There are two basic ways to approach the analysis of the FOREX markets: Technical analysis and Fundamental Analysis. Someone who is using a fundamental analytical approach will look at the current economic climate, political events, a variety of economic indicators, and so on to try to predict currency moves. What we will examine is technical analysis, or the use of historical price patterns in economic data to predict future moves in the FOREX. We will also look at the tools used for technical analysis.
The three major assumptions underlying technical analysis are:
1 - All market forces are taken into account in price movement. Many things can affect the price of a currency. Some of these factors would be economic conditions, political happenings, natural disasters, seasonal supply and demand and even the weather. Technical analysis, however, does not attempt to take these into account because the market has already done that. Rather, a technical analyst is concerned with the actual movements of the market, not with the reasons for the movement.
2 - There are observable trends in currency prices movements. There are known market patterns that follow predictable paths.
3 - There are historical trends in price movements. Over a century of FOREX data collection has shown that human nature interacts with events in predictable ways. Thus, when circumstances are similar in the market, the same patterns will show up.
Technical Analysis: Is It Necessary?
Day traders in the FOREX usually use technical analysis most heavily, though they may supplement it with fundamental analysis. Technical analysis has the huge advantage of being applicable to a wide range of currencies and markets simultaneously. To properly do fundamental analysis requires a good knowledge of events and conditions in a certain country so the number of markets any particular trader can analyze by the fundamental approach is necessarily limited.
Technical analysis can seem so complicated to the beginner that they may be tempted to wonder if it is really needed. The truth is that all investing requires a strategy and technical analysis is a proven way to set strategy by predicting FOREX movements. Of course, no strategy or method is always successful, which is one reason many technical traders also do some fundamental analysis as a supplement.
Using Price Charts In Technical Analysis
Charts lie at the heart of technical analysis and you will find a good selection available from any online FOREX broker. Not only are the charts updated constantly, real time, but they can be viewed in a variety of ways. You can see movement over various periods of time, broken down into different time scales, and with various analytical overlays applied. With the software provided you can see the broad picture over a long period or zoom into the most minute detail. The basic software is free from most online Forex brokers but there may be a fee for the more professional, in-depth, information.
Sometimes the charts are a built-in part of the broker's software package. Alternately, they may be available on the broker's website.
Practice, or demo, accounts are available from most brokers on their website. These allow you to use the charts and tools of that particular software to learn the techniques of following charts, noticing and learning about trends and studying market movements. Nothing can substitute for this valuable period of becoming intimately familiar with charts and market behavior.
Technical Analysis In Stock
If you have traded Currencies before, or if you want to, one of the things you are going to need to know about is technical analysis.There are two types of analysis you need to know about when it comes to Forex trading. Fundamental analysis is the "big picture" analysis, whereby you take into consideration a country's social, economic and political situation to determine the stability of its currency. A country that is stable in these particular areas is going to have a stronger currency than a country that is not stable in these areas, and therefore a stronger country will will be the better option when it comes to Forex trading. What is technical analysis?Technical analysis is a little bit different. With technical analysis, you analyze a certain currency's patterns and trends over a specific period of time. For example, if a particular currency has been performing strongly in its recent history, it's probably going to continue to do so. Similarly, if it's been doing substanderd in its recent history, it's probably going to continue to do that too. You analyze the currencies' trends and patterns, and make predictions as to how a particular currency is going to continue to do against another. You place trades with "currency pairs" based on this information, in essence betting that one currency is going to do better than another and therefore "winning" on that trade.Does Forex technical analysis really work?Absolutely, Forex technical analysis works to produce winning trades; many successful traders encourage taking a twofold approach by using both fundamental and technical analysis to determine which trades are going to produce profits.Becoming an experienced Forex technical traderTo become an experienced Forex technical trader, you should learn your way around the Forex market by using a "demo account" first. Most good Forex brokers will allow you to open a demo account with no money; then, you "trade" in "demo" mode until you've become very experienced in placing trades. Once you begin to win on trades with this type of "pretend" trading, you can begin to place real trades with real money so that you can make a profit. It's very important though, that you do demo trading first. This gives you the opportunity to learn your way around the market just as you would if you were really trading, and it teaches you how to handle both wins and losses on trades.What being an experienced Forex technical trader can do for youAs an experienced Forex technical trader, you have the opportunity to make trades based upon the patterns and trends you see (as well based upon your own gut feeling, once you become experienced), instead of on an emotional basis. Why is this important? Because if you make trades based upon an emotional basis instead of on what your data tells you, you're going to lose on trades, and you may even lose your shirt. That's a proven fact.Trading based upon what your charts and data tell you, on the other hand, is simply smart. That means that you make decisions based upon data, not upon emotions. In practical terms, that means you may get out of a trade that's still winning because your data tells you it's time, or your data may tell you to get out of a trade that you're losing on, even though your emotions would tell you to stay "in the trade" in the hopes that you could make back the money you have already lost.Successful Forex traders know that they are always going to lose on some of their trades, but they follow their data, their charts and analyses, and they do what this information tells them. This helps them to be successful because they win on more trades than they lose on - and that helps them break a profit and be successful overall. Learning Forex technical analysis can help you do the same.
Both Richard M. Davieess & Chris Hayden are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Richard M. Davieess has sinced written about articles on various topics from Forex Trading Forex, Forex Software and Forex Analysis. Get the latest tips, tools, and techniques at Forex Examiner. Start to trade profitably with our no cost Forex trading. Richard M. Davieess's top article generates over 2900 views. to your Favourites.
Chris Hayden has sinced written about articles on various topics from Forex Trading Forex. . Chris Hayden's top article generates over 1000 views. to your Favourites.
7 Secrets Of Success Several years ago we spoke on the sameseminar in Atlanta, and she was advising people to ?be so quiet? ? now listen as I say this ? to ?be so quiet that you can hear your own heartbeat.?