Mark De La Paz

Mark's interest in financial markets has been an ongoing affair, starting from college, where he dabbled in the local equity markets with his college fund. Finishing his BA in Public Administration, Mark remained passionate about trading, and started out working in the niche brokerage business among bank traders. From there he moved into a research and training role for different brokers and alternative asset management firms, where he published professional analytical articles and commentaries, which were co-published on the www.fxstreet.com website, and maintained a column about alternative assets with a start-up weekly. Managing market research teams during this period contributed to the development of Mark's unique approach to the market. At the core, Mark believes in the fusion of both fundamental and technical analysis, calling it "the map and the compass". He uses fundamentals - "the map" - as a gauge on the "real economic value" of the currency. Technical analysis serves as "the compass", providing the cues and direction on which roads to take - also known as market timing. Joining the FX Instructor team, Mark hopes to both learn from and be a good mentor to members of our growing community. "I think of FX Instructor as a melting pot of ideas where even instructors could learn from the different experiences of new members and each other. The mix of disciplines should contribute in people getting a better understanding of how the market works … and ultimately improve on their trading performance," he says. Outside of his work as a mentor at FX Instructor, Mark provides consultancy services to introducing broker groups and individuals, conducting classroom lectures and providing market advisory, all the while working on his own website, MyFxIdeas.com. Mark is also engaged as a proprietary trader working on fx and global equities.