Tips For Choosing a Reputable Forex Broker

Finding a Forex broker is a tough process to navigate through and for most people, the necessity of outside assistance is needed. Trying to trade in the Forex market without a broker could lead to devastating results for the normal trader. Similarly, hiring the wrong Forex broker can lead to the same result as trying to muddle through it alone. It is highly important that you be diligent in researching any prospective brokerage firms to handle your financial portfolio.

A good Forex broker will supply you with clients that were successful and can attest to the specific broker's qualifications and success history. Put yourself in that position, would you testify to someone's strengths if they did a poor job for you? Client history testimony should be present in any prospective Forex broker and plentiful to indicate a solid background with trading. You can tentatively assess a lot from a Forex broker with a list of clients that will speak up for the brokerage firm or individual broker. It should be noted that all word of mouth testimony should be taken with a grain of salt and dissected to collect the pertinent information. Testimony should be used in your research to find a Forex broker but should not be the deciding factor.

Another good morsel to test the reliability of any potential Forex broker is the amount of information, literature and lessons that they are willing to give to you. Most Forex brokers are of a high reputation and a solid background however, there are many out there that don't have a good history or no history and it is wise to steer clear of these brokers. You are trying to find a trusted financial advisor and settling for second best, just won't do. The more a potential Forex broker is willing to do for you in the area of helping you understand the Forex trading system, the better quality trader they will be for you.

A good avenue to travel down when seeking a good Forex broker is to ask your acquaintances about Forex brokers and how they met. This can not only give you prospective referrals to great Forex brokers but will also equip you with ideas and resources that you may not have located. If you get a referral from friends, be sure to still research that specific broker and his qualifications before committing to any formal agreement.

The other factor in finding a good Forex broker is the margin of return that is offered. A Forex trading margin used to influence your money and many Forex brokers offer different margins. Finding a Forex broker, who gives a margin of ten to one isn't a very good find so it's worth the time to reinvest in research. Remember that this industry is all about customer service and catering to the clients so if your prospective Forex broker doesn't return your calls within a reasonable time frame it would be advisable to keep searching.

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How To Choose A FOREX Broker ?

Most investors who trade Forex stocks use a broker. A broker is an individual or a company, who buys and sells stocks according to the investor's wishes. Brokers earn money by collecting commissions or fees for their services.

You should check that a broker is registered as a Futures Commission Merchant (FCM) with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) as protection against fraud or abusive trade practices. A Forex broker also needs to be associated with a financial institution, such as a bank in order to provide funds for margin trading. Picking the right Forex broker for you will take some work on your part. There are brokers who charge a flat fee and some that charge commission. It may be a good idea to talk with friends and business associates about their brokers. You may get some good leads, and you're certain to hear who to stay away from. There is nothing like word of mouth advertising.

If you are thinking of investing online, you could choose several online brokers and contact their help desks. Seeing how quickly they respond to your questions could be key in how they will respond to their customers needs. If you don't get a speedy reply and a satisfactory answer to your question you certainly wouldn't want to trust them with your business. Just be aware that as in other types of businesses, pre sales service might be better than after sales service.

Before you choose an online broker get a copy of their online demo account. What features are included? Is the software reliable? Does it offer automatic trading? Are there extra software features that cost more?

Before setting up an account with a Forex broker you will need to do further investigation. How quickly will these brokers execute your buy/sell orders? What is their policy on slippage? What are the transaction fees? What is the spread, fixed or variable? What are the margin requirements and how are they calculated? Does the margin change with currency traded? Is it the same for mini accounts and standard accounts?

Don't forget to ask about minimum account balances and interest payments on account balances. Make sure that your funds will be insured.

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FOREX BROKER - How To Pay Your Forex Broker

The forex market, unlike other exchange driven markets, has a unique feature that many market makers use to entice traders to trade. They promise no exchange fees or regulatory fees, no data fees and, best of all, no commissions. To the new trader just wanting to break into the trading business, this sounds too good to be true. Trading without transaction costs is clearly an advantage. However, what might sound like a bargain to inexperienced traders may not be the best deal available - or even a deal at all. Here we'll show you how to evaluate forex broker fee/commission structures and find the one that will work best for you.

Commission Structures
There are three forms of commission used by brokers in forex. Some firms offer a fixed spread, others offer a variable spread and still others charge a commission based on a percentage of the spread. So which is the best choice? At first glance, it seems that the fixed spread may be the right choice, because then you would know exactly what to expect. However, before you jump in and choose one, there are a few things you need to consider.

The spread is the difference between the price the market maker is prepared to pay you for buying the currency (the bid price), versus the price at which he is prepared to sell you the currency (the ask price). Suppose you see the following quotes on your screen: "EURUSD - 1.4952 - 1.4955." This represents a spread of three pips, the difference between the bid price of 1.4952 and the ask price of 1.4955. If you are dealing with a market maker who is offering a fixed spread of three pips instead of a variable spread, the difference will always be three pips, regardless of market volatility.

In the case of a broker who offers a variable spread, you can expect a spread that will, at times, be as low as 1.5 pips or as high as five pips, depending on the currency pair being traded and the level of market volatility.

Some brokers may also charge a very small commission, perhaps two-tenths of one pip, and then will pass the order flow received from you on to a large market maker with whom he or she has a relationship. In such an arrangement, you can receive a very tight spread that only larger traders could otherwise access.

Different Brokers, Different Levels of Service
So what is the bottom line effect of each type of commission on your trading? Given that all brokers are not created equal, this is a difficult question to answer. The reason is that there are other factors to take into account when weighing what is most advantageous for your trading account.

For example, not all brokers are able to make a market equally. The forex market is an over-the-counter market, which means that banks, the primary market makers, have relationships with other banks and price aggregators (retail online brokers), based on the capitalization and creditworthiness of each organization. There are no guarantors or exchanges involved, just the credit agreement between each player. So, when it comes to an online market maker, for example, your broker's effectiveness will depend on his or her relationship with banks, and how much volume the broker does with them. Usually, the higher-volume forex players are quoted tighter spreads.

If your market maker has a strong relationship with a line of banks and can aggregate, say, twelve banks' price quotes, then the brokerage firm will be able to pass the average bid and ask on to its retail customers. Even after slightly widening the spread to account for profit, the dealer will be able to pass a more competitive spread on to you than competitors that are not well capitalized.

If you are dealing with a broker that can offer guaranteed liquidity at attractive spreads, this may be what you should look for. On the other hand, you might want to pay a fixed pip spread if you know you are getting at-the-money executions every time you trade. Slippage, which occurs when your trade is executed away from the price you were offered, is a cost that you do not want to bear.

In the case of a commission broker, whether you should pay a small commission depends on what else the broker is offering. For example, suppose your broker charges you a small commission, usually in the order of two-tenths of one pip, or about $2.50 - $3 per 100,000 unit trade, but in exchange offers you access to a proprietary software platform that is superior to most online brokers' platforms, or some other benefit. In this case, it may be worth paying the small commission for this additional service.

Choosing a Forex Broker
As a trader, you should always consider the total package when deciding on a broker, in addition to the type of spreads the broker offers. For example, some brokers may offer excellent spreads but their platforms may not have all the bells and whistles that are offered by competitors. When choosing a brokerage firm, you should check out the following:

* How well capitalized is the firm?
* How long has it been in business?
* Who manages the firm and how much experience does this person have?
* Which and how many banks does the firm have relationships with?
* How much volume does it transact each month?
* What are its liquidity guarantees in terms of order size?
* What is its margin policy?
* What is its rollover policy in case you want to hold your positions overnight?
* Does the firm pass through the positive carry, if there is one?
* Does the firm add a spread to the rollover interest rates?
* What kind of platform does it offer?
* Does it have multiple order types, such as "order cancels order" or "order sends order"?
* Does it guarantee to execute your stop losses at the order price?
* Does the firm have a dealing desk?
* What do you do if your internet connection is lost and you have an open position?
* Does the firm provide all the back-end office functions, such as P&L, in real time?

Conclusion
Even though you might think you are getting a deal when paying a variable spread, you may be sacrificing other benefits. But one thing is certain: As a trader you always pay the spread and your broker always earns the spread. To get the best deal possible, choose a reputable broker who is well capitalized and has strong relationships with the large foreign exchange banks. Examine the spreads on the most popular currencies. Very often, they will be as little as 1.5 pips. If this is the case, a variable spread may work out to be cheaper than a fixed spread. Some brokers even offer you the choice of either a fixed spread or a variable one. In the end, the cheapest way to trade is with a very reputable market maker who can provide the liquidity you need to trade well

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Successfull Trading Rules - By: Lyndsay Wilkinson

As a successful Trader and having spoken to many other successful traders I noticed that we had many ideas in common. We all had rules that we followed and believed to be necessary to remain successful.

Successfull Trading Rules:

#1 Rule :"Risk Reward Ratio"

Basically what I mean is dont take a large risk to make a very small profit. Understanding your risk/reward ratio is very important (the risk compared to how much reward (profit) you will make).An example of a trade with a 4:1 risk reward is if you have a stop in place so the maximum you could lose (risk) is $1000 and your limit order allows for a profit (reward) of $4000.

Always consider the risk reward factor before placing a trade. Most good traders would look at a 2:1 ratio, your potential profit being twice your potential loss. When working out your trading always take the spread into consideration, where you place a stop and where you place an exit order. Working out your risk reward ratio is a simple formula. I will give you an example.

Currency Pair EUR/USD. Buying # 1 lot Entry price 1.3330 Stop 1.3310 Target 1.3372 Loss 20 pips Profit 40 pips (net after spread of 2) Ratio 2:1

If the system you are using indicates where the entry and exit points are and a ratio of 1.5:1 is not realistic it is better not to take the trade and wait for the next opportunity.

#2 :"Always Trade with a Stop Loss"

Before you place a Trade it is important to realize that even with a winning system you WILL have LOSING Trades. The decision on when to close the Trade must be made before you place your Trade, it can then be made without emotion and it will be easier to stick with your Plan (This is a must).The idea is to gain Maximum Profit and Minimize your Loss.

When you place an order you can manually select when the trade is going to end. To do this you state how far you will let the trade run at a loss before the trade ends. This is called a "Stop Loss Order". Basically this means if the trade goes against you, you can control your loss. This is a common way to safe guard against heavy losses.

There is always a down side to using stop loss orders. It is too easy to focus on reducing your possible losses so if there is a small change in the direction of your trade you will be cut out with a small loss and you will also be charged the spread, often the trade changes back to the direction you had anticipated which then runs on and would have given a nice profit.

If you are trading in short time frames and finding yourself being stopped out after small losses you will be surprised at how quickly the broker's cost (spread) can mount up over a month. Therefore it is extremely important to either use a system that will guide you where to place your stop loss or to understand exactly where to place your "Stop Loss" and the consequences of it. Sometimes allowing for a slightly larger loss before being stopped out will give you more successful results.

Some of the systems being offered are suggesting that you dont use a stop loss to prevent the frustrating situation when you are stopped out and the trade changes quickly back and goes on to offer hugh pip gains. This alternative can wipe out your margin and I would not suggest it unless you have a very large margin and you are prepared to monitor the trade and wait if the trade goes against you. AS I say not the way I would suggest.

Every trader has to have an individual strategy and rules they are prepared to stay with. Today there are software programs you can buy that will assist you with these decisions.

I hope you found this information helpful and I wish you good luck with your trading

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