06/07/2020
FOREX?
Largest Financial Market
The foreign exchange (forex) market is the largest financial market in the world, and it’s not going to cede that title anytime soon. It’s not hard to see why the forex market is used as a snapshot of global trade and economic activity. On average, between $4 and 5 trillion (yes, that’s trillion with a T) is traded daily. That’s about $200 billion an hour, $3 billion a minute, $50 million a second. And with traders of all sorts participating from all over the world, it truly is the single most accessible and global trading market.
It’s for Everyone
Forex trading isn’t just for the big shots. Getting started as a forex trader doesn’t cost a lot of money, especially when compared to trading stocks or options, and it’s part of its appeal to a large number of people globally. Even without much start-up capital, forex trading is accessible to the average individual. Equity offers trading accounts with only $500 minimum deposit, and leverage up to 1:500 is available*. This doesn’t mean that you’ll be a good trader right away, it does take time and trial to learn and become skillful, so it’s advisable to take it slow and warm your way in. Read our forex education section to build your trading knowledge.
High Volume and Liquidity
The forex market is enormous, we’ve got that. But why is this such a good thing? One word – liquidity. What this means is that given the large volume being traded at any given moment, under normal market conditions you don’t have to wait. With a click, you can buy and sell as you please, since there will usually be someone on the other end willing to trade back. You can even automate your trading. Of course, the market does have its quiet hours, but generally, there are always trades to be made, especially if trading popular pairs like USD/EUR and other majors.
Nobody Owns the Market
Given the sheer size of the forex market and the number of participants, no single institutional trader (no matter how big) can control market prices for an extended time period. The market quickly calibrates itself and levels the playing field. Additionally, the forex market is decentralized and there are no middlemen. You trade directly with another participant in the market and a retail forex broker simply facilitates this connection. Essentially the market is influenced directly by the economy itself, not one person or a company. You can’t corner it and you can’t control it, and that means that you’re not as small a fish as you may think.
Trade the Highs and the Lows
No matter if the market is rising or falling, you can trade, and some forex trading strategies even depend on the latter. You can find opportunities in any market condition and you can trade when you believe the price of a currency pair is going up or when you anticipate it going down. Some traders even thrive on high volatility periods. Although carrying more risk, these sudden price changes can be advantageous if timed right. Whether you’re following longer market trends or trading day to day movements, there is plenty of trading opportunity to be found.
A 24-Hour Market
The forex market never sleeps. Open 24 hours a day, 5 days a week, you can trade whenever you want to, not when the market dictates. There is no waiting for the opening bell or scrambling to get your order executed before a daily close. Trading begins with the opening of the Sydney session and closes with the New York session, by which time it starts all over again, round the clock. This means you can be as active or passive as you’d like, and trade on your own schedule – be it morning, noon, or night
No Commissions on Most Accounts
There are generally no trade commissions or very low ones for large volume trades. There are also no clearing or exchange fees. Most retail brokers earn their revenue through the “spread,” which is the difference between the bid and ask price. Spreads in the forex market also tend to be very tight (more on that below), making forex trading one of the most cost-effective investment tools. Equity offers no commission forex trading accounts and accounts with spreads as low as 0.4 pips**.
Low Transaction Costs
As mentioned above, the difference between the bid and ask price is the broker’s spread and this is the retail transaction cost. Highly capitalized brokers can offer very competitive spreads, thus minimizing your trading costs and maximizing your profits. Equity offers an average spread of 1.5 pips** for its Executive account type and 0.4 pips** for a Premiere account. It’s important to understand how spreads are measured. For example, if GBP/USD has a bid price of 1.55310 and an asking price of 1.55313, the spread is 0.3 pips.
Leverage
A small deposit can go a long way. With leverage, you can essentially “borrow money” from your broker to trade with in excess of your actual deposited funds. This is a powerful tool and one of the most attractive features of forex trading. Equity offers up to 1:500 leverage, which gives you increased buying power and can mean larger gains, but it also carries the risk of larger losses. Please be sure to fully understand the risks of trading with leverage before you use it.
Risk-free Demo Account
You can make use of a free forex demo account to practice forex trading and learn the ropes. Trading with a demo account is just like the real thing, but you’re doing it with “play money.” A demo account is great for those who want to test the waters or improve their trading skills in real market conditions without risking any actual capital. And this is all for free and without any commitment. So give it a try and see the benefits of trading forex for yourself!
