End of the Dollar Carry Trade

One can usually assume that any talk of the carry trade is in reference to the Japanese Yen. In this case, however, it is the Dollar that is being driven by a shift away from the popular strategy of borrowing in one currency and investing the proceeds in assets dominated in another. In explaining the recent Dollar rally, analysts have tended to focus on the pall of risk aversion that has descended upon global capital markets, coupled with the spread of the credit crisis from the US to the rest of the world. While these are certainly contributing factors, perhaps they should also look at the repatriation of Dollars that were initially sent abroad over the last decade in search of loftier returns. Hedge funds and other institutions, including those based outside of the US, took advantage of record-low interest rates to borrow Trillions of Dollars and invest them abroad. Due to a combination of margin calls and client "withdrawals," however, such investors have been forced to not only unwind such positions, but return the proceeds of the US. The

Guardian UK reports:
Data collected by the Bank for International Settlements shows that European and UK banks have five times as much exposure to emerging markets as US and Japans banks, with surprisingly big bets in Latin America and emerging Asia - where they rely on dollar funding rather than euros.
Read More: Dollar roars back as global debts are called in

Trade Balance

The balance of trade is a statement of a country’s trade in goods (merchandise) and services. It covers trade in products such as manufactured goods, raw materials and agricultural goods, as well as travel and transportation. The balance of trade is the difference between the values of the goods and services that a country exports and the value of the goods and services that it imports. If a country’s exports exceed its imports, it has a trade surplus and the trade balance is said to be positive. If imports exceed exports, the country has a trade deficit and its trade balance is said to be negative.

CFDs with ForexGen

A CFD gives you all the benefits of the underlying cash equity whilst avoiding many of the typical costs associated with dealing in the physical share. CFD trading allows you to gain cost-effective, flexible and geared exposure to world shares and indices. We offer very competitive financing and commission charges on equity CFDs as well as tight spreads and commission free trading on Index CFDs.
The Advantages of Trading CFDs with ForexGen Securities

Market prices or better.
No fixed minimum spread or invented price.
No minimum deal size.
No minimum deposit requirement.
Low commission rates.
Low financing rates.
Low initial margins.
Separate CFD account or one account for all financial products.
No stamp duty.
Instant execution and improved liquidity.
Interest paid on your free equity balance.
Commission-free index trading.

Trading on Margin with ForexGen

The key to FOREX popularity is margin. Without margin, the FOREX would be beyond the reach of the average investor. So, what exactly is margin and how does it work?
Margin accounts allow FOREX traders to control large amounts of currency with a relatively small deposit.

Benefits

As we mentioned above, trading on margin gives you more buying power and the potential for more profits (and losses). How does this work, exactly? A 1% margin account allows you to control a currency lot of $100,000 for $1,000. When dealing with $100,000 small changes in the price of the currency can result in large profits or losses.

FOREX currencies are traded in much smaller units than cash. The American dollar, for example, is traded in units down to 4 decimal places. Instead of $1.32 FOREX quotes are seen as $1.3256. The smallest unit in FOREX currencies is called the pip, and when you have a $100,000 each pip of your total lot is worth $10 (when trading American dollars).

So the benefit of margin is increased profit potential.

Risks

As there is increased profit potential, there is also increased loss potential. If you are not careful, your entire margin account could quickly be wiped out. If your margin account is 1% and the currency moves just one cent against you, you lose $1000.

FOREX trading, however, has several methods to limit loss. Stop loss orders automatically close your position if the value of the currency crosses a pre-determined point. Stop loss orders allow you to limit your losses to a specified amount while still allowing potential profit taking.

An often overlooked risk is the possibility that your broker may close your position if your potential losses approach the balance of your margin account. You may be riding out a down trend with the expectations of a market reversal, but unless you replenish your margin account you may find your position has been closed. If this happens, you lose all of your margin.