Tell Me About Forex Scalping

Summary: Trading on the Foreign Exchange market, or Forex, has become increasingly popular due in no small part to its sheer size and volume of trading. There was a time when only the large investment banks and other "institutional" vehicles of finance could play in the currencies market but now it is possible for just about anyone to invest in the Forex. Just as with equities or commodities traders, investors in the Forex need some type of strategy when deciding on currency pairs a...

Trading on the Foreign Exchange market, or Forex, has become increasingly popular due in no small part to its sheer size and volume of trading. There was a time when only the large investment banks and other "institutional" vehicles of finance could play in the currencies market but now it is possible for just about anyone to invest in the Forex. Just as with equities or commodities traders, investors in the Forex need some type of strategy when deciding on currency pairs and when to enter and exit a position. Scalping is one of many Forex investment strategies and at its simplest involves anticipating short-term movements in the exchange rates. Forex scalpers are like the polar opposites of those who use the buy-and-hold approach because they are only looking to enter and exit a position quickly-make their profit and run. Scalpers may only hold a position for a few hours-and in the extreme cases-or mere minutes. These "hit and run" investors look for market indicators specifically known to affect rates on the Forex. National and international news events have been shown to affect currency exchange rates. In truth, the Forex trades 24 hours a day with investors all having access to real time pricing changes. Thus, a Forex scalper may only have a few minutes to enter and exit a position before the market corrects itself and factors the news into the pricing. Scalpers use key indicators to help them anticipate the price fluctuation, such as: