I'm going to talk to you about swing trading stocks, because to me swing trading forex sounds like a death sentance.
Despite what people tell you liquidity doesn't mean much for swing traders, what does however is the ability to spot patterns and get on the right end of them.
PXS: A penny AIM pharma company, this stock has been fluctuating between 2.80p and 3.50p for months. I usually manage to get 2 trades a month out of this, buying low and shorting high. There isn't really any technical analysis for this stock as it would appear other people are all doing the same as me, the great thing about this stock is the orders always get filled, even if you are inside the spread.
Fundemental swings:
OIL Spuds, usually I'll pick a stock that's spudding and then ride it upto the RNS. Examples would be EO. DES, RKH, GKP etc. I've always sold out before the RNS incase it's bad news, greedy people hold and those gamblers eventually get burnt to a crisp.
AIM Day trade:
Gusher: This is mega and ALWAYS works. You could setup an automated trade however I prefer to do it manually, due to the volatility of oil stocks. Basically set your screener to alert you on RNS. If it's a duster, go short, if it's a gusher go long. This was my first ever "system" (if you could call it that) and is still my most profitable trade. I've never tried this with US stocks but I would hazard a guess it's pretty similar.
Technical alalysis swings:
I use TA to swing the FTSE stocks usually boring **** like AV, RBS and LLOY, usually I'll setup my charts with a MACD histogram and follow sector rotation, volume and candlestick. It's ok, nothing great, probably get around 5% a month from it. I imagine thes are the sort of trades that people are taught on training courses etc.
Stuff I'm looking at:
I'm looking to branch out into ETF's and US stuff such as the S&P 500, my US buddies keep talking about options and crap like that, I try and tell them I'm happy with CFD's but they insist I get into it, so we shall see. I'm also doing a little forex so the future for me will be in forex and the US stock market (possibly options), that doesn't mean I'll ever leave the AIM, there is nothing like the rush you get from trading in the jungle (AIM).
Just a little more on the AIM for you:
In the jungle you got stocks ripping out 50% in one day, "fundemental investors" getting crushed everyday like origami, you got pump and dumps, market manipulation, stock manipulation, you name it the AIM has it but the great thing about it is when you get street wise more often than not you've already hit the bid before the order book starts lighting up like a christmas tree. When you can "feel" other peoples emotions just by looking at a chart that's when you know you've cracked it.
With regards to technical analysis one thing that got me placing better trades is this: know your enemies. You've got different enemies on the daily chart compared to the weekly chart. If I'm thinking of going long the first thing I'll do is zoom right out and look for shorting opportunities, 'cos that's what my opponents will be doing. If you're getting mixed feelings and decide that the trade could go either way, don't do the trade.
