Kathleen Brooks

Foreign exchange (or forex) markets are one of the fastest and most volatile financial markets to trade. Money can be made or lost in a matter of seconds; at the same time, currencies can display significant trends lasting several days, weeks, even years. Most importantly, forex markets are always moving, providing an accessible and target-rich trading environment.

When it comes to trading options, knowing how to look for breaks is key. For more details on a zoomed-out look at this, read How to Find a Breakout in Trading.One way to trade a breakout is after the break has occurred. You may not have noticed the significance of a particular technical level, or you may not have left orders in overnight to exploit a break.

The kind of trader you are will affect — or should affect — your trading strategy. It helps to know your trader type so you can trade effectively and in a way that feels right for you. To determine your trader type, take the following quiz. The quiz Which statement best describes you when you're competing? A. I'm aggressive, outgoing, and confident in my abilities whether I win or lose.

If you’re basing your trading strategies on trend-line analysis, you need to be aware that price levels derived from trend lines will change depending on the slope of the trend line. The slope of a trend line refers to the angle of a trend line relative to a horizontal line. The steeper the slope of the trend line, the more the relevant price level will change over time; the shallower the slope, the more gradually the price levels will change with time.

Online currency trading is offered by dozens of different retail trading brokerage firms operating from all over the world, so you have many options to choose from. Here are some key questions to ask when you’re choosing a broker: How good are trading executions? The key to evaluating any brokers is the speed and reliability of your trade executions.

Knowing the fundamental drivers of currency rates is the foundation of understanding price movements. This is very important to understand if you want to trade currency as an investment. Here are some suggestions: Get to know the major economic data reports from all the major economies. Understand the importance of expectations versus actual outcomes.

Identifying trading opportunities and planning each trade from start to finish is essential to success in currency trading. When you trade currency as an investment tool, remember to: Maintain trading discipline by formulating — and sticking to — a complete trading plan: position size, entry and exit (stop loss and take profit) before you enter a trade.

These "beginner" trading mistakes are made by everyone — from total newcomers to grizzled forex market veterans. No matter how long you've been trading, you're bound to experience lapses in trading discipline, whether they're brought on by unusual market developments or emotional extremes. The key is to develop an intuitive understanding of the major pitfalls of trading, so that you can recognize early on if you're letting your discipline slip.