Each trading session is punctuated by a considerable, even disconcerting, number of financial events. It is therefore essential for novice traders in the foreign exchange market to keep themselves constantly informed from reliable sources of information.
Reading the financial news allows, among other things, to understand the orientation of an economy and a national currency. Similarly, stock market investors can keep abreast of developments in listed companies. Those who favor this type of fundamental analysis can often base their trading and investment decisions in part on new developments, and it is important to pay just as much attention to risk management.
Risk management is a great way to adapt to ever-changing market conditions where nothing is ever taken for granted. If you understand this principle from the start, you will reduce the stress you may feel while trading and investing. Sure, there are historical data that make asset movements more transparent as well as chartist techniques that use statistics to predict and model the potential direction of a price, but what happens when the outcome is unexpected?
expect the unexpected
The secret to risk management is to expect the unexpected.
To illustrate this in more detail, consider a scenario in which the UK is about to release its latest quarterly Gross Domestic Product (GDP) results. When researching possible outcomes, you may encounter varying market consensuses from rating agencies such as Moody’s, or analyst consensuses gathered by news agencies such as Reuters and Dow Jones News. In addition, government agencies publish annual growth forecasts that serve as the basis for analysts’ calculations. Examples of Market Consensus can be viewed on our Forex Calendar, available on the Admirals website.
As you can see, there is plenty of information to base your decisions on trading the British Pound during the UK economic growth results. Although market expectations are the result of great expertise and the results can be precise, it is always possible to deviate from expectations.
If the market consensus was for the UK economy to grow by 2% in the second quarter and the actual result is 1.95%, the gap is enough to raise concerns about the value of the pound sterling among investors. currency traders. There may be a sell-off on the currency, which means that even though you expected 2% growth and opened a position for the GBP to rise accordingly, the currency fell because the result actual was lower than expected.
Determine stop loss levels
There is no doubt that the solution for this type of scenario (used previously) is to always set a stop-loss level so that you are not caught off guard in the event of a sell-off when you were anticipating the opposite. Just as there are many opinions about the outcome of a trading or investing event, there are also multiple ways to determine where to place your stop-loss levels.
Some consider that the most effective technique is to set a stop-loss level that is not too far from your entry point in the event of the unexpected, the idea being to exit the position as soon as possible. Another approach is to set the stop-loss based on a specific percentage that reflects your risk appetite. A third approach is to check the last support level of the instrument and set the stop loss in the same area.
Hedging your position
The principle of hedging consists in considering a position from different angles. Suppose the Non-Farm Payrolls (NFPs) announcement comes tomorrow and the market expects the report to indicate strong growth in the US job market. It can be assumed that if the actual results are in line with market expectations, the dollar could strengthen.
On the other hand, it is possible that the results will be lower than expected.
Gold and the dollar are inversely correlated, which means that when the dollar rises, spot gold prices fall (in general) because these assets are considered safe havens and serve as international reserves. The dollar is favored when the US economy shows signs of growth, such as a strong labor market. In this situation, a trader may decide to hedge their USD position by taking a gold position using a CFD in their Admirals trading account.
In this scenario, a hedge would be to take a long (long) position in gold and USD and include a stop-loss on the two underlying assets. If the NFP numbers are lower than expected, the USD may fall, and the position will close at the stop-loss level. At the same time, the price of gold may rise as traders shift their risk appetite to the precious metal, and the trade may unfold as expected.
As you can see from the examples above, trading requires research and skill. At Admirals, we’ve set up an infrastructure with the educational resources, webinars and market analysis you need to get started.
Admirals offers many educational and analytical webinars. To meet and discuss with professional traders, take part in our free webinars!
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This content does not contain and should in no way be interpreted as containing investment advice or recommendations, an offer or a solicitation to trade in financial instruments. Please note that this marketing communication is not a reliable indicator of any current or future performance, as circumstances may change over time. Before making any investment decision, you should seek the advice of independent financial advisers to ensure that you fully understand the risks involved.