A proficient trader employs both technical and fundamental analysis prior to entering any trades. Fundamentals include watching the world news, and particularly studying variables that may cause the market price of a currency to fluctuate, including monetary and fiscal policy, political conditions, trade patterns, economic indicators (i.e. GDP, CPI, PPI), interest rates, inflation and unemployment numbers. Faith in a government's ability to stand behind its currency also impacts currency price. From time to time, central banks use intervention as an effective method of enforcing market adherence to their desired exchange rate comfort zones. Technical analysis, which has grown dramatically in popularity in the foreign exchange market since the 1980's, involves computer charting, using trend lines, support and resistance levels, reversals, and numerous patterns and analysis to study the behavior patterns of market crowds to track and identify buying and selling opportunities. Over long historical periods, currencies have displayed identifiable trends and patterns which provide investors with profitable opportunities. |