One of the important things that you need to learn when you go into online forex trading is how to read a forex chart. A forex trader usually focuses on a particular currency pair, which has a standard notation. The first three characters will specify the base currency and the last three characters will indicate the quote currency. If you are selling a currency pair, this means that you are selling the base currency and you are buying the quote currency. On the other hand, if you are buying a currency pair, you are buying the base pair while selling the quote currency.
When you buy a currency pair, this means that you are taking a long position. This means that your entry order is to buy and your exit order is to sell. Therefore, your goal is for your base currency to strengthen or to increase in value relative to the quote currency. When you look at the forex chart, the currency pair must be rising if you want to make a profit in this particular trade.
But if you sell a currency pair, this means that you will be taking a short position. This means that your entry order is to buy and your exit order is to sell. Thus, your goal is for your base currency to lose value or weaken against the quote currency. When you check the forex chart, you must see a down trend in the base currency for you to be able to make a profit.
Another factor that you should always consider when you read a forex chart is to make sure that you are looking at the correct time frame. Online forex trading systems usually provide you with several time frames. It is advisable to double check the time frame of the forex chart on which you are basing your decision to take a long or a short position.
Another point to consider when reading a forex chart is that the bid price is the one that is shown on the chart and not the ask price. The bid price is always lower than the ask price. You always sell at the bid price and buy at the ask price. Therefore, if you utilize the forex chart to make the decision to sell a currency pair, then that is the actual price that you will be selling. However, if you use the chart and then decide to buy, you will actually be buying at a price that is slightly higher than the price indicated on the chart.
Another important item to check is the time zone that the forex chart has been set too. Because forex trading occurs all over the world, it is convenient to have a world clock to determine exactly when a particular announcement occurs.
Lastly, you will have to check that your trading system has been setup exactly the same as the trading system of the one making an announcement. This is because the times indicated by your trading system on the charts are for those times when the candle opens. However, the trading system of the one making the announcements has been set when the candle closes. This is important because timing may play an important role in your decisions.
|