Academy of Financial Trading – Foundation Trading Programme

Over the course of  four weeks, students of all levels, just like you, learn to trade with confidence by focusing on both the technical and fundamental aspects of trading with our help and support throughout, providing you with a solid understanding of what is required in order to successfully trade stocks, currency and commodity markets. 

1. Lesson 1: The Foundation of Your Foundation Trading Programme

   a. Why Trade?
   The old buy and hold style of trading which made the inexperienced look like trading “experts” up until the advent of the global crisis in 2008 aren`t working now, as many who bought and sat on bank shares would now agree. CFD`s offer the trader the opportunity to go short as well as long. With the current state of the global markets, there are a huge amount of both buying and selling opportunities that are discussed.
   b. What to Trade?
   Here we look at tradable instruments (forex, commodities, indices, individual stocks) and examine each individually to explain unique characteristics and inter-dependencies.
   c. Who Else is Trading?
   In almost all other areas of business and trade, participants like to have an understanding of who the other participants are. In trading most traders don`t consider and don`t know who else is trading and who the most dominant parties are. With this in mind new traders learn how to swim with the tide and avoid trading against the market movers.

2. Lesson 2: The Mechanics of Trading

   What is leverage? What are the benefits and risks associated with it? Here we will have a frank examination of leverage, how it makes the markets accessible to most and how to use it to our advantage. This is an area often overlooked and is especially important in times of high global market volatility. In short, without leverage most typical traders would not be able to physically trade. Whilst leverage gives individuals the opportunity to profit by giving them access to financial trading, it is also has an ever present risk. Inexperienced traders need to understand how to get leverage to work for them. All of the unnecessary jargon is also simplified and clear demonstrations are provided to work out trade sizes and individual trade risk relevant to markets being traded.

3. Lesson 3: Market Analysis Methodologies

   We explain what constitutes fundamental analysis and sources of information to help clients specialise in their favoured trading instruments. We also examine the factors that affect the supply & demand for each instrument which ultimately reflect its current price. We also explain why this heading often holds some of the largest pitfalls for new traders and how those pitfalls can in fact create opportunities for the well trained new trader with profitable solutions.

4. Lesson 4: Candlesticks – Shedding Light on Opportunities

   Technical Analysis is all about seeing, accepting and trading. This is trading what is in front of you not what you or a pundit predicts. An introduction to price action, reading candlestick charts, dojis, engulfing pattern formations and counter retail trading are covered in this valuable lesson.

5. Lesson 5: Technical Charting 101

   The previous lesson is expanded to develop technical channel and trend trading techniques highlighting breakouts, support and resistance, with counter retail strategic entry and exit techniques for each trade made.

6. Lesson 6: Building Your Trading Toolkit

   Building on the previous technical lessons this session focuses on descending/ascending triangles, volatile measuring indicators, oscillators and Fibonacci retracements with a particular emphasis on counter-retail trading techniques that both avoid making and exploit the mistakes that typical retail traders make – all very much opportunity focussed.

7. Lesson 7: Practice Trading In the Real World – Pros and Cons

   How to get access and configure a free practice Metatrader trading account with a broad range of instruments to trade and live data feeds. How to practically make basic trades, place orders, predefine stop losses & limits (take profit), modifying orders and the placing of technical indicators along with accessing independent news and audio feeds are also explained.

8. Lesson 8: Becoming a Counter Retail Trader

   This lesson brings together all of the previous Technical Analysis lessons focussing on some very straightforward methods of finding Counter Retail Trading Opportunities – our speciality. Some of the methods include an examination of moving averages, cross -overs, simple, exponential and correct order MAs – all focussed on attempting to find that confirmation to trade that we need. This lesson is always one of the best received and is not to be missed.

9. Lesson 9: Risk Management – Protecting Your Capital

   Trading like all other forms of investing carries risk. It is through that very risk that profits may flow. An understanding of the interconnected and inseparable nature of risk and return is fundamental to profitable trading. Here we will introduce traders to the concepts of risk management so they can minimise their losing trades and maximise their winners in a premeditated format.

10. Lesson 10: The Final Steps – the Practicalities of Real World Trading

    There is no room for emotion or surprises in trading. Any trade entry or exit is pre-planned and logged in your trader`s journal. The reason you entered or exited a trade needs to have been planned in advance. If you make some winning trades and don`t know why, your capital is at risk! Real life explanations and examples of the difficulties which real traders face each day are discussed. Practical steps are illustrated to reduce the psychological difficulties faced by real traders. This is best done through an understanding of why these issues arose in the first place. With emotions in check, every profitable trader needs numeric trading targets and goals with a realistic plan that fits their lifestyle. Good and bad results are all part of the plan and if constructed correctly there should be no such thing as a bad trade.

Academy of Financial Trading – Foundation Trading Programme Contents: Videos