Forex Trading with the Candlesticks Method

By Paul Bryan

Candlestick charts are claimed to be the oldest type of charts used for price prediction. It all started around 1700s, when Munehisa Homma in Japan became a legendary rice trader for predicting rice prices using Candlestick Charts.

Candlestick chart patterns are exceedingly popular in forex trading because of their dynamic features and versatility. On all charts, users can toggle between line, bar and candlestick chart view. Candlestick Charts are usually very colorful charts as compared to conventional charts.

Different colors are used to indicate different nature of price movement. Four prices are of utmost importance in constructing the Candlestick Chart- High, Low, Open, and Close.

Each candle consists of two parts: the body and the shadows. The body reflects the open and closing price for the certain period. If the candle body is black the close price is below the open, and white if the close is higher than the open for the period. On the other hand, candlestick shadows reflect the intra-period high and low prices of forex in a market.

In candlestick charting the periods used are 5 minutes, 15 minutes, 1 hour, daily and weekly. A long shadow reflects that the trading extended well beyond the opening or closing price, while a short shadow, shows that trading was confined closely to the open or closing price.

Each element in a candlestick pattern in forex predicts certain trends. Long white candlesticks predict strong buying pressure. The longer the white candlestick, the further the close is above the open. This indicates that prices advanced significantly from open to close and forex buyers were aggressive.

There are various patterns of candlesticks charts, which are employed in forex. Doji, for example is a candlesticks pattern that is generated when the body of the candle is minimal as market's open and close are virtually equal.

There are others like Hammer, Inverted hammer, Gravestone, Shooting star, Three white soldiers, Three black crows, Marubozu Black and White and many more. These candlesticks do not have upper or lower shadows and the high and low are represented by the open or close.

Candlestick charts are much more visually appealing than any other two dimensional bar charts used in forex prediction. They convey market price information in a quicker and easier manner. Candlestick Chart became famous and acceptable to the forex traders by its amazing success story initially in the commodity market.

If you think that the candlestick charts are difficult to comprehend you are wrong. All you would need is to learn the means of represent ting the charts in the forex market. Few tips for candlestick charts and their interpretation in the forex market can be:

A Black Candlestick -- when the close is lower than the open.

A White Candlestick -- when the close is higher than the open.

A Shaven Head -- a candlestick with no upper shadow.

A Shaven Bottom -- a candlestick with no lower shadow.

A Spinning Tops -- an equilibrium between the bulls and the bears (either white or black).

A Doji Line – a very close Open and Close

Some of the benefits of candlesticks in forex are:

· Ease of reading – as the charts are composed of four price readings: open, high, low, close.

· Not only shows the direction of a trend, also shows the strength of a move in a particular time frame.

· Can be used in conjunction with other technical indicators.

· Provides the earlier reversal signals.

To learn more about currency trading techniques please visit Candlesticks and Forex
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Learning

Forex Trading Information

Learn Currency Trading

There is a lot of Forex trading information online telling you how easy it is to learn currency trading and make big profits. It's very easy to get conned into committing your hard earned cash in get rich schemes. This website has been set up to explain trading, the pitfalls as well as the profits! If you do decide to risk Forex trading, hopefully some of the articles will help you avoid making costly mistakes. Why not also take advantage of the many offers of free training online.

In case you don't know, Forex stands for foreign exchange and Forex trading is the exchange of one foreign currency for another. The daily volume of trading is three times that of the stock exchanges yet there are no physical market places. Trading takes place 24 hours a day with only a short break at weekends.Traders range from the big banks to individuals sitting at home working on their computers. Successful Forex trading means studying the market carefully, watching for trends to show when to enter and exit as well as following economic indications. Even then no trader can be 100% right all of the time.

Unless you want to lose your shirt,you should read all the information you can find and fully understand how the market works before you consider trading. Firstly learn which of the different currencies are most actively traded, it is pointless buying a currency that rarely changes hands. Find yourself a good online broker. The money market changes by the second, you need a broker with a good trading platform. Understand the mechanics of trading, including putting a stop-loss price. The market can be very volatile, huge losses can occur and well as huge profits. Learn the different ways in which traders decide when it is a good time to enter the market. Will you use fundamental or technical analysis? Both methods have advantages and many traders use a combination of both when making a decision.

Consider your own personality. Trading on the Forex Market is a science and you cannot be swayed by emotions, whether a fear of losing money or greed. You must learn to make a plan and stick with it.

Before you actually start trading, sign up with several online Forex brokers who offer live trading platforms where you can practise without using cash. Brokers don't want to see you lose money, if you succeed you will stay with them and become a profitable client, a win-win situation.

This site is for beginners, use it as a stepping stone. Learn everything you can about currency trading before you start. There are some excellent books available giving Forex trading information as well as plenty of articles and daily reports online. Good research is the key to success

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