Learn To Trade the Breakout (Part II)

By Ahmad Hassam

A whipsaw breakout usually occurs when there is a lack of momentum or the breakout is small and weak. Whipsaw takes place when prices move out of a price range, then back into the price range and then breaks out of the level again, stopping both breakout traders and faders at least once.

Breakouts all carry some risk of failure. Reasonably placed stops can help preserve your capital when the price breakout does not go your way. Some times the price action is so choppy that it is better to stay out of the market.

Successful trading of a reversal breakout obviously means massive profits in the shortest possible time. The important thing is to identify a breakout with a false breakout. How do you know if a breakout is going to reverse the current trend?

There are some chart patterns that can help in identifying a likely breakout. You should look out for these reversal chart patterns that tend to serve as harbingers of a trend change. There is a high chance that a reversal may be in the works if you spot these chart formations in daily or weekly charts. Examples of such patterns include head & shoulder, double top, triple top, double bottom, triple bottom etc.

Momentum indicators also known as oscillators are leading indicators. You can also make use of the momentum indicators to tell you if a trend is nearing its end in addition to looking for these chart patterns. They help in identifying a trend reversal before time.

MACD consists of three exponential moving averages (EMA). The MACD line is the difference between the 12 period EMA and 26 periods EMA. Usually a signal line consisting of 9 period EMA is plotted together with the MACD line. Moving Average Convergence Divergence (MACD) is one of the simplest, yet most dependable indicators for a trader.

A better visualization of the MACD is in the form of a histogram. A bullish signal is given when MACD line crosses above its signal line. A bearish signal occurs when the MACD line crosses below its signal line.

For example, the histogram should become bigger if the price move accelerates with an upside breakout as more and more buyers enter the rally to a higher level. The MACD histogram tracks the speed of the price action.

Each line becoming longer than the previous line as the speed of the price movement accelerates in a quick rally. Each line will become shorter than the previous line. When the price movement decelerates, the histogram will contract on the other hand.

You can detect trend reversal breakout with the help of a MACD divergence signals. When the currency pair rallies to a new high but the MACD histogram declines then a bearish divergence is formed. Read the next part of this article for more. - 23159

About the Author:

Mr. Ahmad Hassam has done Masters from Harvard University. He is interested in day trading stocks and currencies. Discover a revolutionary new Forex Robot. Learn Forex Trading!

The Forex Pip Defined

By Bart Icles

The most important thing a new Forex trader must do is to lean how to understand the value of a PIP in a paired currency. A PIP is the acronym for Percentage In Point, or Price Interest Point which is the smallest measure of value in any paired currency in Forex.

Currency pairs are quoted accurately to the fourth decimal place because Forex transactions are mostly involves large sums, and Forex spreads are the exact opposite. This defines the smallest movement of a paired currency and is called a Pip. An example would be: if the USD/EUR moves from 1.2345 to 1.2346, then the Pip would be 1. If it changes from 1.2345 to 1.2305, the change in Pip would be 40 Pips. On the currency market, there are the 6 widely-traded called the majors that is made up of the following:

* EUR/USD, also called the 'EURO" * GBP/USD, also called the "CABLE" * USD/CHF, also called the "SWISSIE" * USD/JPY, also called the "NINJA" * USD/CAD, also called the "LOONIE", or "BEAVER" * AUD/USD, also called the "AUSSIE"

The currency pair of EUR/USD is the most widely-traded of the 6 majors, averaging 100 Pips a day.

Profits and losses are measured in Pips for any paired currency, though the Pip for a USD/JPY or US Dollar/Japanese Yen is not the same value as the Pip of a USD/EUR, or US Dollar/Euro, as it is quoted only at two decimal places; so the yen's Pip value is .01.

If the price quote for the currency pair of USD/JPY is placed at 110.95, and changes to 111.0, then it has gained 5 Pips. In other currency pairs, such as the USD/CAD, a quote of 1.0234 moves to 1.0224, then it lost 10 Pips. A USD/JPY quote of 77.48 changed to 77.53, the Pip would be at 5 Pips increase. Trading with the AUD/USD with an exchange quote of 1.9876, the Pip equivalent is .0001.

So, in Forex trading "30 Pips" would mean thirty units of value in trading. Since individual currencies have different quotes in terms of Pips, it's important to take note of such differences so as not to get confused in your trading. Dealing with large sums might seem daunting at times, but will get easier gradually as you begin to get acquainted with Forex trading as time passes.

The important thing to remember is that most currencies are placed at the fourth decimal place, such as those paired with the USD, or .0001, except the Yen. If you always keep in mind what a Forex Pip is, as also that each respective currency pair has a different value to it, you'll do well in your everyday trading. - 23159

About the Author:

Forex investment team starts with a desire to learn and a drive to become a great trader. Learning the best forex trading software takes dedication and a good teacher. But once you learn how to trade and do so successfully your life will change and you have options and financial resources you never had before.

3 Easy Ways To Determine How To Lower Your Car Insurance Rates

By Pete Hughes

There are numerous ways you can do to drop your car insurance rates and help you gain a more ideas how car insurance works. If you are aware of schemes to decrease your car insurance rates, you will surely save a large amount of money in your lifetime. So heed these 3 easy techniques to save on auto insurance.

The easiest way to save on any insurance policy is to shop around. The best part about this is, anyone can do this under five minutes by just completing an online quote form. No matter what your credit rating, driving history, or age, you can save money on your premium by comparing car insurance rates with multiple companies.

The next best thing to shopping around for car insurance is to just drive safely. If you follow all the traffic laws, avoid minor details like speeding tickets, you will save a lot of money in the long run. Your driving record is probably the single greatest factor when a car insurance company is determining your premium. So be careful, and keep your driving record clean.

And Lastly, anyone can save money on their car insurance by increasing their premium. The more you are willing to pay out of your pocket means that's less money the car insurance company will have to pay when you submit a claim. Again, anyone can qualify for this type of discount. Of course, you have to be able to afford your deductible if an accident does occur.

Another good advice to save on your car insurance is to maintain good credit. A better credit score you have will decrease your car insurance rate. The insurance companies notice your sense of responsibility and consider this in computing for your rate. If you have awful credit, you still have a chance to benefit from the discount on car insurance by merely building up your credit. It will take time but it will be worth it. Your total rates decrease accordingly with a good credit rating.

If you follow these easy steps for minimizing your car insurance rates, you will end up saving thousands of dollars in your lifetime. Otherwise, you would end up paying higher rates for car insurance. These recommendations are simple to follow so heed them to save money. There are other factors to regard as well when looking at car insurance rates, this is just a piece of advice. - 23159

About the Author:

Next, to answer the question how does car insurance work head over to the how car insurance works website for more tips on car insurance and how to get the best rates.

The Forex-trading Foreign Currencies Daily

By Vincent Rogers

Looking for a new place to put your money? Have you gotten board with the typical exchanges and their banker's hours? When you are looking for a new way to make your riches, you may want to consider the business of trading foreign currencies. Currency is traded on the Forex, or the foreign exchange market. It is completely different from every other trading market in the world.

The Forex is not a physical market like those in New York, Tokyo or London. You cannot actually go stand on the floor of the Forex like you can the NYSE. This is because the Forex is completely virtual. All trades and transactions with Forex occur over a network of computers that truly never sleep. Unlike other markets, the Forex, in essence, is always open for business.

The Forex is not about stocks and futures; it's all about foreign currency exchange. Currency does not have a definitive value. It is all a matter of timing. The value of currency fluctuates drastically over the course of hours. On the Forex market, banks and other financial institutions trade foreign currency. Currency may fluctuate for a variety of reasons, one of which is the current political climate.

Currency does not have a fixed value. The value of each country's currency changes rapidly and repeatedly throughout the course of the trading day and night. One the Forex, currency value can change for a plethora of reasons or no reason at all. Due to this uncertainty, all trades on the Forex are based predominantly on speculation.

While analysts sit and crunch the numbers, a new way to trade the Forex has made its way into the mainstream. Using algorithms, Forex software experts make their best educated moves, buying and selling currency in the hopes of gaining big. Forex signals usually come from these Forex bots or software robots.

Currency can change value when there is any sort of political upheaval within a country. Wars are won and lost and Forex currencies rise and fall in direct relation. When we have Presidential elections, the price of the U. S. Dollar can change drastically. The economic status of a country has everything to do with the value of its currency on the Forex market.

Unlike any other financial market, the Forex is traded mainly on speculation. Analysts and software experts have created Forex software that seems to have a pretty solid grasp on the pulse of the market. They use these Forex robots or Forex bots, to help them achieve the greatest reward in foreign currency trading. With the help of a Forex bot, many traders will make trades with 70% or higher certainty of market fluctuations.

While it's hard to know for certain what is going to happen with the market, Forex signals send warnings to Forex bots and investors hope to minimize loss. The Forex is the most liquid of all trading markets in the world. Each day over three trillion dollars worth of currency is bought and sold on the Forex market.

While the Forex continues to gain popularity, the governments, banks and largest corporations in the world are earning their rewards or settling their debts, every day. The Forex presents opportunities that no other market can with its virtually endless trading. - 23159

About the Author:

One reason that the online currency is appealing is the time that you can change is basically 24 hours a day. Forex Software Software It is so volatile that you stand to win big or lose hard. Domestic inflation or withdrawals also makes a very big way in the FOREX rate in a given country is measured.

Why Out Of The Money Covered Call Writing Does Not Work In A Declining Stock Market

By Marc Abrams

Incredible things have been promised by many websites and e-books regarding investment training strategies. One of the more common stock market trading strategies taught is to sell covered call options on stocks. These websites promise that you can earn up to 10% monthly returns using that very strategy. Sound good? Read on.

I will be the first to admit that selling out-of-the-money covered calls can bring lucrative monthly returns under the right circumstances. This strategy has been successfully used by me. However, this strategy is not without its disadvantages. The public has not been properly educated by the website and e-book marketers. They market this strategy as conservative with little risk. They leave you holding the bag when it all goes wrong.

When the stock market is rising in value selling out of the money covered calls works well. Additionally, when the stock market is neutral (not going up or down by any meaningful amount), this strategy also works well. Please tell me when the last time was that the stock market remained neutral for any length of time?

The current market seems to be bouncing all over the place. The Dow frequently moves as much as 200 points either way in a single day. This is not an ideal market for an out of the money covered call writer. Your profits will start to evaporate once the stock you are holding starts to decline. Believe me, those profits can evaporate very quickly. I have seen the value of a stock drop from $10 to $1 over night! An option sale will never yield enough premium to cover that kind of a loss.

The key to out-of-the-money covered call writing is to select stocks that will get called. Many so called experts do not want the stock to get called. They want you to keep the stock so you can sell a covered call option on it the next month. This strategy is flawed. You need to select stocks that are trending up in value, hence, a rising market. Those stocks will make you the most money. If the stock gets called, I know I ended up making my maximum anticipated return.

What if the stock shoots way up in value? The stock simply gets called away if it rises up past the strike price and stays there through expiration. Isn't that what you wanted to begin with? Because you did not participate in those gains you may feel like you left money on the table. If that upsets you then just buy the stock outright and don't sell covered call options on that stock. Why not just let the stock get called away, take your profit and move on? Then look for another stock to buy and sell calls on for the next month.

Remember, selling out-of-the-money covered calls can provide an excellent source if income in a rising stock market. However, the stock market we find ourselves in today is less than ideal for this strategy. There are, however, other strategies that will offer significant protection in a volatile or declining stock market. - 23159

About the Author:

Marc Abrams Is A Certified Public Accountant With Over 15 Years of Financial And Investing Experience. Visit Marc's Website at http://www.rebuildingmyfuture.com To Learn More About Successful Covered Call Option Writing Strategies In Today's Stock Market.