Much has been written about the virtues of Automated Forex Trading Robots, some of it self serving nonsense used to promote specific products in which the authors have a vested interest, with the thrust of the articles guaranteeing automatic futures profits while the investor improves his tan at the local beach. We should start by providing a definition of a trading robot, also referred to as an “expert advisor”. An expert advisor is a computerized futures trading system which has been developed through the use of “artificial intelligence”, and which follows a specific investment regimen. The system does not deviate from the inherent program instructions at any time, which eliminates the human factor.
In the interest of full disclosure, I feel an obligation to convey my concerns about these products, and I believe it is critical for the buyer to carefully peruse these programs to assess the importance of his tolerance for investment risk in the futures markets, and whether the specific program is in line with his goals and temperament. Indeed, the best robot programs now available will handle everything for you, including trading decisions, entry and exit points, and protection against increased volatility in the futures markets, all performed with no hesitation. Some of these Automated Forex Trading Robots are developed to allow the trader to make use of his preferred individual investment analysis, or he can tweak the parameters of the built in formulas.
Before I would put down any hard earned money for one of these Automated Forex Trading Robots, I would be sure to address the following performance issues: How much market history was used in the development of the trading model, what is the documented success rate of the system, what is the business history of the manufacturer, and which futures markets will the system comfortably handle? My feeling is that no Automated Forex Trading System is sufficiently robust in the area of artificial intelligence that it will successfully invest in all markets, and I would consider this type of guarantee to be a red flag to be investigated.
In addition, this type of trading robot concept is probably best used by a futures market expert. This is because the seasoned futures operator has already developed his own mathematical methods for trading, whether intuitive or mechanical, and by using his own programs in conjunction with the built in formulas inherent in one of these robots, he may be able to overcome hesitation in trading decisions.
I would state unequivically that trusting an Automated forex Trading Robot to manage your money without any human safeguards for protection is financial suicide. To remove the investment aspect from this situation, who in their right mind would book an airline reservation for a flight which was totally dependant on a computer to make sure that you arrived safely at your destination? For sure, you would not catch me on that plane.
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