For the week ending Fri 05-Dec-2008 I managed scrape out an 8% increase in net asset value.This week was more challenging, for me, than last week. I seem biased to seek opportunities with gains on the up side. So, on a week with sideways trading and periods of downward drift things slowed down.However, as always, watching my own trades brings insights that might be useful to other traders.For

Guess what. Some of the books that I bought have had an impact on my trading. I know, I hear the phrase "No shit, Sherlock" echoing out there. However, so many of the Internet generation want everything to be fast, easy and online that I just have to stress the value of more formal information.I bet you'd also be surprised to hear how many traders are starting out in their teenage years. It's

Well, with commodity prices spiraling down the toilet, it's a good time to be short of the AUDJPY.Look, put an SMA 20 on your AUDJPY chart. Load up the 1HR or 3HR chart. What direction is the simple moving average going?That's the trend.So, if the trend is your friend, what's the best direction to play?You guessed it in one... down!If you know how to draw a resistance line, or to put something

Well, it's been an interesting 24 hours on the Forex markets.I'd like to say I was on top of everything and made a boatload, but instead I have to admit this has been a lesson style experience. My stops were hammered mercilessly and then the markets dumped me unceremoniously on the pavement. So to speak.I guess the theme of the day is weakness in Europe. Another theme might be strength in

I see people in various forums asking what the best rate of return is for professional forex traders.What kind of question is that?Do you want an annualized answer based on a great trading day? I could boast a fabulous rate of return if I did that, but it wouldn't be meaningful.How about an annualized rate of return for a trader's best month? No? Maybe some arbitrary consecutive twelve month

So, I've been practicing my strategy using a micro-account for months, and it's time to up my game and start trading for real.I capitalized my account on Thursday evening and have been playing the AUDJPY with a more serious dollar value for the last two days. Here is a summary of the mistakes I noticed myself making over this period:Discipline breakdown. I broke discipline and acquired too many

Well, positions entered overnight and this morning have now been stopped out. We are approaching the SMA-50 (simple moving average over fifty measurements) at approximately 96.37 and we are likely to enter a buying zone soon.Obviously, the risk is that it won't bounce, or worse, that it will bounce, give us false confidence, and then fall like a rock.In any case, I'll be taking small chunks with

Well, it had to happen. After I was forced to make a withdrawal from my account due to the fact I was surprised that someone had given me an NSF check. There simply wasn't much capital left.This means that any sudden moves, as happened today, would cause my account to run out of cash. Well, it did.It's not fun, but at least at this point we are talking about a very small amount of cash. So,

Well, things have gone poorly just lately. Not because of anything that I've been responsible for, but because I was the recipient of an "insufficient funds" check. As the money I was planning to use over the holiday period was rudely removed from my account I was forced to withdraw a large portion of my Forex account.I'm quite peeved!Especially since I had some good in-profit positions

Today's fed announcement caught me with an unprotected position. Needless to say, as the floor dropped out of the AUDJPY market, I was given a bit of an unpleasant ride.However, I didn't blow up my account, so hopefully things will settle down and drift towards "the middle" so I can get out without too much pain.

Well, it has been a few days since then, so I can't remember the full details, but I was able to catch an up-trend with a significant amount of my net asset value slipped in.Basically, when an initial foray is in-profit, I'm ready to put in more when the trend seems apparent and things are acting rationally. So, after a few ups and downs, perhaps within an up trend, I could have accumulated

Finally, I seem to be able to make a few dollars. This is significant as it represents a ray of sunshine in my quest to become a Forex trader.I'm still playing with a small account balance, but hey, if I'm able to grow this into a more serious stake, I'll be willing to trade with it.Anyway, to give you what might be a trading tip or two, my process currently is to start out by looking at a 1hr

I'm still trading the AUDJPY.I've learned that the Dow Jones and the AUDJPY have a correlation based on the fact that people borrow Japanese Yen to invest. You can watch the AUDJPY rise and fall as the Dow rises and falls.Hmm, what else have I learned?I've also learned that I have a tendency to get too heavily invested. I guess I'd be okay if I had a larger capitalization -- assuming I did not

I've been having a great time spotting trends on the AUDJPY today. Well, of course, I have to point out that trends are good until they change. However, with that out of the way, I've been able to pick up some trends, identify channels, and generally advance my knowledge and confidence quite a bit.Sure, sure, I know, everyone can float in a rising tide, but check the charts today, things have

Well, I'm not sure if the USDCAD has finally hit bottom or not. It's around parity today which is pretty much what people were talking about.Now, I did purchase some before parity. So, I'm underwater, holding my breath, wondering how much time it might take before I'll notice some buoyancy and float back to the surface.I guess this makes me a swing trader, because now I'm looking at holding my

Sure, you want to have as much capital as possible involved in an upswing, but it's painful having a stake while the market slides.Unfortunately, you have to keep dipping in your toe. At the apparent end of a long slide, or when a correction appears to run its course, it's time to dip in that toe. What happens when you end up tossing your coins into the fray and the market rejects your advances

I'm still a little gun shy.I see little dips and corrections, which is only to be expected, and my stress levels go through the roof. That's what I get for playing across the recent job reports news last week.All I can do is remind myself of various cliches. You have to play to win. No risk no reward. Buy low sell high. No guts no glory.I suppose all this concern is healthy. It will

Well, now that I've exited most of my positions profitably, I'm paranoid. What if I put in some more cash and the market takes another massive dump? Heck, it has been a long upward run so I'm sure a correction is brewing at some point, right?You have to play to win.If I sit on the sidelines and fret away the day I'll get nowhere. What I need to do is participate in a guarded way. What I

I'm learning. Every day I'm learning.Some fundamental news came out this morning. That was great, and I got some profits because of it, but at the same time I had limits on a lot of my positions to help ensure that I'd get out of positions and free up margin room.This means I've left a lot, and I mean a lot, of gains on the table. That's too bad.In the currency exchange market, finding the

There is an important difference between Forex instruments and stocks or bonds. The nature of this difference requires that you adjust your thinking.When you buy a stock, the presumption is that with inflation or growth that the stock will eventually always climb. That, at least, is the goal.Trading on exchange rates is a different ballgame. The rate of exchange is a ratio representing the