Thursday, May 28, 2009

Forex Tips - Microtrading

The AUDJPY currency pair is currently trading around the 76.00 mark.

Over the last twenty days, from May 7 through May 27, I've been experimenting with a concept I've been calling microtrading.

I don't intend to close all of my positions at the moment, but if I did my account NAV would increase by more than 10% over that period.

While I realize that active trading can return spectacular results compared to a paltry 10% it does require a lot more effort and time. Personally, my full time job and other issues have my complete attention. I don't have the luxury of time or the mindset to take larger risks at the moment.

Anyway, open up your trading platform and I'll walk you through the process of trading this strategy.

1) On May 10 we topped out around 76.00 on the AUDJPY pair.

2) Based on my account size I could safely open long positions for every fall of 20 pips. This isn't the goal but it is the maximum density of trades I'd allow.

3) As the price of this currency pair dropped to around 70.50 on May 15 I would accumulate positions based on the previous point. Basically, when you see what looks like a support point or if the price moved down a lot while you were at work or sleeping, then you open another micro trade.

4) When any one trade has more than 200% profit with respect to margin committed and you believe you are at a resistance point, consider unloading it.

5) Be patient when the market moves sideways. In terms of serious monetary strategies a week or a month is not a long period of time. Keep in mind that you are trading a carry trade pair so you will be paid to wait.

6) I firmly believe that eventually the AUDJPY pair will recover strongly. I'm willing to hold positions for long periods of time as I wait for this. If you don't believe this or you aren't willing to wait, then this strategy may not be useful for you.

Using the above method, with almost zero stress except for impatience during several weeks of sluggish movements, my trading account never committed more than 6% of it's NAV (using 50:1 leverage which is the maximum at my fx broker -- Oanda). However, this morning, as I've stated above, I could close out all my positions at a 10% NAV gain.

This is a simple trading system, though purists may balk at calling it a "system" due to its loose definition. Wait for a drop and buy tiny positions. Capture large profits when they present themselves. Be patient and don't accumulate too large a portion of your NAV. I'd definitely recommend using Oanda due to the ability to trade any size positions and the fact that you can't trade with extreme leverage.

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