OK, I understand the heading may be a little weird but bear with me a minute as this article may not only save you some cash but also lead to a massive improvement in your overall performance.
Now everyone understands the weather and the role it plays in our daily life, so I’ll be using it as my analogy.
Rise & Shine
When you get up each day, you either look out the window or check on the internet what the weather is going to be today.
Why? Well, it determines what we wear and what activities we can potentially do today right.
It’s not likely you’re going to go ahead with a planned picnic at the beach if the forecast is for rolling thunderstorms and torrential rain!
Well, this is the same way you need to be able to read the markets.
If you only have an MT4 platform, then you can’t see diddly-squat. All you can see is some prices on your charts. Sure that may tell you there is some volatility in the market, but you won’t know if it’s good volatility or bad and they will not alert you to potential problems around the corner.
Analyzing the market isn’t just checking your charts
We analyze the market every day looking for potentially good trading opportunities. Analysing the markets involves checking the charts for trendlines & recent moves as well as incorporating past and future economic data releases. Once we’ve analyzed the market, you generally have a good idea if there are potentially good trades coming up or not.
At the same time, before you do anything, you should be analyzing the ‘weather’ or overall market conditions.
Are the major currency pairs trending, trading sideways or trading erratically?
Trending markets are ‘sunshine with no chance of rain,’ they are great trading conditions.
Trading sideways is ‘slightly overcast’ conditions; they can be OK but lack direction.
Erratic markets are ‘rolling thunderstorms, heavy rain,’ whatever you do, don’t go outside. In fact, make sure your car is locked up in the garage and call your insurance broker and increase your cover as this could get nasty!
Get into the habit of checking the Weather before you start trading each day
Believe me; this will save you loads of time and money. I know a lot of traders get a day off during the week and they make that day their trade day.
Now that could be OK if the conditions are ‘Sunshine,’ but how do you think your results are going to be if unbeknown to you the weather conditions are ‘Thunderstorms’ expected.
It can be carnage, and you can rip big holes in your trading account on these days. So make sure you avoid them.
On the Sunshine days, you can maximize your potential by increasing your trade size as you know the conditions are optimum for trends.
On the days that are cloudy, you can let the market go and enjoy your day instead of spending endless hours waiting for that magic moment, which just isn’t going to come.
Don’t forget being a professional trader is all about being precise.
So just in the same way you check the weather before leaving your house each morning, make sure you check the market conditions before you trade!
This aspect of analyzing the market is one thing we try to highlight to our traders every day on our myFXTradingHub. In fact, it’s so important we’re building it into our main member's page as I speak.
This should be a part of your overall daily routine.
If you’re having issues understanding how to read the ‘market weather conditions’ then give us a call or send us an email and we’ll point you in the right direction.
It’s amazing sometimes how just a little bit of knowledge can make a huge difference to your overall performance.
The risk of loss in Forex trading can be substantial. You should, therefore, carefully consider whether such trading is suitable for you in the light of your financial condition. The high degree of leverage that is often obtainable in Forex trading can work against you as well as for you. The use of leverage can lead to large losses as well as gains. Past performance is not indicative of future results.
Editors’ Picks
EUR/USD stays below 1.1850 after dismal German sentiment data
EUR/USD stays in negative territory below 1.1850 in the second half of the day on Tuesday. Renewed US Dollar strength, combined with a softer risk tone keep the pair undermined alongside downbeat German ZEW sentiment readings for February.
GBP/USD falls toward 1.3550, pressured by weak UK jobs report
GBP/USD remains under bearish pressure and extends its decline below 1.3600 on Tuesday. The United Kingdom employment data suggested worsening labor market conditions, bolstering bets for a BoE interest rate cut next month and making it difficult for Pound Sterling to stay resilient against its peers.
Gold recovers modestly, stays deep in red below $4,950
Gold (XAU/USD) stages a rebound but remains deep in negative territory below $4,950 after touching its weakest level in over a week near $4,850 earlier in the day. Renewed US Dollar strength makes it difficult for XAU/USD to gather recovery momentum despite the risk-averse market atmosphere.
Crypto Today: Bitcoin, Ethereum, XRP upside looks limited amid deteriorating retail demand
The cryptocurrency market extends weakness with major coins including Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH) and Ripple (XRP) trading in sideways price action at the time of writing on Tuesday.
UK jobs market weakens, bolstering rate cut hopes
In the UK, the latest jobs report made for difficult reading. Nonetheless, this represents yet another reminder for the Bank of England that they need to act swiftly given the collapse in inflation expected over the coming months.
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