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"A helping word to one in trouble is often like a switch on a railroad track - an inch between a wreck and smooth rolling prosperity." - Henry Ward Beecher All successful traders were at one time beginners. Our mission at Titan is to impart upon our clients a sense of the knowledge and experience we have gained over our many years of commodity trading, and to provide a helping hand. We challenge our beginning traders and teach them to look at trades from different perspectives, and most importantly, to have a trading plan before a market is entered. Give us a call to discuss the many ways we can assist you. Many commodity traders who are just starting out have very little idea as to how to begin. We are more than happy to work closely with such clients so that they not only become comfortable enough to make their first trade but, in time, can become completely self-directed. For beginning traders we provide the following services. Beginning Trader Services 1. Education The first of the following two tutorials was put together by industry professionals at the New York Board of Trade, the second by The Institute for financial markets (IFM). a. How to Trade Futures b. Introduction to the futures and Option Markets We highly suggest getting a feel for some of the various markets by referencing their point values and contract sizes and comparing them to their respective charts. Take a look at a chart for a market you might be interested in trading and ask yourself "how much would I have made/lost if I had been long/short this market over the past day / week / month / year". By translating the fluctuations in the market into dollar values, you are able to get a better feel for the overall size and risk of that market and can then better formulate a trading plan. (i.e. which markets to trade, which to omit, where good entry points might be, where to place stops, etc.) We are more than happy to provide suggestions and help you out with this. c. Contact us for further educational materials, such as our "How to Enter Trades Online" brochure, or our "All About Options" guide. 2. Mock Accounts We realize that many traders are hesitant to open an account and put money on the line without any experience. We also realize that the best way to learn how to trade commodities is to actually start trading. Because of this disconnect we have come up with a solution, over-the-phone mock trading accounts. Beginning traders are set up with a broker to call and place "mock" trades. A simulation account is kept on behalf of the paper trader, real time fill prices are given, and profit and loss results are reported. Mock traders will learn how to place orders, talk about the markets with their broker, test out trades, all without risking any money. Contact us to get started. *It is not required that paper traders open an account prior to mock trading. 3. Begin by trading the "mini" markets Some markets offer miniature versions of their larger contracts, allowing smaller accounts to trade the futures markets. Markets which offer these products are corn, soybeans, wheat, crude oil, natural gas, Dow, S&P, gold, and silver. The prices for the mini contracts are the same prices as the larger futures contracts, but the size of the futures contract is smaller. For example, when trading mini corn you are in effect controlling 1,000 bushels of corn vs. 5,000 bushels of corn for the normal sized corn futures contract. Each 1¢ move in the price of corn (from say $2.10 to $2.11) is $10 vs. $50 in the normal sized corn futures contract. Some other markets which require a lesser amount of capital (all under $1,000) relative to most futures contracts include canola, feed wheat, barley, sugar, oats, Eurodollar, and orange juice. 4. Broker Tutoring Titan will tutor any new commodity trader so that the basics are thoroughly understood before trading strategies are even discussed. We have a step by step teaching process, providing small pieces of information at time so that the new trader/investor is not flooded with learning material all at once. If you really want to learn, and want assistance in doing so, give us a call!
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