Forex Basics Guide
Forex Basics Guide
Forex Basics Guide
KNOW FOREX
AN INTRODUCTION TO
TRADING CURRENCIES
A GFT EDUCATIONAL GUIDE
gft.com.au / 61 2 9028 7500 / 1800 624 080
WEB/LIVE CHAT SYDNEY MAIN TOLL FREE
LET’S GET TO KNOW FOREX
AN INTRODUCTION TO TRADING CURRENCIES
3
INTRODUCTION
5
WHAT IS FOREX TRADING?
CURRENCY PAIRS APPEAR LIKE THIS: A SAMPLE QUOTE FOR THIS PAIR COULD BE:
EUR/USD 1.3038
The first currency listed The second currency is called The base currency is always worth one. The
is the base currency. the quote or terms currency. quoted price shows how much of the quote
currency you’ll get for one unit of the base
currency. So in this case, 1 EUR is worth
approximately 1.30 USD.
TWO TRADE OPPORTUNITIES
SCENARIO 1: SCENARIO 2:
BUY TRADE SELL TRADE
If you believe the current value of the euro is Conversely, if you think the current value of the
strengthening against the US dollar, you might euro will weaken against the US dollar, you might
enter a trade to buy euros in the hopes that the enter a trade to sell euros in the hopes that the
currency’s value will become stronger compared currency’s value will become weaker compared to
to the US dollar. In this scenario, you think the the US dollar. In this scenario, you think the euro
euro is bullish (and the US dollar is bearish). is bearish (and the US dollar is bullish).
BUY
In the global economy, thousands of business transactions take place every day that require organizations to
exchange the value of one currency for that of another. When a United States manufacturer buys Japanese steel,
they need to convert dollars to yen to pay the bill. A British clothing retailer converts pounds to euros to pay for
garments from a French textile company. In every exchange, prices need to be adjusted because one currency is
typically weaker (has less value) while the other is stronger (has more value).
WITH SO MANY CHANGES TAKING PLACE, CURRENCY VALUES ARE RARELY STATIC.
Throughout the course of the day, the value of one currency compared to another can change in response to political
news, economics and interest rate changes. This means that a currency that was weaker than another in the morning
may be stronger by the afternoon. These frequent changes in the value of currency are what drive forex trading and
a trader’s profit potential in the currency markets.
9
US$819.3 BILLION
95%
FOREX
LUM
E ME
VO VOLU ME
EX IN IN OLU
FOR TRILLIONAY OND
S ION
BILL Y CKS IN V
4 D B . 3 N
STO 4 BILLIOAY
US$ URS A EEK 819 DA
O
24 H AYS A W US$ URS A EEK 8 D
O US$ URS A EEK
5 D 8 H YS A W O W
5. 8 H YS A
5% CONVERSION
TRANSACTIONS
5 A
D
5 DA
With stocks, bonds and most other financial products that are traded on exchange, you can only make trades during
the exchange’s business hours. Fortunately for forex traders, currencies are free of this restriction and can be traded
day or night—24 hours a day, 5.5 days a week. Here’s why.
At 5pm ET on Sunday evening, financial markets open in the Pacific (Australia, New Zealand, Japan and various
Asian countries). As those begin to close, markets in the Middle East and Europe start to open. When Europe is in
mid-session, financial markets across the Americas open. This pattern continues until 5pm ET on Friday when the
American financial markets close for the weekend. The consistent closing and opening of markets around the globe
provides around-the-clock access to traders, 5.5 days a week. This is why you may hear many people refer to forex
as a global market.
USD
United States Dollar $ ¤ EUR
European Euro
¥ JPY
Japanese Yen
$ AUD
Australian Dollar
$ NZD
New Zealand Dollar
US D
CURRENCY CODES are always three letters: the first
two identify the country name and the last letter
usually identifies the name of the currency.
13
PIPS, LOTS & LEVERAGE
By now, you may feel comfortable and even a little excited about
trading forex: you know who trades it, when they trade it, and what
currencies are available. In this section, we’ll discuss some concepts
you need to know before you trade your first currency pair.
WHY ARE CURRENCY PAIR PRICES DISPLAYED WITH USD/EUR PRICE EXAMPLE
FOUR DECIMAL PLACES?
Nearly all currency pairs display their prices like this. A few,
such as the Japanese yen, display two decimal places. No
matter what currency pair you’re trading, the last number
behind the decimal always represents a pip, the smallest
1.3037
unit price that can change for the currency pair. As you Represents one pip
trade, you’ll track your profits (or losses) in pips.
One unit of movement represents one pip. That may seem small and you may be wondering how forex can be
worthwhile if all you’re speculating on is a small fraction of a currency. Fortunately, forex is leveraged and traded in lots.
WHAT IS A LOT?
In forex, a lot is a standard unit of measurement. At most forex dealers, one lot usually equals 100,000 worth of currency.
Whenever you place a trade, you start with one lot. Fortunately, you don’t need $100,000 in your account to trade the
EUR/USD. Currency pairs usually have a 100:1 leverage ratio. This means you can control a large position ($100,000) with
a small amount of money ($1,000).
Many traders find the leverage that most forex dealers offer very appealing. Nonetheless, you should know that trading
this way can also be risky. It can produce substantial profits as easily as it can cause substantial losses.
SO HOW DO PIPS, LOTS AND LEVERAGE WORK TOGETHER?
For your 20 pip trade, you would have earned US$200. +11 PIPS
1.3020
USD/JPY
Not all of the pips you’ll earn will be worth US$10. The
value of a pip depends on the lot size of your trade, how
many lots you’re trading, the currency pair and your
account currency.
+7 PIPS +20 PIPS
-1 PIP
While you can manually calculate this or use online pip +5 PIPS
you can trade any currency pair you want, as long SELL PRICE
38 40
as you have enough money in your account. For this
SELL BUY
walkthrough, we’ll look at the EUR/USD.
Lots: 1 x 100,000
3
rate (1.3040) is the price at which you
ANALYSE THE MARKET can buy the currency pair. The difference
Research and analysis should be the foundation between the first and second rate is called
for your trading endeavours. Without these, you’re the spread. This is the amount that a dealer
operating largely on emotion. This doesn’t typically charges for making the trade.
end well.
17
1234
FOUR STEPS TO MAKING YOUR FIRST TRADE IN FOREX
CONTINUED
4
PICK YOUR POSITION
If you’ve traded stocks, bonds or other financial products, you know that you can usually only speculate on one
direction of the market—up.
Forex trading is a little different. Because you are buying one currency while selling another at the same time,
you can speculate on up AND down movement in the market.
Let’s see how these would work. Imagine that you did some research and decided to enter a trade.
EUR/USD EUR/USD
1.3038/40 1.3038/40
1.3040 1.3040
EUR/USD EUR/USD
1.3072/1.3074 1.3072/1.3074
1.3040 1.3040
Now, let’s say that later in the day, you You look at your position later in
look at your position. The EUR/USD +32 PIPS the day and discover that the EUR/ -36 PIPS
is now at 1.3072/74. Your trade has USD is now at 1.3072/74. Your trade
gained 32 pips. You decide to close has lost 36 pips. You decide to close
your position at the current sell price your position at the current buy price
of 1.3072 and take a profit. of 1.3074, to cover the spread, and
accept your losses.
0.0032 X 100,000 = Your profit is US$320 0.0036 X 100,000 = Your loss is US$360
19
ANTICIPATING, PLANNING AND ANALYSING:
THREE SKILLS YOU NEED TO BECOME A FOREX TRADER
It’s important to realise that even the best forex traders have
losing trades. While you may make some very successful forex
trades, you will also make some losing trades. Fortunately, there
are a number of things you can do to anticipate risk.
1
HELP TO PROTECT YOUR POSITION WITH STOPS, LIMITS AND OTHER ORDER TYPES.
There are a number of order types, such as trailing stops, Parent and Contingent (P&C) and Order Cancels
Order (OCO) designed to help traders manage risk and help to protect potential profits.
2
SET PROPER LEVELS.
You might say that setting a stop is an art; you need to make sure that your stop is set so that your trade
can handle smaller jumps and drops in price while protecting you from losing your shirt if the market
doesn’t go your way. A stop that’s too narrow may lead you to reenter the market, causing you to get
stopped out again. That can cause more damage to your account balance than if you entered a stop that
was too wide or no stop at all.
3
CHECK YOUR EMOTIONS.
Sometimes, the factor that determines how successful your trade will be isn’t the amount of research
you did, but your mindset at the time. As GFT’s Technical Analyst Bradley Gareiss says, “Psychology is so
important that even the best information can be distorted by a poor mindset.” As you trade, try to stay
objective and calm. Even if you have a losing trade, resist the urge to enter another trade to win your
earnings back.
4
CREATE A TRADING PLAN AND STICK TO IT.
A good trading plan is crucial to your trading success. Not only will it help you meet some of your goals,
it will define the way you trade, what you’re willing to risk and how you will protect yourself when a trade
doesn’t go your way.
21
PLANNING: HOW DO I CREATE A TRADING PLAN?
A trading plan serves as a steady anchor in chaotic markets, helping you forecast when to enter and exit the market. Best of
all, it’s fairly easy to create. The following steps may help you get started.
1
WHEN CONSTRUCTING A TRADING PLAN, ASK YOURSELF:
A Will I trade only one specific E If I trade on a daily basis, how G How will I use stops to help
currency pair or many? many consecutive losses will control my risk?
I tolerate before I stop for the
B Will I trade on a daily basis or day? H Will I have one profit target or
hold my positions for days or multiple targets?
longer? F How will I analyse the
markets? Will I look at news I What kind of profit can I
C How much do I want to make? and other events? Will I reasonably expect to gain?
examine charts and price
D How much am I willing to lose movements?
per trade?
2 3
USING YOUR ANSWERS, WRITE OUT A NOW, COMES THE HARDEST PART — STICKING TO YOUR
SHORT BUT DETAILED PLAN OF ACTION. PLAN. TRY KEEPING A DIARY OF EVERY ONE OF YOUR
TRADES. IT WILL FORCE YOU TO FOLLOW YOUR RULES
AND AVOID IMPULSIVE TRADING AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.
LINE CHARTS
Each bar or candle on the chart is defined by four price
Line charts are one of three common chart types that
points (high, low, open and close). The length of the
most traders use. They provide a quick way to view the
bar or candle represents the level of trading activity
changes in price movements over a period of time.
for a specified period. For example, on a chart with a
ten-minute time scale, a bar or candle would represent
all of the trading activity on the market in a ten-minute
period. When the price of a currency pair rises, the bar
or candle appears one colour (usually green) and when
the price of a currency pair drops, the bar or candle
Source: DealBook®
appears another (usually red).
Source: DealBook®
23
ANALYSING: WHAT IS TECHNICAL ANALYSIS?
If you’re familiar with trading other financial products, you know that
traders tend to hold on to their positions for as long as the market moves
their way. When they lose confidence in the market, they usually reverse
their positions quickly.
RESISTANCE
SUPPORT
BOLLINGER BANDS
PATTERNS
GBP/USD 30 MINUTES
A chart pattern is a series of price points that move in a
particular arrangement and, once completed, forecast
market movements. Some common patterns are flags,
channels and triangles. You can also plot more complex
patterns, such as ABCD patterns or Fibonacci levels.
PRICE CHANNELS
Source: GFT
Earlier in this guide, you learned that the value of a currency pair
changes in response to news, interest rate changes, government
decisions and other events. As you watch the charts, you’ll notice
that events and news on the state of a particular country’s or region’s
economy can cause currency markets to shoot up or down dramatically.
EUROZONE CONSUME
PRICE INDEX (CPI)
RELEASED
FED RESERVE
CHAIRMAN TESTIFIES
BEFORE CONGRESS
EMAIL US
Click here to send us an email.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
ON THE TOOLS AVAILABLE
TO YOU FROM GFT, VISIT
GFT.COM.AU.
GFT refers to Global Futures & Forex, Ltd. and all of its divisions, branches and subsidiaries, including Global Forex Trading, GFT Futures, FX 360, GFT Global Markets Asia Pte. Ltd., GFT Global Markets
UK Limited and GFT DMCC. Global Futures & Forex, Ltd., doing business as Global Forex Trading and as GFT Futures, is registered with the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission as a futures
commission merchant, and is a member of the National Futures Association. In Japan, Global Futures & Forex, Ltd. is registered with the Financial Services Agency as a financial instruments firm and is
a member of the Financial Futures Association of Japan. In Australia, GFT refers to Global Futures & Forex, Ltd., ARBN 103 508 461, Australian Financial Services License number 226625. For Australian
investors, a Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) is available from the company website www.gft.com.au <http://www.gft.com.au> . Interested parties should read and consider the PDS before making
any decision to deal in GFT products. GFT is the issuer of these products. In the United Kingdom, GFT is the business name of GFT Global Markets UK Limited, which is registered in England and Wales
(Registration No. 5394757), with registered address of 34th Floor CGC 34-03, 25 Canada Square, London E14 5LQ, and is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. In Singapore, this
information is made available to you by or for GFT Global Markets Asia Pte. Ltd. (Company Registration Number 200717665N). The contents hereof is available or accessible for informational purposes
only and is not to be regarded as an offer or a solicitation to deal in any investment product or to enter into any legal relations, nor an advice or a recommendation with respect to such investment
product. In Dubai, GFT is the business name of GFT DMCC, where GFT is Registered & Licensed as a FREEZONE Company under the Rules and Regulations of DMCCA, License Number DMCC-31136.
™, ™, GFT™, CFD 360™, Chart Studio®, DealBook®, Foresight-A.I.™, FX 360®, Spread Betting 360™, are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Global Futures & Forex, Ltd., in the
United States and/or other countries. The absence of a name or logo in this list does not constitute a waiver of any and all intellectual property rights that Global Futures & Forex, Ltd. has established in
any of its trademarks, service marks or logos. All other trademarks, service marks or logos are the property of their respective owners. Each investment product is offered only to and from jurisdictions
where solicitation and sale are lawful, and in accordance with applicable laws and regulations in such jurisdiction. Trading of foreign exchange contracts, contracts for differences (CFDs), derivatives and
other investment products which are leveraged, can carry a high level of risk and may not be suitable for all investors. It is possible to lose more than the initial investment. The risks must be understood
prior to trading. Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. © 2010 Global Futures & Forex, Ltd. All rights reserved. CD03A.092.070810.
29