Adventures of a Currency Trader

Praise for ADVENTURES of a CURRENCY TRADER

"A truly easy, unique, and enjoyable read! Rob has done it once again to teach us in the funniest way possible how not to make the most common trading mistakes. If you are tired of reading how-to books, this is perfect for you. I highly recommend this book to all traders. Everyone will learn something about themselves by reading this book."
—Kathy Lien, author, Day Trading the Currency Market, and Chief Strategist, www.dailyfx.com

"Adventures of a Currency Trader is a must read for anyone who has ever traded or is thinking about trading in the Forex markets. Rob Booker has a unique way of taking years of market knowledge and transforming it into an educational and entertaining experience. It has quickly become a cult classic in my trading library!"
—H. Jack Bouroudjian, Principal, Brewer Investment Group

"Brilliant! Rob's humor and humanity shine through in this parable about trading and life. Filled with wisdom and wit, it's an exhilarating rollercoaster ride through the peaks and valleys of the learning curve, with many valuable lessons learned along the way."
—Ed Ponsi, President, FXEducator.com

"Rob's fable of everyman 'Harry Banes' is destined to become a trading classic. This is both the missing piece and the foundation that comes before the strategies and methodologies. The search for the Holy Grail begins and ends in the heart and mind. The journey is authentic and real and if you're willing to take it with Rob, you will be rewarded in the end. Seldom has psychology and wisdom been so entertaining!"
—Raghee Horner, trader and author of Forex Trading for Maximum Profit and Days of Forex Trading

"In a series of insightful and entertaining vignettes, Rob Booker teaches both the novice and the experienced trader some hard won truths about the currency market. It's a must read book written by a guy who survived the trenches and went on to prosper in the biggest and most competitive financial market in the world."
—Boris Schlossberg, Senior Currency Strategist, Forex Capital Markets LLC, and author of Technical Analysis of the Currency Market

Foreword ix

Preface xi

Acknowledgments xiii

About the Author xv

Introduction 1

Chapter 1 In Search of Amazing Profits 3

Chapter 2 The Future Looks Bright 11

Chapter 3 A Trip to the Thirty-First Floor 16

Chapter 4 Two Promising Conversations 28

Chapter 5 Lessons Learned 33

Chapter 6 A Turn for the Worse 45

Chapter 7 Trying to Awake from the Nightmare 57

Chapter 8 Charlie Flank Goes to U.S. National Bank 63

Chapter 9 Mapping Out a New Career 73

Chapter 10 Charlie Flank Meets His Match 79

Chapter 11 Coming Clean 94

Chapter 12 Looks Can Be Deceiving 104

Chapter 13 The Story of George Sisler 114

Chapter 14 Back to Square One 122

Chapter 15 Breakfast with Harvey 133

Chapter 16 Back to Where It All Began 149

Chapter 17 Testing 164

Chapter 18 Homework 175

Chapter 19 Team Banes Begins Anew 183

Chapter 20 Presenting Our Findings 189

Chapter 21 Back in the Game 194

Chapter 22 Return to the Thirty-First Floor 197

Chapter 23 Settling My Tab 200

Epilogue 203

Appendix A: The Retail Carry Trade 207

Appendix B: How I Got Six Hundred Pips 211

Index 215

"…you will find this book riveting and occasionally amusing, but nothing less than eye-opening." (Securities & Investment review , June 2007) ROB BOOKER is a foreign currency trader and a trainer of traders. His Web site, www.robbooker.com, and blog, www.piptopia.com, are two of the most popular destinations on the Web for traders, and both provide educational and inspirational materials on trading. Booker has the reputation of being one of the best trainers of traders in the foreign exchange industry. Hundreds of people he has trained now trade for a living. Booker's growing popularity is a result of both his success as a trainer and his ability to impart his knowledge in an appealing manner through stories and anecdotes. Let author Rob Booker introduce you to Harry Banes. Harry represents every trader. He doesn't start trading with a huge amount of money, and his ambition is larger than his ability. His financial situation and life as a new trader may be difficult, but his determination allows him to prevail in Adventures of a Currency Trader. ?

Funny, entertaining, and, above all, educational, Adventures of a Currency Trader demonstrates exactly what it takes to capitalize on today's volatile and potentially profitable foreign exchange markets. Told through the eyes of a fictional character by the name of Harry Banes—an aspiring trader who works as a filing clerk in a busy New York law firm—Adventures of a Currency Trader explains in a powerful and compelling manner how you can implement a consistent trading approach in the foreign currency market and become a financially independent currency trader in the process.

There's a little bit of each of us in Harry Banes, and as the story progresses, you'll discover how to turn the lessons outlined in this book into potentially profitable trades. Harry admits early on that he's a rookie trader, which won't adequately prepare you for how bad he really is. But we'll stand by him as he picks himself up from early disappointments and begins to implement the wise counsel of a veteran trader—Harvey Winklestein—who agrees to mentor him.

From Harry's experiences, you'll learn how to recover from disastrous losses, set yourself up as a full-time trader, and talk to loved ones about what you're doing. But that's not all. Through Harry's numerous journeys, you'll also discover how to create reliable charts, perform the proper type of analysis, and make effective trades. Most importantly, you'll learn how to generate substantial profits—and keep them.

Both technical and motivational in nature, Adventures of a Currency Trader is a unique guide to trading that will provide you with a solid foundation in this field. Filled with hard-won wisdom borne of real trading experiences, Adventures of a Currency Trader is destined to become a classic of trading literature.

Praise for ADVENTURES of a CURRENCY TRADER

"A truly easy, unique, and enjoyable read! Rob has done it once again to teach us in the funniest way possible how not to make the most common trading mistakes. If you are tired of reading how-to books, this is perfect for you. I highly recommend this book to all traders. Everyone will learn something about themselves by reading this book."
—Kathy Lien, author, Day Trading the Currency Market, and Chief Strategist, www.dailyfx.com

"Adventures of a Currency Trader is a must read for anyone who has ever traded or is thinking about trading in the Forex markets. Rob Booker has a unique way of taking years of market knowledge and transforming it into an educational and entertaining experience. It has quickly become a cult classic in my trading library!"
—H. Jack Bouroudjian, Principal, Brewer Investment Group

"Brilliant! Rob's humor and humanity shine through in this parable about trading and life. Filled with wisdom and wit, it's an exhilarating rollercoaster ride through the peaks and valleys of the learning curve, with many valuable lessons learned along the way."
—Ed Ponsi, President, FXEducator.com

"Rob's fable of everyman 'Harry Banes' is destined to become a trading classic. This is both the missing piece and the foundation that comes before the strategies and methodologies. The search for the Holy Grail begins and ends in the heart and mind. The journey is authentic and real and if you're willing to take it with Rob, you will be rewarded in the end. Seldom has psychology and wisdom been so entertaining!"
—Raghee Horner, trader and author of Forex Trading for Maximum Profit and Thirty Days of Forex Trading

"In a series of insightful and entertaining vignettes, Rob Booker teaches both the novice and the experienced trader some hard won truths about the currency market. It's a must read book written by a guy who survived the trenches and went on to prosper in the biggest and most competitive financial market in the world."
—Boris Schlossberg, Senior Currency Strategist, Forex Capital Markets LLC, and author of Technical Analysis of the Currency Market