Be prepared!

Trading in the forex market sounds exciting. It is. It is also a risky business, if the risk is not managed. Luckily for traders, the risk in trading the forex markets can be managed quite efficiently due to the vast liquidity in the major currencies. However, today, given the high levels of technology and the ease in which it is possible to open a trading account, a new trader can easily fall prey to his or her own enthusiasm to get started in trading due in part to the strong lure of the forex brokers who offer cheap access and a promise of easy success.

Readers of this site know that trading forex is a real business, one in which one has to have knowledge, understanding and wisdom to be profitable. Therefore, whether you follow any of the methods offered here or anywhere else, I wish to remind you to come to this business with proper preparation. It is imperative to be able to detach emotionally from being right, and therefore hold on to a wrong position because you invested time and energy and money in taking it. If you are wrong, let it go quickly. Learn to love small losses. They are much more palatable than large losses. By building a foundation in which you design a blueprint for trading, you stand the best chance of developing the appropriate and necessary confidence. For this type of blueprint, please refer to the Fusion Trading method, I offer in my course "Trading the Forex Markets - A Foundation Guide to Online Trading."

However, the point is not to pitch my course, (which I am shamelessly doing in this blog) but to persuade you to only trade once you have taken the steps to prepare yourself properly, no matter where you find your inspiration.

INPUT/Output: Top 20 Federal Opportunities for FY 2010

At the beginning of each fiscal year, INPUT identifies and assesses major upcoming federal contract opportunities and presents the findings in a report, the Top 20 Federal Business Opportunities of FY2010. This report analyzes the impact first year decisions of the Obama administration have made on acquisition and government contracting at civilian and defense agencies, and forecasts the paths to the top opportunities in the coming year and beyond. These opportunities reach across the broad spectrum of federal agencies: the State Department, Department of Homeland Security, National Institute of Health, General Services Administration, Department of Justice, and the Department of Defense. Altogether, the Top 20 Opportunities represent $180 billion worth of viable programs for prime contractors and smaller businesses alike.

Key Points:

• Most of the work going through these contracts is ongoing work, or continuing work; there are very few new programs up for bid this year. Many of the recompetes are in the areas of information technology services, engineering services and professional services for the administration.
• There is a pronounced shift away from large system integrator contracts towards task/delivery order based vehicles and consolidation efforts. Government-Wide Acquisition Vehicles (GWACs) will continue to present a greater range of opportunities with entrance into multiple agencies.
• Civilian agencies, that have historically played a minority role in the Top 20, have soared to the forefront accounting for over 60 percent of the total contract value. Similarly, the overall contract value of $180 billion far exceeds last year's list valued at $120 billion.