Best Forex Broker For Trading Gold – While forex traders look for stable investments that can hedge against inflation, market instability and other geopolitical factors, gold has become more popular than ever. Traders can use gold as a hedge against other investments or as a safe haven that provides consistency over time and is more resilient to dramatic swings in valuation than most other currencies. Despite high economic inflation around the world over the past year, gold prices have remained relatively low. Because of this phenomenon, many wonder whether the precious metal is still inflation-proof. What is Gold Trading? XAU/USD is one of a number of gold pairs offered by forex brokers, making it easier than ever to incorporate gold as part of your forex trading strategy. Gold’s stability over time also makes it an important asset during inflationary periods. After the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global economy, foreign governments and savvy forex traders have turned more of their money into gold as protection against losses from the current inflation. Economic practices such as printing more money can weaken global currencies, decreasing their value against stable assets such as gold. Gold’s stability is largely due to its relatively fixed global volume, which cannot be increased dramatically in the same way that governments can print more paper money. Forex vs. Gold Trading Since gold trading is known to be stable in shaky economic times, it is considered a favorite among traders looking to protect themselves against a volatile market or inflation. This means gold traders are more focused on long-term market trends. Meanwhile, forex traders are typically focused on short-term market activity. The Value of Gold When it comes to capital and raw materials, gold is considered one of the most popular precious metals to invest in. Why? Gold can help investors diversify their portfolios, which is especially important in times of economic uncertainty. While the gold market can also appear volatile at times, it has long been considered a safe haven in many countries and markets. What Factors Move Gold Prices? What can affect the price of gold? Trading activity, economic inflation, supply and demand are important factors that can influence the price of gold. Additionally, when gold is mined in excess and exceeds current demand, it can cause the gold price to fall. Investors buying and selling gold can also cause short-term fluctuations in the gold price. What are gold futures? Futures contracts are legally binding contracts that are bought and sold on exchanges. A buyer purchases a certain quantity of a commodity at a predetermined price on a specific date, while the seller agrees to let the asset go under those predetermined terms. Gold futures work like any other futures contract. They require buyers to buy and receive a certain amount of gold at a certain price in the future, while a seller is obligated to part with that amount of gold at that time. What are Gold Options? Gold options are derivatives that use gold or gold futures contracts as the underlying asset. This type of contract is a contract between two separate parties to simplify any transaction on a certain amount of gold. The option contract includes the predetermined price or strike price of the precious metal, along with the expiration date. Call options on gold give the person holding the contract the right to buy the metal at a predetermined price before it expires, while put options give the right to sell. Learn about the benefits of gold trading, gold spreads and swaps, gold technical analysis and more in this webinar! How do I start trading gold? If you are eager to make better use of gold and take advantage of potential profit opportunities, here are nine trading tips to keep in mind: 1. Day trade with the New York in mind. Gold is a nearly 24-hour market, but peak liquidity is usually found during New York trading hours. Whether you should target trades during or after New York trading hours depends on your goals. Trades during peak activity offer high liquidity and low volatility, making them good targets for safe haven positions. However, after-hours trading can provide the extra volatility needed to execute scalping strategies. At the same time, this additional volatility increases the relative risk of each trade. 2. Simplify the analysis by focusing on previous highs and lows. Since XAU/USD tends to trade within a range, one of the easiest strategies is to identify buy or sell opportunities within previous highs and lows for the trading pair. For example, traders can open a position in gold when it is trending up and target an earlier high as a sell price, or vice versa. Gold is a relatively stable asset, making it likely to reach these previous highs or lows over time. However, this is not a good day trading strategy as it can take time to achieve these goals. Range-bound strategies typically do not offer quick profit opportunities like momentum strategies. Still, it is a relatively low-risk strategy designed to generate some profit from reliable XAU/USD price movements. 3. When trading gold, consider the geopolitical implications for currencies. When political or economic uncertainty raises concerns about currency prices, gold can be a stable safe haven that protects your cash. Gold is often highly correlated with the US dollar and other stable currencies such as the Japanese yen, and opening a position with XAU/USD can be a reliable means of protecting your assets against unpredictable situations affecting other forex markets. 4. Use the symmetrical triangle for analysis. The symmetrical triangle is a simple chart pattern that indicates a period of consolidation that could lead to a price breakout. Symmetrical triangles show the convergence of two trendlines moving at a similar slope but in opposite directions. As consolidation takes place, the price movement on the peg tightens, creating a potential trading opportunity on a breakout. Most traders use the symmetrical triangle pattern along with other technical indicators, such as liquidity or the relative strength index. When other indicators point to a possible price breakout, the symmetrical triangle can add further confirmation and increase confidence in placing an order on XAU/USD. A stop-loss order can be placed just below the descending trendline after the two trendlines converge, and sell orders can be issued in the event that the price of XAU/USD breaks out successfully. 5. Track industrial and commercial demand for gold. Increased market demand for gold can affect prices due to the solid global supply of the material. The question can come in several forms. Certain industries may buy more gold because of the material’s role in consumer projects. For example, both the medical and engineering industries use gold in certain products and solutions. Consumer demand for gold jewelry can also affect prices. Consider the global demand in foreign markets where gold jewelry is considered both a luxury and an investment asset. 6. Monitor central bank purchases. Central banks tend to buy gold as a hedge when anticipating volatility in certain currencies. For example, recently China and Russia made headlines for their significant investments in gold, reflecting concerns about the future price of the US dollar and euro, among other major global currencies. When central banks start buying gold in bulk, that tells forex traders two things. First, governments operate on the belief that major currency values can fall, which could encourage traders to shift a larger percentage of their investments into less volatile funds. Second, more central bank buying tends to cause gold prices to rise, at least in the short term. If the gold price starts to rise, it could be an opportunity to make a quick profit. 7. Follow real interest rates. Gold has a well-documented correlation to real interest rates, with prices rising when interest rates fall and prices falling when interest rates rise. The real interest rate is determined by subtracting inflation from the nominal interest rate, resulting in a profit or loss rate that takes inflation into account. Historically, gold prices tend to rise when real interest rates fall below 1%. Watching this interest rate as it changes over time can help you identify a strong buying opportunity, especially if you’re looking for long-term trading opportunities. Conversely, a real interest rate above 2% is likely to lower the value of gold. Many experts will recommend selling XAU/USD if real interest rates reach this threshold. 8. Aim for moving average crossovers. Since gold prices tend to fluctuate within a certain range, they will cause several moving averages to cross each other on forex charts. Many traders will buy when a shorter term moving average crosses a longer term moving average. For example, if a 20-day moving average were to exceed the price for the 50-day moving average, it would be a buying opportunity for long-term traders. For example, in the XAU chart below, the 50-day moving average moves above the 100-day moving average in early April
