Trading in currencies of the world, which is the essence of foreign exchange trading is one of the growing markets, as countries open up the various locks that only allowed Governments, banks, and financial institutions, duly authorised to operate currency trading. Since it involves more than 2 trillion dollars a day, obviously controls are necessary.
If this author is correct, Donald Trump, the legendary millionaire made his millions from trading in currencies. But then he must have had the required licence. Many countries do still have laws that prevent individuals from the market of currency trading.
Currency trading is only dealing in currencies, that is buying and selling various currencies, and while it is exciting, it is also exhausting. You buy dollars when it is low and sell at a higher price to a country or another broker in a distant country who requires dollars. You thus gain some money in an overnight trade. Currency trade never stops. It’s like getting on a treadmill that continuously rolls on.
With newer communication technologies, markets are always open, and the authorised institutions all over the world run their trading desks twenty-four hours a day, and throughout the year. Further development of various software helps these traders to buy, bid, sell, currencies, depending upon the parameters that have been preset and can be reset time and again.
If you want to get a feel of how it is to do forex trading, you need to get some good software, which allows you to learn the rules of the game, how it works, why do countries do currency trades, what cautions are necessary, and the other rules of the game.
This gives an hands on experience, as you and buy and sell currencies in a ‘mock-up manner’. Most of the real genuine software prepared by the experts would guide along the way, and then leave you after you have got the hang of things (by means of a simple Q&A Session), and then retreat into the background, while you play the market. At the end of your session, you would get a report of where you went right and where you were wrong.
Forex trades are somewhat similar to stock trading. An investor in stocks watches the various indices of the stock markets, and how the stocks held are performing, what the quarterly results, how changes in the economic scenario in the country, and the world is shaping up, and accordingly decides to stay put, or pull out. Obviously this also happens when you need cash urgently, and therefore you may cash in your stocks to get that extra cash.
In forex trade, the signals that one watches out for, as a trader, is the performance of the othr country, the trade surplus or deficits, the economic signals such as good or poor growth, the rising or declining inflation, which signals when that economy is likely to get into a deficit or surplus on the trade account – goods and services. When there is an imbalance between the two, as the US currently has, the country having the healthy balance is on a platform which offers the dollars to America itself! And America buys, because it must pay for its imports! Instead of reading company reports, you read country reports.
The best way for you to get into forex market trades is through a banker, or a financial institution, who act as brokers for you, and have dedicated funds which trade in currency markets. Some offer a mix of currency trades, and stock trades. If you wish to invest wisely, and use the arbitrage opportunities in forex market trades, the first choice should be to have a mix of stocks and currency trades. You can move on to solely currency trades after you have reports that point out whether you are earning more from currency trades or from stocks. It’s a difficult choice, and you would be well advised to consult your banker or investment institution. Even then they can make mistakes and so be prepared to lose as much as you are likely to gain. Expert advice is one way of hedging your exposure.
Can you practice as an individual? Most countries restrict individuals from forex trade. Or, there are conditions that restrict the amount of trades you can do. It is best to get legal advice, or read up a good, authoritative book. This author always recommends going back to the basics, which means that you can use your child’s grad school book on finances, and get the basics right first. Then you can move on and find a good book for let’s say an MBA student who is going to specialise in finance. These are prepared by academics, who have the academic orientation, and also some experience in the markets, and since they write for students, it is the right choice for you. After all, in a new forex trade you are entering, you ARE a student!
