Learn Forex Trading: A Beginner’s Guide

How do you get started in forex trading? Where can you learn forex trading? How do you master trading? Are you asking yourself all these questions? If you’re interested in the forex market but don’t know how to learn forex trading, this complete guide to learning how to trade the currency market is for you! We’ll help you discover the best trading courses and cover all the essentials so you can become a successful forex trader.

Learn Forex Trading: The Best Books, Courses and Trading Forums

The Best Courses to Learn Forex Trading

Best courses to learn forex trading

  • Forex 101 – Admiral Markets forex and CFD trading course
  • Zero to Hero
    TRADER 007 by Admiral Markets
  • TRADER 007 – Inside the Supreme trading tools by Admiral Markets
  • TradingView training
  • FWA Trading courses
  • Alti Trading
  • Tarek Elmarhri course by Krechendo Trading
  • Julien Flot trading course (GraphSEO Bourse)
  • Perceval Finance
  • Interactive Trading
  • Tradosaure
  • eDevenir Trader by Cédric Froment

Top Course

The Best Books to Learn Forex Trading

Best books to learn forex trading

  • La Bourse Pour les Nuls (the French “Stock Market for Dummies”) by Gérard Horny
  • Le Trading, C’est presque facile! by Stéphane Ceaux-Dutheil
  • Devenez Trader Pro ! Bourse, Trading, Scalping, Day-Trading by Benoist Rousseau
  • Guide complet du forex by Pierre-Antoine Dusoulier
  • Le Forex : Introduction au marché des devises by Benoit Fernandez-Riou
  • Le Forex pour les débutants ambitieux by Jelle Peters
  • Découvrir le Forex auprès des meilleurs intervenants by Charles Dereeper
  • Le guide complet du trading by Anthony Busiere
  • Psychologie des grands traders by Thami Kabbaj
  • Maîtriser l’analyse technique by Thami Kabbaj
  • Forex Trading for Maximum Profit (French edition) by Raghee Horner
  • Forex Trading: The Complete Series by Heikin Ashi Trader
  • Forex Trading Guide for Beginners by Thomas Buffet
  • Trade Your Way to Financial Freedom (French edition) by Van K. Tharp
  • Introduction au Forex by Benoit Fernandez-Riou
  • Trading in the Zone (French edition) by Mark Douglas
  • FOREX TRADING: Forex Trading by Reynard Mattison
  • Mastering the Trade (French edition) by John F. Carter

Top Book

The Best YouTube Channels to Learn Forex Trading

Best YouTube channels to learn forex trading

  • Andlil Benoist Rousseau Trading Bourse Economie
  • Alex Trading
  • Jérémy DELSOL – Les Traders RENKO
  • Admiral Markets France
  • FWA – Freedom & Wealth Architect
  • Ibrahim Chauvin Trading
  • IG France
  • TRADING CENTRAL
  • Julien Flot

Top YouTube

The Best Forums to Learn Forex Trading

Best forums to learn forex trading

  • Andlil
  • AvaSocial
  • eToro
  • Forex Factory (English)
  • Babypips (English)
  • DailyFX (English)

If this topic interests you, also see “Forex in Switzerland” and “Forex Trader“.

6 Reasons Why You Should Learn to Trade Forex Online Now

Learning forex for dummies: why focus on the currency market? Forex is one of the most popular markets among retail traders who are new to currencies and want to learn forex trading, for several reasons… Let’s look at them now!

1# Forex Is the Most Liquid Market

First, it’s the market with the highest trading volume, which means it’s an active market with significant price movements and profit potential. According to the latest Triennial Survey by the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), average daily turnover on the forex market was 6 trillion US dollars.

2# The Forex Market Is Open 24 Hours a Day, 5 Days a Week

Next, the currency market never sleeps from Sunday evening to Friday evening, which means there are plenty of trading opportunities. Better still, people who want to take advantage of it can easily trade it even with a full-time job! They just need to work out when they’re available. They can then research which currency pairs are most active at the times they want to trade, to get the most out of their forex trading.

3# The Forex Market Suits Many Trading Styles

Since the forex market includes most of the world’s currencies and offers many pairs reflecting changes in the state of global economies, it’s easy to see why it suits both active traders (scalpers, day traders, news traders) and traders who want to profit from larger, fundamentals-driven price moves (swing traders, position traders, currency carry traders). The most important thing is always to learn forex trading before choosing a trading style.

4# The Forex Market Is Easy to Access

With technological advances over more than a decade, you can trade forex online from the comfort of your living room with a regulated broker such as Vantage. Beyond learning how the forex market works, all you really need to trade forex is a computer, tablet or smartphone and a reliable internet connection to use an online forex broker’s services.

5# You Only Need a Small Amount of Capital to Start Trading Forex

Thanks to margin trading and leverage, you can trade forex with just a few hundred euros. The forex brokers Vantage and eToro, for example, only require $200 to start trading forex, while other brokers such as AxiTrader have no minimum deposit.

6# Forex Is Easy to Learn Thanks to Plenty of Free Resources

Since an impressive number of retail traders have become interested in the currency market in recent years, there are many free resources online to train and learn forex trading. Brokers such as IG Markets, Saxo Bank and AvaTrade offer plenty of free educational content for traders who want to learn to trade forex or just learn the basics of trading.

How to Trade Forex in 7 Steps

  1. Learn forex trading
  2. Work out what kind of trader you are
  3. Choose a way to analyse the markets
  4. Draw up your trading plan
  5. Choose a regulated forex broker that meets your needs
  6. Test its trading platform with a demo account
  7. Keep a trading journal

Best Forex Brokers for Trading Education

All good brokers offer educational content so their traders can keep improving their trading knowledge and learn forex trading. This content and training help traders achieve better results. Below is our list of the best forex brokers based on the training they offer to learn forex trading.

★★★★★ 5/5 Admirals Review Admiral markets capital logo Discover Admirals

  • Trader 007 course
  • Zero to Hero course
  • Tutorials to get the most out of all MetaTrader platform tools
  • Many video courses on the broker’s YouTube channel
  • Newsletter
  • Stock market podcast
  • Rich education section on its website
  • Trading glossary
  • Help managing the psychological side of trading
  • Explanations of different trading strategies
★★★★☆ 4.5/5 Axi Review Bon logo axitrader Discover the Broker Axi

  • Tutorials
  • Trading tips
  • Trading videos
  • Trading tools
  • Expert commentary
  • Market analysis
  • Latest market news
  • Webinars & workshops
  • Knightsbridge Trading Academy
★★★★☆ 4.5/5 eToro Review Logo eToro

  • eToro Learning Lab
  • eBooks
  • News feeds on the social platform
  • Regular market news and analysis
★★★★★ 5/5 AvaTrade Review Logo AvaTrade

  • Lots of trading education content on its website
  • Trading videos
  • Free trading and stock market courses
  • Explanations of the most market-moving economic indicators
  • AvaSocial social platform
  • Many eBooks
★★★★☆ 4/5 IC Markets Review Logo ic markets Discover IC Markets

  • Video tutorials
  • Web TV
  • Trading Central analysis videos
  • Large blog to help traders: Information Hub for Serious Traders
  • Webinars

Best Simulators to Learn How to Trade

Learn forex trading: why use a demo trading account? Learning forex trading also means getting to grips with the trading platform and broker you use. That’s why many forex brokers offer clients a demo account. By providing a simulated trading environment with virtual funds, brokers let future traders test their services and, above all, test their strategies and learn to trade.

The Best Demo Trading Accounts to Practise and Learn Forex Trading

Best forex demo accounts

Best Forex Demo Account

The Best Stock Market Simulation Games and Apps to Practise and Learn Trading

Best stock market simulation games

  • Trading Game
  • Golden Boys
  • Forex Game: Trading Game
  • Best Brokers: Stock Market Simulation Game
  • Investopedia Stock Market Simulator
  • Stock Trainer: Virtual Trading
  • MarketWatch Virtual Stock Exchange

Best Stock Market Game

 

Learn Forex: What Is the Forex Market?

Learn forex trading: what do you need to know about forex? Whether you want to learn to trade forex, CFDs, futures, stocks, indices or any other financial asset, you clearly need to spend time learning to trade online. Let’s now look at the essentials you need to understand forex as a beginner.

Forex Market Definition

Even if you don’t seem to know what the forex market is, you’ve almost certainly taken part in it if you’ve ever visited a country that doesn’t use the euro as its main currency. When you travel, you need to exchange your local currency for foreign currency so you can pay in the local currency of the country you’re visiting.

The forex market, short for Foreign Exchange, also called FX, the foreign exchange market or the currency market, is simply the virtual marketplace where traders exchange currencies for other currencies.

What Is Currency Trading?

Trading currencies means anticipating whether a currency pair will rise or fall and opening a trading position accordingly to profit from it. We talk about currency pairs because you never really invest in a single currency. You always invest in a currency pair, i.e. one currency against another, as with EUR/USD (euro vs US dollar).

Bull Market

  • A bull market is characterised by an uptrend in which prices form higher and higher highs

Bull market uptrend

  • To profit from a bull market, you open a long (buy) position because you expect prices to rise
  • If the price rises, you make a profit
  • If the price falls, you make a loss
Bear Market

  • A bear market is characterised by a downtrend in which prices form lower and lower lows

Bear market downtrend

  • To profit from a bear market, you open a short position (short sale) because you expect prices to fall
  • If the price falls, you make a profit
  • If the price rises, you make a loss

Taking EUR/USD (euro vs US dollar) again, EUR is the base currency and USD is the counter or quote currency. The EUR/USD quote shows the value of the counter currency for 1 unit of the base currency, as in the following examples:

example

  • If EUR/USD is quoted at $1.19004, it means €1 = $1.19004.
  • If GBP/AUD is quoted at A$1.8006, it means £1 = A$1.8006.
  • If CAD/CHF is quoted at CHF 0.738509, it means CAD 1 = CHF 0.738509.

When Can You Trade the Currency Market?

Learn forex trading: what are the forex trading hours? While it’s important to know when you can trade forex, it’s just as important to understand when you should trade (or avoid trading) currencies. Some times of the trading day, and some events, generally bring higher volatility.

Learn Forex Trading: When Can You Trade Forex?
Forex Market OpenSunday 23:00 (French time)
Forex Market CloseFriday 22:00 (French time)
Currency QuotesQuotes run continuously from the time the currency market opens until it closes, i.e. from Sunday 23:00 to Friday 22:00 (French time)
Asian Session – This trading session includes many major countries in Asia and Oceania such as China, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, etc.Between 23:00 and 08:00 (GMT)
European Session – This trading session includes European countries such as the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Spain, Belgium, Portugal, etc.Between 07:00 and 16:00 (GMT)
American Session – This trading session includes countries such as Canada, the United States and South American countriesBetween 12:00 and 20:00 (GMT)
Several Peaks in Forex Trading Activity
  • When several forex trading sessions are active at the same time, such as London and New York
  • When major economic data is released, such as GDP, the NFP report, PMIs, CPI or PPI among others, or when central banks such as the Fed, the ECB, the BoJ, the BoE and others make decisions, notably on key interest rates

Major, Minor and Exotic Pairs

The currency pairs you can trade on the forex market fall into 3 main groups: major pairs, minor pairs and exotic pairs.
Before explaining the difference between these currency pairs, here is a list of the most popular currencies on the currency market:

CountryCurrency NameCurrency Code
South AfricaRandZAR
AustraliaAustralian DollarAUD
CanadaCanadian DollarCAD
ChinaOffshore Yuan RenminbiCNH
DenmarkDanish KroneDKK
United StatesUS DollarUSD
Hong KongHong Kong DollarHKD
HungaryHungarian ForintHUF
JapanJapanese YenJPY
MexicoMexican PesoMXN
NorwayNorwegian KroneNOK
New ZealandNew Zealand DollarNZD
PolandPolish ZlotyPLN
Czech RepublicCzech KorunaCZK
United KingdomPound SterlingGBP
SingaporeSingapore DollarSGD
SwedenSwedish KronaSEK
SwitzerlandSwiss FrancCHF
TurkeyTurkish LiraTRY

Major Pairs

Learn forex trading: what are the major currency pairs? Major pairs reflect the world’s largest economies. They include currencies with high trading volumes and deep liquidity.
example

  • Euro vs US Dollar = EUR/USD
  • Pound Sterling vs US Dollar = GBP/USD
  • US Dollar vs Canadian Dollar = USD/CAD
  • US Dollar vs Swiss Franc = USD/CHF
  • US Dollar vs Japanese Yen = USD/JPY
  • Australian Dollar vs US Dollar = AUD/USD
  • New Zealand Dollar vs US Dollar = NZD/USD
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Minor Pairs

Learn forex trading: what are the minor currency pairs? Minor currency pairs are generally pairs of lesser importance on the international stage. They are still currencies of major countries, but the US dollar (USD) is never part of a minor pair.
example

  • Euro vs Swiss Franc = EUR/CHF
  • Euro vs Pound Sterling = EUR/GBP
  • Euro vs New Zealand Dollar = EUR/NZD
  • Euro vs Canadian Dollar = EUR/CAD
  • Euro vs Australian Dollar = EUR/AUD
  • Euro vs Japanese Yen = EUR/JPY
  • Australian Dollar vs Japanese Yen = AUD/JPY
  • Canadian Dollar vs Japanese Yen = CAD/JPY
  • New Zealand Dollar vs Japanese Yen = NZD/JPY
  • Swiss Franc vs Japanese Yen = CHF/JPY
  • Pound Sterling vs Canadian Dollar = GBP/CAD
  • Pound Sterling vs Japanese Yen = GBP/JPY
  • Pound Sterling vs Swiss Franc = GBP/CHF
  • Pound Sterling vs Australian Dollar = GBP/AUD

Exotic Pairs

Learn forex trading: what are the exotic currency pairs? Exotic currency pairs generally combine a major currency with the currency of a developed or developing economy that isn’t very significant on the international stage.
example

  • Norwegian Krone vs Swedish Krona = NOK/SEK
  • Norwegian Krone vs Japanese Yen = NOK/JPY
  • US Dollar vs Danish Krone = USD/DKK
  • US Dollar vs Norwegian Krone = USD/NOK
  • US Dollar vs Swedish Krona = USD/SEK
  • US Dollar vs Czech Koruna = USD/CZK
  • US Dollar vs South African Rand = USD/ZAR
  • US Dollar vs Hong Kong Dollar = USD/HKD
  • US Dollar vs Singapore Dollar = USD/SGD
  • US Dollar vs Hungarian Forint = USD/HUF
  • US Dollar vs Mexican Peso = USD/MXN
  • US Dollar vs Russian Rouble = USD/RUB
  • US Dollar vs Offshore Yuan Renminbi = USD/CNH
  • US Dollar vs Polish Zloty = USD/PLN
  • Australian Dollar vs Singapore Dollar = AUD/SGD
  • Hong Kong Dollar vs Japanese Yen = HKD/JPY
  • New Zealand Dollar vs Singapore Dollar = NZD/SGD
  • Euro vs Mexican Peso = EUR/MXN
  • Euro vs Russian Rouble = EUR/RUB
  • Euro vs Swedish Krona = EUR/SEK
  • Euro vs Polish Zloty = EUR/PLN
  • Euro vs Czech Koruna = EUR/CZK
  • Euro vs Hungarian Forint = EUR/HUF
  • Euro vs Norwegian Krone = EUR/NOK
  • Euro vs South African Rand = EUR/ZAR
  • Pound Sterling vs Czech Koruna = GBP/CZK
  • Pound Sterling vs Hong Kong Dollar = GBP/HKD
  • Pound Sterling vs Mexican Peso = GBP/MXN
  • Pound Sterling vs Polish Zloty = GBP/PLN
  • Pound Sterling vs Singapore Dollar = GBP/SGD
  • Pound Sterling vs Turkish Lira = GBP/TRY
  • Pound Sterling vs South African Rand = GBP/ZAR

Learn Forex: What Is the Spread?

The spread is an essential concept to understand when taking a course to learn forex trading. It reflects the trading conditions offered by a broker. It is the difference between an asset’s buy price (ask price) and sell price (bid price).

The spread can be fixed (known in advance and unchanging) or variable (fluctuating with market conditions). On the forex market, the spread varies depending on the currency pair (major, minor or exotic), because trading volumes, liquidity and risks are not the same for every pair.

Best Forex Brokers for Spreads

To give you an idea of the spreads offered by some forex brokers on certain currency pairs, the following table lists forex brokers that offer competitive trading conditions with account types that can provide the best spreads.

★★★★★ 5/5 Vantage FX Review Logo Vantage Discover Vantage FX

  • EUR/USD = 0.5
  • USD/JPY = 1
  • EUR/GBP = 1.7
  • GBP/USD = 1.2
  • USD/CHF = 1.6
  • AUD/USD = 0.9
  • USD/CAD = 1.7
  • EUR/CHF = 1.7
★★★★☆ 4/5 LCG Review Logo lcg Discover the Broker LCG

  • EUR/USD = 0.2 (ECN account)
  • USD/JPY = 0.3 (ECN account)
  • EUR/GBP = 0.5 (ECN account)
  • GBP/USD = 0.6 (ECN account)
  • USD/CHF = 0.6 (ECN account)
  • AUD/USD = 0.4 (ECN account)
  • USD/CAD = 0.7 (ECN account)
  • EUR/CHF = 0.9 (ECN account)
★★★☆☆ 3.5/5 Admirals Review Admiral markets capital logo Discover Admirals

  • EUR/USD = 0.6
  • USD/JPY = 0.9
  • EUR/GBP = 1
  • GBP/USD = 1
  • USD/CHF = 1.2
  • AUD/USD = 1
  • USD/CAD = 1.6
  • EUR/CHF = 3.8
★★★★☆ 4/5 XTB Review Xtb capital logo Discover the Broker XTB

  • EUR/USD = 1
  • USD/JPY = 1.8
  • EUR/GBP = 2
  • GBP/USD = 2.5
  • USD/CHF = 1.9
  • AUD/USD = 1.9
  • USD/CAD = 2.2
  • EUR/CHF = 2.1
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  • EUR/USD = 0.1 (RAW account)
  • USD/JPY = 0.2 (RAW account)
  • EUR/GBP = 0.4 (RAW account)
  • GBP/USD = 0.4 (RAW account)
  • USD/CHF = 0.5 (RAW account)
  • AUD/USD = 0.2 (RAW account)
  • EUR/CHF = 0.7 (RAW account)

Learn all about spreads with our guide The Best Spread in Trading

Learning to Trade Forex: What Returns Can You Expect?

Learn forex trading: what level of profit can you hope to achieve? The profit or loss you can make from forex trading depends largely on your starting capital and the profitability of your trading strategy. It also depends on how much personal and financial effort you’ve put into learning forex trading. But with patience, seriousness and commitment, forex trading can pay off!
When you open a trade, the number of contracts, also called your position size, affects your potential profit. In forex, we talk about a lot, the standard position size, which equals 100,000 units of the base currency.

Of course, not all traders can take on such a position, which is why the best forex brokers offer smaller lot sizes such as mini lots (10,000 units) or micro lots (1,000 units). You can also use leverage, which multiplies your initial investment.

Next, you need to consider the value of a pip, the smallest price change in a currency pair (usually the 4th decimal place, except for yen pairs, where it’s the 3rd). So when a currency pair rises (or falls) by one pip, you’ll know how much you gain (or lose) on that position per contract.

Most brokers, such as Vantage, offer tools like calculators or ready-made spreadsheets to help you manage a forex position better and estimate your profit on a given trade.

How to Avoid Forex Trading Scams

Choosing a forex broker isn’t just about finding one that meets your trading needs. You also need one that lets you trade safely, which means choosing a regulated broker.
Selecting a serious, reliable and above all regulated FX broker gives you a safe trading environment to implement your strategy and the best protection for your funds.

So how do you check that your broker is regulated?

If you’re a trader based in France, you can check the website of the French market regulator, the AMF (Autorité des Marchés Financiers), to see the AMF forex blacklist. You can also check the REGAFI register, which lists all brokerage firms authorised by the AMF-ACPR.

In the next section, we present the best forex brokers based on their regulatory licences.

Best Forex Brokers by Regulation

★★★★☆ 4.5/5 AvaTrade Review Logo AvaTrade

  • ASIC – Australia
  • CBI – Central Bank of Ireland
  • FSA – Japan
  • FSCA – South Africa
  • FSC – British Virgin Islands
  • ADGM – Abu Dhabi
★★★★☆ 4.5/5 XTB Review Xtb capital logo Discover the Broker XTB

  • FCA – United Kingdom
  • CySEC – Cyprus
  • KNF – Poland
  • ACPR – France
  • BaFin – Germany
  • Other European entities
★★★★★ 5/5 Admirals Review Admiral markets capital logo Discover Admirals

  • FCA – United Kingdom
  • CySEC – Cyprus
  • ASIC – Australia
  • EFSA – Estonia
★★★★★ 5/5 Vantage FX Review Logo Vantage Discover Vantage FX

  • FCA – United Kingdom
  • ASIC – Australia
  • CIMA – Cayman Islands
  • VFSC – Vanuatu
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  • FCA – United Kingdom
  • CySEC – Cyprus
  • ASIC – Australia

You may also be interested in our dedicated articles on the AMF blacklist and the Best AMF-Regulated Broker.

How to Learn to Trade Online for Free and Become a Good FX Trader

Learning forex trading takes time, energy and focus! To help you learn forex trading properly, this section brings together the concepts you need to know, the names of courses to learn trading or forex trading for free, and the best YouTube channels to learn forex trading.

Forex Jargon You Need to Know

A

  • Ask price: the price at which you buy a currency pair.
  • Fundamental analysis of the forex market: a type of market analysis (as opposed to technical analysis). In the currency market, fundamental analysis is a micro- and macroeconomic analysis of countries based on fundamental factors such as growth, inflation and the labour market. The aim is to determine whether a profit opportunity exists based on the difference between a pair’s intrinsic value and its market value at a given time t.
  • Technical analysis of the forex market: another type of market analysis, alongside fundamental analysis and sentiment analysis. In the currency market, technical analysis studies a currency pair’s past price movements to determine which direction it is likely to move. Popular technical analysis tools include support and resistance levels, trendlines and price channels, as well as the many technical and mathematical indicators based on price action.
  • Sentiment analysis: the last major type of market analysis alongside fundamental and technical analysis, sentiment analysis focuses more on the psychological side of currency trading and on traders’ reactions, which can influence currency pair prices.
  • Quantitative easing (QE): a programme adopted by a central bank when traditional monetary policy cannot achieve its targets. In this case, unconventional monetary policy is used to stimulate the economy, which can have a significant impact on a currency’s value because it increases the money supply of the currency in question.

B

  • Bid price: the price at which you sell a currency pair.
  • Central bank: the institution of a country or economic area (such as the eurozone) that decides on the monetary policy to pursue its objectives (generally inflation and full employment) using tools such as interest rates, commercial banks’ reserve requirements and asset purchase programmes, among others.

C

  • Calendar: generally an economic calendar listing all the economic data releases and political events over a given period that can move the markets. Growth indicators such as GDP, employment indicators such as the unemployment rate, inflation indicators such as CPI or PPI, and consumer or business sentiment indicators such as consumer or business confidence indices are among the indicators with the greatest influence on the forex market, and every FX trader should know them.
  • CFD: a contract for difference (CFD) is a derivative that replicates the price movements of its underlying asset. When you trade CFDs, you don’t own the asset. You simply speculate on whether prices will rise or fall, using margin trading and leverage. To learn more about how CFDs work, see our CFDs for Dummies Guide.
  • Currency carry trade: a trading style that largely ignores a currency pair’s price movements and focuses on the interest rate differential between two currencies: you borrow a low-yielding currency to invest in a higher-yielding one.
  • Currency quote: the buy (ask) and sell (bid) price of a currency pair. A quote is used for information or to open trading positions.
  • Cross rates in forex: these are indirect quotes. Cross rates (or crosses) involve using the prices of the currencies in a pair against a common currency, often the USD, to work out the price of the pair being analysed. To get the JPY/CAD rate with this technique, a trader would use the USD/JPY and USD/CAD rates.
  • Direct quote: a currency pair quote in which one unit of the domestic currency (here the base currency) is expressed in units of the foreign currency (here the counter currency). For example, EUR/USD, where 1 EUR = 1.1861 USD.
  • Indirect quote: the opposite of the direct quote just described: one unit of the foreign currency (here the base currency) is expressed in units of the domestic currency (the counter currency). Using the previous example, we would have USD/EUR, where 1 USD = 0.843145 EUR.

D

  • Day trading forex: a trading style in which no position is held overnight. A day trader’s goal is to buy and sell currency pairs during a trading session to build up profits from small price moves over the trading day.
  • Base currency: the first currency in a currency pair. In EUR/USD, the euro (EUR) is the base currency.
  • Counter currency: the second currency in a currency pair. In EUR/USD, the US dollar (USD) is the counter currency.
  • Interest rate differential: in forex, the rate differential usually refers to the difference in interest rates between two currencies. It’s an important concept for anyone using the currency carry trade.
  • Monetary tightening: as opposed to (ultra-)accommodative monetary policy, monetary tightening is a policy used by a central bank to curb inflation or prevent an economy from overheating by raising key interest rates.

E

  • Leverage: leverage lets you use funds borrowed from the broker to increase the amount a trader invests in the markets, increasing their market exposure in order to increase their potential gain.
  • Exotics: currency pairs made up of a major currency against the currency of a developing economy, such as the South African rand (ZAR), or of an economy with less weight on the international stage, such as the Norwegian krone (NOK).

F

  • Flight to quality: also called flight to safety, this is a market phenomenon that triggers large capital flows between asset classes. Traders leave risky asset markets to invest in safer assets or safe havens such as the USD, the JPY or gold.
  • Futures: contracts in which a trader agrees on the price and quantity of an asset to be exchanged at a given future date.

H

  • Hedging: a risk-offsetting technique used by many traders. It involves offsetting the risk of positions held in an investment portfolio by holding positions opposite to those currently open. For example, if you decide to go long on EUR/USD (a buy position) but still want to hedge to protect yourself, you will have both a long and a short position (short sale) on EUR/USD.

L

  • Lot: a lot is the standard position size on the currency market, equal to 100,000 units of the base currency. One lot of EUR/USD therefore represents 100,000 EUR. To make forex trading more accessible, forex brokers offer other position sizes such as mini lots (10,000 units), micro lots (1,000 units) and sometimes even nano lots (100 units)
Margin Explained

M

  • Margin: the portion of your position’s total value that is set aside so you can open a larger trading position than your trading funds would otherwise allow.
  • Money supply: the amount of money circulating in a country. Any change in a country’s money supply can affect the value of its currency.
  • Majors: the most important currency pairs on the market, as they attract the most trading volume. These pairs include the leading international currencies: EUR (euro), USD (US dollar), GBP (pound sterling), JPY (Japanese yen), CHF (Swiss franc), CAD (Canadian dollar) and AUD (Australian dollar).
  • Minors: currency pairs made up of major currencies other than the USD, such as EUR/GBP, CAD/JPY or GBP/AUD.
  • Safe-haven currencies: the currency of a country that investors consider safe because its economy is strong and seen as resilient during global instability or extreme market volatility. The US dollar (USD), the Swiss franc (CHF) and the Japanese yen (JPY) are the classic safe-haven currencies.

O

  • OTC: an over-the-counter market, i.e. a market not regulated by a central body such as a clearing house, as on the stock market.
  • Overnight: this term can refer to trades held overnight or the fees associated with positions kept open from one day to the next.

P

  • Pip: a pip is the smallest unit of a currency pair and is used to measure changes in a pair’s value. It is the figure added to or subtracted from the fourth decimal place of a currency pair, i.e. 0.0001, except for JPY pairs, where it is the third decimal place, i.e. 0.001.
  • Currency pair: two currencies that make up an exchange rate, such as EUR/CAD (euro/Canadian dollar).
  • Long vs short position: when you trade the markets, there are two scenarios: either you expect prices to rise (long or buy position) or you expect prices to fall (short position or short sale).
  • Monetary policy: all the decisions and actions a central bank takes to achieve its objectives: raising, cutting or holding interest rates, starting or ending a quantitative easing programme, raising or lowering commercial banks’ reserves, etc.
  • Negative interest rate policy: a monetary policy increasingly common in developed countries to boost economic growth. Central banks set their key interest rates below 0% to stimulate lending and support their economies.

S

  • Scalping: the most aggressive and active of all trading styles. With scalping, a trader tries to profit from small price changes by building up a large number of positions over the trading day. A scalper usually opens and closes positions within a few minutes.
  • Currency swap: a financial transaction to exchange a known amount of foreign currency with another party.
  • Spread: the difference between the sell price and the buy price of a financial asset. The spread is generally one of the ways brokers make money.
  • Slippage: an important trading concept, slippage is the difference between the price a trader requests for a position and the price actually obtained. This difference is usually caused by changing market conditions. There are two types of slippage: positive slippage (in the trader’s favour) and negative slippage (against the trader).
  • Spot: as opposed to the futures market, the spot market, also called the cash market, is a market in which assets are traded at the price immediately available for the desired quantity.

T

  • Key rates: the interest rates set by a country’s central bank.
  • Exchange rate: the price of one currency against another. Exchange rates can be fixed or floating.
  • High-frequency trading: a trading technique used mainly by institutional traders, who rely on complex algorithms and computer programs to make buy or sell decisions in the markets. This technique optimises trading and executes transactions extremely quickly.

V

  • Short selling: a process that lets you profit from a fall in an asset’s price by borrowing it from your broker, selling it on the market and buying it back later at a lower price to return it to the broker and pocket the difference (minus fees).
Best Trading Course

Learning to Analyse the Forex Market: Technical vs Fundamental Analysis

Technical analysis is based on studying an asset’s price action to try to identify trends and chart patterns signalling a trend continuation or reversal. Beyond chart analysis, technical analysis also uses technical and mathematical indicators. It rests on several assumptions: prices move in trends, history repeats itself, and all available information is reflected in prices.

Fundamental analysis focuses instead on fundamental factors to try to determine whether an asset is overvalued or undervalued by the market. In forex, fundamental analysis uses economic indicators to assess the health of a given economy and anticipate demand for its currency and how this may affect the currency’s value.

While fundamental analysis gives forex traders a broader view of a country’s health through relatively accessible public information, technical analysis only considers the technical evolution of currency pairs’ price action, without any fundamental considerations. Technical analysis helps you fine-tune your market entry and exit timing.

Which Forex Trading Style Should You Choose?

Learn forex trading: what are the most popular forex trading styles? When you start trading forex, it’s important to choose your trading style based on your personality as well as your financial goals, starting capital and risk tolerance. Here is an overview of the most popular trading styles and strategies on the forex market to consider once you’ve finished learning forex trading.

Scalping

Scalping is one of the most aggressive and active trading styles, as the goal is to open many positions held for just a few minutes in order to build up small profits that can add up to bigger gains. A trader using this style must be available to trade and analyse the markets to seize short-term opportunities through many trades.

Pros of ScalpingCons of Scalping
  • Low starting capital required
  • High leverage
  • Aggressive trading technique in both bull and bear markets
  • Positions opened and closed in just a few minutes
  • Gains/losses known instantly
  • Low exposure to market risk, since positions are held for only a few minutes
  • Maximises profits on very small price changes
  • Trading strategy suited to people who are available, handle stress well and like action
  • All positions are closed before the end of the day, avoiding surprises from holding positions overnight or over the weekend
  • Trading strategy that requires a lot of availability, focus and discipline
  • Potentially higher trading costs from opening many positions during the day
  • Extremely stressful type of trading
  • Trading style that requires time spent actively managing positions

Learn all about scalping with our guide Scalping for Beginners

Day Trading

Day trading is another fairly active trading style that requires the trader to watch the markets to seize opportunities that arise during the trading day. A day trader won’t hold forex positions for more than a day. A trader using this style closes all positions so as to hold none overnight, avoiding overnight fees or surprises that could hit their portfolio.

Pros of Day TradingCons of Day Trading
  • Low initial trading capital
  • High leverage
  • Active trading style in both bull and bear markets
  • Trading performance known at the end of the trading day
  • All positions are closed before the end of the trading day, avoiding surprises
  • Trading style that can be addictive
  • Risk of overtrading
  • Little time to make trading decisions

Learn all about day trading with our guide Day Trading for Beginners

Swing Trading

Swing trading is popular with traders who want to profit from larger price moves than scalpers or day traders, based on the asset’s trend. There are of course many swing trading strategies, but many of them rely on trend reversals with breakouts or trend confirmation patterns. Technical analysis tools are invaluable for helping swing traders spot lows and highs.

Pros of Swing TradingCons of Swing Trading
  • Trading strategy better suited to those who don’t want an active strategy
  • Trading style better suited to people with a job
  • Fewer positions held than with scalping or day trading, to profit from bigger price moves
  • Exposure to many risks overnight and at weekends
  • Trading style that takes time to spot a swing trading opportunity
  • Larger trading capital required with some brokers

Learn all about swing trading with our guide Swing Trading for Beginners

Best Forex Brokers: Trading Styles

As a rule, scalping and hedging are the two trading styles that not all brokers allow. Here are the trading styles allowed by the most popular forex brokers on the market.

★★★★☆ 4.5/5 Vantage FX Review Logo Vantage Discover Vantage FX

  • Scalping
  • Day Trading
  • Swing Trading
  • Position Trading
  • Hedging
★★★★☆ 4.5/5 Axi Review Bon logo axitrader Discover the Broker Axi

  • Scalping
  • Day Trading
  • Swing Trading
  • Position Trading
  • Hedging
★★★★★ 5/5 Admirals Review Admiral markets capital logo Discover Admirals

  • Scalping
  • Day Trading
  • Swing Trading
  • Position Trading
  • Hedging
★★★★☆ 4/5 IC Markets Review Logo ic markets Discover IC Markets

  • Scalping
  • Day Trading
  • Swing Trading
  • Position Trading
  • Hedging
★★★★☆ 4.5/5 eToro Review Logo eToro

  • Day Trading
  • Swing Trading
  • Position Trading
  • Hedging

Final Word: Learning to Trade Forex

As you’ve seen, learning forex trading can open the door to trading 24 hours a day, 5 days a week, using a wide range of strategies and trading styles. Of course, learning forex trading won’t happen overnight, but if you’ve made it to the end of this article, you’re patient, motivated and dedicated, which will make your forex learning journey much easier!

Pros of Learning Forex TradingCons of Learning Forex Trading
  • The forex market is the most liquid in the world.
  • Currencies can be traded 24 hours a day from Sunday evening to Friday, giving forex traders plenty of trading opportunities.
  • Trading volume on the currency market is high, so you can enter and exit the market quickly.
  • There are different currency pairs you can trade, with different characteristics, costs, opportunities and risks: major pairs, minor pairs, exotic pairs, Scandinavian pairs, emerging market pairs, etc.
  • When you trade forex, you can adjust your FX position size with lots, mini lots, micro lots or even nano lots at some brokers, so you can trade with small amounts.
  • The capital required to trade forex is low, so you can profit from currency price fluctuations with a small starting balance. Vantage FX and eToro, for example, offer forex trading from $200, while AxiTrader has no minimum deposit.
  • Forex trading costs are often reasonable.
  • There are many reputable, regulated and popular brokers for trading the currency market.
  • Most reputable forex brokers offer a demo forex trading account to test a broker’s platform, services and trading tools with virtual funds before committing real money.
  • Reputable FX brokers want their traders to succeed. That’s why they offer plenty of educational resources to improve their traders’ skills, such as Admiral Markets and AvaTrade, which offer free forex trading courses, PDFs, eBooks, webinars, seminars, YouTube videos, podcasts and trading guides to help you understand forex trading.
  • The forex market suits many trading styles: scalpers, day traders, swing traders, position traders and news traders.
  • You are learning to trade an extremely volatile market that is not regulated. Forex is in fact described as an over-the-counter (OTC) market.
  • There are many scams around forex trading and forex trading courses, so be careful about the services you plan to sign up for.
  • Fundamental analysis is not the best option for finding market entry or exit points.
  • Learning forex trading can take time, and the learning curve can be long.
  • Forex trading is often associated with heavy use of margin trading (and therefore leverage), which can put your trading capital at risk if you don’t master leverage.
  • The forex market is open 24 hours a day, 5 days a week. Learning forex trading can sometimes lead to overtrading.

Which Broker Should You Choose for Trading?

Learning to Trade Forex: The Top 10 Mistakes to Avoid

  1. Not taking the time to learn forex trading according to your level of knowledge and experience, as well as your forex trading goals
  2. Not properly analysing your personal and financial situation, and misjudging the funds you can allocate to learning forex trading and trading the forex market
  3. Not asking yourself the right questions to define your trader profile before you start trading FX
  4. Not choosing a trading strategy that matches your profile
  5. Not making a trading plan
  6. Not listing what you need to implement your trading strategy as well as possible
  7. Not testing your forex trading strategy on a demo account
  8. Not comparing forex brokers (regulation, fees and trading conditions, minimum deposit, accepted payment methods, trading platforms, training offer, etc.) before deciding which forex broker to use
  9. Not following your trading plan to the letter
  10. Not controlling your emotions

Best Forex Brokers: The Top 3

★★★★☆ 4.5/5 Vantage FX Review Logo Vantage Discover Vantage FX

  • Low minimum deposit: $200
  • 50% welcome bonus on the first deposit
  • Competitive spreads
  • MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5 & copy trading platforms
★★★★☆ 4/5 eToro Review Logo eToro

  • Low minimum deposit: $200
  • The world’s No. 1 social and copy trading platform
  • 2 in-house trading platforms
★★★★☆ 4.5/5 Axi Review Bon logo axitrader Discover Axi

  • No minimum deposit required
  • Smart trading tools such as PsyQuation
  • Autochartist
  • MetaTrader 4 & Myfxbook AutoTrade

Learning forex trading isn’t always easy. Have a tip to share? Leave us a comment!

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