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OPEC stands for the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries. Founded in 1960, OPEC's main objective is to coordinate and unify the petroleum policies of its member countries to secure fair and stable prices for petroleum producers. This article briefly outlines who this organisation is and their significant influence on the pricing of oil.

Who are OPEC? OPEC has 13 member countries, including nations like Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Iran, and Venezuela, among others. OPEC holds 80.4% of the world’s proven oil reserves, while the set of 11 non-OPEC nations represent 9.7% of proven oil reserves.

With 90% of the world’s proven crude oil reserves held by these nations, they have the capability to disrupt or enhance the supply of crude oil. The list of non-OPEC nations includes Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Brunei, Equatorial Guinea, Kazakhstan, Russia, Mexico, Malaysia, South Sudan, Sudan and Oman. And OPEC+?

OPEC+ refers to OPEC and its alliance with other major oil-exporting countries that are not part of OPEC. OPEC+ aims to bring more coordination to global oil production levels, thereby stabilizing prices. The most notable non-OPEC country in OPEC+ is Russia, but the group also includes Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Brunei, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mexico, Oman, Russia, South Sudan and Sudan And what are the “Observer states”?

Observer states do not have voting rights in OPEC decisions but may be invited to participate in discussions, share perspectives, and sometimes even coordinate policies informally with OPEC members. The status of observer can serve as a preliminary step before becoming a full member, although this is not always the case. Observer state countries include Canada, Egypt, Norway and Oman.

What Does OPEC do? Production Quotas: Both OPEC and OPEC+ set production quotas for member countries to balance supply and demand in the global oil market. These quotas aim to stabilise or increase oil prices depending on prevailing market conditions and arguably to meet their needs as oil producing nations.

Market Monitoring: The organisations monitor global economic conditions, energy markets, and supply/demand factors to inform their decisions. Policy Coordination: Through regular meetings, OPEC and OPEC+ members coordinate their national policies regarding oil production. Data and Research: They gather and publish data on oil production, exporting, and pricing, providing valuable insights into the global oil market.

How Do They Do It? Regular Meetings: Both OPEC and OPEC+ hold regular meetings to review current market conditions and decide on production quotas. Technical Committees: These are specialized committees that analyze market conditions and recommend policies.

Joint Ministerial Monitoring Committee (JMMC): In the case of OPEC+, this committee reviews compliance with agreed production quotas and recommends corrective measures if needed. Consensus Decision-Making: Decisions, especially in OPEC, are generally made by unanimous agreement, although OPEC+ operates more on a negotiated basis between its leading members. Market Implications of OPEC Decision Making A knowledge of both the direct and wider indirect influence of OPEC on financial markets is worthwhile as this goes across the majority of asset classes, and therefore can influence traders significant irrespective of their preferred trading instrument.

These include: Oil Prices: OPEC and OPEC+ decisions hold significant sway over global oil prices. These organizations, representing a substantial portion of the world's oil production, can influence supply levels through production cuts or increases. Consequently, their actions often result in immediate and sometimes substantial effects on oil prices.

Higher production quotas tend to lower prices, while production cuts can drive prices upward. These price fluctuations impact both energy companies and consumers, as they affect fuel costs and energy-related expenses. Stock Markets: While energy stocks and indices are particularly sensitive to OPEC/OPEC+ decisions, the broader stock market is also affected.

This broader impact arises from the economic implications of oil price changes. For instance, rising oil prices can lead to increased production costs for many businesses, potentially impacting corporate profits. Conversely, lower oil prices can benefit various industries but may negatively affect energy sector companies.

Therefore, stock markets, as a whole, as well as individual stocks react to these shifts in energy prices, influencing investment strategies and market sentiment. Currency Markets: Changes in oil prices can have a cascading effect on currency markets. Oil-exporting countries e.g., Canada, often rely heavily on oil revenues to support their economies.

When oil prices rise, these countries tend to experience increased income, which can strengthen their currencies. Conversely, falling oil prices can weaken their currencies. This currency impact, in turn, affects Forex markets as traders adjust their positions based on shifts in exchange rates driven by oil price movements.

Inflation: Oil prices have a direct and immediate impact on inflation levels worldwide. This is because energy costs are a significant component of the Consumer Price Index (CPI) in many countries. When oil prices rise, it often leads to higher transportation and production costs, ultimately contributing to inflation.

Central banks closely monitor inflation levels, and significant changes can influence their monetary policies, including decisions on interest rates. Thus, OPEC's choices can indirectly affect central bank decisions, which, in turn, impact financial markets. Geopolitical Implications: The decisions made by OPEC and OPEC+ are not just economic; they also have geopolitical ramifications.

Oil is a strategic resource with far-reaching geopolitical significance. Countries that are major oil producers often wield considerable influence on the global stage due to their energy resources. Therefore, OPEC's decisions can sometimes lead to geopolitical tensions or alliances, affecting international relations and potentially impacting global security.

Sector Impact: Certain industries are highly dependent on oil prices. Airlines, transportation, and the automotive sector, for instance, are profoundly affected by OPEC/OPEC+ decisions. Airlines may experience changes in fuel costs, which can significantly impact their operational expenses and profitability.

Similarly, transportation companies and automakers rely on affordable fuel prices to maintain competitive pricing and consumer demand. Consequently, OPEC's choices can ripple through these sectors, influencing business strategies, stock performance, and investor sentiment. Summary Although by no means the only influence on the price of oil and related assets, OPEC undoubtedly plays a major part.

For traders, particularly those involved in commodity trading, energy sectors, or currencies of oil-dependent countries, understanding the dynamics of OPEC and OPEC+ is crucial. Their decisions can create volatility and trading opportunities, but also pose risks that need to be managed carefully. A knowledge of timing of OPEC meetings and observation of the impact of OPEC statements are a great start point in managing such risks and taking advantages of opportunities that may exist.

Averaging down is an investment strategy in which an investor purchases additional shares or other assets at a lower price than their initial purchase price. This strategy is employed when the price of the asset has declined after the investor's initial purchase. Through buying more of the asset at a lower cost, the average cost per unit or share decreases.

Averaging down can be applied to various types of investments, including stocks, bonds, commodities, and cryptocurrencies. This article provides an example of what averaging down may look like and explores some of the considerations that must be taken into account prior to implementing such a strategy. Averaging Down – An Example To illustrate the principle of averaging down, consider the following example.

An investor believes in the long-term potential of an AI company's stock, ABC Tech Pty Ltd, and initially purchases 100 shares at $50 per share, resulting in a total investment of $5,000. However, over the next few months, the stock price declines due to market volatility and concerns about the company's financial performance. Initial Purchase: Bought 100 shares of ABC Tech Pty Ltd. at $50 per share.

Total investment: $5,000. Breakeven cost: $50 per share Averaging Down actioned After a few months, the stock's price has fallen to $40 per share. The investor believes that the price drop is temporary.

Rather than selling the shares at a loss of $1,000, the investor decides to employ an averaging-down strategy. The investor purchases an additional 100 shares of ABC Tech Pty Ltd at the current price of $40 per share. Here's how the investment looks after the additional purchase: Initial 100 shares at $50 per share: $5,000.

Additional 100 shares at $40 per share: $4,000. Total investment: $9,000 Breakeven cost: $45 per share The Opportunity in Averaging Down With the average cost per share now reduced from $50 to $45, a profit will be realized if the stock's price eventually rebounds and exceeds $45 per share. If the stock price increases to $55 per share, here is the updated financial picture: Initial 100 shares at $50 per share: Original value $5,000, now worth $5,500 — $500 profit.

Additional 100 shares at $40 per share: Original value $4,000, now worth $5,500 — $1,500 profit. Current total value of holdings: $11,000 from an initial investment of $9,000. Total profit: $2,000 Risks of Averaging Down However, if the stock price declines further to $35, the situation would be as follows: Initial 100 shares at $50 per share: Original value $5,000, now worth $3,500 — $1,500 loss.

Additional 100 shares at $40 per share: Original value $4,000, now worth $3,500 — $500 loss. Current total value of holdings: $7,000 from a total investment of $9,000. Total loss: $2,000 So rather than an opportunity realised there is a compounding of the losses.

This can be exaggerated further should additional averaging down purchases be made at the new lower price, which some who use this strategy would subsequently action. What this example aims to illustrate is that despite any potential advantage, merely buying more of an asset because its price has declined doesn't guarantee that the asset's value will eventually recover. Without proper research and analysis, investors might be investing in an asset with poor long-term prospects.

So, the key message is that this strategy should be based on additional considerations that must form part of the decision making. Key Considerations for Averaging Down As we have outlined, averaging down can be a tactical move when executed with careful consideration of the asset's fundamentals and market trends. It can be particularly effective for investors with a long-term perspective who believe in the asset's long-term potential.

However, the following represent some of the considerations that must be at the forefront of any such decision. Potential for Larger Losses: As already referenced but is worth re-iterating, averaging down carries the risk that the asset's price might continue to decline after additional purchases. This can result in larger losses if the price does not recover as anticipated.

The reason for any decline must be fully investigated. Of course, it could be a simple short-term market fluctuation that may be taken advantage of, but it is vital to explore whether there is a more permanent decline in company performance meaning recovery is less likely. Sunk Cost Fallacy: Averaging down can lead to a cognitive bias termed sunk cost fallacy (or sunk cost bias), where investors continue investing in a losing position because they've already committed capital.

This can prevent them from objectively assessing the asset's true potential and an emotion-based refusal to accept that the loss in value may not recover. Loss of Diversification: Overcommitting to an averaging down approach in a single asset can lead to an imbalanced portfolio, reducing diversification and so arguably increasing overall risk. Opportunity Cost: Funds used for averaging down could potentially be invested in other assets with better potential for growth.

Investors need to assess whether averaging down is the best use of their capital and so by committing more into a single asset may be losing opportunities in another. Time Horizon: Averaging down often requires a longer time horizon to potentially realise any potential gains. If an investor needs liquidity in the short term, this strategy might not align with their investment profile or goals.

Psychological Stress: Sustained declines in an asset's price can lead to emotional stress for investors who are hoping for a recovery. Emotional decision-making can lead to poor choices. Using averaging down as a substitute for a clearly defined exit strategy: Any investment should be underpinned with a soldi and unambiguous risk management foundation.

Averaging down is often employed without due consideration of this reality and often employed by those without clearly defined exit points for longer term positions. Summary Averaging down can be useful if applied thoughtfully and with a clear risk management plan. However, it comes with its own set of risks, and investors must carefully consider their risk tolerance, investment goals, and market conditions before deciding to implement this strategy.

As always, it's crucial to maintain a well thought out portfolio, conduct thorough research, and avoid emotional decision-making.

The Relative Strength Index (RSI) is an oscillator type of indicator, designed to illustrate the momentum related to a price movement of a currency pair or CFD. In this brief article we aim to outline what this indictor may tell you about market sentiment, and along with other indicators assist in your decision-making. As with most oscillator type of indicator, the RSI can move between two key points (0-100).

The major aim of the RSI is to gauge whether a particular asset, in our context a forex pair or CFD, is overbought or oversold, and the associated key levels are below 30 (when it is classed as “Oversold”) and above 70 (where it is classed as “overbought”). To bring up an RSI chart on your MT4/5 platform it is simply a case of finding the RSI in your list of indicators in the Navigation box and clicking and dragging it into your chart area. The diagram below illustrates this on a 30-minute chart.

It is generally thought that if the RSI moves into either of these two zones then a change may be imminent. Most commonly the RSI may be used as part of entry decision making. Traders may use this as an additional tick (when other indicators suggest entry) to make sure they do not enter a long trade on an overbought currency pair, or short trade on an oversold currency pair.

Therefore, when articulating this in your trading plan it may read something like the following: a. I will refrain from entry into a long trade if the RSI has moved above 70 on the last trading bar. b. I will refrain from entry into a short trade if the RSI has moved below 30 on the last trading bar.

Less frequently but logically, if one accepts this premise that a move into either of the previous described zones then a trend change may be imminent. It could also be used as a “warning” to potentially exit from an open trade. Traders who wish to explore this in their own trading could: a.

Tighten a trail stop to within a specified number of pips from current price e.g., 10 Pips. or b. Exit the trade entirely. Of course, in either case and with any indicators we discuss, back-testing it with previous trades to ascertain any change in outcomes can be performed to justify a prospective test.

Finally, after gathering a critical mass of trade examples exploring if this would make a difference, this could provide the evidence to suggest whether you should (or should not if there is no difference) formally add to your trading plan. For a live look at how indictors may be used in the reality of trading decision making, why not join our “Inner Circle” group with regular weekly webinars on a range of topic including that of indicators. It would be great to have you as part of the group.

CLICK HERE to enroll for the next inner circle session. This article is written by an external Analyst and is based on his independent analysis. He remains fully responsible for the views expressed as well as any remaining error or omissions.

Trading Forex and Derivatives carries a high level of risk.

Definition of Moving Average In trading, moving averages are often used to smooth out price data to generate trend-following indicators. The most commonly used types are the Simple Moving Average (SMA) and the Exponential Moving Average (EMA). A Simple Moving Average is calculated by defining a period, e.g., 10—or, in other words, the last 10 candles—adding these last 10 close prices, and then dividing by 10.

This is recalculated every time a candle closes and may be plotted as a single line on a price chart. An Exponential Moving Average is often preferred by many traders because it gives more weight to recent prices and appears to be more responsive to price changes than the Simple Moving Average. Ways to Use Moving Averages in Trading Decisions – An Overview Although, like most indicators on a trading platform, a moving average is 'lagging' in terms of the information it provides, its ability to indicate trend direction and changes makes it popular.

For entry points, traders often use two different moving averages, such as a 10 and 20 EMA on a chart. When these crossover so that the 10 is higher than the 20, for example, it may be indicative of a new uptrend (and vice versa for a potential downtrend). Larger moving averages, like the 200 and 50, are commonly observed, particularly when these cross.

For instance, the 50 crossing below the 200 is termed the "death cross" and could indicate a long-term uptrend changing to a downtrend. For exit strategies, rather than waiting for a moving average cross, a more timely exit signal might be a cross between price and a moving average. This is the major focus of this article, and we will discuss this approach along with a few considerations.

Using Price and Moving Average as a Trail Stop So let us first clarify what we mean by a trail stop or trailing stop. Traditionally, a trail stop is a type of stop-loss order that moves with the market price as a trade progresses in your desired direction. For example, if you buy a stock at $100 with an initial stop of $90 and the price moves up to $110, you may "trail" your initial stop from $90 up to $102.

This means that if the trade turns around and moves back down to $102, triggering your trail stop, you would still make a minimum profit of $2 per share, even if the price continues to drop back to $90. If the price doesn't drop but continues to rise, you can move your trail stop higher, for example, to $115, then $120, and so on, until the price eventually falls and triggers an exit. In simple terms, a trail stop locks in profit and manages the risk of giving all potential profit back to the market as the price moves in your desired direction.

Many approaches systematize the use of a trail stop as part of a trading plan, rather than simply using an arbitrary price. One of these approaches is to use a moving average as a trail stop, which we will now discuss in more detail. Moving Average as a Trail Stop Using a moving average as a trail stop means that instead of setting your stop-loss at a fixed dollar amount below the market price, you set it at the level of a particular moving average.

As the moving average changes, your trail stop will move with it. For example, consider the chart below where we have entered a short gold trade on an hourly timeframe at point "A," anticipating a potential trend reversal. The yellow line on the chart is a 10EMA.

The price moves in our desired direction and closes above our yellow line (or the 10 EMA) at point "B," locking in a good profit for this trade. As you can also see, a candle's price crossed temporarily over the 10EMA at point "C" but closed below it. This is an important consideration that we will touch upon later.

Considerations for Traders There are several factors to consider when deciding which approach suits your individual trading style, and these should be tested to find the optimal strategy for you. Which MA Type?: We've already discussed the major differences between Simple and Exponential Moving Averages. Many traders, particularly those trading shorter timeframes, tend to prefer the EMA due to its greater responsiveness to trend changes.

However, just because a particular approach is right for many doesn't mean it can't be different for you. Which Period MA?: This is probably the most debated consideration. A longer EMA, e.g., 20 instead of 10, will require a more significant price drop to trigger, meaning you may give more back to the market if the drop continues.

However, this must be balanced against the possibility that any uptrend may pause and even retrace for a period before resuming its climb. MA Touch or Close?: Another key debate is whether a trail stop using a moving average should be triggered by any touch of that moving average at any time, or whether to wait for a close price through the MA. Both approaches have pros and cons, which need to be weighed carefully.

In Summary There's no doubt that the concept of using a trail stop merits exploration for any trader. Price/MA cross is a relatively easy concept to understand and implement and can improve trading outcomes irrespective of the "fine-tuning" considerations discussed. Your challenge is clear: thorough, ongoing testing is essential to refine your choice and find the optimal method for you.

Strategies Simple Moving Average (SMA) Strategy: Utilizing a 50-day SMA as a trail stop could be effective for longer-term trades. If the price drops below the 50-day SMA, you could trigger a sell order. Exponential Moving Average (EMA) Strategy: For more sensitive, shorter-term trading, a 20-day EMA could be used as a trail stop.

The EMA gives more weight to recent prices and thus responds more quickly to price changes. Price Percentage and MA Combination: You could set a rule where the trail stop triggers if the price drops a certain percentage below the moving average. For example, if the 50-day

In this climate of phishing and scam websites and messages, we’d like to take this opportunity to remind our clients of the official GO Markets websites. Scammers at times will register similar domains, with minor spelling differences, and copy our website design in an attempt to deceive visitors. These copies can sometimes be very convincing.

GO Markets' genuine websites are www.gomarkets.com, www.gomarkets.eu and www.gomarkets.ltd If in any doubt about a website, simply visit www.gomarkets.com directly. GO Markets is also on a number of Social Media platforms; Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, WeChat and YouTube. When following links from Social Media pages, please ensure you are directed to one of the legitimate websites above, as scammers may also set up fake Social Media profiles in an attempt to direct users to false websites.

As always, if you have any concerns, please reach out to our Customer Support team or your Account Manager directly.

Index trading is one of the most popular class of markets to trade for CFD traders, rivalling major FX pairs in trading volume, but what is indices trading and how does trading them with CFDs work? Most people will be familiar with the names of the major stock indices from financial reports in all forms of media, the most popular stock indices of CFD traders and the stocks they track are below: USA The Dow Jones Industrial average - 30 largest blue-chip companies in the US NASDAQ Composite Index – Top 100 largest non-financial companies in the US (Mostly Tech) S&P 500 Index - 500 large cap companies in the US (Bank heavy) Europe and UK FTSE 100 – Top 100 UK companies CAC 40 – Top 40 French companies DAX 40 – Top 40 German companies (Formerly known as the DAX30 which it may still be labelled as) Asia and Australia ASX 200 – Top 200 Australian companies Hang Seng - A selection of the largest companies in Hong Kong. Nikkei 225 - Consists of 225 stocks in the Prime Market of the Tokyo Stock Exchange Some of the advantages of trading indices: You can take a broad view of the health (or not) of that countries stock market, i.e. rather than take a position in a single stock, take a position in a basket of stocks by buying or selling the index they are components of.

Higher leverage available to trade stock indices, up to 100:1 for qualified Pro clients. Extended trading hours, you can take positions in most indices up to 23 hours a day, far greater hours than the underlying stock exchanges. Take positions long or short with ease to profit from both a rising and falling market.

When you take a Long (Buy) position you profit if the market moves up, a Short (Sell) position will profit when the market moves down. How Indices are priced and understanding your position size Stock Indices are priced in the native currency i.e., the Dow Jones (WS30 on the GO Markets platform) is priced in USD, the FTSE100 in GBP, the ASX200 in AUD etc. This is important to keep in mind when choosing your position size, it also important to know the specifications of the contract you are trading is to make sure you understand the lot sizing before entering a trade.

You can check the specifications of any contract on MT4 and MT5 by right clicking it in the Market Watch Window and selecting “Specification” An example specification of the Dow (WS30) is below (MT4 specs, MT5 is very similar): You can see in the example above that the WS30 contract with GO Markets has a contract size of 1, this means 1 lot will equal $1 USD per point movement in PnL if you take a position. e.g., if you buy 1 lot at a price of 33670 and the price rises to 33680 you are in profit by 10 points, which would equal $10 USD Most indices will have a contract size of 1, though it is advisable to always check as some may have different values, an example in the S&P 500 (US500) which has a contract size of 10. It is important to understand the contract size and base currency of the index you are trading before entering a trade to avoid any nasty surprises. Main drivers of what moves an Index’s price.

In choosing which Index to trade it is also important to understand the drivers of that index and it’s component stocks. All Indexes will have some common drivers, such as global growth concerns, geopolitical events and non-US indices will be affected (fairly or not) by what US markets are doing. Each index will also have its own individual drivers as well though.

Examples The NASDAQ (NDX100) is heavily weighted with mega cap tech stocks, the health of the Tech sector will heavily influence its price. The ASX200 and FTSE100 both have large contingents of miners, meaning commodity prices will be big drivers of these 2 indexes, more so the ASX200. The Russell 2000 has many regional and mid-size banks as its component stocks, which is why during the recent banking crisis it underperformed other US indices.

Understanding these unique drivers for each Index is recommended to make the best trading decisions possible. In Summary, trading Indices opens up some great opportunities to position yourself to profit from market moves, spreads on Indices with GO Markets are some of the best in the CFD industry, with tight spreads in and out of hours( Some brokers will artificially increase spreads on Indices outside the stock market hours of that country) They allow you to seamlessly take long or short positions to speculate for profit, or to headge existing stock positions from an overnight move. You can click the link below to learn more about Index trading with GO Markets. https://www.gomarkets.com/au/index-trading-cfds/