Forex rebates on every trade - win or lose!

My current thinking is that it's about time I didn't bother with the sb co's and got a real Fx broker.

The problem with spreadbetters in fast markets is that they need to hedge their exposure quickly when everybody tries to trade the same way with them. More likely than not, they will try to hedge on the CME futures market which is order driven.

If anybody has looked at the L2 order book on the CME they will see tight spreads of a pip or so, but ahead of major news there are often no "back up" orders for 30 or 40 pips either side of touch and the orders on bid and offer are often for only a handful of contracts. Consequently as the news is released, the bid or offer is taken and a spread opens up to 30 or 40 pips because there was nothing behind touch.

The CMC's of this world are then unable to hedge their positions quickly enough which is why their platform closes temporarily and they go onto phone dealing only.

It's a hard fact of life and it ain't gonna change I'm afraid.

That was a stroke of luck - I put in an order to open long at 390 earlier on - based on the bottom of today's range. Just been having some lunch (having forgotten I'd placed it to be honest) and returned to find it had triggered, dropped and then shot up.

Just closed it for 50 as today's bonus offer :)))))

EDIT - bugger - should have left it to run - but then, that would have been greedy, wouldn't it

PS - I've definitely, definitely finished for the day now - no more surprise opens to trigger and fortunately I have go out otherwise I'd probably get tempted - or bored - either way I'd probably give some of it back 'cos that's another thing I do - less now than in the past but still do it despite my new improved disciplinary tendencies - encouraged by Miss Hiplash, the enforcer :)

closed a cable long 2.0560

Buggeration - doncha just hate it when that happens - loads more pips in the tank and I missed 'em - I've got my hat and coat and I'm leaving before I try and short it like a plonker.

I am generally bullish cable.

The level for my exit was the declining line on my 4 hour chart...
its the 2.0600 of 2 days ago...but declined a bit since then...

FED: In conjunction with BOC, BOE, ECB, and SNB, the US Fed
announces coordinated action to address short-term funding problems. Fed
says it will have a temp Term Auction Facility (auctions to begin Dec 17
with $20b 28d funds maturing Jan 17 using wide variety of collateral)
and swap lines with other CB's ($20b with ECB and $4b with SNB, for up
to 6 mos). All banks are eligible to participate in TAF. Other TAF
auctions to be held Dec 20 for up to $20b 35d; Jan 14 and Jan 28 also to
have auctions in amounts to be determined. BOJ and Sweden Riksbank also
have statements on web.

CABLE: Talk emerging that the sudden snap back in cable after the
1315GMT ECB fixing due to an order wrongly executed (sale of stg500mln
should have been a sale of $500mln/stg), the reversal meeting strong
sales of euro-sterling from a US investment house which in turn provided
an added boost to the pound/cable

Bloomin' 'eck. Should have left that EUR JPY long in place, up 100 pips or so since I last looked!!!

Well that makes a nice change, went long Cable at 11 o'clock, disappeared to the golf course to freeze my wotists off and found 100 pips in the bag on my return. Can't remember putting a limit in to be honest, must be going doolally I think :S

Obviously I could have shorted like a plonker (from what turned out to be a peak) and been well rewarded - and I could have pretended that there had been some magical TA reason for doing it. Hils would have seen through my charade so good job I had my hat and coat ready :)

Oh Dear. Fancied a run this morning as a change from the machines. 5km later, not only am I now totally knackered, but it was freezing out there and I felt a right numpty being out in just my sports bra and shorts.

:o)

Rather you than me, Hils.
I'm still wrapped up in my biiig pink fluffy jobbie ;)

Girls, girls, you shouldn't do this to us fellas on a morning. My mind is now working overtime ;-)

Seymour, i never had you down as that sort of fella:-)


I have not given up on forex, but admittedly am finding it hard, but rome wasnt built in a day,i have now switched from the cash charts to the futures charts, and even though still choppy, maybe slightly less choppy than the cash,
But everyone seems to be trading the cash and using cash charts,
is there a particular reason for this, am i more likely to get my arse smacked on the futures, ?

Ruth,

It's whatever you're most comfortable with.

Probably 99% of the freebie stuff on the web relates to spot. Futures prices are skewed from spot to reflect the carry which diminishes as you move towards expiry. Can you trade your futures contracts 24/5? I mentioned in a previous post that futures spreads can sometimes open up to 30 or 40 pips on news.

Hils, im only observing them for now, not sure if you can trade 24/7 would pressume so but will obviously need to look into, just exploring all options at the moment
im watching cash prices on cmc by the side of the futures,theres not much in it re the time advantage, its milli seconds before cmc change their quote , where as on the ftse futures theres a little bit more of a time advantage,sometimes upto 3 seconds over the cash
i guess forex being the biggest traded instrument, every angle is already covered for little fish like me:-)

Ruth, prices are slightly different depending on the Fx broker anyway, different spreads sometimes, it's recommended that your charting is from your broker but I won't think it matters that much when you're looking for a hundred pips or so!


Happily married btw, just a vivid imagination :-)

Seymour, nothing wrong with a bit of window shopping,:-) its the ones who dont admit to thinking about it that you have to watch:-)

working through my dinner today playing with forex futures etc comparing,great thing with esig is you can drag it to any point on any chart and put it in replay motion and it will then replay exactly as it occured bar by bar,can say opt for a 3 min bar to replay every 1 second or whatever you specify, but it automatically draws all the sigs bars exactly as the happened, great liitl piece of kit.
, no positions open elsewhere now,so watching with 2 eyes instead of one.