Donate a Car in California

Donate a Car in California 

Donate A Car 2 Charity is a local California-based vehicle donation service. We provide fast, free pickup of your car donation anywhere throughout the State of California, including San Diego, Los Angeles, the Bay Area and Sacramento, regardless of the condition, or registration status. When you are ready to donate you car, boat or RV in California, start by calling our toll free number -- 1-877-505-5775 or submit the online donation form.   Once you submit your information, including your email address, you will receive instant confirmation of your California car donation. You will also receive an initial tax receipt entitling you a tax deduction of up to $500 and providing you with further instructions on how to claim your car donation tax donation.  If your vehicle sells for more than $500, you will receive additional paperwork listing the amount you are entitled to claim as a tax deduction. In some cases, vehicles may qualify for a fair market value tax deduction. For more information on the fair market value deduction for vehicle donations, please call us and we can provide you with additional information on what is required to claim this deduction.

Can I Donate My Vehicle in Any Condition? -- What if I am missing a Title?

Yes!  As long as your car has wheels, we can pick up your car in [almost] any condition. We can pick up non-running vehicles, vehicles which are having difficulty passing smog and even vehicles with lost titles. 

Is my car donation tax deductible?

Again, the answer is Yes! All vehicles donated at www.donateacar2charity.com benefit Activated Ministries, a California non-profit Christian Ministry classified with the IRS as a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. As such all charitable donations, including donations of cars and other vehicles are tax deductible.  When you donate a vehicle through Donate a Car 2 Charity, you are donating directly to a non-profit which ensures that all proceeds from the resale of your vehicle go directly to charity and not to a middlemen or for-profit car donation services.

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DONATE CAR TO CHARITY CALIFORNIA

 DONATE CAR TO CHARITY CALIFORNIA

Your Car Donation Will Help Grant Wishes For The Children Of The Greater Bay Area

From the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco to the Children's Discovery Museum in San Jose, Wheels For Wishes is proud to offer an easy and convenient alternative to selling or trading in your vehicle. Wheels For Wishes has partnered with Make-A-Wish® Greater Bay Area with the mission of turning yourcar donation into wishes for the local children of San Francisco and surrounding counties.

As an alternative to taking the time to sell or scrap your old vehicle, donate cars to Wheels For Wishes and we will pick up your vehicle at no cost to you. Proceeds from the sale of your car donation benefits Make-A Wish Greater Bay Area to grant the wishes of children in 17 counties, including: Alameda, Contra Costa, Del Norte, Humboldt, Lake, Mendocino, Napa, Marin, Monterey, San Benito, San Francisco, San Mateo, Santa Cruz, Santa Clara, Siskiyou, Solano and Sonoma.

Our Vehicle Donation Program Offers

• Free pick-up and towing for your vehicle anywhere in California including San Francisco,San Jose, Santa Rosa, Oakland, and Fremont.
• Professional service with a simple and easy vehicle donation process.
• The maximum possible tax deduction for your charity vehicle donation.
• Acceptance of all vehicles whether they are running or not!

You might think of your vehicle as nothing more than a "junk car", but to the children of San Francisco, it can help bring hope, strength and joy back into their lives. We offer a convenient alternative to selling or trading in your automobile, and we can turn any vehicle into a child's wish come true!

You're Helping Local San Francisco Bay Area Children

Since 1984, Make-A-Wish Greater Bay Area has granted over 6,000 wishes to children in San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, Hayward, Fremont, San Jose, Concord, and surrounding areas. From depths of Silicon Valley to Lake Merced Park, your car donation will help this program continue to grow and flourish as the Greater Bay Area continues to receive requests for wishes.

Proceeds from your vehicle donation go to Wheels For Wishes, a tax-exempt charity under section 501(c)(3) of the IRS Code, benefiting Make-A Wish® Greater Bay Area. Due to the efforts of community members and a devoted staff, Make-A Wish Greater Bay Area has grown into one of the largest and most active Make-A-Wish chapters in the country.

How To Donate A Vehicle

Our experienced representatives are available any time by calling 1-855-622-9474, or you can use our convenient vehicle donation form. It's simple to fill out and will only take a few moments of your time. Either way is easy, and you will be contacted by our staff within 24 hours of the next business day to arrange for your vehicle pick up!

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Forex - Euro moves higher after PMI reports

Forex  Euro moves higher after PMI reports

Investing.com - The euro rose to session highs against the dollar and the yen on Thursday after data showed that the euro zone saw a marginal uptick in business activity in October.

Euro pushes higher after PMI data points to marginal uptick in business cativity

EUR/USD edged up 0.09% to 1.2658 from around 1.2641 ahead of the report.

The euro found support after data showed that manufacturing output expanded at the fastest rate in three months, while growth of service sector activity was unchanged from September.

Research group Markit said its preliminary manufacturing purchasing managers’ index ticked up to 50.7 this month from a final reading of 50.3 in September. Analysts had expected the index to slide to 49.9.

The services PMI held steady at 52.4, slightly above expectations of 52.0.

“The survey data are broadly consistent with GDP rising 0.25% in the third quarter, but unless demand picks up soon, growth could weaken again in the fourth quarter and deflationary forces could intensify," Chris Williamson, chief economist at Markit said.

Manufacturing activity in Germany increased this month, with the manufacturing PMI rising to 51.8 from a final reading of 49.9 in September. Economists had expected the index to tick down to 49.5.

Activity in the German service sector ticked lower, with the services PMI sliding to 54.7 from 55.7 last month.

Business activity on France declined to an eight month low as the manufacturing sector contracted at a faster than expected rate and service sector output shrank.

Earlier Thursday, data showed that China’s HSBC manufacturing PMI edged up to 50.4 this month from 50.2 last month, only just above forecasts for 50.3.

However the report also showed that factory output fell to a five month low this month, adding to concerns over slowing global growth.

Fears that a slowdown in global growth could act as a drag on the U.S. economy have prompted investors to reassess expectations on how soon the Federal Reserve will raise 
interest rates after its stimulus program winds up later this month.

The dollar remained supported after data on Wednesday showed that the U.S. consumer price index ticked up 0.1% last month from August, while core consumer prices, which exclude energy and food costs, also rose 0.1%.

The data eased concerns that U.S. consumer prices are stagnating.

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Dollar Bulls Require Patience during Equity Strife

The ForeX market

 is again turning its attention to global equity markets for inspiration, as investor moods darken quickly, and everyday bourses test key levels. Risk aversion is maintaining a foothold on sentiment amid concerns that the global economic outlook is worsening. 

 So far in today’s opening European session, equity markets have opened lower following the sharp losses seen stateside on Tuesday, and ahead of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) minutes due this afternoon.

 The DAX is underperforming as it again trades -10% below its previous record high, mostly on the back of German corporate earnings worries, and various airline profit warnings resulting from the Ebola scare that’s rippling throughout the leisure and travel industry. European misfortunes seem to be only getting worse, as yesterday’s weak Germany August industrial production (IP) data has been able to mirror the horrid factory orders print. So far this week, European indices are contemplating taking a good run at closing at or near their recent lows, while gold, bonds, and the JPY (¥107.89) remain better bids overall. The 10-year U.S. Treasury yield has dropped to +2.34%, Bunds to +0.90% — their lowest levels in a number of weeks — and spot gold is firmly back above the psychological $1,200 (at $1,218) as investors’ appetite for risk has again taken a huge hit. 091014bIMF Warns on Eurozone Yesterday, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) cut its 2014 global growth forecast from +3.4% to +3.3%, and its 2015 forecast from +4.0% to +3.8%, citing eurozone recession risks and the emerging market slowdown. The outlook for the global economy has blackened and the IMF sees a “four-in-10″ chance that the eurozone will slide into its third recession since the financial crisis erupted. Despite the softer data touch of late, the IMF is maintaining its Chinese 2014 gross domestic product forecast at +7.4% (somewhat piggybacking Chinese officials’ forecast of +7.5%). It seems only natural for IMF Director Christine Lagarde to raise the U.S. 2014 forecast from +1.7% to +2.2% on the back of much stronger data being revealed. 091014cU.S Jobs Climate Paves the Way An example of firmer U.S. data was yesterday’s Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey headlines. It’s one of Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen’s favorite gauges of labor market health in the U.S. The month of August happened to be mixed, nevertheless, the number of job openings rose +5% to the highest level in a baker’s dozen of years, while the labor market turnover slowed and the number of “quits” declined nearly 3%. The latter decline reflected a reversal of the July increase, leaving the level of quits roughly equal to its average over the first six months of the year (but still up +5%, year-over-year). Worker mobility is a close indicator of possible wage growth. Last Friday’s nonfarm payrolls report would suggest that the American economy is on firmer footing, certainly in stark contrast to some of the other major developed economies that seem to require further monetary stimulation sooner rather than later. It’s no wonder that equity markets continue to signal their disappointment with a perceived lack of urgency by both the European Central Bank (ECB), and to a lesser extent, the Bank of Japan (BoJ). 091014dECB and BoJ Need to Act So far, the weapons of choice for developed economies to combat low inflation or heightened deflation are to limit domestic currency strength. The Reserve Bank of Australia, Reserve Bank of New Zealand, BoJ and ECB have all applied this tactic. Thus far, the Antipodean central banks favor verbal intervention to adjust currency levels that are “fundamentally unjustified.” Overnight, Australian intraday volatility action was driven by the big downward revision to Aussie August job numbers that had been aggressively overstated (now +32k from +121k). The AUD initially fell to $0.8752, where outright short AUD positions have been able to provide some support. Investors will be looking to September’s jobs data out Thursday for confirmation. The BoJ and ECB are using zero interest-rate policy (ZIRP) and negative interest-rate policy (NIRP) actions, and are actively looking to expand their balance sheets. Despite the mighty U.S. dollar’s strength having a massive FX impact since July, it’s the ECB and the BoJ, respectively, that are having the greatest impact on their own currency values as investors play on the central banks diverging interest rate outlooks. Many suspect that the ECB will be unable to get to its desired asset-backed securities and covered bond program amounts of approximately €1B for various administrative reasons. The ECB’s “whatever it takes” attitude will probably require eurozone policymakers to consider launching full-blown quantitative easing in the first half of 2015. 091014eAbenomics Petering Out Overnight Japan’s ruling party suggested that USD/JPY trading ¥110-120 is positive for their country’s economy and that further weakening would probably do more harm. The market believes that the BoJ needs to ease policy again to meet its +2% inflation target in 2015 or 2016. Due to the economic fallout of the initial consumption sales tax implemented last April, many analysts are suggesting that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is required to postpone the next sales tax hike until April 2017. Proceeding as planned would ruin Abenomics, as the economic policies advocated by Abe are known. The BoJ, as expected, kept monetary policy unchanged overnight, with its assessment on IP revised lower. Governor Haruhiko Kuroda suggested that the “virtuous cycle of economic activity continues to operate firmly, IP is weak now, but forecasts show growth. The consumer-price index is likely to hit the +2% between the periods of 2014 and 2016,” — if the goal can be met then there is no need to adjust policy anytime soon. Weakening currencies are inclined to dampen inflation externally, even at a time when global inflation risks are now weak. Already, the Fed is signaling that U.S. inflation is running below the FOMC’s longer-term objective despite the improving U.S. labor market. If the dollar’s continued strength begins to weigh on import prices and inflation, it will probably prevent the Fed from communicating a “normalization of monetary policy.” In other words, U.S. policymakers will eventually begin to mouth off their concerns surrounding rapid USD appreciation. This is a part of any sustainable currency strength 

See more at: http://www.forexnews.com/blog/2014/10/09/dollar-bulls-require-patience-equity-strife/#sthash.MOkeHAyH.dpuf

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The United States shouldn't be the only country responsible for fighting global threats

We all knew someone in college who had a sort of irritatingly complicated relationship with their parents. They’d complain about the meddling their mothers were doing in their adult lives, about the unsolicited advice their fathers were giving them on career paths and majors. And then they’d unblinkingly allow their parents to pay their tuition, accept “care packages” from what they still saw as “home,” and trot out the parental credit card for spring break trips and other purchases.

This happens on an international level, too – only with countries, not just people. And it’s the U.S. that’s taking much of the brunt of it.

The United States engenders a substantial amount of resentment around the world, and some of it is deserved. The predatory behavior of U.S. corporations operating overseas makes people angry. There’s a sense in many countries that the Hollywood entertainment industry has become a sort of cultural imperialist, spreading a set of American values that are upsetting long-held traditions in other nations. That would be a more sympathetic view if those same countries weren’t eagerly consuming U.S. movies, fashions and iPhones. And, of course, there’s understandable aggravation over U.S. foreign policy decisions – wars, embargoes, trade restrictions or lack thereof – that had a collateral effect on other regions of the world.

Points taken. But that also means that the rest of the world can no longer expect the United States to fix every problem in every sector of the earth, especially since the U.S. no longer has the fiscal capacity to do so.

That means, as Secretary of State John Kerry explains more diplomatically in a piece in , that it’s time for other nations to step up and do more to deal with the Ebola crisis. According to information provided by the State Department, the U.S. has invested more than $113 million in an effort to deal with the problem; the entire European Union ranks a far second, having put in $55.5 million. Money and people are needed to care for patients, to pay for laboratories and staff and to equip local hospitals. People – and some brave people, at that – are needed to act as first responders. And governments need to manage air traffic and border safety in a way that keeps the virus from spreading without effectively quarantining entire nations.

The Islamic State group, too, is not just America’s problem, and it should not be the United States' sole responsibility to fix. This is a regional problem first and foremost, and the neighboring countries need to get actively involved to keep the terror group from gaining more territory and power. (We’re talking about you, Turkey.) The reluctance of European nations to get too deeply involved is understandable, as their citizens don’t want to get mired in a costly, painful, perhaps unwinnable Middle East war. But neither does this country, and the terror group is just as much of a threat to Europe as it is to the United States. The Islamic State group now controls about a third of Kobani, right on the Turkish-Syria border. And yet Turkey – which one would think would be concerned about its own security – is reluctant to do anything.

Even on the Russia-Ukraine conflict – a matter far more pressing for Europe than for the United States, which does not face such a direct threat from Putin – Europe lagged behind, grudgingly agreeing to participate in sanctions after pressure from the U.S.

You can’t have it both ways: You can’t complain about the hegemony and arrogance of a superpower, insisting it back off, and then expect that same nation to solve all of your regional problems. Step up, people. 

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Aussie Advances After Chinese Factory Output Outpaces Estimates

Australia’s dollar strengthened for a second day after China’s factory output increased more in September than analysts forecast.

The Aussie advanced against all except one of its 16 major counterparts after a separate Chinese report showed economic growth slowed less last quarter than predicted. China is Australia’s largest trading partner. The U.S. dollar snapped a three-day gain versus the yen as traders speculated a slowdown in global growth will convince the Federal Reserve to delay raising interest rates.

The Chinese data “is certainly a relief,” said Chris Weston, chief market strategist in Melbourne at IG Australia, a unit of IG Group Holdings Plc. With investors focused on a slowdown in global growth, a disappointing number “would have added more misery and we probably would have seen the markets snap back a little bit,” he said.

Australia’s dollar rose 0.2 percent to 88.03 U.S. cents at 11:21 a.m. in Tokyo after gaining 0.5 percent yesterday. The greenback fell 0.1 percent to 106.87 yen, and was little changed at $1.2797 per euro. The euro fell 0.1 percent to 136.74 yen.

The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index, which measures the U.S. currency against a basket of 10 counterparts, was little changed at 1,061.81 after falling 0.2 percent yesterday.

China’s gross domestic product grew 7.3 percent in the third quarter from a year earlier, outpacing the 7.2 percent median estimate of economists surveyed by Bloomberg News. Industrial production rose 8 percent in September from a year ago, compared with a 7.5 percent expansion predicted in a separate 

.

Source: Bloomberg

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Dollar Poised for Weekly Drop on Growth Caution; Kiwi Fluctuates

The dollar was poised for a weekly drop against 11 of its 16 major peers as traders weighed whether slowing global growth will curb momentum in the U.S. economy.

The greenback stemmed this week’s losses before data forecast to show an increase in housing starts and building permits in the world’s largest economy. Traders have pushed back expectations on when the Federal Reserve will increase interest rates, driving Treasury yields lower. New Zealand’s dollar fell as much as 1 percent before paring losses after its central bank erroneously republished September comments saying the currency’s level was unjustified and unsustainable.

“The market’s bullish U.S. dollar view has capitulated slightly,” said Sam Tuck, a senior currency strategist at ANZ Bank New Zealand Ltd. in Auckland. “Currency markets are pricing in a little bit more in terms of economic growth, whereas the rates markets are pricing a cautious FOMC,” he said referring to the Federal Open Market Committee.

The dollar traded at 106.34 yen at 9:19 a.m. in Tokyo from 106.33 yesterday, poised for a 1.2 percent weekly drop. It was unchanged today at $1.2809 per euro, down 1.4 percent since Oct. 10. New Zealand’s currency was little changed at 79.52 U.S. cents, set for a 1.7 percent gain on the week, the most since the period ended June 13.

JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s Global FX Volatility Index rose to as much as 8.56 percent this week, the most since Feb. 6. It has climbed from 5.28 percent in July, the lowest on record.

Speculation the U.S. central bank will raise rates next year had led to a record rally in the U.S. currency. The advance started to reverse last week after minutes of the Sept. 16-17 FOMC meeting showed participants said expansion “might be slower than they expected if foreign economic growth came in weaker than anticipated.”

Source: Bloomberg

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Forex News Dollar Rises on Prospects U.S.

Forex News – Dollar Rises on Prospects U.S. Economic Growth to Outpace Peers

The dollar gained versus its peers for a second day amid speculation the U.S. economy, the world’s largest, will outpace other Group-of-10 nations.

The Bloomberg Dollar Spot Index, which tracks the greenback against 10 major currencies, rose before the Federal Reserve releases its Beige Book on economic conditions. The euro fell ahead of a speech today by European Central Bank President Mario Draghi amid concerns Germany is slipping toward recession. The pound touched an 11-month low after a report showed U.K. inflation fell to levels unseen in five years.

“The U.S. is in a much better place compared to its peers,” said Stan Shamu, a markets strategist in Melbourne at IG Australia, a unit of IG Group Holdings Plc. “The U.S. dollar will ultimately benefit.”

The Bloomberg dollar index rose 0.1 percent to 1,069.31 as of 11:29 a.m. in Tokyo from yesterday, when it advanced 0.3 percent. The dollar gained 0.2 percent to $1.2638 per euro, adding to a 0.7 percent rally yesterday, the most since Oct. 3. The greenback was little changed at 107.08 yen. The euro fell 0.1 percent to 135.35 yen.

The U.S. economy will expand 2.2 percent this year and 3 percent in 2015, according to Bloomberg news surveys. The euro area will grow 0.8 percent and 1.3 percent, while Japan will gain 1 percent in 2014 and 1.2 percent, the surveys predict.

Source: Bloomberg

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All information about FOREX

 ? What is Forex

The Forex (Foreign Exchange) Market is the largest market in the world. It is the market where currencies are traded. Each day, more than 4 trillion dollars are exchanged.

 ?  24 why trade Forex

The Forex market is open 24 hours a day, so that you can be right there trading whenever you hear a financial scoop. 

NARROW FOCUS

Unlike the stock market, a smaller market with tens of thousands of stocks to choose from, the Forex market revolves around more or less eight major currencies. A narrow choice means no room for confusion, so even though the market is huge, it’s quite easy to get a clear picture of what’s happening.

LIQUIDITY

The enormous volume of daily trades makes it the most liquid market in the world, which means that under normal market conditions you can buy and sell currency as you please.

THE MARKET CANNOT BE CORNERED

The colossal size of the Forex market also makes sure that no one can corner the market. Even banks do not have enough pull to really control the market for a long period of time, which makes it a great place for the little guy to make a move. 

SIMPLICITY

Use technical analysis (indicators on charts) methods from other markets like equities.

Basic Forex terms

Listed below are some of the key terms used in Forex and CFD/Share trading

PIP

A Pip is the "Percentage In Point" (PIP), sometimes also referred to as "Point". It is equal to the minimum price increase of a Forex trading rate. The most common Pip is 0.0001.

ASK PRICE

The ask price is the price you can buy a currency at. It is also the price at which the market is willing to sell the currency to you.

 

BID PRICE

The bid price is the price you can sell a currency at. The market is willing to pay you this price for this particular currency.

SPREADS

Spread are the difference between bid price and ask price.

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Advantages of Futures Over Forex

Advantages of futures over forex

Advantages of Futures Over Forex,

1. Efficient Market

During normal market hours the Emini S&P 500 (ES) futures have a tight bid-ask spread of typically 1 tick or $12.50 per contract. With a current approximate contract value of about $50,000, that comes out to .025% of the contract value, which is one of the best spreads in the trading world. This spread should be considered your cost of entry (not unlike commissions) to enter and exit the market. The wider the spread, the more the trade has to move in your favor just for you to get to break-even.

Depending on the stock or currency pair you are trading the bid-ask spread may be much wider. Also, since Forex firms "create" the market and therefore, the bid-ask spread, they can widen it to whatever they see fit. Even when Forex firms advertise a fixed spread, they typically reserve the right to widen when they see fit. Typically, this spread is anywhere from $15 to $50+ depending on the currency pair and market conditions.

2. Central Regulated Exchange

All ES trades are done through the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and its member firms where all trades are recorded in an official time and sales. All trades are made available to the public on a first come, first served basis and trades must follow the CME Clearing rules, along with the strict CFTC and NFA rules.

Forex trades occur "over the counter," (off any exchange floor or computer) where there is no centralized exchange with a time and sales report to compare your fill. Traders with different firms can experience different fills even when trades are executed simultaneously. Even more alarming is that in some cases the Forex brokerage firm you have an account with takes the other side of your trade and is therefore "betting" against you. Even for equity trades many stock brokerage firms direct your trades to brokers that give them a "haircut," rebate or kickback for your order or they go to dark pools or are shown to flash traders before made available to the public. Again, this can become a conflict of interest since your order may not be getting the best possible execution.

3. Low Commissions

ES commissions are only about $2.00-$3.00 per side and larger traders can even lease a membership to further reduce their fees. This low transaction cost allows daytraders to get in and out of the market without commissions significantly cutting into their profits, but of course the more trading you do the more this will impact your bottom line.

While most Forex firms do not charge a "disclosed" commission, they make their money by creating their own bid/ask spread and taking the other side of your trade, typically costing much more than the transaction costs of the ES. The average discount stock brokerage firm charges $5-10 per trade, which can really eat into your potential daytrading profits.

4. Level II Trading

You can see the 10 best bids and 10 best asks along with the associated volume in real time and you are allow the placement of your order at any price you wish when trading the ES. This transparency of the market’s orders allows ES traders to see where and how many orders have been placed ahead of them. For short term daytraders this information may be very valuable and may be used as an indication of future market movements.

Most Forex platforms do not offer Level II type pricing and for the few that do, since there is no centralized market, it is only the orders that that firm has access to and not the entire market. Also, most Forex firms do not allow you to place an order within a few ticks of the last price or between their posted bid/ask spreads, further limiting your trading abilities.

5. Virtually 24 Hour Trading

The ES futures market is open from Sunday night at 5p CST until Friday afternoon at 3:15p (it closes from 3:15p-3:30p and also closes daily from 4:30-5p for maintenance). This allows you to enter, exit or have orders working to protect your positions almost 24 hours a day, even while you sleep.

Even with pre and post market trading, the stock market is open less than 12 hours per day, and the liquidity during these sessions are not always good.

6. All Electronic Trading

There is no trading pit for the ES which means there are no market makers, no locals and no floor brokers and all orders are matched by a computer on a first come-first served basis no matter how large or small they are. This means that all traders see the same level II market and bid/ask spreads with an equal chance to hit them.

While most Forex firms offer electronic trading, some manually approve each order at a trading desk because they are market makers against your orders. Many times larger traders are given preferential treatment and better bid/ask spreads.

7. Leverage

Of course more leverage is a double edged sword since higher leverage equates to higher risk, but one Emini S&P contract currently has an approximate value of $65,000 and can be daytraded for as little as $500 which is 1% of its total value (about 100:1 leverage). Even if you hold a position overnight, the current overnight margin is only $5,625 which is still less than 10%.

Not all stocks and ETFs are available to be traded on margin, and the ones that can, require at least 50% margin to do so. US regulated Forex firms are not allowed to offer more than 50:1 leverage on the major currency pairs and 20:1 on the other currencies. This high margin requirement may be very limiting to daytraders who are only looking for small market movements.

8. No Interest Charges

For futures trading the daytrade and position margins do not require you to pay any interest on the remainder of the funds. The $500 posted for daytraders is a performance bond and traders do not pay interest on the remaining value of the ES futures contract. No special type of futures trading account is required to be able to take advantage of the daytrade margins.

Stock traders typically must apply for a special account in order to be able to daytrade and/or trade on margin and for those who can use the 50% margin, they need to pay interest on the other 50% they are borrowing. Forex has a cost of carry associated with its trading which means interest may be charged or paid on positions taken, but in the end this interest is seen as a revenue stream for Forex brokers and works to their advantage.

9. No Pattern Day Trader Rule

Futures daytrade accounts can be opened with as little as $4,000 and do not have any Pattern Daytrader Rules associated with them. Of course only risk capital should be used no matter what the amount is that you choose to start with.

The SEC describes a stock trader who executes 4 or more daytrades in 5 business days, provided the number of daytrades are more than six percent of the customer's total trading activity for that same five-day period, as a Pattern Daytrader. As a Pattern Daytrader you are required to have a minimum of $25,000 starting capital and cannot fall below this amount.

10. Liquidity

The Emini S&P futures trade about an average of 2 million times a day which allows for great price action, volatility and speedy execution. At a current approximate value of $50,000, that is over $100 billion changing hands every trading day.

Not all stocks and Forex markets are as liquid which means movements can be shaky and erratic, making daytrading more difficult. Forex firms like to make the claim that the over the counter foreign exchange market trades more than one trillion Dollars in volume per day, but most people don't realize is that in most cases you just traded against your broker's dealing desk rather than the true interbank market.

11. Tax Advantages

US Futures traders have favorable tax consequences for short term traders since futures profits are taxed 60/40, which means that 60% of the gain is taxed at the maximum rate of 15% (similar to long-term gains) and the other 40% is taxed at a maximum rate of 35% as ordinary income.

Securities positions held for less than 12 months are considered short term gains and taxed at 35%. Of course everyone’s tax situation is different and should consult a licensed accountant for their specific situation.

12. Diversification

When trading a stock index like the Emini S&P futures your "news risk" is spread out over the entire market. Should a report or rumor come out on an individual stock it should have very little impact on the whole index you are trading.

When you take a position in an individual stock you are susceptible to stock specific risk which can occur without warning and with violent consequences.

13. Safety of Funds

When you trade the ES you are trading with a Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) regulated and National Futures Association (NFA) member firm which is subject to the customer segregated funds rules laid out by the US government. In the over 100 years of futures trading the CME has only once had a loss of customer funds due to the failure of a clearing member because of these rules that are in place. While there are never any guarantees that you can't lose money, this track record is unprecedented.

Even with regulated US Forex firms, funds are not considered segregated, so if a regulated firm goes bankrupt clients funds are not offered the same protections as they are in the futures market.

14. Focus

Many ES futures traders only track the ES market and find it is the only chart they need to follow. There are always opportunities and great volume throughout the trading day. When large institutions or traders want to take a position in the market or hedge a portfolio they usually turn to the futures markets to get this done quickly and efficiently. Therefore, why not trade the market the "Big Boys" trade?

Most traders agree that individual stocks and therefore, the market as a whole follow the futures indices, and not the opposite. In fact, many stock traders will have an Emini futures chart up next to the stock they are following. As a stock or Forex trader you may need to scan dozens of stocks or currency pairs for opportunities. Many times specific stocks fall out of favor so volume and, therefore opportunities dry up and traders are forced to find a new stock to trade.

15. Go Short

There are no rules against going short the ES, traders simply sell short the ES contract in hopes of buying it back later at a lower price. There are no special requirements or privileges you need to ask your futures broker for.

Most stockbrokers require a special account with higher requirements for you to be able to go short. Some stocks are not shortable, or have limited shares that can be shorted. Also, up-tick rules could be re-enforced and in the past the government has put temporary bans on stocks that can be shorted.

16. Direct Correlation

On average the ES futures are directly correlated to the underlying S&P 500 index in the short and long term. If you pull up an Emini S&P 500 futures chart and compare it to the S&P 500 index chart they should almost look identical.

Double or triple weighted ETFs do not track the S&P accurately over longer periods, and some currency ETFs have credit risks associated with them which could hinder their ability to correlate.

17. Deep Market

The S&P 500 index is comprised of very actively traded stocks with some of the largest market capitalizations and with hundreds of billions of dollars invested in some fashion in them. With such large dollar values and high trading volume it would be very hard to manipulate its movements.

On the other hand sometimes it is easy to move or even manipulate a particular stock and even a foreign currency market. George Soros has been accused of intentional driving down the price of the British Pound and the currencies of Thailand and Malaysia and many stock "promoters," insiders and markets makers have been convicted of manipulating stocks.

18. Big Players

The old adages follow the "big boys" and "smart money" are usually true when it comes to trading, and large money managers, pension funds, institutional traders, etc. tend to be very active traders in the futures markets. The S&P 500 futures contract is generally recognized as the leading benchmark for the underlying stock market movements.

Most active equity traders admit they first look to the index futures for an indication of what the stock they are trading might be doing, so why not just trade the leader of the market, the Emini futures?

19. Volume Analysis

Volume can be one of the most useful indicators a trader can use, those little lines at the bottom of the chart are not just there to look pretty they should be used as another indication of the validity or lack thereof, of a particular move. In other words combined with other indicators and/or chart patterns volume can be used to confirm a move in the market. Most market technicians would agree that a move made on relatively light volume is not as significant as a move made on heavy volume and should be treated accordingly.

Since the Forex market is over the counter (OTC), there is no centralized exchange, no one place where trades take place therefore, there is no accurate record of volume and most, if not all, Forex charts will not show any indication of volume. So what might appear to be a significant move on a Forex chart, may just be a false move on low volume and could not be filtered out if you were looking at a Forex chart.

20. Clearing Reliability

During the May 6, 2010 "Flash Crash" the Emini S&P futures continued to trade within a reasonable price range reflecting what the cash S&P 500 index was indicating. No trades on the Emini S&P futures were cancelled and all trades cleared.

According to the joint study by the SEC and CFTC, ETFs made up 70% of the securities with trades that were later canceled. Furthermore, there were about 160 ETFs that temporarily lost almost all of their value and 27% of fund companies had securities with trades broken. Had you bought or sold during this event you may had been notified after the market closed that your trade was no longer good and left with potentially dangerous consequences.

As you probably already know trading is hard enough, so why choose a market where the odds are stacked more against you before you even place your first order. The above mentioned 20 points clearly make the E-Mini S&P 500 futures the best choice for daytraders and will give you the most bang for your buck. Before you trade futures, though, please make sure they are appropriate for you and that you only use risk capital.

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How to Trade Forex

 News trading often brings the biggest moves of the month. Because of this, it’s no wonder that trader’s seek out high importance news events to try and catch a big move. However, if you don’t have a solid plan for trading the upcoming event, you’re likely better off not trading at all. Here is a plan to make sure you’re ready when a big move comes your way.

“Don’t think about what the market’s going to do; you have absolutely no control over that. Think about what you’re going to do if it gets there. In particular, you should spend no time at all thinking about those rosy scenarios in which the market goes your way, since in those situations, there’s nothing more for you to do. Focus instead on those things you want least to happen and on what your response will be.” – William Eckhardt

Have you ever wondered why markets move so much before a news release? Quite simply, it’s because of massive amount of traders are entering or exiting based on the news release and these traders want to do so at the price they feel is best. This causes a relatively large move immediately following a news release.

Now, trading the news is exciting. However, it’s also risky due to the large moves that follow a news release and because of these moves you need to be well prepared ahead of time if you’re interested in trading around big news events. First, it’s important to cover how to know when a big news event is coming out.

Learn Forex: News Events Cause Forex Prices to Fluctuate Greatly

Presented byFXCM’s Marketscope Charts

A Quick Primer on the DailyFX Economic Calendar

The DailyFX Economic Calendar is a key tool to help make you aware of when a High Importance event is coming out like the Federal Reserve Minutes or a Bank of Japan Rate Decision. To find the news that will most likely move the market, you should adjust the filter to only see High Importance events so that your calendar isn’t flooded with news that has little probability in moving the market. Once the filter is applied, you can begin looking for news events on currencies that you’re trying to find good opportunities in.

Learn Forex: DailyFX Economic Calendar Can Help You Be Aware Of Market Moving Events

Courtesy of Dailyfx.com/Calendar

The Two Kinds of News Results You Should Be Aware Of

Now that you know what news events to focus on, you should know that all news releases are not treated equal and you should know the differences. what the expectations for the numbers are. The expectations are important because the market has likely priced in the expectations so that should the news release is exactly at expectations you wouldn’t expect too large of a move. On the other hand , if news releases and the numbers are way out side of expectations, then you will see a massive move in which you should be prepared to trade if this style of trading fits your risk profile.

Whether you’re trading a short-term or longer-term strategy, you need to know how news comes out in regards to expectations. If markets come out in line with expectations then you will approach the set up completely differently than if the release is completely outside of expectations.

Release In Line With Expectations: Locate Key Price Levels to Enter Into a Trade

More than likely, you will see a reaction to the news event even if the numbers come in line. This can be because a flow of orders comes in the moves around prices but regardless of the reason this is your opportunity to have the market prove to you a level of support or resistance. If price touches that important level and holds, you can enter in a way so that your risk is still tight as the market continues business as usual.

Learn Forex: When News Comes Out In Line, Look For a Good Entry on the Current Move

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There are two simple and objective tools you can use to find support or resistance so you can identify a high probability entry off a news event. The first would be Pivot Prices which are objective points of support and resistance based on prior price action. The other tool would be a trendlines which is a manually drawn line connecting price points where the trend continue.

Release Outside of Expectations: Locate Breakout Levels to Enter Into a Trade

Learn Forex: Trendlines Can Help You Catch an Entry as The Next Move Unfolds

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If a trendline is truly broken, retested and then continues in the direction of the break, you have a clear trade with tight risk. Naturally, a trend line break would most likely happen only on high volatility caused by news coming outside of expectations. When an entry is triggered of such a move, you can place a tight stop below the trendline to prevent you from holding a counter trade if the trend resumes.

Happy Trading!

Become a Smarter Trader Today

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