Archive for February 2nd, 2010

The Simple Trading Gem Of The Darvas Box Method

It’s about time to be Introduced to the Darvas Box Method. What made this system so exceptional was the amount of money that it brought in. After years of trial and error, Nicolas Darvas perfected one of the most successful trading methods of all time. But. Darvas himself was often shocked at the profits his system made. Even with these profits aside, the most important point about his system is how easy it is to apply it.

The core of Nicolas Darvas’ method was to identify stocks that were on the rise, using only the price action and volume of a stock. Working with nothing but the price action and range of a stock, Darvas was able to calculate a reliable volatility range. In addition, Darvas didn’t consciously set his method up this way, he created a simple way to calculate a volatility range. Normally, finding volatility ranges is an extremely complicated calculation.

Darvas’ stop-loss order is what makes his method the method of choice for many professional traders.Darvas’ method is probably one of the most successful trading strategies ever created. Research has shown that his method is effective almost fifty percent of the time. This is an incredible success rate for stock market transactions. The market is unpredictable, so any method that is successful that often is outstanding. What makes Darvas’ method even more outstanding is the attention it takes towards preserving capital. Anybody can make money on a rising stock, but few methods are this reliable when it comes to preserving capital.

The box method recognizes trends where already bullish stocks are getting stronger. Identifying an already strong trend also allows a trader to oversee the stock on a less frequent basis, especially with disciplined use of the stop-loss order. The Darvas box method is referred to as a trend trading technique because traders look for stocks that are establishing strong upward trends. The main purpose of trend trading is to spot a stock that already has a great deal of bullish strength. Buying into an already strong stock decreases the risk that the trend will collapse and the price will fall.

Even though the Darvas box method has all the favorable outcome trend trading has to offer, some traders believe there are disadvantages. For many traders, the valuation of a stock is the most important piece of information they use in choosing a stock. But when developing the box method, Darvas ignores the valuation of a stock. According to traders, it will be hard to ignore valuation and other popular indicators. As a general rule, the valuation of a stock should not be a factor in trading.

Valuation is simply an opinion of ‘experts’, and these ‘experts’ are often wrong. Stocks valued highly often fall, and stocks with low valuations will often rise. The groupthink of the market is what really sets the price of a stock. A stock is worth whatever people in the market are willing to pay for it, and this price rarely reflects what the stock’s valuation says it’s worth. Trend trading takes advantage of people in the market who are willing to pay high prices for a stock.

Darvas’ Method is a perfect illustration of ignoring opinions and working with facts.Some traders believe that a disadvantage of trend trading is that the methods will not capture the entire trend. And it is true that no trend trading method will ever capture a trend in its entirety. Some profit will always be lost before buying into the trend and at the termination of the trend. However, there is no system that will capture an entire trend. There is no such thing as a perfect trend trading system. Many traders search for systems that are perfect, but they are continually disappointed.

Darvas guaranteed, in his method, that a stock’s new high would be supported by a volatility range that shows the price was where it belonged. It is imperative to note that trend trading is not simply buying new highs. Buying new highs without any other reason for entering a position is an extremely risky strategy. New highs, especially highs for a 12 or 6 month period, are more often than not followed by a swift and abysmal decline. A new high will often reach its height for reasons other than solid support. Rumors, marketplace hype, insider trading, and inside tips that become public will often spur a rally. If not backed up, this rally will only break down once the market realizes there is no reason for the new high price.

Volatility refers to how much the price of a security will fluctuate. A volatility range is the range in which a stock’s price will move. A stock with high volatility can change price drastically over a short period of time. There are a multitude of factors that affect a stock’s volatility. But Darvas’ ignored the factors and conditions that made a stock volatile. He simply tried to pin down an exact range based on price, and then based his actions on that range. This is the essence of the Darvas box method.

Looking to find the best deal on Darvas Software? Visit www.nicolasdarvastrading.com today.

 

The 10am Rule And How It Works

Oftentimes it`s not wise to be the early bird when investing in forex, instead wait and see what the day will bring before you take action. The 10 A.M. rule is a great example of this concept, and is an example that protects your capital. You know that a great time to buy would be on a gap down, but the market is in rally mode and instead of gapping down, the forex stock gaps up. Let`s say you want to buy a forex stock, for whatever reason; a trend play, or a market rally that you think a currently hot sector will participate in. Now what do you do when buying the gap up is a bad trade?

Apply the 10 A.M. rule, and wait until after 10 A.M. for the right forex stock investing time to buy the stock. Use stops to guard yourself, like you would on any trade. If the forex stock makes a new high for the day after 10 A.M., then, and only then, should you trade the stock.

Anyone who`s followed the market knows that a forex stock will often gap up early in the morning, only to suddenly sell off and reverse into negative territory. By following the 10 A.M. rule, you avoid the risk of this sudden reversal. If the forex stock does make it to a new high after 10 A.M., there is still trader interest in the forex stock, and it stands a good chance of gaining momentum and heading even higher.

Here is an example of the 10 A.M. rule on a gap up: A forex stock closes the day at $145. After hours, the company announces a two for one forex stock split. The next morning the forex stocks gaps up to open at $161. It trades as high as $166 before 10 A.M. For two hours after 10 A.M. it trades lower and doesn`t reach $166. At 2 P.M., it hits $166.50. The forex stock is now safe to buy, using the 10 A.M. rule.

Using a version of the 10 A.M. rule, you could watch for a hot sector to appear in the morning and follow the forex stocks in the sector that are up for the day. If the forex stocks are still making new highs at midday, they stand a good chance of finishing the day near their ultimate highs for the day, and could be good trading opportunities. This also applies in a down market and to stocks in forex that gap down, opening at prices lower than where they closed the previous day. In this situation, you should not short a forex stock that has gapped down unless and until it makes a new low for the day after 10 A.M.

Keep in mind that trading is all about probabilities. The 10 A.M. rule is a valuable addition to your trading plan, giving you a straightforward way to avoid making costly mistakes and to increase your number of profitable stock investing trades in forex. The more forex stock investing trades you make with a high probability of success, the more successful you will be. Using the 10 A.M. rule ensures that you will never end up chasing and buying a forex stock when your chances of making a profitable trade are low.

Find out more about Trading Systems. Visit www.ultimate-trading-systems.com today.

 

Fears And Perception Secrets In Stock Market Trading

When looking at futures stock market trading curbs, it`s a well-known saying that `traders should have a healthy fear of the market`. It seems like a perfectly reasonable assumption to make. The market is volatile, and each trade you make is to some extent unpredictable. But, it`s one thing to learn to accept the risk of the market, and another entirely to be afraid of it.

Ninety-five percent of the futures stock market trading curbs errors you are likely to make, those errors which will cause you to consistently lose money, will be due to your attitudes your fear about being wrong. Fears of losing money, of missing out on profitable trades, or of leaving money on the table will cloud your thinking when you are trading. Your fears can cause you to act in such a way that what you are afraid will happen. If you`re afraid of being wrong, your fear will influence your perceptions of market information in a way that will cause you to do something that ends up making you wrong.

When you are anxious of something happening, all other possible outcomes cease to exist. You can`t perceive the other possibilities, or act on them properly if you do recognize them, because your fear paralyses you. Physically, fear causes people to freeze or to run. Mentally, it causes them to narrow their attention to the object of their fear. This means that thoughts about other positive stock market trading curbs outcomes, as well as other information from the market, are barred from your mind. You can`t think about all the rational things you`ve learned about the market until the event is over and you are no longer afraid. Then you will think to yourself, `I knew that. Why didn`t I think of it then?` or, `Why couldn`t I act on it then?`

It`s difficult to understand that the source of these problems is usually our own attitudes. Many of the thinking patterns that adversely affect our stock market trading curbs are a natural result of the ways in which we were brought up to see the world. These thought patterns are so deeply ingrained that it rarely occurs to traders that the source of their trading difficulties is internal, and derived from their state of mind. It can seem more natural to see the source of a problem as external, in the market. This happens because it feels like the market is causing pain, frustration, and dissatisfaction. Most traders do not want to be concerned with such abstract considerations as considering how their thoughts influence their trades, but understanding how beliefs, attitudes, and perception effect your futures stock market trading curbs are as fundamental as learning how to serve is in tennis.

You could say that understanding and controlling your perceptions of market information is important only to the extent that you want to achieve consistent results. You don`t have to know anything about yourself or the markets to make a winning trade, just as you don`t have to know the proper way to swing a tennis racket or golf club in order to hit a good shot occasionally. The first time you played golf, for instance, you might have hit several good shots throughout your round, even though you hadn`t learned any particular technique. But your score was still probably well over 100 for 18 holes. Obviously, to improve your overall score, you needed to learn technique. The same is true for developing good stock market trading curbs in your trading.

Traders need technique to achieve consistent results. If a trader is not aware of, or cannot understand, how their beliefs and attitudes affect their perception of market information, it seems as if it is the market`s behavior that is causing the lack of consistency. As a result of this perception, it stands to reason that the best way to avoid losses and achieve consistent profits is to learn more about the markets.

This bit of logic is a trap that almost all traders fall into at some point. Unfortunately, this approach does not work. The market simply offers too many variables to consider, and these variable often conflict. Furthermore, there are no limits to the market`s behavior. It can do anything at any time. In fact, since every person who trades is a market variable, it can be said that any single trader can cause virtually anything to happen.

That means no matter how much you learn about the market`s behavior, and no matter how brilliant an analyst you become, you will never learn enough to anticipate every possible way the market can move. If you are afraid of being wrong or losing money, you will never learn enough to compensate for the negative effects these fears will have on your ability to be objective and to act without hesitation. You can`t be confident in the face of constant uncertainty by acquiring information. The hard, cold reality of stock market trading curbs is that every trade has an uncertain outcome. Unless you learn to completely accept the possibility of an uncertain outcome, you will try, either consciously or unconsciously, to avoid any possibility you consider painful. In the process, you`ll subject yourself to any number of costly self-generated errors.

You can get over the bad futures stock market trading curbs by accepting the risk, and moving beyond your fears, you can greatly increase your ability to be a consistently profitable trader. This requires self-knowledge and discipline, but the rewards that can be attained on the market more than make the effort worthwhile.

Want to learn more Trading Tips? Visit www.freetradingsystems.org today.

 

3 Steps To Saving More Money

Saving money is not easy and is made more difficult if you have a short-term outlook regarding your personal finances. If, like many people, you are living from one pay cheque to the next, it is difficult to put some money aside for a rainy day or for a summer holiday. But what if you were to change your financial outlook into a medium to long-term one? You might believe that you cannot afford to think ahead and make plans, but in most cases you would be wrong. Most people should be able to save some money and with some effort, maybe even as much as 20 percent of their salary each month.

Step 1 – Income Analysis

First of all it is important to have a handle on where your income is going. Unless, we are on an extremely tight budget or are very money conscious for other reasons, many of us have never really sat down and considered what our money is being spent on – we just know that by the end of the month, it has all gone! You will know if you are consistently spending your money on unnecessary purchases, for example. Having this knowledge equips you with the control to change things a little or a lot.

Step 2 – Saving Money Mentality

Many people have never been taught to save and as children, immediately spent the money they received without any forethought. You often hear people say, “Life is short, if you want something buy it now”, but thankfully for most of us life is not really so short and along the way we will have to deal with both opportunities and challenges. Having some money saved will help you make the most of the opportunities and ride the challenges. Step 3 – Savings – Seeing the Big Picture

If you could save 20 percent of your salary each month, imagine what that would mean in real financial terms. For example, if you earn 2000 dollars per month and you saved 20 percent or 400 dollars out of every pay cheque, after 12 months you will have saved 4800 dollars! Regularly saving this amount of money would give you the financial freedom to take advantage of more of life’s opportunities. You could plan the special holiday you have always wanted to go on, buy the car that you have been dreaming about for years, or help put a child through college. When it comes to life’s challenges, having a lump sum put away could help you pay for private medical care or deal with an expensive plumbing problem in the home, all without having to turn to the bank for a loan and getting into debt.

Now Do Something Special or Pay Off That Debt! As we have already seen, knowing exactly where your money is going is the starting point. Next, start thinking about the big things you could achieve with some money in the bank. Some people compensate themselves for not having what they really want, by making many frequent small purchases and getting a temporary “feel good” sensation afterwards.

Rather than satisfying yourself with small purchases, such as new clothes and CDs every week or always buying the latest mobile phone, think about how much more satisfying it would be to save up and buy or do something special like going on holiday or important like paying off a debt. You can now do something which you previously thought was out of your reach, but is achievable with a little effort.

Emmanuel Mendonca is the webmaster of Living and Working in Greece at http://www.living-and-working-in-greece.com. Can debt consolidation loan help you reduce your debt?