1. Home
  2. Business & Finance
  3. Forex Trading

Forex FAQs - Frequently Asked Questions About Forex Trading

Frequently asked questions about forex trading
Is forex trading risky?
Forex trading can be very risky if you don't use proper risk management. Forex is considered to be one of the most risky forms of investing because of the availability of leverage.
What is a Margin Call?
A margin call happens when a trading account no longer has enough money to support the open trades. This happens when there are too many floating losses.
When does the forex market open?
The forex market is open almost all of the time! It opens on Sunday night around 21:00 GMT and closes on Friday afternoon around 21:00 GMT. Forex traders can initiate trades at anytime between Sunday and Friday.
What are the best forex trading hours?
The best time to trade the forex markets is between 8:00 GMT and 16:00 GMT. These are basically the hours of the London market with the last 5 hours being in overlap with the US market.
What is the Interbank?
The Interbank is not really a center exchange where everything is traded. Interbank actually means "between one or more banks".
Why Do Brokers Give You So Much Leverage?
Brokers make their money on the spread. They are happy to provide leverage to forex traders because the bigger the trade, the more the pips in the spread are worth.
What is Carry Trading?
Carry trading is when you take advantage of the interest rate differential between two currencies. For example, if the interest rate on the British Pound(GBP) is 5.75% and the interest rate on the US Dollar(USD) is 4.25% and you place a buy trade on GBP/USD, you will collect the difference between the two interest rates or 1.50% As long as you hold that trade open, you will be paid that interest differential every day.
What is a Pip?
PIP stands for Percentage In Point. It is equal to 1/100 of 1%. In forex, currency prices are typically quoted to the fourth decimal.
Do I need good credit to trade on margin?
Brokers are more than happy to give you margin to trade on because it is part of how they make their money. Brokers make their money by collecting the spread and the larger your trade is on the market, the more the spread is worth.
How much money do I need to get started?
The amount of money that you will need to open an account depends on the broker. Brokers such as Oanda will allow you to open an account with as little as $1 while brokers like FXCM require at least $300. If you aren’t ready to commit real money yet, you can always start with a demo account.
Mistakes That Forex Traders Make
When beginning in forex trading, there are common mistakes to be avoided. This is a list of common forex trading mistakes.

Explore Forex Trading

More from About.com

  1. Home
  2. Business & Finance
  3. Forex Trading
  4. Forex FAQs

©2008 About.com, a part of The New York Times Company.

All rights reserved.