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Saturday, March 28, 2009

Learn Investment Risks - Stock Investment Risk and Forex Risk

Generally, investing in stocks can generate higher returns than bonds and real estate. However stocks carry certain investment risks. A successful investor should learn about the different types of investment risk.

Stock Investing Risk:

One of the biggest risks for investors in stock market is the economic risk. Bad economy can seriously affect stock market prices and turn against your investment.

Investing in stocks is subject to business risks. Your investment can literally go to zero if your chosen company goes out of business or bankruptcy, but you can reduce this type of risk through diversification. If you are properly diversified and invested in a wide variety of stocks, the risks associated with might be controlled or reduced.

If you are investing in new or small companies you might be experiencing growth stock risk. Growth stocks are very sensitive to the fluctuations in interest rates. Any bad news about the company can dramatically decrease the stock price.

Forex Risk:

Managing foreign exchange (or forex) risk is essential to successful investment in the forex market.

Foreign exchange exposure or risk can be classified into three types: transaction, translation and economic exposure.

Transaction exposure refers to the extent to which the future cash transactions of the firm may be affected by any changes in the currency exchange rate.

Translation exposure refers to accounting exposure. It measures the impact of changes in exchange rate on the financial statements of the group of company.

Economic exposure measures the impact of changes in exchange rate on the firm's cash flows and earnings.

Most companies attempt to minimize the risk of fluctuating exchange rates by using hedging instruments such as Forward Exchange Contracts, Money Market Hedge, Futures, Options and Swaps.

Forex Trading in ETF

Forex trading nowadays has provided certain options for investors on where they can best make use of their investment capital. And for those who wish to add some variety to their investment portfolio, forex trading may provide another investment option to choose from aside from other trading instruments. One of the options available is investing in a Currency Exchange Traded Fund or ETF.

An ETF is an investment vehicle that is traded on primary exchanges, similar to stock and bond trading. For those who already have most of their portfolio invested in stocks and bonds, the currency ETF provides a varied option since it can benefit from some of the factors that may otherwise bring down prices on stock indexes, bonds, or commodities. Investing in currency ETF's might be a great way to diversify one's portfolio.

Currency ETF's opens doors to investors for diversifying their portfolio. Not only will investors now be putting their money solely on the stock market. With currency ETF's, investors now also have a means to take part in the forex market to take advantage of both worlds. What makes currency ETF's a convenient choice for most stock investors is that ETF's are bought and sold just like stock shares.

A currency ETF starts as a fund where firms that manage ETF's buy and hold currencies. This fund composed of currencies is then being sold as shares to the public. ETF's are normally valued at a hundred times the current exchange rate of the currency being held in the fund. The ETF shares are then traded just like stock shares.

Investing in currency ETF's make it easier for first time investors to learn and understand the forex market. It is also being used by most investors as a means of placing their investments in varied investing instruments that is driven by different economic indicators. This way, an investment portfolio need not suffer losses in its entirety as what usually happens to a purely stock portfolio when the stock market goes through a bear cycle.

With a currency ETF, investors previously trading mostly on stocks may have a means to trade in the forex market. With the currency ETF's being traded like stocks, investors no longer have to learn forex trading from scratch. Although the factors that may drive currency exchange rates differ from what drives stock prices up and down. Currency ETF's make it more convenient and less risky for novice forex trading investors to try their hand on the currency trading market.

Learn Forex Trading The Fast and Effective Way

Learn Forex trading the fast and effective way. This is a sure way that would ensure the success of your forex trading initiative. By now, you must be aware that the foreign exchange trading is not always about generating revenue. Just like all other forms of investments, of course, there are specific and sure risks that may all the way hamper and halt your forex earning potential. That is why as a beginner, it is imperative that you first understand well what forex trading is so that you can form strategies and plans of action better.

There is a need to learn forex trading effectively. When you learn about this type of trading, you should make sure you get to understand not just the nature of the transactions but also the underlying dynamics and working principles. Be reminded that with the total number of currently active forex trading, it is estimated that about half are on the losing streak. You never want to be included in the losing end, for sure. Thus, take note of the following points to ponder when you learn forex trading.

First of all, learn about the specific definition of forex trading. To begin with, this type of trading involves purchasing different currencies and then selling them at higher prices. Forex market is so far the biggest trading market globally.

Learn forex trading initially by acquiring the knowledge and skills to read foreign exchange quotes. Trading through brokerage firms, which is required in most markets, is one way how you could learn to do so. Your account officer should teach you how to look at base currency and other currencies in tickers. Thus, learning to use investment or forex platforms is also a must.

Be aware of the major currencies that are traded in forex. Be informed that so far, there are seven usual currencies that are traded by investors, namely, the US dollar, the Japanese yen, the British pound, the euro, the Swiss franc, the Australian dollar and the Canadian dollar. Needless to say, the US dollar is the usual base currency and is so far the most traded money, taking the lead from the euro and yen.

Lastly, when investing in forex, you should know that there is an investment cap. That means you are required to invest a minimum amount. Usually, such caps are quite high. Learn forex trading and discover how you could make your money work to provide you ample income.

Learn Forex Trading The Fast and Effective Way

Learn Forex trading the fast and effective way. This is a sure way that would ensure the success of your forex trading initiative. By now, you must be aware that the foreign exchange trading is not always about generating revenue. Just like all other forms of investments, of course, there are specific and sure risks that may all the way hamper and halt your forex earning potential. That is why as a beginner, it is imperative that you first understand well what forex trading is so that you can form strategies and plans of action better.

There is a need to learn forex trading effectively. When you learn about this type of trading, you should make sure you get to understand not just the nature of the transactions but also the underlying dynamics and working principles. Be reminded that with the total number of currently active forex trading, it is estimated that about half are on the losing streak. You never want to be included in the losing end, for sure. Thus, take note of the following points to ponder when you learn forex trading.

First of all, learn about the specific definition of forex trading. To begin with, this type of trading involves purchasing different currencies and then selling them at higher prices. Forex market is so far the biggest trading market globally.

Learn forex trading initially by acquiring the knowledge and skills to read foreign exchange quotes. Trading through brokerage firms, which is required in most markets, is one way how you could learn to do so. Your account officer should teach you how to look at base currency and other currencies in tickers. Thus, learning to use investment or forex platforms is also a must.

Be aware of the major currencies that are traded in forex. Be informed that so far, there are seven usual currencies that are traded by investors, namely, the US dollar, the Japanese yen, the British pound, the euro, the Swiss franc, the Australian dollar and the Canadian dollar. Needless to say, the US dollar is the usual base currency and is so far the most traded money, taking the lead from the euro and yen.

Lastly, when investing in forex, you should know that there is an investment cap. That means you are required to invest a minimum amount. Usually, such caps are quite high. Learn forex trading and discover how you could make your money work to provide you ample income.

FOREX 101: Make Money with Currency Trading

For those unfamiliar with the term, FOREX (FOReign EXchange market), refers to an international exchange market where currencies are bought and sold. The Foreign Exchange Market that we see today began in the 1970's, when free exchange rates and floating currencies were introduced. In such an environment only participants in the market determine the price of one currency against another, based upon supply and demand for that currency.

FOREX is a somewhat unique market for a number of reasons. Firstly, it is one of the few markets in which it can be said with very few qualifications that it is free of external controls and that it cannot be manipulated. It is also the largest liquid financial market, with trade reaching between 1 and 1.5 trillion US dollars a day. With this much money moving this fast, it is clear why a single investor would find it near impossible to significantly affect the price of a major currency. Furthermore, the liquidity of the market means that unlike some rarely traded stock, traders are able to open and close positions within a few seconds as there are always willing buyers and sellers.

Another somewhat unique characteristic of the FOREX money market is the variance of its participants. Investors find a number of reasons for entering the market, some as longer term hedge investors, while others utilize massive credit lines to seek large short term gains. Interestingly, unlike blue-chip stocks, which are usually most attractive only to the long term investor, the combination of rather constant but small daily fluctuations in currency prices, create an environment which attracts investors with a broad range of strategies.

How FOREX Works

Transactions in foreign currencies are not centralized on an exchange, unlike say the NYSE, and thus take place all over the world via telecommunications. Trade is open 24 hours a day from Sunday afternoon until Friday afternoon (00:00 GMT on Monday to 10:00 pm GMT on Friday). In almost every time zone around the world, there are dealers who will quote all major currencies. After deciding what currency the investor would like to purchase, he or she does so via one of these dealers (some of which can be found online). It is quite common practice for investors to speculate on currency prices by getting a credit line (which are available to those with capital as small as $500), and vastly increase their potential gains and losses. This is called marginal trading.

Marginal Trading

Marginal trading is simply the term used for trading with borrowed capital. It is appealing because of the fact that in FOREX investments can be made without a real money supply. This allows investors to invest much more money with fewer money transfer costs, and open bigger positions with a much smaller amount of actual capital. Thus, one can conduct relatively large transactions, very quickly and cheaply, with a small amount of initial capital. Marginal trading in an exchange market is quantified in lots. The term "lot" refers to approximately $100,000, an amount which can be obtained by putting up as little as 0.5% or $500.

EXAMPLE: You believe that signals in the market are indicating that the British Pound will go up against the US Dollar. You open 1 lot for buying the Pound with a 1% margin at the price of 1.49889 and wait for the exchange rate to climb. At some point in the future, your predictions come true and you decide to sell. You close the position at 1.5050 and earn 61 pips or about $405. Thus, on an initial capital investment of $1,000, you have made over 40% in profits. (Just as an example of how exchange rates change in the course of a day, an average daily change of the Euro (in Dollars) is about 70 to 100 pips.)

When you decide to close a position, the deposit sum that you originally made is returned to you and a calculation of your profits or losses is done. This profit or loss is then credited to your account.

Investment Strategies: Technical Analysis and Fundamental Analysis

The two fundamental strategies in investing in FOREX are Technical Analysis or Fundamental Analysis. Most small and medium sized investors in financial markets use Technical Analysis. This technique stems from the assumption that all information about the market and a particular currency's future fluctuations is found in the price chain. That is to say, that all factors which have an effect on the price have already been considered by the market and are thus reflected in the price. Essentially then, what this type of investor does is base his/her investments upon three fundamental suppositions. These are: that the movement of the market considers all factors, that the movement of prices is purposeful and directly tied to these events, and that history repeats itself. Someone utilizing technical analysis looks at the highest and lowest prices of a currency, the prices of opening and closing, and the volume of transactions. This investor does not try to outsmart the market, or even predict major long term trends, but simply looks at what has happened to that currency in the recent past, and predicts that the small fluctuations will generally continue just as they have before.

A Fundamental Analysis is one which analyzes the current situations in the country of the currency, including such things as its economy, its political situation, and other related rumors. By the numbers, a country's economy depends on a number of quantifiable measurements such as its Central Bank's interest rate, the national unemployment level, tax policy and the rate of inflation. An investor can also anticipate that less quantifiable occurrences, such as political unrest or transition will also have an effect on the market. Before basing all predictions on the factors alone, however, it is important to remember that investors must also keep in mind the expectations and anticipations of market participants. For just as in any stock market, the value of a currency is also based in large part on perceptions of and anticipations about that currency, not solely on its reality.

Make Money with Currency Trading on FOREX

FOREX investing is one of the most potentially rewarding types of investments available. While certainly the risk is great, the ability to conduct marginal trading on FOREX means that potential profits are enormous relative to initial capital investments. Another benefit of FOREX is that its size prevents almost all attempts by others to influence the market for their own gain. So that when investing in foreign currency markets one can feel quite confident that the investment he or she is making has the same opportunity for profit as other investors throughout the world. While investing in FOREX short term requires a certain degree of diligence, investors who utilize a technical analysis can feel relatively confident that their own ability to read the daily fluctuations of the currency market are sufficiently adequate to give them the knowledge necessary to make informed investments.