It's possible to trade profitably on the Forex, the nearly $2 trillion worldwide currency exchange market. But the odds are against you, even more so if you don't prepare and plan your trades. According to a 2014 Bloomberg report, several analyses of retail Forex trading, including one by the National Futures Association (NFA), the industry's regulatory body, concluded that more than two out of three Forex traders lose money.
This suggests that self-education and caution are recommended. Here are some approaches that may improve your odds of taking a profit.
Prepare Before You Begin Trading
Because the Forex market is highly leveraged -- as much as 50 to 1 -- it can have the same appeal as buying a lottery ticket: some small chance of making a killing. This, however, isn't trading; it's gambling, with the odds long against you.
A better way of entering the Forex market is to carefully prepare. Beginning with a practice account is helpful and risk-free. While you're trading in your practice account, read the most frequently recommended Forex trading books, among them
Currency Forecasting: A Guide to Fundamental and Technical Models of Exchange Rate Determination, by Michael R. Rosenberg is short, not too sweet and highly admired introduction to the Forex market.
Forex Strategies: Best Forex Strategies for High Profits and Reduced Risk, by Matthew Maybury is an excellent introduction to Forex trading.
The Little Book of Currency Trading: How to Make Big Profits in the World of Forex, by Kathy Lien is another concise introduction that has stood the test of time.
All three are available on Amazon. Rosenberg's book, unfortunately, is pricey, but it's widely available in public libraries. "Trading in the Zone: Master the Market with Confidence, Discipline and a Winning Attitude," by Mark Douglas is another good book that's available on Amazon, and, again, somewhat pricey, although the Kindle edition is not.
Use the information gained from your reading to plan your trades before plunging in. The more you change your plan, the more you end up in trouble and the less likely that elusive forex profit will end up in your pocket.
Diversify and Limit Your Risks
Two strategies that belong in every trader's arsenal are:
Diversification: Traders who execute many small traders, particularly in different markets where the correlation between markets is low, have a better chance of making a profit. Putting all your money in one big trade is always a bad idea.
Familiarize yourself with ways guaranteeing a profit on an already profitable order, such as a trailing stop, and of limiting losses using stop and limit orders. These strategies and more are covered in the recommended books. Novice traders often make the mistake of concentrating on how to win; it's even more important to understand how to limit your losses.
Be Patient
Forex traders, particularly beginners, are prone to getting nervous if a trade does not go their way immediately, or if the trade goes into a little profit they get itchy to pull the plug and walk away with a small profit that could have been a significant profit with little downside risk using appropriate risk reduction strategies.
In "On Any Given Sunday," Al Pacino reminds us that "football is a game of inches." That's a winning attitude in the Forex market as well. Remember that you are going to win some trades and lose others. Take satisfaction in the accumulation of a few more wins than losses. Over time, that could make you rich!
Green Tea Matcha Cookies
Here comes April! A long stretch of 5-day work weeks that seems unending. If it weren’t for the birds chirping and flowers blossoming it would be a looooong month. So how do we power through the month? Carbs of course. And I’m not just talking about those that come in the form of post-Easter-candy-sales (although those are also awesome). I’m talking freshly baked, soft and chewy, delicately flavored Matcha Cookies. Yep – it’s a tea cookie – with tea INSIDE of it. It’s a cookie inception! 🙂
I debated whether to call these Matcha Cookies or Green Tea Cookies – since matcha is just the powder version of a kind of green tea. But if a rose is a rose by any other name, then so are these cookies. What I love about them is that they’re not too sweet and the matcha flavor is so unique, making this a very delicate and special cookie. Not to mention the awesome color! Creaming the butter and adding the baking powder makes all the difference and produces a fluffy, soft, chewy cookie which I love. You can bake them longer for a crispier cookie but I think a pillowy cookie just goes so well with a steaming cup of tea.
Matcha cookies have the delicate flavor and color of green tea. These soft, pillowy and chewy green tea cookies are perfect with tea.
Ingredients
- 1 stick butter, softened
- ⅞ cup of granulated sugar
- 1 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 eggs
- 1¼ tablespoons culinary grade matcha powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- Pinch of salt
Instructions
- Cream together the butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl - it should be creamy colored and airy. A hand blender or stand mixer works well for this. This helps the cookie become fluffy and chewy.
- Gently incorporate the eggs to the butter mixture one at a time.
- In a separate bowl, sift together all the dry ingredients.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet by adding a little at a time and folding or gently mixing the batter together. Keep going until you've incorporated all the remaining flour mixture. The dough should be a beautiful green color.
- Chill the dough for at least an hour - up to overnight. The longer the better!
- Preheat your oven to 325 F.
- Roll the dough into balls the size of ping pong balls and place them on a non-stick cookie sheet.
- Bake them for 12-15 minutes until the bottoms just start to become golden brown and the cookie no longer looks wet in the middle. Note: you can always bake them at 350 F for a less moist, fluffy cookie. It will bake faster by about 2-4 minutes 350 F so watch them closely.
- Remove and let cool on a rack and enjoy!
Notes
Make sure you get culinary grade matcha powder. You should be able to find this in Asian or natural grocers - also available online.
For more intense matcha flavor and color, add an extra ¼ - ½ tablespoon matcha powder.
0 Response to "Green Tea Matcha Cookies"
Posting Komentar