All traders research the market in different ways. Some prefer analyzing what is called “fundamentals” such as a country's interest rates, trade balance and the general state of its economy, reflected in measurements of unemployment, GDP, building approvals and business investment. Other traders prefer technical analysis, using charting, such as pivot points, candlestick patters and Fibonacci retracements.
The important thing to remember is that the market is subject to both of these styles and as such, it's important for traders to have an understanding of both.
Trading Systems
Some traders do not have the time or the training to be able to do proper fundamental and technical analysis and prefer to use a robotic trading system. These have generally been developed by successful traders who have a winning formula, which they package up for sale. Choosing the right one can avoid unnecessary losses and subscription fees.
A simple way to test a trading system is to open a demo account with a forex broker you like and trade a demo account without real money. Over time, you'll see how profitable it is, or isn't. When you find a system that works for you, you can use your demo information to work out the average profit per trade. If you multiply that by the actual amount that you intent to invest in each trade, you can begin to work out the potential profit of your forex trading. Before getting too carried away with the possibilities, it is important to be realistic about the fact that demo accounts and live trading is a howl different experience and you shall most probably end up with different results altogether, and not for the better. In addition you need to take into account how much time you have to trade, over any given period. Family and work pressure can also limit the amount of trades you can successfully execute.
Managing your trading funds
As in any business, managing the money in your account is very important. This involves setting a limit of how much you'll invest in each trade, as well as how much you're willing to leverage. Poor money management can result in you quickly losing your initial capital.
Speculators are therefore well advised to know their limits in their ability to research and analyze, work out which style fits them best and if necessary, find a trading systems that works for them.
