Some Important Tips on Choosing Your Forex Broker

December 7, 2010 · Posted in Currency Trading · Comments Off 

As we all know Forex is a fast moving, high on liquidity and an extremely volatile market where split-second timing can make all of the difference between profit and loss. The forex trading market is fast becoming the biggest global financial market, and online currency trading is now one of the fastest growing investments. Everyone – big o small investor is waking up to currency trading.

And with internet revolution, there is no dearth of information on forex trading and online currency trading. But finding the best forex trader can be a difficult decision especially if your own knowledge on the subject is limited and don’t know where to look.

There are mainly two types of brokers: one type is an Electronic Communication Network, also referred to as ECN and another Market-Maker.

We will share some basic considerations as you go about choosing an online forex broker.

Spread Amount: It is calculated in pips. Spread is the difference between how much you can buy or sell a currency at given point in time. Some forex brokers have variable spread; while other may have two spread amounts depending on day and night. For some spread depends to the position of market. When market is quiet the spread is small and when market is busy the spread is high. Most sensible potential investors would opt for forex brokers that have fixed spread, because it is safer.

Execution: Find out how fast the broker’s order execution is and if they offer automated execution. Find out if you can trade before having to request a quote and if they trade against their clients. And the best way to find all these facts is by opening a demo account and taking a test drive.

Leverage Options: While choosing an online forex broker, considers their leverage. There are brokerages that offer a flexible trading margin which allows you to choose the leverage that’s most suitable for you.

Account Types Find out if the forex broker you register with has mini account or not. Mini account is for people with limited investment capital.

Trading Platform: Find out if the software used by your broker shows live prices that you can actually trade at, not just indicative quotes. One-Cancels-Other orders are another feature that comes in handy as you can set up your trade and then leave the software to take it forward.

Find out if they have the necessary tools and is their support system live 24 hours. The size of your broker is also very important. A big profitable broker with a wide customer base is far less likely to go bankrupt than a new broker just starting out.

Remember that its not a bid job these days for anyone to put up a web site and call themselves an expert FX broker. What you require to do is use due diligence before trusting your money to strangers.

What is worth remembering is that if your broker offers guaranteed transactions and is a member of any recognized exchanges, you are dealing with a broker who will treat you fairly and is more likely to be around for a good time to come.

Vahid Chaychi PhotoAbout Author
Copyright 2009 – Vahid is a forex trader and forex market analyst. His website is the most reliable reference for advanced, intermediate and beginner forex traders: Forex Signals.

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Two Currency Trading Methods- Which Will You Choose?

February 1, 2010 · Posted in Forex Exchange · Comments Off 

The two main currency trading methods we are going to outline in this article are:

  1. Using Leverage
  2. Taking Ownership

Once a reasonable amount of experience and knowledge has been gained in the currency trading market (FOREX) it can be very profitable to combine both methods. Here are the main characteristics of each:

1. Using Leverage

Beginners in currency trading will typically find an online broker, open a free demo account, read a manual or take a tutorial, and start practicing speculating skills based on technical indicators.

Through the online broker they are able to use leverage so if they eventually decide to open a mini account, a 100:1 leverage means that with $1 they can participate in the market with $1,000. If in time they graduate to a regular account, 1 trading lot of $10 can be leveraged by the broker so $100,000 can be traded for another currency.

Many newcomers to currency trading concentrate on getting small profits, getting in and out of the trade quickly, usually taking no longer than a few hours at the most. Day trading necessitates learning how to read candle charts, recognizing patterns, and anticipating where price is likely to go.

As many new traders find when they have been currency trading for a while, it is possible to have a succession of losing trades, and without proper equity management, their account can be blown necessitating another cash injection to allow them to trade again.

A series of blown accounts can add up and many view this as part of their currency trading education expenses.

Alternating between a demo account and a mini account can reduce the cost so the new currency trader can regain confidence in the demo before going back to live trading again. Eventually, the hope is that the trader will develop a consistent trading pattern so more trades are won than lost so their equity gradually increases.

2. Taking Ownership

This method of currency trading still requires a learning curve as one has to anticipate the market moves and recognize chart patterns. Unlike using leverage however, the risk of financial loss is smaller and you are not in danger of ‘blowing your account.’

It simply means you create a portfolio with whatever funds you wish to commit to currency trading and open bank accounts in each of the currencies you wish to trade.

For example, you may wish to open bank accounts for any of the following:

  • US Dollar
  • British Pound
  • European Euro
  • Japanese Yen
  • Swiss Franc

Of course, more substantial sums of money are needed to make this method of currency trading worthwhile after taking into account bank transfer charges.

However, if you have x,000 dollars or euros or any of the big five currencies to commit to currency trading this method is certainly worth considering.

After studying technical indicators and learning about support and resistance and Fibonacci calculations, you will soon recognize key patterns on the higher time frame charts. Using daily and weekly charts will bring to your attention currency pairs that are in an up or down trend or pairs that appear to be topping out or reaching a strategic high or low.

If for example the British pound reaches a high against the dollar that is the highest it has been for many years, there is a reasonable possibility that it will not stay at that level. Taking a portion of your equity and buying dollars would make good sense. Within a few days or weeks depending on your profit targets, the pound is like to come down at which time you sell dollars and buy pounds.

For example, with GBP10,000 you purchase dollars as the pound touches 2.000 against the dollar. You now own USD20,000. Within a few days the pound pulls back to 1.9800 at which time you sell dollars and buy pounds giving you GBP10,101 less bank transfer fees.

This is just a quick example of how the ownership method of currency trading works. Of course, the currency may not go in the direction you anticipate in which case your equity will be reduced. You will then need to hold that currency until such time it increases in value. Alternatively, you may see another opportunity involving a different currency cross and be prepared to take a loss in order to use that capital in a new trade.

Once currency trading skills have been acquired, the ownership method can be quite profitable, especially as your equity increases. This method requires patience as ideal setups may not appear very often. But when they do you can commit a reasonable part of your portfolio to the trade with a high probability you will profit.

Currency Trading Is High Risk

Currency trading is viewed as a high risk enterprise, and with good reason. A very high proportion of those who attempt to trade the Forex fail and give up in time, up to 95% according to some authorities. Other veteran traders suggest it can take from a few months to 3 years to gain the necessary skills – quite a learning curve!

Those who have the psychological stamina and determination to ride the bumps, accept the losses, and keep coming back until they are able to make consistent profits, are generously rewarded with a changed financial status.

Author: Michael A Jones
Article Source: EzineArticles.com
Provided by: PCB Prototype & Manufacturing

Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Powered by Yahoo! Answers