Forex Scalping The Smart Way

By Ben McArthur

One method of short term Forex trading is called scalping.The definition of Forex scalping is nothing more than a strategy to get in and out of a trade quickly and when timed correctly, is a lower risk technique than many traders believe.

In scalping, it is usually best to trade currency pairs with high volatility and low spreads. These include pairs like EUR/JPY, GBP/USD, EUR/USD and USD/JPY. It is also best to stay focused on the lower timeframe charts like one hour or less. The best trading times for a scalper are usually during the intersection of the European/U.S. session and the U.S./ Asian session. Once you think you have “caught” the short-term trend, you can enter a position. Just make sure there aren’t any financial reports due that could affect the markets.

Avoid trading against the long term trend and wait for the short term trend to show signs of agreement. You can use EMA’s on the daily and 1 hour charts to determine these trends or you can use your own strategy for determining trends. Whatever you do, wait until both the short-term and the long-term trends are in alignment. This provides you with a nice form of insurance

As we all know, many times the short-term price trend is different from the long term trend. In this strategy, we make it clear that this is not a good time to be scalping. This is because when the trends are not in alignment and the short-term trend suddenly decides to re-align itself with the long-term trend, your trade will quickly go against you.

There are some traders who either don’t like the scalping method or have never learned the safest way implement it in their overall trading strategy. This may be due to the fact that they haven’t combined it with some more advanced strategies. When used with proper indicators and timing strategies, scalping can be a profitable way to trade the Forex markets.

One drawback to Forex scalping is the time committment involved in order to be successful. Scalping is a time consuming trading method. The object of scalping is to take advantage of trading opportunities that may very well present themselves for only a very short time frame. Not everyone is able to sit in front of their computer for the length of time required in order to make consistent profits with this method.

Forex trading is considered to be one of the most profitable investment means. High leverage and volatility may bring a trader vast sums of money in just one day. On the other hand, the same probability ratio stands for money loss. High leverage gives opportunity to operate with sums of money that you don’t actually have. So be very careful to have a solid money management system in place before making a trade.

Forex trading offers unlimited opportunities for small investors to make nice profits. Not all Forex traders have the same goals. Some look upon Forex as a way to make quick profits, while others see it as a way to make a considerable side income. Not all Forex traders aspire to become full time traders. Others may view trading as a part time venture and more of a hobby than a source of income.

No matter how you look at Forex trading, it is a fascinating business or sideline. No other potential income source offers the intriguing possibilities that Forex does.

The author’s website features more trading tips and forex trading secrets

About the Author

Learn more forex secrets at the author’s website.