Great thread everyone. I think that the impact of psychology in trading is significantly reduced if you see the consistency you have spotted in the market (i.e. your trading edge/strategy/system) occur time and time again. The stronger the pattern, ...

Something most traders miss... (psychology)

Start small and build up slowly - best to 'discover' yourself with losses that won't be too painful...

Something most traders miss... (psychology)

Trouble is, you can only get to grips with the whole psychology thing by trading with real money. There's no substitute for experience.

Something most traders miss... (psychology)

At the end of the day, I'm much happier trading in a real market, through a broker who matches my trade to another trader's rather than with a broker who takes the other side of my trade. In the ECN scenario, I have the security of anonimity with my ...

Broker Recommendation PLEASE!

This slippage occurred when two orders were matched way off the market price, a scenario which is indeed made possible by an order matching system. However, a "soft limit" market entry would have prevented this from happening.

Broker Recommendation PLEASE!

On the EFX platform (ECN broker), enter your trade at market using a "soft limit", rather like the "bounds" on the OANDA platform. This guarantees that you won't get filled above the limit price if you are going long, or below the limit price if you ...

Broker Recommendation PLEASE!

An ECN is a broker that matches your trade with another trader taking the opposite side, i.e. you are trading in the real market and not against a broker who is the buyer/seller of last resort.

Broker Recommendation PLEASE!

I would try an ECN if I were you. In this way, at least you don't have to worry about the broker trying to fleece you.

Broker Recommendation PLEASE!

Best thing you can do is take the loss and switch to a reputable broker, preferably an ECN whose primary interest is in you WINNING. The more wins you make, the more likely you are to increase your position sizes, and their commission goes up. It's ...

How the retail Forex works. Dealers vs. Clients

With the difference between the expected figures and those released, it can only be a Good Friday.

Good Friday NFP

Do traders experience the same problems with ECN brokers such as Interactive Brokers?

How the retail Forex works. Dealers vs. Clients

At 18.16.15 GMT, TradeTheNews tells me that "(FOMC) DROPS TIGHTENING BIAS". This, coupled by the market's reaction tells me that the market's interpretation of the statement is that either a rate hike is less likely, or that a reduction of the ...

FOMC Statement

I agree that markets are manipulated wherever the opportunity arises. The human condition dictates that people should behave in this way. However, these riggers can only manipulate the market to a certain extent. True, institutions can use releases ...

Today's news - I don't get it!

The initial spike is created by the banks. They want to get in on the first piece of action, so they automatically adjust the price in the direction they believe the market should go. How traders react to the spike and the figures released is ...

Strategy for news trading

Hi Lou, I think that this is an interesting train of thought. I am sure that certain indicators could be predictive of others, for instance, low consumer confidence could pre-empt a low CPI. After all, if one bit of the economy is bad, it's bound to ...

Strategy for news trading

The fundamental problem with straddling for me is that the figures for many news releases come out as expected. When this happens, the price often jumps about both above and below the pre-release price. furthermore, you often get filled before you ...

Strategy for news trading

As far as I see it, the problem with straddling is that you don't actually have to use your brain to trade it - inasmuch you could describe it as a brainless strategy. The problem is that the guys at the banks and brokers have one over straddlers as ...

Strategy for news trading

I can't see the point of trying to get in before the spike. Far too much stress and hassle. Why not just wait till after the spike and trade the market's reaction to it and to the figures released. A much clearer and simpler way to trade.

Is trading spikes really possible?