SteadyOptions is an options trading forum where you can find solutions from top options traders. Join Us!

We’ve all been there… researching options strategies and unable to find the answers we’re looking for. SteadyOptions has your solution.

4 Patterns For Forex Profitability

By Kim (edited)

What makes a forex trader profitable? Looking at a wide array of real data, four patterns are found. Timing is critical. The best time to trade is not necessarily what you thought it would be, and it certainly depends on the trading style.

It also depends on the currency you’re trading with: profitability is higher with certain currencies at certain times of the day, but the same currencies yield losing trades at different times.


Why do many traders fail at forex trading? Very often we find that common trading strategies have limitations that few understand.


There is more to profitability than timing. Here are 4 patterns related to forex profitability. These are all based on hard facts accumulated by FXCM for its US clients.

 

FXCM is a large US forex broker with significant global operations, so the data here is significant.

 

●    Forex Traders with FXCM were right on their trades more than 50% of the time. Anyone would say that is a great statistic. Does that mean they were profitable on their account? No, traders lose more money on losing trades than they win on winning traders. A simple fix to that is traders should be using stops and limits to enforce a risk/reward ratio of 1:1 or higher.

 

image.png
 

●    Most forex traders are range traders – that means that they don’t wait for a breakout. The more success in range trading was done during Asian trading hours, when movements are more limited to ranges. It’s important to remember that the opening session of the week is more volatile than all the rest that follow.

 

image.png

 

●    The third most common mistake traders made is trading with too much leverage. Traders should take their account equity and multiple it by the effective leverage target and they will know their maximum account exposure before entering a trade. High volatility + high leverage are usually a recipe for wiping out the account.


image.png
 

●    European and North American Trading Hours tend to have the most volatility. We’ve seen that trading on trade breakouts tend to be more successful trades during that time. If you’re stalking on breakouts, then these volatile sessions (and especially the overlap) are the best times for you.
 

image.png

 

This is a guest post from FXStreet, a leading provider of data, real time analysis and actionable tools for Forex traders.

 

Edited by Kim

What Is SteadyOptions?

12 Years CAGR of 122.7%

Full Trading Plan

Complete Portfolio Approach

Real-time trade sharing: entry, exit, and adjustments

Diversified Options Strategies

Exclusive Community Forum

Steady And Consistent Gains

High Quality Education

Risk Management, Portfolio Size

Performance based on real fills

Subscribe to SteadyOptions now and experience the full power of options trading!
Subscribe

Non-directional Options Strategies

10-15 trade Ideas Per Month

Targets 5-7% Monthly Net Return

Visit our Education Center

Recent Articles

Articles

  • SPX Options vs. SPY Options: Which Should I Trade?

    Trading options on the S&P 500 is a popular way to make money on the index. There are several ways traders use this index, but two of the most popular are to trade options on SPX or SPY. One key difference between the two is that SPX options are based on the index, while SPY options are based on an exchange-traded fund (ETF) that tracks the index.

    By Mark Wolfinger,

    • 0 comments
    • 985 views

  • Yes, We Are Playing Not to Lose!

    There are many trading quotes from different traders/investors, but this one is one of my favorites: “In trading/investing it's not about how much you make, but how much you don't lose" - Bernard Baruch. At SteadyOptions, this has been one of our major goals in the last 12 years.

    By Kim,

    • 0 comments
    • 1,383 views

  • The Impact of Implied Volatility (IV) on Popular Options Trades

    You’ll often read that a given option trade is either vega positive (meaning that IV rising will help it and IV falling will hurt it) or vega negative (meaning IV falling will help and IV rising will hurt).   However, in fact many popular options spreads can be either vega positive or vega negative depending where where the stock price is relative to the spread strikes.  

    By Yowster,

    • 0 comments
    • 1,611 views

  • Please Follow Me Inside The Insiders

    The greatest joy in investing in options is when you are right on direction. It’s really hard to beat any return that is based on a correct options bet on the direction of a stock, which is why we spend much of our time poring over charts, historical analysis, Elliot waves, RSI and what not.

    By TrustyJules,

    • 0 comments
    • 874 views

  • Trading Earnings With Ratio Spread

    A 1x2 ratio spread with call options is created by selling one lower-strike call and buying two higher-strike calls. This strategy can be established for either a net credit or for a net debit, depending on the time to expiration, the percentage distance between the strike prices and the level of volatility.

    By TrustyJules,

    • 0 comments
    • 1,886 views

  • SteadyOptions 2023 - Year In Review

    2023 marks our 12th year as a public trading service. We closed 192 winners out of 282 trades (68.1% winning ratio). Our model portfolio produced 112.2% compounded gain on the whole account based on 10% allocation per trade. We had only one losing month and one essentially breakeven in 2023. 

    By Kim,

    • 0 comments
    • 6,407 views

  • Call And Put Backspreads Options Strategies

    A backspread is very bullish or very bearish strategy used to trade direction; ie a trader is betting that a stock will move quickly in one direction. Call Backspreads are used for trading up moves; put backspreads for down moves.

    By Chris Young,

    • 0 comments
    • 9,950 views

  • Long Put Option Strategy

    A long put option strategy is the purchase of a put option in the expectation of the underlying stock falling. It is Delta negative, Vega positive and Theta negative strategy. A long put is a single-leg, risk-defined, bearish options strategy. Buying a put option is a levered alternative to selling shares of stock short.

    By Chris Young,

    • 0 comments
    • 11,586 views

  • Long Call Option Strategy

    A long call option strategy is the purchase of a call option in the expectation of the underlying stock rising. It is Delta positive, Vega positive and Theta negative strategy. A long call is a single-leg, risk-defined, bullish options strategy. Buying a call option is a levered alternative to buying shares of stock.

    By Chris Young,

    • 0 comments
    • 12,013 views

  • What Is Delta Hedging?

    Delta hedging is an investing strategy that combines the purchase or sale of an option as well as an offsetting transaction in the underlying asset to reduce the risk of a directional move in the price of the option. When a position is delta-neutral, it will not rise or fall in value when the value of the underlying asset stays within certain bounds. 

    By Kim,

    • 0 comments
    • 10,057 views
  Report Article
Go to articles Trading Blog

We want to hear from you!


There are no comments to display.



Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account. It's easy and free!


Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.


Sign In Now

Options Trading Blogs