ArticlesBase.com - Free Articles Directory
Free Online Articles Directory
08.10.2008 Sign In Register Hello Guest
Email:
Password:
Remember Me 
forgot your password?


Forex Trading Demystified

Author: Gregory Marathonge Author Ranking Blue | Posted: 13-03-2006 | Comments: 0 | Views: 268 | Rating:  (50) Article Popularity - Green (?) Got a Question? Ask.
Sign Up Now!

Forex involves the trading of currencies. It is the largest financial market in the world and has an estimated daily turnover of 1.9 trillion dollars. This turnover is larger than all the worlds' stock market on any given day.

The forex market does not have a fixed exchange. The forex market is considered an over-the-counter (OTC) market. The forex market is completely electronic and trades are executed over the phone or on the Internet. Until 10 years ago the forex market was the preserve of large financial institutions. Now an ever-increasing amount of individual traders thanks to the advent of the Internet and an increasing amount of online forex brokers are trading forex.

Currencies are always traded in pairs. A typical pair would be EUR/USD (Euro over US dollars). The first currency is the base. The second currency is the counter currency. The pair can be viewed, as the amount of the secondary currency that is needed to buy 1 unit of the first currency. If you were to buy the above pair you would buy Euro and simultaneously selling US dollars. If the pair were sold the reverse would happen you would sell the Euro and buy the US dollar. This might sound confusing but simply think of the pair as one item and you are buying or selling one item. If you think the Euro will go up against the US dollar you buy the EUR/USD pair. If you think the EUR will decrease against the US dollar you sell the EUR/USD pair.

When you see forex quotes you will see two numbers. If we use the EUR/USD as an example you might see 1.2350/1.2355 the first number 1.2350 is the bid price and is the price traders are prepared to buy euros against the US dollar. The second number 1.2355 is the offer price and is the price traders are prepared to sell the EURO against the US dollar. The difference between the bid and the offer price is the called the spread. The spread for the major currencies is usually 3 to 5 pips (explained later).

The most common increment of currencies is the pip. If the EUR/USD moves from 1.2350 to 1.2351 that is one pip. A pip is the last decimal point of quotation. Most currencies quoted to 4 decimal points. The exception is the Yen, which is quoted to 2 decimal points eg 139.41. The term pip is just forex lingo so if a forex trader says the EURO has gone up 20 pips against the US dollar add 20 points to decimal part of EUR/USD pair.

Forex is traditionally traded in lots also referred to as contracts. The standard size for a lot is $100,000. In the last few a mini lot size of 10,000 dollars has been introduced and this has become increasing popular. Forex trading is leveraged with most forex brokers offering 1% margins. This means you can control one standard lot of $100000 with $1000. Typically you would need a minium of $2500 to open a standard size forex account.

A mini account can be opened with $300 with most forex brokers. To trade a one mini lot you need a margin of $100, which in turn controls $10000. If the currency goes up 1% and if you traded one mini lot of $10000 you would make $100 dollars or 100% of your original margin. Forex trading is a very lucrative market to get into and it is suggested that traders new to forex trading trade a mini account for an extended amount of time. Trading a mini account is a low cost entry to the forex market, as only $300 is required to open an account. You can still make money while you become more experienced in forex trading. You can trade one mini lot until you have made your first $100 dollars then start trading 2 mini lots. As you gain more experience you can trade standard sized lots.

Forex trading is becoming increasing popular with traders of other financial products. It can be traded in amounts a lot smaller than other financial products, which makes learning forex trading safer than other markets. Forex trading can be a very lucrative market, which no trader can dismiss.

Rate this Article: Current: 0 / 5 stars - 0 vote(s).

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/finance-articles/forex-trading-demystified-18446.html

Print this Article Print article   Email to a Friend Send to friend   Publish this Article on your Website Publish this Article   Send Author Feedback Author feedback  
About the Author:
To get more information about the opportunities of forex trading please visit www.ultimateforextrading.com
Submitting articles has become one of the most popular means of generating quality backlinks and targeted traffic to your website. Join us today - It's Free!

Article Comments

Comment on this article Comment on this article
Your Name
Your Email:
Comment Body
Enter Validation Code: Captcha


Related Articles

Forex Trading an Overlooked But Very Lucrative Market
By: Gregory Marathonge | 10/03/2006 | Finance
Free Finance articles for use on your Finance related website. Find articles of the subject of Finance

My Favorite Trading Strategy
By: Lance Beggs | 20/05/2008 | Finance
Free Finance articles for use on your Finance related website. Find articles of the subject of Finance

Trading Psychology - Doubt
By: Lance Beggs | 20/05/2008 | Finance
Free Finance articles for use on your Finance related website. Find articles of the subject of Finance

Price Analysis - A Top-Down Approach
By: Lance Beggs | 20/05/2008 | Finance
Free Finance articles for use on your Finance related website. Find articles of the subject of Finance

Creating Amazing Wealth Trading Forex Online
By: Avi Frister | 13/10/2006 | Currency Trading

Alternative Investments in a Bear Market
By: Ladi Dairo | 24/03/2008 | Investing

Stock Breakouts and Resistance
By: Larry Potter | 20/02/2006 | Finance
Free Finance articles for use on your Finance related website. Find articles of the subject of Finance

Keeping your Losses at a Minimum
By: Larry Potter | 05/10/2006 | Investing

Got a Question? Ask.

Ask the community a question about this article:

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best way to backup photos from my hard ...
By: matyd | 05-08-2008
What is the best way to backup photos from my hard-drive?

How much gas does a kohler 5ecd generator burn
By: sherrons3@aol.com | 04-08-2008
how much gas does a kohler 5ecd generator burn

How much income taxes do they take out if you make ...
By: Mango | 04-08-2008
how much income taxes do they take out if you make 1000.00 dollars. Would it be less if you make 2000.00 dollars.

Do you think Mobile banking should be ...
By: arllyn | 04-08-2008
Do you think Mobile banking should be introduced in more languages?

Can I send one email to all in my contact list?
By: spoonercpa | 04-08-2008
Is there a way to announce my AOL email addres as my preferred email address to all in my contact list?

In Detroit,Michigan how long does it take if you ...
By: qtpye | 03-08-2008
In Detroit,Michigan how long does it take if you mail a commissary payment from the same city to get into an inmates account

Q&A Powered by:
Powered by Yedda 

Latest Finance Articles

Stock Market Advice - Be Careful Who You Listen To
By: Bruce Lipski | 08/10/2008
You can get stock pics almost everywhere including magazines, TV shows, radio shows, The Internet and probably many other places as well. One thing is for sure, there is no shortage of opinions.

Learning Proper Money Management For College Students
By: Jamie B. McIntyre | 08/10/2008
It is tempting for college students to just throw caution to the wind and enjoy life as it comes. I mean, you are only young once and there are so many things to enjoy while you at that age when you are totally energetic and feeling full of excitement and...

Off Shore Incorporation In Ras Al Khaimah Is The Quickest In The Middle East
By: Ramapati Singhania | 08/10/2008
Off shore incorporation in Ras Al Khaimah [RAK], one of the fastest growing emirates in one of the fastest growing economies of the world - the United Arab Emirates [UAE] is the easiest to do in the Middle East.

BVI Offshore Registration: All That You Need To Know To Get Started
By: Ramapati Singhania | 08/10/2008
BVI offshore registration is certainly cheaper than Lichtenstein or Luxembourg and extremely popular. More than 6,500 companies are incorporated in this jusrisdiction every month!

The History of the Global Forex Market
By: Orlando Thompson | 07/10/2008
In this article we explain what the global forex market is and how it came to be this is very insightful information that will help you in your forex trading system choices.

How To Go About Improving Your Credit Score
By: MIKE SELVON | 07/10/2008
While it'd be nice to live a "credit-free existence," it can be difficult to do so in today's world.

Self Directed IRA Possibilities With A Small Business
By: Jerry Glynn | 07/10/2008
It is normally not possible to set up a self directed IRA with a small business. This article describes a little known strategy that can be used in conjunction with a small business.

Understanding Debt Consolidation Loans
By: Richard Greenwood | 07/10/2008
It can be all too easy to end up in debt and especially during the current times of financial uncertainty you may find yourself unable to make repayments. Consolidating your debt can make your debts easier to manage and lower your interest charges meaning you become debt free faster.

More from Gregory Marathonge

Ten Ways To Rapidly Increase Your Sales On The Internet
By: Gregory Marathonge | 06/04/2006 | Viral Marketing
To increase your sales on the Internet there are ways you can multiply your selling efforts. Strategies to increase sales include viral marketing and free product distribution.

Improve Your Website And Increase Profits
By: Gregory Marathonge | 28/03/2006 | Home Business
To increase the money you make from your website increase the amount of visitors to your website and increase the sales per visitor.

Have Goals And Live A Life Of Full of Abundance
By: Gregory Marathonge | 28/03/2006 | Motivational
For now, I wish to emphasise that all achievement begins with a goal. Just the very thought of a goal is enough to trigger off great achievements in your life.

Information Can Be A Very Big Money Spinner On The Internet.
By: Gregory Marathonge | 11/03/2006 | ECommerce
Information in combination with the Internet is an asset that can produce income for companies and individuals.

Forex Trading an Overlooked But Very Lucrative Market
By: Gregory Marathonge | 10/03/2006 | Finance
Forex trading an overlooked but very lucrative market. The forex market has many features not in other markets.

The Mind Power Within You
By: Gregory Marathonge | 10/03/2006 | Motivational
Infinite riches are all around you if you open your mental eyes and behold the treasure house of infinity within you. There is a gold mine within you from which you can extract everything you need to live life gloriously, joyously and abundantly.

Article Categories






Give Feedback

Sign up for our email newsletter

Receive updates, enter your email below