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The US dollar is undoubtedly the prime mover of the world’s financial systems. It still remains to be the main currency reserve despite claims of an emerging euro domination. Because of its pivotal role in the global economy, the dollar’s value is a matter of concern the world over. Most countries rein in the value of their currencies through their dollar reserves; foreign central banks hold US Treasury bonds; and a majority of the oil cartel’s holdings are still in dollars.

In forex markets, the dollar is the most traded currency, figuring in more than 80 percent of all transactions. The euro trails behind and is continually expanding in terms of international reach but forex trading is still primarily centered on the dollar.

The United States emerged as a formidable financial player in the aftermath of World War II, when most of Europe was in shambles. In the 1940s, the Bretton Woods system was established, which obliged each member country to maintain the exchange rate of its currency within a fixed range in terms of gold. This worked well for the US since it had the largest gold reserves at the time. The US poured money into the reconstruction of Europe and also opened liberal trade relations with a lot of countries, thus effectively increasing the stock of dollars in foreign central banks.

Things started going downhill for the US during the 1970s as its gold reserves depleted largely because of the Vietnam War. Central banks, fearing that the American currency was facing an imminent devaluation, started clamoring for gold in exchange for the dollars they were holding. Since the country had insufficient gold reserves, then President Nixon responded by abandoning the Bretton Woods system altogether. This led the currencies to shift to a floating status.

From a legal tender with a measurable equivalent in gold, the dollar became what some economists call a political currency. Its continued use in international trade stemmed from the continued economic, political, and military domination of the United States. Since most financial transactions and commodities, particularly oil, were traded in dollars, the US currency enjoyed a strong demand despite the country’s burgeoning trade deficit.

In 2006, the trade deficit reached a record of more than $800 billion. This is more than enough to put any other currency on a disastrous collapse and yet the dollar stays afloat, thanks to the US Treasury bonds and other government assets held by most foreign central banks. In essence, the dollar is supported by foreign borrowing.

However, some economists contend that the deficit is actually helpful in maintaining liquidity in world trade. An $800 billion US deficit means that there is an extra $800 billion circulating in the global economy. If the US were to take drastic steps in balancing its current account, then it would effectively derail the financial movement of international commerce.

The dollar currently suffers from depreciation as other major currencies such as the euro and the yen are getting stronger. Apart from the obvious effects of the trade deficit, this was also brought about by the interest rates cuts of the Federal Reserve, a strategic move to jump-start an economy that threatens to plunge into recession. While this makes foreign importers and tourists happy, the European Union and other export players are bitterly complaining since the depreciating dollar makes their goods more expensive and edges them out of the trade competition.

For how long the United States can keep up with the dollar’s weakening value and still convince its creditors to hold on to their T-bonds and cheques is a matter that remains to be seen. In reality though, it will take a long while and an awful lot of economic upheavals before the dollar is dislodged from its current position as the world’s most important currency.

Kristien Wilkinson is an online writer and contributor to http://www.forexmarkets.com

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Forex is the shortened term for foreign exchange. The actual trading does not involve commodities like shares or stocks. It is a financial market where currencies are being traded with other currencies. Forex trading is expressed in currency pairs.

For example: US dollars and Euro or US dollars and UK sterling. The investor will get a return of his investment in terms of the relative ‘exchange value’ of a certain currency against another foreign currency. Basically you are betting on one currency against another and try to profit by the fluctuations with the two currencies.

Many traders don’t know that forex is just short for “foreign exchange”. So trading the forex market is simply trading foreign currencies. If you are a Forex beginner – Caution: “Do not attempt to trade until you receive the education and training to become a successful trader. There is substantial earnings to be made in the forex currency foreign market, but trading in the Forex is for the well-informed”

Forex trading used to be done only through phones with brokers manning them. A small investor or or a group of investors needs to go through their brokers to make their trades. But now, this process has now been made faster and easier. Being in contact with a forex trading company or your personal broker can now be done through a computer with an internet connection.

Learning the Process. Don’t Do Anything Stupid

Learn more about the history of forex trading, and general statistics of forex market. Get information about trading procedure, currency pairs, and forex trading systems. Always ask around before make trading and follow the method that the expert used. Do not try to be hero in forex trading you will lose everything. You must keep in mind the volatile nature of the market before plunging in. Learn how to trade with free demo forex accounts and free, practical trading e-books. When looking for forex brokers remember to ask for a free forex demo account. This is the most important things.

Conclusion

Forex trading is very appealing to the online trading newcomer as it can be a very controlled environment, and very simple to understand.

W.M.REDZWAN is a business writer specializing in finance and credit products and has written authoritative articles on the finance industry. He has done his masters in Islamic Banking (Law) and is currently assisting easy-debt-consolidation-loan as a finance specialist. Visit his blog for more information at {FOREX DEALING}

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An introduction to Forex trading must first start with the understanding that Forex is the world’s largest and most liquid trading market and often times considered as the best home business anyone can ever venture into even with the much talked about risks of Forex trading. But trading Forex without understanding what exactly Forex is all about is where majority of the risk falls into. It is no secret that on daily basis more and more investors are shifting from stocks and other financial vehicles such as bonds and commodities to the all-electronic world of Forex trading for income and profit because of its numerous benefits & advantages over traditional trading vehicles such as those mentioned above.

The foreign exchange which is often times referred to as Forex and it is not traded from a central exchange as is the case with stocks. The Forex market is traded over-the-counter (OTC), or the Interbank market. The interbank market is the network of banks which are linked electronically 24 hours and the trade of foreign currency is conducted through these banks.

As an investor in the Forex market what you are doing in essence is simultaneously exchanging on countries currency for another. A good illustration is as follows: GBP/USD -The first currency (in this example, the GBP) is referred to as the base currency and the second (USD) as the counter or quote currency. So if you buy the GBP you are simultaneously selling the USD as shown in the pair above.

Just as on any other market, Forex trading though with an exclusively high potential profitability is essentially risky as well. It is possible to make a living from trading the Forex market, but this must be follow after a certain training including a familiarization with the structure and kinds of currency pairs, the principles of currencies price formation, the factors affecting prices alterations and trading risks levels. Mastering techniques and strategies on how to use technical and fundamental analysis to make your trading decision is a road you definitely can not avoid.

After acquiring the basic knowledge of Forex trading, the next step would be to open a demo trading account and begin to put all you have learned into practice. Only when you have built a strategy that generates consistent profit should you move to a live account.

Karen Fairham regularly contributes informative articles to web sites on Forex trading and stock trading. To read more on forex trading strategies to help you maximise your profit visit: http://www.forexxtrader.blogspot.com

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There were a lot of worried faces today when the Dow Jones Industrial Average dropped some 450 points mid day. Excited faces that were full of joy just a day ago now looked very worried, and fearful, and this was reflected in the jittery responses of many traders.

As someone who had rode through several markets crashes including the Black Monday drop, and as a professional trader, what would be the best response when the stock market crashes?

Being in the stock market is not about being always right in the market. You could be wrong, and be caught , as I would expect many traders would be with this market crash, but it would be your response to the crash that could help you mitigate the losses and difficulties and let you ride through the storm and even to rebound strongly, in many cases, with a profit several months down the road.

At the onset of a market crash, quickly assess your overall portfolio. If you are still in profits, consider liquidating.I am talking about your overall portfolio, not individual stocks. This response is taken especially if you treat trading stocks and shares as a business, and it is the bottom line that counts. A profit is a profit, and your mentality is to manage your business as a fund. By doing so, you are protecting your capital and your profits. If you have separate portofilios involving long term position stocks and the short term trading stocks, it is the short term trading portfolio that warrants your attention. You will move back into the market later when stock prices stabilise and you would have a good chance to buy them lower.

If you are not selling your stocks, do not average or buy more stocks at a lower price immediately, until there are confirmed signs that the market has stabilised. It is like catching a falling knife when the market is dropping, and especially if the market drops are due to external factors. What is low today can become lower especially if the falling momentum increases as the day passes.

When a market has crashed, the mood will have decidedly changed from bullishness to bearishness. The first few days after a crash, there is confusion. It is during these moments of confusion that having a clear direction and a trading plan for bearish periods, would put you into focus with a clear way how to trade or ride out these turbulent times.

It is during a market crash that there is a flight back to quality stocks, and also traders will be exploring new avenues for making a consistent replacement income. When things look bad in the stock market sector, there would be many traders who will want to look at trading other financial instruments, such as currencies and forex. The forex market is active 24 hours every day, and represents the biggest financial trading market in the world. For the trader, as long as the sun rises and the sun sets, the world of trading continues, irrespective of its outward form as stocks and shares, futures and commodities or currencies and forex.

Peter Lim is a Certified Financial Planner. To discover how you can make money from the forex trading during stock market crashes, and to earn a substitute or replacement income trading forex, visit the author’s blog at http://1forex-trading.blogspot.com

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Short term Forex trading can get pretty scary sometimes and good traders are always looking for a way to reduce the risk and increase the profits.

Do you have a short term forex trading style? If so, you need to be aware every day of the data releases, prominent speakers, and other potential big market moving events in the day ahead. Do not forget that the economic data calendar for the forex market is all encompassing. On any given day it’s possible for items coming from several different countries to have an impact on price action. Consider the following example, this is an indicator that moves the market.

CCI – Consumer Confidence Index

The Conference Board; Last Tuesday of each month, 10:00am EST, covers current month’s data. The CCI is a survey based on a sample of 5,000 U.S. households and is considered one of the most accurate indicators of confidence. The idea behind consumer confidence is that when the economy warrants more jobs, increased wages, and lower interest rates, it increases our confidence and spending power. The respondents answer questions about their income, the market condition as they see it, and the chances to see increase in their income. Confidence is looked at closely by the Federal Reserve when determining interest rates. It is considered to be a big market mover as private consumption is two thirds of the American economy. If you are looking for an effective forex currency trading system, then using this report can make it even better.

Obviously, long-term traders don’t have to be keenly aware of the upcoming data and influential speakers. However, they should, be alert to the happenings in markets which influence forex. Those include interest rates, commodities, and perhaps stocks at times.

If you really want to improve your trading then be sure to click on the link below, you will be glad you did. Good luck trading.

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See what a Forex Trading Robot can do for you! Forex Robot is a must.

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If you don’t mind losing $5,000 in 10 minutes, you may enjoy trading commodity futures contracts. There’s an old saying among commodity traders: “It’s easy to make a small fortune in commodities. Just start with a large fortune!” This is not a business for people who are emotionally attached to their money, yet thousands of average “investors” get lured into the commodity markets year after year. Why? Because of the possibility of making high percentage gains using the built-in leverage that is available to commodity futures traders.

The commodity markets include wheat, corn, soybeans, pork-bellies, gold, silver, heating oil, lumber, and numerous other common trade items. The huge companies that operate in these markets use commodity “futures” contracts to lock in their selling prices for the product in advance of delivery. This practice is called “hedging.” On the other side of that transaction is the trader, who speculates on whether the priced of the commodity will go up or down before the contract is due for delivery. Because futures contracts may be purchased using leverage, these financial instruments lend themselves to speculation.

For example, control of a corn contract worth $5,000 may only requrie $500 of actual cash, or 10% of the face value of the contract. If the corn goes up in value, and the contract becomes worth, say, $5,500, the speculator has made $500 on his or her original $500, for a 100% return. Compare this with the regular stock market, which limits leverage to 50%, so that $5,000 worth of stock requires a minimum of $2,500 of capital. If the stock goes up to $5,500 in value, the $500 gain is against $2,500 invested, for a return of “only” 20%. The 100% return sure looks a lot better, right?

You can easily see why investors in search of quick gains are hypnotized by the lure of big profits using maximum leverage in commodity futures trading. The real problem, however, is that the leverage works in BOTH DIRECTIONS. You can lose your entire investment in a matter of minutes due to the wild price gyrations that sometimes occur in these volatile markets. Let’s say the $5,000 contract drops to $4,000 in value instead of increasing. You’ve not only lost the original $500 you put into the contract, but an additional $500. You can go broke quickly this way.

So why do people play this game? Average investors do not wake up in the morning and say to themselves, “Right, I think I’ll start trading commodities.” What happens is, they receive a sales pitch from a commodity trading “guru” claiming to have a “system” for generating sure-fire profits in these wild markets. These “systems” range in price from $25 all the way up to $5,000 or more, and are sold based on the promise of “huge profits” from a small starting investment.

Newsletter writers or commodity gurus regularly pitch the myth about turning $5,000 into a million bucks in less than a year. The typical commodity system pitch comes in a long sales letter or booklet that describes a method for winning on “9 out of 10″ trades or similar inflated claims.

Of course, if it was possible to correctly trade 90% of the time, a person could easily amass millions of dollars in a very short period of time. So why are these guys so eager for you to spend $195 on their super-duper trading course? Because they probably aren’t making any real money with their own trading program! There’s much safer money to be made selling others on the idea of getting into commodity futures trading.

There is no sure-fire way to consistently make money in these markets, simply because the underlying commodity prices can swing wildly back and forth depending on a complex set of variables, many of which are totally unpredictable. That’s why the only people consistently making money in the commodity markets are the brokers, who collect a commission for executing the trade regardless of whether it wins or loses. There are also a handful of successful professional traders who make a living in these markets. But the vast majority of people who dabble in commodity futures lose money.

Unfortunately, with the lure of huge returns and easy money, a fresh crop of innocent traders enters the market each year, only to be quickly fleeced out of their money. Don’t be one of them! Leave commodity futures trading to the professionals and stick with the more boring forms of investment, such as mutual fund investing or stocks and bonds.

Charles J. Phelan has been helping consumers become debt-free without bankruptcy since 1997. A former senior executive with one of the nation’s largest debt settlement firms, he is the author of the Debt Elimination Success Seminar™, a five-hour audio-CD course that teaches consumers how to choose between debt program options based on their financial situation. The course focuses on comprehensive instruction in do-it-yourself debt negotiation & settlement designed to save $1,000s. Personal coaching and follow-up support is included. Achieves the same results as professional firms for a tiny fraction of the cost. http://www.zipdebt.com

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With oil prices seemingly reaching new highs daily, a lot of Forex market participants have been trying to use this fact as a proxy for currency trading. General consensus is that some national currencies are correlated, to some degree, to major commodities and can be taken advantage of. Most experts, however, have never been able to agree on which currency would be the best crude play. Until now.

Number of oil rich countries are small states located around the Persian Gulf. Outside of crude production, their economies are not large, in line with small populations. This countries formed a Gulf Cooperation Council, both economic and, to a lesser degree, military organization. Saudi Arabia is the largest member state, with Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, United Arab Emirates and Oman making the list. Yemen is a pending member.

Since oil is priced in US dollars, respective currencies of the member states have been pegged to dollar. Over last few years this arrangement created certain problems for the Council states: very high crude prices and weak dollar caused huge inflation pressures. In spite of that, central banks had to lower rates in line with FED, due to dollar pegs, furthering inflationary threats. For example, Qatar’s inflation exceeded 13% in 2007. Not a welcome development.

After years of discussions and planning, central banks of Gulf Cooperation Council,
have approved a draft of a charter for a central monetary authority. This agreement moved the group closer toward a goal of establishing a single currency for the member states. The launch of the new currency is set for 2010, but most experts expect it to be delayed. In project of this complexity and scope working out all the issues almost always takes longer than expected. We all remember Euro.

For example, Kuwait severed its dollar link last year and started tracking its dinar against a basket of currencies to help ease inflation that was driven in part by higher import costs – a decision that could be a major obstacle to reaching the 2010 target date for monetary union. Kuwait has not disclosed composition of the currency basket used for the new peg. Every member would also have to cap inflation within certain range, before the the union can proceed.

Despite set backs like this, at a recent meeting in Qatar, central bank governors reaffirmed the aim of monetary union in 2010 as Gulf states sought to avert additional unilateral decisions on currency policy that could jeopardize the project. Gulf Cooperation Council countries would “push ahead with the implementation of single currency on time”, stated one official.

Once the new currency is introduced, it would likely become available for trading very quickly. Most brokers would like to capitalize on the initial interest as soon as possible. Cost of trading would be another story, however, with rich spread and some illiquid time periods throughout the trading day. Nonetheless, it is certain there are scores of traders eagerly awaiting this yet unnamed currency.

Gulf Cooperation Council members believe that new monetary union will help curb inflation. Among many other stated benefits are increased economic cooperation in the region, easy in money and goods flow. Single currency should also place Persian Gulf States in better position in increasingly border less world economy. And perhaps help them to prepare them for the next big step – life after oil.

Mike P. Kulej is a Chief Forex Strategist for Spectrum Forex LLC. He specializes in mechanical trading systems as explained on http://www.spectrumforex.com Spectrum Forex LLC offers numerous services to individual traders. With questions and comments e-mail him at kulej@spectrumforex.com

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Do you want a currency trading system that’s so simple, you will understand how and why it works in ten minutes, that has been used by some of the top traders of all time, is free and makes money? Then read on.

The currency trading system we are going to look at here is simplicity itself and you will easily understand why it works.

Many traders think it can’t work because it’s so simple – but when you consider trading legends such as Richard Dennis have used it in their forex trading strategies, then you will understand its well worth considering!

So what’s the system?

It’s Richard Donchian’s 4 Week Rule

This system was originally devised in the late seventies, to trade commodities, by the father of modern trend following – Richard Donchian.

He noticed the predominance of the 4 week cycle in markets and based his system upon it. Here it is – just one rule: Close out short positions and take long position when a price exceeds the highs of the previous 4 calendar weeks. Close out long positions and take short position when a price falls below the lows of the previous 4 calendar weeks.
That’s it!

You can’t get simpler than that and it works, check a long term time period on your forex charts and you will see it does. The downside of the system is that it will get chopped about and incur loses, when the markets consolidate. Here you can add a filter:
To enter positions on the 4 week rule and exit the position on a shorter time frame.
Periods that are frequently used are 1 or 2 weeks and then re enter on the 4 week rule.
Not only is this system simple, its totally mechanical and you have no subjective judgment to make, you only need to execute the trading signal based upon a clear rule and the filter and that’s clear cut. Now it’s simple to learn, easy to use and it makes money – but most traders won’t even consider using it!

Why?

1. Because it’s too simple for most traders

They feel more comfortable using trendy indicators or systems and this one is not trendy but on the other hand, it will beat 99% of the forex trading systems sold by vendors.

2. It needs discipline to follow it.

It needs more discipline than many systems, because it is not fussy about pinpoint market timing and this is hard for traders to accept – even though it makes money.

3. It doesn’t trade often

Most traders don’t trade to make money, they trade for the thrill of trading and this system definitely won’t suit this group!

Simple currency trading systems work best and always have, as their more robust in the face of brutal ever changing market conditions.

This trading system beats numerous complicated ones, as they have too many elements which break.

The above system works longer term and always has – its based on simple methodology but that doesn’t mean it’s not profitable, it is.

If you take the time to look at it you will see the merits of incorporating it in your forex trading strategy and you’re in good company, with the number of top traders who use it or have used it over the years.

This currency trading system should be part of any trader’s essential forex education so look at the profit potential of the 4 Rule.

NEW! FREE PDF REPORTS
CATCH THE BIG TRENDS NOW!

Get free essential trading Pdf’s on catching the big profits from the big moves and a Best Currency Trading Systems visit our website at: http://www.forextrendfollowing.com

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During times of troubled markets it can be incredibly hard to decide where is best to put your money. With the recent credit crisis and problems in the real estate markets regular stocks and real estate investments are nowhere near as attractive as they were a couple of years ago.

Where is the smart money?

One great way to invest is to invest in what are known as mega trends. This theory states that rather than trying to find a good egg in a bad basket (in this case picking a good stock that may rise in a falling market) you should focus on investing in an industry or sector that is booming. Currently the latest mega trend is commodities.

Why are commodities the best investment to make?

The booming economies in both India and China have caused massive increases in demand for commodities such as oil, steel and precious metals. For most of us in the west this has been bad news, resulting in the price of gasoline and our weekly food bills increasing significantly.

However there are numerous ways you can benefit from rising commodities prices. By gaining exposure to the commodities markets you can make real profit from the continued rise in prices. Many investors are scared off from the sector thinking that a commodity trading is not for individuals and should be left to the professionals. This could not be further from the truth. There are a large number of ways now available for individuals to invest in these markets, either directly or indirectly.

With the populations and economies in the east showing no sign of slowing down it seems hard to see when or why commodities prices will fall.

For further information about how to trade commodities please click here.

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On April 30th, the Federal Reserve announced a cut in their main interest rate by 25 basis points, to 2% from 2.25%. This is the seventh such cut by the US central bank since the beginning of the credit crunch some eight months ago, totaling 3.25% in cuts to the key rate that banks charge each other for overnight loans. These cuts have been made in an attempt to lower mortgage rates to help bolster the real estate market. As the fragile US economy staggers towards recovery, two major agents are working against American consumers: record inflation in food and energy. What can we expect in the future for these troubled yet lucrative markets?

In the short term, volatility will probably continue to dominate, but in the middle term inflation may take precedent over combating the slowdown, both for the central bank and regular consumers. Just as the Fed began to cut interest rates, the dollar’s 5-year slide accelerated, pushing commodities that are priced in dollars like oil down relative to other currencies. This self-reinforcing process means that their futures markets are cheaper to buy in other currencies, which has led to a massive increase in speculation by flustered investors looking for a safe haven for their assets.

If the Fed were to continue to cut interest rates further, this process could keep consumer spending, which accounts for two thirds of the US economy, tamped down for some time. In March, spending only increased more than projected (0.4%) because of highly inflated energy and food costs. In addition, businesses have continued to feel the pinch of higher secondary costs that affect many other prices, even as output continues to fall. Nevertheless, the strong March activity index from the Institute for Supply Management was still stronger (48.6, with 50 meaning zero growth) than many economists had expected, implying some underlying resilience.

The lingering question remains: what is the Federal Reserve doing by cutting an inter-bank interest rate? It appears now that they are stoking inflation through price distortion, if the positive effects thereof (some stabilization of the troubled financial sector) is ignored. By making dollars cheaper, the value of oil and food is cheapened and necessarily must rise accordingly. Now exchange rates between the dollar and the euro have statistically matched fluctuations in oil prices for 52% of the last six months, compared to less than 1% for the years between 1999 and 2004. Investors and speculation have turned commodities into a superb place to dump cash, but such simplistic reasoning should be setting off alarms in the wake of the credit crunch.

In Washington and abroad, few have challenged the Fed’s decisions, which have not been as noticeably correlated to price increases until recently. That may change as eurozone inflation remains stubbornly above target levels, mostly because the European Central Bank takes energy and food into its purview. While the Fed are still supposed to fight inflation first, their smaller focus means that their culpability is limited. As the election looms over Ben Bernanke’s head, he is likely receiving pressure to stabilize first and ask questions later. However, a housing bubble and top-teir mismanagement led to the credit crunch now dragging down global growth. No one is looking to repeat this experience, especially because a commodity bubble is surely the worst kind.

Escapeso Real Estate runs a site dedicated to covering Austin Texas real estate. Their site provides a graphical search of the Austin MLS for visitors along with providing up to date commentary on their blog covering Austin real estate.

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