Newly-developed online trading tools and tactics have helped individual investors smash the barriers between Main Street and Wall Street. Nowhere is this more evident than in the foreign currency market, or FOREX. Recent rule changes have opened this phenomenally lucrative market--formerly reserved for banks, corporations, and high net worth individuals--to independent investors, many of whom start with as little as $300! FOREX Made Easy is the first no-nonsense, step-by-step introduction to making the FOREX an integral part of your overall trading program. Pulling back the curtain to reveal how simple and straightforward FOREX trading actually can be, this results-based manual takes you through an easy-to-follow, six-step process to:

• Use unheard-of 100:1 leverage to make the most of your limited trading capital
• Practice market-proven techniques guaranteed to minimize your risk exposure
• Trade the FOREX market online, 24 hours a day, six days a week

FOREX trading has quickly become one of the investing world's hottest opportunities, for all traders and investors, regardless of their size or strategy. Discover how to make it work for you, in renowned FOREX trading pioneer James Dicks' commonsense yet revolutionary FOREX Made Easy.

"In this book I have put together what I feel to be a very investor-friendly understanding of the FOREX market and how to trade it. This is for the everyday investor, looking for an alternative to the stock market for better portfolio diversification."

--James Dicks

From the Introduction

The foreign currency market is the largest and most liquid trading market in the world, with $1.5 trillion or more traded every day. And in our increasingly barrier-free global financial markets, online traders and investors armed with inexpensive point-and-click trading systems, along with a new attitude that markets should be open to all traders, all the time, have made it among the most accessible!

Problem is, the majority of books written on FOREX trading have been needlessly complex and technically dense, written for institutional investors making billion dollar-plus trades. FOREX Made Easy changes all that, telling you everything you need to know minus the unnecessary detail and tactics. The first book to provide you with only the information you need, to allow you to get a feel for the market and determine how to fit FOREX trading into your long-term investing program, this straight-talking guidebook reveals:

• What the FOREX is, and how and why it has become the major player in today's financial markets
• Clear instructions for setting up a trading station, opening an account, and placing your first order
• 6 Steps to FOREX Success--Concise, effective rules for successful trading
• Fundamental analysis and the FOREX--Economic indicators, inflationary indicators, and more
• Technical analysis and the FOREX--From basic charts and patterns to Fibonacci, Elliot Wave, and more
• Money management principles to ensure that you trade with your head instead of your heart
• Business and tax strategies for squeezing every financial advantage from your FOREX trading practices

FOREX Made Easy gives you much more than just facts and numbers. This first-of-its-kind book provides you with the tools and techniques you need to stand toe-to-toe with the world's most powerful traders and institutions, using FOREX trading like they have for years to both offset your market risks and augment your profits. Simple, uncomplicated, and filled with examples of individual traders using their smaller size to tremendous advantage in the institution-dominated FOREX, it will open your eyes to an opportunity that is unique, unprecedented, and bound to become a staple for traders looking for new sources of profits, and innovative techniques to protect those profits.

Preface xiii

Acknowledgments xv

1 What Is the FOREX? 1

Introduction 1

FOREX Defined 12

A Brief History of the FOREX 13

Free-Floating FOREX Market 13

Major FOREX Participants 14

2 More FOREX 15

Currency Pairs 15

Recommended Currency Pairs 16

Why Trade the FOREX 19

Volume in the FOREX 19

Analyzing the FOREX 23

How Profits Are Made 23

The FOREX as a Two-Way Market 25

3 Forecasting the Market 29

Fundamental Analysis 29

Technical Analysis 32

Fundamental versus Technical Analysis 33

4 Currency Options 35

Currency Options Introduction 35

Options Pricing 36

Advantages of Trading Options 37

European and American Options 37

Exotic Options 38

Lock in Profits 40

Accelerate Your Profits 41

5 Creating a Workstation for Trading 43

Workstation Location 43

Trading Computer and Accessories 44

Internet Connection 45

Trading Software Programs 45

Continuing Education 48

6 Fundamentals of Trading 51

Introduction to Trading Theory 52

Trends Defined 53

Trend Cycles 53

High-Probability Trading 55

Sideways, Nontrend Strategy: Wait for Strong Trends 55

Uptrend Trading Strategy: But at Dip Bottoms 55

Downtrend Trading Strategy: Sell at Rally Tops 58

Symmetrical Triangle 58

Ascending Triangle: A Bullish Continuation Pattern 63

Descending Triangle 65

The Falling Broadening Formation 67

Support Breakdown or Resistance Breakout 67

The Double Bottom 68

Head and Shoulders (Crown) 70

7 Economic Fundamentals 73

Introduction 73

Economic Indicators 74

Inflation Indicators 76

Employment Indicators 78

Consumer Spending Indicators 78

Leading Indicators 79

8 Introduction to Technical Analysis 81

Technical Analysis Defined 81

Technical Analysis Assumptions 82

Bar and Candlestick Charts 83

Technical Analysis Terms 86

Market Patterns: Uptrends, Downtrends,and Sideways Trends 87

Support and Resistance 95

Moving Averages 95

9 Advanced Trading Charts and Indicators 103

Tools for Technical Analysis 104

Bollinger Bands 104

Directional Movement Index (DMI) 107

Stochastic Indicator 107

Moving Averages (Simple, Weighted, and Exponential) 110

Moving Average Convergence/Divergence (MAC/D) 116

Momentum 119

Relative Strength Index (RSI) 119

Rate of Change (ROC) 122

Volume 122

10 Fibonacci Numerical Sequences and Elliot Waves 125

Introduction 125

Fibonacci Rectangles and Shell Spirals 127

Fibonacci Retracements 128

Fibonacci Extensions 128

Fibonacci Time 129

Fibonacci Circles 130

Elliot Waves 135

11 Money Management Principles 139

Trade with Sufficient Capital 140

Exercise Discipline 140

Be Patient and Persistent 141

Employ Risk-to-Reward Ratios 141

Follow Trading Rules 143

Accept Losses 144

Always, Always Use Stops 144

When In Doubt, Stay Out 145

Never Overleverage Your Account 145

Make Realistic Goals That Can Be Achieved within Reason 146

Always Trade with Money You Can Afford to Lose 147

Protecting Your Profits 147

Keep a Trading Log 147

12 Six Steps to Success 149

Identify Current Long- and Short-Term Trendsand Which Trend to Trade 149

Check News and Market Announcements 150

Identify Support and Resistance Levels 151

Use Studies and Indicators for Entry 151

Buy at Dip Bottoms (Uptrends) or Sell on RallyTops (Downtrends) 151

Use Proper Money Management 152

13 Getting Started with a Trading Station 155

Access the PremiereTrade Web Site 156

Install and Run the Dealing Software 156

Open a Demo Trading Account 156

Dealing Rates Window 157

Open Positions Window 159

Accounts Window 161

Multiple-Accounts Window 163

Orders Window 163

Placing a Market Order 164

Placing a Stop/Limit on an Open Position 167

Change Price on a Stop/Limit (Open Position) 168

Delete Stop/Limit (Open Position) 168

Close an Open Position 169

Placing an Entry Order 170

Change an Entry Order 171

Canceling an Entry Order 173

Reports 173

Customizing the Trading Screen 173

Trading Station Options 175

14 Corporations in the FOREX 179

Introduction 179

Forward Transactions 180

Examples of Strategies 181

Portfolio Management and Currency Risk 183

15 The Business of Trading 185

Staring your Business 185

The Tax Code 186

How to Become a Trader 187

What If I Dont Make Enough Money to Use

Those Deductions? 188

How to Make the Win/Win Better 188

What Kind of Corporation Should You Use? 189

Lets Take a Look at Some Examples 190

Appendix: Bretton Woods System and Post–BrettonWoods System 193

Glossary 199

Bibliography 207

Charts, Figures and Credits 207

Index 209