option.

Advantages of No Dealing Desk Option

* Trade the news without intervention or restrictions * Although spreads may vary in volatile market conditions, they are tried to be kept within the usually limits. * Place scalping orders without intervention or restrictions. * A client-friendly trading environment, No re-quotes. * Ability to place orders inside the spread * Competing rates from multiple banks * Spreads are variable and can move sharply * Ideal for active or professional FX traders

For more information about our current and future promotions, kindly visit this page often or contact one of our customers support agents at promotions@forexgen.com

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

The History of FOREX Trading

The origin of Forex trading traces its history to centuries ago.

Different currencies and the need to exchange them had existed since the Babylonians. They are credited with the first use of paper notes and receipts. Speculation hardly ever happened, and certainly the enormous speculative activity in the market today would have been frowned upon. In those days, the value of goods were expressed in terms of other goods(also called as the Barter System). The obvious limitations of such a system encouraged establishing more generally accepted mediums of exchange. It was important that a common base of value could be established.

In some economies, items such as teeth, feathers even stones served this purpose, but soon various metals, in particular gold and silver, established themselves as an accepted means of payment as well as a reliable storage of value. Trade was carried among people of Africa, Asia etc through this system. Coins were initially minted from the preferred metal and in stable political regimes, the introduction of a paper form of governmental I.O.U. during the middle Ages also gained acceptance. This type of I.O.U. was introduced more successfully through force than through persuasion and is now the basis of today's modern currencies. Before the First World war, most Central banks supported their currencies with convertibility to gold. However, the gold exchange standard had its weaknesses of boom-bust patterns. As an economy strengthened, it would import a great deal from out of the country until it ran down its gold reserves required to support its money; as a result, the money supply would diminish, interest rates escalate and economic activity slowed to the point of recession. Ultimately, prices of commodities had hit bottom, appearing attractive to other nations, who would sprint into buying fury that injected the economy with gold until it increased its money supply, drive down interest rates and restore wealth into the economy.. However, for this type of gold exchange, there was not necessarily a Centrals bank need for full coverage of the government's currency reserves. This did not occur very often, however when a group mindset fostered this disastrous notion of converting back to gold in mass, panic resulted in so-called "Run on banks " The combination of a greater supply of paper money without the gold to cover led to devastating inflation and resulting political instability. The Great Depression and the removal of the gold standard in 1931 created a serious lull in Forex market activity.

From 1931 until 1973, the Forex market went through a series of changes. These changes greatly affected the global economies at the time and speculation in the Forex markets during these times was little.

In order to protect local national interests, increased foreign exchange controls were introduced to prevent market forces from punishing monetary irresponsibility. Near the end of World War II, the Bretton Woods agreement was reached on the initiative of the USA in July 1944. The conference held in Bretton Woods, New Hampshire rejected John Maynard Keynes suggestion for a new world reserve currency in favor of a system built on the US Dollar. International institutions such as the IMF, The World Bank and GATT were created in the same period as the emerging victors of WWII searched for a way to avoid the destabilizing monetary crises leading to the war. The Bretton Woods agreement resulted in a system of fixed exchange rates that reinstated The Gold Standard partly, fixing the USD at $35.00 per ounce of Gold and fixing the other main currencies to the dollar, initially intended to be on a permanent basis.
The Bretton Woods system came under increasing pressure as national economies moved in different directions during the 1960's. A number of realignments held the system alive for a long time but eventually Bretton Woods collapsed in the early 1970's following president Nixon's suspension of the gold convertibility in August 1971. The dollar was not any longer suited as the sole international currency at a time when it was under severe pressure from increasing US budget and trade deficits. The last few decades have seen foreign exchange trading develop into the world's largest global market. Restrictions on capital flows have been removed in most countries, leaving the market forces free to adjust foreign exchange rates according to their perceived values. The European Economic Community introduced a new system of fixed exchange rates in 1979, the European Monetary System. The quest continued in Europe for currency stability with the 1991 signing of The Maastricht treaty. This was to not only fix exchange rates but also actually replace many of them with the Euro in 2002. London was, and remains the principal offshore market. In the 1980s, it became the key center in the Eurodollar market when British banks began lending dollars as an alternative to pounds in order to maintain their leading position in global finance. In Asia, the lack of sustainability of fixed foreign exchange rates has gained new relevance with the events in South East Asia in the latter part of 1997, where currency after currency was devalued against the US dollar, leaving other fixed exchange rates in particular in South America also looking very vulnerable. While commercial companies have had to face a much more volatile currency environment in recent years, investors and financial institutions have discovered a new playground. The Forex exchange market initially worked under the central banks and the governmental institutions but later on it accommodated the various institutions, at present it also includes the dot com booms and the world wide web. The size of the Forex market now dwarfs any other investment market. The foreign exchange market is the largest financial market in the world. Approximately 1.9 trillion dollars are traded daily in the foreign exchange market.

It is estimated that more than USD 1,200 Billion are traded every day. It can be said easily that Forex market is a lucrative opportunity for the modern day savvy investor.

[Why ForexGen]



1. Lowest spreads in the market with 0-1 pip spread in 10 pairs, no commissions, no swaps and instant account Activation.
2. Scandinavian quality with Swiss precision, funds secured and local agents in 18+ countries.
3. ForexGen offers Forex trading in the major currency pairs and crosses.
4. Low capital start, with $250 as a minimum account size.
5. Liquidity and 24/5 availability are the characteristic factors of the Forex market compared with other financial markets.
6. [ForexGen] offers a free trial Forex [demo account] that allows you to test your skills and practice without risking real money.

Forex Trading — Opportunities for Individuals

Forex Trading-How Can Individual Investors Benefit?

Indeed large multinational and individual banks and other major financial institutions have dominated FX trading (also known as Forex trading), but there is a paradigm change in the nature and type of investing. According to one estimate, in the new millennium, there are over 6 million online investment accounts, up from 1.5 million in 1997. As a result, start-up firms now compete directly with financial institutions to serve investors in the new technologically driven economy, and the clear winner is the customer. The competition between the brick and mortar institutions and the Internet-based companies has dramatically lowered the costs of investing, and empowered the individual investor to take control of their own investment strategy in Forex trading.

We know Forex trading is direct access trading of currencies. In the past, foreign exchange trading was limited to large banks and institutional traders but recent advancements in technology have allowed small traders to take advantage of the many benefits of Forex trading using online trading platforms to trade. Virtually Forex trading is done 24 hours day and almost 5 ? days of a week. In the recent times, online trading has revolutionized the currency markets by making it accessible to the small and medium sized investor.

The Forex trading is perhaps the largest financial market in the world, with a daily average turnover of approximately $1.5 trillion. Foreign Exchange is the simultaneous buying of one currency and selling of another. The world's currencies are on a floating exchange rate and are always traded in pairs, for example EUR/USD or USD/JPY or USD/INR etc.
In the new millennium, the Forex trading has become accessible for an individual investor or small group of investors. In the current scenario, investors reap many benefits from Forex trading than stock market, e-mini futures and such other trading. Today mostly traders are choosing Forex trading than stock trading because there are approximately 4,500 stocks listed on the New York Stock exchange. Another 3,500 are listed on the NASDAQ. In spot Forex trading, you have 4 major markets, 24 hours a day 5.5 days a week. If you are so inclined, you have approximately 34 second-tier currencies to look at in your spare time. You can concentrate on the major forex and can find your trade. When you are investing in forex you can spend your afternoon on the golf course or with your spouse watching movie or celebrating holidays-in short it is easy and hassle free than stock/future market.

Not only is it an accessible, easy and less capital-intensive business opportunity, but it is much more cost efficient too to invest in the Forex market, in terms of both commissions and transaction fees. Generally, commissions for stock trades range from a low of $7.95-$29.95 per trade with on-line brokers to over $100 per trade with traditional brokers. Opposite to that, typically stock commissions are directly related to the level of service offered by the broker. At the high end, traditional brokers offer full access to research, analyst stock recommendations, etc. In contrast, on-line Forex brokers charge significantly lower commission and transaction fees.

[Claim Your Bonus In ForexGen]

Special Promotion for New Clients

Free cash bonus when you open your new live account withen the next 30 days. You will recieve a FREE cash bonus which will be added to your trading account. The cash bonus depends on the account type you open.

Account Type
Mini Account

Free Cash Bonus

10% of your deposit
maximum $250

Account Type
Standard Account

Free Cash Bonus

10% of your deposit
maximum $500

To be able to withdraw your free cash bonus, you need at least to open 20 trading lots in period not exceeds 3 months.For more information about our current and future promotions, contact one of our [customers support] agents at promotions@forexgen.com

Forex Made Easy for Everyone

Forex made easy is as simple as you would want it to be.

The foreign exchange market is a worldwide market and according to some estimates is almost as big as thirty times the turnover of the US Equity markets. That is some figure to chew on. Forex is the commonly used term for foreign exchange. As a person who wants to invest in the forex market, one should understand the basics of how this currency market operates. Forex can be made easier for beginners to understand it and here's how.

Foreign exchange is the buying and the selling of foreign exchange in pairs of currencies. For example you buy US dollars and sell UK Sterling pounds or you sell German Marks and buy Japanese Yen. Why are currencies bought or sold? The answer is simple; Governments and Companies need foreign exchange for their purchase and payments for various commodities and services. This trade constitutes about 5% of all currency transactions, however the other 95% currency transactions are done for speculation and trade. In fact many companies will buy foreign currency when it is being traded at a lower rate to protect their financial investments.

Another thing about foreign exchange market is that the rates are varying continuously and on daily basis. Therefore investors and financial managers track the forex rates and the forex market it on a daily basis. Those who are involved in the forex trade know that almost 85% of the trading is done in only US Dollar, Japanese Yen, Euro, British Pound, Swiss Franc, Canadian Dollar and Australian Dollar. This is because they are the most liquid of foreign currencies (can be easily bought and sold. In fact the US Dollar is most recognizable foreign currency even in countries like Afghanistan, Iraq, Vietnam etc). Being a truly 24/7 market, the currency trading markets opens in the financial centers of Sydney, Tokyo, London and New York in that sequence. Investors and speculators alike respond to the ever-changing situations and can buy and sell simultaneously the currencies. In fact many operate in two or more currency market using arbitrage to gain profits (buying in one market and selling in another market or vice versa to take advantage of the prices and book profits). While dealing in forex, one should have a margin account. Quite simply put if you have US$ 1,000 and have a forex margin account which leverages 100:1 then you can buy US$ 100,000 since you only need 1% of the US$100,000 or US$1,000. Therefore it means that with margin account you have US$ 100,000 worth of real purchasing power in your hand. Since the foreign currency market is fluctuating on a continuous basis, one should be able to understand the factors that affect this currency market. This is done through Technical Analysis and Fundamental Analysis. These two tools of trade are used in a variety of other markets such as equity markets, stock markets, mutual funds markets etc.

Technical Analysis refers to reading, summarizing and analyzing data based on the data that is generated by the market. While fundamental Analysis refers to the factors, which influence the market economy, and in turn how it would affect the currency trading. Of course there are other economic and non economic factors which can suddenly affect the trading of the forex markets such as the 9/11 tragedy etc. One needs to have a shrewd acumen and a few number crunching abilities to strike gold in the forex market.

[ForexGen Money Manager]

An individual who is responsible for the entire financial portfolio of another individual or another entity. A money manager receives payment in exchange for choosing and monitoring appropriate investments for the client.

Benefits of being a Money Manager with [ForexGen]:

* Providing three different commission sources.
* Weekly commission plan.
* Easy & fast commission withdrawals.
* Fixed percentage of the profits.
* P = k * D “P=Profit, k=Variable Parameter, D=Deposits”

The money manager gets a fixed percentage of the profit previously agreed upon with the client for managing the client funds as a bonus feature.

The most competitive trading conditions:

* 2 pips spread on six currency pairs.
* Providing online trading services without maintenance margin, margin call and no automatic closing of positions below the initial margin on weekdays for accounts with initial equity of up to $1 million US. The margin level have to be recognized Fridays at 23:00 CET and before public holidays.
* Leverages up to 1:200 for accounts up to $1 million US.
* Liquidity and 24/5 availability are the characteristic factors of the Forex market compared with other financial markets.

How to Get Started In Forex Trading

You may have been hearing about the foreign exchange market (Forex) and the investment advantages it offers. You would like to try it out, but don't know where to start. This short guide will give you the basics in Forex and tell you what you need to participate in this fast growing field.

Foreign exchange used to be limited to large players such as national banks and multi-national corporations. In the 1980's the rules were revised to allow smaller investors to participate using margin accounts. Margin accounts are the reason why Forex trading has become so popular. With a 100:1 margin account, you can control $100,000 with a $1,000 investment. Forex is not simple, however, and education is needed to make wise investment decisions. Although it is relatively easy to start trading on the Forex, there are risks involved, so finding out as much as possible about the market is a good move for any beginner. Forex traders usually require a broker to handle transactions. Most brokers are reputable and are associated with large financial institutions such as banks. A reputable broker will be registered as a Futures Commission Merchant (FCM) with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) as protection against fraud and abusive trade practices. Opening a Forex account is as simple as filling out a form and providing the necessary ID. The form will include a margin agreement that states that the broker can interfere with any trade it deems to be too risky.

This is to protect the interests of the broker — most trades, after all, are done using the broker's money. Once your account has been established, you can fund it and begin trading. Many brokers have different types of accounts to suit the needs of individual investors. Mini accounts allow you to get involved in Forex trading for as little as $250, while standard accounts may have a minimum deposit of $1000 to $2500 depending on the broker. The amount of leverage — using borrowed money — varies with accounts. High leverage gives you more money to trade for a given investment. HOWEVER — beginner traders are advised get accustomed to Forex by doing paper trades for a period of time. Paper trades are practice transactions that don't involve real capital. They allow you to see how the system works while learning how to use the various software tools that are at provided by most Forex brokers. Most online brokers have demo accounts that allow you to make free paper trades for up to 30 days.

Every new Forex investor is strongly advised to use these demo accounts at least until they are showing consistently steady profits. Each broker has their own set of software tools to aid in making transactions, but there are a few tools that are common to all Forex brokers. Real time quotes, news feeds, technical analyses and charts, and profit and loss analyses are some of the features you should expect to see on most online brokers' web sites. Almost every broker operates on the Internet. To access their online services you should have a reasonably modern computer, a fast Internet connection, and an up-to-date operating system such as Windows XP. Once your account is set up, you can access it from any computer — just enter your account name and password. If for some reason you are not able get access to a computer, most brokers will allow you to make trades over the phone. Trades are commission free, meaning that you can make many trades in one day without worrying about incurring high brokerage fees. Brokers make their money on the 'spread' — the difference between bids and ask prices.

[ForexGen Live Accounts Contest]

Trade, Compete, and Win - Begins the 1st of Every Month!
ForexGen has the pleasure to announce the launching of its first monthly Live Accounts contest,
This is NOT a demo contest

this is a live trading [competition] open for all live mini account holders. At the beginning of each month, the slate is wiped clean and traders have a new opportunity to win the monthly prizes.

What makes this contest unique?


All prizes are CASH prizes with no restrictions on withdrawing the prize money! How Do I Enter?
You don't have to pay any fee to enter this contest, all [ForexGen] mini Accounts with a balance of "$1000" and a default leverage of 1:200 are entitled to participate in this contest upon their account holder request by sending an e-mail request on live.contest@forexgen.com

For more information about our current and future promotions, kindly contact one of our customers support agents at promotions@forexgen.com