A Beginner’s Guide To The Currency Exchange Market AKA Forex
April 27, 2011 by Veidi Yee
Filed under Learning Forex Trading
The most liquid trade is the foreign currency exchange market. Banks begin trading at 8:00 am, Monday morning in Sydney, and they don’t close until 5:00 pm, Friday evening in New York. Brokers remain open around the clock 24-hours a day throughout the week.
Currencies are traded in pairs represented by three-letter symbols. The euro/Japanese yen pair appears as EUR/JPY. Traders using the USD (US dollar) to fund a forex account must first buy the euro with the dollar before exchanging it for one yen. Selling short means the trader expects the value of the second unit to decrease. Buying long is for traders who expect that unit will increase in value. Whether long or short, the trade will be profitable if the speculator is correct.
Monies constantly change in value. The unit of measurement for monies is called a pip. The 1000th number placement post-decimal is a pip for most monies. Considering the tiny size of this movement, investors depend on borrowed funds from the broker.
A lot size depends on the broker and the type of account. Standard lots equal 100,000 units, mini-lots are 10,000 units, and micro lots are 1,000.
Borrowed units are known as leverage. Leverage is necessary in order to place trades in lots. Typical 100:1 leverage is the most common term of leverage internationally. 100 to 1 means that the broker will increase every unit of money risked to 100 units.The range of leverage among world brokers is 10:1 through 500:1. In America, investors are regulated by the CFTC. US regulations do not permit leverage above 50:1. Beginners can easily get into trouble with too much leverage since the investor is responsible for any losses. Before trading FX one must learn to manage risks well.
Statistically, 90% of new investors lose everything. Still, success in the currency exchange market is obtainable with a thorough education. Many education resources are available in books, seminars, and the internet. Many professional FX traders offer advice in forums. Learn as much as possible first, and then trade profitably with a back-tested strategy.
The forex market is indeed a very dangerous business for the common folk. Before you even think of plunging in the forex trading world, do serious studying first.
