Forex trading might not be a smooth ride for newbie traders if they lack the necessary knowledge regarding trading activities along with the overview of the market. Therefore, to get sufficient knowledge and develop skills for Forex trading it is essential to practice investment strategies with the help of various practice tools and accounts available in online or offline mode. In case of online practice tools, it might be possible to try out trading activities using real time data. These demo accounts are easy to operate and gives the newbie trader the actual feel of Forex market. These practice tools also offer the necessary fundamental and technical analysis that makes it easier to work out the investment strategy for the demo account while going through a similar experience as would have been the case while trading in the Forex market. For a Buy 2 lots EUR/USD� position the transaction size is 200,000 EUR which corresponds to 220,000 USD, given a EUR/USD exchange rate of 1.10000. Considering that for a USD 100,000 transaction size commission is charged for both opening and closing the position at USD 5 each, for this transaction it will be: 2 x (5 x 220,000 / 100,000) = 22 USD. The commission fee is deducted from the account during the opening of the transaction for both the operations at once (opening and closing).
A web based foreign exchange trading system allows you to trade anytime and anywhere, provided you have an internet connection. This software application will allow you to log in and trade through the use of any available web client such as Firefox or Internet Explorer. These software tools tend to be beefed up in security and are less vulnerable to hackers and viruses. Client based software will usually require additional fees for constant software updates also.
Trading foreign exchange on margin carries a high level of risk, and may not be suitable for everyone. Before deciding to trade foreign exchange you should carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite. Remember, you could sustain a loss of some or all of your initial investment, which means that you should not invest money that you cannot afford to lose. If you have any doubts, it is advisable to seek advice from an independent financial advisor.
The services provided by online practice sites differ from site to site, so it is always a good idea to make sure you know all of the details of the site you are about to use. For example, there are several online brokers who will offer a practice account for a period of several weeks, then terminate it and start you on a live account, which means you may end up using your own money before you are ready to. It's always a good idea to find a site that offers an unlimited practice account. Having a practice account allows you to learn the ways of the trade with no risk at all.
If it comes to major forex markets, London, New York and Tokyo would win hands down. Around 75% of market activities in the New York markets are witnessed in the morning hours while the European markets are still open. And if you want to know when the forex trading is the heaviest, well look for the time when the major markets overlap.
