learn forex first

Larnaca, located in the stunning south east corner of Cyprus is currently undergoing an expansive redevelopment phase funded by just over 3.5bn Euros. Double digit growth is predicted in the property market in Larnaca and this makes investment in off-plan property in the region extremely attractive.

So what is the “double digit” growth actually based on?

Recently valuations by Alpha Bank, Cyprus’ second largest bank have shown a 20%+ increase in property values around the area, especially in village of Pyla, where there is current UK investment in off plan property.

These figures are based on the predicted increase in tourism and the redevelopment of the islands infrastructure to cope with demand. Planning restrictions for development density also mean that market saturation, like we have seen in Spain over the last few years, will be avoided which maintain property prices over the coming decade.

Three key points to note are the development of the first PGA managed Golf Course on the island just minutes drive from Larnaca, the redevelopment of Larnaca’s oil refinery into a 750 berth marina with 120 retail units including bars, restaurants and shops and the construction of the new airport terminal which on its completion in November 2009 will see the introduction of budget airlines such as Monarch and Easyjet enter the market making Cyprus an affordable yet upmarket mediterranean destination.

Unlike most of the other countries that have entered the EU recently such as Bulgaria, Cyprus already has an established expatriate and tourist base. Coupled with the fact that the average house prices in Larnaca are some of the lowest in the Euro zone, it promises to give a healthy return to any property investor who takes advantage of the market sooner rather than later.

Many people follow the misconception that overseas property investment is complicated and risky due to lax planning laws and problems with land/property ownership as we have seen in areas of Spain and Italy, however Cyprus has imposed strict licencing and planning restrictions meaning that not just anybody can buy land and build on it. The main plus point that should put wouldbe investors minds at rest is that Cyprus has the same lad registry system as the UK where title deeds are registered and held documenting legal ownership. The other major factor for investors to consider is that land and property can be purchased on a freehold basis making ownership definite and investment secure.

This Larnaca Apartments article was written by Gary Taylor, a representative of BMS Investment Homes Overseas.

BMS Investment Homes Overseas is an investment company that over the last 8 years has been selling overseas properties as a vehicle to provide excellent returns for our clients. Concentrating on developments in Larnaca, Cyprus.

For more information on investing in Cyprus please call BMS Homes at our UK office on +44 (0)121 744 1 444 and ask for Gary Taylor

Choosing a good FX currency broker can be as complex as Forex trading itself. For this reason you need to do your background work as tightly as you would (if not more so in fact) for a really big trade. Here are some tips to keep in mind to make your research and choice easier.

In the U.S., any worthwhile Forex broker will be registered as a Futures Commercial Merchant (FCM) with the CFTC (Commodities Futures Trading Commission). Finding one doesn’t end the need for research, it’s just the bare minimum you should require.

Since trades are highly leveraged (in effect, the broker ‘lends’ an investor up to 99% of the money required to make a trade), the broker you select should be associated with a firm with deep pockets.

Forex accounts are not FDIC (Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation) insured, so you can not expect the U.S. government, or any other authority to bail out the broker firm or repay you if the market turns critically downward. Large institutions, with ample capital to withstand downturns in the market, and rapid drains on their deposits if clients withdraw are crucial to your financial peace of mind.

Beyond those fundamental basics there are many options.

Since the markets trade 24 hours per day all around the world, you may want to trade after normal business hours in your home country. Whether your broker resides in the same country (usually, for language and legal reasons) or not, you want one who will pick up the phone when you call.

Forex trading has moved into the Internet age, but it is still very much a phone-based business. Getting a broker on the phone at any time 24-7 can - and often does - mean the difference between profit and a nasty loss. Sometimes, big profit or loss.

Since brokers don’t work off standard commissions the way stock or bond brokers do, you need to research the firm’s spreads. Forex trading is always done in currency pairs. A spread is the difference between the bid and ask price - what the broker pays to buy versus the amount they sell a currency for.

Some brokers offer fixed spreads on some or all trades. This has the advantage of predictability. It’s a kind of fixed ‘commission’. But that might or might not suit your budget or trading style as they are normally larger than variable spreads.

Any broker will offer a standard account to a qualified client. Typically you have to fill out an application form that states you have adequate capital and understand the risks involved in Forex trading. Standard accounts trade currency in standard lots of 100,000 units. You can’t buy 100 euros for $150, you have to buy 100,000 euros.

Since that’s a very large investment for the average trader, brokers offer leverage. Professional traders use leverage as well, of course. In other words you put in, say 1% of the total, the broker puts up the rest. That has huge profit (or loss) potential, but it entails significant risk. So be aware of a broker’s margin call policy.

Many brokers today will offer some form of ‘mini’ account. Instead of trading in standard lots, they trade in smaller units, such as 10,000. This reduces your investment from, for example, $1,500 to only $150. Most clients can easily meet that minimum.

But that lower leverage requirement limits the potential for profits. That may or may not suit your investment needs. Only you can decide.You’ll want a broker with software that provides you with the research and other trading tools you will need to be effective in Forex trading. Forex investing is much more complex and volatile than even stock or bond trading, which is already not simple when done well.

Be sure to use the trial accounts offered and make several ‘fake’ trades in order to test out the software and research available. You need real-time prices - Forex moves very fast - and lots of technical and fundamental analysis information at your fingertips.

There are websites and forums where specific brokers are discussed, but take what’s said there with a grain of salt. Just as with complaints about vendors on eBay or Amazon and other large Internet trading arenas, a few bad remarks shouldn’t ruin the reputation of honorable brokers.

Beyond all that, the factors become a little more difficult to judge. Above everything, you want to feel you trust the person on the other end of the line. They are not there to be your friend or listen to personal complaints or trade tips. But you should get the sense that they are competent, professional and ethical.

Take your time to research. After all, your decision will affect ALL your trades.

From London, Nick now lives in Stockholm with wife Lena and Gunnar a Border Terrier. He likes long forest and lakes walks, is learning Swedish and loves making money from investments that are as cunning as a fox and go up even when the markets go down! He runs http://www.forexcommodityonline.com which is all about forex trading and systems.

Whether you call it Forex or Fx, you are talking about the Foreign Exchange market. This is where the trading of currencies, one against the other, is done. To have an idea just how big the action is, add all the stock exchanges in the world together and the Foreign Exchange will still be bigger!

When you consider that various speculators, hedge funds, governments as well as companies, plus countless private investors who take part, it is hardly surprising that this market is so strong and that the estimated daily average turnover of the foreign exchange market is over 3 trillion US Dollars.

By far the most asked for rate is the SPOT RATE. This transaction has to be settled within two business days.

With London, New York, Tokyo, Frankfurt and Sydney as the chief trading centres, the action hardly ever closes.

When you are at an auction and you put your hand up, it means you are bidding for something at a certain price. In a similar way, the word BID refers to the price at which the buyer is prepared to buy the currency.

The OFFER means the price at which an amount of currency the seller is ready to sell.

A LIMIT ORDER is when you give instructions the buy or sell a currency at a predetermined exchange rate.

When international banks buy and sell between themselves, the bid and exchange rates are called INTER- BANK RATES.

The difference between the bid and ask price of a currency is the SPREAD.

STOP LOSS is when an order is given to purchase or sell a currency at a price level set by the client on a particular trade which if reached, will close out the particular position at the stated price.

TRANSACTION DATE is the date on which a foreign exchange trade is being done.

The date which foreign exchange contracts settle is called the SETTLEMENT DATE.

Every currency has a three letter code such as for the Euro (EUR), for the British Pound (GBP), for the US Dollar (USD), for the Japanese Yen (JPY), for the Australian Dollar (AUD), for the Swiss Franc (CHF), for the Canadian Dollar (CAD). Actually, these are the major trading currencies and all commonly traded currencies are called the MAJORS.

CABLE is a name given to the US Dollar/British Pound rate in the foreign exchange market.

EFT is the Electronic Fund Transfer which is the transfer of money between banks.

When there is a quote in currency pairs, remember that the first currency is called the BASE currency. The second currency is called the COUNTER currency. As an example when you get a quote GBP/USD at 1.96 it means that for one GBP you will get 1.96 USD. So for ten thousand pounds you will get nineteen thousand six hundred US Dollars.

The many foreign currency exchange companies which you can find on the internet will gladly give you a quote, and by phoning around you can find the best currency rates. They will be better than a high street bank is likely to offer and they will give you a very fast service. Furthermore, most of them will not charge you any commission or the cost of the electronic bank transfer.

Paul Dubsky is director of Foreign Currency Exchange Services Ltd. The company is focused on being able to offer really friendly currency exchange rates. We believe we are the only Foreign Currency Exchange company which offers special rates to Senior Citizens.

Why do hundreds of thousands online traders and investors trade the forex market every day, and how do they make money doing it?

This two-part report clearly and simply details essential tips on how to avoid typical pitfalls and start making more money in your forex trading.

1. Trade pairs, not currencies - Like any relationship, you have to know both sides. Success or failure in forex trading depends upon being right about both currencies and how they impact one another, not just one.
   
2. Knowledge is Power - When starting out trading forex online, it is essential that you understand the basics of this market if you want to make the most of your investments.
   The main forex influencer is global news and events. For example, say an ECB statement is released on European interest rates which typically will cause a flurry of activity. Most newcomers react violently to news like this and close their positions and subsequently miss out on some of the best trading opportunities by waiting until the market calms down. The potential in the forex market is in the volatility, not in its tranquility.
3. Unambitious trading - Many new traders will place very tight orders in order to take very small profits. This is not a sustainable approach because although you may be profitable in the short run (if you are lucky), you risk losing in the longer term as you have to recover the difference between the bid and the ask price before you can make any profit and this is much more difficult when you make small trades than when you make larger ones.
   
4. Over-cautious trading - Like the trader who tries to take small incremental profits all the time, the trader who places tight stop losses with a retail forex broker is doomed. As we stated above, you have to give your position a fair chance to demonstrate its ability to produce. If you don’t place reasonable stop losses that allow your trade to do so, you will always end up undercutting yourself and losing a small piece of your deposit with every trade.
5. Independence - If you are new to forex, you will either decide to trade your own money or to have a broker trade it for you. So far, so good. But your risk of losing increases exponentially if you either of these two things:
   Interfere with what your broker is doing on your behalf (as his strategy might require a long gestation period);
   Seek advice from too many sources - multiple input will only result in multiple losses. Take a position, ride with it and then analyse the outcome - by yourself, for yourself.
   
6. Tiny margins - Margin trading is one of the biggest advantages in trading forex as it allows you to trade amounts far larger than the total of your deposits. However, it can also be dangerous to novice traders as it can appeal to the greed factor that destroys many forex traders. The best guideline is to increase your leverage in line with your experience and success.
   
7. No strategy - The aim of making money is not a trading strategy. A strategy is your map for how you plan to make money. Your strategy details the approach you are going to take, which currencies you are going to trade and how you will manage your risk. Without a strategy, you may become one of the 90% of new traders that lose their money.
8. Trading Off-Peak Hours - Professional FX traders, option traders, and hedge funds posses a huge advantage over small retail traders during off-peak hours (between 2200 CET and 1000 CET) as they can hedge their positions and move them around when there is far small trade volume is going through (meaning their risk is smaller). The best advice for trading during off peak hours is simple - don’t.
9. The only way is up/down - When the market is on its way up, the market is on its way up. When the market is going down, the market is going down. That’s it. There are many systems which analyse past trends, but none that can accurately predict the future. But if you acknowledge to yourself that all that is happening at any time is that the market is simply moving, you’ll be amazed at how hard it is to blame anyone else.
   
10. Trade on the news - Most of the really big market moves occur around news time. Trading volume is high and the moves are significant; this means there is no better time to trade than when news is released. This is when the big players adjust their positions and prices change resulting in a serious currency flow.
11. Exiting Trades - If you place a trade and it’s not working out for you, get out. Don’t compound your mistake by staying in and hoping for a reversal. If you’re in a winning trade, don’t talk yourself out of the position because you’re bored or want to relieve stress; stress is a natural part of trading; get used to it.
12. Don’t trade too short-term - If you are aiming to make less than 20 points profit, don’t undertake the trade. The spread you are trading on will make the odds against you far too high.
13. Don’t be smart - The most successful traders I know keep their trading simple. They don’t analyse all day or research historical trends and track web logs and their results are excellent.
14. Tops and Bottoms - There are no real “bargains” in trading foreign exchange. Trade in the direction the price is going in and you’re results will be almost guaranteed to improve.
15. Ignoring the technicals- Understanding whether the market is over-extended long or short is a key indicator of price action. Spikes occur in the market when it is moving all one way.
16. Emotional Trading - Without that all-important strategy, you’re trades essentially are thoughts only and thoughts are emotions and a very poor foundation for trading. When most of us are upset and emotional, we don’t tend to make the wisest decisions. Don’t let your emotions sway you.
17. Confidence - Confidence comes from successful trading. If you lose money early in your trading career it’s very difficult to regain it; the trick is not to go off half-cocked; learn the business before you trade. Remember, knowledge is power.

The second and final part of this report clearly and simply details more essential tips on how to avoid the pitfalls and start making more money in your forex trading.

1. Take it like a man - If you decide to ride a loss, you are simply displaying stupidity and cowardice. It takes guts to accept your loss and wait for tomorrow to try again. Sticking to a bad position ruins lots of traders - permanently. Try to remember that the market often behaves illogically, so don’t get commit to any one trade; it’s just a trade. One good trade will not make you a trading success; it’s ongoing regular performance over months and years that makes a good trader.
2. Focus - Fantasising about possible profits and then “spending” them before you have realised them is no good. Focus on your current position(s) and place reasonable stop losses at the time you do the trade. Then sit back and enjoy the ride - you have no real control from now on, the market will do what it wants to do.
3. Don’t trust demos - Demo trading often causes new traders to learn bad habits. These bad habits, which can be very dangerous in the long run, come about because you are playing with virtual money. Once you know how your broker’s system works, start trading small amounts and only take the risk you can afford to win or lose.
4. Stick to the strategy - When you make money on a well thought-out strategic trade, don’t go and lose half of it next time on a fancy; stick to your strategy and invest profits on the next trade that matches your long-term goals.
5. Trade today - Most successful day traders are highly focused on what’s happening in the short-term, not what may happen over the next month. If you’re trading with 40 to 60-point stops focus on what’s happening today as the market will probably move too quickly to consider the long-term future. However, the long-term trends are not unimportant; they will not always help you though if you’re trading intraday.
   
6. The clues are in the details - The bottom line on your account balance doesn’t tell the whole story. Consider individual trade details; analyse your losses and the telling losing streaks. Generally, traders that make money without suffering significant daily losses have the best chance of sustaining positive performance in the long term.
   
7. Simulated Results - Be very careful and wary about infamous “black box” systems. These so-called trading signal systems do not often explain exactly how the trade signals they generate are produced. Typically, these systems only show their track record of extraordinary results - historical results. Successfully predicting future trade scenarios is altogether more complex. The high-speed algorithmic capabilities of these systems provide significant retrospective trading systems, not ones which will help you trade effectively in the future.
   
8. Get to know one cross at a time - Each currency pair is unique, and has a unique way of moving in the marketplace. The forces which cause the pair to move up and down are individual to each cross, so study them and learn from your experience and apply your learning to one cross at a time.
9. Risk Reward - If you put a 20 point stop and a 50 point profit your chances of winning are probably about 1-3 against you. In fact, given the spread you’re trading on, it’s more likely to be 1-4. Play the odds the market gives you.
   
10. Trading for Wrong Reasons - Don’t trade if you are bored, unsure or reacting on a whim. The reason that you are bored in the first place is probably because there is no trade to make in the first place. If you are unsure, it’s probably because you can’t see the trade to make, so don’t make one.
    
11. Zen Trading- Even when you have taken a position in the markets, you should try and think as you would if you hadn’t taken one. This level of detachment is essential if you want to retain your clarity of mind and avoid succumbing to emotional impulses and therefore increasing the likelihood of incurring losses. To achieve this, you need to cultivate a calm and relaxed outlook. Trade in brief periods of no more than a few hours at a time and accept that once the trade has been made, it’s out of your hands.
    
12. Determination - Once you have decided to place a trade, stick to it and let it run its course. This means that if your stop loss is close to being triggered, let it trigger. If you move your stop midway through a trade’s life, you are more than likely to suffer worse moves against you. Your determination must be show itself when you acknowledge that you got it wrong, so get out.
    
13. Short-term Moving Average Crossovers - This is one of the most dangerous trade scenarios for non professional traders. When the short-term moving average crosses the longer-term moving average it only means that the average price in the short run is equal to the average price in the longer run. This is neither a bullish nor bearish indication, so don’t fall into the trap of believing it is one.
    
14. Stochastic - Another dangerous scenario. When it first signals an exhausted condition that’s when the big spike in the “exhausted” currency cross tends to occur. My advice is to buy on the first sign of an overbought cross and then sell on the first sign of an oversold one. This approach means that you’ll be with the trend and have successfully identified a positive move that still has some way to go. So if percentage K and percentage D are both crossing 80, then buy! (This is the same on sell side, where you sell at 20).
    
15. One cross is all that counts - EURUSD seems to be trading higher, so you buy GBPUSD because it appears not to have moved yet. This is dangerous. Focus on one cross at a time - if EURUSD looks good to you, then just buy EURUSD.
    
16. Wrong Broker - A lot of FOREX brokers are in business only to make money from yours. Read forums, blogs and chats around the net to get an unbiased opinion before you choose your broker.
    
17. Too bullish - Trading statistics show that 90% of most traders will fail at some point. Being too bullish about your trading aptitude can be fatal to your long-term success. You can always learn more about trading the markets, even if you are currently successful in your trades. Stay modest, and keep your eyes open for new ideas and bad habits you might be falling in to.
    
18. Interpret forex news yourself - Learn to read the source documents of forex news and events - don’t rely on the interpretations of news media or others.

John Gaines

online trading, currency trading, financial service

A veteran of online trading, John Gaines offers the financial services industry his perspectives and expertise on a variety of trading systems and financial instruments, including forex, CFDs, futures, options and stocks.

If you’re reading this you’ve already heard of Forex Currency Trading. But how does it work? And can you make money out of it?

Firstly, Forex Currency Trading is NOT about going to the bank every couple of days and changing money for another currency. Although that might be what you do if you were going to go on holiday to another country, the art of Forex Currency Trading is nowadays all done electronically.

The most common home setup involves the use of Forex Trading Software, often known as Expert Advisor software. This software sits on your machine and connects via your internet connection to an MT4 account provider. Basically, an MT4 account is like a bank account, but one that gives you access to trade Forex.

Although the use of MT4 accounts is fairly standard, there can be differences in the software that you setup on your machine. The latest software is known as Autopilot Trading Software - basically this is software that trades the market for you.

How does that work? Well, the software has been “trained” on how a particular currency pair operates (a currency pair is something like the USD / JPY or USD / Euro). The software knows that when the market starts to move up it tends to move up by a certain amount, and vice versa, and so it makes trades based on this. All you are really required to do is setup the parameters of how much you are willing to trade and away you go.

It may sound a little risky trusting in a machine, but most good software gives you the opportunity to operate in a test environment where you use “invisible cash” to practice the trading. When you’re ready, you then start the proper trading. Or, if you decide that the trading may not be for you, for the best products you have available a 60 day refund period.

Ok, so, the most important question - can you make money out of it. The answer is yes. The amount you make will depend on how much you put in, but these systems are fine tuned to trade at an overall profit, so even if you start small, it won’t take long until you build up your reserves and are able to make bigger trades. Earnings in the $100,000s each year are not unheard of.

Where can you find such software? The most important thing is that you find a software system that works for you and offers you what you need to make money. My middle of the road recommendation is Forex Funnel, however to read a 3 product review visit http://forex-trading-systems-4-you.com/

Forex currency trading is carried out all across the world and is the largest financial market in the world. The major players in the forex market are the central banks of the country, major commercial banks such as Citibank and Bank of America etc, multinational corporations. The major portion of the trading is speculative trading while only 5% of the trading is for correcting the currency. The daily volume of the trade is worth US$3.2 trillion.

Though forex currency trading can be done in any foreign exchange, 85% of the trade is done in the major currencies. The major currencies are US Dollar, Australian Dollar, Canadian Dollar, The British Pound, The Euro, Japanese Yen and Swiss Franc. The Us Dollar accounts for nearly 28% of the total forex market.

OTC market which is operational 24 hours a day

It’s an OTC market or an over the counter market where forex currency trading is done in pairs. This means that USD would be sold to buy Japanese Yen or Swiss Francs would be bought and Euros sold consecutively. The forex market has no centralized exchange and is solely conducted through the phone and the electronic medium including the internet.

It’s a 24 hour market and the major centers of trade are Sydney, Tokyo, Singapore, Hong Kong, London, Frankfurt and New York. Investors will usually react to the changes and the fluctuations in the forex market immediately unlike the stock and the commodity markets. The changes are shown on the screen every second. Deals are done on a second to second basis.

Forex currency trading is always done in pairs and the spread is the profit

The forex trading quotes are also given in pairs and the bid and the ask rates are always mentioned together. In the pair USD/JPY, USD is the base currency. The forex currency trading that happens in non USD pairs is known as cross currency trading. The fundamental and the technical for trading in each currency pair are different.

The quote for USD/JPY will always be given as 110.3456/110.3450. This means that 1USD can be sold for 110.3456 JPY and 110.3450 JPY would be required to purchase 1USD. In forex currency trading the difference between the bid and the ask rates is the spread or the profit that the forex trader will make.

For more tips and tricks on how you can make large amounts of money by trading forex, visit our Forex Software Review site where we show you the newest and hottest Forex software on the market including our Forex Tracer Review.

Forex trading refers to foreign exchange trading. Here you buy and sell foreign exchanges. Contrary to the belief of people who are in the investment field, the Forex market is bigger and stronger than stock market. It accounts for more trade than stock and commodity exchanges. The dollar is the most valuable currency here closely followed by EURO. People in the forex trading love it because it allows them the unending excitement.

As we talked in the earlier paragraph forex trading refers to foreign exchange trading. The foreign exchanges of different countries are traded here. Contrary to popular belief, not all currencies traded here. The most traded currencies are the US Dollar, EURO, Sterling, Canadian Dollar, Australian Dollar, Newzealand Dollar, Japanese Yen and Swiss Franc. These currencies are traded in pairs here, ie you sell one to buy another. The US Dollar is the base currency at most times except when traded in pair with EURO and Pounds.

What makes Forex trading most exciting is its high leverage margin factor that allows people to trade 100 times more the amount they invest. You can invest 1000 dollars and trade for 100000 dollars. That makes it more exciting and it has some disadvantages too. You can make the best return on your investment owe to this factor. Forex trading as people who trade say gives more returns than any other investment.

India has not opened itself to forex trading yet. But, that did not deter people from trading in foreign exchanges. There are people who trade in foreign exchange and making nice profit. Though it is an exciting opportunity people from India have not risen to the potential in this trading. It requires you to be on your toes all the time because small changes in regulation or in the market can wipe your investment away or give you unexpected returns. My advice shall be to trade cautiously.

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http://forex.makemoneyideas.in

Trading currencies can be a very lucrative activity and thousands, if not millions of people around the world are learning more about it every day. However, some people may be reluctant to learn more about currency trading because they fear it is too complicated or difficult to understand. In this article, I will briefly explain to you how currency trading works, and how money is made in the Forex market.

Currency As A Tradable Object

Whenever we make a purchase, let’s say that of a chocolate bar, we trade our money for it. We pay the shop owner a pre-determined price in exchange for the chocolate. The price of the chocolate bar is fixed by the shop keeper, and you can only get it if you pay the price that is set by the shop keeper.

This is what basically happens in the Forex market. Instead of trading money for chocolate, we are trading money for money. And just like in the chocolate example, certain currencies can be bought or sold at a certain price. If you wish to purchase the U.S dollar for example, you will have to pay a certain amount in a different currency for it. This is why currencies are traded in the Forex market as pairs. You cannot buy a certain amount of currency unless you pay for it using a different currency.

If I wish to buy the Euro for example, I may have to pay for it in U.S. Dollars. And just like in the chocolate example, there is a certain price (in U.S. Dollars) that I have to pay for in order to get the amount of Euros that I want. If the price of 1 Euro is 1.5 U.S. Dollars, I have to pay $15,000 in order to get the 10,000 Euros that I want. Thus, the price of this currency pair (denoted by EUR/USD) is 1.5.

But unlike the chocolate example, the price of Euros is not fixed. Indeed, the prices of all tradable currencies around the world are constantly changing. Today, the 1 Euro may be worth 1.5 U.S. Dollars, but next week it may be worth 1.6 U.S. Dollars instead. And this is how profits are made in the Forex market.

If I purchase 1 Euro at 1.5 USD today, I may be able to sell the 1 Euro (that I purchased) to get 1.6 USD back next week! In these two transactions, I would have made a 0.1 USD profit!

This is the gist of how money is made in the Forex market. It’s really not that hard once you learn how it’s done!

To learn more, Click Here to download my free 26-page guide, Forex Trading Traps!

Harold Hsu is the owner of ForexSystemProfits.com where he provides premium Forex trading tips and resources.

A lot of people think that the cost of living just naturally goes up; they rarely wonder WHY things cost more than they did ten years earlier. The few people who do put some thought into it think that the cost of buying things increased because manufacturing companies want more profit. Others think that the manufacturers HAVE to increase their prices because the cost of THEIR raw materials has increased, but this would beg the question, why did the cost of the raw materials increase?

We’ll answer those questions, but for now let’s see how a typical trade might go. In this example we’ll have two tradesmen, a carpenter and a blacksmith (we’re still in the era when people traded with gold and silver remember).

The blacksmith wants a bench which the carpenter can make, so the two come to an agreement on the price which is, say, two ounces of silver. Now, if the blacksmith already has the silver, he can simply exchange the ounce of silver for the bench, or perhaps pay one ounce as a down-payment and then would pay the other ounce upon receiving his finished bench. Both are happy with this arrangement.

Now, if the blacksmith doesn’t yet have the money, but he knows that an upcoming job shoeing some horses is going to bring him enough silver, he can offer the carpenter an IOU; a PROMISE that he will pay the carpenter as soon as he has the “money”.

In the first instance, they were trading via commodity, the first kind of “money”. In the second, they were using promissory “money” (and IOU). The third way they could trade is if they used fiat-money, that is a token (a small medallion perhaps) that a king (emperor/government/dictator) determined has a certain value.

Enter the COIN! Coins have been used by rulers as currency for thousands of years. These are in effect, pieces of metal (metal being very durable and long-lasting) that have a specific value.

Originally, coins were minted (where the word ‘money’ comes from) by PRIVATE companies. People would take their gold or silver to these trusted companies and these companies would divide the metal into fixed amounts (say 1/20th ounce each) and then stamp them with their OWN seal, guaranteeing that the metal was exactly that weight. They would, of course, charge for this service, otherwise they’d go out of business very quickly!

The word ‘dollar’ is a corruption of the European word ‘thaler’, which was a coin minted in the early 16th century in a town called Joachimsthal. The coin was called a Joachimsthaler, which was later shortened to simply a ‘thaler’ (the letter ‘a’ being pronounced ‘ah’). The original dollar was actually 1/20th of an ounce of gold.

As some people became wealthy( because of the products and services they produced for others), they had a problem. They didn’t want to keep their coins at home where they might be burgled, nor did they want to risk being robbed by carrying it with them each day. So other types of service companies appeared which were simply, secure warehouses.

These privately-owned warehouses would charge an agreed fee to securely look-after people’s gold and silver, and would give the people a slip of paper showing how much weight of metal was being kept in the warehouse(in England it would be weighed in ‘Pounds’ of silver). When the owner of the metal wanted some to use, he would simply take his slip of paper to the warehouse where his metal resided, and exchange it for the paper. If he had some left in the warehouse, he would be given a new slip of paper telling him how much he had remaining.

To make things even simpler for the owner of the metal, he would sometimes offer the slip of paper ITSELF as money, rather than going to the bother of traveling to the warehouse and taking his gold out. As long as both the metal owner and the person he was buying from trusted the warehouse (had confidence that the owners would give the bearer of the slip the amount of gold that it referred to) then this system would always work and no metal had to be carried around.

These warehouses were, of course, the first banks. But the banks soon realized that the rulers of their country (dictator/government/emperor/king etc.) didn’t like what they were doing. Why? Because the ruler didn’t have any CONTROL over the money! If they couldn’t control the money, how could they possibly control the people? (Whoever can afford an army controls the population).

So, in every country over the years, the rulers of those countries HAD to stop these private banks from trading. How did they do this? Continued in Part III.

Luke Hawthorne has been writing for over 12 years. His interests include flying airplanes, scuba-diving, skiing, paragliding and making money. (http://www.lukehawthorne.com )