Just A Tiny Part Of Currency Trading For Dummies

By Eddie Lamb

When you decide to get involved in Currency Trading, also known as Forex, you are going to find that one small article on currency trading for dummies will fall far short of giving you all of the information you need. There are many pieces to look at if you are going to start trading in the Foreign Exchange market. You will need to learn terminology, strategies, methods, and techniques that will help you to make successful trades. This is one of the biggest markets in the world and currency is traded seven days a week, on a 24 hour basis.

In it's simplest terms, Currency traders (traders), bet on currency exchange rates between specific countries. These rates can change by the minute and are based on many factors. The Forex is a completely level playing field. No one gets information ahead of time. Successful traders have systems and indicators that help them to recognize a change in direction for a certain currency and act on it proactively. It takes time and study to learn how to develop this speculative talent.

The most telling impact on currency in a country can be seen by the people of that country. Wars, arms, a death of major leaders, all affect the currency exchange rate. The global economy is affecting currency exchange rates around the world. Individuals who are speculating on when this currency will change direction have an opportunity to see significant gains in their portfolios or to lose substantially.

You will read a lot about "pairs" when you are learning about Forex. The USD is in all of the major pairs that are traded on Forex. When you see "pairs" alone, it is referred to USD/XX (The US dollar/Somebody else's currency). When currency is traded that does not involve the USD, it is a "cross currency pair." EUR, JPY, and GBP are the most actively traded cross currency pairs. EUR/JPY (Euro/Japanese Yen) is an example of a cross currency pair.

There are a couple of important things to know about how the pairs are shown. First, the stronger currency is traditionally listed on the left. So, when you see EUR/USD, you know that the Euro is stronger than the US dollar. This stronger currency, the one on the left, is called the "base currency." The base currency is what you buy or sell. So, if you buy 10000 EUR you are automatically selling 10000 USD.

On paper it would look like this, 10000 EUR/USD. The currency on the right is called the "counter currency" or "secondary currency." The value of this currency when you buy or sell your base currency will determine what your profit or loss is on your trade.

Reading this does not convey the speed with which trades are happening. Trading is taking place throughout every day and night every day of the year. The market can fluctuate by the minute with many of the currency pairs. There are pairs that provide less risk and extremely high risk pairs. You will want to know which pairs fit in with the level of risk you are willing to take.

As you can see, this is just a teeny little peek at what there is to learn. Currency trading for dummies is not a short topic. You will want to learn about strategies and methods. You will also want to discuss Forex with successful traders through websites and blogs to learn what strategies they use and what they have tried that didn't work. When you are looking at programs and tools, you will need to do some research to make sure they have been written by a person who really is a successful trader and that the program they are selling is consistently successful. - 29971

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