Forex vs Stock Market

Two of the main differences between (and some would say advantages over) the forex market compared to the stock market are:

1. Trading hours. The forex market is open 24 hours a day. Trading is done over three continents, allowing a trader to trade continuously and to react immediately to events and new developments. The market opens on Sunday evening and closes Friday night.

2. Commissions. Electronic trading and competition have brought about a sizeable reduction in the bid-offer spread (the equivalent of commissions). The spread covers the risk of the market maker. The spread for the majors remain very low, but can increase as the liquidity of a specific currency drops.

Despite recent reductions of commissions through online stock brokers, the Forex market is considered, by some, to have the lowest commissions relative to trade size when compared to other financial markets. This is also in part due to the 100:1 leverage offered by most trading houses. A client with a $10,000 deposit can leverage this to $1,000,000. Some electronic communication network brokerages have introduced a per trade commision alongside a narrow pip spread.

Many retail trading houses would suggest that the large size of the market makes it impossible for a speculator to affect the market. This is not quite the truth - the stakes are higher, larger quantities of money are involved, and the bigger banks spend a lot of time and effort trying to manipulate the market. Governments have been known to step in and affect prices.

Unlike the stock market, where retail clients (individuals) have access to almost exactly the same prices as all other participants, the Forex market has several different levels of access and therefore commission costs or spreads. At the top are the largest investment banking firms such as Citi and Deutsche Bank, where the spreads or the difference between bid and ask prices are tiny. These spreads are a closely guarded secret, not normally known outside the inner circles of international finance.

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Why Purchasing on The Margin is a Must in The Forex Market ?

In the beginning, only banks and hedge funds could trade in the forex market. This was due to high amounts of money the banks were trading in. No average investor could afford it. Only lately have investors been able to participate in the forex market. This is due to them purchasing currencies on the margin.

One lot in the forex market is $100,000. There is a high amount of money exchanging hands in the forex market. This is due to the many valuable trait’s the forex market has to offer. For example, the market is open 24 hours a day, 5 days a week; there are many forms to reduce risk in the market (stops); it is fairly easy to come in and out of the market because it is highly liquid. Lastly, the market is very volatile.

Since average investors have only recently taken to trading in the forex market, transactions made through brokers have changed. Original lots were $100,000 each. Now there are mini lots. A mini lot is $10,000. If an investor wanted to trade in the forex market through a broker, they would be required to give the broker a collateral. This would be $1,000 or 1% of the lot. Brokers require the $1,000 if there is a loss of capital. The broker will then put the $1,000 in the investors account just in case there is any loss of capital.

When average investors decided to trade in the forex market, they tend to take out loans from banks. With any loan, there is always interest. Thus, on top of the risk of losing money through the forex market, investors also have to add the payment of interest into the mix. However, as an average investor, it becomes necessary to take out loans when participating in the forex market. This is referred to as leveraged financing. Leveraged financing has allowed to forex market to expand to new heights.

Losses are inevitable in the forex market. Especially since it is so volatile. Brokers shut down their accounts as soon as the margin is consumed. However, it is recommended that stops are used on all orders placed in the forex market. This is to limit the losses incurred by investors. When stops are not place on orders, the investor can lose up to $100,000. In other words, they can lose the size of their lot.

Thus, the importance of stops being placed on orders can not be stressed upon more. It reduces the amount an investor can lose in any of their orders in the forex market. Stops limit loses and continues to benefit the investor by granting them to gain profits at the same time. As well as that, margins are a must for investors in the forex market.

This post has shown the importance of margins and leveraging relating to the forex market for average investors. As well as that, it has explained the importance of placing stops on orders.

The Advantages Of Trading Alone

People sometimes experiment with the idea to trade with other people. It might work, but for me, it did not. I trade alone.

The advantages of trading alone are:

You are free to make your own decisions without having to find a way to explain the rationale of your decisions to anybody else. Your time and effort can be focussed on what the market is doing and how you react to it, instead of worrying about the psychological and emotional dynamics of a trading group.

You are free to experiment, based on the knowledge you gain from your experiences and your self-education, without having to asking others to allocate a certain portion of the trading funds to let you conduct your experiments.

No one can blame you for their failures. No time is wasted on justifying your actions or feeling guilty about the impact of your trading blunders on someone else's financial situation.
You alone are responsible and accountable for your own success or failure. You cannot shift the blame to anybody else. It could be disappointing to some knowing that they cannot blame anyone else if they fail. For others, it is very empowering to know that they, and they alone, are in charge of their own destiny.

Personally, I believe that a person should trade alone first before he or she decides to trade with other people. This allows the individual to develop his own philosophy and his own understanding about himself and the market. I understand, however, that not everybody can trade alone because it requires a set of beliefs and values to be part of the trader's character. Not all people are created with the same set of characteristics. Not everyone can operate under the solitude of the journey. For example, there are people who need social contact more than others. Individuals who are social by nature and those who solve problems by talking to other people, may have difficulty undertaking a solitary endeavor.

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