|
|
|
|
Forex Trading - Understanding Commissions, Spreads and Trading CostsThe forex market is quickly becoming one of the most popular markets for trading. Not only are the experienced traders looking to this market to maximize their trading returns, but many new, individual investors are now able to trade the Forex market - just as they do stocks and futures. More and more individuals are seeing Forex not only as a new way to diversify their portfolio, but are also finding that it is becoming the most profitable component of their investments. And that's because of the many advantages Forex offers over other markets like stocks or commodities. Here's what you will typically see advertized about Forex: - Unparallelled liquidity. It is the largest financial market in the world by far. Almost $2 trillion being traded daily! - Excellent leverage potential. Individual investors have access to leverage of 100:1 and even 200:1 - No Commissions - Low trading costs. And yes, the Forex market really does offer all these advantages. But the last two points above talk about costs, and that's what we'd like to focus on in this article. Like any trading, there are costs involved, and, while these may be much lower than they used to be, it is important to understand what those are. Let's start by looking at stock trading, something that most of us investors are pretty familiar with. When trading stocks, most investors will have a trading account with a broker somewhere and will have investment funds deposited in that account. The broker will then execute the trades on behalf of the account holder, and of course, in return for providing that service, the broker will want to be compensated. With stocks, typically, the broker will earn a commission for executing the trade. They will charge either a fixed dollar amount per trade, or a dollar amount per share, or (most commonly) a scaled commission based on how big your trade is. And, they will charge it on both sides of the transaction. That is to say, when you buy the stock you get charged commission, AND then when you sell that same stock you get charged another commission. With Forex trading, the brokers constantly advertise "no commission". And, of course that's true - except for a few brokers, who do charge a commission similar to stocks. But also, of course, the brokers aren't performing their trading services for free. They too make money. The way they do that is by charging the investor a "spread". Simply put, the spread is the difference between the bid price and the ask price for the currency being traded. The broker will add this spread onto the price of the trade and keep it as their fee for trading. So, while it isn't a commission per se, it behaves in practically the same way. It is just a little more hidden. The good news though is that typically this spread is only charged on one side of the transaction. In other words, you don't pay the spread when you buy AND then again when you sell. It is usually only charged on the "buy" side of the trades. So the spread really is your primary cost of trading the Forex and you should pay attention to the details of what the different brokers offer. The spreads offered can vary pretty dramatically from broker to broker. And while it may not seem like much of a difference to be trading with a 5 pip spread vs a 4 pip spread, it actually can add up very quickly when you multiply it out by how many trades you make and how much money you're trading. Think about it, 4 pips vs 5 pips is a difference of 25% on your trading costs. The other thing to recognize is that spreads can vary based on what currencies you're trading and what type of account you open. Most brokers will give you different spreads for different currencies. The most popular currency pairs like the EURUSD or GBPUSD will typically have the lowest spreads, while currencies that have less demand will likely be traded with higher spreads. Be sure to think about what currencies you are most likely to be trading and find out what your spreads will be for those currencies. Also, some brokers will offer different spreads for different types of accounts. A mini account, for example, may be subject to higher spreads than a full contract account. And finally, because the spreads really are the difference between bid prices and ask prices as determined by the free market, it is important to recognize that they are not "guaranteed". Most brokers will tell you that there may be times during periods of low demand, or very active trading when the spreads widen and you will be charged that wider spread. These do tend to be rarer situations because the volume in the Forex market is so large and demand and supply are generally quite predictable. But they do occur, especially with some of the lesser traded currencies. So it's important to be aware of that.
In summary then, when trading Forex, understand that the "spread" is truly your most important consideration for trading costs.
Spreads can vary significantly between brokers, account types and currencies traded. And small differences in the spread can really add up to thousands of dollars in trading costs over even just a few months.
So be sure to consider carefully what currencies you are going to be trading, how frequently, and in what type of account and use those factors to help you decide which broker can offer you the best trading costs and allow you to keep more of your returns as net profits! Rich Cochrane specializes in forex trading strategies and researching low cost trading alternatives. For more information on how to save on your forex trading and pocket more pips http://www.forexdiscountbroker.com
How Traders Boost Forex Trading Vocabulary with Vantage FX UK - Mon, 06 Feb 2012 01:00:00 -0800 A Beginners Guide to Forex Trading and the US Dollar - Tue, 31 Jan 2012 07:43:00 -0800 Best Forex Trading Platforms Announces New Website Launch - Sun, 05 Feb 2012 00:20:00 -0800 EUR/USD Forex Forecast Weekly Review 5 Feb 12 - Sun, 05 Feb 2012 08:31:43 -0800 Leading Australian Forex Trading Broker IC Markets Ends a Record 2011 Year - Sun, 29 Jan 2012 06:02:11 -0800 |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Calculating FOREX Profits and Losses FOREX currencies are traded in much smaller divisions than cash. Whereas the smallest division in US cash is the penny ($0.01), US currency can be traded on the FOREX in divisions of $0.0001. This smallest division is called the pip (short for Price Interest Point - sometimes just called 'points'). Since currencies are traded in large lots of (say) $100,000 - small movements in value can generate substantial profits and losses. In a lot of US$100,000 one pip is worth $10 so an increase in 40 pips (4/10 of one cent) can generate a profit or loss of $400. FOREX Brokers Most FOREX traders use a broker to handle their transactions. What exactly is a broker? Strictly speaking, a broker is an individual or a company that buys and sells orders according the investor's decisions. Brokers earn money by charging a commission or a fee for their services. FOREX Signals One of the disadvantages of FOREX trading is the time investment needed to monitor the markets for advantageous entry and exit points. It's possible to sit in front of a computer monitor for hours watching the markets. FOREX Trading Strategies To be a successful FOREX trader you need a trading strategy. There is no one set strategy that is good for all traders; rather, each trader needs to develop his or her individual approach to the FOREX. Some traders rely solely on technical analysis while others prefer fundamental analysis, but many successful FOREX traders use a combination of both to get a broad overview of the market and for plotting entry and exit points. FOREX Training Knowledge is the key to successful FOREX trading. The knowledgeable trader has greater awareness of how the market moves and more chances of making profitable transactions. Without knowledge you are shooting in the dark. You may succeed on a few deals but the odds are that you are going to lose in the long run. FOREX versus Stocks Stocks have been a popular investment for hundreds of years. Companies issue stocks to raise capital for expansion and new projects, and each share of the stock represents a partial ownership in the company. How to Read FOREX Quotes Currency prices are determined by a number of factors, the most important of which are economic and political conditions in the issuing country. Political stability, inflation, and interest rates are all factored into the price of any currency. In addition, governments can try to control the price of their currency by either flooding the market (to lower the price) or buying extensively (to raise the price). Introduction to Fundamental Analysis FOREX traders almost always rely on analysis to make plan their trading strategies. There are two basic types of FOREX analysis - technical and fundamental. This article will look at fundamental analysis and how it used in FOREX trading. Risks of FOREX Trading Despite the claims you may see on some FOREX web sites, FOREX is not risk-free. You are trading with substantial sums of money and there is always a possibility that trades will go against you. There are several trading tools, however, that can minimize your risk, and with caution, and above all education, the FOREX trader can learn how to trade profitably and while minimizing losses. Trading Currencies on Margin The key to FOREX popularity is margin. Without margin, the FOREX would be beyond the reach of the average investor. So, what exactly is margin and how does it work? |
| Forex Trading Home | Site Map |
| © 2006-2012 ForexTradingGuide | Online Forex Trading |