Hello, I am a retail FX trader who would like to learn the ins and outs of trading commodities and stock indexes. Specifically...some basic fundamental background on the assets...which are most liquid...which are favored by speculators...and the specific mechanics of opening and closing trades in addition to margin requirements. If you know of any resources which may be helpful (books, websites, etc...) please let me know. Thanks
Start with 'The Logical Trader' by Mark Fisher, and the main one: 'Trading in the Zone' by Mark Douglas. They will keep you busy for a while. 'Trading in the Zone' - on a re-read you will pick up and learn new ideas- it's packed with so many gems. Cheers, G.
I recently had to gather materials for myself, so I thought I'd share what I wound up relying on... it sounds like you're looking for two different things, opinions of speculators and mechanics of trading. For the mechanics I recommend just talking with your broker wherever you sign up. For the opinion you want to aim for high-quality sources of traders themselves. Some I've found to be helpful: Lind-Waldock "Knowledge Center" ^ They also have a little news program... but I've never found it even remotely useful, you're better off going to the WSJ online and paying attention to commodities news. On that note, WSJ Commodities Cannon Trading: Futures Trading Newsletter/ Futures Trading Blog ^ I subscribe to several broker's newsletters and this one has been the most consistent over the years, though it's also not ground-breaking commentary either. It's good to subscribe to in order to make sure you don't miss any big things happening in the market... or for holiday hours like yesterday's Memorial Day. RJO's Newsletter - this one has a bit more commentary, it's a little hit or miss (I couldn't find the signup page.. check their website) Zero Hedge - I'm a fan of their news section... a lot of it is just aggregation of news from around the web, but it's good. They also have a forum section EliteTrader - honestly the best long-term way is to participate in a community like this... you can't learn everything about a market overnight, but over time you'll get it.