If you want to become a good currency trader, then you need to understand that the forex markets evolve and change with time. You will need to make a little tweak here and a little tweak there sometimes in your trading strategies in order to continue making profit. As the currency markets evolve and change, your trading strategies should also evolve and adjust to these changes in the markets.
There will be periods of low returns and even losses when the markets suddenly change and new trends are formed. Your trading strategies will need adjustment with the markets with these changes. When you have made the adjustments to your trading strategies, you will start making profits again as before. You should never make the mistake of getting stuck with only one currency pair and only one trading strategy. Always look at macroeconomic events. Try to understand how different currency pairs react to these events.
Oil drives the global economy. High oil prices put recessionary pressures on the global economy. Lets discuss a currency trading strategy that depends on following oil prices in the global markets. There are many sources of oil. Some countries export oil. Most of the countries in the world import oil. So oil prices tend to affect almost all the currencies. Some currency pairs react more strongly. Others less so when oil prices change. When oil prices rise, they continue to rise for several months. Fortunately for you, oil prices trend for extended periods.
Likewise when oil prices decline, they tend to continue declining for several months. Last year in 2008, we saw a major upsurge in oil prices for several months then a sudden collapse, oil prices than stabilized around $55 for quite sometimes. Some of the currencies that react strongly to oil price changes are GBP and CAD. Lets focus on USD/CAD currency pair in our oil following strategy.
United States imports more oil from Canada that any other country. The value of CAD should increase with increase in oil prices in relationship to USD. With the increase in oil prices, this means that the pair USD/CAD should start trending downward. This is an example of a trend trading strategy.
Watch for times when the oil prices are rising and the exchange rate USD/CAD is decreasing. Similarly, watch for times when oil prices are declining and the exchange rate USD/CAD is increasing.
Use CCI, Commodity Channel Index, to trigger your trade. Watch for the 14 period CCI (Commodity Channel Index) to cross above 100 and then cross back below 100. This will tell you that the buyers have made a temporary upward push on the currency pair USD/CAD but were unable to turn the trend around. The trend is still downward.
Enter the trade. Set a limit order of 300 pips and a stop loss order of 75 pips. Go short on USD and long on CAD. This setup gives you a risk to reward ratio of 1:4. This risk to reward is very good and it allows you to be wrong a few times but without ruining your chances of being profitable. 300 pips mean $3000 profit and 75 pips means $750 loss if the trade goes against what you anticipated. Usually such a trade will continue for a month.
Prolonged downtrends in the oil prices are usually unlikely. You can also trade the USD/CAD currency pair in the opposite direction if the oil prices start to decline if it does happen. You can take advantage of the oil price movement. This trading strategy depends on just knowing which way the oil prices are moving right now. Oil prices have again started to climb. Prices have reached around $68. Take advantage of the rising oil prices by trading USD/CAD currency pair as described above.