What is Forex Trading?
The Forex market or foreign exchange market is basically a network of currency buyers and sellers. It is a sophisticated way to earn money and get rich by following some steps. The unique feature of the forex market is there is no entry barrier. So, your geographical location has no connection with the success in forex trading.
Forex trading is a process to make money by buying and selling currency pairs. Forex market is a decentralized place where major participants are banks and financial institutes. In retail trading, investors get involved in this market through a forex broker that transfers all trading actions to the inter-bank market.
They transfer currencies at an agreed price. If you have ever traveled outside your country, then you should have to exchange your own currency with another country’s currency.
From the Forex market people, companies and big banks buy and sell their home currencies with foreign currencies.
We, the general people, make a transaction in the Forex market when we go abroad.
While a ton of external trade is accomplished for useful purposes, by far most of the exchange is embraced with the point of acquiring a benefit.
It is this unpredictability that can make Forex trading so appealing to brokers: achieving a more noteworthy possibility of high benefits, while additionally expanding the hazard.
The measure of exchange can make several value developments within some regulation standards incredibly unstable.
Today we will see the step-by-step approach regarding how to start forex trading from the very beginning:
Type of Forex Market
In contrast, forex doesn’t happen just between two different parties, in an over-the-counter market.
Since there is no fixed time or date for the exchange in the OTC market, you can make transactions in forex 24 hours every day.
The forex showcase is controlled by a major central bank, spread across four significant focused distinctive time zones: New York, London, Sydney, and Tokyo.
There are three types of forex markets:
- Future forex market: It is a settlement to sell or buy currencies at a cost. This type of foreign exchange contract is legal.
- Spot forex market: It is the physical currency market to buy and sell foreign exchange products. It happens at the fixed point where the exchange is settled inside a time frame.
- Forward forex market: It is an agreement to purchase or sell foreign currency pairs at a predefined cost. In this method, the price is settled at a later date on future dates.
Most brokers consider that the forex cost will not plan to convey the money. For beginner traders, it is good to start trading by opening a trading account in a forex broker that allows lower deposit amounts.
Therefore, they make swapping scale expectations to exchange value developments in the market.
Why Does the Price Fluctuate in the Forex Market?
The currency market consists of currencies from all around the world. It can make Foreign exchange rate predictions difficult.
Unlike other markets, the foreign currency market is driven by supply and demand psychology.
Therefore, it is important to get an understanding of what influences the price in the forex market.
#1 Central Banks
The Supply of the currency of a country is controlled by central banks. It can announce that it will have an important effect on the currency’s price.
Central banks can influence the forex market through several methods like Quantitative easing.
It involves proving a lot of money into an economy. Therefore, it can cause a decline in the currency price.
#2 Financial News and Events
Commercial banks and financial institutes want to put their investment in a strong economic country. Therefore, positive news hit the markets and can encourage investment. It increases demand for the currency of a particular country.
This type of event works parallelly with the supply and demand for the currency. The supply and demand will may the currency price to fluctuate. Similarly, negative news can cause an adverse impact on the investment and a currency’s price.
That’s why currencies reflect the economic health of the country they represent.
#3 Investors’ Sentiment
Market or investor sentiment is the reaction to the news that can also play as a major role in the variation of the currency price.
If traders start to believe that a currency will move in a direction, they will take their trading activities accordingly.
Therefore, it may convince other traders to follow suit by increasing or decreasing demand.
#4 Economic Releases
Economic data is an integral part of the price movements of a currency pair. It gives an indication of how an economy is performing.
Therefore, it offers indications of what may central bank may do next.
For example, the inflation in the eurozone is targeted to keep above the 2% level. It is an estimation and long term goal of the European Central Bank (ECB).
The ECB’s policy tool to fight rising inflation may European interest rates. Therefore, traders may start buying the EURUSD with anticipation to go up.
As the traders are buying the EURUSD, the price could rise in the coming periods.
#5 Credit Ratings
Most of the investors try to maximize their return from a market while minimizing their risk. Therefore, they put emphasis on interest rates and economic data.
Moreover, they also look at credit ratings while they are deciding to invest. The credit rating of a country is an independent assessment of repaying its debts.
Therefore, a country with a positive rating is safer for making an investment. Whereas countries with a low credit rating are riskier.
This comes with some focus when credits are upgraded and downgraded. Therefore, countries with an improved credit rating may increase its currency value.
Most of the investors try to maximize their return from a market while minimizing their risk. Therefore, they put emphasis on interest rates and economic data.
Moreover, they also look at credit ratings when they are deciding to invest. The credit rating of a country is an independent assessment of repaying its debts.
Therefore, a country with a positive rating is safer for making an investment. Where countries with a low credit rating are riskier.
This comes with some focus when credits are upgraded and downgraded. Therefore, countries with an improved credit rating may increase their currency value.
How Can You Trade in Forex Trading?
There are several currency pairs to trade in the Forex market. However, they all work almost the same way.
Traditionally, a lot of retail foreign exchange transactions happen through a Forex broker.
However, with the rise of these opportunities, you can take part in this market like CFD trading.
You should remember that the CFDs are leveraged products. Therefore, it may enable them to open a position without actually owning the asset.
As you don’t buy the asset, you can take a position in the direction you think the market will move.
Although leveraged instruments can maximize your profits, they incur losses if the market moves opposite of your prediction.
Type of Forex Pair
Forex pairs are differentiated based on liquidity, availability of traders and other functionality. Based on these major pairs are most friendly to traders.
We can distinguish forex pairs in this way:
- Major Pairs: World’s major economies, pairing with the US Dollar.
- Minor Pairs: Major economies, pairing without the US Dollar
- Cross Pairs: Major economies and minor economic
- Exotic Pairs: only minor economies.
How does Forex Market Work?
The main buy and sell in the forex market happens in the over the Counter market, which is the wholesale market in the world. Here banks and other financial institutes buy and sell currencies a lot and brokers and retail traders trade later.
When a retail trader buys any currency pair from a forex broker, it is transferred to the liquidity provider and the liquidity provider provides the money coming from profit or loss. On the other hand, some brokers act as a liquidity providers and so any profit or loss comes from the broker itself.
Forex Terminology
In this section, we will see some terminologies in forex that are essential for every trader:
- Pips: Unit of movement
- Bid Price: The price traders will get when they Sell any instrument.
- Ask Price: The price traders will gen when they buy any instrument.
- Spread: Difference between ask price and bid price.
- Leverage: Loan that brokers provide to traders.
- Margin: Balance available to take new trades.
- Equity: Total balance after calculating current profit/loss.
- Indicator: Tools that provide trading signals
- Analysis: Way to anticipate the price direction after calculating the movement.
Conclusion
Traders, who have limited funds they can follow a strategy that allows them following the footpath of institutional traders. Moreover, a trader should focus on understanding the macroeconomic fundamentals that drive currency values.
Experience with technical analysis may help to become more profitable. The Forex market as a whole is legit but a risky field for retail investors.
Therefore, you should do enough research and education before putting your money into it. Otherwise, there is a risk of losing all of your money in the field.
