Forex Trading Basics

he global foreign exchange market is the biggest market in the world. The 3.2 trillion USD daily turnover dwarfs the combined turnover of all the world's stock and bond markets.

There are many reasons for the popularity of foreign exchange trading, but among the most important are the leverage available, the high liquidity 24 hours a day and the very low dealing costs associated with trading.

Of course many commercial organisations participate purely due to the currency exposures created by their import and export activities, but the main part of the turnover is accounted for by financial institutions. Investing in foreign exchange remains predominantly the domain of the big professional players in the market - funds, banks and brokers. Nevertheless, any investor with the necessary knowledge of the market's functions can benefit from the advantages stated above.

In the following article, we would like to introduce you to some of the basic concepts of foreign exchange trading. If you would like any further information, we suggest that you sign up for a FREE Membership on this website, where you will be able to exchange views with other Forex traders and get answers to any questions you might have.

Margin Trading

Foreign exchange is normally traded on margin. A relatively small deposit can control much larger positions in the market. For trading the main currencies, Saxo Bank requires a 1% margin deposit. This means that in order to trade one million dollars, you need to place just USD 10,000 by way of security.

In other words, you will have obtained a gearing of up to 100 times. This means that a change of, say 2%, in the underlying value of your trade will result in a 200% profit or loss on your deposit. See below for specific examples. As you can see, this calls for a very disciplined approach to trading as both profit opportunities and potential risks are very large indeed. Please refer to our page Forex Rates & Conditions for current Spreads, Margins and Conditions.

Base Currency and Variable Currency

When you trade, you will always trade a combination of two currencies. For example, you will buy US dollars and sell euro. Or buy euro and sell Japanese yen, or any other combination of dozens of widely traded currencies. But there is always a long (bought) and a short (sold) side to a trade, which means that you are speculating on the prospect of one of the currencies strengthening in relation to the other.

The trade currency is normally, but not always, the currency with the highest value. When trading US dollars against Singapore dollars, the normal way to trade is buying or selling a fixed amount of US dollars, i.e. USD 1,000,000. When closing the position, the opposite trade is done, again USD 1,000,000. The profit or loss will be apparent in the change of the amount of SGD credited and debited for the two transactions. In other words, your profit or loss will be denominated in SGD, which is known as the price currency. As part of our service, Saxo Bank will automatically exchange your profits and losses into your base currency if you require this.

Dealing Spread, but No Commissions

When trading foreign exchange, you are quoted a dealing spread offering you a buying and a selling level for your trade. Once you accept the offered price and receive confirmation from our dealers, the trade is done. There is no need to call an exchange floor. There are no other time-consuming delays. This is possible due to live streaming prices, which are also a great advantage in times of fast-moving markets: You can see where the market is trading and you know whether your orders are filled or not.

The dealing spread is typically 3-5 points in normal market conditions. This means that you can sell US dollars against the euro at 1.7780 and buy at 1.7785. There are no further costs, commissions or exchange fees.

This ensures that you can get in and out of your trades at very low slippage and many traders are therefore active intra-day traders, given that a typical day in USDEUR presents price swings of 150-200 points.

Spot and forward trading

When you trade foreign exchange you are normally quoted a spot price. This means that if you take no further steps, your trade will be settled after two business days. This ensures that your trades are undertaken subject to supervision by regulatory authorities for your own protection and security. If you are a commercial customer, you may need to convert the currencies for international payments. If you are an investor, you will normally want to swap your trade forward to a later date. This can be undertaken on a daily basis or for a longer period at a time. Often investors will swap their trades forward anywhere from a week or two up to several months depending on the time frame of the investment.

Although a forward trade is for a future date, the position can be closed out at any time - the closing part of the position is then swapped forward to the same future value date.

Interest Rate Differentials

Different currencies pay different interest rates. This is one of the main driving forces behind foreign exchange trends. It is inherently attractive to be a buyer of a currency that pays a high interest rate while being short a currency that has a low interest rate.

Although such interest rate differentials may not appear very large, they are of great significance in a highly leveraged position. For example, the interest rate differential between the US dollar and the Japanese yen has been approximately 5% for several years. In a position that can be supported by a 5% margin deposit, this results in a 100% profit on capital per annum when you buy the US dollar. Of course, an even more important factor normally is the relative value of the currencies, which changed 15% from low to high during 2005 – disregarding the interest rate differential. From a pure interest rate differential viewpoint, you have an advantage of 100% per annum in your favour by being long US dollar and an initial disadvantage of the same size by being short.
Please refer to our page Forex Rates & Conditions for current Spreads, Margins and Conditions!

Such a situation clearly benefits the high interest rate currency and as result, the US dollar was in a strong bull market all through 2005. But it is by no means a certainty that the currency with the higher interest rate will be strongest. If the reason for the high interest rate is runaway inflation, this may undermine confidence in the currency even more than the benefits perceived from the high interest rate.

Stop-loss discipline

As you can see from the description above, there are significant opportunities and risks in foreign exchange markets. Aggressive traders might experience profit/loss swings of 20-30% daily. This calls for strict stop-loss policies in positions that are moving against you.

Fortunately, there are no daily limits on foreign exchange trading and no restrictions on trading hours other than the weekend. This means that there will nearly always be an opportunity to react to moves in the main currency markets and a low risk of getting caught without the opportunity of getting out. Of course, the market can move very fast and a stop-loss order is by no means a guarantee of getting out at the desired level.

But the main risk is really an event over the weekend, where all markets are closed. This happens from time to time as many important political events, such as G7 meetings, are normally scheduled for weekends.

For speculative trading, we always recommend the placement of protective stop-lossorders. With Saxo Bank Internet Trading you can easily place and change such orders while watching market development graphically on your computer screen.

How to Trade Forex

Trading foreign exchange is exciting and potentially very profitable, but there are also significant risk factors. It is crucially important that you fully understand the implications of margin trading and the particular pitfalls and opportunities that foreign exchange trading offers. On these pages, we offer you a brief introduction to the Forex markets as well as their participants and some strategies that you can apply. However, if you are ever in doubt about any aspect of a trade, you can always discuss the matter in-depth with one of our dealers. They are available 24 hours a day on the Saxo Bank online trading system, SaxoTrader.

The benchmark of its service is efficient execution, concise analysis and expertise – all achieved whilst maintaining an attractive and competitive cost structure. Today, Saxo Bank offers one of Europe's premier all-round services for trading in derivative products and foreign exchange. We count amongst our employees numerous dealers and analysts, each of whom has many years experience and a wide and varied knowledge of the markets – gained both in our home countries and in international financial centres. When trading foreign exchange, futures and other derivative products, we offer 24-hour service, extensive daily analysis, individual access to our Research & Analysis department for specific queries, and immediate execution of trades through our international network of banks and brokers. All at a price considerably lower than that which most companies and private investors normally have access to.

The combination of our strong emphasis on customer service, our strategy and trading recommendations, our strategic and individual hedging programmes, along with the availability to our clients of the latest news and information builds a strong case for trading an individual account through Saxo Bank.

Terms of trading are agreed individually depending on the volume of your transactions, but are generally much lower in cost when compared to banks and brokers. Your margin deposit can be cash or government securities, bank guarantees etc. Large corporate or institutional clients may be offered trading facilities on the strength of their balance sheet. The minimum deposit accepted for an individual trading account depends on the account type. Trade confirmations and real-time account overview are built into SaxoTrader, while further account information can be produced in accordance with your specific requirements.

Forex Online Trading Systems - The Engine of Trading

Forex Online Trading Systems - The Engine of Trading

Lets imagine that you have a car but without engine, its obvious that unless you had some magical powers to whisk you away where ever you wanted you could not be going very far any time soon. The engine is the heart of the car. The engine in forex markets represents the mass amounts of forex online trading systems created every day.
As a guide, Forex online trading systems make their mark behind your trading. Rules, ideas, philosophies all fall into either your own personal system or someone else's system. Since the Internet is the home base to most forex transactions. Many developments of online trading systems have become a common practice with most forex traders. All people are out to find what they call the "Holy Grail", a system that leads them to the most profits and least risk. If you believe there is such thing, that is on you.
Forex online trading systems are always readily available on the Internet. Most of them you can find for free on others web pages, forums, or with a basic search in the search engines. Others may charge you for there system since they believe that is a very profitable set of rules that could make you beyond wealthy from the forex market.
It is a common perception that to be able to truly become wealthy through trading the FX , one needs to have a proven trading system. That's why so many traders spend more of their time testing new systems than actually trading the markets. It is the brain behind your investment and once you build that brain with your knowledge and techniques, it does the rest of the work for you.
FX trading systems are more popular now that almost everyone has access to a computer and internet. Unlike the stock exchange, the FX does not have a particular place for trading to take place. While trading takes place all over the world, online trading makes this process more convenient than ever.
Transactions in the FX are traded very rapidly, plus it is open around the clock on every business day of the year. Trading begins every morning in Sydney, Australia and as the business day in each country begins, the trading opens around the world. Online trading allows banks, financial institutions, brokers and speculators to trade their currency rapidly and with ease. FX online trading system is also a popular way to change foreign currency because it happens in real time with no delay.
Also, another tip to learning to trade is to study the news, including international news and news relating to politics, economics and finances. Inflation, changes in government and taxes just to name a few all affect the Forex on a daily basis. It is crucial to understand how these changes affect trading and the value of currency.
Because Forex makes exchanging foreign currency so easy and accessible to millions of people, many are trying to learn the ins and outs of the Forex. Brokers and financial institutions can offer advice on investing in the Forex. Brokers will also do the actual trading for the consumer, however, many are willing to learn to trade on their own. When learning about online trading it is imperative to understand everything there is to know about the Forex. Many online websites can offer potential traders tutorials and demos on how to get started in online trading. Practicing on the demos helps speculators learn the basics of Forex trading.

Forex Trading Software - Choosing The Best

When it comes to forex trading one of the most important things that you need to consider is the forex software that you choose. With increasing competition there are numerous varieties of forex trading software that you can find being pushed aggressively these days. A simple online search can put you across to literally hundreds of vendors who deal with such software. With this being the case choosing the right software can sometimes look like a daunting task indeed. Once you carefully consider certain factors the entire shopping process becomes rather easy.
The first and foremost aspect that you need to look for in trading software is whether or it provides for a 'live' platform for trading. This apart there are other components of the software that you need to check for too. Perhaps the most important component that you should check for while going in for forex trading software is the security component. It is always preferable to go in for online trading software that includes something known as a 128 bit SSL encryption. This ensures that hackers cannot access any of your personal information such as your transaction history and your account balance.
While shopping for forex software you should always choose a company which provides for round-the-clock technical support. This is important since you could need trouble shooting assistance at literally any time when you are trading in the forex market. You should also go in for forex trading software that provides for daily backup of all the information that is processed when you trade. There are other devices such as fingerprint scanners and smart cards that are used by some forex companies in order to ensure that only certain people have access to information through their servers.
Another important factor that you need to consider when choosing software is to check for the company's downtime. Your forex trading software should be reliable and also available for use round-the-clock. Advancing computer technology has enabled the field of forex trading to become more user- friendly. The technology in this field continues to advance at a rapid pace. It has in fact advanced to such an extent that many of us can now handle forex trading even while on the move with the help of mobile telephony devices. These rapid technological advancements are excellent additions to this already popular investment vehicle. You can find numerous online guides which can help you to choose the right forex trading software.

Making A Killing With Forex Day Trading

Forex is an open market for trading foreign exchange where money itself is bought and sold. "Forex day trading" is in general referred to as simply the normal forex trading. Very less difference can be seen. In general cases a day trader is a person who makes several trades in a day, buying and selling a number of currencies. They are people who try to increase there profits by taking advantage of the small increase in the currency values. A forex day trade is similar to the stock market trades except that in the forex day trade traders trade currencies and not stocks. The major advantage of a forex market over stock market is that instead of traders investing and waiting for many years for there stock values to increase, here they just see there currency values increasing and decreasing over time. This allows them to make several trades within a day.
Forex day trading allows a trader to open an account for themselves for as less as 250$. The amount that is needed to open an account varies from one company to company. There are several agencies that have brokers mediating a firm or an individual to the market. Brokers are people who educate individuals and firms to work there way through the market. The work of a broker is to help traders to get through the market without suffering much loss. Certain forex agencies also provide traders with forex software's. This software's show's the ups and down's of the currency values in the form of graphs, chart diagrams and data flow diagrams. They are very efficient in bringing out the current statistics of the currencies. In a forex day trade currencies are often traded in fixed pairs, the main currencies traded being dollars, pounds, euros and yen. These are normally traded against dollars.
Only after the internet forex trading becoming so popular, was there an opportunity for even commoners to trade. Until then only co-operate firms and large financial institutions was able to trade in the forex market. Forex now has become so simple that certain traders have taken it as a hobby. With the help of the vast number of software's available they are able to predict the changes in the market and make alterations in there trade accordingly. The forex day trading is similar to what is called as the future's market. The advantage here is that the liquidity that is offered here is higher and the risk factor is lower due to the lesser investments. Forex can be a very serious carrier option for those who can invest high amounts and can play the market well. The profits that can be obtained depend on an individual's skill and the experience that they have obtained by being in the market.

Learn Forex Trading The Right Way!

Forex is nothing but the foreign exchange market where money itself is being bought and sold. Learning Forex trading means understanding what forex is and how to make use of the forex market to earn good profits by investing proper amounts. In order to learn forex the following are the things that are to be understood:
First off, in the Forex market there are three levels. We have the brokerage accountants, the real accountants and the students. The brokerage accountants are the brokers who let the buyers and the sellers to trade there currencies. They mediate between two firms or individuals. They are the Market Makers who will set the currency values and will help the traders to trade. The real accountants are the clients who are investing in the market in order to try to get some profits from the same. The students are beginners who are trying to understand the market with the help of training courses, simulators and the like.
Forex Market should not be confused with the stock market. Stock market is one where users deal with stocks and try to make profits with the increase in the stock values, forex deals with making profits with the increase in the currencies. It is more of an objective market. In the forex market if the participants want to change or manipulate the values of the currencies for certain purposes, they can do so by operating with billions of dollars or any other currency. Since it operates on such high values the manipulation of a single participant in the market is not a possibility. But the liquidity of this market allows both sides of traders to open and close the situations. The time that a trader will occupy a position is highly arbitrary and is dependent upon the strategies that he follows through out the trading. It is also important to note the fluctuations in the currency values.
Another important term which we'll come across when we are learning about forex trading is Margin Trading. Margin Trading is where traders trade with borrowed amounts. It allows traders to start trading with lesser capitals than what is normally allowed. It reduces the overhead expenses of having to transfer money and enables the traders to open there positions with lesser amounts of U.S dollars thus buying and selling other currencies. In forex it is not necessary to actually buy some currencies to sell it later. It is enough for the traders to actually open the positions for buying and selling without having any. But even to open positions it is necessary to invest a certain amount in dollars. The major currencies that are traded in the forex are euro, yen, pound, franc all of which are traded against dollars.
These are the basics that need to be understood to learn forex

Is Mini Forex Trading Less Risky?

Is Mini Forex Trading Less Risky?

Aside from forex trading, the word mini means something small and limited compared to others of the same type. This made me ask, is mini forex designed only for those who cannot afford to trade large? Is mini forex less dangerous when it comes to risking?
Most forex brokers provide several options when it comes to forex accounts. One of which is called mini forex account and it is usually requires a small deposit compared to standard forex account. Mini forex account is usually considered a connecting bridge for new forex traders that had enough practicing their trading skills with demo accounts, but not yet really to open a standard account.
Mini forex deposit requirement might be small but it still allows you to trade large amounts of currency. This is done via margin and the usual margin requirement for mini forex is about 1%. It sounds too good to be true but it might turn into one of the forex trading hell unless you understand the risks. You might think that depositing small will not get you in trouble and that is the kind of thinking that you should avoid. You should fully understand the margin terms and requirements of your forex broker. If the requirements are not listed on the site make sure to discuss it with your forex broker and get the straight answers.
Margin allows you to trade larger amount of currency then you actually have in your deposited funds. As mentioned previously margin requirement is usually 1% but it is possible to get lower requirements such as 0.5% or higher, such as 2% or 5%.
The problem with margin is that your trading positions might get partially or completely disabled in case your available margin gets below the required amount. This is called guaranteed limited risk - safety feature that prevents forex brokers from losing more money than they have in the account. If your margin requirement is up to 200:1 leverage, it means that you, forex trader, needs to have about half percent of the position value you hold in your trading account for each currency lot traded. This is a good enough reason for you to always check your margin balance and set stop-loss orders on every trading position. This will minimize the risk.
Mini forex is indeed an ultimate alternative to futures or stock trading, but it doesn't eliminate the risk involved. However with a good forex trading strategy you can easily turn your $50 deposit into thousands.
If you think that mini forex is for poor you are seriously mistaken. Mini forex trading is a convenient option for forex traders. Despite small deposit you can win big, but at the same time you can lose a lot too.
When you consider trading with mini forex account make sure to understand all the sacrifices that will be required from your side! Forex brokers give traders an option of margin trading, but it definitely doesn't come as a free gift! Investigate all the terms and rules and decide if trading small is not turning into unnecessary expenses.

Forex on Autopilot - Does it Really Work

Forex on Autopilot - Does it Really Work

Well, I am sure if you have been around forex long enough, you must have heard about trading forex on autopilot. If you haven't, it's basically when a trading robot does all the trading for you automatically. I know you must be wondering does this actually work? Will I be rich trading on autopilot? The truth is no,you will not. I know there are people that say these autopilot systems work. My response is I'll believe when I see it.
Let's look at this logically. The majority of people that trade forex, lose money. Chances are, these are people that are following the market and able to hear about the international and economic news that is going on. Well, if people that can actually read, follow, and understand the news still fail miserably, how likely is machine going to be able to follow the news.
But, really the most obvious problem with trading forex on autopilot is that the trading decisions are based on lagging indicators. Lagging indicators tell you what has already happened in the markets. The only work after the price has already moved. I personally must have tried dozens and dozens of these types of systems and I can say with great certainty the majority just don't work.
The markets are a living, breathing thing. You need to be able to understand how and why they move. There are no shortcuts when it comes to this. A fancy trading robot isn't going to cut it. Believe me, if the day ever comes when an autopilot robot can have as much success trading forex as a person, i will be the first one to sign up. Until then, I'll have to pass.

Introduction to Trading Forex

Foreign Exchange

This short introduction explains the basics of trading Forex online, a brief explanation of the markets and the major benefits of trading Forex online. There are also two scenarios describing the implications of trading in a bear as well as a bull market to better acquaint you with some of the risks and opportunities of the largest and most liquid market in the world.

As an additional aid for those who are new to Forex, there is also a glossary at the bottom of this text which explains some of the terms used in connection with currency trading.
Overview
Foreign exchange, Forex or just FX are all terms used to describe the trading of the world's many currencies. The Forex market is the largest market in the world, with trades amounting to more than USD 3 trillion every day. Most Forex trading is speculative, with only a low percentage of market activity representing governments' and companies' fundamental currency conversion needs.

Unlike trading on the stock market, the Forex market is not conducted by a central exchange, but on the “interbank” market, which is thought of as an OTC (over the counter) market. Trading takes place directly between the two counterparts necessary to make a trade, whether over the telephone or on electronic networks all over the world. The main centres for trading are Sydney, Tokyo, London, Frankfurt and New York. This worldwide distribution of trading centres means that the Forex market is a 24-hour market.

Trading Forex

A currency trade is the simultaneous buying of one currency and selling of another one. The currency combination used in the trade is called a cross (for example, the euro/US dollar, or the GB pound/Japanese yen.). The most commonly traded currencies are the so-called “majors” – EURUSD, USDJPY, USDCHF and GBPUSD.

The most important Forex market is the spot market as it has the largest volume. The market is called the spot market because trades are settled immediately, or “on the spot”. In practice this means two banking days.

Forward Outrights
For forward outrights, settlement on the value date selected in the trade means that even though the trade itself is carried out immediately, there is a small interest rate calculation left. The interest rate differential doesn't usually affect trade considerations unless you plan on holding a position with a large differential for a long period of time. The interest rate differential varies according to the cross you are trading. On the USDCHF, for example, the interest rate differential is quite small, whereas the differential on NOKJPY is large. This is because if you trade e.g. NOKJPY, you get almost 7% (annual) interest in Norway and close to 0% in Japan. So, if you borrow money in Japan, to finance the trade and buying NOK, you have a positive interest rate differential. This differential has to be calculated and added to your account. You can have both a positive and a negative interest rate differential, so it may work for or against you when you make a trade.


Trading on Margin
Trading on margin means that you can buy and sell assets that represent more value than the capital in your account. Forex trading is usually conducted with relatively small margin deposits. This is useful since it permits investors to exploit currency exchange rate fluctuations which tend to be very small. A margin of 1.0% means you can trade up to USD 1,000,000 even though you only have USD 10,000 in your account. A margin of 1% corresponds to a 100:1 leverage (or “gearing”). (Because USD 10,000 is 1% of USD 1,000,000.) Using this much leverage enables you to make profits very quickly, but there is also a greater risk of incurring large losses and even being completely wiped out. Therefore, it is inadvisable to maximise your leveraging as the risks can be very high. For more information on the trading conditions of Saxo Bank, go to the Account Summary on your SaxoTrader and open the section entitled “Trading Conditions” found in the top right-hand corner of the Account Summary.

Forex history

In 1967, a Chicago bank refused a college professor by the name of Milton Friedman a loan in pound sterling because he had intended to use the funds to short the British currency. Friedman, ho had perceived sterling to be priced too high against the dollar, wanted to sell the currency, then later buy it back to repay the bank after the currency declined, thus pocketing a quick profit. The bank's refusal to grant the loan was due to the Bretton Woods Agreement, established twenty years earlier, which fixed national currencies against the dollar, and set the dollar at a rate of per ounce of gold.

The Bretton Woods Agreement, set up in 1944, aimed at installing international monetary stability by preventing money from fleeing across nations, and restricting speculation in the world currencies Prior to the Agreement, the gold exchange standard--prevailing between 1876 and World War I--dominated the international economic system. Under the gold. exchange, currencies gained a new phase of stability as they were backed by the price of gold. It abolished the age-old practice used by kings and rulers of arbitrarily debasing money and triggering inflation. But the gold exchange standard didn't lack faults. As an economy strengthened, it would import heavily from abroad until it ran down its gold reserves required to back its money. As a result, money supply would shrink, interest rates rose and economic activity slowed to the extent of recession. Ultimately, prices of goods had hit bottom, appearing attractive to other nations, which would rush into buying sprees that injected the economy with gold until it increased its money supply, and drive down interest rates and recreate wealth into the economy. Such boom-bust patterns prevailed throughout the gold standard until the outbreak of World War I interrupted trade flows and the free movement of gold.

After the Wars, the Bretton Woods Agreement was founded, where participating countries agreed to try and maintain the value of their currency with a narrow margin against the dollar and a corresponding rate of gold as needed. Countries were prohibited from devaluing their currencies to their trade advantage and were only allowed to do so for devaluations of less than 10%. Into the 1950s, the ever-expanding volume of international trade led to massive movements of capital generated by post-war construction. That destabilized foreign exchange rates as set up in Bretton Woods.

The Agreement was finally abandoned in 1971, and the US dollar would no longer be convertible into gold. By 1973, currencies of major industrialized nations became more freely floating, controlled mainly by the forces of supply and demand which acted in the foreign exchange market. Prices were floated daily, with volumes, speed and price volatility all increasing throughout the 1970s, giving rise to new financial instruments, market deregulation and trade liberalization.

In the 1980s, cross-border capital movements accelerated with the advent of computers and technology, extending market continuum through Asian, European and American time zones. Transactions in foreign exchange rocketed from about billion a day in the 1980s, to more than .5 trillion a day two decades later