The Role of Trading Signals

For the purposes of this article, we're going to assume you already have a basic understanding of the Forex market and are looking for additional information to make your Forex trading as successful as possible. When to buy and sell, triggered by observing trading signals, can provide you with one of the keys to making successful Forex trades. And that's what we're going to examine today.

What exactly are trading signals?

Trading signals are indicators of Forex market trends, generally based on a trading system, that tell the trader the best time to buy or sell a currency. These trends can include everything from currency pairs near moving averages, to support and resistance levels, to Fibonacci levels. Different trading systems can require different signals and trends for their recommendations. Some systems can include as many 26 indicators in their development of trading signals.

Why are trading signals important?

The Forex market is one of the volatile markets in the world. Currency shifts can occur for a wide variety of reasons, including economic conditions, political shifts, government spending, consumer spending, even weather conditions. These influences can trigger changes in the currency, which are reflected in nearly instantaneous shifts in the market. Trading signals, based on technical analysis of market conditions, allow traders to anticipate these shifts to their advantage.

As a Forex trader, you can utilize a charting service to study the trends and track the signals for yourself. Or you can use a Forex signal service. In addition, some brokers may offer a signal service which integrates into their trading software. In either case, the services monitor and analyze the market for you. When specific signals show themselves, the service will send you a notice via your computer, by email, or even SMS on your cell phone or pager.

Most services offer signals on EUR/USD, USD/JPY, GBP/USD, USD/CHF currency pairs, but specialized services may offer other currency pairs. In addition, some services even offer auto-trading, which allows you to auto-execute their signals direct into your broker account. In such instances, you will have already established a number of options, such as lot size, in advance.

Technical signals are based on technical indicators, which are precise mathematical formulas applied to market prices within a given period of time. Traders are always on the look out for easy and clear technical signals that indicate the right time to enter or exit a particular segment of the market. This is sometimes missed by beginning traders. It's equally as important to know when to exit a trade as it is to know when to enter one. This is where limit exits, trailing stops, and fixed stops can play a vital role in your trading.

Forex trading signals are a personal decision. However, once that decision is made, you need to be committed to it (at least long enough to know if it's working for you). Most signal systems do work. Traders can learn to anticipate the market movements and conditions before making their trading decision. The problems arise when emotions are allowed to take over and the system is ignored. Don't let this happen to you.