| User Guide | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Membership Rules
As a Forex Factory member, you are expected to treat others with respect and kindness. Mean-spiritedness, fighting, hostility, racism, offensive comments, and slander are all subject to removal. Healthy debate is welcome.
Additionally, all members have the right to trade in peace - you should not harass, attack, or disrupt another trader's thread. If you dislike or disagree with someone's ideas, it's fine to say so, but you should move on shortly thereafter.
Forex Factory is all about trading. Anything focused on the pursuit of trading profits is welcome - anything focused on something else is subject to removal. Keep in mind that Forex Factory is a global community, so controversial discussions (i.e., politics, religion, nationalism) should be kept to an absolute minimum. Additionally, the site should not be used for personal agendas such as ego, drama, attention or revenge.
Commercial agendas tend to compromise the integrity of forum discussions and are therefore not permitted. If you make money by servicing* Forex traders in any way, shape, or form, or have any commercial agenda whatsoever, you are NOT permitted to post in the forums regardless of whether your posts are promotional or not.
Members with less than 100 posts should refrain from asking about or discussing commercial Forex products, services, or websites. This includes both positive AND negative discussions. A new member discussing or asking for opinions about a commercial Forex venture is the first warning sign of a hidden agenda. Without a posting history, it's hard to determine your credibility, so your post may be mistaken as promotional. If your post or thread is moved (to the Recycle Bin) it's most likely because it was suspected as spam. Please don't take this personally as Forex Factory's Website Coordinators deal with a high volume of spam and don't have time to thoroughly investigate every instance. Once you develop a track record on the forums it'll be easy to see that you have no hidden agenda and you'll be free to join discussions related to products, services, and websites. An exception to this rule is made for FF Advertisers. *If you service the Forex industry, you're welcome to promote your business by submitting analysis, press releases, and other newsworthy items in the News section, or by starting a thread in the Commercial Content forum. Time and Date Options
The Forex Factory website can be adjusted to reflect any time zone. Once you have correctly set your time, all timestamps and datestamps throughout the site will be displayed in your local time.
To synchronize your time go to the Time and Date Options page. Your main objective on this page is to match the synchronized time with your computer clock. The synchronized time can be found next to the  icon. When the synchronized time is matched with your computer clock it means that all timestamps are being displayed in your local time.  There are two main options that affect your timestamps – "DST" and "Time Zone." These two settings don't have to be exactly right; you should only be concerned with the resulting synchronized time. You may have to explore a combination of these two options to get the correct synchronized time.  The DST option (stands for "Daylight Saving Time") complicates the time setting process, but it's essential for those living in countries that are affected by DST.
The synchronized time is displayed in the header of every single page, next to the  icon. This time should always match your computer clock after each page load. If you ever find yourself wondering if the time is being displayed correctly, just glance at the synchronized time to see if it matches your local time.
It's important to note that the synchronized time does not automatically update - it will only update upon page load. Additionally, there is no need to worry about being a few minutes different from the synchronized time.
The default time of the Forex Factory site is New York time. This will be EST (GMT -5) or EDT (GMT -4), depending on the time of year. When you are logged out with cookies cleared, this is the time you are viewing.
How do I match the synchronized time to my computer clock? Adjust both the DST and Time Zone settings until you find a combination that displays the correct synchronized time. The individual settings are not relevant; you only need to ensure the correct synchronized time is being displayed. Why is the synchronized time one hour off? If the time is off by one hour, you most likely have the DST option on the wrong setting. If DST is On, turn it Off, or vice versa. If that doesn't work, try to find a combination of DST and Time Zone settings that will result in the proper synchronized time being displayed. Why does the synchronized time change every few hours?
If you are a Forex Factory member, your synchronized time should never change. If your time appears different, make sure you are still logged in (you can tell because your username will appear in the header of the site). When you logout the time will revert to the site default, and many times this is the culprit of the time suddenly changing. If you are having problems as a member, please send a detailed bug report.
If you are viewing the site as a guest and having troubles with your time, the best thing you can do is become a member. It's free and easy. While there is a cookie system in place for guest time zones, it's not as stable as the database driven time zones for members. I get a "Cookies Blocked" error, what can I do?
If you are getting a red error message after saving your time it means something on your computer is blocking cookies. Cookies are necessary for proper time operation for both guests and members.
The first thing you should try is deleting all of your cookies via your browser options. You have to delete ALL cookies, not just the ones from the forexfactory.com domain, as it is most likely a corrupt cookie from another site causing the problems. If that doesn't work, the most likely issue is that a security program you're running is blocking cookies. You could be blocking cookies altogether, or just from the forexfactory.com domain. Usually these blocks can be found in your browser's security options, or your antivirus' "blocked sites" section. How do I change the first day of the week? The "Start of the Week" section allows you to specify which day should be used as the first day of the week on the calendar. If you find that the day changes without your interference, it could be the result of a corrupt cookie. Try clearing your cookies to resolve the issue. I have a problem not covered in the FAQ, what can I do? If you've read the entire FAQ and are still having problems, please send a detailed bug report. The more information you can give the easier it will be to diagnose the problem. Useful information includes the steps you are taking when you reach the problem, how long you have been experiencing the problem, and which browser you're using. Wisdom Vouching System
The Wisdom Vouching System (WVS) is used to estimate the trading experience of individual FF members. Members vouch for others they feel are experienced and wise traders, and the number of vouchers a member has can be determined by an icon on their posts and member profile. For example, a member with one voucher will display  , a member with two vouchers will display  , and so on up to eleven where they'll display  .
The integrity of the WVS is maintained by only allowing members with four or more vouchers to vouch for others. That means every vouch granted comes from a trader who is already considered experienced and wise by their FF peers. The WVS serves two main purposes. First, it allows you to quickly estimate the experience level of an FF member, lending important context to their opinions and advice. Secondly, the Thread Permissions feature allows thread-starters to limit their thread's participants based on the number of vouchers the member has. Therefore, your ability to post in certain threads can be limited by your number of vouchers. In addition, only members with 4 or more vouchers can start a thread in the Interactive Trading forum.
The WVS is built on the premise that experienced traders and novices speak with distinctly different attitudes on trading, and a member's experience level can be accurately estimated by what they say and do. In other words, experienced traders can recognize other experienced traders by their attitude.
Persuading others to vouch for you is not easy - you'll have to prove you have significant trading experience throughout your exchanges at FF, such as your forum posts, news comments, and private exchanges. If you are truly experienced, members will recognize and naturally vouch for you. Remember, only members with four or more vouchers can vouch for others. To convince these traders you'll need to speak about trading on a high level, and that's difficult to do without years of experience.
If you have four or more vouchers you can vouch for any FF member by clicking the link next to the  icon on their member profile. When you vouch for someone, it means you believe they are an experienced and wise trader. Your definition of "experienced and wise" may differ from others, but that's alright, at least four other experienced traders trust your judgment. If you vouch for someone by mistake, or change your mind, you can undo your vouch by clicking the "(undo)" link next to your username in the member's voucher list on their profile page.
The power to vouch for others should be taken very seriously as the integrity of the WVS is at stake with every vouch granted. The paramount expectation is that you vouch responsibly - this means that you're vouching for traders who are experienced and wise, and not for any other reason. Novice traders cannot accurately distinguish between experienced and inexperienced traders, and a single novice on a vouching-spree can discredit the entire system. That's why it's very important that you only vouch for traders who you're certain are experienced and wise - in other words, vouch responsibly every single time.
Additionally, you are expected to undo your vouch for any member who proves unworthy of the honor. For example, if a member you vouched for is not vouching responsibly, you should undo your vouch for that member as they cannot be trusted to uphold the integrity of the system. If everyone does the same, the irresponsible member will fall below the four-vouch hurdle and all of his vouchers will be erased, thus restoring the integrity of the system. Last but certainly not least, members with many vouchers are expected to remain humble. Flaunting your badge is damaging to the entire system and reflects poorly on all members who have vouchers. Please do your best not to let your badge status influence your attitude on the forum - remember to always display the same humbleness that comes with trading experience. Who vouched for this member? If a member has vouchers they'll be listed in the left column of the member's profile page. There you can see who vouched for the member and in what order, as well as an alphabetical list of who the member vouched for. If this section is not present it means the member has no vouchers. I have four vouchers - why can't I vouch for others? The WVS adjusts vouching permissions only a few times per day - it's not real-time. It can take as long as 24 hours after being granted four vouchers to be given the permissions. As soon as you obtain the permissions you'll be sent an email alerting you of your status. Market
Forex Factory's Market application is the world's first look at aggregated broker-level Forex data. Consisting of an interactive Chart, Sessions, Composite Quotes, and Broker Quotes, Market was built from the ground up to give traders transparent, independent, accurate market data.
It's hard to trust price data in an over-the-counter market like Forex – that's why Market aggregates data from many brokers! By combining data from several sources, traders are given a clear picture of the "true" market and can therefore accurately judge their own broker's price. This multi-source setup brings you a level of reliability and transparency not found anywhere else. Your suggestions are very helpful while Market is under development; please send ideas using the contact form. Interface Overview Chart Data Source The chart displays the Forex Factory Composite Bid (FFCB). The FFCB is derived nearly real-time by averaging the bid rates from multiple industry leading brokers. Forex Factory's servers have a direct connection to each broker's trading platform and can fetch and aggregate the bids within a few milliseconds. Data is filtered for errors such as bad ticks and stale bids before it ever reaches the FFCB. Since a broker can be taken offline for an extended period due to technical problems, and brokers offer differing amounts of historical data, the FFCB does not always include all brokers. Abbreviations Used
Frequent Questions When do the chart’s Daily bars open and close? The Daily bars open at 5:00pm ET. To learn more see market open and close. What time zone is the chart displayed in? The times displayed on the chart are customizable. The chart will be displayed in your local time zone after you have synchronized your time. Interface Overview Data Source The Composite Quotes table displays the Forex Factory Composite Quote (FFCQ). The FFCQ is derived nearly real-time by averaging the bid and ask rates from multiple industry leading brokers. Forex Factory's servers have a direct connection to each broker's trading platform and can fetch and average the rates within a few milliseconds. Data is filtered for errors such as bad ticks and stale bids before it ever reaches the FFCQ. Since a broker can be taken offline for an extended period due to technical problems, the FFCQ does not always include all listed brokers. Pip Chg, % Chg, and High|Low The Composite Quotes table has two customizable calculation columns. Both columns can be set to display the pip change, percentage change, or high and low for the period you specify. For the 5M, 30M, and 60M periods, the change is calculated by comparing the current bid to the closing bid of the 1M bar X minutes ago. For example, the 30M change is the current bid minus the closing bid of the 1M bar that occurred 30 minutes ago. For the 6H, 12H and 24H periods, the change is calculated similarly, except 1H bars are used instead of 1M bars. For example, the 12H change is the current bid minus the closing bid of the 1H bar that occurred 12 hours ago. The period represents actual time, not market time. Therefore, when the market opens after the weekend, the 24H period will look back to the previous day, not the last day the market was open. To illustrate, if you are viewing the '24H Pip Chg' shortly after the market opens for the week, you'll effectively be viewing the change since the market opened (not a full 24 hours). Abbreviations
" 1.1234 | 36 " is shorthand for " 1.1234 bid, 1.1236 ask " Interface Overview Data Source The Broker Quotes table displays data from four brokers of your choosing. The "Composite", derived nearly real-time, is the average of the four brokers. Forex Factory's servers have a direct connection to each broker's trading platform and can fetch and average the rates within a few milliseconds. Error Codes There are two error codes used in Broker Quotes; ' na | na ' and ' - | - '. If a quote is being displayed as ' na | na ' it means the broker doesn't offer that specific currency pair. If the Composite quote is being displayed as ' na | na ' it means that none of the four brokers you've selected offer that specific currency pair. Try changing brokers until you find one quoting the pair. If a quote is being displayed as ' - | - ' during normal market hours it means that one of the fail-safes has triggered due to an erroneous quote, an error with the broker's data feed, a loss of connection to a broker's feed, or an error in the Broker Quotes backend system. Broker Quotes operates under the assumption that it's better to not show a quote than to show it incorrectly, and therefore the fail-safes were designed to be very sensitive. If a quote is being displayed as ' - | - ' near market opening and closing times it most likely means the broker has closed/opened before/after the FF market hours (see market open and close). Frequent Questions Where do the quotes come from? All quotes are sourced directly from each included brokers, with permission. Unless noted otherwise, the quotes represent the broker's standard retail rates offered to their customers. Are the quotes real-time? Forex Factory's servers receive data from each broker and deliver it to you with only a few milliseconds of lag. Broker Quotes provides a dependable way to see the actual quotes a broker is offering to traders at any given time, although you should always check multiple sources before making a decision that affects your money. I have an idea for improving Broker Quotes, who should I tell? Forex Factory was built on feedback from users like you – please send your ideas using the contact form. Interface Overview Session Times The Sessions timeline shows the Forex market's 24-hour trip around the world. It gives you an at-a-glance feel for which sessions are active, which sessions are coming up, and when they will begin and end. The begin/end times of each session are as follows (displayed in your time):
Please note that session times will shift by one hour in the Spring and Fall due to daylight saving time. Forex is an over-the-counter international market with no central exchange, and therefore has no official market hours. The sessions defined (Sydney, Tokyo, London, New York), and the begin/end times of each session, are based on Oanda's FXMarketHours tool. Oanda is sourced primarily because they're the only major broker to publish such data, and their breakdown of the session times is roughly the generally accepted view. Liquidity Gauge The liquidity gauge estimates the relative level of trading activity in the Forex market. In other words, it indicates how much buying and selling is taking place. The liquidity gauge will display the percentage by which liquidity is above or below the average. For example, a reading of 'Liquidity is 28% < Avg' means the liquidity of the last ten minutes is 28% less than the average liquidity in the past 30 days. The liquidity gauge is based on the number of price ticks and the average spread on all included currencies from all included brokers. The number of ticks in the last 10 minutes is divided by the average spread during the last 10 minutes to come up with a '10-minute liquidity' reading (10ML). The 10ML is then compared to the average 10ML over the past thirty days (30DL) to obtain the final liquidity reading displayed on Sessions. Below are the exact formulas used to calculate liquidity:
NumTicks = Number of ticks for all currencies from all brokers during the past 10 minutes AvgSpread = Average spread for all currencies from all brokers during the past 10 minutes 10ML = NumTicks / AvgSpread 30DL = Average 10ML over past 30 calendar days Liquidity% = (10ML / 30DL) - 1 In exchange-traded markets, liquidity can be directly observed via volume and open interest data provided by the exchange. However, in an over-the-counter market like Forex there's no such information provided. In the absence of volume and open interest, the liquidity gauge is derived by dividing NumTicks by AvgSpread because tight spreads signify high liquidity, as does a high number of ticks. Likewise, wide spreads and low tick counts both signify low liquidity. By dividing ticks by spread, both metrics are reflected in 10ML. Importance of Sessions The Sessions timeline presents information that can help traders better understand the Forex market. It's an indicator, but since it's not based on price (most indicators are just a math formula applied to price history) it can offer valuable insights into market dynamics. With the liquidity gauge estimating how active the market is, and the timeline displaying the time position of the market, traders can identify activity patterns and get a better feel for how the market behaves at certain times. There are hundreds of questions that Sessions can help answer, here's a few:
Does the first hour in London set the session's trend? How does the New York session react to high liquidity in London? Does the trend in Tokyo carry into London? Does low liquidity in Sydney predict liquidity levels for the rest of the day? In what part of the day is the Forex market most active? Does low liquidity tend to produce a choppy market?
There's no official open or close time for the Forex market since there's no central exchange. Every broker sets their own market hours. For the approximate market hours of each broker see the included brokers section.
For practical purposes, Forex Factory considers the Forex market open from Sunday at 5:00pm ET to Friday at 5:00pm ET, and this period is referred to as 'FF market hours.' ET stands for 'Eastern Time' and it's the time zone for New York. When it's 5:00pm in New York it's 5:00pm in your local time (assuming your time is synchronized), so for your time zone FF market hours are Sunday 5:00pm to Friday 5:00pm. - When the market closes (according to FF market hours) the chart and quotes will not update until the market opens again. - The chart's Daily bars open and close according to FF market hours. - The chart's first 4H bar of each day opens according to FF market hours. Finally, be aware that the FF market hours range will shift by one hour with daylight savings time in March and November, as New York can be in either EST (Eastern Standard Time) or EDT (Eastern Daylight Time).
Market supports the following 27 currency pairs. Common nicknames, such as "Cable" or "GU", will also work with the inputs.
All Market data is sourced directly from the standard retail rates of the brokers listed below:
FxPro http://www.fxpro.com FOREX.com http://www.forex.com FXCM http://www.fxcm.com IBFX http://www.ibfx.com GO Markets http://www.gomarketsaus.com Swissquote http://www.ac-markets.com CitiFX Pro http://www.citifxpro.com FXDD http://www.fxdd.com FXOpen http://www.fxopen.com Vantage FX http://www.vantagefx.com HY Markets http://www1.hymarkets.com OANDA http://www.oanda.com XEMarkets http://www.xemarkets.com IronFX http://www.ironfx.com ADS Securities http://www.ads-securities.ae JFX http://www.jfx.com UFX Markets http://www.ufxmarkets.com/
Market's data is sourced from the included brokers. Forex Factory does not verify this data and disclaims any obligation to do so. Forex Factory and the included brokers expressly disclaim the accuracy, adequacy, or completeness of any data and shall not be liable for any errors, omissions or other defects in, delays or interruptions in such data, or for any actions taken in reliance thereon. Neither Forex Factory nor the included brokers will be liable for any damages relating to your use of the information provided by Market.
By using Market you agree not to copy, modify, reformat, download, store, reproduce, reprocess, transmit or redistribute any data found herein or use any such data in a commercial enterprise without obtaining prior written consent from Forex Factory and the included brokers. All data and information is provided "as is" for personal informational purposes only, and is not intended for trading purposes or advice. Please consult several sources before executing any trade. Either Forex Factory or the included brokers have exclusive proprietary rights on the data provided by Market. Trade Explorer
Forex Factory’s Trade Explorer empowers you to acutely analyze your trading performance. With hundreds of metrics and over 60 interactive graphs, Explorer makes it easy to identify the weaknesses and strengths in your trading. The willing trader can then use this information to minimize the weaknesses and capitalize on the strengths.
You can create a Trade Explorer from your user control panel. Explorer was designed with the advanced Forex trader in mind. Statistics are reported in the same industry standard format used by CTAs and hedge funds, pips are used to describe market movement not profit, the graphing application is highly flexible, and significant attention was paid to the integrity of data and calculations. The Trade Explorer works by connecting your MetaTrader4-based brokerage account (more platforms coming soon) to Forex Factory’s servers. Once connected, the Explorer automatically synchronizes with your brokerage account every few minutes, giving you a slightly-delayed view of your account right on the Forex Factory website.   Your suggestions are very helpful while Trade Explorer is under development; please send ideas and feedback through the contact form. Equity|Balance Toggle The Equity|Balance toggle changes the way you view metrics on your Explorer. Balance is the value of your account excluding open trades, and equity is the value including open trades. With the default Equity option selected, metrics will reflect equity values. For example, the metric Performance > Return > This Month will measure the equity at the start of the month (marking any open trades to market) against the equity at present (again marking open trades to market). When Balance is selected on the toggle, open trades will be ignored in performance metrics. For example, the same Performance > Return > This Month metric will measure the balance at the start of the month compared to the current balance.  Measuring performance in terms of equity is a more professional approach; however, looking at balance metrics can also be useful. Some traders even prefer to always view metrics in terms of balance. The flexibility of the Equity|Balance toggle allows Explorer to meet an array of demands. Help Icons Throughout the Explorer you’ll see help icons (  ) to the left of important terms. Rollover these icons for a caption containing the applicable calculation and/or description. Clicking the icon will make the caption remain open until you click elsewhere on the page – this is useful if you want to copy text or hold the text open for extended viewing.
Pips and Lots The Explorer considers a pip to be a change in the second or fourth decimal of a currency pair price, depending on the pair. For example, a change in EUR/USD from 1.5000 to 1.5001 would be considered one pip, and a change in USD/JPY from 100.00 to 100.01 would be considered one pip. The decimal beyond the pip level is considered a “pipette.” This needs to be defined because some brokers consider a pip to be the smallest movement of a currency pair, which Explorer considered to be a pipette. The Trade Explorer will report trades in non-currency instruments, such as gold or oil, but will not treat their market movements as pips. Therefore, pip totals and pip calculations (such as Average Trade Pips) will not include trades made in non-currency instruments. This is done because non-currency instruments have vastly different tick values which can distort pip-based statistics. The lot size of the brokerage account is defined on the Trade Report tab, and is reflected throughout the Explorer. For example, if you are trading standard lots (100K), ‘2 lots’ reported on the Explorer means two standard lots (200K). Likewise, if your brokerage account is set up to trade mini lots, when Explorer reports ‘2 lots’ it means you are trading two mini lots (20K). Explorer Time Zone You will specify a time zone for your Explorer upon creation (which can be modified via Options), and all viewers will see the Explorer in that time zone. For example, if your Explorer is set to GMT+2, periods such as Today and This Month will show the same GMT+2-based data to anyone viewing your Explorer. Your Explorer’s time zone is decoupled from your Forex Factory global time zone to allow you, for instance, to match the time zone to your broker’s time zone. It also makes for consistent communication with others viewing your Explorer. Frequent Questions Why isn’t my Explorer synchronizing?
Your Explorer should automatically synchronize with your brokerage account every few minutes, and there’s a ‘Last Sync’ timestamp at the top-right to tell you how long it’s been since the last sync. To see the latest information you’ll need to refresh the page or click on a tab in the top navigation. If your Explorer stops synchronizing (i.e., shows an old timestamp), there are a few possible causes:
1. Your Explorer was deactivated due to inactivity.
In this case you’ll see an alert at the top of the Explorer which will give you the ability to reactivate.
2.The Investor Password on your MT4 platform has been changed.
The Explorer needs the proper Investor Password in order to communicate with your brokerage account. If you’ve changed the password on the platform, you’ll need to update the password on the Explorer’s Options page.
3.The Investor Password has been removed from your Explorer.
If you removed the Investor Password via the Options page, you’ll need to re-enter it before the Explorer can synchronize.
4. Your broker changed the server for your account.
Sometimes brokers will move accounts to different servers for internal purposes. If this happens you’ll need to delete your Explorer (see Options page) then recreate it.
If you cannot get your Explorer to sync correctly, please submit a help request. Why is Explorer showing my statistics to be different than my MT4 platform and other websites?
The main cause of statistical differences is the treatment of swap and commission. The Explorer treats swap and commission as part of each trade’s profit or loss, whereas MT4 and other analytical websites will sometimes treat swap and commission separate from the trade.
Data and calculation integrity was a paramount focus during Explorer development, but you may experience a bug due to the vast differences with various brokers. If you feel Explorer is making a calculation in error, please submit your feedback and it will be addressed promptly.
You can create up to five Trade Explorers from your user control panel. To access the control panel, click your username at the top of the site, then click Trade Explorers at the top of the left column.
 Broker Input Explorer supports over 60 brokers who offer MT4-based accounts, and the list is constantly growing. If you broker is not listed, please submit a request and they will be considered for addition. Only MetaTrader4 platforms are currently supported. More platforms will be added in the future. Investor Password Input Most MT4-based brokerage accounts come with a preset Investor Password. On your MT4 platform, click “Mailbox” at the bottom and find the mail titled “Registration.” If you cannot find the preset Investor Password, you can set one up by going to Tools > Options > Server > Change on your MetaTrader platform. For more information about the Investor Password, including security issues, please read the Security and Privacy section. Permissions Explorer can be set up so only you can see it (default setting), it can be made public for everyone to see, or you can choose to display it to only those on your buddy list. In addition to overall visibility, you can specify who can view money values, stop loss and profit target levels, and pending orders. These permissions can be set upon Explorer creation, or you can modify them afterward by clicking the Options link in the top right of your Explorer. Investor Password The Trade Explorer uses your account number and “Investor Password” to connect to your MetaTrader-based brokerage account. The Investor Password was developed by MetaQuotes (creator of MetaTrader) to allow traders to show their account to others without allowing the ability to make changes (i.e., read-only access). Forex Factory’s servers use your Investor Password to aggregate data from your account to display on the Explorer. The Investor Password allows:
Allows viewing of open positions Allows viewing of pending orders Allows viewing of historical trading performance The Investor Password does not allow:
Does NOT allow access to your funds Does NOT allow opening/closing of positions Does NOT allow any alteration of open positions or open orders Does NOT allow viewing of your personal information Does NOT allow viewing of Expert Advisors running on the platform Most MT4-based brokerage accounts come with a preset Investor Password which is included in the registration mail. The password can be changed within the MetaTrader platform via Tools > Options > Server > Change. If you change the Investor Password, Forex Factory’s servers will no longer have access to your account. Additionally, on the Options page of each Explorer you have the ability to remove the Investor Password or delete the Explorer altogether. Forex Factory does NOT retain the Investor Password whatsoever after you remove it or delete your Explorer. Data Security Your account number and Investor Password are transferred to Forex Factory over a secure socket, and the data is stored using 128-bit encryption. Forex Factory will never divulge your information to 3rd parties (in accordance with the privacy policy) and does not retain your data after you delete your Explorer or remove your Investor Password from an Explorer. Even the performance data once displayed on the Explorer is permanently deleted once you delete your Explorer. Privacy Permissions On the Options page (accessed by clicking Options in the top right of the Explorer) you can set the privacy permissions for your Explorer. The default settings will display the Explorer to only your Forex Factory username. You can also choose to display it to everyone or only those on your buddy list. There are additional settings that allow you to control the visibility of your money balances (to hide the value of your account), your stop loss and profit target levels, and your pending orders (to hide your next move).  Thread Permissions
The starter of a thread has two ways to limit the members who can post in their thread. First, they can set a vouch hurdle (see WVS). For example, if the thread-starter sets the vouch hurdle to "3 vouchers," only members who have three vouchers will be able to post in the thread. Additionally, the  icon would be displayed at the top of the thread to denote the thread's hurdle.
The second option allows the thread-starter to block members who are on his or her Ignore List. When enabled, this option stops any member on the thread-starters Ignore List from posting in the thread. Members who are blocked from a thread are only listed on the thread-starter's Ignore List, which is not known publicly. To add or edit your thread's permissions, click "Thread Tools" at the top of your thread, then click "Edit Thread Options."
The purpose of the vouch hurdle is to enable the thread-starter to choose the experience level of their thread's participants. If an advanced trader wants to debate an idea with other advanced traders, without interjection by less experienced participants, it can be acomplished by setting a high vouch hurdle. Likewise, if a trader wants to explore the details of a concept, without getting sidetracked by educational discussion, a vouch hurdle might come in handy. Novice traders might even set a vouch hurdle when asking a question to ensure the answers will only be coming from experienced traders. There are multiple uses for the vouch hurdle and the thread-starter is free to use the feature however they want.
The purpose of allowing thread-starters to block their Ignore List is to promote a productive trading environment. Every FF member has the right to trade in a peaceful and positive atmosphere. If someone begins to annoy, harass, or attack a thread, the thread-starter can simply put the troublemaker on his Ignore List to bring the thread back to its productive state. Only the thread-starter knows who's blocked from the thread because Ignore Lists are not made public. How do I setup Thread Permissions for my thread? To add or edit your thread's permissions, click "Thread Tools" at the top of your thread, then click "Edit Thread Options." Who determines each thread's permissions? The member who starts a thread is the only person who's able to manage its permissions. The thread-starter can add or edit the permissions at any time, so you may find that a thread's permissions change from time to time. Can the vouch hurdle be bypassed? Yes. If you're on the thread-starter's Buddy List you'll automatically bypass the vouch hurdle. In other words, you don't have to meet the vouch hurdle of your buddies' threads. Additionally, the thread-starter can post in their own thread regardless of the hurdle they set. Why are there posts from members who don't meet the vouch hurdle? There are three reasons you'll see posts from members that don't meet a thread's vouch hurdle. First, the thread-starter can change their thread's permission at any time, so the post may have been made when the permissions were different. Second, members who are on the thread-starter's Buddy List automatically bypass the vouch hurdle. And lastly, the post may be coming from the thread-starter, who is immune to the vouch hurdle. Site Usage (under construction)
In order to fully utilize the abilities of Forex Factory you'll need to register. Registration is easy and free, and allows you to do the following:
If you forget your password, you can click on the 'Forgot Your Password' link. This link appears when you try to login with the wrong password. Clicking on this link brings you to a page where you should enter your registered email address. Within a few minutes, an email will be sent to that address with instructions for resetting your password.
Since passwords are encrypted, there is no way to resend your original password. This option provides you with the ability to reset your password. You must be able to receive emails to your registered email address for this to work. If you have not received this email after a few minutes, you may need to check your folders or spam filters.
To perform a quick search, use the search box at the top of every page beside the clock. There you can select if you want to search the whole site or just the forums.
Forex Factory Forum and News RSS feeds can be found here: http://www.forexfactory.com/rss.php
The use of cookies on Forex Factory is optional, but may enhance your experience of the site. Cookies are used to enable functions such as showing whether or not a thread or forum you are viewing has new posts since your last visit, or to automatically log you back in when you return to the site after being away for a while. When you register, you will be given the option to 'Automatically login when you return to the site'. This will store your username and password in a cookie, stored on your computer. If you are using a shared computer, such as in a library, school or internet cafe, or if you have reason to not trust any other users that might use this computer, it's recommend that you noot enable this.
Forex Factory also gives you the option to use a cookie to track your current session, ensuring that you remain logged-on while browsing the site. If you choose not to store this information in a cookie, the session data will be sent through each link you click. Choosing not to use a cookie may cause problems if your computer's connection to the Internet uses a proxy-server and you share links with other users behind the same proxy. If in doubt, it's recommended that you select 'yes' to enable the cookie. After you have registered, you may alter your cookie options at any time by changing the settings on this page.
In Internet Explorer 6 on Windows XP: Click the 'Tools' menu. Select 'Internet Options' from the menu that appears. Click 'Delete Cookies' on the dialog box that appears. It will be in the center area of the 'General' tab.
In Internet Explorer 7: Click the 'Tools' menu. Select 'Internet Options' from the menu that appears. Click 'Delete...', beneath 'Browsing History' on the dialog box that appears. It will be in the center area of the 'General' tab. Click 'Delete cookies...' on the next dialog box that appears. In Firefox 3: Click the 'Tools' menu. Select 'Options' from the menu that appears. From the dialog box, select 'Privacy' on the top. Click on the 'Show Cookies...' button and then click on the 'Remove All Cookies' button to clear your cookies. In Safari: Go to Preferences, Security, then show Cookies and either select 'Remove all' or select individual cookies and then the 'Delete' button. In Opera: Go to Tools, Preferences, Advanced, Cookies, Manage cookies then select the name of this site and click the 'Delete' button. Your cookies should now be removed. You may want to restart the computer and revisit the forums to be sure. Other browsers may have a different method of clearing cookies. Refer to the documentation for your own browser if you are unsure. Forum Usage (under construction) Report Bad Posts
The moderator team relies on the community to report posts that break the rules. If you see such a post, you can click on the  button in the top right of any post and the moderator team will be notified immediately.
Use Descriptive Thread Titles
When posting a new thread, try to make the title reflect the subject of your thread. This makes sorting and searching the forum much easier for the community.
Post Threads in Appropriate Forum
When posting a new thread, consider which forum is best suited for the discussion. By placing the thread in the proper forum you help make it easy for others to find relevant discussions.
Try Searching First
Before starting a new thread, consider first doing a search to see if a thread with the same topic already exists. You may find it makes more sense to reply to the existing thread rather than starting a new one. This helps keep information organized and cuts down on repetitive discussions.
Avoid ALL CAPS
Try to refrain from using ALL CAPS when posting on the forum, as this is considered shouting in most online communities.
Don't Feed The Trolls
From Wikipedia: A troll is usually someone who enters an established community such as an online discussion forum, and posts inflammatory, rude, repetitive, offensive, off-topic or otherwise disruptive messages designed intentionally to annoy, stimulate or antagonize the existing members or alter the flow of discussion.
It is best to ignore trolls because getting attention is usually their objective. Instead of responding, try pressing the button in the top right of their post to alert the moderator team.
You have the ability to attach different file types in your posting, including image files, text documents, zip files, etc. To attach a file to a new post, simply click the [Manage Attachments] button at the bottom of the post composition page. From here, click the 'Browse' button to select the file that you want to attach from your local hard drive, and click 'Upload' to attach your file to the post.
After posting, the image attachments will display a thumbnail. To view the full contents of the attachment (if it is not already displayed) simply click the filename link that appears next to the attachment icon.
When you post a new thread, you also have the option to also create a poll.
This function allows you to ask a question and specify a number of possible responses. Other members will then be able to vote for the response they wish, and the results of the voting will be displayed in the thread. An example poll might be: What is your favorite color? 1. Red 2. Blue 3. Yellow 4. Green 5. Sky-blue pink with yellow spots To create a poll when you post a new thread, simply click the 'Yes! post a poll' checkbox at the bottom of the page, and set the number of possible responses you want to include. When you click the submit button, you will be taken to the poll creation page, where you can specify the question and the list of responses you want to include. You may also want to specify a time limit for the poll, so that (for example) it only stays open for voting for a week.
To vote in a poll, simply select which option you want to vote for, and click the [Vote!] button. You may view the current results for a poll before you vote by clicking the 'View Results' link. Voting in a poll is entirely optional. You may vote for any of the available options, or cast no vote at all.
Once you have voted in a poll, you will not be able to change your vote or vote again, so place your vote carefully!
The navigation box on the left of each forums page has several helpful links:
When posting messages you may wish to include some formatting such as bold text, italic text and underlined text.
Adding formatting to your post can be done in two ways:
To use these, simply click the button, for example the B (bold) button and then type to get bold text. Click the button again to stop using that formatting. You can also highlight text that you have already typed then click the formatting button to format existing text. BB code is a special set of codes similar to HTML that can be used in posts to the board. To see the full list of BB code tags that can be used on this site and examples of their use, click here.
You will be able to edit your post for 24 hours. To edit or delete your posts, click the  edit button at the bottom right corner of the post you want to edit. If your post was the first in the thread, then deleting the post may result in the removal of the entire thread.
After you have made your modifications, a note will appear, which notifies other users that you have edited your post.
For the most part you won't need to worry about special codes/tags since an advanced (wysiwyg) editor is available throughout Forex Factory. But for those users who's browsers don't support wysiwyg editors vB codes are available.
Message icons allow you to specify a small icon to accompany your posting, which is used to convey the emotion or content of a post at a glance.
Smilies are small graphical icons which you can insert into your messages to convey an emotion or feeling, such as a joke or embarrassment. For example, if you entered a sarcastic comment, rather than type 'that was a joke', you could simply insert the 'wink' smilie.
If you have used email or internet chat systems, you will probably be familiar with the concept of smilies already. Certain combinations of text characters are converted into smilies. For example, :) is converted into a smiling face. To understand smilie codes, tilt your head to the left and look at the text: you will see that :) represents two eyes and a smiling mouth. For a list of the smilies currently used by Forex Factory, click here. On occasions, you may want to prevent the text in your message being converted into smilies. You will see a checkbox which you can select when you make a new post, which will allow you to 'Disable Smilies'. How can I find new posts? The best way is to visit the Forum section and click 'Active Threads' link in the 'Forum Links' menu on the left side of the page. How do I deal with troublesome users? If there are particular members that bother you and you do not want to see their posts or receive Private Messages and Emails from them, then you can add these members to your 'Ignore List'. There are several ways to do this:
Through your User Control Panel: User CP, Settings & Options, Edit Ignore List. Then, type their name into the empty text box and click 'Okay'. What if I see something offensive? The moderator team relies on the community to report posts that break the rules. If you see such a post, you can click on the Report Post button in the top right of any post and the moderator team will be notified immediately. User Control Panel (under construction)
The User Control Panel (also known as the UserCP) is where you control your personal settings, options and preferences. To access the UserCP you must first be a registered member. Once logged in, click on your user name in the header bar at the top of the page.
You can edit your profile here. You can alter any of the fields in your profile, except your user name. Once you have registered your user name, it becomes yours for life. In extreme circumstances, you may request that the Forex Factory team change your user name, but a very good reason is required to do so.
After you have registered, you may set your signature by editing your profile. A signature is a piece of text that you would like to be inserted at the end of all your posts, a little like having headed note paper.
By default, your signature will automatically appear at the bottom of all your posts. However, you can disable signatures on a per-post basis by un-checking the 'Show Signature' checkbox when you compose your message. You may turn the signature on and off on posts you have already made by editing the post and altering the state of the 'Show Signature' option.
The buddy list is used to keep track of the friends you have made on Forex Factory. By going to your Buddy List, you'll be able to see which of your friends are currently online and send them a private message. Adding people to your buddy list also allows you to send private messages to multiple forum members at the same time. You may add any Forex Factory member to your buddy list by viewing their profile or by going to Buddy List in your UserCP.
Ignore Lists are used for those people whose messages you wish not to read. By adding someone to your Ignore List, those messages posted by these individuals will be hidden when you read a thread. Ignore Lists are private and will not be seen by anyone.
Thread subscriptions can be sorted into folders for easy management. You can create as many folders as you wish by going to 'Edit Folders' in the 'Subscribed Threads' section of your User CP. To add a new folder, enter the folder name into one of the blank boxes and save the page. To delete a folder, delete the folder name. Editing a folder is done by simply editing the folder name in the list.
You can also manage your individual subscriptions by clicking 'List Subscriptions' under 'Subscribed Threads' in your User CP. Here you can select which subscriptions you wish to manage and delete them, move them to another folder, or change their subscription type. Forum subscriptions are not managed through the List Subscriptions page and are shown on the User CP page where they contain the option to unsubscribe from the forum. Subscriptions
Subscriptions are a way of keeping track of different threads or forums. You can choose how you are notified about updates - for example by having them listed in your User CP and receiving email updates for each one.
To subscribe to a forum, click the 'Forum Tools' link above the list of threads then select 'Subscribe to Forum'. You will then have the option to choose the subscription mode for this forum. If the forum that you are subscribing to has any child forums (forums within a forum) then your subscription will be extended to these automatically.
To subscribe to a thread, click the 'Thread Tools' link at the top of the list of posts then click 'Subscribe to Thread'. You can then choose the subscription mode that you wish to use for that thread. 
You can have notifications sent to your email address for threads you have posted or replied to, and even threads where you have not posted at all. Once you sign up for email notification, you will begin receiving notices every time a new post or reply has been made to this thread. To sign up, simply go to the thread and click on 'Thread Tools' and then click 'Subscribe to this Thread' to choose your email notification options.
If you choose to stop receiving email notifications from a thread, you can turn off the option by going back to the thread and choosing your notification options again, or by unsubscribing from the thread here, your Subscriptions page, found in your user control panel. Simply check the threads that apply and scroll to the bottom to select 'No email notification.' Only registered users may receive email notification, and they can set whether they want to receive email notification by default by editing their options. Email notification is also referred to as 'Thread Subscription'.
There are a number of different forum subscription modes available.
Private Messaging
Private messages work a little like email, but are limited to registered members of this forum. You may be able to include vB Code, smilies and images in private messages that you send.
You may send a private message to a member of this forum by clicking the 'Send A Private Message' link in the private messaging section of your user control panel, or by clicking the "Send Private Message" link on another member's profile page. When you send a message, you have the option to save a copy of the message in your Sent Items folder.
By default, you will have two folders in your private message area. These are the Inbox and the Sent Items folders.
The Inbox folder contains any new messages you receive, and allows you to view all the messages you have received, along with the name of the person who sent the message to you, and the date and time the message was sent. The Sent Items folder contains a copy of any messages that you have sent, where you have specified that you wish to keep a copy of the message for future reference. You may create additional folders for your messages by clicking the 'Edit Folders' link. Each folder has a set of message controls which allow you to select messages, then either move them to one of your custom folders, or delete them completely. You may also have a button which allows you to forward multiple messages from a folder to another member of the forum. You will need to periodically delete old messages, as there is a set limit to the number of private messages you can have in your folders. If you exceed this limit, you will not be able to send or receive new messages until you delete some old messages. Whenever you read a message, you will have the option to reply to the message, or forward that message to another member of the forum. You may also have the ability to forward that message to multiple members of your buddy list.
When you send a new private message, you may have the option to request a read-receipt for that message. This will allow you to check whether or not a message has been read by its recipient by viewing the Private Message Tracking page.
This page is divided into two sections: unread messages and read messages. The unread messages section shows all messages that you have sent with a read-receipt request, that have not yet been read by their recipient. The read messages section shows all messages you have sent with a receipt request that have been read and acknowledged by their recipient. The time that the message was read is also shown. You may choose to end the tracking on any message you choose by selecting the message and clicking the [end tracking] button. When you receive a message with a read-receipt request, you may have the option to read the message while denying the read-receipt request. To do this, simply click the 'deny receipt' link rather than the title of the message, if it appears. |
