Tag: guest

How to Keep Your Profits Flowing in a Volatile Market

Posted on by The INO.com Team

Chuck Hughes' recent guest post received such a phenomenal response from Trader's Blog readers that we decided to bring him back for weekly wrap-up. Today Chuck is going to tell us about a basic trick he uses in volatile markets. Be sure to comment with your thoughts on how to play volatile markets and visit Chuck at Wealth Insider Alliance.

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Since this continues to be the 'year of volatility', let's take a look at how you can continue to go for consistent profits without being stopped out – or wiped out – by whipsaws.

In market conditions like these, I rely on two primary trend indicators... Continue reading "How to Keep Your Profits Flowing in a Volatile Market" →

5 Steps to Trading Like a Professional Trader

Posted on by The INO.com Team

Being a professional trader is a dream many investors strive for. According to Moby Waller of Big Trends, it is an attainable goal that like everything else, requires a strong foundation. Here are 5 tips to becoming a full timer from Moby that you or may not have considered. Be sure to comment and let us know what your ultimate trading goals are and what you have found to be important parts of your trading routine.

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So you want to be a professional trader?  Here are some aspects of the job that you might not have thought of.

1.  Have a dedicated working environment and structured work hours.

Create a space for your trading that is solely devoted to that and make sure it is suitable for your needs.  What kind of computer power do you need?  How many monitors will you be using?   What software packages and scans will you be running?   Do you want CNBC or other channels on a television?  What newspapers, magazines and websites will be perused each day?  And so on…

Next, devote a set amount of time to trading every day.  Whether it’s the 6.5 hours that the U.S. market is open, or 1 hour at the open/close, or 2 hours before the open and after the close, find a time that works for your trading and stick with it like a real job.

I knew a trader in Chicago who began “scalping” U.S. Futures vs. German DAX Futures, which required him to go into the office every night from about Midnight to 5 am.  Is this a sacrifice? Yes … but the pay and profits from it made it worth his while.

2.  Have regular performance reviews and keep detailed records. Continue reading "5 Steps to Trading Like a Professional Trader" →

10 Steps to Becoming a Trader

Posted on by The INO.com Team

Today's guest is Mark Hodge of Rockwell Trading. The very basics of trading are often overlooked by new traders and I think we all can agree that you need a solid foundation to prosper in today's markets. Mark decided to write a post on what, in his experience, makes a successful trader. Be sure to comment and feel free to share your success (and horror) stories of becoming a trader. Also, don't forget to visit Mark at Rockwell Trading.

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With the way the markets have been behaving these days, it’s no surprise that more and more people are interested in trading. If you’re new to trading, you’re probably attracted to the potential to make money, but you’ve heard horror stories about traders that have lost money in the markets as well. If you’ve been trading for awhile, you probably have a horror story or two of your own. These stories and experiences are important to share, but it’s unfortunate when many of these horror stories could have been avoided by understanding what it takes to become a trader, and by having direction early on.

The following “10 Steps to Becoming a Trader” provide a structured and systematic approach to becoming the trader you want to be. By following these “10 steps” you will be in the best position possible to achieve your goals as a trader:

Step 1 – Determine the type of trader that you want to be.

Sounds simple enough, but if you don’t address this key step it will be difficult to progress as a trader. What markets and time-frame will you trade? You’ll discover that your situation and goals will have a direct impact on the type of trader you decide to be. So ask yourself, what type of trader will you be? Continue reading "10 Steps to Becoming a Trader" →

Forex Fundamentals: The Other Side Of The Coin

Posted on by The INO.com Team

Many of you know from reading the Trader's Blog that we often talk about, and advocate, technical trading. Today's guest blogger, Georgia Anderson of GAFNN.com, also looks at "the other side of the coin," fundamental analysis, but she uses it in a way that is almost technical.

In this post, Georgia is going to give us her perspective on forex and fundamental analysis by way of an input-output matrix.
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Technical analysis or predicting the market by looking through the previous history a currency pair is a very useful and indispensable tool that every forex trader uses, however, fundamental analysis, like its name suggests, is more fundamental in nature, and tries to see what drives the forex market in the first place.

There are thousands of market drivers that move and influence the forex market and this fundamental data can be used in a very technical way. One way to take care of these is through the approach of an input-output matrix. This matrix contains information about the factor and its influence. In simple terms, the cause and effect due to one particular factor is captured as numbers in a matrix. By doing this for all the important factors, one can get an input-output matrix that well describes the future potential market movements. Continue reading "Forex Fundamentals: The Other Side Of The Coin" →

Baseline for Active Investing

Posted on by The INO.com Team

Today's author is Jackie Ann Patterson, the editor of BackTesting Report. Previously Jackie Ann showed us how to pick up on a potential trend change as well as how to recognize a mature trend using the MACD indicator. Today she has returned to the Trader's Blog to share a method for testing your trading strategy.

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One of the ways that traders use to determine the success of a potential strategy is to use a baseline. A baseline is a benchmark or a standard for comparison. For example, some investors will use the gain/loss of the S&P 500 as a baseline of market performance. That may be useful for investing long-term in large-caps, but less applicable to active investing and shorter-term trading. This article shows you a different method of forming baselines and the win rate results for two types of stock market participants. Continue reading "Baseline for Active Investing" →