Why trade Forex?

Why trade Forex?
Online forex trading has become very popular in the past decade because it offers traders several advantages:

FOREX NEVER SLEEPS
Trading goes on all around the world during different countries' business hours. You can, therefore, trade major currencies at any time, 24 hours per day, 5 days per week. Since there are no set exchange hours, it means that there is also something happening at almost any time of the day or night.1

GO LONG OR SHORT
Unlike many other financial markets, where it can be difficult to sell short, there are no limitations on shorting currencies. If you think a currency will go up, buy it. If you think it will fall, sell it. This means there is no such thing as a "bear market" in forex - you can make (or lose) money any time.

LOW TRADING COSTS
Most forex accounts are made up of low, competitive commissions and super-tight spreads. You trade the direct quotes from our liquidity providers with no hidden markups.2

UNMATCHED LIQUIDITY
Because forex is a $4 trillion a day market, with most trading concentrated in only a few currencies, there are always a lot of people trading. This makes it typically very easy to get into and out of trades at any time, even in large sizes.

AVAILABLE LEVERAGE
Because of the deep liquidity available in the forex market, you can trade forex with considerable leverage (up to 50:1). This can allow you to take advantage of even the smallest moves in the market. Leverage is a double-edged sword, of course, as it can significantly increase your losses as well as your gains.

INTERNATIONAL EXPOSURE
As the world becomes more and more global, investors hunt for opportunities anywhere they can. If you want to take a broad opinion and invest in another country (or sell it short!), forex is an easy way to gain exposure while avoiding vagaries such as foreign securities laws and financial statements in other languages.

 VIDEOWhy Trade Forex? (02:50)

1 Subject to available liquidity, the trading desk opens on Sundays between 5:00 PM ET and 5:15 PM ET. The trading desk closes on Fridays at 4:55 PM ET. Orders placed prior may be filled until 5 pm (ET).

2 Intermediary Markup: In some instances, accounts for clients of certain intermediaries are subject to a markup.

Spreads & Commissions: Dynamic live streaming spread figures shown are from FXCM’s Best Bid/Best Offer pricing engine. Static historical spread figures are time-weighted averages derived from tradable prices at FXCM from 1 April 2015 to 30 June 2015. Spreads are variable and during normal market hours are subject to delay. FXCM strives to provide traders with tight, competitive spreads; however, there may be instances when market conditions cause spreads to widen well beyond the spreads displayed here. 

Advertised spreads & commissions apply to Standard Accounts. Some accounts, such as Mini Accounts and those for clients of certain intermediaries, are subject to a markup. Accounts set to a commission structure will be charged in the currency denomination of the account.

The figures above are provided for information purposes only, and are not intended for trading purposes or advice. FXCM is not liable for any information errors, incompleteness, or delays, or for any actions taken in reliance on information contained herein.

Execution: FXCM aggregates bid and ask prices from a pool of liquidity providers and is the final counterparty when trading forex on FXCM's dealing desk and No Dealing Desk (NDD) execution models. With NDD, FXCM's platforms display the best-available direct bid and ask prices from the liquidity providers. In some circumstances, FXCM may add a markup to NDD spreads, based on account type. In addition to the spread, the trading cost with NDD is a fixed lot-based commission at the open and close of the trade. With dealing desk execution, FXCM can act as the dealer on any or all currency pairs. Backup liquidity providers fill in when FXCM does not act as the dealer. FXCM’s dealing desk has fewer liquidity providers than NDD. There are many other factors to consider when choosing an execution model (such as conflict of interest, trading style or strategy). See Execution Risks. Note: Contractual relationships with liquidity providers are consolidated through the firm's U.S. affiliate, Forex Capital Markets, LLC, which, in turn, provides technology and pricing to the group affiliate entities.

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