Forex trading money

The internet today is rife with numerous forex trading victories. Are they just another cheap PR to get unsuspecting victims to embark on forex trading?

Top forex bonuses

How To Make Money Trading Forex Online, forex trading money.

The truth is there have been plenty of genuine forex trading success stories. But it all depends on you. How willing are you to work? How ready are you to learn the process? We understand that the art of forex trading can prove to be an emotional rollercoaster especially for the newly indoctrinated. However, it is important to take any losses with a grain of salt, for it is a part of the whole process of trading. Sometimes you win, other times you lose. What is important, however, is that you learn from your losses and wins too.

How to make money trading forex online

Chances are at one time or another, you’ve been asked by well-meaning friends to join the train of online forex traders. Or your interest has been piqued by the business and you’ve been told by numerous online sources that the best way to make money is trading forex online. Either way, it’s always important to understand the pros and cons of any venture you wish to embark on. Best believe it, it is not always bright and shiny in the online forex trading world.

Pros

It is easy to trade in online markets

You have access to a great amount of leverage making it easier for small retail traders to start their journey even with little capital

Con

Are the stories real? Can you make A living trading forex?

The internet today is rife with numerous forex trading victories. Are they just another cheap PR to get unsuspecting victims to embark on forex trading? The truth is there have been plenty of genuine forex trading success stories. But it all depends on you. How willing are you to work? How ready are you to learn the process?

Professional forex trader ezekiel chew has put down some seven noteworthy ways to become an excellent forex trader, beat the majority, and scale to impressive heights.

1. Learn the trade before you trade

Despite how exciting the process of trading may seem, it is always better you look, or in this case study, before you leap. That’s right. The better part of your excitement should be spent learning the art of trading.

Any tom, dick, and harry can open an account and start trading, but it takes so much more to make the money you dream of. Not to mention the tendency to be easily frustrated and to incur huge amounts of debt when you do not understand the process well.

How can you learn? A proper forex trading course is the best place to start your journey towards a successful forex trading path. They’ll teach you all the rudiments of trading independently and provide you with ample knowledge of trading strategies for the long run. You’re also sure to get follow on support when you embark on trading.

Make sure to be wary of scammers who promise quick success in a short period. A simple hack is that a good trading school will never promise such. They’ll only promise to teach you everything you need to know to trade effectively.

2. Set up A demo trading account

If you want to practice the trading process and get accustomed to the nitty-gritty involved, a demo account is an answer to your prayers. It enables you to practice forex trading on a “demo” capital, which is not real capital. This is because a demo account does not require capital to function.

Some of the perks are it helps you to get used to the trading interface and the process of placing orders on dummy trades. So when you do eventually start really trading, your boat would be smooth-sailing. A demo trading account provision is available on several trading platforms.

3. Beginning A piecemeal at A time

Trust us, you do not want to throw in a large amount of money at the initial stage of your trading quest. For one thing, a lot is at stake when you do, plus the emotional upheaval this may cause.

As a newbie, it’s best you start trading with a small amount of money and in the process, master the skill. You'll also have a lesser tendency to risk your account in the process. Leverage and margin also give you the ability to start really small. A good trading school will teach you all you need to know about leverage and margin.

4. Do not feel overwhelmed; price action is all that matters

Do not fall into the bandwagon of nouveau traders who clutter their chart with so many indices. Best believe it, at the end of the day, price action trading is all that matters. This cluttering of your chart also diverts your attention from what matters in the grand scheme of things, and you’re often rendered immobile from the numerous factors to consider.

And of a truth, technical analysis is not hard to decipher. It’s all about buying at very low prices and selling at a high price. The same way a trader would want to purchase goods in a store or from a manufacturer at low prices and sell to customers at a high price.

You will find that a good number of institutional traders do not care to crowd their charts with several indicators. They simply analyze prize levels and make a decision either to buy or sell within these prize ranges.

5. Find A forex trading strategy that works

We like to think that several indicators on a chart are like several stick-it notes on a refrigerator. You most likely placed them there to remind you of important things. But because they are many, they end up confusing and even frustrating you.

A good forex trading strategy that works need not be complicated. What is important is that it gives you an edge in the market. Look at trading in the long run. When your wins are more than your losses, you will be profitable. Finding the right forex trading strategy that is time tested through a series of successful backtesting is highly important.

Start off by mastering one strategy in a single pair. Swing trading strategies are one of them. Only move on to the next pair or strategy when you are profitable in a series of three sets of 20 trades. This way, you have a clear idea on whether or not you are profitable when compared to someone who is trading a range of different strategies and various pairs.

6. Trade within your limit

It is important to remember that a lot could go wrong with any trade at any given time. Do not be tempted to trade outside your accepted risk exposure in a week. Especially as a new trader, you could easily bankrupt your account in a short time when you trade above your limit.

Another advice is to count your losses and never keep a trade beyond the loss of its value. If chances allow, you ought to move to protective stop loss to decrease your losses. You also want to go the extra mile of protecting your profits by taking profits at strong levels.

One more thing: you should make use of trailing stops to protect winnings and at the same time creating an avenue for it to grow.

7. Keep track of your trading journey

There’s a reason why companies hire firms to audit their account. While your forex trading may not be the same as a company, they are both business ventures with the aim of making a profit. This way, you can determine how your trading has been going within a period of time. Your losses too should be accurately accounted for.

Keeping a record also serves as a practical lesson. Trading is essentially a lot of learning and a little doing. How fast you learn from your mistakes and apply your newfound knowledge will go a long way in projecting your profits and boosting your morale.

We understand that the art of forex trading can prove to be an emotional rollercoaster especially for the newly indoctrinated. However, it is important to take any losses with a grain of salt, for it is a part of the whole process of trading. Sometimes you win, other times you lose. What is important, however, is that you learn from your losses and wins too.

One strategy is to always make plans and be deliberate about those plans. Try to map out a clear cut pattern to attain any goal you set. Diligence and experience are what make a successful forex trader. And a right attitude to loss is what makes it a learning experience.

Some of the things you could include in your record taking include:

The date the trade was made

Screenshot of the chart of every trade

Explanation of where the trade was taken and reasons for the execution

Write out your performance in the trade

Write out how your performance makes you feel.

Creating a word document can help with all this.

How much money can I make forex day trading?

Julie bang @ the balance 2021

Many people like trading foreign currencies on the foreign exchange (forex) market because it requires the least amount of capital to start day trading. Forex trades 24 hours a day during the week and offers a lot of profit potential due to the leverage provided by forex brokers. forex trading can be extremely volatile and an inexperienced trader can lose substantial sums.

The following scenario shows the potential, using a risk-controlled forex day trading strategy.

Forex day trading risk management

Every successful forex day trader manages their risk; it is one of, if not the most, crucial elements of ongoing profitability.

To start, you must keep your risk on each trade very small, and 1% or less is typical. this means if you have a $3,000 account, you shouldn't lose more than $30 on a single trade. That may seem small, but losses do add up, and even a good day-trading strategy will see strings of losses. Risk is managed using a stop-loss order, which will be discussed in the scenario sections below.

Forex day trading strategy

While a strategy can potentially have many components and can be analyzed for profitability in various ways, a strategy is often ranked based on its win-rate and risk/reward ratio.

Win rate

Your win rate represents the number of trades you win out a given total number of trades. Say you win 55 out of 100 trades, your win rate is 55 percent. While it isn't required, having a win rate above 50 percent is ideal for most day traders, and 55 percent is acceptable and attainable.

Risk/reward

Risk/reward signifies how much capital is being risked to attain a certain profit. If a trader loses 10 pips on losing trades but makes 15 on winning trades, she is making more on the winners than she's losing on losers. This means that even if the trader only wins 50% of her trades, she will be profitable. Therefore, making more on winning trades is also a strategic component for which many forex day traders strive.

A higher win rate for trades means more flexibility with your risk/reward, and a high risk/reward means your win rate can be lower and you'd still be profitable.

Hypothetical scenario

Assume a trader has $5,000 in capital funds, and they have a decent win rate of 55% on their trades. They risk only 1% of their capital or $50 per trade. This is accomplished by using a stop-loss order. For this scenario, a stop-loss order is placed 5 pips away from the trade entry price, and a target is placed 8 pips away.

This means that the potential reward for each trade is 1.6 times greater than the risk (8 pips divided by 5 pips). Remember, you want winners to be bigger than losers.

While trading a forex pair for two hours during an active time of day it's usually possible to make about five round turn trades (round turn includes entry and exit) using the above parameters. If there are 20 trading days in a month, the trader is making 100 trades, on average, in a month.

Trading leverage

In the U.S., forex brokers provide leverage up to 50:1 on major currency pairs. for this example, assume the trader is using 30:1 leverage, as usually that is more than enough leverage for forex day traders. Since the trader has $5,000, and leverage is 30:1, the trader is able to take positions worth up to $150,000. Risk is still based on the original $5,000; this keeps the risk limited to a small portion of the deposited capital.

Forex brokers often don't charge a commission, but rather increase the spread between the bid and ask, thus making it more difficult to day trade profitably. ECN brokers offer a very small spread, making it easier to trade profitably, but they typically charge about $2.50 for every $100,000 traded ($5 round turn).

Trading currency pairs

If you're day trading a currency pair like the USD/CAD, you can risk $50 on each trade, and each pip of movement is worth $10 with a standard lot (100,000 units worth of currency). therefore you can take a position of one standard lot with a 5-pip stop-loss order, which will keep the risk of loss to $50 on the trade. That also means a winning trade is worth $80 (8 pips x $10).

This estimate can show how much a forex day trader could make in a month by executing 100 trades:

Gross profit is $4,400 - $2,250 = $2,150 if no commissions (win rate would likely be lower though)

Net profit is $2,150 - $500 = $1, 650 if using a commission broker (win rate would be like be higher though)

Assuming a net profit of $1,650, the return on the account for the month is 33 percent ($1,650 divided by $5,000). This may seem very high, and it is a very good return. See refinements below to see how this return may be affected.

Slippage larger than expected loss

It won't always be possible to find five good day trades each day, especially when the market is moving very slowly for extended periods.

Slippage is an inevitable part of trading. It results in a larger loss than expected, even when using a stop-loss order. It's common in very fast-moving markets.

To account for slippage in the calculation of your potential profit, reduce the net profit by 10% (this is a high estimate for slippage, assuming you avoid holding through major economic data releases). This would reduce the net profit potential generated by your $5,000 trading capital to $1,485 per month.

You can adjust the scenario above based on your typical stop loss and target, capital, slippage, win rate, position size, and commission parameters.

The final word

This simple risk-controlled strategy indicates that with a 55% win rate, and making more on winners than you lose on losing trades, it's possible to attain returns north of 20% per month with forex day trading. Most traders shouldn't expect to make this much; while it sounds simple, in reality, it's more difficult.

Even so, with a decent win rate and risk/reward ratio, a dedicated forex day trader with a decent strategy can make between 5% and 15% a month thanks to leverage. Also remember, you don't need much capital to get started; $500 to $1,000 is usually enough.

The balance does not provide tax, investment, or financial services and advice. The information is being presented without consideration of the investment objectives, risk tolerance or financial circumstances of any specific investor and might not be suitable for all investors. Past performance is not indicative of future results. Investing involves risk including the possible loss of principal.

What is forex trading and is it right for me?

There are very few investors who have consistently made massive fortunes over a while. Jim simmons, a quiet recluse, has been successful with smaller frequent trades in his medallion fund. On the opposite end of the spectrum is the brash george soros, who publicly “broke the bank of england” and made billions in a single forex trade on black wednesday.

Soros had been building a substantial short position in pounds sterling for months leading up to september 1992. He knew the rate at which the united kingdom was brought into the european exchange rate mechanism (ERM) was too high, their inflation was triple the german rate, and british interest rates were hurting their asset prices.

The british government failed to keep the pound above the lower currency exchange limit mandated by the exchange rate mechanism (ERM). It was forced to withdraw the pound sterling from the ERM, devaluing the pound. The estimated cost to the U.K. Treasury was £3.4 billion. Soros' fund profited from the U.K. Government's reluctance to raise its interest rates to levels comparable to those of other ERM countries or float its currency.

Everyone is familiar with investing in stocks, gold, or real estate. But forex trading has always been shrouded in mystery.

What is forex trading?

Forex trading refers to the foreign exchange markets where investors and traders worldwide buy and sell one currency for another.

You might have even participated in forex trading without even realizing it. Anytime I visit a foreign country, I exchange my U.S. Dollars for the local currency based on the prevailing exchange rate. In its simplest form, that is forex trading.

Currencies rise and fall against each other depending on various economic and geopolitical news. If you can buy low and sell high, you can make a profit in forex trading. Demand for particular currencies can be influenced by interest rates, central bank policy, GDP, and the country's political environment.

Because of forex's global nature, the markets trade for 24 hours a day, five days a week. Forex markets are the most liquid markets in the world.

Forex trading terminology

Forex markets have different terminologies and nuances for trading. Below is the list of most common terms.

Currency pairs

Traders frequently trade currencies by selling one currency and buying another. Forex trading always involves the exchange of currencies in pairs. You could have a EUR/USD pair for U.S. Dollars and euros. You can have similar pairs against the japanese yen or the australian dollar.

The major currency pairs are the four most heavily traded currency pairs in the forex market. Because of the massive liquidity, you can always trade them with the lowest spread. The four major pairs are EUR/USD, USD/JPY, GBP/USD, USD/CHF. Note that the U.S. Dollar is involved in every major pair because it is the world reserve currency.

The minor currency pairs don't include the U.S. Dollar and are also known as cross-currency pairs. For example, EUR/AUD and CHF/JPY.

The first currency in the pair is the base currency, and the second currency is the quote currency.

If you are bullish on the european union, you want to buy EUR and sell JPY. In this case, you would buy the EUR/JPY pair.

If you are bearish on the japanese yen, you want to buy USD and sell JPY. In this case, you would sell the JPY/USD pair.

The forex quote determines the price at which you do the buying and selling.

Forex quotes

The EUR/USD is the currency pair, and the price is 1.2209. The price indicates that for every euro you sell, you could buy 1.2209 USD. The 52 week range indicates that in the last year, the price has fluctuated from 1.07 to 1.22. You make a profit when you sell a currency for more than what you paid for.

You might have noticed the forex quote has four places to the right of the decimal. The smallest price change that a given exchange rate can make is the pip. Most currency pairs, except japanese yen pairs, are quoted to four decimal places. After the decimal point (at one 100th of a cent), this fourth spot is what traders watch to count “pips.”

For example, if the EUR/USD moves from 1.2202 to 1.2205, we say the EUR/USD has increased by three pips.

Forex lot

Forex is traded in lot sizes. Standard lot = 100,000 units mini lot = 10,000 units micro lot = 1,000 units

A larger lot size involves more risk due to the amount of money involved. If you are starting, always trade in micro-lots.

Leverage

Forex traders often use leverage to juice up the returns. Since currencies trade in a small range, they want to amplify their gains. The challenge of leverage is that it cuts both ways. If you are right, then using a 50:1 leverage will increase your profits by 50 times. However, if you are wrong, then you lose 50 times more. For this reason, it is advisable to avoid using leverage when trading forex.

Can you get rich by trading forex?

Forex investors make money by deciding what currencies will rise and fall. Some traders swear by technical analysis and others will rely on fundamental analysis. Traders believe they know what direction the currency would move based on the latest news. The challenge with making money trading is that the same information is also available to everyone else, including professional investors.

An individual investor who is not involved with trading the forex market for a living would find it very hard to make money. You could get lucky once or twice. But eventually, your steak runs out.

The individual investor has no advantage over professionals who do this for a living. My four worst investments article highlights how easy it is to lose money when trading against professional investors.

As they say in poker, if you've been in the game 30 minutes and you don't know who the patsy is, you're the patsy. Warren buffett, february 29, 1988

Professional traders have powerful trading tools to take advantage of their online forex trading strategy. The trading platforms provide signals for automated trading and scalping. Forex scalping methods place trades for 1 to 10 minutes and close positions after gaining five pips. An algorithmic trading system combined with leverage enables the professional traders to day trade forex pairs better than individual investors.

If you want to grow rich and retire early, the best plan is to accumulate income-producing assets. Most stocks pay a dividend, or they increase in value like moonshot stocks. The rental property provides income in the form of rent and appreciating property prices.

Forex trading only makes money if you are right in the timing and direction of currency prices change. You cannot have a “buy it and watch it grow” approach with forex. If you wonder, “when can I retire” it is quite likely that forex trading won't help you.

Who does forex trading

Professional investors trade forex to make money. Trading is done in the spot market, where exchange rates are determined in real-time depending on the current economic and geopolitical factors.

Global companies actively trade forex as well in the futures market. They create a contract to buy or sell a predetermined amount of a currency at a specific exchange rate at a date in the future. The primary purpose is not speculation but as a hedge.

For example, infosys (NYSE: INFY) is a consulting company headquartered in india, but they have clients worldwide. They report results on the indian stock exchange. Since the indian rupee trades in a wide range against the U.S. Dollar, infosys would use the forex markets to hedge against currency risk.

Similarly, ARAMCO (SAUDI-ARAMCO) is one of the leading players in the petroleum and natural gas industry. It needs to hedge its commodity exports against price changes in U.S. Dollars.

Final thoughts on forex trading

Forex is part of our everyday life as a result of living in an interconnected global economy. Currencies usually trade in a tight band. If a currency suddenly depreciates, it could be an indicator of upcoming inflation or potential geo-instability.

It is tough to get rich with forex trading for individuals. You might lose all your investment. To be profitable, one needs a deep understanding of the macroeconomic fundamentals driving currency values coupled with technical analysis experience. And it would help if you traded on it before anyone else does. Proceed with caution if you decide to incorporate forex trading as part of your investment strategy.

Can forex trading make you rich?

Can forex trading make you rich? Although our instinctive reaction to that question would be an unequivocal "no,” we should qualify that response. Forex trading may make you rich if you are a hedge fund with deep pockets or an unusually skilled currency trader. But for the average retail trader, rather than being an easy road to riches, forex trading can be a rocky highway to enormous losses and potential penury.

But first, the stats. A bloomberg article in nov. 2014 noted that based on reports to their clients by two of the biggest forex companies at the time—gain capital holdings inc. (GCAP) and FXCM inc.—68% of investors had net losses from trading currencies in the prior year. While this could be interpreted to mean that about one in three traders does not lose money trading currencies, that's not the same as getting rich trading forex.

Key takeaways

Many retail traders turn to the forex market in search of fast profits.

Statistics show that most aspiring forex traders fail, and some even lose large amounts of money.

Leverage is a double-edged sword, as it can lead to outsized profits but also substantial losses.

Counterparty risks, platform malfunctions, and sudden bursts of volatility also pose challenges to would-be forex traders.

Unlike stocks and futures that trade on exchanges, forex pairs trade in the over-the-counter market with no central clearing firm.

Note that the bloomberg numbers were cited just two months before an unexpected seismic shock in the currency markets highlighted the risks of forex trading. On jan. 15, 2015, the swiss national bank abandoned the swiss franc's cap of 1.20 against the euro that it had in place for three years. as a result, the swiss franc soared as much as 41% against the euro on that day.

The surprise move from switzerland's central bank inflicted losses running into the hundreds of millions of dollars on innumerable participants in forex trading, from small retail investors to large banks. Losses in retail trading accounts wiped out the capital of at least three brokerages, rendering them insolvent, and took FXCM, then the largest retail forex brokerage in the united states, to the verge of bankruptcy.

Unexpected one time events are not the only risk facing forex traders. Here are seven other reasons why the odds are stacked against the retail trader who wants to get rich trading the forex market.

Excessive leverage

Although currencies can be volatile, violent gyrations like that of the aforementioned swiss franc are not that common. For example, a substantial move that takes the euro from 1.20 to 1.10 versus the U.S. Dollar over a week is still a change of less than 10%. Stocks, on the other hand, can easily trade up or down 20% or more in a single day. But the allure of forex trading lies in the huge leverage provided by forex brokerages, which can magnify gains (and losses).

A trader who shorts $5,000 worth of euros against the U.S. Dollar at 1.20 and then covers the short position at 1.10 would make a tidy profit of $500 or 8.33%. If the trader used the maximum leverage of 50:1 permitted in the U.S. (ignoring trading costs and commissions) the profit is $25,000, or 416.67%.

Of course, had the trader been long euro at 1.20, used 50:1 leverage, and exited the trade at 1.10, the potential loss would have been $25,000. In some overseas jurisdictions, leverage can be as much as 200:1 or even higher. Because excessive leverage is the single biggest risk factor in retail forex trading, regulators in a number of nations are clamping down on it.

Asymmetric risk to reward

Seasoned forex traders keep their losses small and offset these with sizable gains when their currency call proves to be correct. Most retail traders, however, do it the other way around, making small profits on a number of positions but then holding on to a losing trade for too long and incurring a substantial loss. This can also result in losing more than your initial investment.

Platform or system malfunction

Imagine your plight if you have a large position and are unable to close a trade because of a platform malfunction or system failure, which could be anything from a power outage to an internet overload or computer crash. This category would also include exceptionally volatile times when orders such as stop-losses do not work. For instance, many traders had tight stop-losses in place on their short swiss franc positions before the currency surged on jan. 15, 2015. However, these proved ineffective because liquidity dried up even as everyone stampeded to close their short franc positions.

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Forex brokers that accept mobile money

This article describes forex brokers who accept the use of mobile money for forex deposits and withdrawals. But what is mobile money all about?

Mobile money refers to money stored in an account that is operated by telecom companies, in which the user’s mobile phone and other telephony details such as the phone number are integral components of the transaction process. This is possible because phone numbers are unique in themselves, and every phone device comes with a unique international mobile equipment (IMEI) number. The unique nature of phone numbers can be enhanced by subjecting each user to biometric registration, in which physical traits that cannot be replicated in any other human being such as the fingerprint, are captured and assigned to the phone number. That way, a user can perform financial transactions over a mobile network using the phone number as a unique identification number, just the way every bank customer would have a unique bank account number, cheque books or savings passbooks of years gone by.

The mobile money payment channel is very common in africa, where it is used as a tool for financial inclusion. Many african countries and indeed countries of the middle east have large unbanked populations. Accessing services such as a forex trading account require financial inclusion, where a user of the financial system can be identified and the individual’s financial history can be profiled, in compliance with international laws against money laundering.

What forex brokers accept mobile money

The number of forex brokers that accept mobile money for deposits and withdrawals is still relatively low. Despite this fact, there are already a couple of solid forex brokers who work with mobile money.

Cfds are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage.

Between 74-89% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading cfds.

You should consider whether you understand how cfds work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.

¹ variable spreads vary according to the current market conditions, recorded for EUR/USD on 06.05.2020 at 10:42 GMT+1.

Forex brokers and mobile money

With the passage of the european securities and markets authority (ESMA) rules of 2018, it has become very expensive for traders to open and operate trading accounts with UK and EU forex brokers. This has led to a mass migration of traders to so-called offshore locations and loss of business for many of these EU brokers. The loss of business has hit many of them so badly, that their loud protests have caught the attention of the european commission, which has instituted a process to review the mifid II protocols that ESMA derives its regulatory powers from.

Some EU brokerages have been able to adapt to the situation by creating international divisions to handle clients from outside the EU. Africa represents a huge opportunity for forex brokers because the penetration of forex trading on the continent is relatively low. However, there is a large unbanked population in the african market. For the unbanked, mobile money represents one of the major means of transaction. This has led to a slight increase in the number of forex brokers that accept mobile money for transactions. Kenya and ghana are two countries where the use of mobile money is very high.

Forex brokers that accept mobile money in ghana have an advantage because even those who operate bank accounts also have access to mobile money. Mobile money usage in ghana is driven by telecom companies such as airtel/tigo, MTN and glo. In kenya on the other hand, the most popular mobile money payment system is vodafone’s M-pesa.

Mobile money as a funding method

To be able to get registered on a mobile money network, the user must have a phone number, with a registered SIM card matched to the user by means of biometrics. This provides an infallible means of identification, allowing the user to perform transactions on the mobile phone.

Forex brokers that accept mobile money in ghana are then able to accept deposits in the local currency, the ghana cedis (GHS). Withdrawals are also conducted in the local currency. Users have the option of operating forex accounts in the local currency (if the broker allows it), or they can still maintain foreign currency accounts, in which case the appropriate conversion rates and charges are applied.

Since the mobile money registration process also incorporates biometric registration, all data can be harmonized and checked by the brokerage’s compliance department to ensure that appropriate know-your-customer (KYC) protocols are followed.

Benefits of using a forex broker that accepts mobile money

The benefits of using an FX broker that accepts mobile money are as follows:

A) very fast deposits and withdrawals: transaction times are very fast, as transfers are processed in a matter of minutes.

B) it is a cashless method which allows the user to transact without carrying money.

C) the convenience of this transaction method is virtually unrivalled. A country like ghana has mobile money outlets on virtually every street. You can simply walk into a vendor’s shop, deposit ghana cedis with the vendor, have your mobile money wallet funded and you proceed to fund your forex account.

D) no need to fill any forms and there is no waiting time. You can do your forex account funding anytime, including weekends and holidays.

Drawbacks of using a forex broker that accepts mobile money

What are the drawbacks of using forex brokers that accept mobile money?

A) initial sign-up processes can be a hassle. There are instances of registration failure due to problems with the internet network.

B) forex brokers that accept mobile money are relatively few. This narrows the user’s choice of brokers.

Choosing a forex broker that accepts mobile money

Presently, the number of forex brokers accept mobile money in ghana and around africa are few. However, this could change quickly as more brokers are entering the african market. For a user, make sure to use online forums and other information sources to get a first-hand account on the experience others have had with the mobile money transaction process. You can also check the table above to see some of the most popular FX brokers that are accepting mobile money.

How much money can I make forex day trading?

Julie bang @ the balance 2021

The following scenario shows the potential, using a risk-controlled forex day trading strategy.

Forex day trading risk management

Every successful forex day trader manages their risk; it is one of, if not the most, crucial elements of ongoing profitability.

Forex day trading strategy

While a strategy can potentially have many components and can be analyzed for profitability in various ways, a strategy is often ranked based on its win-rate and risk/reward ratio.

Win rate

Risk/reward

A higher win rate for trades means more flexibility with your risk/reward, and a high risk/reward means your win rate can be lower and you'd still be profitable.

Hypothetical scenario

This means that the potential reward for each trade is 1.6 times greater than the risk (8 pips divided by 5 pips). Remember, you want winners to be bigger than losers.

Trading leverage

Trading currency pairs

This estimate can show how much a forex day trader could make in a month by executing 100 trades:

Gross profit is $4,400 - $2,250 = $2,150 if no commissions (win rate would likely be lower though)

Net profit is $2,150 - $500 = $1, 650 if using a commission broker (win rate would be like be higher though)

Slippage larger than expected loss

It won't always be possible to find five good day trades each day, especially when the market is moving very slowly for extended periods.

Slippage is an inevitable part of trading. It results in a larger loss than expected, even when using a stop-loss order. It's common in very fast-moving markets.

You can adjust the scenario above based on your typical stop loss and target, capital, slippage, win rate, position size, and commission parameters.

The final word

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.

Best forex trading courses

Sarah horvath

Contributor, benzinga

Want to jump straight to the answer? The best forex broker for most people is definitely FOREX.Com

As the world becomes more and more interconnected and countries begin to rely on imports and exports to keep their economies functioning, forex trading has risen up as a popular alternative to stock trading. Forex traders enjoy the freer schedule that comes along with the decentralized currency market, which forgoes the traditional 9-to-5 schedule on which wall street operates.

Featured course: how to find the strongest forex trends

Build the foundation you need to trade the largest market on earth.

Best forex trading courses:

How to find the strongest forex trends

Forex 101 by benzinga

Asia forex mentor

Traders academy club

Platinum trading academy

Forex trading coach

Stock day and swing trading course by 2ndskies trading

Forex trading using python: basics by quantinsti

“forex trading A-Z” from udemy

Six figure capital

An online course is a great place to start. But which forex courses are worth your time and money? We’ve reviewed some of our favorite online forex courses as well as some tips to help you separate the legit instructors from the scammers.

Characteristics of a great forex course

Though most online forex courses will come along with their own unique teaching method, language choice, or “gimmick” to attract their target market, valuable and educational courses all share these three common characteristics:

1. The instructor keeps the material fun and engaging

Holding a student’s interest is much more difficult for an online instructor to do than an in-person instructor, as online courses must compete for a limited pool of attention with everything from television screens to children running around.

The best online courses use live demonstrations, video recordings, graphs, and other supplemental materials to break up massive walls of text and keep the students engaged.

2. The course is mechanically fully functional

Unlike a textbook, which allows you to flip to the material you need and dive in, online course material requires the instructor to possess a certain level of technical proficiency.

The best online forex courses keep the material up to date and fresh by ensuring that all links work and video clips play without excessive loading times or constant buffering.

Bonus points can be awarded to the courses that format materials for mobile or offer separate downloads aimed at on-the-go learners.

3. The course material is professionally presented

You can tell how much an instructor cares about his or her material by how professional its presentation is.

Keep an eye out for spelling errors, text that’s in an unusual or unreadable font, poor design choices, and material that seems to proceed in an illogical order, as these are all signs that the instructor has not thoroughly proofread his or her material.

If the instructor can’t be bothered to care about the course’s content, how can he or she expect his or her students to?

Our picks for the best forex courses

Based on the criteria above, we made our picks for the best forex courses available on the web at a wide range of price points.

1. How to find the strongest forex trends

Who is it for: beginner to advanced currency traders

Raghee horner loves trading the $5 TRILLION forex market because there’s always a bull market somewhere. And with good reason. Over 3 decades ago raghee cracked the code for finding the strongest trends. In fact, she’s never had a losing year in her entire career.

How does she consistently catch the strongest trends? With her step-by-step trend following formula and her proprietary tools. They allow her to get in during the earliest stages and extract extraordinary gains like: 165 pips in the AUDUSD ($1,650 per contract), 1000 pips in the AUDJPY ($9,200 per contract), and 284 pips in the EURUSD ($2,840 per contract).

Consistent results like that are almost unheard of. And that’s why raghee decided to distill her system into a self-paced online training called forex 101. Now even beginners can discover how to take advantage of these strong trends.

Because of the recent market volatility, there’s been a surge of interest in learning the forex. So for a limited time simpler trading is offering instant access to raghee’s forex 101 course recordings (including her proprietary tools) at a special 60% discount.

2. Forex 101 from benzinga courses

Who’s it for? Beginner to advanced traders

Price: on sale

Congrats! You’ve just landed on the most versatile, comprehensive forex trading platform on the market. Whether you’re just beginning to learn about forex trading or know a little bit about it already, benzinga’s forex trading course can help you learn everything you need to know, from forex pairs, pips and points (the basics) to fibonacci retracements. What’s a forex course without trade examples? Benzinga’s forex course offers AUD/USD sell trades and everything else in between — short selling, support and resistance levels, forex chart patterns and indicators. Don’t miss out on benzinga’s forex trading course at a low price for a limited time.

3. Asia forex mentor – one core program

Who it’s for: beginner to advanced traders

Price: $997

Ezekiel chew the founder and head of training at asia forex mentor isn’t your typical forex trainer. He is a recognized expert in the forex industry where he is frequently invited to speak at major forex events and trading panels. His insights into the live market are highly sought after by retail traders.

Ezekiel is considered as one of the top forex traders around who actually care about giving back to the community. He makes six figures a trade in his own trading and behind the scenes, ezekiel trains the traders who work in banks, fund management companies and prop trading firms.

His highly regarded one core program is considered as one of the best forex trading courses around. One of the modules that are highly raved is the road to millions formula that turned many new traders into full-time traders. It’s a ‘paradigm shift’ ezekiel says. “once you get that, you will change the way you look at trading and making money.”

The unique part of his teaching method? There are no slides, no screenshots, no fluffs but real strategies and actual scenarios that work in the live market.

4. Traders academy club

Who it’s for: beginner to advanced traders

Price: varies on bundle

Traders academy club was designed by vladimir ribakov, an internationally certified financial technician with over 12 years of experience in the forex market. Traders academy club is designed for select community members with a passion for trading forex, cfds and stocks. The course helps you trade at a higher level whether you’re a beginner or experienced trader.Ribakov provides the right tools for traders to:

Avoid common pitfalls

Tap into a sound trading approach

Adopt the technical, fundamental and psychological components of trading

Discover new trading ideas

You can join the private telegram group with other successful traders and learn practical trading strategies under ribakov. Join traders academy club now.

5. Platinum trading academy

Who’s it for? Beginning to advanced traders

Price: based on program

Do you want to become a part-time or full-time trader? Learn to trade with platinum trading academy, an easy-to-use trading system that offers premium technical analysis and personal mentoring. Once you complete the course, you’ll get access to a funded account. You don’t need to travel or go to forex trading seminars or trading webinars — simply attend platinum trading academy’s premium one-to-one financial trading consultations.

You can tap into training for beginners, full-time traders and learn how to comprehensively improve your trading mindset. Start your journey today with platinum training academy.

6. Forex trading coach

Who’s it for? Beginning to advanced traders

The forex trading coach can fast-track your forex trading and help you whether you’re a beginner or not. Andrew mitchem, a full-time currency trader, investor and forex trading coach, developed a system that has makes forex trading profitable.

Ready to learn? You can get there in 90 days. In fact, mitchem claims that rookies are better traders — you’re more likely to progress (and profit) faster than someone with years of experience!

The forex trading coach highlights:

Risk elimination: he shares his “reward: risk” strategy, which delivers profitable trades with a small amount of funds on the line.

Less time trading: this personalized trading method means you can do your daily trading in as little as 30 minutes.

Your trading identity: you’ll learn more about yourself and your trading strategies and philosophies as you go.

Training: your demo account is how you learn not to lose lots of money when you hit the live markets.

Mindset: your mindset matters. You learn how to quickly transform into a proper business.

7. Stock day and swing trading course by 2ndskies trading

Who it’s for: beginner to intermediate traders

2ndskiesforex’s stock day and swing trading course teaches you how to consistently find trade setups and build a profitable edge from trading stocks. You can:

Learn a meta strategy for trading any market or sector

Use trading strategies for day and swing trading stocks

Get access to 2ndskies forex trader webinars

Chris capre, the founder of 2ndskies trading, is the instructor for this course. He’s been trading for 20 years, is a former broker on wall street, traded for a hedge fund and been teaching traders to become profitable for the last 12 years through 2ndskies trading. He focuses on using his extensive trading experience, his training in neuroscience and his strong pattern recognition skills to teach you how to trade stocks profitably.

8. Forex trading using python: basic

Who’s it for? Beginning traders

Forex (FX or foreign exchange) trading is the process of buying and selling of currency pairs in the stock markets. Quantra and FXCM present this certificate course for both beginner and expert forex traders to learn forex trading using python.

In a span of 90 minutes, you stand to learn more in less time with this course. You learn about strategy creation, backtesting, execution, analysis, and risk management. With lifetime access and downloadable codes, this course is a must-have!

So, let's see, what we have: chances are at one time or another, you’ve been asked by well-meaning friends to join the train of online forex traders. Or your interest has been ... At forex trading money