Many new forex traders think the core of a forex trading strategy should be predicting where forex prices will go. Try it and you will lose, you will win if you trade in a different way so why is prediction not the way to make money? Let’s find out. If you are predicting you are in effect hoping or guessing which is not a way to make money in any venture let alone forex trading. You cannot predict the future and if you try, your predictions will be as accurate as your horoscope.

There is however a big market in people who say they can predict and many theories that say you can such as Elliot wave, Fibonacci and Gann. They argue that as human nature is constant so the markets must be as well. However if you think about it this logic is obviously not true, because if markets were predictable with science, we would all know the answer in advance and there would be no market.

Markets move based upon uncertainty and while human nature is constant, it is not predictable with science – trading is a game of odds not certainties. If you want to win you trade the reality of price change and don’t try and guess in advance.

For example if you see a market testing a level of resistance you do not simply enter a trading signal – if you do you are trading against the trend and you could be wrong. Instead you wait for prices to test resistance and wait for prices to turn back the other way. Sure you miss the turn – but you couldn’t predict that anyway, so there is no point trying!

How do you know when to trade.

The secret of correct market timing is using momentum oscillators. There are many you can use and three of the best are: RSI, ADX and the stochastic indicator. We don’t have time to go through exactly how they work here simply look at our other articles and make them part of your essential forex education.

The key advantage they give you with your forex trading strategy is they allow you to gauge shifts in price momentum. You can use these shifts, to allow you to trade the reality of a price change to achieve better market timing and more forex profits.

The forex traders who rely on prediction lose and are generally naïve or greedy traders who think forex trading is simply a walk in the park – its not and neither would you expect it to be. The real pro forex traders don’t rely on hope or guessing or attempting to buy market tops or bottoms they look at and trade the reality of price change.

The way to succeed in forex is simply to look at support or resistance and time your entry on shifts in momentum and you should not just do this with a view to these levels holding.
You also need to buy or sell breakouts of new market highs or lows. It’s a fact that most markets develop their best trends from these highs and lows and you need to learn to go with them and enter the market.

It may look like your getting in at good levels and its tempting to wait for the pullback – but these moves tend to not pull back and accelerate and offer the biggest profit potential. The market price is the right place and if you cut out prediction and trade the reality, you can have the basis of a forex trading strategy that can make big consistent profits.

By: Monica Hendrix

There are many different forex trading strategies as there are many different ways of achieving forex trading success but if you are devising one for yourself there are some key elements the best forex trading strategies incorporate and that the subject of this article.

1. They are Simple

There is a big myth that science can help you trade and the buzz words are neural networks and artificial intelligence systems and other complicated trading systems. The problem is complex forex trading systems with to many inputs mean there are more elements to break and these systems fail in real time.

The base of your forex trading strategy should be a simple trading system that will be robust in the face of ever changing brutal market conditions.

2. Objectivity

The best forex trading strategies tend to be based around objective criteria and rules that are clear and do not have too much subjectivity. For example, a moving average cross over is an objective forex trading signal – Elliot wave and cycles are not and involve subjectivity.

By keeping your strategy objective rather than subjective, you will keep your emotions out and stay disciplined.

3. Trade Valid Data

If your forex trading strategy involves technical analysis and forex charting then you need to use valid data. Forex day trading systems don’t work, as volatility in short time frames is random and prices can and do go anywhere. You need to get the odds on your side and that means trading longer term – swing trading or long term trend following.

4. Breakouts

Most of the top trading systems use breakout methodology, as it’s a fact most major moves start from new market highs not market lows.

Traders who want to get in at a lower price miss these moves – breakout traders know that the odds favour a continuation of the move when a significant level of support and resistance has been penetrated.

5. Money Management

The best forex strategies know there is risk involved in any trade and manage not just the risk per trade but have their eye on the overall risk to the account and the risk of ruin. You need to take care of the losses first and if you have a sound robust currency trading system the profits will look after themselves.

6. Acting on Confirmation

Many forex trading strategies liked to try and base themselves on so called scientific theories of market movement but the fact is trading is a game of odds NOT certainties and this is obvious. If markets did move to a scientific theory we would all know the price in advance and there would be no market.

While this is obvious many traders like to trade far out theories like: Gann Fibonacci and Elliot wave. None of them are scientific by nature and all involve subjectivity from the user – this is a contradiction in terms of a scientific theory.

Predicting means you are hoping or guessing and that won’t get you far in life and certainly not FX trading.

7. Realism

The best forex trading strategies have realistic aims in terms of profits and while many can make triple digit profits in short periods of time over the longer term the best do 30 – 50% compounded and if you had one that did similar you would quickly compound a lot of money and be very wealthy.

If you understand the above you will see that forex trading strategies that are successful tend to be simple, robust, objective and have strong money management linked to realistic goals. If you do the same in your forex trading strategy you can make a lot of money in global forex markets.

By: Kelly Price