For centuries, we’ve had a stereotype that a man is the main and only earner in the house. When Forex began to gain popularity, it was also referred to as a male occupation. And in vain. The women of Japan have proven that everyone can earn in the foreign exchange market.
How It All Started
During the economic downturn in Japan in the 1990s, all families suffered from a severe lack of money. Men received little, no support funds were paid for children. Despite this, women were not allowed to work. The taxers even punished them for trying to go to work.
Then Japanese housewives found a way to help their families from the comfort of their homes - making profits on Forex. Women began to trade between household chores. And they did it so successfully that later fame about them thundered all over the world. Japanese housewives even got their name - Mrs. Watanabe (a common surname in Japan, like Smith in the USA or Wang in China).
In those very 90s, when the economic bubble burst in Japan, interest rates collapsed. Mrs. Watanabe found a way to play on this and turned to a reliable strategy - carry trading.
This is a rather uncommon strategy that didn’t carry any significant risks. Housewives borrowed a currency with a low interest rate (and we already know that at this time it was the Japanese yen) and paid small fees, after which they invested in a stronger currency with a higher interest rate. This brought them an instant return on the rate difference. An elegant solution, right? In no time, Japanese housewives started earning more than their husbands.
Mrs. Watanabe in 2000s
In the middle 2000s, the secret trading career of Japanese women became widely known. By this time, the rules for financial trading were loosened which gave more opportunities to enter the world market.
Tax inspectors began to increasingly "catch" those Mrs. Watanabe, as they made profits in secret and didn’t pay taxes. One of the most famous cases was a flower arranger who hid 400 million yen from the authorities.
How Mrs. Watanabe Learns and Trades
Japanese housewives follow the same path as any other successful trader. They start with learning. They use the same materials on the Internet as any other trader, go to free seminars that are held in their area. And then they learn from their own mistakes.
Mrs. Watanabes make up a trading routine for themselves, like any ordinary trader:
- Trade from a desktop or mobile device
- Daily study the current situation on the market
- Use advice they find on specialized sites (social media or trading blogs)
- Make technical analysis before entering a trade
- Many try to close positions before the release of important news in order to minimize risks, etc.
Everyone Can Be Mrs. Watanabe
At some point, Japanese housewives began to earn and invest such amounts of funds that their trade began to influence the world market. They have proven that absolutely everyone can achieve success thanks to perseverance and diligence.
Of course, at the moment, the Forex market is still dominated by male traders. Especially, at the age of 30 to 50 years. But every year more and more women and young people begin to realize that they have a number of advantages that will help them become professional traders:
- For women, it’s perseverance, dedication, risk management, enough free time if you are a housewife.
- For young people, it’s quick learning, a lot of energy, the ability to easily cope with losses, etc.
There is no doubt that Mrs. Watanabe became a new trend in the global market and inspired many novice traders, especially women, to make an important decision in life - to take their financial well-being into their own hands. Many thousands have already reached success. Maybe it's time for you to try to become Mrs. Watanabe, whoever you are?