PipStop

Recently, we've had a small, smart duo of traders working on various trading signals. It's been an interesting experience to be sure, and while we are in a pure Alpha stage of things, I'm one of the recipients of not just Forex market insight, but also insight into some other financial markets as well.

So far the signals have settled on a focus of Forex, but with a dabbling in Commodities and Equities as well. Not all of the full thoughts or even signals are sent out to the Alpha group, but they are getting a taste of things. When it moves to a Beta stage, I'm sure some of you may participate in receiving them!

A couple of weeks ago, I posted an entry that had to do with the Vancouver Forex Meetup Group that I'm now the organizer of. To that entry, Michelle left a comment, and part of the following is how I responded to her in her response to how she can find a similar type of group in her area. By group, I'm not talking of finding an online community as much as I am about one that meets face-to-face.

It's really not easy to find a pure like-minded group without any twisted agendas that will push one product or another.

I think to explain your struggles, I've seen alot of it. You're not alone. Some of it may be that your expectations are perhaps higher than they should be especially at the beginning OR you don't have goals OR both.

For example in university you know that it's 100 level, 200 level courses before you can jump into 300 and 400 level courses. Sometimes you want to jump in so quickly with this, that you feel overwhelmed. At other times you aren't clear with what your goals are and what mileposts you need to hit that again, you become overwhelmed. Just lay some goals, mileposts and start slow and easy.

As far as Meetup groups go most of them out there are built around (I'm speaking of Forex Trading ones) one product. You don't want that. Ask what the philosophy of the Meetup is all about. There needs to be openness and transparency, where anyone can bring any product/service/idea to the table and you can all look at them objectively.

Unfortunately I don't know of any such groups down in your area, but keep an eye out.

The comment I make about the level of commitment to university vs. trading is extremely valid. Everyone who graduates with a university degree puts in a great deal of commitment - yet when it comes to trading somehow the expectation is that it "shouldn't" require much commitment at all - and when it takes more than six months, there is much gnashing of teeth on why you ever started this in the first place.

As with all technology, it seems there are hiccups at one point or another.

With our Online Training Room technology, I thought we were past any technological issues, but I guess there are still some users who are consistently getting bounced from the room.

John was in my Trading Technology OTR last night and he was a pretty frustrated individual and let me know about it. While the technology can be stable and fine for some, it might not be for others, and I'm glad John spoke up.

I'll get to the bottom of things later today, and we'll see what situations materialize. What I know is logging into the OTRs should NOT be a frustrating exercise. We'll get to the bottom of it, but without John speaking up, there would have been nothing to get to the bottom of - in my mind anyway.

I love to read.  

Douglas Sereda a partner of mine here at Trading Post and our vp of advisory services alerted me to the cover story of Barron's this week, entitled "Commodities: Who's Behind the Boom?" 

In the accompanying online video, the articles author Gene Epstein commented that none of the experts he spoke with dared say this is a top in the commodities market.

Unless you have been living in a cave, you have noticed the global commodities spike. We are rabid consumers of commodities in varying forms. Epstein stirs interest which leaves you wondering where this market is going.

Not only that, but trading Forex consistently and successfully is almost always greatly supplemented by knowing how currencies are correlated with other financial markets. That is why it's so important for Trading Post to continue to evolve as more that just a "Forex" trading company.

April's edition of Currency Trader Magazine is out. If you already don't have a free subscription, I'd encourage you to get one.

You can do so at www.currencytradermag.com.

This month the main topics covered are (as can be deduced from the cover I suppose):

- The Yen Strikes Back
- Dollar-Yen: Trends and Runs
- Five Factors that Move Currencies
- Currencies and Stock Index Performance: Beyond the Platitudes
- A Cool China is Still Hot
- What's Pushing the Dollar Now?

Recently we've released a survey to Trading Post Clients to see how we're doing. It's something that we'll look at doing at least twice a year as it's important for us to improve an listen to you.

If you can take a few minutes to respond, if you haven't already, I'd appreciate it.

Click Here to take the Trading Post Client survey!

I came across a great article today about the under-performing Trading Post Group. This group was purchased four years ago for $336 million.

This isn't Trading Post Financial, of course, but is an classifieds outfit in Australia, which coincidentally owns the www.tradingpost.com domain - a domain that I've had an eye on now since the formation of our Trading Post. 

Recently I've touched on investing schemes, and the due diligence and caution that needs to be exercised by individual investors.

I've also mentioned how the British Columbia Securities Commissions, which may be one of the most stringent of financial regulatory authorities (for good reason) in the world, has created an investor awareness website at www.investright.org.

The following is a great video created by the BCSC entitled "Scams in online social networks."

I see increasing credence in this. As Trading Post continues to create a community of traders, we inevitable encounter outsized expectations, overzealous individuals and short-term minded individuals.

As an example, go by two of the largest Forex forums in the world at www.forexfactory.com and www.fxstreet.com. While there is much good that happens at both, with a healthy exchange of information, and moderation of comments is done (more so at Forex Factory), it is a fact that ANYONE can create an anonymous profile and post whatever thoughts and opinions they like - all in the spirit of honesty, transparency and integrity.

Unfortunately, if you look at an extreme example such as www.forexbastards.com or now more commonly known as www.forexpeacearmy.com, you see how comments and opinions can absolutely get out of hand, and often reality becomes tinged with fantasy - in other words it comes down to which anonymous person who's sitting at a desk, typing away on his/her keyboard, in some far off land do you believe?