السلام عليكم
..
لطالما اجمع الناس على مصداقية وحيادية جوجل في نشر المعلومات .. لكنها بعد ان أصبحت أكبر بنك ومنفذ للمعلومات حول العالم ..يبدو ان هناك أيدِ خفية بدأت في التحرك!
يوجد فيلم وثائقي في جوجل فيديو اسمه "التغيير الفضفاض" او "Loose Chenge" يعد بمثابة تحقيق عن حقيقة ما حدث في 11 سبتمبر 2001 .. ويعرض بالصور والادلة والبراهين ان هناك الكثير من الفبركة .. وتورط الادارة الامريكية بشكل قاطع في تدبير هذا الحدث ... و يستدل تاريخيا من وثائق تابعة لل CIA بأن الجهاز قد خطط في الماضي لافتعال ضربة ضد القوات الامريكية لتكون حجة للولايات المتحدة للاشتراك في الحرب العالمية .. يعني فكرة ان أمريكا تضرب نفسها عشان تكون ذريعة لاشعال حروب اخرى وراءها مصالح .. الفكرة دي قديمة ..
و يقدم الفيلم الوثائقي أيضا اثبات ان مبنى البنتاجون لم تضربه طائرة ..وان هذا مستحيل .. وانما تم اطلاق صاروخ من طائرة حربية .. وفي شهود عيان على الكلام ده ..
الفيلم أكتر من رائع .. و بصراحة عبارة عن " دش بارد " من الحقائق المتوالية ..
الفيلم ده ظهر من كام سنة وذاع سيطه -مش عارف المصريين ماشافوهوش ليه ؟! - .. وبعد فترة ظهرت لفريق الفيلم براهين اكثر .. فتم انتاج نسخة ثانية من الفيلم .. بنفس الاسم طبعا
جاسون بيرماس هو أحد أعضاء فريق الفيلم .. يخبرنا (بتاريخ 24 مايو 2007) ان جوجل قد أحدثت تغييرا ما .. مما ادى لحجب اسم الفيلم من قائمة "أفضل 10 فيديوهات " .. بل اختفى أيضا من "أفضل 100 فيديو" ..
ويبرهن جاسون بالصور .. ان في ذاك اليوم كان عدد مشاهدات لفيلمه وصلت لـ 41 ألف و شوية، في حين ان الفيديو الحاصل على المركز الثاني وصل مشاهدوه لـ 27 الف فقط ! .. ومع هذا لم يظهر فيلم " التغيير الفضفاض " في أول 100 فيديو !
ممكن تتأكد بنفسك من صفحة الفيلم من الكلام ده .. هاتلاقي اجمالي المشاهدات يقارب الـ 6 مليون ! .. ده طبعا غير الناس اللي نزله تورنت
كما يستمر جاسون في السرد .. انها ليست المرة الاولى لجوجل في حجب المعلومات .. فقد تم حجب فيلم وثائقي برده اسمه عاصفة الارهاب .. تقريبا بنفس الطريقة !
على كل حال .. الفيلم الوثائقي التغيير الفضفاض ... لازم يتشاف
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Online Futures Trading - Is It Right for Everyone?
Are you interested in making money? If you are, you may want to take the time to familiarize yourself with online futures trading. The trading of commodities for currency is a business venture that many are able to profit from. Although online futures trading is a great way to make money, you may be wondering if it something that you can do, particularly while making a profit.
Online futures trading is defined as the trading of commodities, online. What you may not necessarily know about online futures trading is that many who are doing trading online, are experienced traders. There is a difference between online futures trading and futures trading with the assistance of a futures broker. Many beginners or those who do not have time to fully examine the current market on their own, rely on the assistance of a futures trading broker. That broker will not only advise their client, possibly you, on their trades, but they will also make them. Online futures trading typically involves making your own trades.
Since online futures trading involves handling your own account, you may be wondering whether or not it is something that you could handle. First, before jumping right to online futures trading, you may want to take the time to research it, inside and out. There are a number of futures trading or futures investing resource guides that you can buy online, locally, or even find in your local library. You can also take futures trading training programs. One program that you may want to look into is a futures simulated trading program. These programs are run by most futures brokers and they allow you to do your own online futures trading, but without using your own, real, money. This may give you a good idea as to whether or not you are ready for online futures trading.
As a reminder, if you are unsure as to whether or not online futures trading is right for you, you may want to think about consulting with a futures broker. Many futures brokers can give you their own personal tips and suggestions. In fact, you may even want to start out using the assistance of a futures broker, when you first start trading. If that is would you would like to do, you may want to opt for a professionally managed trading account or a full-service account. Yes, these accounts will cost you a little bit more money, but it may end up being money well spent. Should you later decide that you are ready to handle your own trades, account, and portfolio, you should be able to change you account to an online futures trading account.
In short, online futures trading isn t right for everyone, but, as outlined above, you don t have to start with online futures trading. There are a number of others accounts that you can create to start making money with futures trading.
Online futures trading is defined as the trading of commodities, online. What you may not necessarily know about online futures trading is that many who are doing trading online, are experienced traders. There is a difference between online futures trading and futures trading with the assistance of a futures broker. Many beginners or those who do not have time to fully examine the current market on their own, rely on the assistance of a futures trading broker. That broker will not only advise their client, possibly you, on their trades, but they will also make them. Online futures trading typically involves making your own trades.
Since online futures trading involves handling your own account, you may be wondering whether or not it is something that you could handle. First, before jumping right to online futures trading, you may want to take the time to research it, inside and out. There are a number of futures trading or futures investing resource guides that you can buy online, locally, or even find in your local library. You can also take futures trading training programs. One program that you may want to look into is a futures simulated trading program. These programs are run by most futures brokers and they allow you to do your own online futures trading, but without using your own, real, money. This may give you a good idea as to whether or not you are ready for online futures trading.
As a reminder, if you are unsure as to whether or not online futures trading is right for you, you may want to think about consulting with a futures broker. Many futures brokers can give you their own personal tips and suggestions. In fact, you may even want to start out using the assistance of a futures broker, when you first start trading. If that is would you would like to do, you may want to opt for a professionally managed trading account or a full-service account. Yes, these accounts will cost you a little bit more money, but it may end up being money well spent. Should you later decide that you are ready to handle your own trades, account, and portfolio, you should be able to change you account to an online futures trading account.
In short, online futures trading isn t right for everyone, but, as outlined above, you don t have to start with online futures trading. There are a number of others accounts that you can create to start making money with futures trading.
What Is Futures Day Trading?
A quick definition futures day trading is actually pretty simple. Futures day trading is the type of futures trading which opens and closes a futures transaction within a single trading day.
Traders have become attracted to futures day trading for a variety of reasons. Some like the action level of an increased frequency of trades while others like the fact that futures day trading carries with it no overnight risk. In this way, no particular catastrophic political or business event, which may happen after the close of the futures contract will affect those who have already closed their contracts out during the day. The objective for traders here is to not allow any potentially adverse market movements to affect their equity.
Futures day trading falls into the category of short-term trading. As a general rule of thumb in trading, the shorter the period of the trading timeframe for smaller. The amount of profit per trade. Please keep in mind of course that this is a general rule of thumb, and does not apply to each and every case.
The frequency of futures day trading can go from relatively infrequently such as one trade per month or per every couple of months to many, many trades per day. It is the typical increased frequency of futures day trading, which daytraders must remain mindful of. The greater the frequency of trades, the greater the transaction costs become as well. The objective of course, of any futures daytrader is to turn a profit after all transaction costs have been factored in. I can't even begin to tell you how many futures day trading results I've looked at that looked absolutely fabulous at the outset. Unfortunately many failed miserably and lost money consistently once the transaction costs were figured in.
Futures day trading can be both rewarding and profitable. The key here is to have both a good futures day trading system and an excellent level of discipline to take action as needed.
Traders have become attracted to futures day trading for a variety of reasons. Some like the action level of an increased frequency of trades while others like the fact that futures day trading carries with it no overnight risk. In this way, no particular catastrophic political or business event, which may happen after the close of the futures contract will affect those who have already closed their contracts out during the day. The objective for traders here is to not allow any potentially adverse market movements to affect their equity.
Futures day trading falls into the category of short-term trading. As a general rule of thumb in trading, the shorter the period of the trading timeframe for smaller. The amount of profit per trade. Please keep in mind of course that this is a general rule of thumb, and does not apply to each and every case.
The frequency of futures day trading can go from relatively infrequently such as one trade per month or per every couple of months to many, many trades per day. It is the typical increased frequency of futures day trading, which daytraders must remain mindful of. The greater the frequency of trades, the greater the transaction costs become as well. The objective of course, of any futures daytrader is to turn a profit after all transaction costs have been factored in. I can't even begin to tell you how many futures day trading results I've looked at that looked absolutely fabulous at the outset. Unfortunately many failed miserably and lost money consistently once the transaction costs were figured in.
Futures day trading can be both rewarding and profitable. The key here is to have both a good futures day trading system and an excellent level of discipline to take action as needed.
Wednesday, September 19, 2007
Compare Discount Commodity Brokers
Commodity brokers are either individuals or firms that act as intermediaries between buyers and sellers. Commodity brokers offer a range of services such as creating an account, management of the account and executing the orders of the traders. Traders need to be very careful while choosing their brokers, as it can make all the difference regarding successful commodity trading. There are many types of commodity brokers out of which discount commodity brokers are quite popular.
Discount commodity brokers are brokers that offer their clients almost all the services regarding managing their accounts except providing regular advice regarding trading and are also less personalized than a full-service stock broker. Traders prefer them, as their charges are considerably lower than that of a full service broker. Deep discount commodity brokers offer minimum service and only trade stocks and options for a flat fee. A full service broker offers all the standard services such as investment advise, price quotes and keeps the trader updated with all current trends. With a discount broker, the trader has to take care of all buying and selling decisions.
Deep discount commodity brokers only accept and execute orders, and do not offer any sort of advice. For this, they charge a fixed amount of fee for any size or kind of transaction. These prices are generally for one way trades, that is, for a buy order or a sell order. Almost all deep discount commodity brokers own websites through which a trader can access and manage his or her account. Traders who have a good idea of the market and like to manage their trading accounts by themselves without any interference of the broker prefer this option.
Most discount commodity brokers require a fixed initial deposit for opening an account. This can be anywhere from five hundred to two thousand dollars. After opening the account, the deposits can be of any amount. To select the best-suited deep discount broker, traders ought to research online and also ask fellow traders about their experiences with different brokers. The commission charged by the broker must also be understood perfectly for the actual dollar cost per trade.
Discount commodity brokers are brokers that offer their clients almost all the services regarding managing their accounts except providing regular advice regarding trading and are also less personalized than a full-service stock broker. Traders prefer them, as their charges are considerably lower than that of a full service broker. Deep discount commodity brokers offer minimum service and only trade stocks and options for a flat fee. A full service broker offers all the standard services such as investment advise, price quotes and keeps the trader updated with all current trends. With a discount broker, the trader has to take care of all buying and selling decisions.
Deep discount commodity brokers only accept and execute orders, and do not offer any sort of advice. For this, they charge a fixed amount of fee for any size or kind of transaction. These prices are generally for one way trades, that is, for a buy order or a sell order. Almost all deep discount commodity brokers own websites through which a trader can access and manage his or her account. Traders who have a good idea of the market and like to manage their trading accounts by themselves without any interference of the broker prefer this option.
Most discount commodity brokers require a fixed initial deposit for opening an account. This can be anywhere from five hundred to two thousand dollars. After opening the account, the deposits can be of any amount. To select the best-suited deep discount broker, traders ought to research online and also ask fellow traders about their experiences with different brokers. The commission charged by the broker must also be understood perfectly for the actual dollar cost per trade.
Online Commodity Trading Systems
Commodity brokers are the most accessible and often the least expensive online commodity trading system available today. They are available to nearly anyone with a credit card and an Internet connection. Investors who are new to the market especially require the help of online commodity trading brokers for safe investments. However, the trouble with typical, run-of-the-mill online brokers is that they suffer from slow order execution. Professional brokers in most cases have access to the latest and best tools and training, including the fastest buy-and-sell orders. Hence, new brokers need the absolute best system that is affordable in order to compete with the professionals.
All the existing online commodity-trading systems work at different speeds and accuracy of execution. The commission price charged for each trade is also different. Therefore it is very important for investors to be careful when choosing the system that most closely approximates their needs in terms of speed, performance, and price.
Online trading commodity brokers are a beneficial option to choose to make the right purchase or sale in the commodity market. They are trained personnel, who have in-depth knowledge about the commodity market and without their assistance, investors may happen to run into losses. The trading system follows a complex procedure and it may take investors a while to master commodity market conditions. Online trading commodity market is an ever evolving and fast growing industry. Hence it may prove to be a profitable investment option, especially if an experienced and qualified online trading commodity broker guides the investor.
Online commodity trading is a fairly transparent and easy to understand tool. Investors need to be attentive towards constant price fluctuations that are a daily occurrence in the commodity market. To understand these changes and their implications, investors often work with certified brokers. The simple procedure requires investors to determine a favorable price for an order and the size of an order that can result in a profitable deal.
All the existing online commodity-trading systems work at different speeds and accuracy of execution. The commission price charged for each trade is also different. Therefore it is very important for investors to be careful when choosing the system that most closely approximates their needs in terms of speed, performance, and price.
Online trading commodity brokers are a beneficial option to choose to make the right purchase or sale in the commodity market. They are trained personnel, who have in-depth knowledge about the commodity market and without their assistance, investors may happen to run into losses. The trading system follows a complex procedure and it may take investors a while to master commodity market conditions. Online trading commodity market is an ever evolving and fast growing industry. Hence it may prove to be a profitable investment option, especially if an experienced and qualified online trading commodity broker guides the investor.
Online commodity trading is a fairly transparent and easy to understand tool. Investors need to be attentive towards constant price fluctuations that are a daily occurrence in the commodity market. To understand these changes and their implications, investors often work with certified brokers. The simple procedure requires investors to determine a favorable price for an order and the size of an order that can result in a profitable deal.
The Role Of Commodity Brokers And Futures Exchanges In Commodity Risk Management
The broker is an intermediary who talks to lots of different principals (traders, producers, consumers of commodities) in the hope he will get an order to buy or sell goods. He takes a commission from the transaction which is deducted from the seller s account. Part of the value of a good broker is that he will provide not only information about prices and deals, but snippets of gossip about who is doing what and why. Traders are always focused on supply and demand aspects of physical commodities in which they trade and as well as the larger macro-economic picture, so it is important to assess what other competitors, are doing in the market. Some brokers are providing a lot of value-added service in providing not just price information but offering lots of ideas on the economic backdrop, current and future price trends, etc. Whether brokers are futures brokers or deal in physical transactions, the tendency has been for many of them to become principals. Traders can be skeptical about the information given by brokers, particularly if they feel it has been influenced by the broker s own relationship with another position taker either inside his own group, or elsewhere. However, since brokers are largely looking to commission as a way of earning money for the company and their own commissions, this may be a somewhat churlish position to take. Nonetheless, brokers play a key role in augmenting price transparency alongside the international and domestic commodity exchanges.
The principle role of exchanges is to regulate and control futures and derivatives trading through a membership system. Commodity futures date back to the trading of rice futures in Japan in the 1600 s but the underlying principles of commodity futures go back a long way further. Commodity markets have been around for some thousands of years and the degree of their formality has been dependent on the political, social and economic environment prevailing at the time. The trading of futures is relied upon these days by producers, traders and speculators, and high volumes of transactions on the major exchanges illustrate both the size of their role and the level of influence they have on the market in general. Futures markets help overcome difficult challenges faced in balancing supply and demand and exchange products. Derivatives, futures and options provide several economic benefits, including primarily the provision to mitigate the inevitable risk of price volatility. Since the 1990 s, in an environment of liberalization and following the collapse of many commodity boards in Africa, the role of exchanges has been enhanced. The presence of exchanges and the development of futures and options markets have influenced the development of the commodity swap market. At present, although the commodity swap market is very small in comparison with the currency swap market, it is growing. For comparison, there was an amount outstanding of 598 billion US$ for commodity derivates in December 2001 by comparison with 69 trillion US$ in the interest-rate and currency swap market at the end of the same period. Most of the commodity swap transactions were for OTC contracts about 40% according to the Bank of International Settlements. In recent years, we have seen the growth of existing exchanges and the emergence of new ones. There are major commodity futures exchanges in over 20 countries, including Australia, Brazil, France, Germany, Japan, Korea, Singapore, US and UK. A large number of new exchanges were created during the past decade in developing countries; not all of them have progressed to the level of futures trading, and many have rapidly disappeared again.
By: Daniel John
Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com
Daniel John Day-Robinson is working as a trade finance consultant from last more than a decade and with this he is the Director of Day Robinson International in UK dealing in structured trade finance, structured commodity trade finance, trade finance advice, trade conference show etc.
The principle role of exchanges is to regulate and control futures and derivatives trading through a membership system. Commodity futures date back to the trading of rice futures in Japan in the 1600 s but the underlying principles of commodity futures go back a long way further. Commodity markets have been around for some thousands of years and the degree of their formality has been dependent on the political, social and economic environment prevailing at the time. The trading of futures is relied upon these days by producers, traders and speculators, and high volumes of transactions on the major exchanges illustrate both the size of their role and the level of influence they have on the market in general. Futures markets help overcome difficult challenges faced in balancing supply and demand and exchange products. Derivatives, futures and options provide several economic benefits, including primarily the provision to mitigate the inevitable risk of price volatility. Since the 1990 s, in an environment of liberalization and following the collapse of many commodity boards in Africa, the role of exchanges has been enhanced. The presence of exchanges and the development of futures and options markets have influenced the development of the commodity swap market. At present, although the commodity swap market is very small in comparison with the currency swap market, it is growing. For comparison, there was an amount outstanding of 598 billion US$ for commodity derivates in December 2001 by comparison with 69 trillion US$ in the interest-rate and currency swap market at the end of the same period. Most of the commodity swap transactions were for OTC contracts about 40% according to the Bank of International Settlements. In recent years, we have seen the growth of existing exchanges and the emergence of new ones. There are major commodity futures exchanges in over 20 countries, including Australia, Brazil, France, Germany, Japan, Korea, Singapore, US and UK. A large number of new exchanges were created during the past decade in developing countries; not all of them have progressed to the level of futures trading, and many have rapidly disappeared again.
By: Daniel John
Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com
Daniel John Day-Robinson is working as a trade finance consultant from last more than a decade and with this he is the Director of Day Robinson International in UK dealing in structured trade finance, structured commodity trade finance, trade finance advice, trade conference show etc.
Real Time Futures - Why It Should Impact Your Futures Broker Decision
Are you interested in trading futures? If you are, you may also be interested in using the services of a futures trading broker, as they provide you with the knowledge and assistance needed to be a successful futures trader. The good news is that you have a number of different futures brokers to choose from. The bad news is that you have so many brokers to choose from that you may have a difficult time making a decision.
The first step in choosing a futures broker is to actually find one or a number of them. If you are looking for a local futures broker, you can use your local phone book. For a larger number of futures brokers, you may want to think about using the internet, particularly online business directories or standard internet searches. Once you have the contact information for a futures broker or their website address, you can begin to further investigate or research them.
When it comes to further researching a futures broker, there are a number of obvious things that you will want to look for. For instance, you will want to do business with a futures broker that is affordable, as well as one that has a good reputation. One point that you may not necessarily think about is real time futures. Of course, it isn t necessary, but you may want to think about doing business with a futures broker that relies on real time futures. Real time futures is often considered a tool; a tool that you, as an investor, can benefit from.
When looking for a futures broker that uses real time futures, you will need to examine the services provided. Real time futures often involves having the futures market, as well as current commodity prices, and futures investing news updated, in real time format. Many futures brokers who use real time futures operate online, as it is easier to keep their information updated and in real time format. In most cases, you can look at the online website of a futures broker and see, right away, if they have real time futures information.
As a reminder, real time futures isn t necessarily required, but it is something that you may want to closely examine. If you are able to find a futures broker, particularly one that uses real time futures, you are advised to thoroughly examine their online website. You will want to look for trader accounts that you can open, as well as their costs. If you have any questions or concerns, most futures brokers are available to offer you assistance or answer any of your questions.
The first step in choosing a futures broker is to actually find one or a number of them. If you are looking for a local futures broker, you can use your local phone book. For a larger number of futures brokers, you may want to think about using the internet, particularly online business directories or standard internet searches. Once you have the contact information for a futures broker or their website address, you can begin to further investigate or research them.
When it comes to further researching a futures broker, there are a number of obvious things that you will want to look for. For instance, you will want to do business with a futures broker that is affordable, as well as one that has a good reputation. One point that you may not necessarily think about is real time futures. Of course, it isn t necessary, but you may want to think about doing business with a futures broker that relies on real time futures. Real time futures is often considered a tool; a tool that you, as an investor, can benefit from.
When looking for a futures broker that uses real time futures, you will need to examine the services provided. Real time futures often involves having the futures market, as well as current commodity prices, and futures investing news updated, in real time format. Many futures brokers who use real time futures operate online, as it is easier to keep their information updated and in real time format. In most cases, you can look at the online website of a futures broker and see, right away, if they have real time futures information.
As a reminder, real time futures isn t necessarily required, but it is something that you may want to closely examine. If you are able to find a futures broker, particularly one that uses real time futures, you are advised to thoroughly examine their online website. You will want to look for trader accounts that you can open, as well as their costs. If you have any questions or concerns, most futures brokers are available to offer you assistance or answer any of your questions.
How to Find a Commodity Futures Broker
Are you interested in futures investing? If you are, you will want to get into futures trading, as it a great way to make money with the trading of commodities. If you are interested in trading futures, it is advised that you use the services of a commodity futures broker, particularly if you consider yourself to be an inexperienced trader. Doing business with a commodity futures broker can give you peace of mind, as many can assist you along every step of the way.
If you don t already have a commodity futures broker that you would like to do business with, you will need to find one. When finding a commodity futures broker to do business with, you will find that you have a number of different options. A few of the many ways that you can go about finding a commodity futures broker are outlined below.
When it comes to finding a commodity futures broker, there are many individuals, particularly beginners, who turn to their local phone book. In the business directory of your phone book, you may be able to find the business listings for a few commodity future brokers. In all honesty, the number of local brokers available will all depend on the size of your city. What you may not realize, especially if you are a beginner, is that you don t necessarily have to do business with a local commodity futures broker. In fact, you may even find it better to do business with a commodity futures broker that operates on a national level.
Another way that you can go about finding a commodity futures broker is by using the internet. When using the internet, you have the ability to use online phone books, online business directories, or standard internet searches. While all of these three approaches will give you results, you may want to perform a standard internet search, as it likely to return more results. Speaking of results, those results may include the online websites for commodity futures brokers.
The above mentioned approaches can be used to find a commodity futures broker, but you want to do more than just find a broker, you will want to choose one. If you are a beginner, the commodity futures broker that you choose to do business with may have huge impact on your futures trading success. That is why it is advised that you thoroughly research and examine all of commodity futures brokers that you come across. You will want to work with a broker that has an outstanding record, knowledge and training, as well as good customer service skills.
In short, there are a number of different ways that you can go about finding a commodity futures broker. When it comes time to choose a commodity futures broker, you will want to choose the broker who best fits your needs or your expectations.
If you don t already have a commodity futures broker that you would like to do business with, you will need to find one. When finding a commodity futures broker to do business with, you will find that you have a number of different options. A few of the many ways that you can go about finding a commodity futures broker are outlined below.
When it comes to finding a commodity futures broker, there are many individuals, particularly beginners, who turn to their local phone book. In the business directory of your phone book, you may be able to find the business listings for a few commodity future brokers. In all honesty, the number of local brokers available will all depend on the size of your city. What you may not realize, especially if you are a beginner, is that you don t necessarily have to do business with a local commodity futures broker. In fact, you may even find it better to do business with a commodity futures broker that operates on a national level.
Another way that you can go about finding a commodity futures broker is by using the internet. When using the internet, you have the ability to use online phone books, online business directories, or standard internet searches. While all of these three approaches will give you results, you may want to perform a standard internet search, as it likely to return more results. Speaking of results, those results may include the online websites for commodity futures brokers.
The above mentioned approaches can be used to find a commodity futures broker, but you want to do more than just find a broker, you will want to choose one. If you are a beginner, the commodity futures broker that you choose to do business with may have huge impact on your futures trading success. That is why it is advised that you thoroughly research and examine all of commodity futures brokers that you come across. You will want to work with a broker that has an outstanding record, knowledge and training, as well as good customer service skills.
In short, there are a number of different ways that you can go about finding a commodity futures broker. When it comes time to choose a commodity futures broker, you will want to choose the broker who best fits your needs or your expectations.
Mini Forex and Trading Platforms
by Ryan Lee Daniels
Before we can even talk about Mini Forex Trading Platforms, we first have to understand what a mini forex contract is.
So what exactly is a mini forex contract?
A Mini Forex Contract
To understand what a Mini Forex contract is, let's take a look at what a standard contract in the forex market is. Once you understand what a standard forex trading contract is, you'll have a clearer grasp of what a mini forex contract is.
The Forex markets are traded using contracts or lots, where one contract is also understood to be one lot. You can buy or sell contracts, depending on whether you expect the currency pair to move up or down. Of course, if you expect the pair to move up, you'd BUY the contract. And if you expect the pair to move down, you'd SELL the contract.
How is ONE Standard Contract/Lot Valued?
One STANDARD contract in the forex market is valued at USD$100,000. When you buy or sell 1 contract, you are in effect buying or selling USD$100,000.
With the leverage available at most brokers, you don't actually require USD$100,000 to buy or sell ONE contract. With a leverage of 100:1, you can buy or sell ONE Standard Contract worth USD$100,000 with only $1,000 in your account.
However this is highly inadvisable because if you only have USD$1,000 in your account, you should not be trading ONE Standard contract as that could potentially wipe out your account in one single bad trade.
So if ONE Standard Lot is worth USD$100,000, how much is ONE Mini Forex contract worth?
How ONE mini forex contract relates to ONE standard contract
A mini forex contract is 1/10th the value of a standard contract. So since a standard contract is worth USD$100,000, a mini forex contract is worth USD$10,000.
In other words:
One Standard Contract: USD$100,000 One Mini Contract: USD$10,000
When you trade ONE Mini Forex Lot, you are controlling USD$10,000.
Now, some forex brokerages have broken the value of the Standard Lot even further into Micro-Mini Forex contracts, where one Micro-Mini is 1/10th of a Mini Forex Lot.
Summary of Contract Sizes
In summary, there are 3 different contract values:
One Standard Contract: USD$100,000
One Mini Contract: USD$10,000
One Micro-Mini Contract: USD$1,000
So when you trade, you can always use the appropriate contract size for your account equity. To choose the appropriate contract size, it helps when you know the value of 1 pip of each contract size.
The value of 1 pip per:
Standard Contract (1.00 lots): $10
Mini Contract (0.10 lots): $1
Micro-Mini Contract (0.01 lots): $0.10
Even with a small trading account, you can still trade 1 micro-mini contract (0.01 lots), where 1 pip is worth $0.10. From there, you can slowly scale up your trading size from 0.01 lots to 0.02 lots or more, depending on the equity level at that time.
And depending on the trading platform and the broker that you are using, you may or may not have access to one micro-mini forex lot, so you have to check out which brokers offer contract sizes all the way down to micro-minis.
Selecting A Trading Platform or Broker
While there are several trading platforms or brokers, you are advised to do some background checks on them, not only in terms of their trading platform capabilities, but also in the financial solvency of the brokerage itself.
A very useful place online to find out the financial solvency of the broker you are researching is using the US Commodity Futures and Trading Commission website.
Be A Smarter Trader
About the Author
Want to learn the inner workings and secrets of improving your trading? Ryan Lee Daniels runs a Forex Trading Education website to help you become a smarter trader.
Before we can even talk about Mini Forex Trading Platforms, we first have to understand what a mini forex contract is.
So what exactly is a mini forex contract?
A Mini Forex Contract
To understand what a Mini Forex contract is, let's take a look at what a standard contract in the forex market is. Once you understand what a standard forex trading contract is, you'll have a clearer grasp of what a mini forex contract is.
The Forex markets are traded using contracts or lots, where one contract is also understood to be one lot. You can buy or sell contracts, depending on whether you expect the currency pair to move up or down. Of course, if you expect the pair to move up, you'd BUY the contract. And if you expect the pair to move down, you'd SELL the contract.
How is ONE Standard Contract/Lot Valued?
One STANDARD contract in the forex market is valued at USD$100,000. When you buy or sell 1 contract, you are in effect buying or selling USD$100,000.
With the leverage available at most brokers, you don't actually require USD$100,000 to buy or sell ONE contract. With a leverage of 100:1, you can buy or sell ONE Standard Contract worth USD$100,000 with only $1,000 in your account.
However this is highly inadvisable because if you only have USD$1,000 in your account, you should not be trading ONE Standard contract as that could potentially wipe out your account in one single bad trade.
So if ONE Standard Lot is worth USD$100,000, how much is ONE Mini Forex contract worth?
How ONE mini forex contract relates to ONE standard contract
A mini forex contract is 1/10th the value of a standard contract. So since a standard contract is worth USD$100,000, a mini forex contract is worth USD$10,000.
In other words:
One Standard Contract: USD$100,000 One Mini Contract: USD$10,000
When you trade ONE Mini Forex Lot, you are controlling USD$10,000.
Now, some forex brokerages have broken the value of the Standard Lot even further into Micro-Mini Forex contracts, where one Micro-Mini is 1/10th of a Mini Forex Lot.
Summary of Contract Sizes
In summary, there are 3 different contract values:
One Standard Contract: USD$100,000
One Mini Contract: USD$10,000
One Micro-Mini Contract: USD$1,000
So when you trade, you can always use the appropriate contract size for your account equity. To choose the appropriate contract size, it helps when you know the value of 1 pip of each contract size.
The value of 1 pip per:
Standard Contract (1.00 lots): $10
Mini Contract (0.10 lots): $1
Micro-Mini Contract (0.01 lots): $0.10
Even with a small trading account, you can still trade 1 micro-mini contract (0.01 lots), where 1 pip is worth $0.10. From there, you can slowly scale up your trading size from 0.01 lots to 0.02 lots or more, depending on the equity level at that time.
And depending on the trading platform and the broker that you are using, you may or may not have access to one micro-mini forex lot, so you have to check out which brokers offer contract sizes all the way down to micro-minis.
Selecting A Trading Platform or Broker
While there are several trading platforms or brokers, you are advised to do some background checks on them, not only in terms of their trading platform capabilities, but also in the financial solvency of the brokerage itself.
A very useful place online to find out the financial solvency of the broker you are researching is using the US Commodity Futures and Trading Commission website.
Be A Smarter Trader
About the Author
Want to learn the inner workings and secrets of improving your trading? Ryan Lee Daniels runs a Forex Trading Education website to help you become a smarter trader.
Commodity Markets Trading Strategies For Starters
The best way to learn how to trade in the commodity markets is to take lessons directly from a successful trader. However, even if you found the right persons, and they taught you all they know, this in itself does not guarantee that you will make money the way they do. For this, you need to keep a good trading strategy yourself, if you are to succeed in doing commodity futures trading.Trade Correctly Or Not At All
A lot of people don t realize it, but they end up learning through trial and error. However, you are unlikely to become a good trader if you use this method. The first thing you need to do to trade the right way is to read as much as possible about commodity trading. This may not give you the best trading plan, but it will definitely prepare you for the trades you might want to take in the future. You will gain more knowledge about the risks you are about to take, and how to limit them. You will also have the benefit of learning from the mistakes made by these experts, rather than having to go through them yourself.Essentials Of A Sound Trading StrategyThe first decision you need to take while formulating a trading strategy is to decide how much capital you want to invest, as this will greatly determine how much you will end up making as profit. The more you invest, the better your chances of making money. It provides for more lasting power in the market if you have more risk capital . Risk Capital is the amount of money you are willing to lose without it affecting your way of life. The next step is to decide what your average trade investment will be as in the value of each trade taken.The four essentials of any good trading strategy are as follows. Firstly, always remember to trade in the direction of the market trend. Remember, the market trend is your only friend. Secondly, always keep stops in place. They will determine how much capital you will lose. Thirdly, let your profits run as deep as you can. Don t be in a hurry to exit a trade if you are making only a little money. This sounds like it is easy to do, but is perhaps the most difficult of all the four principals. Lastly, manage your risk wisely and carefully. Make sure that the risk reward ratio is always leaning in your favor when you are taking a trade.Use Of Technical AnalysisMost traders use technical analysis as part of their trading strategy. Technical analysis provides many vital tools that allow you to be more informed about the trades you are taking, and help to decide which ones to ignore. Among other things, indicators used in technical analysis allow you to determine trends, entry points, stops, target prices, supports, resistances, possible breakouts and breakdowns. It would be wise to use these indicators when you are formulating a strategy to trade in the commodity markets.
Remember, it is wise to always trade a commodity that you are knowledgeable about. Try to master one commodity and know the factors that affect its movements. Know what you are trading, and you will find your self on the winning side more often.
By:
Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com
David has traded futures & options for one of the largest cash trading firms in the world. He currently owns and runs the following websites: Futures Options Simulated trading & Futures Options
A lot of people don t realize it, but they end up learning through trial and error. However, you are unlikely to become a good trader if you use this method. The first thing you need to do to trade the right way is to read as much as possible about commodity trading. This may not give you the best trading plan, but it will definitely prepare you for the trades you might want to take in the future. You will gain more knowledge about the risks you are about to take, and how to limit them. You will also have the benefit of learning from the mistakes made by these experts, rather than having to go through them yourself.Essentials Of A Sound Trading StrategyThe first decision you need to take while formulating a trading strategy is to decide how much capital you want to invest, as this will greatly determine how much you will end up making as profit. The more you invest, the better your chances of making money. It provides for more lasting power in the market if you have more risk capital . Risk Capital is the amount of money you are willing to lose without it affecting your way of life. The next step is to decide what your average trade investment will be as in the value of each trade taken.The four essentials of any good trading strategy are as follows. Firstly, always remember to trade in the direction of the market trend. Remember, the market trend is your only friend. Secondly, always keep stops in place. They will determine how much capital you will lose. Thirdly, let your profits run as deep as you can. Don t be in a hurry to exit a trade if you are making only a little money. This sounds like it is easy to do, but is perhaps the most difficult of all the four principals. Lastly, manage your risk wisely and carefully. Make sure that the risk reward ratio is always leaning in your favor when you are taking a trade.Use Of Technical AnalysisMost traders use technical analysis as part of their trading strategy. Technical analysis provides many vital tools that allow you to be more informed about the trades you are taking, and help to decide which ones to ignore. Among other things, indicators used in technical analysis allow you to determine trends, entry points, stops, target prices, supports, resistances, possible breakouts and breakdowns. It would be wise to use these indicators when you are formulating a strategy to trade in the commodity markets.
Remember, it is wise to always trade a commodity that you are knowledgeable about. Try to master one commodity and know the factors that affect its movements. Know what you are trading, and you will find your self on the winning side more often.
By:
Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com
David has traded futures & options for one of the largest cash trading firms in the world. He currently owns and runs the following websites: Futures Options Simulated trading & Futures Options
Currency Day Trading 101
by Thomas Rockwood
Day Trading 101
Trading, business and the financial market is a big, complex world. There's foreign exchange, currency trading, and even day trading. And perhaps, it is day trading that needs more than just a simple mention in the book. For one, foreign exchange and currency trading are relatively easy to understand, day trading is a whole new concept.
Simply put, day trading is the buying and selling of financial investments and securities within the same trading day. These financial investments and securities would include stocks, stock options, currencies, and contracts like equity index futures and commodity futures. As opposed to swing trading where the stocks are held for a couple more days, the stocks in day trading are held only for the duration of the trading day.
Day traders buy and sell securities during the day and do not hold stocks overnight. Anyone interested in day trading must have enough capital for him/her to be able to buy at least 1000 shares of a particular stock on a particular day. A neophyte in this venture would do well to save around $25,000 for him to be able to play in the market. Furthermore, this should be treated as a 100 percent risk capital.
Day traders should know how to cut their losses short. They should know to trade along with the trend, go with the flow, and never to get emotionally attached to their trades. It is advised to trade high-volume popular stocks as they are easier to sell at the end of the trading day.
Day Trading Currencies
As day trading requires a capital of at least $25,000, many might ask what a trader could do with a capital less than $25,000. The solution: trade currencies. A player could day-trade currencies with as little as a couple of hundred dollars. All you need to do is open a FOREX mini account.
One of the perks of day trading currencies is that the FOREX market is open 24 hours a day. You can day trade even at night, anytime of the day, any day of the week. There's no 'uptick rule' which makes selling of currencies as easy as buying them. The player can day trade his capital, providing him with chances to cut back on possible losses. The player also has greater leverage. Normally, day traders have an intraday margin of 4 to 1, allowing them to trade $100,000 worth of stock with their $25,000. But day trading currencies or short-term trading has a 50 to 1 margin, which allows the player to trade $1,250,000 with $25,000 or less.
What's more, the trader has the option of deciding the amount of leverage to use depending on his day trading strategy, his available capital and the risks he's willing to take. It's also more liquid because the currencies are always in action. As there are only few currencies to monitor as compared to stocks, currency day trading is easier to follow currencies than stocks.
It's a risky business, but one can earn as much as $50,000 in day trading for someone with a keen business sense. As the market is prone to fluctuations, the day trader must be always alert as to when to decide to sell the stock or hold for the right time. In a snap of the fingers, everything could be lost, or you could also have earned your first million. This isn't a game of luck. Research, study the market, learn the strategies and remember to make wise decisions.
About the Author
For more currency trading tips and currency trading strategies visit the Currency Trading Guides at Online-Trading-Guides.com.
Day Trading 101
Trading, business and the financial market is a big, complex world. There's foreign exchange, currency trading, and even day trading. And perhaps, it is day trading that needs more than just a simple mention in the book. For one, foreign exchange and currency trading are relatively easy to understand, day trading is a whole new concept.
Simply put, day trading is the buying and selling of financial investments and securities within the same trading day. These financial investments and securities would include stocks, stock options, currencies, and contracts like equity index futures and commodity futures. As opposed to swing trading where the stocks are held for a couple more days, the stocks in day trading are held only for the duration of the trading day.
Day traders buy and sell securities during the day and do not hold stocks overnight. Anyone interested in day trading must have enough capital for him/her to be able to buy at least 1000 shares of a particular stock on a particular day. A neophyte in this venture would do well to save around $25,000 for him to be able to play in the market. Furthermore, this should be treated as a 100 percent risk capital.
Day traders should know how to cut their losses short. They should know to trade along with the trend, go with the flow, and never to get emotionally attached to their trades. It is advised to trade high-volume popular stocks as they are easier to sell at the end of the trading day.
Day Trading Currencies
As day trading requires a capital of at least $25,000, many might ask what a trader could do with a capital less than $25,000. The solution: trade currencies. A player could day-trade currencies with as little as a couple of hundred dollars. All you need to do is open a FOREX mini account.
One of the perks of day trading currencies is that the FOREX market is open 24 hours a day. You can day trade even at night, anytime of the day, any day of the week. There's no 'uptick rule' which makes selling of currencies as easy as buying them. The player can day trade his capital, providing him with chances to cut back on possible losses. The player also has greater leverage. Normally, day traders have an intraday margin of 4 to 1, allowing them to trade $100,000 worth of stock with their $25,000. But day trading currencies or short-term trading has a 50 to 1 margin, which allows the player to trade $1,250,000 with $25,000 or less.
What's more, the trader has the option of deciding the amount of leverage to use depending on his day trading strategy, his available capital and the risks he's willing to take. It's also more liquid because the currencies are always in action. As there are only few currencies to monitor as compared to stocks, currency day trading is easier to follow currencies than stocks.
It's a risky business, but one can earn as much as $50,000 in day trading for someone with a keen business sense. As the market is prone to fluctuations, the day trader must be always alert as to when to decide to sell the stock or hold for the right time. In a snap of the fingers, everything could be lost, or you could also have earned your first million. This isn't a game of luck. Research, study the market, learn the strategies and remember to make wise decisions.
About the Author
For more currency trading tips and currency trading strategies visit the Currency Trading Guides at Online-Trading-Guides.com.
Surviving The Commodity Markets, Part 6 - Trading Guidelines For Different Account Sizes - To Reduce Fear
Of all the important skills in trading, survival is number one. For unless we make it through the inevitable bad times, we won't be around to capitalize on the good. I've laid out some trading account guidelines that specify the account size required to conduct various commodity futures and option trading activities. Stick within these guidelines and you will have an edge on most of the commodity trading public. $100,000 ACCOUNT and HIGHERRisk no more than 2.5% - 5% max ($2500 - $5,000 per idea for $100K)
Now we re talking. Ask most professionals and they will often tell you this is the minimum commodity amount to make a modest living from IF you are a good trader. Think about it. A really good trader can make 30% a year. Some make much more. This equates to about $30,000 a year. Many of us can barely survive on $30,000 a year. As you can see, if you want to take this commodity trading business seriously, you need a good size account, approaching $50,000 - $100,000++. As a commodity pro, you don t have the luxury of wiping the account out or else you are on the street. That s the way to trade any account of any size. Think like a pro and you may have a better chance of doing well. If you don t, and trade recklessly, it is almost 100% probability you will eventually give all your money to these commodity market pros. By the way, the biggest way to reduce your fear of the markets is to reduce the size of your trading. You must get to the point of trusting yourself to do the right thing when the going gets tough. By having this structured money management plan and sticking with it, you will be on the road to trusting yourself. And remember, the only reason you will break this plan is because of greed wanting to get there faster. Think about it. These conservative guidelines will give you the best money management probability for success that I can think of. Gunslingers may laugh and feel they need to risk much more a trade. But ask any professional that has been profitable for years and he will probably agree with these guidelines. He might suggest to make them even more conservative!I encourage you to commit to these money management principles. It is a big step towards developing your own personal trading discipline. Good Trading!
There is substantial risk of loss trading futures and options and may not be suitable for all types of investors. Only risk capital should be used.
By: Thomas Cathey
Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com
Thomas Cathey - 27-year trading veteran heads the managed futures division of Thomas Capital Management, LLC. View his market forecast TimeLine Trading charts and get his complete free 44+ lesson, "Thomas Commodity Trading Course." www.thomascapitalmanagement.com/commodity/welcome.htm Main site: www.ThomasCapitalManagement.com
Now we re talking. Ask most professionals and they will often tell you this is the minimum commodity amount to make a modest living from IF you are a good trader. Think about it. A really good trader can make 30% a year. Some make much more. This equates to about $30,000 a year. Many of us can barely survive on $30,000 a year. As you can see, if you want to take this commodity trading business seriously, you need a good size account, approaching $50,000 - $100,000++. As a commodity pro, you don t have the luxury of wiping the account out or else you are on the street. That s the way to trade any account of any size. Think like a pro and you may have a better chance of doing well. If you don t, and trade recklessly, it is almost 100% probability you will eventually give all your money to these commodity market pros. By the way, the biggest way to reduce your fear of the markets is to reduce the size of your trading. You must get to the point of trusting yourself to do the right thing when the going gets tough. By having this structured money management plan and sticking with it, you will be on the road to trusting yourself. And remember, the only reason you will break this plan is because of greed wanting to get there faster. Think about it. These conservative guidelines will give you the best money management probability for success that I can think of. Gunslingers may laugh and feel they need to risk much more a trade. But ask any professional that has been profitable for years and he will probably agree with these guidelines. He might suggest to make them even more conservative!I encourage you to commit to these money management principles. It is a big step towards developing your own personal trading discipline. Good Trading!
There is substantial risk of loss trading futures and options and may not be suitable for all types of investors. Only risk capital should be used.
By: Thomas Cathey
Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com
Thomas Cathey - 27-year trading veteran heads the managed futures division of Thomas Capital Management, LLC. View his market forecast TimeLine Trading charts and get his complete free 44+ lesson, "Thomas Commodity Trading Course." www.thomascapitalmanagement.com/commodity/welcome.htm Main site: www.ThomasCapitalManagement.com
Short Stock Market History
by Viktor Ka
A stock exchange is a place where company stocks and other securities are traded. Nowadays trading is less and less linked to take place in such a physical space. Modern markets are electronic networks that deliver advantages of speed and low cost on transactions. A stock exchange is one of the most important components of a stock market. Historically, the first "brokers" mentioned, surface in 11th century France. Such brokers were men who managed the debts of agricultural communities on behalf of the banks and in some cases they traded in debts, therefore can be considered the first brokers.In the 13th century an individual named Van der Burse started a gathering of commodity traders at his home in Bruges, Belgium, and such gathering became institutionalized into "Bruges Bourse". This concept rapidly gained popularity and spread with the opening of "Bourses" in Ghent and Amsterdam.Bankers started to trade in government securities for the first time in the middle of the 13th century in Venetia. The practice spread in 14th century to independent city states of Pisa, Verona, Genoa and Florence also began trading in government securities.Later in the Dutch started joint stock companies allowing shareholders to invest in businesses and to share in profits. In 1602 the first company to issue stocks and bonds was created, called the Dutch East India Company, issuing shares on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange. Stock trading did not begin in London until 1688.On May 17, 1792, twenty-four stock brokers signed the Buttonwood Agreement outside 68 Wall Street in New York under a buttonwood tree. On March 8, 1817, they were renamed into "New York Stock & Exchange Board".In the 19th century, exchanges (generally known as futures exchanges) were established to trade futures contracts and later options contracts.
There are now numerous stock exchanges in the world. Below is a list of the world's 20 largest stock exchanges sorted by market capitalization:
NYSE
Tokyo Stock Exchange
NASDAQ
London Stock Exchange
Hong Kong Stock Exchange
Toronto Stock Exchange
Frankfurt Stock Exchange
Shanghai Stock Exchange
Madrid Stock Exchange
Australian Securities Exchange
Swiss Exchange
Nordic Stock Exchange Group OMX
Milan Stock Exchange
Bombay Stock Exchange
Korea Exchange
S?o Paulo Stock Exchange
National Stock Exchange of India
Moscow Interbank Currency Exchange
Johannesburg Securities Exchange
Taiwan Stock Exchange
About the Author
For more information check trading system f for options at trading strategies based on MV stock charts.
A stock exchange is a place where company stocks and other securities are traded. Nowadays trading is less and less linked to take place in such a physical space. Modern markets are electronic networks that deliver advantages of speed and low cost on transactions. A stock exchange is one of the most important components of a stock market. Historically, the first "brokers" mentioned, surface in 11th century France. Such brokers were men who managed the debts of agricultural communities on behalf of the banks and in some cases they traded in debts, therefore can be considered the first brokers.In the 13th century an individual named Van der Burse started a gathering of commodity traders at his home in Bruges, Belgium, and such gathering became institutionalized into "Bruges Bourse". This concept rapidly gained popularity and spread with the opening of "Bourses" in Ghent and Amsterdam.Bankers started to trade in government securities for the first time in the middle of the 13th century in Venetia. The practice spread in 14th century to independent city states of Pisa, Verona, Genoa and Florence also began trading in government securities.Later in the Dutch started joint stock companies allowing shareholders to invest in businesses and to share in profits. In 1602 the first company to issue stocks and bonds was created, called the Dutch East India Company, issuing shares on the Amsterdam Stock Exchange. Stock trading did not begin in London until 1688.On May 17, 1792, twenty-four stock brokers signed the Buttonwood Agreement outside 68 Wall Street in New York under a buttonwood tree. On March 8, 1817, they were renamed into "New York Stock & Exchange Board".In the 19th century, exchanges (generally known as futures exchanges) were established to trade futures contracts and later options contracts.
There are now numerous stock exchanges in the world. Below is a list of the world's 20 largest stock exchanges sorted by market capitalization:
NYSE
Tokyo Stock Exchange
NASDAQ
London Stock Exchange
Hong Kong Stock Exchange
Toronto Stock Exchange
Frankfurt Stock Exchange
Shanghai Stock Exchange
Madrid Stock Exchange
Australian Securities Exchange
Swiss Exchange
Nordic Stock Exchange Group OMX
Milan Stock Exchange
Bombay Stock Exchange
Korea Exchange
S?o Paulo Stock Exchange
National Stock Exchange of India
Moscow Interbank Currency Exchange
Johannesburg Securities Exchange
Taiwan Stock Exchange
About the Author
For more information check trading system f for options at trading strategies based on MV stock charts.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Discount Futures Brokers - How They Can Save You Money
Are you interested in using the services of a futures broker, to assist you with futures trading? If you are, you may be wondering what type of futures broker you should use. While the decision is honestly yours to make, you are advised to take the time to examine discount futures brokers, as they may be able to save you a considerable amount of money.
Before examining the many benefits to doing business with a discount futures broker, you may be wondering exactly what one in. In most cases, discount futures brokers are brokers that have low, discounted, or competitive fees. When you use the assistance of a futures broker, you must pay to use their services. Different futures brokers charge different fees, but many are now starting to offer discounted rates; thus, giving them the title of a discount futures broker.
Now that you know what discount futures brokers are, you may be wondering exactly how they can help save you money, as well possibly even increase your profits. When using discount futures brokers, traders, just like you, are able to save money on their broker fees. Depending on the discount available, this can be quite a considerable amount. Simply put, the less that you have to spend on a futures trading broker, the more money you are able to save, when it comes to futures trading. The money that you save can actually be considered a profit, as it is an expense that you were able to avoid paying.
Although discount futures brokers can save many futures traders money, many are wondering about the level of service that they will receive and you may be as well. As with the amount of discount you are able to receive, the level of service will also vary. Discount futures brokers do not necessarily mean poor service or communication that is hard to make, but you need to be cautious of who you choose to do business with. Discount futures brokers are a viable option, as long as you thoroughly examine all of the futures discount brokers that you are interested in doing business with. Choose a discount futures broker that has an outstanding reputation and a good customer service department. Although saving money is nice, you often have to look beyond the money saved.
In addition to saving money by working with discount futures brokers, you and other traders can also save money by carefully choosing which account you choose to setup. Many brokers, even discount futures brokers, give you a number of options to choose from. Opting for a cheaper trading account, like a broker assisted account or an online trading account may reduce the amount of money you have to pay in broker fees, especially when compared to full-service accounts.
Before examining the many benefits to doing business with a discount futures broker, you may be wondering exactly what one in. In most cases, discount futures brokers are brokers that have low, discounted, or competitive fees. When you use the assistance of a futures broker, you must pay to use their services. Different futures brokers charge different fees, but many are now starting to offer discounted rates; thus, giving them the title of a discount futures broker.
Now that you know what discount futures brokers are, you may be wondering exactly how they can help save you money, as well possibly even increase your profits. When using discount futures brokers, traders, just like you, are able to save money on their broker fees. Depending on the discount available, this can be quite a considerable amount. Simply put, the less that you have to spend on a futures trading broker, the more money you are able to save, when it comes to futures trading. The money that you save can actually be considered a profit, as it is an expense that you were able to avoid paying.
Although discount futures brokers can save many futures traders money, many are wondering about the level of service that they will receive and you may be as well. As with the amount of discount you are able to receive, the level of service will also vary. Discount futures brokers do not necessarily mean poor service or communication that is hard to make, but you need to be cautious of who you choose to do business with. Discount futures brokers are a viable option, as long as you thoroughly examine all of the futures discount brokers that you are interested in doing business with. Choose a discount futures broker that has an outstanding reputation and a good customer service department. Although saving money is nice, you often have to look beyond the money saved.
In addition to saving money by working with discount futures brokers, you and other traders can also save money by carefully choosing which account you choose to setup. Many brokers, even discount futures brokers, give you a number of options to choose from. Opting for a cheaper trading account, like a broker assisted account or an online trading account may reduce the amount of money you have to pay in broker fees, especially when compared to full-service accounts.
TradeStation - review of the powerful TradeStation Platform
by Al Hill
Link to original article: http://www.mysmp.com/tradestation.html
I am currently using the TradeStation platform to day trade. The ability to back test-trading strategies is what first attracted me to TradeStation. Another benefit of TradeStation is the ability to trade equities, futures, options, and forex from one trading platform. So, if you are interested in TradeStation, please read my review before you make any final decisions.
Strategy Testing
Easy Language
TradeStation gives you the power to right code in Easy Language in order to back test your trading strategies. Now, while the name of the code is Easy Language, it is far from easy. If you have previous coding experience, then Easy Language will remind you a lot of C++, but if you have no previous coding experience, do not waste your time on trying to learn the syntax. Simply look to their third-party programmers for assistance. These developers are backed by TradeStation and they do not charge and obscene amount of money. Better yet, if you have a friend or relative that knows how to write code, they will quickly be able to write basic strategies for you.
TradeStation provides some basic literature on Easy Language, but if you want to really get your feet wet, you will have to purchase their home study course, which will run you a cool $149. Again, if you are here to trade, trade, and leave the developing to the programmers.
Historical Market Data
TradeStation has over 25 years of historical data. When you look a little closer, the amount of data is dependent upon which investment vehicle you are using:
4 years of intra-day Forex data
8 years of Eurex Futures and Index Data
16 years of intra-day Equities
25 years on intra-day Futures data
So, the real question is do you need all this data from TradeStation. Well, of course, if you are serious about testing your trading strategies. This amount of market data will allow you to back test your strategies in bull, bear and flat markets. You will quickly see how you would have faired in the bull market of the late 90's, or the slippery slope down in '01 and '02. Most importantly, you can see how you would have done since the market recently bottomed in the spring of '03.
Automated Trading
I do not endorse mechanical trading, as I feel every trader should be responsible for his or her own trading decisions, but I have to admit, having the option of setting up automatic trading is impressive. In order to activate this feature, you should be certain that your strategy is working properly and has clear stop rules. The last thing you want is to take lunch and come back to realize you just bought a 10 thousand dollar hotdog. TradeStation also has a new feature that allows you to execute orders based on fundamental analysis. TradeStation is the first platform capable of scanning and executing orders based on fundamental factors.
Back testing Strategies
There is one part of back testing that TradeStation does not tell you about and that is slippage. When you write your Easy Language code, you can tell the code to exit a trade on the close of the current bar, or ext at market on the open of the next bar. The problem is you may want to write the code to get out at a specific price. Now, all of you Easy Language experts out there, please relax, I know that you can write code to get out at any particular price, but the average trader will not know how to write such detailed code. So, in summary remember that if you write your own code, the canned functions in Easy Language will not allow you to easily code your exits. Just make sure you verify in your performance report that your results have not been inflated or deflated due to slippage.
TradeStation will display a report of your hypothetical trading results. The TradeStation performance report lists everything from average time in trade, average gain, total commission, annual rate of return to name a few. Only problem, you cannot export the data to excel. So, one is forced to manually type in stats into your friendly worksheet processor. Depending on how much information you want to analyze, this exercise could prove to be time consuming.
Trade Execution
TradeStation has the quick order button execution of every other active brokerage firm. But the cool thing with TradeStation is the Order Cancels Order (OCO) and Order Stages Order (OSO) order types. For Order Cancels Order, you can instruct TradeStation to enter a position if the price breaks up or down. This works well when you have identified two levels on a stock as potential long or short entries depending on how the price breaks. The Order Stage Order allows you to stage multiple orders for an existing position. So, if you are long MSFT and want to exit in 3 increments, you can create an OSO order which will stage the orders and when a certain price is hit, it will exit a part of your position at a specific limit. I often hear traders say that they do not want to put a stop in, because if there limit is hit, they will have to cancel their open stop order, to then put in a limit order to exit the trade. Well, with OSO in you can place both a stop and up to 3 limit orders in TradeStation, so there is no longer any excuse as to why you can not protect your capital, the second you get in the trade.
Shorting
TradeStation does not have the books to short some of the more obscure stocks. So, if you want to short stocks that are not well known, you may encounter some trouble with TradeStation. This does not happen often, but it happens enough that it is noticeable.
Charting
The charts in TradeStation are in real-time and there are over a hundred indicators, show me, paint bars, etc. which can be displayed on the chart. The only negative is that you cannot execute trades by clicking directly on the chart. There are multiple screens in TradeStation that will allow you to close a position; unfortunately, the chart is not one of them.
Ability to Link Accounts
TradeStation has the ability to link all of your accounts. Therefore, you can trade futures, one minute and then put on a trade in your equities account the next. This is extremely convenient, since you do not have to open another application or go through the tedious process of logging into another account.
Commission Structure
If you are an active trader and you trade under 1k shares per lot, TradeStation makes sense. TradeStation has a per share cost up to 500 shares. The first 500 shares are $.01. So you can buy 100 shares for a $1 and up to 500 shares for $5. Over 500 shares, it is $.006 per share. So, if you trade 3k shares, TradeStation can become costly. The first 500 shares will cost 5 bucks and then the last 2.5k shares will run you another 15 bucks. The total cost would be 20 dollars one-way for the trade. In this example, it of course would be much cheaper to trade with a brokerage firm that has a flat charge for all trades. In summary, if you are going to trade in big lots, 1k or more, go with a flat fee brokerage firm, but if you're going to trade under 1k lots, TradeStation is the place for you.
Support Center
TradeStation has a support and discussions forums, where traders share ideas, stories and Easy Language code. Unlike many forums, where there are only a few users, the TradeStation forum has hundreds of quality posts. I have been able to pickup tons of ideas as well as free Easy Language code for some of my strategies. Each post is grouped in categories and the users are quick to respond to your questions. TradeStation has also recently started a Wiki for both their platform as well as Easy Language. The Wiki is expanded daily. TradeStation also has a dependable phone support staff. I have yet to call and not be able to get someone on the line with in 15 - 30 seconds. The staff is always attentive and willing to help on any issue. There is a sales desk, equities desk, futures desk, and forex desk. Each department specializes in their respective areas, which prevents you, the client, from ever talking to someone who is unknowledgeable on how to address your issue.
Radar Screen
TradeStation is the only trading platform, which has a radar screen that can scan the market based on your own market criteria. Now this is not your standard, scan that can display stocks with an RSI under 30. The scan in Radar Screen can be as simple or as complicated as your Easy Language abilities will permit. So, if you want to look at stocks at 2-day highs, with 25k shares per minute, that are up a minimum of 2%, you can scan the market for this information in real-time. The only negative regarding Radar Screen is TradeStation only allows you to scan the market for 1k stocks. But, who needs to monitor more than 1k stocks?
See You At The Top,
Al Hill
About the Author
Al Hill is the co-founder of mysmp.com (My Stock Market Power) which provides free trading articles to investors. Please visit http://mysmp.com/trading-articles.html for more free articles.
Link to original article: http://www.mysmp.com/tradestation.html
I am currently using the TradeStation platform to day trade. The ability to back test-trading strategies is what first attracted me to TradeStation. Another benefit of TradeStation is the ability to trade equities, futures, options, and forex from one trading platform. So, if you are interested in TradeStation, please read my review before you make any final decisions.
Strategy Testing
Easy Language
TradeStation gives you the power to right code in Easy Language in order to back test your trading strategies. Now, while the name of the code is Easy Language, it is far from easy. If you have previous coding experience, then Easy Language will remind you a lot of C++, but if you have no previous coding experience, do not waste your time on trying to learn the syntax. Simply look to their third-party programmers for assistance. These developers are backed by TradeStation and they do not charge and obscene amount of money. Better yet, if you have a friend or relative that knows how to write code, they will quickly be able to write basic strategies for you.
TradeStation provides some basic literature on Easy Language, but if you want to really get your feet wet, you will have to purchase their home study course, which will run you a cool $149. Again, if you are here to trade, trade, and leave the developing to the programmers.
Historical Market Data
TradeStation has over 25 years of historical data. When you look a little closer, the amount of data is dependent upon which investment vehicle you are using:
4 years of intra-day Forex data
8 years of Eurex Futures and Index Data
16 years of intra-day Equities
25 years on intra-day Futures data
So, the real question is do you need all this data from TradeStation. Well, of course, if you are serious about testing your trading strategies. This amount of market data will allow you to back test your strategies in bull, bear and flat markets. You will quickly see how you would have faired in the bull market of the late 90's, or the slippery slope down in '01 and '02. Most importantly, you can see how you would have done since the market recently bottomed in the spring of '03.
Automated Trading
I do not endorse mechanical trading, as I feel every trader should be responsible for his or her own trading decisions, but I have to admit, having the option of setting up automatic trading is impressive. In order to activate this feature, you should be certain that your strategy is working properly and has clear stop rules. The last thing you want is to take lunch and come back to realize you just bought a 10 thousand dollar hotdog. TradeStation also has a new feature that allows you to execute orders based on fundamental analysis. TradeStation is the first platform capable of scanning and executing orders based on fundamental factors.
Back testing Strategies
There is one part of back testing that TradeStation does not tell you about and that is slippage. When you write your Easy Language code, you can tell the code to exit a trade on the close of the current bar, or ext at market on the open of the next bar. The problem is you may want to write the code to get out at a specific price. Now, all of you Easy Language experts out there, please relax, I know that you can write code to get out at any particular price, but the average trader will not know how to write such detailed code. So, in summary remember that if you write your own code, the canned functions in Easy Language will not allow you to easily code your exits. Just make sure you verify in your performance report that your results have not been inflated or deflated due to slippage.
TradeStation will display a report of your hypothetical trading results. The TradeStation performance report lists everything from average time in trade, average gain, total commission, annual rate of return to name a few. Only problem, you cannot export the data to excel. So, one is forced to manually type in stats into your friendly worksheet processor. Depending on how much information you want to analyze, this exercise could prove to be time consuming.
Trade Execution
TradeStation has the quick order button execution of every other active brokerage firm. But the cool thing with TradeStation is the Order Cancels Order (OCO) and Order Stages Order (OSO) order types. For Order Cancels Order, you can instruct TradeStation to enter a position if the price breaks up or down. This works well when you have identified two levels on a stock as potential long or short entries depending on how the price breaks. The Order Stage Order allows you to stage multiple orders for an existing position. So, if you are long MSFT and want to exit in 3 increments, you can create an OSO order which will stage the orders and when a certain price is hit, it will exit a part of your position at a specific limit. I often hear traders say that they do not want to put a stop in, because if there limit is hit, they will have to cancel their open stop order, to then put in a limit order to exit the trade. Well, with OSO in you can place both a stop and up to 3 limit orders in TradeStation, so there is no longer any excuse as to why you can not protect your capital, the second you get in the trade.
Shorting
TradeStation does not have the books to short some of the more obscure stocks. So, if you want to short stocks that are not well known, you may encounter some trouble with TradeStation. This does not happen often, but it happens enough that it is noticeable.
Charting
The charts in TradeStation are in real-time and there are over a hundred indicators, show me, paint bars, etc. which can be displayed on the chart. The only negative is that you cannot execute trades by clicking directly on the chart. There are multiple screens in TradeStation that will allow you to close a position; unfortunately, the chart is not one of them.
Ability to Link Accounts
TradeStation has the ability to link all of your accounts. Therefore, you can trade futures, one minute and then put on a trade in your equities account the next. This is extremely convenient, since you do not have to open another application or go through the tedious process of logging into another account.
Commission Structure
If you are an active trader and you trade under 1k shares per lot, TradeStation makes sense. TradeStation has a per share cost up to 500 shares. The first 500 shares are $.01. So you can buy 100 shares for a $1 and up to 500 shares for $5. Over 500 shares, it is $.006 per share. So, if you trade 3k shares, TradeStation can become costly. The first 500 shares will cost 5 bucks and then the last 2.5k shares will run you another 15 bucks. The total cost would be 20 dollars one-way for the trade. In this example, it of course would be much cheaper to trade with a brokerage firm that has a flat charge for all trades. In summary, if you are going to trade in big lots, 1k or more, go with a flat fee brokerage firm, but if you're going to trade under 1k lots, TradeStation is the place for you.
Support Center
TradeStation has a support and discussions forums, where traders share ideas, stories and Easy Language code. Unlike many forums, where there are only a few users, the TradeStation forum has hundreds of quality posts. I have been able to pickup tons of ideas as well as free Easy Language code for some of my strategies. Each post is grouped in categories and the users are quick to respond to your questions. TradeStation has also recently started a Wiki for both their platform as well as Easy Language. The Wiki is expanded daily. TradeStation also has a dependable phone support staff. I have yet to call and not be able to get someone on the line with in 15 - 30 seconds. The staff is always attentive and willing to help on any issue. There is a sales desk, equities desk, futures desk, and forex desk. Each department specializes in their respective areas, which prevents you, the client, from ever talking to someone who is unknowledgeable on how to address your issue.
Radar Screen
TradeStation is the only trading platform, which has a radar screen that can scan the market based on your own market criteria. Now this is not your standard, scan that can display stocks with an RSI under 30. The scan in Radar Screen can be as simple or as complicated as your Easy Language abilities will permit. So, if you want to look at stocks at 2-day highs, with 25k shares per minute, that are up a minimum of 2%, you can scan the market for this information in real-time. The only negative regarding Radar Screen is TradeStation only allows you to scan the market for 1k stocks. But, who needs to monitor more than 1k stocks?
See You At The Top,
Al Hill
About the Author
Al Hill is the co-founder of mysmp.com (My Stock Market Power) which provides free trading articles to investors. Please visit http://mysmp.com/trading-articles.html for more free articles.
Give Credit Derivatives Their Due
by Tim Quast
Pop by modernir.com if you haven't recently and see our site updates. We're jazzed about them, really.
Moving on, with a barrel of oil and a nosebleed seat at a Sacramento Kings game now at basic cost parity, what's that do to the derivatives trading strategies behind both?
Kidding about the Kings seat - the ones on the lip at the top of Arco Arena still cost more than a barrel of oil. But IROs, the markets last week offered lessons in knowing how trading strategies affect your equities. We pegged the collapse of broad market structure to options expirations. From the 20th forward, order flow starkly showed that first active and then quantitative investors were pelting pell-mell out of town.
What interests us most, it reveals how active investors - those making rational qualitative decisions - are broadly deploying automated risk-management systems (tied to derivatives) to hedge against human error. We believe an imbalance in the credit derivatives market triggered these risk-hedging devices and the rational folks were then quick to sell and retreat. These actions imbalanced the equity markets and triggered quantitative selling too (which we believe contributed to the double-dip down on the Dow). We can absolutely see the laddered movement of these different kinds of order flow.
Back to risk-management derivatives vehicles, how do they work? We have no idea, frankly. But consider this: interest rates on margins for futures contracts are a crucial cost component for those aggressively deploying them. It's not inconceivable that forward resets as options expired were affected by interest-rate changes somewhere in the system...the interbanks? Broker dealers who recently had trouble selling debt for private equity transactions? We don't know. But certainly the structured products traders and the proprietary options shops were wildly busy last week during the correction.
The good news, the order flow sample on Friday as the week closed looked stable despite the down day, with parity between primes and electronic platforms again, which should tell arbitragers that alpha is now nominal. But there wasn't an echoing footstep of a rational investor to be found anywhere. It was all algorithmic.
IROs, you might feel fatigued thinking, "You mean I need to know this stuff about my stock?" But in fact there's far more peace of mind in looking at your order flow and being able to tell management simply, "It's not what we're saying, it's these darned high-frequency traders."
Want more information? Sign up for this free newsletter.
About the Author
Tim Quast is a fifteen-year Investor Relations veteran and founder and managing director of ModernIR.com, which parses and categorizes over a half-billion shares per week with its trading intelligence systems. More information is at: www.modernir.com
Pop by modernir.com if you haven't recently and see our site updates. We're jazzed about them, really.
Moving on, with a barrel of oil and a nosebleed seat at a Sacramento Kings game now at basic cost parity, what's that do to the derivatives trading strategies behind both?
Kidding about the Kings seat - the ones on the lip at the top of Arco Arena still cost more than a barrel of oil. But IROs, the markets last week offered lessons in knowing how trading strategies affect your equities. We pegged the collapse of broad market structure to options expirations. From the 20th forward, order flow starkly showed that first active and then quantitative investors were pelting pell-mell out of town.
What interests us most, it reveals how active investors - those making rational qualitative decisions - are broadly deploying automated risk-management systems (tied to derivatives) to hedge against human error. We believe an imbalance in the credit derivatives market triggered these risk-hedging devices and the rational folks were then quick to sell and retreat. These actions imbalanced the equity markets and triggered quantitative selling too (which we believe contributed to the double-dip down on the Dow). We can absolutely see the laddered movement of these different kinds of order flow.
Back to risk-management derivatives vehicles, how do they work? We have no idea, frankly. But consider this: interest rates on margins for futures contracts are a crucial cost component for those aggressively deploying them. It's not inconceivable that forward resets as options expired were affected by interest-rate changes somewhere in the system...the interbanks? Broker dealers who recently had trouble selling debt for private equity transactions? We don't know. But certainly the structured products traders and the proprietary options shops were wildly busy last week during the correction.
The good news, the order flow sample on Friday as the week closed looked stable despite the down day, with parity between primes and electronic platforms again, which should tell arbitragers that alpha is now nominal. But there wasn't an echoing footstep of a rational investor to be found anywhere. It was all algorithmic.
IROs, you might feel fatigued thinking, "You mean I need to know this stuff about my stock?" But in fact there's far more peace of mind in looking at your order flow and being able to tell management simply, "It's not what we're saying, it's these darned high-frequency traders."
Want more information? Sign up for this free newsletter.
About the Author
Tim Quast is a fifteen-year Investor Relations veteran and founder and managing director of ModernIR.com, which parses and categorizes over a half-billion shares per week with its trading intelligence systems. More information is at: www.modernir.com
The Commercial Production Of Ethanol From Corn
This second article by Absolute Futures will explain the commercial production of ethanol. Ethanol is a product of fermentation. Fermentation is a sequence of reactions which release energy from organic molecules in the absence of oxygen. In this application of fermentation, energy is obtained when sugar is changed to ethanol and carbon dioxide. Changing corn to ethanol by fermentation takes many steps. Starch in corn must be broken down into simple sugars before fermentation can occur. In earlier times, this was done by chewing the corn. This allowed the salivary enzymes to naturally break down the start. Today, this is achieved by cooking the corn and adding the enzymes alpha amylase and gluco amylase.
Once a simple sugar is obtained, yeast is added. Yeast is a single-celled fungi which feeds on the sugar and causes the fermentation. As the fungi feeds on the sugar, it produces alcohol (ethanol) and carbon dioxide. In fermentation, the ethanol retains much of the energy that was originally in the sugar, and explains why ethanol is an excellent fuel. Most ethanol production in the United States is made in 50 production facilities in 20 different states. Most of these plants are located in the Midwest.Changing the starch in kernels of corn to sugar and changing sugar to ethanol is a complex process and requires a mix of technologies that include microbiology, chemistry and engineering. Ethanol is produced from corn by using one of two standard processes: wet-milling or dry-milling. Dry-milling plants cost less to build and produce higher yields of ethanol, but the value of co-products is less. Most of the ethanol plants in the U.S. utilize a dry-milling process. The wet-milling operation is more elaborate because the grain must be separated into its components. After fermentation, the ethanol is removed from the mix of ethanol, water, yeast, and residue. It is then purified through distillation. The distilling process takes advantage of the low boiling point (78C.) of ethanol. When the temperature of the mix is increased slightly higher than the boiling point, the ethanol evaporates. It is then captured as a gas vapor and condensed back to a liquid. Other chemicals are added and molecular sieves are used to purify the ethanol.
Advances in technology are being made to further reduce the large amounts of energy needed for distillation. These advances help to reduce the costs and make producing ethanol much more economical.
By: Sandra Case
Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com
This article has been written by Sandra Case, who is Vice President Commodity Research for Absolute Futures Commodity Brokerage. For further information regarding this article or information on other commodities or trading of the commodity markets please contact Sandra Case 800-935-6494. www.absolute-futures.com
Once a simple sugar is obtained, yeast is added. Yeast is a single-celled fungi which feeds on the sugar and causes the fermentation. As the fungi feeds on the sugar, it produces alcohol (ethanol) and carbon dioxide. In fermentation, the ethanol retains much of the energy that was originally in the sugar, and explains why ethanol is an excellent fuel. Most ethanol production in the United States is made in 50 production facilities in 20 different states. Most of these plants are located in the Midwest.Changing the starch in kernels of corn to sugar and changing sugar to ethanol is a complex process and requires a mix of technologies that include microbiology, chemistry and engineering. Ethanol is produced from corn by using one of two standard processes: wet-milling or dry-milling. Dry-milling plants cost less to build and produce higher yields of ethanol, but the value of co-products is less. Most of the ethanol plants in the U.S. utilize a dry-milling process. The wet-milling operation is more elaborate because the grain must be separated into its components. After fermentation, the ethanol is removed from the mix of ethanol, water, yeast, and residue. It is then purified through distillation. The distilling process takes advantage of the low boiling point (78C.) of ethanol. When the temperature of the mix is increased slightly higher than the boiling point, the ethanol evaporates. It is then captured as a gas vapor and condensed back to a liquid. Other chemicals are added and molecular sieves are used to purify the ethanol.
Advances in technology are being made to further reduce the large amounts of energy needed for distillation. These advances help to reduce the costs and make producing ethanol much more economical.
By: Sandra Case
Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com
This article has been written by Sandra Case, who is Vice President Commodity Research for Absolute Futures Commodity Brokerage. For further information regarding this article or information on other commodities or trading of the commodity markets please contact Sandra Case 800-935-6494. www.absolute-futures.com
Compare Discount Commodity Brokers
Commodity brokers are either individuals or firms that act as intermediaries between buyers and sellers. Commodity brokers offer a range of services such as creating an account, management of the account and executing the orders of the traders. Traders need to be very careful while choosing their brokers, as it can make all the difference regarding successful commodity trading. There are many types of commodity brokers out of which discount commodity brokers are quite popular.
Discount commodity brokers are brokers that offer their clients almost all the services regarding managing their accounts except providing regular advice regarding trading and are also less personalized than a full-service stock broker. Traders prefer them, as their charges are considerably lower than that of a full service broker. Deep discount commodity brokers offer minimum service and only trade stocks and options for a flat fee. A full service broker offers all the standard services such as investment advise, price quotes and keeps the trader updated with all current trends. With a discount broker, the trader has to take care of all buying and selling decisions.
Deep discount commodity brokers only accept and execute orders, and do not offer any sort of advice. For this, they charge a fixed amount of fee for any size or kind of transaction. These prices are generally for one way trades, that is, for a buy order or a sell order. Almost all deep discount commodity brokers own websites through which a trader can access and manage his or her account. Traders who have a good idea of the market and like to manage their trading accounts by themselves without any interference of the broker prefer this option.
Most discount commodity brokers require a fixed initial deposit for opening an account. This can be anywhere from five hundred to two thousand dollars. After opening the account, the deposits can be of any amount. To select the best-suited deep discount broker, traders ought to research online and also ask fellow traders about their experiences with different brokers. The commission charged by the broker must also be understood perfectly for the actual dollar cost per trade.
Discount commodity brokers are brokers that offer their clients almost all the services regarding managing their accounts except providing regular advice regarding trading and are also less personalized than a full-service stock broker. Traders prefer them, as their charges are considerably lower than that of a full service broker. Deep discount commodity brokers offer minimum service and only trade stocks and options for a flat fee. A full service broker offers all the standard services such as investment advise, price quotes and keeps the trader updated with all current trends. With a discount broker, the trader has to take care of all buying and selling decisions.
Deep discount commodity brokers only accept and execute orders, and do not offer any sort of advice. For this, they charge a fixed amount of fee for any size or kind of transaction. These prices are generally for one way trades, that is, for a buy order or a sell order. Almost all deep discount commodity brokers own websites through which a trader can access and manage his or her account. Traders who have a good idea of the market and like to manage their trading accounts by themselves without any interference of the broker prefer this option.
Most discount commodity brokers require a fixed initial deposit for opening an account. This can be anywhere from five hundred to two thousand dollars. After opening the account, the deposits can be of any amount. To select the best-suited deep discount broker, traders ought to research online and also ask fellow traders about their experiences with different brokers. The commission charged by the broker must also be understood perfectly for the actual dollar cost per trade.
Real Time Futures - Why It Should Impact Your Futures Broker Decision
Are you interested in trading futures? If you are, you may also be interested in using the services of a futures trading broker, as they provide you with the knowledge and assistance needed to be a successful futures trader. The good news is that you have a number of different futures brokers to choose from. The bad news is that you have so many brokers to choose from that you may have a difficult time making a decision.
The first step in choosing a futures broker is to actually find one or a number of them. If you are looking for a local futures broker, you can use your local phone book. For a larger number of futures brokers, you may want to think about using the internet, particularly online business directories or standard internet searches. Once you have the contact information for a futures broker or their website address, you can begin to further investigate or research them.
When it comes to further researching a futures broker, there are a number of obvious things that you will want to look for. For instance, you will want to do business with a futures broker that is affordable, as well as one that has a good reputation. One point that you may not necessarily think about is real time futures. Of course, it isn t necessary, but you may want to think about doing business with a futures broker that relies on real time futures. Real time futures is often considered a tool; a tool that you, as an investor, can benefit from.
When looking for a futures broker that uses real time futures, you will need to examine the services provided. Real time futures often involves having the futures market, as well as current commodity prices, and futures investing news updated, in real time format. Many futures brokers who use real time futures operate online, as it is easier to keep their information updated and in real time format. In most cases, you can look at the online website of a futures broker and see, right away, if they have real time futures information.
As a reminder, real time futures isn t necessarily required, but it is something that you may want to closely examine. If you are able to find a futures broker, particularly one that uses real time futures, you are advised to thoroughly examine their online website. You will want to look for trader accounts that you can open, as well as their costs. If you have any questions or concerns, most futures brokers are available to offer you assistance or answer any of your questions.
The first step in choosing a futures broker is to actually find one or a number of them. If you are looking for a local futures broker, you can use your local phone book. For a larger number of futures brokers, you may want to think about using the internet, particularly online business directories or standard internet searches. Once you have the contact information for a futures broker or their website address, you can begin to further investigate or research them.
When it comes to further researching a futures broker, there are a number of obvious things that you will want to look for. For instance, you will want to do business with a futures broker that is affordable, as well as one that has a good reputation. One point that you may not necessarily think about is real time futures. Of course, it isn t necessary, but you may want to think about doing business with a futures broker that relies on real time futures. Real time futures is often considered a tool; a tool that you, as an investor, can benefit from.
When looking for a futures broker that uses real time futures, you will need to examine the services provided. Real time futures often involves having the futures market, as well as current commodity prices, and futures investing news updated, in real time format. Many futures brokers who use real time futures operate online, as it is easier to keep their information updated and in real time format. In most cases, you can look at the online website of a futures broker and see, right away, if they have real time futures information.
As a reminder, real time futures isn t necessarily required, but it is something that you may want to closely examine. If you are able to find a futures broker, particularly one that uses real time futures, you are advised to thoroughly examine their online website. You will want to look for trader accounts that you can open, as well as their costs. If you have any questions or concerns, most futures brokers are available to offer you assistance or answer any of your questions.
13 Sales Basics for Personal Trainers
by Jim Labadie
Every successful fitness professional is a proficient sales person. And by "successful", I mean those who are not forced to find another career because of their lack of business skills or desire to improve them. Here are 13 sales "basics" to improve your ability to sell your services.
1) Believe in yourself and the service you provide. Your prospective clients will feed off your energy and will be much more likely to hire you if you exude confidence.
2) Understand that money isn't the objection you might think it is. People will happily pay for your services so long as they value fitness and believe you will help them obtain the results they are seeking.
3) Selling your services to someone who needs your help is your moral obligation. Chances are you got into this business to help people. Well, if they don't hire you how can you help them?
4) Realize that if you have trouble asking people to pay you for your services you may have a negative belief system around money. You can help fix that by understanding that money is just a means of trading value. They trade you money for your time and efforts.
5) Accept the fact that no matter how much money you charge, if you are good at what you do the client is always getting the better end of the deal. You only receive money and they receive a happier and healthier life. Which is more valuable to you?
6) Know the difference between a prospect and a client. A prospect is someone who may or may not hire you. A client is someone who is paying you for your services.
7) Accept the fact that selling is an absolutely essential skill for every personal trainer to learn. The more proficient you are at closing sales the more people you can help.
8) Know that people often hire Personal Trainers after they have exhausted less expensive options. You may very well find these people to be your best prospects.
9) Understand you are free to decide who you want to schedule sales appointments with. Your time is by far and away your most valuable commodity so be sure you are only meeting with prospects who are very likely to hire you.
10) Know that people almost always make buying decisions emotionally not logically. When selling it is your responsibility to make your prospect emotional so you can easily sell them your services.
11) Realize it is only a sale when you have the money in your hand in some form. You should always plan on having your prospect pay before your sales appointment ends.
12) Set the sales appointment as soon as you can when speaking to a prospect. People are easily distracted in today's world so it's imperative to meet with prospects as soon as you can while fitness is foremost in their minds.
13) Understand people love to buy things, but hate being sold things. Allow your prospects to sell themselves on your services by simply asking the right questions and guiding them to the eventual conclusion: If they truly want to achieve their goals they are going to need your help.
About the Author
Jim Labadie is a fitness entrepreneur, sales expert and speaker. You can download a FREE copy of his new e-book "63 Must-Have Sales Tips for Personal Trainers" at: http://www.ptsalestips.com
Every successful fitness professional is a proficient sales person. And by "successful", I mean those who are not forced to find another career because of their lack of business skills or desire to improve them. Here are 13 sales "basics" to improve your ability to sell your services.
1) Believe in yourself and the service you provide. Your prospective clients will feed off your energy and will be much more likely to hire you if you exude confidence.
2) Understand that money isn't the objection you might think it is. People will happily pay for your services so long as they value fitness and believe you will help them obtain the results they are seeking.
3) Selling your services to someone who needs your help is your moral obligation. Chances are you got into this business to help people. Well, if they don't hire you how can you help them?
4) Realize that if you have trouble asking people to pay you for your services you may have a negative belief system around money. You can help fix that by understanding that money is just a means of trading value. They trade you money for your time and efforts.
5) Accept the fact that no matter how much money you charge, if you are good at what you do the client is always getting the better end of the deal. You only receive money and they receive a happier and healthier life. Which is more valuable to you?
6) Know the difference between a prospect and a client. A prospect is someone who may or may not hire you. A client is someone who is paying you for your services.
7) Accept the fact that selling is an absolutely essential skill for every personal trainer to learn. The more proficient you are at closing sales the more people you can help.
8) Know that people often hire Personal Trainers after they have exhausted less expensive options. You may very well find these people to be your best prospects.
9) Understand you are free to decide who you want to schedule sales appointments with. Your time is by far and away your most valuable commodity so be sure you are only meeting with prospects who are very likely to hire you.
10) Know that people almost always make buying decisions emotionally not logically. When selling it is your responsibility to make your prospect emotional so you can easily sell them your services.
11) Realize it is only a sale when you have the money in your hand in some form. You should always plan on having your prospect pay before your sales appointment ends.
12) Set the sales appointment as soon as you can when speaking to a prospect. People are easily distracted in today's world so it's imperative to meet with prospects as soon as you can while fitness is foremost in their minds.
13) Understand people love to buy things, but hate being sold things. Allow your prospects to sell themselves on your services by simply asking the right questions and guiding them to the eventual conclusion: If they truly want to achieve their goals they are going to need your help.
About the Author
Jim Labadie is a fitness entrepreneur, sales expert and speaker. You can download a FREE copy of his new e-book "63 Must-Have Sales Tips for Personal Trainers" at: http://www.ptsalestips.com
Futures Brokers - Considerations
by Stephen Bigalow
Futures Brokers - Considerations
With all of the technical analysis and research that goes into commodities investing, it is possible that the most important decision you will make doesn't concern oil futures or the NASDAQ 100. Every trade you will make has one thing in common; while you might not always buy or sell, you will always be in contact with your futures broker. Your futures broker will be a part of everything you do and this fact makes your decision crucial.
The choice of futures brokers for commodity trading is not simply selecting to start a business relationship with a person, but it includes understanding the investment philosophy and available service of the futures brokerage firm. When choosing commodity futures brokers, there are several concepts to consider:
* Type of brokerage or the clearing arrangement * A history of ethical business practices * Amount of time doing business * Level of commissions * Level of service
Type of Brokerage Firm
Primarily there are two types of clearing arrangements for futures brokers, namely Futures Commission Merchants (FCM) and Introducing Brokers (IB). An FCM is a group of futures brokers that accepts orders to buy or sell options or futures contracts and accepts money or other assets from customers in connection with such orders. An IB, on the other hand, is a commodity broker who delegates the work of the trade execution, floor operation and back office operations to a FCM and acts primarily as an intermediary for your investment options.
History of Ethical Business Practices
Think about it this way; you will trust your commodity broker with a lot of money. Shouldn't he or she have a history of doing things the right way? In addition, the brokerage firm should always have your best interests in mind and resolve any problems in a fair way. A good way to check this is to contact the National Futures Association and find out if the broker has any disciplinary actions against him or her; a few minutes worth of checking might be your best investment advice.
Amount of Time Doing Business
80% of all businesses go under within the first five years. A beginner investing makes enough of his or her own mistakes; a futures broker is even more vulnerable. Because of this, it is wise to choose someone who has five or more years in the business, giving them time to establish their investment abilities.
Level of Commissions
One of the most common investing mistakes is not knowing the cost of doing business. Commodity trading creates a lot of trades, so the cost can accumulate quickly. It is a wise investment basic to know how much the commissions run for your trades; you can easily find this out before deciding on your futures broker.
Level of Service
You need to ask yourself; how much help do I need? If you are learning to invest, you will likely need more involvement from your futures broker; if you have a lot of experience, you might need less. It is important to decide this because the level of support varies whether you are using a discount futures broker or a full service brokerage firm. Either way, it is important to honestly evaluate your current abilities and choose based on your needs.
Conclusion
Selecting a futures broker and a brokerage firm are very important decisions; no brokerage firm can guarantee that you will make money but it is a very important part of the process. You will find that choosing a futures broker for your commodities trading that will handle your account with the highest degree of integrity and professionalism will enhance your trading experience.
About the Author
http://www.candlestickforum.com/PPF/Parameters/1_21_/candlestick.asp A site dedicated to stock market investing using Japanese Candlesticks
Futures Brokers - Considerations
With all of the technical analysis and research that goes into commodities investing, it is possible that the most important decision you will make doesn't concern oil futures or the NASDAQ 100. Every trade you will make has one thing in common; while you might not always buy or sell, you will always be in contact with your futures broker. Your futures broker will be a part of everything you do and this fact makes your decision crucial.
The choice of futures brokers for commodity trading is not simply selecting to start a business relationship with a person, but it includes understanding the investment philosophy and available service of the futures brokerage firm. When choosing commodity futures brokers, there are several concepts to consider:
* Type of brokerage or the clearing arrangement * A history of ethical business practices * Amount of time doing business * Level of commissions * Level of service
Type of Brokerage Firm
Primarily there are two types of clearing arrangements for futures brokers, namely Futures Commission Merchants (FCM) and Introducing Brokers (IB). An FCM is a group of futures brokers that accepts orders to buy or sell options or futures contracts and accepts money or other assets from customers in connection with such orders. An IB, on the other hand, is a commodity broker who delegates the work of the trade execution, floor operation and back office operations to a FCM and acts primarily as an intermediary for your investment options.
History of Ethical Business Practices
Think about it this way; you will trust your commodity broker with a lot of money. Shouldn't he or she have a history of doing things the right way? In addition, the brokerage firm should always have your best interests in mind and resolve any problems in a fair way. A good way to check this is to contact the National Futures Association and find out if the broker has any disciplinary actions against him or her; a few minutes worth of checking might be your best investment advice.
Amount of Time Doing Business
80% of all businesses go under within the first five years. A beginner investing makes enough of his or her own mistakes; a futures broker is even more vulnerable. Because of this, it is wise to choose someone who has five or more years in the business, giving them time to establish their investment abilities.
Level of Commissions
One of the most common investing mistakes is not knowing the cost of doing business. Commodity trading creates a lot of trades, so the cost can accumulate quickly. It is a wise investment basic to know how much the commissions run for your trades; you can easily find this out before deciding on your futures broker.
Level of Service
You need to ask yourself; how much help do I need? If you are learning to invest, you will likely need more involvement from your futures broker; if you have a lot of experience, you might need less. It is important to decide this because the level of support varies whether you are using a discount futures broker or a full service brokerage firm. Either way, it is important to honestly evaluate your current abilities and choose based on your needs.
Conclusion
Selecting a futures broker and a brokerage firm are very important decisions; no brokerage firm can guarantee that you will make money but it is a very important part of the process. You will find that choosing a futures broker for your commodities trading that will handle your account with the highest degree of integrity and professionalism will enhance your trading experience.
About the Author
http://www.candlestickforum.com/PPF/Parameters/1_21_/candlestick.asp A site dedicated to stock market investing using Japanese Candlesticks
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Understanding Commodities Markets
by Stephen Bigalow
Understanding Commodities Markets
With a rich history and an exciting future, trading in the commodities markets will continue to be very popular. For those who are already involved in commodity trading, it can be an exciting adventure. For those who are thinking about getting in, now is a great time to learn how to invest. For both the newcomer and the experienced trader, a little understanding about commodities markets is always helpful.
Commodities Markets In The US
Today's commodities markets in the United States trace their origins to futures trading in Chicago, IL in the early 1800s. Because of its location at the base of the Great Lakes and its close proximity to the farms of the Midwest, Chicago was a natural center for transportation, distribution and trading commodities. Overages and shortages of agricultural products caused extreme changes in price. An exchange was needed that would bring together a market to find potential buyers and sellers of a commodity instead of making people bear the burden of finding their own. In 1848, the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT), the world's first futures market was formed. Trading was originally in futures and the first contract was written on March 13, 1851.
General Futures Exchange Information
Unlike in the past, you will not actually go to the commodities markets to do business with the futures exchanges. You will invest through your broker who will take your commodity orders to the exchange floor for you. Your contact with a broker can either come from telephone contact to relay orders or electronic commodities trading in the Internet. While there are futures exchanges throughout the world, the best known markets in the US are in Minneapolis, Kansas City, New York and Chicago.
Regardless of which method is used, the basic concept is the same; the investor submits his or her futures options market order and based on the information contained in the futures contract, a purchase or a sale is made on behalf of the investor by a commodity broker. As you probably remember, this legally binding agreement gives the purchaser the right, not the obligation, to buy or sell the underlying asset. While the commodities themselves might be different, the commodities markets are the same.
Commodities Markets
While the world of the Internet has eliminated some of the magic of the commodities markets, the actually floor trading is still fascinating. Most commodities markets are divided into pits where the brokers stand facing the center. Each is dedicated to commodities trading that are specific for that pit. For example, the Chicago Board of Trade has large pits for soybeans, T-bonds and corn futures in addition to many others. The COMEX in New York is home to more that one futures exchange. There you will likely find pits for such commodities as heating oil, gold, cotton, coffee and orange juice.
Another consistent feature of commodities markets is that like trading in the stock market, the people that are on the floor must be members of that particular exchange. By paying dues and assessments, these members help to support the exchange. For non-members, it is necessary to find a member broker to do your commodity investing.
The commodity market provides the place to trade and has all of the related support facilities, such as phones and price-reporting and dissemination systems. The commodity market does not set prices or buy and sell for itself. It does, however, have an extensive operation for monitoring the actions of those involved to ensure to the US government that strict trading rules exist and are being followed.
Conclusion
From their humble beginnings in Chicago in the 1800s, commodities markets have become sophisticated places for successful traders to invest in futures and options. Combined with online futures trading, commodities markets are prepared to take investors from the past into the future.
About the Author
http://www.candlestickforum.com/PPF/Parameters/1_21_/candlestick.asp A site dedicated to stock market investing using Japanese Candlesticks
Understanding Commodities Markets
With a rich history and an exciting future, trading in the commodities markets will continue to be very popular. For those who are already involved in commodity trading, it can be an exciting adventure. For those who are thinking about getting in, now is a great time to learn how to invest. For both the newcomer and the experienced trader, a little understanding about commodities markets is always helpful.
Commodities Markets In The US
Today's commodities markets in the United States trace their origins to futures trading in Chicago, IL in the early 1800s. Because of its location at the base of the Great Lakes and its close proximity to the farms of the Midwest, Chicago was a natural center for transportation, distribution and trading commodities. Overages and shortages of agricultural products caused extreme changes in price. An exchange was needed that would bring together a market to find potential buyers and sellers of a commodity instead of making people bear the burden of finding their own. In 1848, the Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT), the world's first futures market was formed. Trading was originally in futures and the first contract was written on March 13, 1851.
General Futures Exchange Information
Unlike in the past, you will not actually go to the commodities markets to do business with the futures exchanges. You will invest through your broker who will take your commodity orders to the exchange floor for you. Your contact with a broker can either come from telephone contact to relay orders or electronic commodities trading in the Internet. While there are futures exchanges throughout the world, the best known markets in the US are in Minneapolis, Kansas City, New York and Chicago.
Regardless of which method is used, the basic concept is the same; the investor submits his or her futures options market order and based on the information contained in the futures contract, a purchase or a sale is made on behalf of the investor by a commodity broker. As you probably remember, this legally binding agreement gives the purchaser the right, not the obligation, to buy or sell the underlying asset. While the commodities themselves might be different, the commodities markets are the same.
Commodities Markets
While the world of the Internet has eliminated some of the magic of the commodities markets, the actually floor trading is still fascinating. Most commodities markets are divided into pits where the brokers stand facing the center. Each is dedicated to commodities trading that are specific for that pit. For example, the Chicago Board of Trade has large pits for soybeans, T-bonds and corn futures in addition to many others. The COMEX in New York is home to more that one futures exchange. There you will likely find pits for such commodities as heating oil, gold, cotton, coffee and orange juice.
Another consistent feature of commodities markets is that like trading in the stock market, the people that are on the floor must be members of that particular exchange. By paying dues and assessments, these members help to support the exchange. For non-members, it is necessary to find a member broker to do your commodity investing.
The commodity market provides the place to trade and has all of the related support facilities, such as phones and price-reporting and dissemination systems. The commodity market does not set prices or buy and sell for itself. It does, however, have an extensive operation for monitoring the actions of those involved to ensure to the US government that strict trading rules exist and are being followed.
Conclusion
From their humble beginnings in Chicago in the 1800s, commodities markets have become sophisticated places for successful traders to invest in futures and options. Combined with online futures trading, commodities markets are prepared to take investors from the past into the future.
About the Author
http://www.candlestickforum.com/PPF/Parameters/1_21_/candlestick.asp A site dedicated to stock market investing using Japanese Candlesticks
The Beauty Of Online Stock Trading
Online stock trading differs from the term "online trading" in that online stock trading refers to the online trading of only stocks and stock options. Online trading in general can refer to online trading of stocks, stock options, futures, futures options, etc.
Today's best online stock trading platforms give traders "information at their fingertips". Many will include quotes, charting, and even portfolio management. Useful stats include, portfolio by sector, portfolio by position, value by sector, value by position, and more.
When I first started online stock trading on of my favorite features was being able to see my account equity in real-time. Knowing exactly how much was in my account at any minute gave me a feeling of more control. Some of the account statistics available to you include net worth breakdown, profit & loss summary, commission and fee summary, profit/commissions ratio, etc.
Another great online stock trading feature is the ability to "park" orders. This is also one of my personal favorites. Parking and order simply means that you enter the order and save the order for later use. This is helpful because you can plan ahead and you don't have to enter and execute your orders at the same time or at the last minute. You will find the ability to prepare for your trading day both useful and empowering. This fits in nicely with those who trade according to the "Plan your trade and trade your plan philosophy"
Online stock trading gives you a great deal of control by having all your trading information integrated into on nice, neat package. Many platforms give you so many useful bells and whistles that you may not know where to start. Make sure that your online trading platform works for you and not the other way around.
Keep it simple and leverage your online trading platform to keep you focused, disciplined, and organized.
Today's best online stock trading platforms give traders "information at their fingertips". Many will include quotes, charting, and even portfolio management. Useful stats include, portfolio by sector, portfolio by position, value by sector, value by position, and more.
When I first started online stock trading on of my favorite features was being able to see my account equity in real-time. Knowing exactly how much was in my account at any minute gave me a feeling of more control. Some of the account statistics available to you include net worth breakdown, profit & loss summary, commission and fee summary, profit/commissions ratio, etc.
Another great online stock trading feature is the ability to "park" orders. This is also one of my personal favorites. Parking and order simply means that you enter the order and save the order for later use. This is helpful because you can plan ahead and you don't have to enter and execute your orders at the same time or at the last minute. You will find the ability to prepare for your trading day both useful and empowering. This fits in nicely with those who trade according to the "Plan your trade and trade your plan philosophy"
Online stock trading gives you a great deal of control by having all your trading information integrated into on nice, neat package. Many platforms give you so many useful bells and whistles that you may not know where to start. Make sure that your online trading platform works for you and not the other way around.
Keep it simple and leverage your online trading platform to keep you focused, disciplined, and organized.
How to Find a Commodity Futures Broker
Are you interested in futures investing? If you are, you will want to get into futures trading, as it a great way to make money with the trading of commodities. If you are interested in trading futures, it is advised that you use the services of a commodity futures broker, particularly if you consider yourself to be an inexperienced trader. Doing business with a commodity futures broker can give you peace of mind, as many can assist you along every step of the way.
If you don t already have a commodity futures broker that you would like to do business with, you will need to find one. When finding a commodity futures broker to do business with, you will find that you have a number of different options. A few of the many ways that you can go about finding a commodity futures broker are outlined below.
When it comes to finding a commodity futures broker, there are many individuals, particularly beginners, who turn to their local phone book. In the business directory of your phone book, you may be able to find the business listings for a few commodity future brokers. In all honesty, the number of local brokers available will all depend on the size of your city. What you may not realize, especially if you are a beginner, is that you don t necessarily have to do business with a local commodity futures broker. In fact, you may even find it better to do business with a commodity futures broker that operates on a national level.
Another way that you can go about finding a commodity futures broker is by using the internet. When using the internet, you have the ability to use online phone books, online business directories, or standard internet searches. While all of these three approaches will give you results, you may want to perform a standard internet search, as it likely to return more results. Speaking of results, those results may include the online websites for commodity futures brokers.
The above mentioned approaches can be used to find a commodity futures broker, but you want to do more than just find a broker, you will want to choose one. If you are a beginner, the commodity futures broker that you choose to do business with may have huge impact on your futures trading success. That is why it is advised that you thoroughly research and examine all of commodity futures brokers that you come across. You will want to work with a broker that has an outstanding record, knowledge and training, as well as good customer service skills.
In short, there are a number of different ways that you can go about finding a commodity futures broker. When it comes time to choose a commodity futures broker, you will want to choose the broker who best fits your needs or your expectations.
If you don t already have a commodity futures broker that you would like to do business with, you will need to find one. When finding a commodity futures broker to do business with, you will find that you have a number of different options. A few of the many ways that you can go about finding a commodity futures broker are outlined below.
When it comes to finding a commodity futures broker, there are many individuals, particularly beginners, who turn to their local phone book. In the business directory of your phone book, you may be able to find the business listings for a few commodity future brokers. In all honesty, the number of local brokers available will all depend on the size of your city. What you may not realize, especially if you are a beginner, is that you don t necessarily have to do business with a local commodity futures broker. In fact, you may even find it better to do business with a commodity futures broker that operates on a national level.
Another way that you can go about finding a commodity futures broker is by using the internet. When using the internet, you have the ability to use online phone books, online business directories, or standard internet searches. While all of these three approaches will give you results, you may want to perform a standard internet search, as it likely to return more results. Speaking of results, those results may include the online websites for commodity futures brokers.
The above mentioned approaches can be used to find a commodity futures broker, but you want to do more than just find a broker, you will want to choose one. If you are a beginner, the commodity futures broker that you choose to do business with may have huge impact on your futures trading success. That is why it is advised that you thoroughly research and examine all of commodity futures brokers that you come across. You will want to work with a broker that has an outstanding record, knowledge and training, as well as good customer service skills.
In short, there are a number of different ways that you can go about finding a commodity futures broker. When it comes time to choose a commodity futures broker, you will want to choose the broker who best fits your needs or your expectations.
Commodity Prices - Protecting Your Investment
by Stephen Bigalow
Commodity Prices - Protecting Your Investment
So much of what is written about commodity trading has to do with investment strategy; what you should buy, how much you should pay, or which tropical island you should buy with all of your profits. While the positive side of investing cannot be emphasized enough, an important part of your trading plan is knowing what to do when things don't go so well. Commodity prices and how they can change require you find ways to protect your investments.
Two of the best ways to protect your investments against commodity price changes are limit orders and stop loss orders. These are both protective orders that help you keep your money, not give it away to changes in commodity prices.
Limit Order
A limit order is a futures trading order that instructs your broker that when an underlying asset reaches a certain price or better, he or she should execute the order and purchase the desired asset at the best commodity price available. If the price of a commodity does not drop to the requested level, your order is not filled.
For example, if the price of corn futures is at $5.00 dollars per bushel and you place a limit order at $4.50, your order will not fill unless the price drops to $4.50. If the commodity price falls from $4.75 to $4.40, your order will be filled at $4.40. Conversely, if the commodity price only falls to $4.55, your broker will not fill the order. This type of market order helps protect your money by getting you the commodity price you want and not filling if your price isn't reached.
Stop Loss Order
A stop loss order is a commodities trading order that instructs your broker that if an asset you are holding drops to a certain level, he or she should sell it. Once the price has been reached, the commodity broker will implement the trade, regardless of the current commodity price. If the price never falls to the agreed amount, the order will not be executed.
As an example, if you enter a stop loss order to leave a crude oil position you are holding when the price drops to $55 a barrel, your oil futures have these possible scenarios:
* If the price of oil drops to $55, your commodity broker will enter a market order to sell your position, getting the best available price.
* If the price of oil drops to $55 but then quickly drops to $54, that may be the price you get. Remember, once the price touches $55, your broker will place a market order but that space of time can allow the price to temporarily drop more.
* If the price of oil drops to $55 but then quickly rebounds to $56, the trade will be initiated ever though the amount is back above your target for the commodity price. It is likely you will get the $56 but your futures option will still get executed.
How These Orders Help Protect You
Commodity prices in the futures markets have the potential to move quickly. If you are holding a futures contract, it is easy for things to get volatile and your position can become compromised without your even knowing. By using limit orders, you can enter a position at the commodity price you choose, not pay more because you can't monitor its movement; your broker can do the work of watching the commodity price for you.
Stop loss orders don't protect you before you make a trade; they protect you AFTER you enter a position. If you are not sitting by the computer watching commodity prices, a negative move could occur before you can move to stop it. By having a stop loss order, you can watch your positions without being in front of your computer.
Conclusion
Stop loss orders and limit orders can help the investor to form part of a strong stop loss strategy. While there is plenty written about profits when commodity prices rise, it's good to know you have a plan in place in case commodity prices fall.
About the Author
http://www.candlestickforum.com/PPF/Parameters/1_21_/candlestick.asp A site dedicated to stock market investing using Japanese Candlesticks
Commodity Prices - Protecting Your Investment
So much of what is written about commodity trading has to do with investment strategy; what you should buy, how much you should pay, or which tropical island you should buy with all of your profits. While the positive side of investing cannot be emphasized enough, an important part of your trading plan is knowing what to do when things don't go so well. Commodity prices and how they can change require you find ways to protect your investments.
Two of the best ways to protect your investments against commodity price changes are limit orders and stop loss orders. These are both protective orders that help you keep your money, not give it away to changes in commodity prices.
Limit Order
A limit order is a futures trading order that instructs your broker that when an underlying asset reaches a certain price or better, he or she should execute the order and purchase the desired asset at the best commodity price available. If the price of a commodity does not drop to the requested level, your order is not filled.
For example, if the price of corn futures is at $5.00 dollars per bushel and you place a limit order at $4.50, your order will not fill unless the price drops to $4.50. If the commodity price falls from $4.75 to $4.40, your order will be filled at $4.40. Conversely, if the commodity price only falls to $4.55, your broker will not fill the order. This type of market order helps protect your money by getting you the commodity price you want and not filling if your price isn't reached.
Stop Loss Order
A stop loss order is a commodities trading order that instructs your broker that if an asset you are holding drops to a certain level, he or she should sell it. Once the price has been reached, the commodity broker will implement the trade, regardless of the current commodity price. If the price never falls to the agreed amount, the order will not be executed.
As an example, if you enter a stop loss order to leave a crude oil position you are holding when the price drops to $55 a barrel, your oil futures have these possible scenarios:
* If the price of oil drops to $55, your commodity broker will enter a market order to sell your position, getting the best available price.
* If the price of oil drops to $55 but then quickly drops to $54, that may be the price you get. Remember, once the price touches $55, your broker will place a market order but that space of time can allow the price to temporarily drop more.
* If the price of oil drops to $55 but then quickly rebounds to $56, the trade will be initiated ever though the amount is back above your target for the commodity price. It is likely you will get the $56 but your futures option will still get executed.
How These Orders Help Protect You
Commodity prices in the futures markets have the potential to move quickly. If you are holding a futures contract, it is easy for things to get volatile and your position can become compromised without your even knowing. By using limit orders, you can enter a position at the commodity price you choose, not pay more because you can't monitor its movement; your broker can do the work of watching the commodity price for you.
Stop loss orders don't protect you before you make a trade; they protect you AFTER you enter a position. If you are not sitting by the computer watching commodity prices, a negative move could occur before you can move to stop it. By having a stop loss order, you can watch your positions without being in front of your computer.
Conclusion
Stop loss orders and limit orders can help the investor to form part of a strong stop loss strategy. While there is plenty written about profits when commodity prices rise, it's good to know you have a plan in place in case commodity prices fall.
About the Author
http://www.candlestickforum.com/PPF/Parameters/1_21_/candlestick.asp A site dedicated to stock market investing using Japanese Candlesticks
Discount Futures Brokers - How They Can Save You Money
Are you interested in using the services of a futures broker, to assist you with futures trading? If you are, you may be wondering what type of futures broker you should use. While the decision is honestly yours to make, you are advised to take the time to examine discount futures brokers, as they may be able to save you a considerable amount of money.
Before examining the many benefits to doing business with a discount futures broker, you may be wondering exactly what one in. In most cases, discount futures brokers are brokers that have low, discounted, or competitive fees. When you use the assistance of a futures broker, you must pay to use their services. Different futures brokers charge different fees, but many are now starting to offer discounted rates; thus, giving them the title of a discount futures broker.
Now that you know what discount futures brokers are, you may be wondering exactly how they can help save you money, as well possibly even increase your profits. When using discount futures brokers, traders, just like you, are able to save money on their broker fees. Depending on the discount available, this can be quite a considerable amount. Simply put, the less that you have to spend on a futures trading broker, the more money you are able to save, when it comes to futures trading. The money that you save can actually be considered a profit, as it is an expense that you were able to avoid paying.
Although discount futures brokers can save many futures traders money, many are wondering about the level of service that they will receive and you may be as well. As with the amount of discount you are able to receive, the level of service will also vary. Discount futures brokers do not necessarily mean poor service or communication that is hard to make, but you need to be cautious of who you choose to do business with. Discount futures brokers are a viable option, as long as you thoroughly examine all of the futures discount brokers that you are interested in doing business with. Choose a discount futures broker that has an outstanding reputation and a good customer service department. Although saving money is nice, you often have to look beyond the money saved.
In addition to saving money by working with discount futures brokers, you and other traders can also save money by carefully choosing which account you choose to setup. Many brokers, even discount futures brokers, give you a number of options to choose from. Opting for a cheaper trading account, like a broker assisted account or an online trading account may reduce the amount of money you have to pay in broker fees, especially when compared to full-service accounts.
Before examining the many benefits to doing business with a discount futures broker, you may be wondering exactly what one in. In most cases, discount futures brokers are brokers that have low, discounted, or competitive fees. When you use the assistance of a futures broker, you must pay to use their services. Different futures brokers charge different fees, but many are now starting to offer discounted rates; thus, giving them the title of a discount futures broker.
Now that you know what discount futures brokers are, you may be wondering exactly how they can help save you money, as well possibly even increase your profits. When using discount futures brokers, traders, just like you, are able to save money on their broker fees. Depending on the discount available, this can be quite a considerable amount. Simply put, the less that you have to spend on a futures trading broker, the more money you are able to save, when it comes to futures trading. The money that you save can actually be considered a profit, as it is an expense that you were able to avoid paying.
Although discount futures brokers can save many futures traders money, many are wondering about the level of service that they will receive and you may be as well. As with the amount of discount you are able to receive, the level of service will also vary. Discount futures brokers do not necessarily mean poor service or communication that is hard to make, but you need to be cautious of who you choose to do business with. Discount futures brokers are a viable option, as long as you thoroughly examine all of the futures discount brokers that you are interested in doing business with. Choose a discount futures broker that has an outstanding reputation and a good customer service department. Although saving money is nice, you often have to look beyond the money saved.
In addition to saving money by working with discount futures brokers, you and other traders can also save money by carefully choosing which account you choose to setup. Many brokers, even discount futures brokers, give you a number of options to choose from. Opting for a cheaper trading account, like a broker assisted account or an online trading account may reduce the amount of money you have to pay in broker fees, especially when compared to full-service accounts.
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