Ayman, 31, Egypt, Forex Trader.

Can you introduce yourself (hobbies, interests…etc.)?

First of all, I’m sorry for my bad English but I will do my best. I love Forex, I’m enjoying the game. I like to take a look at the charts on the weekends, it makes me happy.

For how long have you been on the Forex Championship? For you, trading in Forex is a hobby or an occupation?

Around 4 months and it has been a hobby as well as an occupation.

Editor’s note: To rank 6^th after only 4 months is a very good start, keep up the good work.

How did you hear about the Forex Championship and RTFX?

I don’t remember, maybe Google.

Editor’s note: if you don’t remember, then Google it is.

Is there another trader (in the Championship or somewhere else) who inspires you?

I follow many traders. I check their charts on a regular basis.

What was your best trade and your worst trade?

My worst trades are when I trade just to trade and my best ones are when I find a chance to enter the market.

Editor’s note: Classic…

What are your trading styles (scalping, trading the trend, trading the news, hedging…etc.) and schedules?

It’s all about chance.

Editor’s note: well, you don’t get to hear that every day among traders, do you? Or maybe you’re humble enough to admit itJ))))

How would you describe your trading strategy (daily, weekly and monthly objectives, take profit, stop loss…etc.)?

I like 15M and 4H indicators. Sometimes I put a 20 pips profit target and sometimes 200.

What would be your advice to traders?

Look at pairs as human beings with different behaviors. Try to walk the road with them and to understand why they did what they did in a given situation.

Editor’s note: now that’s unusual, I like the idea, it’s very close to fundamental analysis. However, if we refer to this article, it’s a masculine and instinctive approach of trading.

Do you check our market news and analysis (RTFX Morning Briefing, Trader Tip)? If yes, do you find them useful or can they be improved?

No, don’t forget that my English isn’t that good as you can see J

Do you have other sources of information? If yes, which ones?

Not really.

Anything else you would like to add?

Take your time to study charts.

Mohamed, 42, Tunisia, Lawyer.

Can you introduce yourself (hobbies, interests…etc.)?

I love music and sports, and I found a new passion in trading.

For how long have you been on the Forex Championship? For you, trading in Forex is a hobby or an occupation?

2007 and it’s a hobby.

How did you hear about the Forex Championship and RTFX?

Through a friend, who through past experience performed well in the championship.

Editor’s note: Who?

Is there another trader (in the Championship or somewhere else) who inspires you?

Everyone has his own method and the most important is consistency instead of having a great performance that could be followed by a failure the next day. You have to be a good manager and control risk through money management.

Editor’s note: Consistency and money management, well said. For further advice, check out our Forex survival guide

What was your best trade and your worst trade?

My worst trade is the one when I stubbornly keep a losing position without a stop loss and end up with a 2% loss. My best trade isn’t that old, it was when I was overtaken in the day before the last of January, forcing me to trade on the very last day, after a week off, enjoying my pole position.

Editor’s note: I remember that very well, I even posted a picture on Facebook about it. I guess it was an emotional rollercoaster for you :)

What are your trading styles (scalping, trading the trend, trading the news, hedging…etc.) and schedules?

I don’t have a specific schedule for trading, sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night to place a trade. As for the trading style, we have to distinguish between contest trading and real trading, on the contest you have to follow the trend and take into account support and resistance key levels. For real trading, I scalp whenever possible, I hardly keep a position open overnight.

How would you describe your trading strategy (daily, weekly and monthly objectives, take profit, stop loss…etc.)?

On the Championship, I rarely put stop losses and I use take profits around 60 pips high, allowing a 40 Miles gain.

What would be your advice to traders?

What I have learned from the 5 years I have been trading in the Championship, is that trading is highly risky but you can deal with it by strictly following a money management rule and not by abusing leverage in order to not endanger your capital.

Do you check our market news and analysis (RTFX Morning Briefing, Trader Tip)? If yes, do you find them useful or can they be improved?

Indeed, I follow the Trader Tip every evening and I find it very helpful for traders. It could be improved if it was updated during the day every time that its forecasts are overtaken by the current events.

Editor’s note: for daily news you have our Morning Briefing and our Daily market commentaries.

Do you have other sources of information? If yes, which ones?

Economic press and specialized news.

Anything else you would like to add?

I would like to thank RTFX for their efforts in providing such a great contest as the Forex Championship.

Rein, 28, Estonia, Student/Entrepreneur/Trader

Can you introduce yourself (hobbies, interests…etc.)?

I’m a 28 year old Estonian. I’ve been studying Forex and everything related to trading for more than 5 years now. My academic knowledge is not related to markets, trading or economy therefore my learning curve is strongly related to my own will to acquire something absolutely new. It has been a bumpy road but the journey has been nice.

I enjoy travelling and sports. I like to think big and therefore I set objectives usually a bit higher than the normal reach would be. When I set my sights on achieving something I will put a lot of effort into it. This part of my personality has been definitely helpful in my successful trades because it’s not as easy as it looks at first glance. Gotta like the game to learn it!

Editor’s note: well said, Forex takes time but if you enjoy trading you might eventually become successful.

For how long have you been on the Forex Championship? For you, trading in Forex is a hobby or an occupation?

I’ve been on the Forex Championship since November 2010, so far trading has been more a hobby than an occupation but I am definitely turning it into a job.

How did you hear about the Forex Championship and RTFX?

I did some online research about various FX contests and this is how I found out about the Forex trading contest and RTFX.

Is there another trader (in the Championship or somewhere else) who inspires you?

Yes, there are several traders whom I have always been admiring since I started learning trading. They are not related to the Forex Championship or RTFX but their knowledge, dedication and success have always been a great inspiration to me.

Editor’s note: I just wonder if they’re Forex traders, stock exchange traders…etc?

What was your best trade and your worst trade?

I wouldn’t sort trades by profitability. Even a losing trade might be one of the best trades in my opinion. I think that my best trade was the first one I ever did without breaking my trading rules and the worst was definitely one of the trades placed and managed on emotions and not on pre-set rules.

Editor’s note: emotional trading = bad results, this is why RTFX Asset Management system works better than human traders.

What are your trading styles (scalping, trading the trend, trading the news, hedging…etc.) and schedules?

I’m mainly a technical trader but I also take fundamentals into account. I always go with the trend but sometimes in the short-term one might be against the main daily one, the validity of these trades depend on specific trading setup, time/session and guts.

I don’t do news trading and hedging. I usually don’t scalp, but sometimes my targets are hit so fast that it might look like scalping. The only session I skip is Tokyo, because I need to sleep sometimes. I usually trade only one pair EUR/JPY and I go down to 5 Minute charts. I keep an eye on EUR/USD, GBP/USD and USD/JPY charts for correlations.

Editor’s note: Guts. It summarizes pretty much everything about trading.

How would you describe your trading strategy (daily, weekly and monthly objectives, take profit, stop loss…etc.)?

Unfortunately, I can’t use the methodology I’m familiar with when I trade on the championship, it wouldn’t give good results due to the fact that leverage is not allowed on the Forex championship, it’s all about collecting as much pips as possible, which my methodology is not designed for. I agree that forex championship requirements are best suited for trading skill evaluation.

In spite of this, I managed to get quite good results last month (January 2012) just by using price action solely with some guts, and I traded almost from using clean charts only. My daily objective was 26 000 EUR (a bit more than the 0.5% performance) to make sure that I get at least some Miles to turn into a free margin account later. I didn’t use stop losses at all, instead, I constantly kept an eye on my trades and when the trade was turning against me I just manually closed the position.

I was surprised to rank 5^th in January. I was not aware of my ranking before RTFX’s email. I was just focusing on collecting Miles and didn’t pay much attention to the ranking. So…it’s hard to say if I knew it would have been better or worse, I don’t know, anyways it was a nice surprise, which made my day.

Editor’s note: haha I believe it’s the first time I ever heard a winner say he was not monitoring his ranking. On the other hand, since you were 100% focused on your trades, I’m not surprised you ended up with the finalists.

What would be your advice to traders?

Trade responsibly! Know the market you’re trading, know your trading methodology, trust it and follow it. Learn to trust yourself, base your trades on your own knowledge/guts/signal not on somebody else’s opinion, otherwise you’re gonna give away your edge which stems from a systematic approach. Don’t let others influence your trading decisions in any way.

Respect the market and respect your trading rules, never break pre-set rules. Do not look for trades, but instead let trades come to you. Keep emotions away from trading no matter if you’re winning or losing. If you need adrenaline, do extreme sports for example, don’t trade for it, you’re gonna lose! Take some profit once a while to enjoy the gain and remind yourself that’s the reason you’re trading.

Editor’s note: some of this advice is very similar a Forex surviving guide we plan to publish soon.

Do you check our market news and analysis (RTFX Morning Briefing, Trader Tip)? If yes, do you find them useful or can they be improved?

No.

Do you have other sources of information? If yes, which ones?

Forums, Skype, Facebook, Twitter.

Editor’s note: Facebook and twitter? Can you specify which accounts you like/follow?

Anything else you would like to add?

I would like to say thank you to the RTFX team for the wonderful championship and wish all the best and lots of pips to my fellow traders out there.

Best regards

Editor’s note: Thanks a lot.

I can imagine the adrenaline rush and all the pressure he must have felt before gaining back his pole position on the very last day of the contest :)

Moreover, it turned out that no irregular trading occurred this month. It’s the first time since the beginning of this season and we are glad about it. Sorry for #16 and #17 who maybe hoped to be let through ;(

That was a good start, let’s keep it that way.

Thierry, 51, Monaco, Technical salesman

Can you introduce yourself (hobbies, interests…etc.)?

I’m interested in everything, from science to art. I practice sports, don’t smoke and don’t drink, my mind is always sharp and even at my age I like to learn more and more.

Editor’s note: mens sana in corpore sano

For how long have you been on the Forex Championship? For you, trading in Forex is a hobby or an occupation?

I started with the first championship on Capital with a different username and have been using ThierryMC for around 3 years.

Editor’s note: you were on the Trading masters!

How did you hear about the Forex Championship and RTFX?

I am a subscriber to Capital, so this is where my interest developed in the contest. I saw it as an opportunity to learn.

Is there another trader (in the Championship or somewhere else) who inspires you?

Not really, everyone is trading with their own methods, but I closely follow 3 or 4 smart traders.

Editor’s note: they should have been quoted :)

What was your best trade and your worst trade?

In the beginning, I made a lot of mistakes and they still happen sometimes, however I’m never satisfied with my trades, successful or not.

Editor’s note: if you’re not satisfied even with your successful trades, it means you’re very demanding of yourself, which is a good thing.

What are your trading styles (scalping, trading the trend, trading the news, hedging…etc.) and schedules?

I try to follow the trend but since I’m not in front of the screen the whole day, I’m influenced by news and events that could reverse the trend.

How would you describe your trading strategy (daily, weekly and monthly objectives, stop win, stop loss…etc.)?

At the moment I’m more instinct-driven than technical but I work on curves study and then I compare with my trades. I hardly set any stop loss because 9 out of 10 are reached and this prevents me from making a positive day… only a few negative days so far.

Editor’s note: Instinctive trading matches masculine trading as stated in this article.

What would be your advice to traders?

To follow the trend, and sometimes to take risks, it pays better!

Do you check our market news and analysis (RTFX Morning Briefing, Trader Tip)? If yes, do you find them useful or can they be improved?

I follow your analysis and briefings on a daily basis, I usually take them into account, to me it’s perfect as it is.

Editor’s note: Thank you

Do you have other sources of information? If yes, which ones?

Real-time information about world events, minute by minute.

Anything else you would like to add?

The contest as it is, is a great opportunity to learn by yourself, and self-teaching is ideal to me. One of these days I will have to start trading on a real account.

Editor’s note: Thanks. When you start, you will be already familiar with a good broker :)

The website economist.com reminds us that it’s a period of power, authority and good fortune, favorable to the US economy, since the Dow Jones increased by around 8% during the last 9 years of the Dragon. Besides the Year of the Rabbit, it was their most profitable period since the beginning of the industrial era. Unlike Japan, which had a very bad Year of the Rabbit in 2011.

So should we expect USD pairs to soar? Not so sure. The last Year of the Dragon (sounds like a movie title) was in 2000. That year entertained us with the so-called terrible millennium bug which never showed up, but scared us with the .com bubble burst. After all, astrology and Forex (as well as football) are not pure science :)

I’ll just finish with what tickled me the most about the potential Year of the Dragon impact on the markets: from all 12 zodiac Chinese animals/signs, the Dragon is the only one which is imaginary. Therefore, don’t expect it to help you in getting top notch performances on the Forex Trading Contest :)

Find your Chinese sign

Can you introduce yourself (hobbies, interests…etc.)?

I’m from Damascus and I’m interested in internet world especially online trading.

For how long have you been on the Forex Trading Contest? For you, trading the Forex is a hobby or an occupation?

I’ve been on the Forex Trading Contest for two months and I consider trading as an occupation.

How did you hear about the Forex Championship and RTFX?

Google.

Is there another trader (in the Championship or somewhere else) who inspires you?

No.

What were your best trade and your worst trade?

Everything was good but I had remorses because of a deal I didn’t enter (it was sell EUR from 1.3200 and the target was 1.3000).

What are your trading style (scalping, trading the trend, trading the news, hedging…etc.) and schedules?

My trading is based on fundamental analysis, with targets no less than 100 pips.

How would you describe your trading strategy (daily, weekly and monthly objectives, stop win, stop loss…etc.)?

My trading strategy is daily.

What would be your advice to traders?

A few constant trades are better than many trades permanently interrupted.

Do you check our market news and analysis (RTFX Morning Briefing, Trader Tip)? If yes, do you find them useful or can they be improved?

No I don’t.

Do you have other sources of information? If yes, which ones?

Yes, http://ara.reuters.com/news/business

Anything else you would like to add?

Thank you for this unique contest.

Then what? What comes next? EFSF was downgraded as well, being linked to the French and German triple A. So be it. Who downgrades? Rating agencies. Nothing could be further from my mind than blaming them, but weren’t those the same ones which rated subprimes with AAA?

So, financial crisis, credit crunch, consumption decrease and economy stagnation. But if economy stagnates, nothing gets better. I admit I’m simplifying a lot. Or not.

Everything goes around and around, I’m just curious to see what’s next. Eurozone collapsing? I’m not a fan of disaster scenarios and we’re not the 21^st December 202 yet.

So we look somewhere else and we realize that China made more that 9% growth during 2011. So I’d better say CHINAAAA. Kidding of course, we can’t compare apples and oranges. But still, feels like learning mandarin and trading reminbi ;)

To learn more, check our Facebook page and the link posted there.

Eric, 32, France, Director.

Can you introduce yourself (hobbies, interests…etc.)?

I have been passionate about finance since 2006 when I started to invest in the stock exchange market without any particular knowledge, only through reading “La Tribune” on a regular basis. Then I became interested in the EUR/USD pair and started to trade day and night on the Forex with my own money at the beginning. Then I understood that I needed to become more cautious so today I open and close my positions on the same day.

Editor’s note: we can immediately notice that such experiences made you the trader you are today.

For how long have you been on the Forex Championship? For you, trading the Forex is a hobby or an occupation?

I joined the Forex Championship in October 2010. As of today, trading is a hobby but I would like to make a living from it by joining a banking group.

Editor’s note: good luck

How did you hear about the Forex Championship and RTFX?

Through surfing the web. After suffering big losses with another broker with my real account I decided to take a break and I discovered you.

Editor’s note: indeed, the Forex Demo Competition allows you to test the market without losing your cool.

Is there another trader (in the Forex Championship or somewhere else) who inspires you?

At the beginning I was following DJANO01’s performances, he was a very efficient trader and ranked first many times but the one I was keeping an eye on was pilotari because even if he didn’t win trophies, he was very consistent during last year’s season.

Editor’s note: I agree, steadiness is probably the most important quality to trade Forex.

What was your best trade and your worst trade?

My best trade is very recent, it happened last Wednesday (28th December 2011), when the market was waiting for the Italian debt auction’s results, I took 130 pips in 30 minutes. My worst trades happened between the 16^th and the 24^th of March 2011, I lost 3% in a week otherwise my worst trade ever was 80 000 dollars loss on the 3^rd of February 2011, every single time the debt crisis overran the risk appetite whilst I thought the economy would take off (I didn’t follow the news as much as I used to do during that period)

Editor’s note: You’re not the only one who underestimated crisis’ collateral damages.

What are your trading style (scalping, trading the trend, trading the news, hedging…etc.) and schedules?

I try to improve my style every day but I follow the news all the time, even at work, through sms. I don’t take positions when there are events that I don’t master, I wait for the trend and then I take a position. My trading schedule is based on a position taken at 7:30, checked at noon then checked again at 14:30 and eventually closed between 18:00 and 20:00.

Editor’s note: sharp and clean, like a pro.

How would you describe your trading strategy (daily, weekly and monthly objectives, stop win, stop loss…etc.)?

I don’t have a specific strategy, I try not to lose more than 20K euros per day. On a monthly basis I try to be consistent and I focus on long trades, I only take profits at 60 pips, no stop loss with my virtual account.

Editor’s note: you’re actually very organized, a bit like the “feminine” trading style.

What would be your advice to traders?

I’m not a finance professional so it’s difficult to give advice but I think it’s important to constantly follow the financial news and to keep a cool head.

Editor’s note: keeping a cool head is good advice indeed.

Do you check our market news and analysis (RTFX Morning Briefing, Trader Tip)? If yes, do you find them useful or can they be improved?

I follow your TraderTip daily but I don’t always follow the comments, I’m more into support and resistance analysis but the Morning Briefing is a bit late for me because I start trading at 7:30.

Do you have other sources of information? If yes, which ones?

For the main news, I check some famous websites like bourse directe which is very comprehensive and which helps me as well as my stock exchange portfolio.

Anything else you would like to add?

Good luck to everyone on the championship for 2012 but I think the SNB intervention on the 6^th of September 2011 killed many of us, it will be hard to get into the final 10. Thanks for creating such a contest which allows everyone to discover his financial spirit.

Editor’s note: Thank you