Unlike stock markets, forex markets are open 24/5 except on the weekends. There is a continuous price action all day in the currency markets. Do you know this fact more than 90% of forex traders are speculators?
Currency markets react violently to the release of economic and socio political news. Currency rates can shoot up or down violently for a few minutes to a few hours before the market absorbs the impact of the news.
Fundamental economic news like NFP figures, the housing sales number, FOMC meeting etc all are released at a known time. Google Fundamental News and you will see lots of sites that provide this information.
You can get the day and time when a major economic announcement is going to be made. Non Form Payroll (NFP) figures have become very significant for USD pairs especially after the start of the recession recently.
Non Farm Payroll (NFP) figures are released regularly at 8:30 AM EST on the first Friday of every month. EUR/USD and other USD pairs become very jittery just before the release of these figures. EUR/USD can sometimes shoot up by 50-150 pips in 5-10 minutes just after the release of these figures.
The markets mostly stabilize within a few hours after the release of an important economic news unless the news is of such a fundamental nature to form a new trend in the market.
News release trading is ideal for those traders who like a lot of action within few minutes. Here is one strategy described below that you can use.
Enter both buy and sell orders on for example EUR/USD at 10 pips above and below the price of EUR/USD just five minutes before the announcement of NFP figures.
Place stop loss of 10 pips for both the orders. Place take profit of 40 pips on both orders. When the NFP figures are announced, EUR/USD will either shoot up or down.
Suppose it goes up by 10 pips, buy order will be triggered. Suppose EUR/USD jumps by 60 pips. Your position will be closed at 50 pips when you have reached take profit of 40 pips. Isnt it nice you made 40 pips in a few minutes?
Suppose EUR/USD shoots down. Your sell order will be triggered and you will still make 40 pips. Sometimes the markets have a tendency to whipsaw so be careful. Practice this strategy on your demo account first ten times before going live.