Market TypesThe market often display's some very familiar patterns of price movement. Once a pattern is established, it becomes the most probable course of future price action until the market changes. There are two types of markets which become important for the beginning trader to identify; trending and trend-less. Each market type has two specific patterns which you will also notice over time.
These market types and patterns can be defined as follows:
Trending - Steady elongated price movements with less than a 45-degree angel with occasional pauses, profit taking, or resting periods.
Uptrends - A pattern of higher highs and higher lows.
Downtrends - A pattern of lower lows and lower highs.
Trend-less - Erratic price movements which are often steep ( greater than 45 -degree angle ) and cannot sustain and therefore must reverse. Although the movements can move many points in a short period of time, they often result in very little net price movement over time.
Choppy - An erratic pattern of higher highs and lower lows.
Sideways - A narrow pattern of lower highs and higher lows.
While up-trend and down-trend days can offer excellent trading results, choppy markets often create stop outs, while sideways markets produce for little in either direction. Our trading objective is to get into a trending market and ride until we make our target objective.
- Volume
Four easy rules to follow regarding Volume:
1. When prices are rising and volume is increasing, prices will continue to rise. The uptrend is being confirmed.
2. When prices are rising but volume is decreasing, the uptrend is losing momentum and may be near the end.
3. When prices are falling and volume is increasing, prices will continue to fall.
4. When prices are falling and volume is decreasing, the downtrend is losing momentum and may be near the end.
- Forex vs. Equities
If you are interested in trading currencies online, you will find that the Forex market offers several advantages over equities trading.
- 24-Hour Trading
Forex is a true 24-hour market, which offers a major advantage over equities trading. Whether it's 6pm or 6am, somewhere in the world there are always buyers and sellers actively trading foreign currencies. Traders can always respond to breaking news immediately, and P&L is not affected by after hours earning reports or analyst conference calls.
After hours trading for U.S. equities brings with it several limitations. ECN's (Electronic Communication Networks), also called matching systems, exist to bring together buyers and sellers - when possible. However, there is no guarantee that every trade will be executed, nor at a fair market price. Quite frequently, traders must wait until the market opens the following day in order to receive a tighter spread.
- Superior Liquidity
With a daily trading volume that is 50x larger than the New York Stock Exchange, there are always broker/dealers willing to buy or sell currencies in the FX markets. The liquidity of this market, especially that of the major currencies, helps ensure price stability. Traders can almost always open or close a position at a fair market price.
Because of the lower trade volume, investors in the stock market are more vulnerable to liquidity risk, which results in a wider dealing spread or larger price movements in response to any relatively large transaction.
100:1 Leverage
100:1 leverage is commonly available from online FX dealers, which substantially exceeds the common 2:1 margin offered by equity brokers. At 100:1, traders post $1000 margin for a $100,000 position, or 1%.
While certainly not for everyone, the substantial leverage available from online currency trading firms is a powerful, moneymaking tool. Rather than merely loading up on risk as many people incorrectly assume, leverage is essential in the Forex market. This is because the average daily percentage move of a major currency is less than 1%, whereas a stock can easily have a 10% price move on any given day.
The most effective way to manage the risk associated with margined trading is to diligently follow a disciplined trading style that consistently utilizes stop and limit orders. Devise and adhere to a system where your controls kick in when emotion might otherwise take over.
- Lower Transaction Costs
It is much more cost-efficient to trade Forex in terms of both commissions and transaction fees. Most Forex Brokers charge no commissions or fees whatsoever, while still offering traders access to all relevant market information and trading tools. In contrast, commissions for stock trades range from $7.95-$29.95 per trade with online discount brokers up to $100 or more per trade with full service brokers.
Another important point to consider is the width of the bid/ask spread. Regardless of deal size, forex dealing spreads are normally 5 pips or less (a pip is .0005 US cents). In general, the width of the spread in a forex transaction is less than 1/10 that of a stock transaction, which could include a .125 (1/8) wide spread.
It was generated by Joe Granville.
On Balance Volume is one indicator that is designed to track changes in volume over time.
On Balance Volume is a running total, volume indicator that is arrived at by adding or subtracting the day's volume, depending on whether the closing price is higher or lower than the previous close.
On Balance Volume Indicator is to buy when the indicator breaks out from its recent range and sell when it breaks down from its range, but it might take price a day or even two to confirm the move, so patience and other supporting trend change indicators will help.
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