Margin is one of the key features that makes foreign exchange trading so exciting a prospect. Without a factor like margin, trading in this area would be completely out of reach for the ordinary man in the street who wants to invest in this area. However, what exactly does "Margin" mean?
Foreign exchange traders are able to control large lots of currency by means of margin. They are able to do this while investing relatively small amounts of money. The trader will open an account with a forex broker in order to gain access to leverage. In this way they can control lots of up to $100 000 in foreign currency, this is the generally accepted size of these lots.
Through leverage the broker or trader is able to make a small deposit of say $1000, which will allow him a leverage ratio of 100:1. Essentially this means the broker is able to have access to a 1% margin which in the case of a $1000 deposit is $100 000. One hundred times their initial deposit!
It has to be borne in mind however that trading on margin can increase losses as well as profits. The potential is there, and is very real for any trader, to lose as much as if not more than their original deposit. It is possible to put safeguards in place to prevent this from happening. In order to limit any losses a broker generally terminates a transaction which goes beyond the deposit in the margin. However losses do occur when even a small change in a currency occurs, as do profits.
Forex is actually traded in smaller units than cash is. For example the US dollar trades down to four decimal points. For instance instead of $1.42, it will ready as $1.4238. The smallest unit is known as a "pip". When trading US dollars in a value of a $100 000 lot, your pip is valued at $10. If the price of the dollar were to change from $1.4238 to 1.5238, it is a 100 pip difference and while this loss or profit of $10 may be meaningful to a tourist, it means very little to an investor. This example indicates how margin is able to increase potential profit or loss. - 22871
Foreign exchange traders are able to control large lots of currency by means of margin. They are able to do this while investing relatively small amounts of money. The trader will open an account with a forex broker in order to gain access to leverage. In this way they can control lots of up to $100 000 in foreign currency, this is the generally accepted size of these lots.
Through leverage the broker or trader is able to make a small deposit of say $1000, which will allow him a leverage ratio of 100:1. Essentially this means the broker is able to have access to a 1% margin which in the case of a $1000 deposit is $100 000. One hundred times their initial deposit!
It has to be borne in mind however that trading on margin can increase losses as well as profits. The potential is there, and is very real for any trader, to lose as much as if not more than their original deposit. It is possible to put safeguards in place to prevent this from happening. In order to limit any losses a broker generally terminates a transaction which goes beyond the deposit in the margin. However losses do occur when even a small change in a currency occurs, as do profits.
Forex is actually traded in smaller units than cash is. For example the US dollar trades down to four decimal points. For instance instead of $1.42, it will ready as $1.4238. The smallest unit is known as a "pip". When trading US dollars in a value of a $100 000 lot, your pip is valued at $10. If the price of the dollar were to change from $1.4238 to 1.5238, it is a 100 pip difference and while this loss or profit of $10 may be meaningful to a tourist, it means very little to an investor. This example indicates how margin is able to increase potential profit or loss. - 22871
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Foreign Exchange Trading can be hard if you don't do your homework. For more info about Online Forex Trading click on the links included in this text.
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