Trader Insights

Bullish vs Bearish markets: What’s the Difference?

The terms Bulls and Bears first originated from the Stock Exchange and they’re now commonly used throughout most financial markets.

Although if you’ve never stumbled across them before, hearing the phrase “bullish vs bearish forex markets” might give you a moment of pause! 

For any trader however, knowing the differences between bullish and bearish markets can help immensely when it comes to executing successful trades.

We’ve defined them below and given some additional tips as to how to identify which a market is, plus recommended how traders should behave when faced with either a bullish or bearish market.

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Weekly Alpha

News Recap: In light of the uncertainty around the UK lockdown easing, Sterling has been somewhat weaker with GBP/JPY trading below the 155.00 handle to start the week.

World News

Markets in Asia were mixed as participants continued to digest the aftermath of last week’s US jobs data which failed to meet expectations. Financiers were looking for an additional 645,000 jobs to have been added in the past month though a lower figure of 559K sent US yields lower as expectations for maintaining the current FED policy grew. The Dollar index which broke to new weekly highs following the strong ADP report earlier in the week pulled back and settled just above the 90 handle. Going into the week ahead, investors will have their eyes on the monthly CPI data which could provide further guidance on the current state of the economy.

Last week the RBA maintained their cash rate at 0.10% as expected while also keeping parameters of the QE program unchanged. The Central bank reiterated its commitment to maintaining highly supportive monetary conditions until full employment has been achieved whilst also noting that though the economic recovery has been stronger than expectations, a presence of uncertainty still remains should a resurgence in virus outbreaks persist.

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Global Trader Programme Deloitte Success Story
Company News

Alphachain training leads to Business Analyst Role with Deloitte

We are pleased to see amazing results from our Global Trader Programme student Dimitris who will be joining the Deloitte Business Analyst team!

Deloitte offered me a job as a business analyst. The role isn’t specific to trading but my experience at Alphachain helped me to show to the company that I have a solid understanding of the markets and knowledge of the importance of financial organizations and institutions in affecting economies globally.

Dimitris S

We first welcomed Dimitris back in December 2020 on the Global Trader Programme and after 3 months of training has since then moved onto trading one of our live funded $15,000 account.

Major congratulations and best of luck from all the Alphachain team!

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Weekly Alpha

News Recap: Markets in Asia began the week mildly positive & Bitcoin shed over 35% before rebounding back above the $30,000

World News

Markets in Asia began the week mildly positive following on from last weeks mixed performance on Wall Street as market participants look towards month end. Last week saw the greenback rebound after the somewhat dull mood on Friday where a number of Fed speakers took centre stage once again. Fed’s Barkin outlined that the Fed will taper when substantial progress has been made whilst Kaplan and Harker also reiterated that conversations surrounding tapering should begin sooner rather than later. This follows on from the somewhat hawkish FOMC minutes release where a number of participants suggested that if the economy continued to make rapid progress towards the committee’s goals then talk on adjusting the pace of asset purchases will begin. The continued discussion on inflation and tapering continues to be the overarching theme for investors and financiers as they look towards a week where economic data is sparse.

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Uncategorised

News Recap: PM Johnson outlined that there is no need to delay the reopening of the UK.

Asian markets traded mixed though only partially benefitted from last Friday’s rebound on Wall Street where the major indices gained as weaker than expected US industrial production and Retail Sales data supported the narrative for further Fed accommodation and support.

UK Focus

In the UK, PM Johnson outlined that there is no need to delay the reopening and announced the acceleration of second doses to over 50s which will be eight weeks after the first dose. The Prime Minister also noted that they have seen more clusters of the Indian variant and noted that though the variant appears to be more transmissible there is no evidence to suggest that the vaccines are less effective. Health Minister Hancock mentioned that the government will decide on the 14th of June as to whether the final lifting of the Covid-19 restrictions will go ahead as scheduled on June 21st. This comes as the number of those fully vaccinated crossed 20mln.

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Trader Insights

The Best Cryptocurrencies to Invest in in 2021

Cryptocurrencies are in essence, digital money. The difference between cryptocurrencies and other forms of digital money, like central bank digital currency, are that cryptocurrencies use blockchain technology to make them safe from counterfeit or double spend. 

Due to their widely reported security, self-custody aspects, and ‘digital gold’ comparisons, the popularity of cryptocurrencies is skyrocketing. Cryptocurrencies surge to the mainstream is so great that it has left brand new investors weighing up which is the best cryptocurrency to invest in 2021.

In this blog we’ve narrowed down the 7 best cryptocurrencies to invest in for new investors, and we’ve included one to watch. If you’re looking to start a career in trading cryptocurrency markets meanwhile, take a look at our funded cryptocurrency trader programme.

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Company News

Alphachain Academy’s Funded Trader Offer

Alphachain Academy’s Funded Trader Offer

SHOWCASE YOUR EXPERTISE. 

BECOME A FUNDED TRADER TODAY.

In 2020, we here at Alphachain Academy funded over 500 traders across 60 countries. As if that wasn’t enough, we issued $4.7 million in funded trading accounts to brand new traders who joined our programmes.

And now we want to do the same with our funded trader programme. Our funded trader programme is open to those with prior trading experience, and if approved, we offer a guaranteed $15,000 trading account in exchange with a 50% profit share. If that’s not enough of an incentive, you can double your capital each time you hit a target until you eventually reach a $1 million traded account. 

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Weekly Alpha

News Recap: Ethereum broke above the $4,000 level for the first time ever and PM Johnson has pledged to boost the economies in struggling towns.

World News

Markets in Asia began the week with gains as the region reacted to the disappointing jobs data stateside where the NFP’s missed expectations massively calling for further support and continued stimulus efforts. The ASX 200 was up by around 1% after mining sectors benefitted from lifted commodity prices whilst the Nikkei 225 was up by 0.6% as participants took the recent state of emergency extension within their strides as it was widely expected beforehand.

Following on from the disappointing Labour market report, President Biden reiterated how important economic actions are and noted that the American Rescue Plan was set out to support the country over the next year as the nation recovers from the effects of the Pandemic.

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Trader Insights

What are Indices in Trading?

In trading terminology, indices is a just plural form of the word index. So when asking, what are indices in trading, what we really mean is “what are indexes in trading?”

For new and experienced traders alike, the first index that is bound to come to mind is a type of stock market index (e.g. S&P 500 or FTSE 100).

Trading stock market indexes, or indices, has long been a popular option for traders because it is considered one of the best markets to trade on and is often spoken about on popular financial media (e.g. Bloomberg). Index markets often have clearer charts than other markets, and also possess high volatility meaning that their trend is often much easier to identify. 

So for traders looking to get started trading the index market, here’s everything you need to know about trading indices.

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Weekly Alpha

News Recap: The FTSE 100 is up over 0.8% as it attempts to catchup from the nations bank holiday yesterday

Major bourses in Europe began the session mixed after the initial optimism witnessed earlier on faded as market participants look towards the US for further direction. The FTSE 100 is up over 0.8% as it attempts to catchup from the nations bank holiday yesterday.

Last week, the DXY continued lower though rebounded on month end flows as financiers began to reposition themselves for the month of May. The DXY finished the month down about 2% as appetite for the greenback waned overall. The FOMC stuck to their dovish script as FED Chair Powell reiterated that the nation isn’t ‘out of the woods’ yet despite the vaccination drive picking up speed and the most recent labour market report boding well for the nation. The week ahead will see participants eagerly await the latest Non-Farm Payroll report where an additional 975,000 jobs are expected to have been added in the past month.

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