DECIDING FOREX TIME FRAME TO TRADE WITH.

Deciding to venture into trading the Forex is a big decision, and it requires you to make some very important decisions about what kind of trader you are and what your goals are for trading the Forex. That’s because trading the Forex is unlike trading any other market. The main difference in Forex vs. all other markets is that the Forex market is never closed, except on weekends. It trades 24 hours a day, 5 days a week. If you like fast-moving action, the Forex is definitely the market for you.
One of the first things you must decide as a Forex trader is what time-frame you are going to trade. All this really means is are you going to trade tick charts, 1-minute, 5-minute, 15-minute, 1-hour, daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly charts? The type of chart you trade will have a huge impact on what kind of trading you will do. The kind of trading you SHOULD do is whatever is suited to your personality. This is something you may not have thought about before, but you should definitely give it some thought before you get too far into your Forex career.

The two main types of trading are day-trading and position-trading. The definition of “day" varies in Forex trading as opposed to other markets, because the Forex trader’s day could happen anytime during the 24-hour period. This is great news for traders in countries not located in the US or Europe, since they no longer have to keep opposite hours from the rest of their family just to be able to trade – since many of the World’s major markets are located in the US or Europe. The Forex gives them the unique opportunity to unleash themselves from the restrictions of someone else’s time zone.

A day trader typically starts each day with no trades left open from the day before. He will start the day by looking at the day’s news and announcements and then examine his charts for whatever activity has been going on overnight and how that activity may have affected what how he was trading the day before. A day-trader will usually trade with shorter time frames, such as 1, 5, or 15 minute charts, since he’s only trying to capture whatever moves happen during the day so he can exit all of his positions by the time his day is over. An hourly chart is probably about as large of a span as a day trader will need to pay attention to. However, most traders will probably keep tabs on the weekly and daily charts in order to know what the major underlying trends currently are.

A position trader, on the other hand, doesn’t worry as much about the short time frame charts because he is looking at the longer time frames such as daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly charts. The position trader might pay attention to the hourly charts in order to find the best entry and exit points, but will not usually trade based on the hourly charts’ movements.

The position trader will almost always be carrying his positions overnight from one day to the next, often for weeks at a time as he waits for the longer-term trends to move him along. The only caveat is that you need to have large stops and fairly deep pockets to keep from getting stopped out due to daily price swings. . If you can absorb the up and down swings that occur on a daily basis, then this is probably the best way of profiting from the Forex, since the Forex tends to trend so well over long time frames. As long as your stops are set fairly far away from the daily price action you will be most likely be able to profit quite handsomely from this type of trading.

So basically, it sums up like this: The day trader can trade with a smaller account because he uses tighter stops and watches the market almost constantly during the day. This can be hectic and stressful, but many traders thrive on the adrenaline rush that this type of trading provides. If your personality is right for this type of trading, then you will probably not be satisfied with slower pace of the position trader.

Position trading is best suited for those who either don’t care for the stress that accompanies day trading, or for those who have deep trading pockets, or both. The position trader also must be able to feel comfortable about whatever positions he has left overnight, since he know the market will be doing things while he is off work or sleeping. For some, especially for day traders, the stress of leaving positions unwatched and unprotected overnight is more stressful than the stress of watching the markets during the day.

Knowing your personality type will help you decide what time frame you will be best suited for trading. If you aren’t sure, then try each one until you decide what suits you best. Just be sure you don’t burn out on the wrong style before you decide, because it would be a shame to miss out on the profitable opportunities of trading the Forex.

Good trading.
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