Protect Yourself from Forex Scams

By Bart Icles

One can say that foreign exchange markets are similar to many other financial trading markets. There are foreign exchange quotes, buying rates, and selling rates. In foreign exchange markets, investors engage in currency pair trading. Currencies that investors usually choose to trade are those that they consider above the rest in terms of stability and value.

If you are a newcomer to the foreign exchange market, it is vital that you protect yourself from frauds. Different people from all parts of the globe engage in foreign exchange trading that it does not come as a surprise to know that frauds are able to infiltrate the market. The growing number of people engaged in foreign exchange trading also ushers in a growing number of scams that go around the financial marketplace. Nevertheless, you should not be all too worried by frauds and scams as the number of legitimate investors still outnumber shams, and these legitimate entities can always help you in your forex venture. Your most valuable weapon would be your awareness.

Hard as it is, do not get yourself fooled by high profits that come with minimal risks. High profits almost always get you subjected to higher risks. Reducing risks is entirely up to you. Staying on the safe side would not hurt. If a company guarantees you maximum profits without having to face the same amount of risks, better take caution.

Doing your homework is always to your advantage. You are better off researching backgrounds of potential brokers and taking note of the important details in every trading transaction that you wish to engage in. In looking for foreign exchange brokers, see to it that they are registered or certified brokers. If they are part of a company, their company should be registered with the government. As much as possible, stay away from inter-bank markets. Currency transactions in inter-bank markets are negotiated in a shaky network of large financial institutions and companies that give you more risks than payouts.

It is usual to come across companies that do not disclose information on their background. If you happen to find one, consider this as a red flag. Better discontinue doing transactions with them as they are most likely fraudulent companies. Also, do not even attempt to transfer cash to them through the mail or the internet.

Remember, it does not hurt to ask advice from investors who have engaged in foreign exchange trading for a long time already. Tips obtained from seasoned investors can be used for your own good and often to your advantage. - 23222

About the Author:

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

Learn The Secrets Of Trading Gold.

By James Goldman

Would you like to know why small companies should buy gold today? Well, I can give you many reasons for that. Because of the uncertainty in our economic conditions today, the sluggish lending practices of our banks and the waste of capitals, gold definitely seems to be the most profitable commodity for investment.

Gold is now being regarded as the perfect asset for investment, secured investment rather, as nothing can beat gold when it comes to security and assured profits. If you buy and sell gold, you can actually make huge profits for your company than you can imagine. And, of course you would not need any trader or jeweler to trade.

We have many reasons for selling gold. Most of us sell gold to pay our bills when there is a credit crunch, which in turn is thriving for the gold dealers. However, selling gold jewellery or coins or gold bullions is far away from using this precious metal to make wise investments. When you can buy and/or sell gold in a decent capacity, you will know how elating and profitable it can be.

Whenever you are trying to buy or sell gold, you can also note how exceptionally valuable gold can be. Though it a known fact, but it definitely deserves a special attention taking into account the current losses incurred in various fields including properties, business and stocks. Gold has definitely proved to be the best and the only stable commodity to invest in, as gold seldom loses its value and is unaffected by political or economic changes.

But yes, while you buy gold, the price of gold might seem to be expensive, but it is worth investing when you compare it to the dipping stocks and shares.

Investing in gold is not rocket science and far easier than investing in shares and stocks. When you want to invest in gold for your company, a good investment company to assist you to trade gold must be your first lookout.

You will come across many financial organizations that would provide you with the means to invest in gold as you want to. You would be given various choices for investment as well including gold mining companies selling their shares. However, stocks are not as pliant as gold. So try to stick to real gold and not gold shares.

Small companies generally prefer to deal and invest in gold coins instead of bars and bullions, reasons being its popularity as a mode of investment and also the inconvenience caused with gold bars, as the quantities are huge. - 23222

About the Author:

Atlantgold.com will advice you on buy gold and trade gold for small businesses.

Saddle Rock Real Estate - The Market in 2009

By John Fitzgerald

Saddle Rock real estate and the communities that surround it had seen a huge drop in sales during 2008, which many communities have also endured. The first few months of 2009 have seen the continuation of some interesting trends and reinforced the underlying strength of this neighborhood.

In 2009 so far, there have been 88 homes sold in Saddle Rock at an average price of $285,332. The average selling time for the homes has been 97 days while the concessions have been in the neighborhood of $2,500.

Even though this 5% drop in average prices looks enormous at first glance, there are several factors that show that the value of the Saddle Rock real estate is still strong. It doesn't help that there have been no sales above $600k, and very few above $500k. Without these higher end sales the average value of real estate is becoming similar to the broader market trends of Denver.

Also, in comparison to 2008, the volume of sales below $300k has also increased and skewed the averages lower. Once again, this is consistent with broader trends in the Denver market which we believe are driven by more first time buyers entering the market (motivated by the $8,000 first home buyer's credit and lower interest rates) and a short-term "burning off" of short sales and lender owned properties which occurred in the first quarter. There is an excellent chance that the average price is going to rise again in the summer of 2009 due to the length of time that homes are listed for and the fact that lender owned properties are decreasing.

If you want to find a good Saddle Rock real estate deal, you should expect that the number of bargains will drop throughout the 2009 year. If you are looking for a bargain above the $500k price range they can still be found however lower price ranges will continue to rise unless more economic hard times hit the area. Sellers in the $500k range should not expect a bounce back in their market until the lenders have resumed lending on higher loans and until buyers have better job security.

As the Denver market strengthens during 2009, you can expect Saddle Rock real estate to remain resilient. Seller's who price intelligently will see relatively fast results and prices not dissimilar to previous selling seasons. Distressed sales will lead to some bargains in the Saddle Rock real estate market however there is less risk compared to other markets because of the underlying value. - 23222

About the Author:

John Fitzgerald is a realtor/real estate investor with 15 years experience in Denver, Colorado. Visit his website Saddle Rock Real Estate that is updated frequently and discover more real estate information about the Saddle Rock homes area before making any major decisions.

Understand Forex Accounts

By Ahmad Hassam

Good money management is the key to your long term success in currency trading. Many people ignore this aspect of trading at their own peril. Trading discipline means using a trading system that uses good money management rules to avoid using emotions in making trading decisions.

You need to have sufficient capital in your account if you want to make meaningful profits. One of the worst blunders that currency traders can make is to trade without sufficient capital. Low capital increases your chances of getting blown out too soon. This does not mean that you should have a lot of money before you start trading. It only means that you need to have enough capital in your account in order take advantage of the movements in the currency markets.

A trader with limited capital is always a worried traders always looking to minimize losses beyond the point of realistic trading. The minimum amount required to open a standard account with most forex brokers is $2000. You can start with $2000 but it is recommended by most of the professional traders that you should start with $5000-$10,000 to get good results.

A standard account or a regular account lets you trade a $100,000 standard lot with a $1000 deposit. This account is often also called 100k account. The broker is giving you an interest free loan of $100,000. This $1000 is kept as the margin or guarantee by the broker. This is a 1% margin. Your account should have more than $1000 if you want to trade.

You can change the margin account to whatever you feel comfortable with. When you open an account with the broker, you must determine what the default margin is. If you start at 2% margin, then it will cost you $2000 to trade one standard lot.

You can get a leverage of up to 200% in most of the standard accounts. Using 200% leverage means trading $200,000 with a $1000 deposit. Too much leverage is dangerous. Dont use more than 4% leverage while trading in the beginning.

I am not saying that leverage is bad. You need to know it is a double edged sword that can cut both ways. It can increase your ROI but at the same time it can wipe you out in case of a slight market move going against you. Its just that you need to understand and learn how to use leverage. You can only do so with practice and with practice and more experience; you can increase the level of leverage in your trading.

Mini accounts are great for newbies. You can open a mini account with a deposit of only $300. The mini account was developed to accommodate investors who were looking for diversification out of their stocks portfolios. This small dollar requirement allows many investors to participate in the forex markets who were previously unable to do so. Recently micro accounts have also been introduced.

One lot on a mini account is equal to $10,000. This is known as a mini lot. As compared to a standard account, on a mini account you have a different lot size. You only need $50 to trade a mini lot of $10,000. This means a leverage of 200%. As compared to the standard account, pips size on a mini account is also small. A pip size on the mini account is equal to $1. 1 pip is equal to $10 on a standard lot.

A mini account is a great way for beginners to practice forex trading. If you lose 100 pips on a mini account, it means losing only $100 as compared to losing $1000 on a standard lot. You can say a mini account reduces your risk by 10%. But it also reduces the amount of profit that you can make. Start with at least $500 on a mini account. - 23222

About the Author:

Mr. Ahmad Hassam is a Harvard University Graduate. He is interested in day trading and swing trading stocks and currencies. Discover A Revolutionary New Forex Robot. Develop your own Forex Trading System.

How Currency Software Has Revolutionized Trading

By Fred Todle

It's no secret that the world is in a financial crisis. This has been characterized by mass layoffs even of the most resilient of companies across the globe. Because of this, people confidence in their jobs has been severely shaken. It is no wonder that we are witnessing an unprecedented wave of inquiries regarding starting personal businesses. Others have begun seriously exploring ways of supplementing their incomes.

There are many ways to either replace your day job income or simply supplement it with another source. One way that has been causing a buzz is in the forex trading. There have been numerous misconceptions regarding forex trading. These have been derived from the fact that many people think that forex trading is similar to stock trading. In reality, there are fundamental differences. In stock trading, the prices do not differ while in stock trading, there are fluctuations. In the stock market there are also no differences in access to the stocks being traded. In the forex realm, different traders, especially those who are deemed to be trading significantly, have leeway to control prices.

In the previous times, forex trading was mystified by banks since they were the only ones involved in the trading processes. Forex, which essentially stands for buying and selling of foreign currencies, was something only banks and multinational corporations engaged in international trade did.

Today, banks and multinationals are not the only ones graced with the secrets of forex trading. Ordinary people are now trading hundreds, thousands and even millions of dollars right over the Internet. This is because there are now excellent forex training course available online and offline. These publications are easy to accrue, either from online bookstores like Amazon or at a local library.

But one tool that has really boosted ordinary people's ability to trade in forex is the advent of forex software. Different companies have answered the call to provide easy-to-use software for personal use. This gives ordinary forex traders like you and me the ability to trade using the exact same tools that large banks use. The software also levels the playing field. With expert tutorials ingrained within the context of the software, people with zero previous experience can now conduct expert trades much the way a seasoned trader would.

Forex software is the best thing that happened to amateur forex traders. This makes it possible for regular people to narrow the gap and make smart trades without risking a lot of their resources. The software, which can also place mock trades, can prevent fraud and loss. This lets first time traders place trades without risking a whole lot of funds. One advantage of using the software is that it guides the person making the trade, much the same way as the new Chess software guides the player to make smart moves. - 23222

About the Author:

Author is writer and regular contributor to Forex Trading Tutorials, a website with resources and information about forex market. One of the most popular post's caterogy there is Fx Trading Systems.