Forex is one of the hardest markets to earn a positive return on investment in the world, but that does not mean that you can find success in this unique market. Forex strategies are commonly found all over the Internet, on various forums, blogs, and chat rooms. However, it is well-known that publicized automated Forex trading systems are typically used and abused until the point of no return. Eventually, they will become the general knowledge of the market and no one will be able to make a profit with a particular strategy.
To make automated Forex trading systems work for you, there are a few things to keep in mind. The very first, and arguably the most controversial, is to keep your Forex strategies to yourself. Don't talk to anyone! Sure, you might have some friends that you like to swap stories and collaborate on strategies with, but if you find a particular strategy that works extremely well for you, your best security measure is to shut your mouth. Don't say a word. Money can do funny things even to the best of friends, so telling your friend a profitable strategy might lead to him either scaling and profiting, or selling it and profiting. You want neither of these options to happen, and the only way to ensure that is to keep it quiet.
Once you find a strategy that is working for you and you kept it quiet, the next thing you should do is constantly refine and tune your strategy. No strategy is perfect on the first go around, and many of them can be significantly improved over many iterations. The beauty of Forex and automated trading is that you have many situations and instances where you can refine the system. Even if refining your system means only earning a couple extra pips per day, it's worth it. Those pips can add up to huge sums of money in the long run, provided your strategy works over the course of weeks, months, or even years.
Another critical tip to maintaining the health and profitability of your automated trading system is to control your emotions. If you know without a doubt that your system is profitable, you should not be worried about down days or unlucky stretches of time. Deep down in your heart you'll know that it is just an unlucky streak and you will climb out of it sooner or later. The last thing you want to do is ditch your entire trading system because your emotions have gotten out of control.