Written on 4:42 AM by ForexGen
Forex Time Frame
You may have heard that one timeframe is better to trade than others in
forex trading.
But it really depends on your own preference as well as the way the prices move in the different timeframes.
For example, you can trade the hourly and 4 hourly charts, but what if the system requires that you adjust your stops below a trough as the trough occurs? This means that you may need to be awake at 4am to do it!
So as you can see, it depends on the rules of the system as well.
This may not be the most practical kind of set up.
Alternatively, there are systems that trade the 5 minute charts, and you do so for 3-4 hours in a row and that's it. It's a discreet period where you trade and you do it and then you stop. Then you trade again at a different part of the day or on a different day.
The consequence of this is that you need to focus during those few hours and place orders, adjust stops and profit targets etc in that time.
This may be prefered by some people as it's a discreet period of time.
You just have to find an appropriate time of the day when the markets are active and will have the movements. For example, when the US stock markets are open there is generally more activity in the currency markets invloving the USD as well, eg the major currency pairs with USD in them.
So if you live in the same time zone as the US, then this is during the day. If you live in the opposite part of the world, then this is the middle of the night.
What about the daily charts?
Yes this can be traded as well, but because the candles are bigger, if you place stops below troughs formed by daily candles, then the pips risk may be very large, so some systems therefore use a shorter time frame to place stops in this case to reduce risk.
Or alternatively, the system may not use the bottom of the trough to place a stop loss.
So as you can see, the preferred time frame to trade forex and currencies depends on:
1. Your system, and which time frame it works in, or is preferred to trade in.
2. Your preference for amount of time taken to trade and whether you want it in discreet blocks of time or to watch the trade less frequently but may have to place or adjust orders in odd times of the day.
3. The timezone you live in, and whether you're awake at the times the currency markets are active.
The Forex charts are the point of interest at ForexGen.
Charts are a significant technical analysis tool for a trader that wants to perform successful trading.
Currency charts represent a single period of time and that period could range from one minute to one month to several years.
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Written on 3:39 AM by ForexGen
Knowing when to enter the Forex Market is crucial to exercising a good technical trading strategy. There are many pitfalls that inexperienced traders experience because they are entering the market when the probability for making a successful trade is reduced.
So when is the best time to look for a trade and why?
The best time to look for a trade is when there is heavy volume in the currency markets. Since the
Forex market is open 24 hours per day, it’s best to find the times when multiple countries markets are trading at the same time.
Every Forex market in the world operates from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. in their respective time zones. In order to take advantage of the chance of many trades developing, one needs to look at when the Forex market times in different countries overlap. In the overlapping times when multiple markets are open, generally there is the most volume and pip movement.
For instance, it is best to trade the EUR/USD, USD/CHF, or GBP/USD between 8am EST and 12pm EST because the US market is just opening at 8am EST while the European market is finishing up for the day. Another good time to trade is in the middle of the night from 1am EST to 3am EST as many trades develop as the Asian markets are closing and the European markets are opening. The Australian and Asian Markets overlap between 7pm and 10pm EST as well which offer good opportunities. Generally speaking, one can just shut off their computer and not bother looking for trades from 4pm-6pm EST as the US markets close and there are no overlapping markets in those times, so although there may be profitable trades one could enter, the volume is much lower and it is far less likely great trades will develop. The Canadian market does not play a big role in affecting the markets so just trade along with the US market times when the European, Asian, or Australian markets are open.
Many currency pairs tend to trend in the same direction (parallel) or opposite directions (inversely). Traders can use this information to plan to trade more than one pair knowing that they have a high probability of moving in the same or inverse direction.
The general rule is that these pairs listed below tend to trend in parallel relationships. The Euro and Cable tend to move together the most.
EUR/USD and GBP/USD USD/CHF and USD/JPY AUD/USD and NZQ/USD
And, these pairs below tend to move inversely the most. The Euro and the Swissy tend to move inversely the most.
EUR/USD and USD/CHF GBP/USD and USD/JPY AUD/USD and USD/CAD
Lastly, remember that when trading, Bulls and Bears make money, but pigs get slaughtered. Don’t be too greedy. Trade with proper equity management and never risk more than 2% of your trading account on a single trade. Look for 10%-30% pip gains and move on to the next trades. Building small consistent profits will add up to large long-term gains. Trade during times when markets overlap, and use information on parallel and inverse relationships to determine whether or not to enter on trades on multiple currency pairs at the same time.
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Written on 3:05 AM by ForexGen

The Foreign Exchange ("forex" or "FX") currency market is not traded on a regulated exchange like stocks and commodities. Rather, the market consists of a network of financial institutions and retail trading brokers which each have their own individual hours of operation. Since most participants trade between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. in their local time zone, these times are used as the market open and close times, respectively.
| Forex Market Center | Time Zone | Opens GMT | Closes GMT | Status |
Frankfurt Germany | Europe/Berlin | 06:00 AM 18-June-2008 | 02:00 PM 18-June-2008 | Open |
London Great Britain | Europe/London | 07:00 AM 18-June-2008 | 03:00 PM 18-June-2008 | Open |
New York United States | America/New_York | 12:00 PM 18-June-2008 | 08:00 PM 18-June-2008 | Closed |
Sydney Austrailia | Australia/Sydney | 10:00 PM 18-June-2008 | 06:00 AM 19-June-2008 | Closed |
Tokyo Japan | Asia/Tokyo | 11:00 PM 18-June-2008 | 07:00 AM 19-June-2008 | Closed |
Posted in
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United States,
University of Michigan,
Virgin Islands
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