Does Technical Analysis Really Work in Forex Trading?

If you have traded in Forex before, or if you want to, one of the things you are going to need to know about is technical analysis.

There are two types of analysis you need to know about when it comes to Forex trading. Fundamental analysis is "big picture" analysis, whereby you take into account a country's social, economic and political health to determine the stability of its currency. A country that is stable in these areas is going to have a stronger currency, in general than a country that is not stable in these areas, and therefore a stronger country is going to be a better bet when it comes to Forex trading.

What is technical analysis?

Technical analysis is a little bit different. With technical analysis, you analyze a particular currency's patterns and trends over a specific period of time. For example, if a particular currency has been performing strongly in its recent history, it's probably going to continue to do so. Similarly, if it's been doing poorly in its recent history, it's probably going to continue to do that too. You chart currencies' trends and patterns, and make predictions as to how a particular currency is going to continue to do against another. You place trades with "currency pairs" based on this information, in essence betting that one currency is going to do better than another and therefore "winning" on that trade.

Does Forex technical analysis really work?

Absolutely, Forex technical analysis works to produce winning trades; many successful traders encourage taking a twofold approach by using both fundamental and technical analysis to determine which trades are going to produce profits.

Becoming an experienced Forex technical trader

To become an experienced Forex technical trader, you should learn your way around the Forex market by using a "demo" account first. Most good Forex brokers will allow you to open a demo account with no money; then, you "trade" in "demo" mode until you've become very experienced in placing trades. Once you begin to win on trades with this type of "pretend" trading, you can begin to place real trades with real money so that you can make a profit. It's very important, though, that you do demo trading first. This gives you the opportunity to learn your way around the market just as you would if you were really trading, and it teaches you how to handle both wins and losses on trades.

What being an experienced Forex technical trader can do for you

As an experienced Forex technical trader, you have the opportunity to make trades based upon the patterns and trends you see (as well based upon your own gut reaction, once you become experienced), instead of on an emotional basis. Why is this important? Because if you make trades based upon an emotional basis instead of on what your data tells you, you're going to lose on trades, and you may even lose your shirt. That's a simple fact.

Trading based upon what your charts and data tell you, on the other hand, is simply smart. That means that you make decisions based upon data, not upon emotions. In practical terms, that means you may get out of a trade that's still winning because your data tells you it's time, or your data may tell you to get out of a trade that you're losing on, even though your emotions would tell you to stay "in the trade" in the hopes that you could make back the money you have already lost.

Successful Forex traders know that they are always going to lose on some of their trades, but they follow their data, their charts and analyses, and they do what this information tells them. This helps them be successful because they win on more trades than they lose on – and that helps them break a profit and be successful overall. Learning Forex technical analysis can help you do the same.