Advantages of Trading FOREX over Stocks and Commodities.
Adrian Pablo
“Do I need a Diploma or some kind of Certification to trade FOREX?” The answer is this:
When attempting to make more profit than losses on the
fluctuation of exchange rates between major currencies
(i.e., Trading the FOREX), nobody is going to ask you for a
diploma, a formal license or verify the amount of hours
you've spent studying the Foreign exchange market and
banking industry.
All you need is the proper training, you can get very valuable sources for this training at http://www.1-forex.com.
But this is not the only advantage you get when trading FOREX, compared to other ways of investment and speculation; i.e. Stocks and Commodities. You have a whole bunch of advantages over these other options that will be enumerated in the following paragraphs.
The Main Benefits of Trading the FX Spot Market:
1): FOREX is the largest financial market in the world.
With a daily trading volume of over $1.5 trillion, the spot
FOREX market can absorb trading sizes that dwarf the
capacity of any other market. In fact, when compared with
the $50 billion daily market for equities or the $30 billion
futures market, it becomes quickly apparent this gives you,
and millions of other FOREX traders, almost infinite trading
liquidity and flexibility.
2): FOREX is a TRUE 24-hour market.
The FOREX Market never sleeps. Trading positions can be
entered and exited at any moment - around the globe, around
the clock, six days a week. There is no waiting for an
opening bell as in the case of trading stocks. It is a 24-
hour, continuous electronic (ONLINE) currency exchange that
never closes. This is very desirable for you if you want to
trade on a part-time basis, because you can choose when you
want to trade: morning, noon or night.
3): There is never a Bear Market in FOREX.
You can have access to a seamless, mutually-inclusive (two-
way) exchange of currencies. Meaning, because currencies
trade in "pairs" (for example, US dollar vs. yen or US
dollar vs. Swiss franc), one side of every currency pair
(for example, USD/JPY - JPY = YEN) is constantly moving in
relation to the other. Thus, when you buy a particular
currency, you are actually simultaneously selling the other
currency in that particular pair. As the market moves, one
of the currencies will increase in value versus the other.
Of course, it is up to you to choose the correct currency to
be long or short. Since currency trading always involves
buying one currency and selling another, there is no
structural bias to the market. This means you have equal
potential to profit in both a rising or falling market.
4): High Leverage - up to 200:1 Leverage.
You are permitted to trade foreign currencies on a highly
leveraged basis - up to 200 times your investment with some
brokers. This is primarily attributed to the higher levels
of liquidity within the currency markets. Standard 100,000-
unit currency lots can be traded with as little as 1%
margin, or $1,000. Mini FX accounts are permitted to trade
with just 0.5% margin -- in other words, just $50 allows you
to control a 10,000-unit currency position. Futures traders,
who are accustomed to margin requirements generally equal to
5%-8% of the contract value, will immediately recognize that
the FOREX market provides much greater leverage, and for
stock traders, who must post at least 50% margin, there’s no
comparison. If you’re looking for an efficient use of
trading capital, this is it!
5): Price Movements Are Highly Predictable.
Although currency prices in the FX market may be volatile,
they generally repeat themselves in relatively predictable
cycles, creating trends. The strong trends that foreign
currencies develop are a significant advantage for traders
who use the "technical" methods and strategies taught at the sources found in http://www.1-forex.com
Unlike stocks, currencies rarely spend much time in tight
trading ranges and have the tendency to develop strong
trends. Over 80% of volume is speculative in nature and, as
a result, the market frequently overshoots and then corrects
itself. As a technically-trained trader, you can easily
identify new trends and breakouts, which provide for
multiple opportunities to enter and exit positions.
6:) Commission-free Trading and Low Transaction Cost
When you trade FOREX, through one of our recommended brokers
(this info is in our private resources section), you'll do
it totally commission-free! These brokers don't charge
commissions to trade or to maintain an account, and that
goes for all clients trading the FOREX through them,
regardless of your account balance or trading volume. Even
Mini FX traders can buy and sell currencies online,
commission-free.
What about trading fees? There are none of the usual fees to
which futures and equity traders are accustomed -- no
exchange or clearing fees, no N_F_A or S_E_C fees. Because
currencies trade over-the-counter (OTC), via a global
electronic network -- in FOREX, what you see is what you
get, allowing you to make quick decisions on your trades
without having to worry or account for fees that may affect
your profit/loss or slippage.
In the equities markets, you must pay both a commission and
exchange fees. The over-the-counter structure of the FX
market eliminates exchange and clearing fees, which in turn
lowers transaction costs.
So, if FOREX broker don't charge commissions, how do they
make money? Like all traded financial products, over-the-
counter currency trading involves a bid/ask spread, which
represents the prices at which your counterparty is willing
to trade. Because the currency market offers round-the-clock
liquidity, you receive tight, competitive spreads both
intra-day and night. Stock traders can be more vulnerable to
liquidity risk and typically receive wider trading spreads,
especially during after-hours trading.
7): Instantaneous Order Execution and Market Transparency.
Market transparency is highly desired in any trading
environment. The greater the market transparency, the more
efficient the market becomes. Unlike other markets where
transparency is compromised (like in the Enron scandal),
FOREX markets are highly transparent (i.e., analyzing
countries, and having access to real-time research / news,
is easier than companies).
Because of this transparency, as an FX trader, you will be
able to exercise risk management strategies in accordance to
the fundamental and technical indicators we teach at
RapidForex.com
The FX market offers the highest level of market
transparency out of all the financial markets. Because of
this, order execution and fill confirmation usually occur in
just 1-2 seconds. Markets that do not offer executable
prices and force traders to absorb slippage obviously
compromise the trader's profit potential considerably.
In the forex world, order execution is all-electronic and
because you'll be trading via an Internet-based platform,
instantaneous execution is routine. There are no exchanges,
no traditional open-outcry pits, no floor brokers, and
consequently, no delays.
http://www.1-forex.com
About the Author
FOREX Trader and Freelance writer.
http://www.1-forex.com
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