Wednesday, June 9, 2010

Forex vs. Stocks

First of all, what is Forex? It is a short version of FOReign EXchange. It is also called FX and 4X, but regardless of the name you use, it is the largest financial market in the world. From 1997 to the end of 2000, daily Forex trading has skyrocketed from $5 billion to over $1.5 trillion..

Let’s look at some reasons why Forex trading is rapidly gaining popularity over other markets.

Trading hours: The Forex market is traded 24 hours per day from about 7pm EST on Sunday until about 3pm EST on Friday. The stock market is only traded Monday thru Friday with limited hours.

Liquidity: Forex markets trade over $1.5 trillion each day while the stock market only around $200 billion. There are only 7 major currencies traded on the Forex while there are more than 40,000 stocks from which to choose.

Commissions: No commissions are charged on the Forex while the stock markets charge high commissions and transaction fees.

Leverage: Forex Market offers great leverage power. Brokers usually offer from 100:1 to 400:1 leverage. This means a trader using 100:1 leverage you control $100,000 with only $1,000 margin. Stock market investors pay full price for stock when purchased unless they have a margin account and the leverage with margin is usually only 2:1.

Low Minimum Investment: The minimum initial investment to open a Forex trading account is as low as $300. Most stock brokers require several thousand dollars as a minimum to open an account.

This is the perfect market. Foreign Exchange trading has long been recognized as a superior investment opportunity by major banks, multinational corporations and other institutions. Now the internet has propelled Forex trading among private individuals tremendously. Trade from home, the office, or virtually anywhere in the world. Trade virtually anytime day or night. Work part time or full time.

It is obvious that the Forex Market offers a substantial opportunity to those willing to invest energy, focus, and a little money.

It is difficult for a new Forex trader to become successful in the Forex market without understanding the basics and how it works. This knowledge can be obtained in a free Forex training program.




Learn from the best forex trading system
systems and master forex.


The most accurate eur/usd forecast for 2010 and beyond.

Forex Brokers: What You Get For Your Money

The majority of the Forex brokers do not charge commissions. They are remunerated by revenues from their activities as currency dealers, including earnings from buying, selling, interest on deposited funds, converting and holding currencies, and rollover fees.

If you think that, because Forex brokers do not charge commissions, they are working for free, you need to go back to Forex school. Forex brokers make their money from you, by selling you currency at one price and buying it back from you at a lower one. The difference in the prices is known as the “spread” and it can mount in a hurry. How can you determine a “spread?”

Understanding The Spread

You may have thought a “pip” meant is a fruit seed, and you would have been right. But in the 21st century, the “pip” is far more widely known as the smallest monetary increment, usually one one-hundredth of a percent. On the Forex market, currencies are priced to the fourth decimal place, and that fourth decimal pace is the”pip.” It’s also known as a “basis point.”

Forex brokers make their livings in pips. The number of pips they charge per trade is known as their spread. Some Forex brokers charge the same spread no matter what the trade, and other Forex brokers charge a variable spread. While a variable spread can look enticingly small in a slow market, it will not be available when the Forex trading begins to fluctuate, because the Forex broker will raise his spread.

You can hook up with Forex brokers through major banks or investment firms. They are regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission and they are registered with the Futures Commission Merchant. But the Internet has caused a proliferation on online Forex brokers, who will provide traders the technology necessary to trade. They have opened the Forex market to million of small investors who may lack the capital and understanding to have any chance of succeeding.

What To Expect From Your Forex Brokers

If you’re working with Forex brokers, and you should be, your have the right to expect their offices to be available around the clock. The Forex market never sleeps, and even if you are placing a trade in the middle of the day, it might be the middle of the in the hemisphere where your Forex broker’s office is located.

If you need to get out of your trade in a hurry, you should be able to depend on someone being at the other end of the phone. And by the way, always make certain with your Forex brokers that you can close a position over the phone. If not, a power outage hitting your PC, or a failed Internet connection can spell disaster.

Before you sign on with any firm of Forex brokers, take the time to do some background checking. Not all Forex brokers have the financial underpinnings to hold money in reserve if their trades go wrong and their customers want to cleanout their trading accounts. Your Forex broker should be open about his company’s financial condition and history, and be able to provide documentation of his claims. If he can’t or won’t, take your business elsewhere.

And before you commit any money to any Forex brokers, use their online sample trading features to decide which programs are best suited to your trading style. It costs nothing, and will give you confidence that in the fast moving world of Forex trading you’ll be able to keep up.




Learn from the best forex trading system
systems and master forex.


The best broker forex trading
that work.

Learn Forex Using Your Broker's Tools

In recent years, FOREX trading has gained tremendous attention from the masses. In short, FOREX is the foreign exchange market where participants are able to buy and sell currencies when conditions are favorable. In doing so, they get a great return on their investments. As with stock, you would buy when it is low and sell when it is high.

FOREX Boom
Of course, if it were that simple, everyone would join in on the FOREX boom. However, much time, research, and homework will go into understanding FOREX and its nature. To succeed as a FOREX trader, you have to know how to predict changes, analyze trends, and keep up with rising and falling currencies.

It is plain to see that learning FOREX is a must if you intend on becoming a successful FOREX trader. If you have the time or money, you can attend classes or take online courses to better understand FOREX. However, even if your time or resources are limited, you can still learn about foreign exchange on your own time with little money.

There are books, tutorials, and software available to train you in the methods and techniques of FOREX trading. It is advisable that you pick up a how-to or beginners book to at least understand the basics. At the least, you should read a few articles and learn some trading techniques.

Getting Started in FOREX
With the presence of the internet, it is easy to get started in FOREX trading. There are many brokerage firms that offer online trading so you can go online from your home computer at any time of the day or night. All you need is software, which is available through the brokerage firm.

It is best to get started with a demo. The demo will walk you through and teach you how to use the software. But the greater benefit here is that you will have a chance to test the software using play money. Not only will this help you get a grasp of using the software, it can also help you test trading methods and put your research into practice.

Learning FOREX
It might take some time to learn the principles and logic behind FOREX trading. When should you buy currency? At what point should you sell? The unpredictability of the FOREX market keeps some individuals from becoming active traders.

There are various trading methods involved with FOREX. No one method is perfect, but each method or technique can show you how to analyze trends and better predict changes in currency based on current market conditions. You should look into understanding pips, or Price Interest Points. FOREX works in increments called pips, and some techniques will show you when it is best to sell, based on pips.

By understanding everything there is to know about FOREX, your chances of success is good. However, it will take practice and time to perfect your trading techniques, so start with a small amount. Take full advantage of the demo software and use it until you feel comfortable with FOREX trading.




The best broker forex trading
that work.


The most accurate eur/usd forecast for 2010 and beyond.