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It’s not the first time a contest winner says that they didn’t expect to take to first place. This only proves once again that lack of experience, a significant gap in trading results or even being late for contest are not the reasons to give up. In today’s interview Lidia Rudenko – the winner of 41^st round or Future Trade contest will tell you how she won $1000 in a Grand Capital demo contest.

Why did you choose a futures contest while the majority of traders prefer currency pairs to trade with?

Yes, I am also used to currency pairs. But I believe that a person should always try to broaden their mind. Trading is no exception for me.  

Why did you choose Grand Capital and which of our services do you use at the moment?

One of the main factors for me is round the clock customer support. It is especially important for traders who don’t only trade in daytime. I also like your website as it is filled with useful information.

For this round you chose futures contract for Russell 2000. Why did you choose this index?

Oh that’s simple: I chose Russell 2000 simply because one of the previous winners succeeded trading it. So I decided to also try it.

Tell us about your trading strategy. Which strategy do you consider to the most successful?

I tried to learn different strategies. Unfortunately, lack of discipline is why I couldn’t succeed in using many of them. So the best thing for me is to follow the trend without any limitations in time. I prefer wider timeframes. But it’s all different when it comes to the contest. If you want to win you need to risk, set high volume and make unprecedented decisions. I think that is what you need to do in order to win.

Tell as a bit about your trading career. What did you start with and how long have you been trading on financial markets?

I have being doing it for a long time now. It all started when I felt that I didn’t earn as much money as I wanted so I started looking for ways to make some extra cash. That’s how I came to Forex at the first place. I’ve had both positive and negative experience. I’ve also participated in other brokers’ contests but my prize there didn’t exceed 20USD.

Did you participate in the contest for the first time or you tried many times?

I’ve participated many times. I’ve always thought though that the first place is unreachable for me, but my luck turned and here I am!

What was your success factor in this round?

This round was very intense. Till the last moment I didn’t believe that I would come first, because the previous contest winners finished their rounds with much better results. I think that my determination helped me to win.

What would you recommend or wish to those who are just going to take part in the contest?

Go for it, fight till the end and the result will not keep you waiting!

Future Trade contest is one of the regular Grand Capital demo contests and is held on every first week of the month. You don't need any investments to participate in the contest. During the whole week, trading with deposit of $10 000 on a demo account you need to get the highest profit and then the main prize of $1000 will be in your hands.

All traders know that with any crisis come seeds of opportunity because those wide market fluctuations present a huge opportunity to earn big, not traders are willing go for it though. Roman Vasin – the winner of round 320 of Drag Trade contest told us why he is not preparing to trade during the referendum and which strategy he thinks is the most profitable.

Many brokers out there offer contests for traders. Why did you choose Grand Capital?  

I was looking for a trustworthy broker and one day I came across Grand Capital and noticed that you have great contests that help to easily learn almost everything you need to know about a broker. One of the biggest advantages of Grand Capital contests is that you don’t need to register separately for each round.

We can see that you often participate in Drag Trade and Rally Trade contests. Is your trading style the same for each of the two contests or you have two different tactics?

The tactic is different for each contest. Otherwise, you can’t reach the desired outcome.

In this contest you traded a currency pair (GBPJPY). Have you tried trading CFDs or Binary Options? What do you think about these instruments?

At the moment I am still learning about these instruments so I can’t be certain about anything yet.

Do you know about the coming Brexit vote? Are you preparing for this event in any way? How?

Of course, I know about the referendum, but I am not preparing for it as I may lose my nerves as well as my deposit.

In this round you opened many orders with volume of 1-2 Lots, but for some of them the volume was really high – 60 or 80. Why?

It is because of the tactic that I used in the contest.

Tell us about your tactic.

In Drag Trade my choice was based on Linear Regression Channels. It’s just that the main tactic that I use is scaled for H4 chart, so the trade should last from 4 hours up to 1-8 days. I had to modify it for trading in 1-5-15 min ranges for the contest. That is why I sometimes used such high volumes.

Is Forex trading your main source of income?

No, it is not. Although the profit I receive trading is slowly starting to overweight my main income.

Tell us about how you came to Forex – how did it start and how long have you been trading?

It all started during the 2008 crisis. I had to start searching for additional sources of income and in 2009 Forex became one of such sources. There were ups and downs, a lot of learning, phycology and much more. I like trading because the market teaches you something new every day.

What would you recommend to those who are just going to participate in the contest?

Contest is a great chance to try a trading strategy or a new asset. Even if you already have a strategy, contests will help you hone it.

Drag Trade contest is one of the regular contests held by Grand Capital. Participation in all demo contests is free. Just receive the highest profit trading on demo account with initial deposit of $100 000 and become the next winner!

Our newest Futures Trade winner Evgeny Lebedev told us why he likes trading futures and how he managed to rock the contest with the largest prize fund.

In this round you’ve placed over 200 trades that involved various futures contracts: currencies, indices, cattle and commodities. In your trading do you rely on luck or you have a special strategy for trading futures?

When trading futures I mainly use fundamental analysis. In the contest round I was scalping as I think that it is the only way to achieve winning results in such short period of time.

Which commodity futures do you like to trade the most?

It is hard to pick only one. I just like trading futures contracts as each one of them represents its own market piece. Plus, with futures you can always find the spot to enter the market that has a profit potential. It is also important to me that trading futures, you can learn what is happening in the world. For example, analyzing cotton price you suddenly learn that there was a major flood in Pakistan or what was the weather like in Brazil this winter trying to foresee the price for a sugar futures contract.

In this round you were basically trading 24/5. How do you manage to reserve so much time for trading?

At the moment I work day and night and the trading terminal is always at hand. That is why I am always on alert at any time of day or night.

Is trading your main source of income?

Unfortunately, at the moment it is not. But I hope someday it will.

When did you start trading on financial markets? What instruments did you start with? Do you use robots?

I started trading in 2007. As all the novices I started with trading currency pairs but with time my interest shifted towards stock market and futures. I don’t use robots, but I would like to check it out. May be I’ll do it soon. As I said earlier, I mainly rely on fundamental and a bit - on technical analysis and intuition.

Which sources do you use to learn whan it happening on the market?

I often read blogs and listen to Business FM radio channel. Also, there are plenty of specialized websites for traders I usually go to when I need specific information.

Do your trading styles and strategies differ when trading on a demo account and a live account? What are the differences?

That’s a good question. Well, of course, I am more of a reckless guy on the contest demo account as I need to get high level of profit fast. It is impossible to do if you think too much about the money management and your risk levels.

Why did you choose Grand Capital as your broker and how long have you been trading with us?

I joined Grand Capital back in 2008. At that time I actively traded Russian Shares and was quite good at it. But, unfortunately in the end of 2008 you made trading shares unavailable and I shifted to a different broker with a wider range of trading instruments. But in 2012 the broker went bankrupt and I lost a lot of money. As a result, I wasn’t trading for about 3 years, but was still following market news.

Why did you decide to return to Grand Capital?

I did it because I trust the company. The broker proved to be trustworthy, plus it is possible to trades shares here again. Your CFD trading conditions are much better than those of some other brokers like BKS and Finam. Overnight margin requirements have also improved. 

What would you wish to those who are just planning to take part in the contest?

Try, achieve, win!

Evgeny, thank you for agreeing to answer our questions. Grand Capital team whishes you successful trading! 

Future Trade contest is one of the regular Grand Capital demo contests and is held on every first week of the month. You don't need any investments to participate in the contest. During the whole week, trading with deposit of $10 000 on a demo account you need to get the highest profit and then the main prize of $1000 will be in your hands.

Dear Clients!

Due to the upcoming referendum in Great Britain (Brexit vote) that is being held on 23rd of June to decide whether Great Britain should leave or remain in the European Union and the expected high volatility levels, margin requirements will be changed for the following trading instruments:

1. For all Forex instruments that contain GBP, EUR, CHF margin calculation will change and margin requirements will be as follows: GBP - 7%, EUR and CHF - 4%.

2. For spot metals margin requirement will increase from 2% to 3%.

3. Trading will be closed for european and british indices futures and metal futures (AEX, FCE, FDAX, FESX, FSMI, FSTX, FTSE, GC, HG, PA, PL, SI).

4. For currency futures margin requirements will increase by 10 times.

5. Return rates on Binary Options will be decreased by 3 times.

6. Internal transfers will be restricted.

7. In case of high volatility and low liquidity levels, certain instruments can be shifted to Close Only mode.

8. For GBP, EUR and CHF instruments (for all account types, including ECN) leverage will not be available, a fixed margin will be applied in the amount of the percentage stated in pp1, desregarding the account leverage. For all other instrument types normal leverage will be effective.  

Please mind that margin requirements will change for trades that are opened but not closed before the 20th of June 2016.

We will notify you should the changes be void. 

Please consider these changes when planning your trading activity.

Yours truly,
Grand Capital

Those in search of extra income online often come to Forex market, but not everybody manages to become professional traders. Read the interview with the winner of Drag trade contest round 312 Alexander, to learn how he succeeded trading on financial markets.

Congratulations once again!

Apart from Drag Trade you also participated in other demo contest – Rally Trade. Which one of them did you like the most and why?

I like both of them, but Drag Trade is closer to my trading style as I am an intraday trader. I often place short term trades ranging from 10 to 50 pips – depending on the pair’s volatility.

In this round you traded USDCAD. Why did you choose the pair and what other instruments do you use?

I often trade USDCAD as it moves well on news and is heavily reliant on oil. For me, the main criterion of any trading instrument is its level of volatility. The wider the amplitude of fluctuations and the speed, the more interesting the trade is. My favorite instruments are GBP_JPY, GBP_NZD, GBP_USD, EUR_JPY, oil and gold. But it really depends on the day and fundamental factors - news for example.

How many years have you been trading on financial markets? How did you become a trader?

I’ve been trading for over 5 years now. I became a trader just like many others – was looking for ways to make money online. I learnt everything on my own – was reading lots of literature, attending webinars, briefs and, of course, practicing. When it comes to financial markets, only practice makes perfect.

Is Forex trading you main source of income?

I would say so. Nowadays, trading is basically my main source of income.

Tell us about your trading strategy.

At the moment I trade using Price Action system and support and resistance levels. When the price gets into a narrow corridor then I use locked positions instead of stop loss. For decision-making I mainly use technical analysis and economic calendar.

I’ve tested many different trading styles over the years. Finally I kept the ones that suit me. Apart from  Price Action I also use levels and VSA (Volume Spread Analysis).

What do you think was your success factor in this round?

The round was tough, partially because there is always a lot of adrenaline and emotions involved in short term trading, as you need to calculate the time when the position should close as precisely as you can. In this round my calculation were correct.

What would you recommend to those who are only considering participating in the contest??

Contests of Grand Capital are a great tool for testing strategies and different trading styles. They also allow you to feel the spirit of competition and, what is important, win a monetary prize. To all the traders out there I wish to never miss great opportunities!

Drag Trade contest is one of the regular contests held by Grand Capital. Participation in all demo contests is free. Just receive the highest profit trading on demo account with initial deposit of $100 000 and become the next winner!