The London Academy of Trading

Applied Financial Trading Foundation Programme

Mode of Attendance: On campus or online

Duration: 4 weeks

Course Objectives and Learning Outcomes:

This course aims to improve trading profitability by providing students with a comprehensive

understanding of how financial markets operate in the real world and how fundamental, technical

and psychological influences affect market prices. Students will learn how to study price action of

currencies, stock indices, precious metals and commodities in a structured way with access to real

time market information on which to apply this knowledge. Knowledge will be tested as the course

progresses via a series of short multiple-choice tests.

The course is presented by professional traders who will share their own experiences in the market

to help students derive the maximum benefit from the many sources of information currently

available.

Students who successfully complete the programme will be able to trade financial markets within a

structured plan with good risk management and strong psychological control. They will be able to

interpret information from different sources and assess the potential impacts of this information on

FX and other financial markets. They will also be able to analyse market prices from a fundamental

and/or technical perspective and interact with colleagues using appropriate market terminology

and etiquette. Students will also have developed the following sets of skills:

Knowledge and understanding:

• Decision making skills in finance and investments

• Mathematical and technical techniques used in finance and investments

• Trading decision-making within a financial context

• An understanding of money management and risk management techniques

Intellectual skills:

• Problem solving and critical analysis

• Ability to apply fundamental and technical trading techniques

• Demonstrate competence in critical reasoning and decision making

Professional skills:

• Be able to make investment decisions based on financial information

• Apply mathematical and statistical techniques in trading analysis & research

• Exhibit familiarity with financial market trading systems and databases

Transferable/key skills:

• Listening & information retrieval skills

• Trading and market analysis skills

• Collection and presentation of statistical trading data

Programme Syllabus:

PHASE 1: Where to Start?

• Understanding the FX market

• Overview of fundamentals & major political events

• Checking the macro news for the day

• Identifying any long term trends

Building a Trading Strategy

• Fundamental and/or technical approach?

• Select your ideal trading timeframe

• Select the instruments you want to trade

• Risk management & lot sizing

PHASE 2: Analysing Price Action

• Which type of chart to plot – Line, bar or candle?

• Support & resistance, trendlines & channels

• What makes one support or resistance level stronger than another?

• How likely is it to hold? How big will the impact be if it is broken?

Setting Targets & Applying Stop Losses

• What are you trying to achieve?

• Are your price targets realistic?

• Are your stop losses at the correct level?

Understanding your Emotions

• Trading psychology

• Understanding our natural human biases

• Managing emotions when holding winning or losing positions

PHASE 3: Analytical Tools – Price Action

• Using Japanese Candlestick analysis to identify shifts in investor sentiment

• Identifying price patterns & using them to generate achievable price targets

• How to incorporate Fibonacci retracements & extensions into your trade plan

Analytical Tools – Technical Indicators

• Using momentum indicators (oscillators) to confirm other technical signals

o Momentum & Rate of Change

o RSI & Slow Stochastics - which parameters to use and why

o Trading signals & divergence

• How to use moving averages

o Identify underlying trends

o Generate trading signals

Corporate Connections:

The lecturers and mentors for this course are investment professional with decades of experience

of working in the financial markets. Passing on real-life experiences and knowledge of the fast-

moving world of international finance is an integral part of this course.

International Dimensions:

This course has a strong international focus and will discuss the correlation between various global

markets across many geographical regions. All major asset classes will be covered, although

emphasis will be focused on foreign exchange, stock indices, precious metals & commodities.

Method of Teaching:

The on-campus course will be taught via mentored trading sessions, lectures and by individual

reading and market study. Understanding will be reinforced with extensive practical trading

sessions on the academy trading floor.

The online course will be taught via a series of HD video lectures, regular daily live webinars, plus

ongoing interaction with tutors via live chat rooms. Understanding will be reinforced with extensive

online trading sessions delivered via webinar.

Learning Hours:

On-campus Course: Students will be based on the academy trading floor for most of the day, with

regular academic sessions provided throughout the course.

Contact hours 100 hours

Further private study & trading 60 hours

TOTAL 160 hours

Private study comprises guided reading associated with the academic content, application of

trading strategies explained during academic & mentoring sessions, practice trading on real-time

markets and self-directed learning in the subject area of the programme.

Online Course: Contact hours with be comprised of daily webinars and access to HD video lectures.

Contact hours 40 hours

Further private study & trading 60 hours

TOTAL 100 hours

Private study comprises guided reading associated with online academic videos, application of

trading strategies explained during daily webinars, practice trading on real-time markets and self-

directed learning in the subject area of the programme.