If you are serious about starting forex trading than you should know the games youre your forex broker can play with you. Most of the small forex traders dont know these facts and are easily taken for a ride by unscrupulous forex brokers.
Retail forex market where small traders like you and I trade forex is different than the interbank forex market. Interbank forex market is where big banks, corporations, hedge fund and other institutional investors exchange currencies. It is only open to big players.
With the advent of internet, retail forex trading became popular. Forex brokers work as intermediaries between the retail traders and the interbank market. Forex brokers popularize retail fx trading by offering online margin accounts. But beware retail forex market is not highly regulated. Due to poor regulation forex brokers can do what they want with immunity.
You need to know the games; a forex broker can play with you. If you dont know what games a forex broker can play with you, you will never succeed at forex trading. Understand how the broker can trick you:
Pricing is Not Transparent: Being an OTC (Over the Counter) market, forex broker can quote prices that may not be fair but you have accept them or choose another broker. The prices that your forex broker is going to quote to you, is the price that you will get. You cannot do anything about it.
Encouraging Leverage: Your forex broker will encourage you to use a high leverage like 100-1 or 200-1. Leverage is good when you are winning but it will wipe you out in case of a loss. Most of the retail forex traders are amateurs and dont know how to handle leverage, they expose themselves and get wiped out in the market quickly. The more you lose the more your broker will make. Dont use too high leverage.
Trading against you: Your forex broker will most probably will be trading against you! Since, most of the retail trades are too small in size; your forex broker cannot immediately offset this position in the interbank market. This gives them the opportunity to trade against you. The more you lose, the more your broker makes.
Practices that are unfair: Forex brokers and Casinos have the same mentality: they dont like winner. If you are winning too much, the house will be stacked against you. Your forex broker may make the execution of your trades very difficult or start denying the service to you. Your trade may not execute due to slippage. There are many games the broker will play against you so beware.
Once you know these facts, you can use a scorecard for evaluating different forex brokers. Bill Poulos, a veteran forex trader has developed one for you. Visit my Blog to read about it.
