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Forex trading register

As an existing XM real account holder you can simply register an additional account through the members area with 1 click. No additional validation is required.

Unlimited loyalty program

Earn XM points on every trade, then redeem those points for real cash rewards and credit points.

Extra promotions

Get additional exclusive promotions throughout the year either on a seasonal basis or by invitation only.

Legal: this website is operated by trading point of financial instruments limited with registered address at 12 richard & verengaria street, araouzos castle court, 3rd floor, 3042 limassol, cyprus.

Trading point of financial instruments limited is authorised and regulated by the cyprus securities and exchange commission (licence number: 120/10).
XM global limited is authorised and regulated by the international financial services commission (IFSC) (000261/106).
Trading point of financial instruments UK limited is authorised and regulated by the financial conduct authority (FRN: 705428).
Trading point of financial instruments pty ltd is authorised and regulated by the australian securities and investment commission (AFSL 443670).
Trading point MENA limited is authorised and regulated by the dubai financial services authority (DFSA) (reference no. F003484).

Risk warning: forex and CFD trading involves significant risk to your invested capital. Please read and ensure you fully understand our risk disclosure.

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Trade with the no. 1 broker in the US for forex trading*

Why are traders choosing FOREX.Com?

No. 1 FX broker in the US*

We have served US traders for over 18 years.

Trade 80+ FX pairs, and gold & silver

Global opportunities 24/5 with flexible trade sizes.

EUR/USD as low as 0.2

Trade your way with flexible pricing options including spread only, spread + fixed commission, or STP pro.

*based on client assets per the 2019 monthly retail forex obligation reports published by the CFTC

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Your FOREX.Com account gives you access to our full suite of downloadable, web, and mobile apps.

Get 20 free, easy to install eas and custom indicators when you open a metatrader live or demo account.

* based on active metatrader servers per broker, apr 2019.

Reward yourself with our active trader program

Save up to 18% with cash rebates as high as $9 per million traded

Interest paid up to 1.5% on your average daily available margin balance

Get guidance and priority support from your dedicated market strategist

No bank fees for wires

Access to exclusive events and product previews

Open an account in as little as 5 minutes

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Ready to learn about forex?

New trader?

Welcome, we’ll show you how forex works and why you should trade it.

Have some experience?

Let’s create a trading plan that will help you stay on track and meet your goals.

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Leveraged trading in foreign currency or off-exchange products on margin carries significant risk and may not be suitable for all investors. We advise you to carefully consider whether trading is appropriate for you based on your personal circumstances. Forex trading involves risk. Losses can exceed deposits. We recommend that you seek independent advice and ensure you fully understand the risks involved before trading.

Forex trading register

As an existing XM real account holder you can simply register an additional account through the members area with 1 click. No additional validation is required.

Unlimited loyalty program

Earn XM points on every trade, then redeem those points for real cash rewards and credit points.

Extra promotions

Get additional exclusive promotions throughout the year either on a seasonal basis or by invitation only.

Legal: this website is operated by trading point of financial instruments limited with registered address at 12 richard & verengaria street, araouzos castle court, 3rd floor, 3042 limassol, cyprus.

Risk warning: forex and CFD trading involves significant risk to your invested capital. Please read and ensure you fully understand our risk disclosure.

Trading point of financial instruments limited provides investment and ancillary services to residents of the european economic area (EEA) and the united kingdom.

This website uses cookies

By clicking “continue”, you agree to the default cookie settings on our website.

For more information please read our cookie policy.

This website uses cookies

By clicking “continue”, you agree to the default cookie settings on our website.

Read more, or change your cookie settings.

What are cookies?

Cookies are small data files. When you visit a website, the website sends the cookie to your computer. Your computer stores it in a file located inside your web browser.

Why are cookies useful?

Here is an overview of some of the functions our cookies provide us with:

Verifying your identity and detecting the country you are currently visiting from

Checking browser type and device

Tracking which site the user was referred from

Allowing third parties to customize content accordingly

Trade with the global forex trading specialist

Why FOREX.Com?

Metatrader

Trade over 500 markets including equities, indices, FX and commodities on the new and improved MT5

Competitive pricing

Maximize your potential with straightforward pricing choices to suit your trading style

Active trader

Earn rebates and one-on-one professional support when you qualify for our active trader program

Financial strength you can depend on

Your FOREX.Com account gives you access to our full suite of downloadable, web, and mobile apps.

Trade on one of the world's most popular trading platforms with access to dedicated support and integrated trading tools exclusive to FOREX.Com.

Leverage our experts

Our global research team identifies the information that drives markets so you can forecast potential price movement and seize forex trading opportunities.

Ready to learn about forex?

New trader?

Welcome, we’ll show you how forex works and why you should trade it.

Have some experience?

Let’s create a trading plan that will help you stay on track and meet your goals.

Want to go deep on strategy?

Great, we have guides on specific strategies and how to use them.

Not sure where to start?

Take our short quiz and get matched resources that fit your trading style.

Open an account in as little as 5 minutes

Tell us about yourself

Fund your account

Start trading

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Please note that foreign exchange and other leveraged trading involves significant risk of loss. It is not suitable for all investors and you should make sure you understand the risks involved, seeking independent advice if necessary.

Contracts for difference (cfds) are not available to US residents.

FOREX.Com is a trading name of GAIN global markets inc. Which is authorized and regulated by the cayman islands monetary authority under the securities investment business law of the cayman islands (as revised) with license number 25033.

FOREX.Com may, from time to time, offer payment processing services with respect to card deposits through its affiliate, GAIN capital UK ltd, devon house, 58 st katharine’s way, london, E1W 1JP, united kingdom.

GAIN global markets inc. Is part of the GAIN capital holdings, inc. Group of companies, which has its principal place of business at 135 US hwy 202/206, bedminster, NJ 07921, USA. All are separate but affiliated subsidiaries of stonex group inc.

FOREX trading accounts

Choose an account type that best suits your trading style.

FOREX.Com account

Advanced trading platforms with customizable interfaces

Trade forex, equities and more, all on one account

Fast, reliable trade executions

Metatrader account

Dedicated FX trading platform

Exclusive in-platform market news and analysis

Trades execute at the best available price

DMA account

Trade on prices as low as 0.1 on all major FX pairs

Get commission discounts as low as $20/m traded

Split the spread and place orders within the top of book spreads

What information do I need when opening an account?

We will need you to provide us with your name and address to establish your identity. Typically, we can verify your identity instantly. For more information, see our account document faqs.

What markets does FOREX.Com offer?

You can trade over 80 currency pairs at FOREX.Com. View our full range of markets.

When is forex market open for trading?

You can trade forex at FOREX.Com 24 hours a day, five days a week. For details, read our forex trading times article.

Is there a charge for central clearing?

We provide central counterparty clearing through an omnibus segregated clearing account (OSCA) free of charge as standard to all clients. If you wish to open an individual segregated clearing account (ISCA), fees apply:

For an individual these charges are: £13,000 account opening fee, plus account maintenance and transaction charges

For a corporate entity these charges are: £200,000 account opening fee, plus account maintenance and transaction charges

Try a demo account

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Try a demo account

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It's your world. Trade it.

I would like to learn about

Cfds are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 79% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading cfds with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how cfds work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.

CFD and forex trading are leveraged products and your capital is at risk. They may not be suitable for everyone. Please ensure you fully understand the risks involved by reading our full risk warning.

FOREX.Com is a trading name of GAIN capital UK limited. GAIN capital UK ltd is a company incorporated in england and wales with UK companies house number 1761813 and with its registered office at devon house, 58 st katharine’s way, london, E1W 1JP. GAIN capital UK ltd is authorised and regulated by the financial conduct authority in the UK, with FCA register number 113942. GAIN capital UK ltd is a wholly-owned subsidiary of stonex group inc.

FOREX.Com is a trademark of GAIN capital UK ltd.

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FOREX.Com products and services are not intended for belgium residents.

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How to register forex trading account

For a few years, forex trading has become quite popular; as a result, the forex market is the largest financial market in the world. If you are a novice in this field and want to know how to start a forex trading account, the best way is to alleviate the load of fake information and elevate your knowledge bases about forex trading.

Starting a forex account or register a forex trading account is the first step in the trading process when a trader gives his personal data, documents, officially starting a trading business. Regulated brokers need to verify each trader. Traders get a free platform, deposit and withdrawal section, trading manager, and support.

To start a forex account, the basic requirement is to find a suitable broker where you can open a forex trading account. Most of the brokers provide demo forex accounts; after trying, you can opt the one that best suits your trading nature and requirements. There are many brokers available in the forex market, like hotforex, avatrade, fxpro, etc. After choosing a broker, the next is to sign-up for the forex trading account, which is a lot similar to opening an account in a bank.

How to register for a forex trading account?

Let we see in video below how to open a forex trading account at hotforex:

to get registered for a forex trading account, you have to provide your broker with your personal information data along with financial data. Following is the list that would help you to get started with.

Please register and test hotforex platform

Name

Full address

Email- ID

Contact/phone number

Birthdate

Account currency type

A password for the trading account

Employment status

Country of citizenship

Social security number or tax ID

Financial information regarding your,

Net worth

Annual income

Trading objectives

Experience in trading

Forex trading and the laws

The details mentioned above are required by brokers to compile with the necessary laws. After the forex business became retail, forex traders came under suspicion to get harmed by frauds. Thus, to overcome this shortcoming, regulators have put in some rules to secure the forex account holders and brokers.

The national futures association helps in finding the status of forex brokers if you have any doubts regarding them. It is natural that providing personal and financial details can make you feel hesitant, but that’s for your own safety and completely prevalent. In fact, if a broker doesn’t ask you for such personal details and financial information, that should create scepticism about their credibility and the safety of your fund.

Read the risk disclosures

The final stage to know how to open a forex trading account requires you to understand the risk discourses. Your broker should provide you with all the risk associated with trading in currencies. Forex trading is not a tough task, but for experienced ones; it can be a pandora’s box for novice if they jump in without having sound knowledge of the forex world.

Sometimes beginners let their overconfidence rule their consciousness of reality and take obviate risks resulting in losing more than they have invested. Thus, it is advisable for them to start with a small amount and trade it safely. Emotions can lose forex trading or any other type of trading, so you must put them aside and give preference to the real-time information that lies in front of you. With enough practice, you would soon be a wise forex trader and can increase your trading amount as well as risk appetite.

Verification of the provided information

The last step in the process of opening a forex trading account is to get your information verified. Your broker would typically process your data and ask you for documents like a government-issued identification card or a utility bill to crosscheck your name and address provided. The process is not too long and can be completed within a day or two.

After the completion of verification, you are free to add funds in your forex account and explore the world of trading (but be careful.) it is needless to say, but do not put all your hard-earned money into just forex; diversification of investment and trading can prove beneficial. Also, do not trade an amount more than you can afford to lose. Don’t let greed overtake your long-term financial goals.

It’s not all exciting

When it comes to forex trading, it’s not all rosy. You can feel exhausted, tired and can feel anxious about your trades. It’s easier to be on top of the trading world when you are having winning trades, but one can easily get into destruction mode with a series of losing trades and with the hope that the next trade would be different. Remember, the answer is no; it won’t be different if you would behave the same.

The best way to ace here is to keep yourself updated with the information, knowledge and experience running in the forex trading. You can do the following for the same.

Read financial newspapers

Read online articles and materials of credible sources

Go through the available research

Be aware of happenings around the world (it impacts currencies)

Learn from your past experience

Apply logic rather than emotions

Take small trades and increase the pace

Implement systematic decision making rather than a biased one

Don’t lose hope, but don’t be a hopeless trader.

The final words

Making mistakes in trading is perfectly fine; even experienced traders can lose their trades sometimes. But getting frustrated and losing your mind in trading is not a solution. You can take a break or can reevaluate your trading strategies to make a better understanding of your trades and mistakes.

Also, you have to keep yourself at a distance to get rich in 10 days or 20 days kind of fraudulent schemes; falling into them when you are losing trades can be a natural trait of humans. Remember, in this world; nothing comes for free! So, keep your mind sane, calm, and trade by implementing your experience and systematic approaches in the forex market.

Forex trading: A beginner's guide

Forex is a portmanteau of foreign currency and exchange. Foreign exchange is the process of changing one currency into another currency for a variety of reasons, usually for commerce, trading, or tourism. According to a recent triennial report from the bank for international settlements (a global bank for national central banks), the average was more than $5.1 trillion in daily forex trading volume.

Key takeaways

The foreign exchange (also known as FX or forex) market is a global marketplace for exchanging national currencies against one another.

Because of the worldwide reach of trade, commerce, and finance, forex markets tend to be the largest and most liquid asset markets in the world.

Currencies trade against each other as exchange rate pairs. For example, EUR/USD.

Forex markets exist as spot (cash) markets as well as derivatives markets offering forwards, futures, options, and currency swaps.

Market participants use forex to hedge against international currency and interest rate risk, to speculate on geopolitical events, and to diversify portfolios, among several other reasons.

What is the forex market?

The foreign exchange market is where currencies are traded. Currencies are important to most people around the world, whether they realize it or not, because currencies need to be exchanged in order to conduct foreign trade and business. If you are living in the U.S. And want to buy cheese from france, either you or the company that you buy the cheese from has to pay the french for the cheese in euros (EUR). This means that the U.S. Importer would have to exchange the equivalent value of U.S. Dollars (USD) into euros. The same goes for traveling. A french tourist in egypt can't pay in euros to see the pyramids because it's not the locally accepted currency. As such, the tourist has to exchange the euros for the local currency, in this case the egyptian pound, at the current exchange rate.

One unique aspect of this international market is that there is no central marketplace for foreign exchange. Rather, currency trading is conducted electronically over-the-counter (OTC), which means that all transactions occur via computer networks between traders around the world, rather than on one centralized exchange. The market is open 24 hours a day, five and a half days a week, and currencies are traded worldwide in the major financial centers of london, new york, tokyo, zurich, frankfurt, hong kong, singapore, paris and sydney—across almost every time zone. This means that when the trading day in the U.S. Ends, the forex market begins anew in tokyo and hong kong. As such, the forex market can be extremely active any time of the day, with price quotes changing constantly.

A brief history of forex

Unlike stock markets, which can trace their roots back centuries, the forex market as we understand it today is a truly new market. Of course, in its most basic sense—that of people converting one currency to another for financial advantage—forex has been around since nations began minting currencies. But the modern forex markets are a modern invention. After the accord at bretton woods in 1971, more major currencies were allowed to float freely against one another. The values of individual currencies vary, which has given rise to the need for foreign exchange services and trading.

Commercial and investment banks conduct most of the trading in the forex markets on behalf of their clients, but there are also speculative opportunities for trading one currency against another for professional and individual investors.

Spot market and the forwards & futures markets

There are actually three ways that institutions, corporations and individuals trade forex: the spot market, the forwards market, and the futures market. Forex trading in the spot market has always been the largest market because it is the "underlying" real asset that the forwards and futures markets are based on. In the past, the futures market was the most popular venue for traders because it was available to individual investors for a longer period of time. However, with the advent of electronic trading and numerous forex brokers, the spot market has witnessed a huge surge in activity and now surpasses the futures market as the preferred trading market for individual investors and speculators. When people refer to the forex market, they usually are referring to the spot market. The forwards and futures markets tend to be more popular with companies that need to hedge their foreign exchange risks out to a specific date in the future.

More specifically, the spot market is where currencies are bought and sold according to the current price. That price, determined by supply and demand, is a reflection of many things, including current interest rates, economic performance, sentiment towards ongoing political situations (both locally and internationally), as well as the perception of the future performance of one currency against another. When a deal is finalized, this is known as a "spot deal." it is a bilateral transaction by which one party delivers an agreed-upon currency amount to the counter party and receives a specified amount of another currency at the agreed-upon exchange rate value. After a position is closed, the settlement is in cash. Although the spot market is commonly known as one that deals with transactions in the present (rather than the future), these trades actually take two days for settlement.

Unlike the spot market, the forwards and futures markets do not trade actual currencies. Instead they deal in contracts that represent claims to a certain currency type, a specific price per unit and a future date for settlement.

In the forwards market, contracts are bought and sold OTC between two parties, who determine the terms of the agreement between themselves.

In the futures market, futures contracts are bought and sold based upon a standard size and settlement date on public commodities markets, such as the chicago mercantile exchange. In the U.S., the national futures association regulates the futures market. Futures contracts have specific details, including the number of units being traded, delivery and settlement dates, and minimum price increments that cannot be customized. The exchange acts as a counterpart to the trader, providing clearance and settlement.

Both types of contracts are binding and are typically settled for cash at the exchange in question upon expiry, although contracts can also be bought and sold before they expire. The forwards and futures markets can offer protection against risk when trading currencies. Usually, big international corporations use these markets in order to hedge against future exchange rate fluctuations, but speculators take part in these markets as well.

Note that you'll often see the terms: FX, forex, foreign-exchange market, and currency market. These terms are synonymous and all refer to the forex market.

Forex for hedging

Companies doing business in foreign countries are at risk due to fluctuations in currency values when they buy or sell goods and services outside of their domestic market. Foreign exchange markets provide a way to hedge currency risk by fixing a rate at which the transaction will be completed.

To accomplish this, a trader can buy or sell currencies in the forward or swap markets in advance, which locks in an exchange rate. For example, imagine that a company plans to sell U.S.-made blenders in europe when the exchange rate between the euro and the dollar (EUR/USD) is €1 to $1 at parity.

The blender costs $100 to manufacture, and the U.S. Firm plans to sell it for €150—which is competitive with other blenders that were made in europe. If this plan is successful, the company will make $50 in profit because the EUR/USD exchange rate is even. Unfortunately, the USD begins to rise in value versus the euro until the EUR/USD exchange rate is 0.80, which means it now costs $0.80 to buy €1.00.

The problem the company faces is that while it still costs $100 to make the blender, the company can only sell the product at the competitive price of €150, which when translated back into dollars is only $120 (€150 X 0.80 = $120). A stronger dollar resulted in a much smaller profit than expected.

The blender company could have reduced this risk by shorting the euro and buying the USD when they were at parity. That way, if the dollar rose in value, the profits from the trade would offset the reduced profit from the sale of blenders. If the USD fell in value, the more favorable exchange rate will increase the profit from the sale of blenders, which offsets the losses in the trade.

Hedging of this kind can be done in the currency futures market. The advantage for the trader is that futures contracts are standardized and cleared by a central authority. However, currency futures may be less liquid than the forward markets, which are decentralized and exist within the interbank system throughout the world.

Forex for speculation

Factors like interest rates, trade flows, tourism, economic strength, and geopolitical risk affect supply and demand for currencies, which creates daily volatility in the forex markets. An opportunity exists to profit from changes that may increase or reduce one currency's value compared to another. A forecast that one currency will weaken is essentially the same as assuming that the other currency in the pair will strengthen because currencies are traded as pairs.

Imagine a trader who expects interest rates to rise in the U.S. Compared to australia while the exchange rate between the two currencies (AUD/USD) is 0.71 (it takes $0.71 USD to buy $1.00 AUD). The trader believes higher interest rates in the U.S. Will increase demand for USD, and therefore the AUD/USD exchange rate will fall because it will require fewer, stronger USD to buy an AUD.

Assume that the trader is correct and interest rates rise, which decreases the AUD/USD exchange rate to 0.50. This means that it requires $0.50 USD to buy $1.00 AUD. If the investor had shorted the AUD and went long the USD, he or she would have profited from the change in value.

Currency as an asset class

There are two distinct features to currencies as an asset class:

You can earn the interest rate differential between two currencies.

You can profit from changes in the exchange rate.

An investor can profit from the difference between two interest rates in two different economies by buying the currency with the higher interest rate and shorting the currency with the lower interest rate. Prior to the 2008 financial crisis, it was very common to short the japanese yen (JPY) and buy british pounds (GBP) because the interest rate differential was very large. This strategy is sometimes referred to as a "carry trade."

Why we can trade currencies

Currency trading was very difficult for individual investors prior to the internet. Most currency traders were large multinational corporations, hedge funds or high-net-worth individuals because forex trading required a lot of capital. With help from the internet, a retail market aimed at individual traders has emerged, providing easy access to the foreign exchange markets, either through the banks themselves or brokers making a secondary market. Most online brokers or dealers offer very high leverage to individual traders who can control a large trade with a small account balance.

Forex trading: A beginner’s guide

Forex trading risks

Trading currencies can be risky and complex. The interbank market has varying degrees of regulation, and forex instruments are not standardized. In some parts of the world, forex trading is almost completely unregulated.

The interbank market is made up of banks trading with each other around the world. The banks themselves have to determine and accept sovereign risk and credit risk, and they have established internal processes to keep themselves as safe as possible. Regulations like this are industry-imposed for the protection of each participating bank.

Since the market is made by each of the participating banks providing offers and bids for a particular currency, the market pricing mechanism is based on supply and demand. Because there are such large trade flows within the system, it is difficult for rogue traders to influence the price of a currency. This system helps create transparency in the market for investors with access to interbank dealing.

Most small retail traders trade with relatively small and semi-unregulated forex brokers/dealers, which can (and sometimes do) re-quote prices and even trade against their own customers. Depending on where the dealer exists, there may be some government and industry regulation, but those safeguards are inconsistent around the globe.

Most retail investors should spend time investigating a forex dealer to find out whether it is regulated in the U.S. Or the U.K. (dealers in the U.S. And U.K. Have more oversight) or in a country with lax rules and oversight. It is also a good idea to find out what kind of account protections are available in case of a market crisis, or if a dealer becomes insolvent.

Pros and challenges of trading forex

Pro: the forex markets are the largest in terms of daily trading volume in the world and therefore offer the most liquidity. this makes it easy to enter and exit a position in any of the major currencies within a fraction of a second for a small spread in most market conditions.

Challenge: banks, brokers, and dealers in the forex markets allow a high amount of leverage, which means that traders can control large positions with relatively little money of their own. Leverage in the range of 100:1 is a high ratio but not uncommon in forex. A trader must understand the use of leverage and the risks that leverage introduces in an account. Extreme amounts of leverage have led to many dealers becoming insolvent unexpectedly.

Pro: the forex market is traded 24 hours a day, five days a week—starting each day in australia and ending in new york. The major centers are sydney, hong kong, singapore, tokyo, frankfurt, paris, london, and new york.

Challenge: trading currencies productively requires an understanding of economic fundamentals and indicators. A currency trader needs to have a big-picture understanding of the economies of the various countries and their inter-connectedness to grasp the fundamentals that drive currency values.

The bottom line

For traders—especially those with limited funds—day trading or swing trading in small amounts is easier in the forex market than other markets. For those with longer-term horizons and larger funds, long-term fundamentals-based trading or a carry trade can be profitable. A focus on understanding the macroeconomic fundamentals driving currency values and experience with technical analysis may help new forex traders to become more profitable.

What is forex trading?

The foreign exchange market (dubbed forex or FX) is the market for exchanging foreign currencies. Forex is the largest market in the world, and the trades that happen in it affect everything from the price of clothing imported from china to the amount you pay for a margarita while vacationing in mexico.

What is forex trading?

At its simplest, forex trading is similar to the currency exchange you may do while traveling abroad: A trader buys one currency and sells another, and the exchange rate constantly fluctuates based on supply and demand.

Currencies are traded in the foreign exchange market, a global marketplace that’s open 24 hours a day monday through friday. All forex trading is conducted over the counter (OTC), meaning there’s no physical exchange (as there is for stocks) and a global network of banks and other financial institutions oversee the market (instead of a central exchange, like the new york stock exchange).

A vast majority of trade activity in the forex market occurs between institutional traders, such as people who work for banks, fund managers and multinational corporations. These traders don’t necessarily intend to take physical possession of the currencies themselves; they may simply be speculating about or hedging against future exchange rate fluctuations. For example, a forex trader might buy U.S. Dollars (and sell euros) if she believes the dollar will strengthen in value and therefore be able to buy more euros in the future. Meanwhile, an american company with european operations could use the forex market as a hedge in the event the euro weakens, meaning the value of their income earned there falls.

How currencies are traded

All currencies are assigned a three-letter code much like a stock’s ticker symbol. While there are more than 170 currencies worldwide, the U.S. Dollar is involved in a vast majority of forex trading, so it’s especially helpful to know its code: USD. The second most popular currency in the forex market is the euro, the currency accepted in 19 countries in the european union (code: EUR).

Other major currencies, in order of popularity, are: the japanese yen (JPY), the british pound (GBP), the australian dollar (AUD), the canadian dollar (CAD), the swiss franc (CHF) and the new zealand dollar (NZD).

All forex trading is expressed as a combination of the two currencies being exchanged. The following seven currency pairs—what are known as the majors—account for about 75% of trading in the forex market:

EUR/USD

USD/JPY

GBP/USD

AUD/USD

USD/CAD

USD/CHF

NZD/USD

How forex trades are quoted

Each currency pair represents the current exchange rate for the two currencies. Here’s how to interpret that information, using EUR/USD—or the euro-to-dollar exchange rate—as an example:

The currency on the left (the euro) is the base currency.

The currency on the right (the U.S. Dollar) is the quote currency.

The exchange rate represents how much of the quote currency is needed to buy 1 unit of the base currency. As a result, the base currency is always expressed as 1 unit while the quote currency varies based on the current market and how much is needed to buy 1 unit of the base currency.

If the EUR/USD exchange rate is 1.2, that means €1 will buy $1.20 (or, put another way, it will cost $1.20 to buy €1).

When the exchange rate rises, that means the base currency has risen in value relative to the quote currency (because €1 will buy more U.S. Dollars) and conversely, if the exchange rate falls, that means the base currency has fallen in value.

A quick note: currency pairs are usually presented with the base currency first and the quote currency second, though there’s historical convention for how some currency pairs are expressed. For example, USD to EUR conversions are listed as EUR/USD, but not USD/EUR.

Three ways to trade forex

Most forex trades aren’t made for the purpose of exchanging currencies (as you might at a currency exchange while traveling) but rather to speculate about future price movements, much like you would with stock trading. Similar to stock traders, forex traders are attempting to buy currencies whose values they think will increase relative to other currencies or to get rid of currencies whose purchasing power they anticipate will decrease.

There are three different ways to trade forex, which will accommodate traders with varying goals:

The spot market. This is the primary forex market where those currency pairs are swapped and exchange rates are determined in real-time, based on supply and demand.

The forward market. Instead of executing a trade now, forex traders can also enter into a binding (private) contract with another trader and lock in an exchange rate for an agreed upon amount of currency on a future date.

The futures market. Similarly, traders can opt for a standardized contract to buy or sell a predetermined amount of a currency at a specific exchange rate at a date in the future. This is done on an exchange rather than privately, like the forwards market.

The forward and futures markets are primarily used by forex traders who want to speculate or hedge against future price changes in a currency. The exchange rates in these markets are based on what’s happening in the spot market, which is the largest of the forex markets and is where a majority of forex trades are executed.

Forex terms to know

Each market has its own language. These are words to know before engaging in forex trading:

Currency pair. All forex trades involve a currency pair. In addition to the majors, there also are less common trades (like exotics, which are currencies of developing countries).

Pip. Short for percentage in points, a pip refers to the smallest possible price change within a currency pair. Because forex prices are quoted out to at least four decimal places, a pip is equal to 0.0001.

Bid-ask spread. As with other assets (like stocks), exchange rates are determined by the maximum amount that buyers are willing to pay for a currency (the bid) and the minimum amount that sellers require to sell (the ask). The difference between these two amounts, and the value trades ultimately will get executed at, is the bid-ask spread.

Lot. Forex is traded by what’s known as a lot, or a standardized unit of currency. The typical lot size is 100,000 units of currency, though there are micro (1,000) and mini (10,000) lots available for trading, too.

Leverage. Because of those large lot sizes, some traders may not be willing to put up so much money to execute a trade. Leverage, another term for borrowing money, allows traders to participate in the forex market without the amount of money otherwise required.

Margin. Trading with leverage isn’t free, however. Traders must put down some money upfront as a deposit—or what’s known as margin.

What moves the forex market

Like any other market, currency prices are set by the supply and demand of sellers and buyers. However, there are other macro forces at play in this market. Demand for particular currencies can also be influenced by interest rates, central bank policy, the pace of economic growth and the political environment in the country in question.

The forex market is open 24 hours a day, five days a week, which gives traders in this market the opportunity to react to news that might not affect the stock market until much later. Because so much of currency trading focuses on speculation or hedging, it’s important for traders to be up to speed on the dynamics that could cause sharp spikes in currencies.

Risks of forex trading

Because forex trading requires leverage and traders use margin, there are additional risks to forex trading than other types of assets. Currency prices are constantly fluctuating, but at very small amounts, which means traders need to execute large trades (using leverage) to make money.

This leverage is great if a trader makes a winning bet because it can magnify profits. However, it can also magnify losses, even exceeding the initial amount borrowed. In addition, if a currency falls too much in value, leverage users open themselves up to margin calls, which may force them to sell their securities purchased with borrowed funds at a loss. Outside of possible losses, transaction costs can also add up and possibly eat into what was a profitable trade.

On top of all that, you should keep in mind that those who trade foreign currencies are little fish swimming in a pond of skilled, professional traders—and the securities and exchange commission warns about potential fraud or information that could be confusing to new traders.

Perhaps it’s a good thing then that forex trading isn’t so common among individual investors. In fact, retail trading (a.K.A. Trading by non-professionals) accounts for just 5.5% of the entire global market, figures from dailyforex show, and some of the major online brokers don’t even offer forex trading. What’s more, of the few retailer traders who engage in forex trading, most struggle to turn a profit with forex. Compareforexbrokers found that, on average, 71% of retail FX traders lost money. This makes forex trading a strategy often best left to the professionals.

Why forex trading matters for average consumers

While the average investor probably shouldn’t dabble in the forex market, what happens there does affect all of us. The real-time activity in the spot market will impact the amount we pay for exports along with how much it costs to travel abroad.

If the value of the U.S. Dollar strengthens relative to the euro, for example, it will be cheaper to travel abroad (your U.S. Dollars can buy more euros) and buy imported goods (from cars to clothes). On the flip side, when the dollar weakens, it will be more expensive to travel abroad and import goods (but companies that export goods abroad will benefit).

If you’re planning to make a big purchase of an imported item, or you’re planning to travel outside the U.S., it’s good to keep an eye on the exchange rates that are set by the forex market.

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