by Money runs the world. An average person spends one-third of a lifetime to earn a living, yet even such a sacrifice doesn’t bring an expected result. Such a situation forces people to look for other ways of building their financial stability in the highly turbulent world. One of the best ventures to check is the forex market, which provides every participant with the tools to make money on its fluctuations and instabilities. Let’s explore the basics of the forex market to help you decide if it is worth the effort.
Forex, or foreign exchange trade, is a global marketplace for trading the world’s currencies. It is the largest financial market in the world, which operates non-stop during weekdays and closes at the weekend. Unlike other financial markets, forex works around the clock, which makes it easily accessible regardless of time zone and geographic location. The forex market starts in Tokyo and finishes in the USA, which is why the price quotes are under constant changes throughout the day.
Forex market has no physical buildings, and all the operations are performed through computer networks and a series of connected trading terminals. The main participants of the forex market are financial institutions like investment businesses, commercial banks, and retail investors.
Forex trade is the world of currencies and their interrelated behavior. Occasionally every one of us becomes a short-term forex participant when exchanging currencies in the countries where we travel. However, long-term involvement requires better preparation.
The global network offers numerous options to choose from, yet it is always difficult to identify the best ones. The platforms should be checked on regulatory compliance, fees, welcome bonuses, leverage rules, and customer support.
For instance, the JustMarkets trading platform is licensed by the CySEC (Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission), the leverage rates are 1:1 to 1:3000, which enables the traders to various trading options in spite of their deposit, and the welcome bonus forex $30 opens the world of trading without any initial deposit. Moreover, customer support is available 24/7 through various channels of communication, helping the client resolve all the issues instantly.
By compiling such a list of characteristics, it will be easy to find the best platforms that fit the trader’s requirements.
Trading will require some background information like name, address, tax ID number, finance and investment goals, etc. The identity is confirmed through a password, ID, or license.
Once the account is confirmed and approved, the trader funds the account to start the activities. Funding is done through bank transfers, wire transfers, debit cards, and checks.
When the account is set and funded, it’s time to research currency pairs using analysis to determine the price level and trade on them. The price of currency pairs is heavily influenced by the financial and political conditions of the country, the current situation of foreign affairs, the history of the country, etc.
Before getting down to trades it is important to outline the available capital to use and risk. A rule of thumb is 1% for beginners – the trader can only risk 1% of the total account value on every separate trade. More experienced traders can opt for 2%-5% to allocate for a trade.
Forex trade is extremely volatile. After establishing the position, it is important to monitor the behavior of the currency and have a clear understanding of all the further steps to take. Forex requires a well-built strategy, and the ability to adjust to rapidly changing conditions.
The Forex market can be subcategorized into spot, forward, and futures markets:
The spot market is the buy-sell operations on the spot, at the current market rate (the spot price). The current price of the currency is defined by several factors: interest rates, economic performance, geopolitical sentiment, and price speculation.
A spot deal is a bilateral transaction, where one party provides a pre-agreed amount of money per a specified amount of another currency (according to the exchange rates) by the second party. The trade is typically settled within two days.
The activities and transactions of a forward market are regulated by a forward contract — an agreement between two parties to buy currency at a future date and an anticipated price in the OTC markets. The terms and conditions of the agreement are privately negotiated by the two parties.
The futures market is a regulated by futures contract — an agreement between two parties for a currency purchase at a future date with and at a predetermined price. While having a similar nature to forward contracts, the futures are performed through an intermediary called a clearance house.
The spot market is a primary choice of individual traders, while the forwards and futures are more chosen by companies or financial institutions.
Forex is a profitable financial investment, as it allows the participants to make money on the fluctuations of the currency market. Forex trade is like a slow-motion success, with the gradual acquiring of skills and knowledge; it is never an easy journey, considering the amount of preparation, however, it helps to keep up with the global changes, avoiding their detrimental effect on your funds.
