There are various ways to rank indebtedness, such as debt per capita and deficit or debt as a function of gross domestic product (GDP). This ranking is based on cumulative debt as a percentage of GDP and is limited to an analysis of the 25 largest economies. It is further limited to "external" debt, which is the portion of the national debt that is owed only to foreign creditors. The source for the debt and GDP amounts is the Central Intelligence Agency World Factbook most recent numbers from mid to late 2009. Ireland - Debt/GDP: 997% The days of Ireland enjoying one of the fastest growing economies in Europe are over, at least for now. The story is all too familiar, as easy credit fueled a housing bubble that burst and damaged consumer confidence. After recording budget surpluses in the prior two years, the economy reversed course in 2009 and contracted 7%. This eroded tax revenues and sent the annual deficit to a record 14.3% of GDP. The European Union set a target for Ireland to reduce that figure to 3% by 2014, but the International Monetary Fund has indicated that the deadline will be missed. Moody's has subsequently lowered its bond rating. (Learn about credit rating agencies and how were they developed in A Brief History Of Credit Rating Agencies.) Netherlands - Debt/GDP: 467% The national debt in the Netherlands has reached record levels as a result of the world financial crisis and recession. Much of the added burden was caused by significant government support for the country's banking sector. The increase in debt per capita is second only to that experienced in Ireland. The Netherlands joined the eurozone with a hard guilder a decade ago, but its current debt would likely disqualify it for membership. United Kingdom - Debt/GDP: 409% Investment bank Morgan Stanley fears that Great Britain could face a severe debt crisis in the near future if it continues down its current path. According to the bank's report, this is a case of not putting aside sufficient reserves when the econ

The forex market is the most leveraged financial market in the world. In equities, standard margin is set at 2:1, which means that a trader must put up at least $50 cash to control $100 worth of stock. In options, the leverage increases to 10:1, with $10 controlling $100. In the futures markets, the leverage factor is increased to 20:1. (Read more, in Manage Risk With Trailing Stops And Protective Put Options.) For example, in a Dow Jones futures e-mini contract, a trader only needs $2,500 to control $50,000 worth of stock. However, none of these markets approaches the intensity of the forex market, where the default leverage at most dealers is set at 100:1 and can rise up to 200:1. That means that a mere $50 can control up to $10,000 worth of currency. Why is this important? First and foremost, the high degree of leverage can make FX either extremely lucrative or extraordinarily dangerous, depending on which side of the trade you are on. In FX, retail traders can literally double their accounts overnight or lose it all in a matter of hours if they employ the full margin at their disposal, although most professional traders limit their leverage to no more than 10:1 and never assume such enormous risk. But regardless of whether they trade on 200:1 leverage or 2:1 leverage, almost everyone in FX trades with stops. In this article, you'll learn how to use stops to set up the "stop hunting with the big specs" strategy. Stops are Key Precisely because the forex market is so leveraged, most market players understand that stops are critical to long-term survival. The notion of "waiting it out", as some equity investors might do, simply does not exist for most forex traders. Trading without stops in the currency market means that the trader will inevitably face forced liquidation in the form of a margin call. With the exception of a few long-term investors who may trade on a cash basis, a large portion of forex market participants are believed to be speculators, therefore, they simply do not ha