Forex Basics

The foreign currency exchange market is quickly becoming one of the fastest growing investment choices in the world. More than a trillion dollars each day is exchanged on the forex market. This is a truly global market that operates 24 hours a day. So why is this massive marketplace becoming so popular and what is forex? 

Trading on the forex market is simply the act of exchanging the currency from one country for the currency of another. When the values of those currencies alter, you trade back for your original currency again, hopefully with a profit in your hand at the end of the trade.

An example of a basic forex trade could be exchanging your US Dollars (USD) for British Pounds (GBP). You wait until the value of the USD goes up a few pips and then you trade your GBP back for the original USD you had in the first place. The difference between how much you paid in US Dollars and how much you received back at the end of the trade is your profit margin.

The difference between what you bought and sold it for is profit and it is kept track of in a unit of measurement called pips. Pips are the basic unit in trading currencies. Your goal as a forex trader is to gain as many pips as you can.

There are several ways to create trading strategies. You might decide to try scalping, swing trading or even trending. Scalping is perhaps one of the more popular trading strategies. This is where you place lots of small, quick trades. Buy smaller contracts of several currencies and then close out your trades quickly, taking lots of smaller profits at a time rather than hanging on for the one big profit, but you minimize any losses with this tactic.

There are some amazingly versatile forex trading products, services and programs available to help solidify your trading strategies and formulate your research basis. These can range from coaching programs to forex robots that generate automated trading signals. If you haven't ventured into the forex market before, then learning materials can be of huge assistance to you while your experience levels grow. Just be sure you investigate any programs or products you find before you pay money.

Digital products, or informational books that you download to your computer, are a great idea. The only problem is that you can't verify what's inside until after you've paid your money. Always see if you can find reviews for the product you're considering. Join forex-related forums and ask questions of actual traders who are using the programs and systems you want.

In addition to that, you should also do your homework on whichever broker you decide to go with. There have been a few brokers that turned out to be scams, so you'll want to make sure that they are regulated and that you feel comfortable with them. If you live in the United States, you'll probably want to find a broker that is in the United States and regulated by the NFA.

The forex market can be very profitable, but at the same time it can also be very volatile. Spend some time learning about how the market works and understand some of the jargon before you jump in.

By: Frank Rivera