eToro – Forex Trading Forum

[Tropezienne]

The weekend is almost here. The markets close. You can’t trade. So relax. It is a good time to think about your forex trading in relation to your health. Especially for people new to trading – trying to do too much; keen to learn; counting pips; counting losses. This sort of focus will steal sleep and cause adverse health issues.

Also, to trade under such circumstances simply is not worth the risk. Bad decisions will be made.

Your forex activities – whether you’re a novice or experienced – should be a great part of your life. Not a stressful part. Keep a good balance.

You should never trade if your are sick, distracted, have family stuff going on, if your computer keeps freezing or your internet keeps going down. Don’t trade when tired.

How does forex fit into your life? Share your stresses and coping mechanisms here. Do you find it difficult to keep a healthy balance?

Another good tip – keep Sunday evenings free from forex. I know the markets open again then – but unless you are very experienced, you are unlikely to get much out of Sunday night trading.

from Julie the Newbie

http://who-gives-a-forex.blogspot.com/

[forexBull]

i remember when i first started trading forex, somewhere in the beginning of 2001, i was so connected to the market that i could not even go to the bathroom without thinking about it. If i was out somewhere with no connection to the internet, i used to call home every hour to find out where the market was at.

But after a while i realized that too much is too bad.
as you said, you must learn how to keep forex away from everything else that you do in life.
This will surely make you a better trader - every businessman can tell you “ never to mix business with pleasure “.

so i think this is basically a good advice for every one. learn how to disconnect when you are not trading.

btw , you have a very nice blog!
do you really write sitcoms? i am a sitcom addicted , mostly to the 90”s ones like Seinfeld married with childeren ext.

[Tropezienne]

Hi there forexBull - I’m sooooo glad that you got over not being able to go to the bathroom without thinking about forex. Now there’s a great scene for a sitcom …..

Yes - I am writing a sitcom - like you I just love the genre and spent many a happy hour in hysterics watching a range of both US anf UK sitcoms. My current favourite is a French one called’Kamelott’. I eventually got my writerly mind around to actually standing some sitcom scripts. The extremes of character and place, the pace and timing and the pain and desperation behind the comedy make sitcom brilliant in its observation of humanity. Of course, it can just be taken at face value - for a good old belly-laugh.

I got my sitcom idea when I saw a photogrpah of some beautifully knitted bondgae-type clothing and saw (coincidenatally during the same week) an advert for a knitting circle for people who needed to ‘whip their knitting into shape’ with ‘Madame Needles’. These two feeds into my cerebral cortex left quite an impression and a character slowly gestated and was born as a young man who goes along to, whom he believes to be a Dominatix, but who is actually a rather strict knitting teacher.

Anyway, he joins the group - is confused for a few épisodes - his confusion fed by the other disparate characters in the group.

Anyway - I hope that you managed to forget about forex and relax at the weekend.

[AngelScream]

funny stories im new i hope it doesnt happen to me eoiaoeoa

[Tropezienne]

11 July - another weekend is upon us and I would like to reiterate what I said about getting a balance in your life. One of the real beauties of forex trading is that is does stop at weekends.

I also write.

Hah !

I’d like to say ‘I also write for a living' - but that would be stretching it! I earn a little bit, I’ve sold one screenplay and the BBC are ‘potentially interested’ (their very significant italics) in the sitcom that I am currently writing.

The point is - I feel guilty if I don’t write over the weekend -and find it hard to stop. But I have to stop with the forex. Anyway, I am trying to take my own advice and keep weekends for weekendy-stuff. This weekend my big project is to install a new bath and shower. I shall go snorkelling for an hour or so each evening and on Sunday morning go for coffee to a lovely café in Cavalaire-sur-Mer where the handsome waiters are apparently especially trained to make wrinkly old would-be-writers-come-forex-traders feel better about themselves !

What are you all going to do to relax this weekend ?

[Tropezienne]

Time to stop trading and RELAX - Yet another weekend is upon us. This one came around quickly for me as Monday was Bastille Day - a public Holiday here in France. So I’ve been suffering from post-bank-holiday confusion. ie: what day it is and where I am supposed to be.

Anyway, I’ve been exploring some of the new features of the eToro upgrade and it occured to me that the animated characters in the races and the tug of war are somewhat incongruous. It would be more harmonius to have all sportspeople, all nationally- symbolic figures or all popular/fictional heroes.

We have : USD - Uncle Sam
GPB - a top-hatted gent
JPY - a sumo wrestler
CHF - a Swiss guard
AUD - Crocodile Dundee
CAD - a Mountie
EUR - I’m not sure, some sort of generic renaissance type figure ????

Figures that are nationally-symbolic - USD, CHF and CAD are covered - the top-hatted gent is not in the same league as a national symbol for the GBP - maybe a a bulldog, the queen, Winston Churchill orShakespeare would be better. For JPY- a Samurai ? For AUD - Capt James Cook, an indigenous Australian? For EUR - Isaac Newton, Richelieu, Richard Coudenhove-Kalergi?

Or to stick with the sports theme - JPY has the sumo wrestler. USD could have a Baseball Player; GPB a footballer or a cricket player; CHF - a skier; AUD - Rugby or Cricket player; CAD - ice hockey player; EUR - footballer, road cyclist (watching the Tour de France as I type), a golfer.

Popular/fictional hero - AUD has Crocodile Dundee,; USD could have Superman; GPB - Doctor Who; JPY - Super Sensei; CHF- Heidi, ’Fusionman’; CAD - Captain Canuck and EUR - Captain Euro (honest - http://www.in-sect.com/article/700/the-european-superhero-captain-euro) …….

OK - evidently I’m entering a surreal state. If anything has to change it must be the fat little figure who currently represents EUR. He needs to be replaced by something modern and energetic - a figure wearing an outfit in a modern fabric. The colour should be the blue of Europe covered in the golden stars as seen on the european flag.

Any better ideas?

Have a great weekend - relax and enjoy.

Julie

[Tropezienne]

Think back over the week and try to identify if there were times when your forex trading was too stressful. How did this affect your decision making?

There is only one decision to make if you are feeling indecisive and stressed - stand up, stretch and walk away from your computer. Take a break for a few minutes or for the rest of the day.

The great thing about forex is that it will always be there when you are de-stressed and ready to go back. It is such a huge market that there will always be another trade to chase when you are feeling more relaxed.

The other great thing is that weekends are forex-free.

So what are you going to do this weekend to refresh yourself for next week’s trading?

My weekend plans include snorkelling, eating, walking the dogs and watching the Tour de France.

Forget forex for a couple of days, make time for yourself, and come back refreshed on Monday.

Have a great weekend.

Julie

http://who-gives-a-forex.blogspot.com/

[ariehofman]

I am glad I am reading this. I struggle with being totally consumed with Forex trading. Can't seem to get it out of my head. Yes I am a newbie. :-)

[Tropezienne]

Hi ariehofman - great to hear from you. I can see from you profile that you are relatively new to eToro - as well as being a forex newbie. Well, this is the best Platform for us newbies - and it seems that al lot of more experienced traders use it as well, which is a great recommendation.

When I started looking at trading forex, back in February of this year, I obsessed over it and opened many demo accounts - which were quickly wiped out ! That was disheartening - but worse was that I was so determined to win a trade that I couldn‘t - to use your apt phrase - ‘get it out of my head’. At the same time I hated it.

I started the ‘Forex and Your Health’ thread to inject some balance into our trading discussions. It should encompass all aspects of lifestyle and it should help us to make forex trading just a part of that lifestyle.

My advice - based on my limited forex experience - it is good to limit you trading times - fit them around the important people and activities in your life. Your family, friends and your real job should come first. Build your knowledge of forex slowly and methodically. You will begin to find your own forex profile. By that I mean what trading style suits you, what currency pairs you prefer to trade and what times of day fit (more or less) unobtusively into your life.

Start with the demo account - that’s all I use - I experiment with ideas and my ‘gut’ feelings and I am slowly gaining in confidence.

Take a look at my blog - which is specifically aimed at forex newbies - and which contains reviews of some trading stratégies that I have tried and tested and which fit into my trading ethos.

Take care,

Julie the Newbie

http://who-gives-a-forex.blogspot.com/

[Tropezienne]

The weekend is here again - if you've been an eager forex trading beaver all week, now is the time to turn into a weekend sloth. Enjoy this nonsense poem by Michael Flanders - and take inspiration from it.

Forex Traders relax at the weekend

The Sloth

A Bradypus or Sloth am I,
I live a life of ease,
Contented not to do or die
But idle as I please.
I have three toes on either foot
(Or half a doz. on both)
With leaves and fruits and shoots to eat...
How sweet to be a Sloth!

The world is such a cheerful place
When view from upside down,
It makes a rise of every fall,
A smile of every frown!
I watch the fleeting flutter by
Of butterfly or moth -
And think of all the things I'd try
If I were not a Sloth.

I could climb the very highest Himalayas,
Be among the greatest ever tennis players,
Always win at chess,
Marry a Princess,
Study hard and be an eminent professor,
Or I could be a millionaire,
Play the clarinet, travel everywhere,
Learn to cook,
Catch a crook,
Win a war then write a book
About it; I could paint a Mona Lisa,
Be another Caesar,
Compose an oratorio that was sublime...
The door's not shut
On my genius but -
I just don't have the time.

For days and days among the trees
I sleep and dream and doze,
Just gently swaying in the breeze
Suspended by my toes;
While eager beavers overhead
Rush through the undergrowth,
I watch the clouds beneath my feet...
How sweet to be a Sloth!

-- Michael Flanders

[yad99in]

i feel tht forex can be truly stressful for any of us............
so one simple suggestion.............
have a strong knowledge base
then trade with 100% confidence and o% stress

[Tropezienne]

Relax on a Weekend

It is all too easy to get obsessed with trading - especially for inexperienced newcomers to forex. The great thing is that the forex markets close at the weekend - so relax !

Here are some simple techniques to help you to relax on a weekend.

1 : Put time on your calendar for relaxation - along with meetings, dentist appointments, kids’ playdates - put some time on there for yourself. And don’t double book it. It could just be a half hour walk by yourself or with a friend. A coffee at a café with a newspaper. Your ‘you time’ is vital.

2 : Develope your ‘no’ saying technique. Don’t feel awkward about saying ‘no’ - especially when the request falls into your ‘you time’.

3 : Being with your family at weekends is a time to not ‘have‘ to do something with them but to be able to do anything that you want - play catch, share a crossword puzzle, sing a song, play games, cook together.

4 : Same with your pets - the weekday walkies might be rushed to fit in with work/school schedules, the cat-cuddle may be cursory - but at weekends takes the dog for a long walk, give the cat a huge cuddle. Another plus - physical contact with your pets is great for your psychological health.

5 : You, you, you, you. This is a repeat of number 1 - do something just for you - it may include others, it may not. You !

6 : Numbers 1 to 5 concentrated on relaxing your mind - and some, by association, will have relaxed your body. But take some time to focus completely on your body. Learn some calming relaxation exercises - or do some vigorous exercises if you prefer. Then let yourself wind down physically with careful breathing and a long hot shower or soak in the bath. Feel those muscles relax.

Have a great weekend - then come back here and tell us how you spent it !

Julie

[Tropezienne]

It’s the weekend - forget about forex, remember your real life - and relax.

I’m amused by cows this week - blame the cartoon at the bottom of this post ! So here are some cow-themed funnies ….

Two cows are grazing in a field.
One cow says to the other, "I don't know about you, but I'm pretty worried about that mad cow disease that's going around."
The other cow says, "Nah, I'm not worried. I'm a helicopter.

A little bird was flying north for the winter. It was so cold the bird froze and fell to the ground into a large field. While he was lying there, a cow came by and dropped some dung on him. As the frozen bird lay there in the pile of cow dung, he began to realize how warm he was. The dung was actually thawing him out! He lay there all warm and happy, and soon began to sing for joy.

A passing cat heard the bird singing and came to investigate.Following the sound, the cat discovered the bird under the pile of cow dung, and promptly dug him out and ate him.

Morals of the story:

(1) Not everyone who shits on you is your enemy.
(2) Not everyone who gets you out of shit is your friend.
(3) And when you're in deep shit, it's best to keep your mouth shut!

And you have just got to go see this video :

I Am Cow
at : http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_WFp4kozlOU

Have a great weekend, Julie

This is the cartoon that inspired this post :

[Tropezienne]

On a hot, hot Friday way back in July (17th) I added a rather bizarre thread to this topic. It was a whimsical exploration of the various cartoon like characters that populate the eToro platforms as representatives of the various currencies.

At the time I suggested that the euro was badly represented by ‘some sort of generic renaissance type figure ‘ and that it would be better represented by Isaac Newton, Richelieu, Richard Coudenhove-Kalergi if Figures that are nationally-symbolic were being used; or by a - footballer, road cyclist or a golfer, if the sportsperson theme was chosen, or Captain Euro if a popular/fictional hero was to be used.

If feel very strongly that the fat little figure who currently represents EUR needs to be replaced by something modern and energetic. I vote for a cyclist - see the image below, also see how a graphic for the Tour de France looks like a forex chart !

Julie

http://who-gives-a-forex.blogspot.com

[Tropezienne]

Some advice for a complete newbie - hope it makes you kick off your FOREX-FREE weekend with a smile ?

Upon starting your forex trading career :

1 ) Make contact with the god of Forex
2 ) Make a sacrifice eg : take a chicken with a yellow tail feather - and cut it’s throat.
3 ) Invite members of this eToro forum to a blow-out big meal - it’s very important to attract good guides and companions.
4 ) This will stand you in good stead with the Forex Saints on eToro - my eToro forex saint is santoshiwari, and there are all those guys and gals who win the Championship each month.
5 ) Put a candle in front of a photo (or the avatar) of your favourite eToro Forex Saint, drink to their health and send them a bottle of "Chateau Latour 1959 " or a bottle of 1926 Macallan Single Malt. (The bribe depends on your saint of choice).

Trading Method :

1 ) Buy a toy Bow and Arrow set.
2 ) Make a target with the words ’BUY’ and ’SELL’ on it.
3 ) Forbid your children from entering the room - trading is a serious business !
4 ) Blindfold yourself.
5 ) Concentrate.
6 ) And shoot !

This method may appear surprising, but it really is an effective and proven method. It’s results are better than those of the " pseudo specialists "

Julie

http://who-gives-a-forex.blogspot.com/