Today, Forex trading is a popular form of investment for many people, and many of them do not have experience or training in short-term trading. However, there are now two Forex trading systems that can help you with this exciting vocation. First, you have the Mechanical Trading System that works off the premise of technical analysis. The Discretionary Trading System, on the other hand, involves using your experience, intuition, and judgment. It is discretionary because you can choose what factors to use when deciding to buy or sell currencies. Before you stake your preference on either system, let us take a closer look at the benefits and concerns of
each system.
The first major benefit of the Mechanical System is you can automate this system and back test it when you need to. However, it does have rigid rules you will need to follow. This is a great system if you want to keep your emotions in check as you decide on your trades.
On the other hand, the back testing feature is great only if you know what you are doing. This means you can back test and produce wrong information for trading. You can, however, subscribe to a tick data service to ensure you have the correct information. This also means paying for the extra service.
You also have to keep your technical analysis uptodate. Not all the equations will change in a day or two, but in one year, or two years market conditions will have changed many times. If you keep using the old equations, you will get the same results that were applicable when you first bought the system.
But the mechanical system is the one for you if you just want to know when to enter and exit the market with your trades.
Now, let us look at the discretionary system. The great thing about this particular Forex trading system is that is easily adaptable to new market conditions. This works well for the constantly changing Forex market and is a major advantage over the mechanical system. Also, as you use the Discretionary system for some time, you will get to know how to interpret easily the buying and selling signals. This means you have a higher likelihood of profitable trades.
Your concerns would include your inability to either back test or automate the discretionary system. After all, how can you automate your habits, judgments, and aha moments. If you could, you would not trade but sell your system for profit.
It also takes time to gain experience, as well as develop a successful trading strategy. Some people have spent many years before they can master this aspect of trading. But once you get it right, you are well on your way to big checks from your broker. Though, in the early stages of trading, you could expose yourself to risk because of ignorance.
There you have a brief analysis of the benefits and concerns of the two Forex trading systems. You need to decide one or the other based on your personality. You may have a better edge with the Mechanical system if you can follow instructions well. On the other hand, if you prefer using your emotions and experience, the Discretionary System might suit you better.