FOREX
SIGNAL
One of the disadvantages
of FOREX trading is the time investment needed to monitor
the markets for advantageous entry and exit points.
It’s possible to sit in front of a computer monitor
for hours watching the markets.
Of course, you can use
automated orders such as limits and stops. These allow
you to walk away from your computer with the knowledge
that your losses will be kept to a minimum, but by doing
so, you may miss out on potential profits because your
limit order kicks in too soon.
If you don’t have
the time to watch your computer monitor and still wish
to achieve as much profit as possible, consider signing
up for a FOREX signal service. These services monitor
and analyze the market for you and send their findings
directly to your computer desktop, email, or SMS on
your cell phone or pager.
Companies that offer FOREX
signals do so on a paid basis, so you have to sign up
and pay a monthly or yearly fee. Some brokers may offer
this service as an extra which integrates into their
trading software. You can receive signals as a popup
on your screen or by any of the other methods described
above.
There are usually a limited
number of currency pairs that are available for FOREX
signals. Most services offer signals on EUR/USD, USD/JPY,
GBP/USD, USD/CHF, but specialized services may offer
other currency pairs.
FOREX signals are primarily
based on technical analysis of market conditions. Most
companies use a combination of indicators to identify
main trends and entry and exit points. The results are
sent to subscribers who have the option of acting on
them or passing. Some services will even execute the
trade for you.
Using a variety of technical
studies, various types of signals can be derived from
currency charts. The SMA (Simple Moving Average) indicates
buy signals when currency prices rise above the average
line. Sell signals occur when the price falls below
the moving average line.
MACD (Moving Average Convergence
Divergence) studies have a signal line that is used
to generate a buy signal (above the line) or a sell
signal (below the line).
Volume indicators are used
to determine market interest. High volume (especially
near the bottom of the market) can indicate the start
of a new trend while low volume indicates investor uncertainty.
Bollinger Bands indicate
potential changes in the market. Sharp price changes
tend to occur when the bands tighten while prices that
touch one band tend to go all the way to the other band.
Other indicators like volatility
and momentum can be used to reinforce signals provided
by other sources. Taken together they form a relatively
reliable source of information about how the market
is behaving.
Are signals a sure
thing? Of course not, otherwise we would all
be millionaires. Signals can give you good advice about
which currencies to trade, but no signal service will
guarantee their information is 100% accurate. Reputable
services will show you their track record, however,
and let you see for yourself how they have done in the
past.
FOREX signals cost anywhere
from $50 to $200 a month. It’s up to the individual
trader to decide if the cost is worth it. Don’t
think that signals can take the place of trader education
– they are advice, and if you don’t have
the knowledge to analyze the advice, you should go back
to the books before using a signal service.