Monday, January 25, 2010

Trading Stock Index Futures Like S,P 500 Futures and NASDAQ 100 Futures Can Make You Rich

Trading Stock Index Futures Like S&P 500 Futures & NASDAQ 100 Futures Can Make You Rich!

Author: Ahmad Hassam

Day traders trade a lot of markets. One of the favorite contracts that day traders love to trade are the stock index futures contracts. Currently there are more than 70 stock index futures contract that get traded on at least 20 exchanges in the world. The most famous stock index futures contracts are the S&P 500 futures, NASDAQ 100 futures, Dow futures, DAX futures and so on. As a day trader, you can trade these contracts and make a fortune. You don't even need to use leverage with these contracts as it is inbuild into them. Now, you don't need to trade all these contracts. What you can do is master trading one or at most two and become an expert on them.

So stock index futures are contracts based on indexes that are composed of stocks. For example, S&P 500 futures are based on the famous S&P 500 Stock Index; a group of 500 commonly traded US stocks. When you are trading stock index futures, you are betting on the general direction of the market not on some individual stocks. This way you are blocking out a good deal of noise that is associated with the daily gyrations in the stock prices. Stock index futures are used for both hedging as well as speculation. Stock index futures are used by hedge fund managers in hedging their stock portfolios.

The most popularly traded stock index futures contract is the S&P 500 futures. It trades on the Chicago Mercantile Exchange (CME). S&P 500 Index is made up of 400 industrial companies, 40 financial companies, 40 utilities and 20 transportation companies offering a fairly diversified view of the US economy. One tick on S&P 500 contract is worth $25. So there is an inbuilt element of leverage in these futures contract.

If the S&P 500 Stock Index moves one point, you either make $250 or lose $250 depending on which side of the market you were. These contracts also get traded on the GLOBEX Electronic Platform after the regular trading hours. Margin requirements can vary. If the S&P 500 Index is at 1000 points, the contract is worth $250*1000=$250,000. A huge amount for most of the day traders.

NASDAQ-100 Futures Index contract is the second most popular stock index futures contract. It is based on the famous NASDAQ 100 Index that includes many technololgy and biotech firms. The margin requirements for this contract maybe too high for most day traders. Similarly, Dow Futures are written on DJIA. Due to these facts, a mini version of these contracts was introduced.

Most of the day traders can easily trade the e-mini version of these contracts that get traded on GLOBEX around the clock 24 hours. These mini versions have low margin requirements that is only one fifth of the regular contracts.

About the Author:

Mr. Ahmad Hassam has done Masters from Harvard. Get the Ultimate Swing Trading Software FREE. Know this shocking Dow Futures Secret that can make you rich.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Trading Stock Index Futures Like S&P 500 Futures & NASDAQ 100 Futures Can Make You Rich!

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Forex Trading Beginners: Confusing Knowledge With Success

Author: Edward Lomax

Forex trading beginners are hungry for knowledge. They want to know how to make money in the Forex market... enough money to make an impact on their lives. But sometimes this desire for knowledge is exactly what keeps them from being successful. In this article I want to show you that you don't need to know everything about Forex trading to be successful, you only need to know enough to be successful. Let me explain...

Knowledge Without Action Is Useless

I'm going to use an example from the fitness industry, and then we'll talk about how this effects Forex trading beginners. Go to a fitness forum and you will quickly identify hundreds (if not thousands), of posters that know a lot about exercise and fitness... that have failed to reach the goal they set out to achieve. They know all the scientific names, have studied all the top trainers and could earn a college degree with all the knowledge they know. But they are still fat, weak and with an unfit body.

You see, the mistake they are making is putting their priority on gaining knowledge, and not putting the knowledge they have into action. They spend more time sitting at the computer and reading books than they do exercising. Neither activity gives them the results they desire because they aren't spending any time in the gym..

How This Relates To Forex Trading Beginners

The Forex market is not something you just want to jump into. So, the beginner Forex trader wants to learn everything they can before they put any money into it. They go from one website to another. They buy ebooks and take courses. And at the end of the day all this knowledge has the reverse effect of only making them confused.

Sometimes, too much knowledge can actually be a handicap. If you had to take everything into account before you make a currency trade, you'll end up analyzing and not trading. This system says go long... but this other system says go short. What should I do? The beginner Forex traders usually ends up doing nothing... which means they have no chance of making any money.

How To Turn Forex Knowledge Into Success

The fact is, Forex is such a big topic that you may NEVER know everything. But the good news is... you don't have to know everything in order to be successful. You only need to know the information necessary to put a successful trading strategy into action. Nothing more, and nothing less.

You see, I am not suggesting you jump into the Forex market without doing your homework. Just opening up an account and making trades off the top of your head is the fastest way to lose money. What I am suggesting is you learn the right information really well and then put that knowledge into action.

You could spend the rest of your life studying Forex trading. And maybe you might be the one person on the planet that knows the most about Forex trading. But who cares when your goal was to actually make money trading currency. Unless you've figured out a way to get paid for studying, you need to trade in order to make any money.

When everything is said and done, FOCUS and ACTION are the fastest way to go from a Forex trading beginner to a successful Forex trader. Focus on the specific information that will aide you in putting a proven trading system into action. But the most important part is to use that knowledge to take action by actually trading a proven Forex trading system. This is the fastest way to make money as a Forex trader.

About the Author:

Learn Thehttp://www.insideforexnittygritty.com">Forex Nitty Grittyyou need to go from Forex trading beginner to successful trader as fast as possible. Learn exactly what you must know to be successful, and then put the knowledge into action with a http://www.insideforexnittygritty.com">Simple Trading Method.

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Forex Trading Beginners: Confusing Knowledge With Success


Forex Currency Exchange: the Quick Way to Profits

Author: Edward Lomax


Forex Currency Exchange presents a tremendous opportunity to make money and create real wealth. Unfortunately, just like any other skill, it takes time to learn. Let's look at why this is, and what you can do to go from zero to profits as fast as possible.Everybody Wants To Be A Black BeltI remember when I was a kid, I wanted to be a master Martial Artist. We looked at all the karate actors like Bruce Lee and Chuck Norris and said, " I want to be a karate master like them!" But as we soon found out, wanting something and actually do it are two very different things.The fact is, to become a master at anything requires dedication, training and skill. This is also true when investing in the Forex Currency Exchange. Your wish to be an accomplished Forex trader might be strong... how much are you prepared to do to make your dreams come true. (How many of you wanted to be Black Belts and actually did it?)Learning Forex Currency Exchnage Takes TimeAs soon as you try to learn Forex Currency Echange you'll realize everyone talks a different language. There are lots of industry related terms to learn. And while I have no doubt you can learn what you need to be successful over time... it will take some time.In my situation, learning Forex by studying books, taking courses or learning it by trial and error was not what I was looking for. I have other things going on in my life I need to do to keep the money coming in. Furthermore, I want to be able to have the free time need to enjoy all the money I make as well! So, even if I did learn everything there was to know about currency exchange, I wouldn't be able to put it into action and really profit from it.Automatic Forex Currency ExchangeWhile this may sound like something from a Sci-Fi movie, there is a way to take advantage of the Forex Currency Exchange opportunity without spending a lot of time learning or implementing Forex trading. There are computer scripts that trade for you according to the way they are programmed by the creators.This is fantastic because you can actually be up and running (and profiting) in the Forex Market in a few minutes. The EA (Expert Advisor) computer script is attached to a trading platform like Metatrader4, and then it monitors the market and makes the trades for you. (While I always recommend testing everythng you do in a Demo account first, you could conceivably be trading your very first day, even as a complete beginner).The other reason I prefer automatic Forex robots is because they are better than humans. They trade on preset indicators and market conditions, not emotion. This kind of systematic trading is exactly what you need to consistently make more winning trades than losing trades and make a huge fortune over time. No one is perfect, from the 20 year expert trader to the most advanced robot, but there are some robots that can make 90-95% winning trades on a consistent basis.If you want to take advantage of Forex Currency Exchange and secure your financial future, and you want to get started fast, I suggest you use a proven Forex robot.

About the Author:
To see how Edward went about learning to trade Forex using an Automated Forex Robot,

go to: Inside FAP Turbo To see how this amazing Expert Advisor was created, go to: FAP Turbo Creation Story
Article Source: ArticlesBase.com - Forex Currency Exchange: the Quick Way to Profits