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Adaptation to the Realities of the Market


Do you think adaptation to the realities of the market is the most important thing?

Many times in the past I've written about the need to adapt, the need to be able to change your behavior relative to the market because the markets are ever changing. I've stated that mechanical systems may be workable, but for only a short time relative to the life of markets. You must learn to trade what you see and to understand what you see on a chart.

When I first began trading there was no such things as futures contracts for foreign currencies. Why didn't they exist? Because there was no need for them! In the 1970's all that changed when the US dollar went off the gold standard and began to float against other currencies. Following that, the Chicago Mercantile Exchange began to create currency futures to provide a place where currency traders could hedge the risks associated with dealing in foreign currencies. Some of these risks are direct and some are indirect. Direct risk is involved for those who deal directly in foreign exchange. Indirect risk involves companies who export or import and receive payments or make payments in the currency of another country. Ever since currency futures were created, they have been in a state of flux. More recently, for purposes of futures trading, currency gyrations have centered on a massive move away from currency futures to more direct trading in the forex markets. Currency futures, while maintaining their volume and open interest figures, are actually less liquid than they had been previously. Volume and open interest do not reveal the picture of what is happening in the currency futures pits. Volume and open interest levels are being maintained by fewer and fewer futures traders.

In the period from 1992 to the present, we've witnessed currency futures moving from "red-hot" to "cool" and now hot again insofar as speculators are concerned. Foreign exchange, which in 1992 was one of the hottest plays, first turned dull and then back again to exciting. That this has happened can be seen in areas of which most futures traders are ignorant. Five years ago foreign currency traders were being paid huge salaries and anyone with a track record could virtually name his price. Following that, currency traders were no longer in great demand. Now, again, there is a huge demand for successful currency traders. Currency futures are but a small representation of the $1.5 trillion dollar foreign exchange market. Professional currency traders use forex, forwarding contracts, derivatives of all kinds, and the futures pits, to deploy their various trading and hedging strategies. Looking at only the futures is like the blind man trying to tell what an elephant is like by feeling only the tusks.

In past years, foreign exchange desks at banks, insurance companies, brokers, and other institutions were seen closing down and firing hundreds of employees. Today, they are again looking for currency traders. In the 1990s, Midland Bank closed its foreign New York office laying off dozens of people. Frankfurt Bank had pulled out of New York and Tokyo closed down its foreign exchange desk. At that time, the world's largest foreign exchange trader was Citicorp. In the D-Mark alone, they shrank from 39 traders working at 17 different locations around the world to 4 D-Mark traders all working in one room. Keep in mind that these were traders who had been to a greater or lesser extent using the currency futures. The result at that time was that there were fewer big fluctuations in the currency futures than there once were and therefore much less profit.

However, today, just the opposite is happening. Central banks are presently making much greater interventions in the currency markets. They have stopped publishing targeted exchange rates. Such action by the central banks leaves currency speculators at a loss for what to do, and the result has been a huge surge in forex trading. Because today forex brokers abound and are actively marketing the idea of currency speculation, it is having a profound effect on the foreign exchange planning of individuals, companies, and nations.

If some day the major currencies would be the US dollar, the J-Yen and the euro, who would need thousands of traders to trade them? There would be far fewer currency misalignments to provide a basis for trading. But that is not the way the world is moving. The picture I just presented ignores the rise of China as a major economic force on the world scene. Almost certainly, the Chinese currency will become a major trading vehicle. The same is true for other emerging countries. Some of them will no doubt have important currencies from the point of view of world trade. But will these currencies be traded in the futures markets or in forex?

The changes in just this one area - currency trading - are an example of how things rapidly change and point out the need for traders to adapt. There have of course, been many other changes in recent years. The advent of all-electronic markets has produced markets of a completely different kind. Computers have brought about the ability to trade in various time frames. New exchanges have created new markets and new contracts - so many, in fact, that it is difficult to know exactly where to direct ones trading efforts. It is now possible to trade virtually around the clock. It seems that somewhere, some market is trading.

All the best in your trading,

Joe Ross
Trading Educators Inc

Joe Ross has been trading for more than 47 years, and is a well known Master Trader. He has survived all the up and downs of the markets because of his adaptable trading style, using a low-risk approach that produces consistent profits.

Joe is the creator of the Ross hook, and has set new standards for low-risk trading with his concept of "The Law of Charts?." Joe was a private trader for most of his life. In the mid 80's he shift his focus and decided to share his knowledge. After his recovery, he founded Trading Educators in 1988 to teach aspiring traders how to make profits using his trading approach. He has written 12 major books on trading. All of them have become classics and have been translated into many different languages.

Joe holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration from the University of California at Los Angeles. He did his Masters work in Computer Sciences at the George Washington University extension in Norfolk, VA. Joe still tutors, teaches, writes, and trades regularly. Joe is still an active and integral part of Trading Educators.


MORE RESOURCES:

Wall Street Journal Blogs

Currency Trading’s Growing Asian Hub
Wall Street Journal Blogs, NY - 2 hours ago
A decade ago, some government officials in Southeast Asia lambasted currency traders, blaming them for driving down the value of many Asian currencies. ...
US dollar falls to new multi-week low against Chinese Yuan RTT News
all 75 news articles


FinFacts Ireland

Euro Rises From Six-Month Low Against Dollar on Weber, Oil Gain
Bloomberg - 19 hours ago
The currency has dropped 5.8 percent against the dollar in August, the biggest monthly decline since the European currency began trading. ...
Halo Financial - Daily Currency Insight Fxtraders.eu
Currency Focus Forex Pros
Euro extends recovery, lifted by ECB rate talk guardian.co.uk
International Business Times
all 310 news articles


Turkish Press

Dollar Rises on Speculation Oil Decline to Bolster US Economy
Bloomberg - Aug 25, 2008
``The euro has downside risks before the Ifo data,'' said Motonari Ogawa, director of currency trading in Tokyo at Barclays Capital Inc., a unit of the UK's ...
Dollar mixed as oil rolls beneath $118 Forbes
Euro prolongs recovery against dollar AFP
Euro Little-Moved Versus Major Rivals On Busy Economic Day RTT News
International Business Times - guardian.co.uk
all 264 news articles


A New Pattern of Currency Trading?
Seeking Alpha, NY - Aug 27, 2008
Overall, the market has developed a trading pattern lately. A wave of orders hit the currency market soon after the Asian session opened, ...


Currency Trading: The Secrets to Ultimate Market Success
3x24 - Your Newspaper and News Magazine, Germany - Aug 26, 2008
by Salvador Paez With the evolution of technology, currency trading and access to Forex capital markets has been more accessible. ...


Punters Yen for currency futures
Times of India, India - Aug 26, 2008
The major participants of currency trading include hard-core punters in stock and commodity markets, with jewellers also participating in a big way to hedge ...


ISE FX Options Bring New Versatility to Currency Trading
Business Wire (press release), CA - Aug 26, 2008
In this two-part interview, they break down the mechanics and uses of these innovative currency option contracts. In the first part, Cook asks Meizinger ...


NSE to start trading in currency futures from 29 August
domain-B, India - 4 hours ago
Mumbai: The National Stock Exchange (NSE) will start trading in currency futures from 29 August. Finance minister P Chidambaram will inaugurate trading at ...
Indian Banks to kick-start trading in currency futures RTT News
Brokers continue to be wary over currency futures trade Economic Times
NSE leads Indian FX rush with August launch Futures Options Week
Hindu Business Line - Sify
all 63 news articles


Reuters

METALS STOCKS Gold falls for third day as dollar rallies against ...
MarketWatch - Aug 26, 2008
In currency trading, further signs of trouble for the German economy sent the euro down to again test levels not seen since February. ...
Gold Rallies for Third Day as Dollar Declines, Oil Advances Bloomberg
Gold recovers as oil climbs, dollar retreats Reuters South Africa
Gold futures pushed down by profit-takers Middle East North Africa Financial Network
guardian.co.uk - Bloomberg
all 86 news articles


Forex Tracer Review, Using This Top Software
3x24 - Your Newspaper and News Magazine, Germany - 20 hours ago
Many people are interested in currency trading right now, and Forex Tracer will help those who want to start. In a typical Forex Tracer review you may find ...

currency trading - Google News

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