Forex Trading Strategies – Enrich Your Trading Arsenal
December 21st, 2009
Forex trading strategies are essential for a trader. A trader should know when to be Bullish or to be Bearish. Forex trading strategies help you analyze the market and to take the last step of your analysis – to buy or sell a contract. This is the most complicated part of the whole process. Determining the time of the opening and closing of positions should be as accurate as possible.
The decision often must be taken within a few minutes or hours, using various tools of technical analysis.
Key Forex trading strategies:
1. Support and Resistance
Forex trading strategies, based on the break of a resistance, often give a great signal to buy. Buy and protect your position by the stop-loss order, which should be placed below the level of the occurred break (break level now turns to a new level of support). A new position can also be opened, if in the downward trend the price went up to the line of resistance, or if at the time of a rising trend the price fell to support.
2. Prices crossing the trend lines
Most important is the intersection of a proven and several times checked trend-line, which would allow a trader to enter / exit early. At the same time, it is better to also keep an eye on other technical indicators. If you are using the trend-line as your Support / Resistance, buy when prices fall to a solid upward trend line and sell when prices rise to a solid downward trend-line. This is one of the sound Forex trading strategies.
3. Scanning the breaks
Forex trading strategies, based on breaks, include 3 main options:
- Open a position in advance, in the anticipation of a break;
- If you see an unfolding break, open your position at the time of its occurrence;
- Wait for the inevitable roll-back after the break, because in the market after a break, there is usually a correction.
Forex trading strategies in this case can include a combine approach – a trader can open one position in each of the three phases. You can open a small position before the break, then buy another position immediately after the break and, finally, open an additional position at the time of a small fall in prices during the correction, following the break.
4. Trading with positions of various time frames
1). Long-term holding of open positions ranging from a few days to several months, these types of positions are maximally effective in the emerging trends and the least effective at the time of flat trends. When working on long-term positions, fundamental analysis is just as important as technical analysis. This is one of the moderately safe Forex trading strategies.
2). Forex trading strategies, based on medium-long positions, i.e., few days. Also analyze short-term scales. Such positions are likely the most stable for profit, but their analysis is a bit trickier. Look, as usual, for the best time for the opening / closing positions. Again, use in addition to technical analysis also the fundamental analysis, which is perfectly suited for longer timescales.
3). Forex trading strategies, based on short positions, i.e., ranging from several minutes to several hours. Fundamental analysis is in fact useless in this case, so you can fully concentrate on the technical analysis. The price will not change unexpectedly at your absence, because you’ll be constantly following it. However, risk of losses is very high, making short-term positions more suited to professional traders, and not for beginners. Another drawback is that you’ll have to have focus on the prices throughout the whole day. Try to also use the volume indicators, which will help more accurately determine the direction of the market. Also, this type of position is good for trade in breaks, and rollbacks. Generally, these positions are not very suitable for the novice trader; a novice trader is better to stay with medium-term trends.
Forex trading strategies based on technical analysis indicators will help you achieve the best results. Forex trading strategies are especially useful for choosing the right time to enter and exit the trades.
Author Steve Maenshel is a ten year veteran of the forex markets. He can help you understand forex trading strategies. For more forex trading information, visit his forex resource center.