Trading discipline or lack thereof. Trading discipline is 90 percent of the game.
The formula is very simple:Trade with discipline and you will succeed;
Trade without discipline and you will fail. The U.S. Dollar.(USD) The United States dollar is the world's main currency - an universal
to evaluate any other currency traded on Forex. All currencies are generally quoted in U.S. dollar
Under conditions of international economic and political unrest, the U.S. dollar is the main safe-
currency, which was proven particularly well during the Southeast Asian crisis of 1997-1998.As it was indicated, the U.S. dollar became the leading currency toward the end of the Second World War along the Breton Woods Accord, as the other currencies were virtually pegged against it. The introduction of the euro in 1999 reduced the dollar's importance only marginally.
The other major currencies traded against the U.S. dollar are the euro, Japanese yen, British
pound, and Swiss franc. U.S. Coin Metal Value Calculator The Euro. (EUR)The euro was designed to become the premier currency in trading by simply being
quoted in American terms. Like the U.S. dollar, the euro has a strong international presence
stemming from members of the European Monetary Union. The currency remains plagued by unequal
growth, high unemployment, and government resistance to structural changes. The pair was also weighed
in 1999 and 2000 by outflows from foreign investors, particularly Japanese, who were forced to liquidate
their losing investments in euro-denominated assets. Moreover, European money managers rebalanced
their portfolios and reduced their euro exposure as their needs for hedging currency risk in Europe
declined. The Japanese Yen.(YEN) The Japanese yen is the third most traded currency in the world; it has a
much smaller international presence than the U.S. dollar or the euro. The yen is very liquid around the
world, practically around the clock. The natural demand to trade the yen concentrated mostly among the
Japanese keiretsu, the economic and financial conglomerates. The yen is much more sensitive to the
fortunes of the Nikkei index, the Japanese stock market, and the real estate market. The British Pound.(GBP) Until the end of World War II, the pound was the currency of reference.
The currency is heavily traded against the euro and the U.S. dollar, but has a spotty presence against other
currencies. Prior to the introduction of the euro, both the pound benefited from any doubts about the
currency convergence. After the introduction of the euro, Bank of England is attempting to bring the high
U.K. rates closer to the lower rates in the euro zone. The pound could join the euro in the early 2000s,
provided that the U.K. referendum is positive. The Swiss Franc.(CHF) The Swiss franc is the only currency of a major European country that
belongs neither to the European Monetary Union nor to the G-7 countries. Although the Swiss economy
is relatively small, the Swiss franc is one of the four major currencies, closely resembling the strength
and quality of the Swiss economy and finance. Switzerland has a very close economic relationship with
Germany, and thus to the euro zone. Therefore, in terms of political uncertainty in the East, the Swiss
franc is favored generally over the euro.
Typically, it is believed that the Swiss franc is a stable currency. Actually, from a foreign
exchange point of view, the Swiss franc closely resembles the patterns of the euro, but lacks its liquidity.
As the demand for it exceeds supply, the Swiss franc can be more volatile than the euro. The NEW ZEALAND. DOLLAR(NZD) With the breakdown of the Bretton Woods system in 1971, both Australia and NZ converted the mostly-fixed foreign exchange regimes to a moving peg against the US dollar.In September 1974, Australia moved to a peg against a basket of currencies called the trade weighted index (TWI) in an effort to reduce fluctuations associated with its peg to the US dollar.
The peg to the TWI was changed to a moving peg in November 1976, causing the actual value of the peg to be periodically adjusted.Since the late 1990s, and certainly since the end of the Cold War the US dollar has had less and less overall influence over the value of both the NZD and AUD against other currencies. The CANADIAN. DOLLAR(CAD) On September 28, 2007, the Canadian dollar closed above the U.S. dollar for the first time in 30 years, at US$1.0052. On November 7, 2007, it hit US$1.1024 during trading, a modern-day high after China announced it would diversify its US$1.43 trillion foreign exchange reserve away from the U.S. dollar. By November 30, however, the Canadian dollar was once again at par with the U.S. dollar, and on December 4, the dollar had retreated back to US$0.98, through a cut in interest rates made by the Bank of Canada due to concerns about exports to the U.S. (The dollar has been as high as US$2.78, reached on 11 July 1864 after the United States had temporarily abandoned the gold standard.)
Due to its soaring value and new record highs, the Canadian dollar was named the Canadian Newsmaker of the Year for 2007 by the Canadian edition of Time magazine The AUSTRAILIAN. DOLLAR(AUD) Currently the sixth-most-traded currency in the world foreign exchange markets behind the US dollar, the euro, the yen, the pound sterling, and the Swiss franc, accounting for over 6% of worldwide foreign-exchange transactions. The Australian dollar is popular with currency traders due to comparatively high interest rates in Australia, the relative freedom of the foreign exchange market from government intervention, the general stability of Australia's economy and political system, and the prevailing view that the Australian dollar offers diversification benefits in a portfolio containing the major world currencies, especially because of its greater exposure to Asian economies and the commodities cycle. Central Bank Rates                 | | |