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Being a successful FOREX trader requires a trading strategy. There is not one known strategy that will work for all traders. Instead, each trader has to develop a unique approach to FOREX trading. Some will depend entirely on technical analysis and others like to use fundamental analysis. However, a lot of successful traders employ a combination of fundamental and technical analysis to obtain an overview of market conditions. Based on the market conditions, these traders can plot entry and exit points.

The most important concept that technical analysis relies on is that prices move by trends. A common saying in FOREX trading is “The trend is your friend.” There are identifiable patterns in market movements that have been analyzed for many years. A good understanding of these trends and how to read them makes up the foundation of a good trading strategy.

There are several analytical tools around to help you understand market movements. The novice FOREX trader would be smart to study every one individually to gain a working understanding of the ideas and uses. Once any tool is understood, it should be used while studying the rest. The tools tend to reinforce each other.

Many FOREX trading strategies rely on the concepts of price support and resistance. The lowest price observed over time in a currency’s price swings is called the ’support’ level. When the price falls to that level it is usually expected to rise again. The ‘resistance’ level is the highest price observed to repeat over time and when a currency reaches that high it would be expected to fall. The upper ‘resistance’ level and the lower ’support’ level are the limits of price movement for any given time period.

Price are expected to continue in the direction they are moving when they break through support or resistance levels e.g. if the price falls below the resistance level, the price should continue to fall.

Price charts needs to be analyzed to look for any unbroken support and resistance levels. Though charts with longer time frames show more important support/resistance levels, analysis can occur over any amount of time. Support/resistance levels are a tool that traders can use to figure out when to enter or exit a trade.

FOREX trader use another common tool as part of their trading strategies: simple moving average (SMA). SMA shows the average price in a given period of time (ie the average for the month) over a length of time (ie in a year). This tends to give a clearer picture of price movements because it can eliminate the noise of short-term fluctuations. FOREX traders plot SMA to predict when prices will rise or fall. If prices are above SMA, they tend to keep rising; in contrast, if prices are below SMA, they tend to continue falling.

You can use either or both of a couple of different strategies for trading. In reality, if you are trading with FOREX, you really need a variety of different tools for making trades and to verify the indications of different studies. When various indications imply market movement in the same direction, you can be more assured than you would with only one indication.

You can use fundamental analysis in the same way to bolster your technical findings, and the reverse is true as well. In an ideal situation, to be a successful FOREX trader you must decide on your trading strategy by analyzing many factors.

To be a successful FOREX trader you should be able to understand when to enter, as well as exit a trade, be alert to the signs of market changes, how much you can afford to lose if a trade goes against you. Learning these technical analysis rules will go a long way in making your future both profitable and successful.

Tags: Investing