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Month: July, 2009

Learn What You Need to Know about Stock Trading

27 July, 2009 | Currency Trading | By: angelheld

This may seem like a strange economic time to begin trading in the stock market. However, stock trading at such a time can be lucrative if you are attuned to market trends and can shoulder some small risks. For example, bonds and utility stocks generally increase in value during a recession. On the other hand, gold stocks and energy stocks generally increase in value during inflationary times. Get familiar with market trends when you are stock trading. If you feel uncomfortable doing your own stock trading, ask a neighbor, a bank or credit union to recommend a reliable and trustworthy stock broker. If possible, get references from those who have traded with this broker in order to make the best choice possible.

If you decide to have a Broker work your trades

You will need to sit down with the broker and let him/her know your future goals, and how large a financial risk you are capable of overcoming, in case of losses. If you decide you have enough financial wherewithal to make a good sized investment, based on your future and retirement goals, the stock broker will help you pick the stocks that have the potential for the best growth, based on today’s market volatility. Undoubtedly, in this economy when many stocks are at an all-time low, the broker will try to set you up with a few value stocks. For example, those stocks that are extremely low at this particular time, but have the potential for good growth, would be a good place to start.

Stock Trading Online

If you like the feeling of control over your financial picture, there are numerous online stock trading websites. There is Scott-trade, Ameritrade, Schwab, and others. If there is a local office for one of these brokers in your area, you can go directly there to sign up for online trading. They will ask you to sign some papers and have you deposit the amount of money into your account that you wish to trade. Once that is done, you will be given an account number with which you can sign in online and set up a password so that your stock trading site is secure. You will see the amount in your account that you deposited. . If you plan to deposit money into your stock market account monthly, you will be asked to either mail a check to the broker onsite, or have money withdrawn automatically from your checking account each month. If you deposited the full amount that you wish to use to buy stocks in this venue, you are now ready to make your stock selections and decide the number of shares you wish to buy of each company’s stock.

You’re a Stock Holder

And now, even if you’re starting small, you are one of the millions and billions of stock holders around the world who own a part of a public traded company. With wise choices, and the hope of a strengthening economy, your investments will bring you wealth.

Caterina Christakos is a private investor and published author. To get more information go to: http://financialinvestmentsdirectory.com

Pointers For Successful Managed Forex Accounts

27 July, 2009 | Currency Trading | By: ryanmoxie

In recent years managed Forex accounts have proven to be extremely beneficial for a host of traders. Such accounts give traders flexibility to have a constant eye over market conditions without having to sit in front of the computer screen. The various managed Forex accounts available in the market have this useful service to offer.

Know what you are getting into

There are numerous such managed systems at bay such as the Forex Brotherhood and the Forex Tracer. Through these channels you can get a professional and efficient account manager to handle your account. This would increase the chances of you making profits in the Forex market without having to monitor every change in the market yourself.

Whether you want to escape the hassle involved with monitoring your own account or a day time job commitment, you can continue to yield profits on the side through the managed Forex accounts. You can spend the saved time in earning through other means.

Be on the winning side

There are certain pointers that you need to keep in mind when looking to operate in the Forex market. With over 2 trillion dollars being traded everyday, you would want to make sure you are not on the losing side. Managed accounts help to minimize the losses for investors by managing the tolerance of risks in the buying and selling process. Such features are ideal for individuals that have the time but lack sufficient experience that enables them to analyze risks involved in the transactions.

Know that the ideal managed account will be relative to your financial strength and intentions. If you are looking for a short term stay in the Forex market then automated programs would work just fine. They are highly convenient and offer a steady growth to the investors. Furthermore, they have a low required initial investment which suits almost every investor’s pocket.

On the other hand, employee managed forex accounts work in the favor of long run investors. Most companies offering such programs will suggest that you stick with them for duration of two years during which time you will not only have earned a considerable amount of profit, but also have picked up the tricks of the forex trade.

Retain authority while letting them do the hard work
After making the right choice based on your situation you will be free from all the hassle as the professionals will be doing all the hard work for you while you get to enjoy the spoils and make the calls! The best thing about such plans is that you retain complete authority over the decision making process but have expert advice to guide you.

The internet offers you an easy way to explore the various managed Forex accounts at bay. It is however, advised that you read up on the specifications, benefits and guidelines of operating managed forex accounts prior to going with one. After all, it’s a matter of making money and you wouldn’t want to lose out by making a hasty decision.

Ryan Moxie helps you understand how a forex investment can be done with a forex managed account.

Day Trading Indicators and Indicator Trading

25 July, 2009 | Currency Trading | By: patjackson11

Did you start day trading after buying a book on technical analysis, and getting a charting program - probably a free one that you found online - in order to save money? While reading your book you learned about trading indicators which could ‘predict’ price movement, and what do you know, the ‘best’ indicators were actually included in your free charting program - let the games begin.

Now that you have all the day trading tools that are necessary, the book for education AND the free charting program with those ‘best’ day trading indicators, you now need a day trading plan so you can decide which ones of those ‘magic’ day trading indicators you are supposed to use. This really is a great book, besides telling you how to day trade using indicators to ‘predict’ price - it also said that you need a trading plan to day trade.

So what should this plan be? The book told you about trend following using an indicator called macd, and it also told you how it was possible to pick the top or bottoms using an indicator called stochastic; my guess is that you picked the stochastic indicator to start your day trading - this must be the ‘best of the best’ since this indicator was going to ensure you of entering your trades with the ‘best’ price. Amazing, simply amazing how easy this day trading stuff really is. In fact, why even bother taking the trades, each time your indicators give a signal - just call up your broker and tell him to stick $100 in your account.

My book was Technical Analysis of the Futures Markets. My charting program was TradeStation with an eSignal fm receiver; that was the one that if you hung the antennae wires just right, and you put enough foil on the tips, you might even get quotes. I had sold a business before I started trading so I did have some capital - isn’t that how everyone gets into trading, you either sell a business or you lose your job? My indicator was the macd as I had decided that I was going to be a ‘trend follower’ instead of a ‘top-bottom picker’. I also decided that I was going to be ‘extra’ clever, if one indicator was good than two indicators must be better, so I added a 20 period moving average. My first trade was a winner, then after many months of extensive therapy, I was finally able to forget the next twelve months - ahhh the memories

Learning To Day Trading - The Learning Progression

Beginning to day trade, or learning to day trade, as an indicator trader is very typical. This is also logical when you consider - HOW are you supposed to initially learn how to trade? Trading indicators are available to anyone who has a charting program, and simply using line crosses, or histogram color changes, provide ‘easy’ signals to understand. If you will also take the time to learn the arithmetic behind your indicators, as well as learning what each indicator is specifically intended to do, not only is this a logical way to begin, it is also a good ’step’ in your learning progression - understanding the WHAT you are doing, instead of attempting to create ‘canned’ indicator only trading systems, without any regard as to WHY you are trading this way.

This does become one of the ’sticking’ points in your learning progression, as you come to find out that you are unable to profitably trade indicators as signals only - now what? Now what - you ‘can’t’ develop your own indicators, so you start doing google searches for day trading indicators and start buying your ‘collection’ - they don’t ‘work’ either. Now what - you buy a mechanical trading system - what does hypothetical results may not be indicative of real trading or future results mean? Now what - you start subscribing to signal services OR you start joining the ‘latest and greatest’ chat room - am I really the only person using the signals who isn’t profitable?

Now what - you never learn how to trade.

I began trading as an indicator trader, and I did try to learn everything that I could about the various indicators, as well as trying to combine indicators that were consistent with how I wanted to trade - I just could never develop a mechanical day trading system from what was available to me. I read a couple more books that didn’t really help me, so I then started looking for someone who could teach me. From what I now know about gurus -vs- teachers, I am very lucky that I got involved with a money manager-trader who taught me a tremendous amount, but I still couldn’t get profitable, in part because there was also ‘pressure’ to learn how to trade using real money. As well, any discussions or thoughts about trading psychology and the issues involved, especially to beginning traders, was non-existent.

Now what - learning but losing - I stopped trading.
Learning to trading using real money, and ’scoffing’ at trading psychology as simply individual weakness, really was something that I now regard as misinformation. I always mention this as I now feel that this cost me as much as a year of time, and was very close to costing me my trading future, as stopped trading was VERY close to quitting trading. How can’t trading psychology be real to a beginner, when you consider that you are risking losing money at a very fast pace as a day trader, and when you further consider that you are also doing this when you really don’t know what you are doing - this is NOT by definition being weak. And if trading psychology is real, how are you going to learn to make ‘good’ trading habits with real money while you are fighting the implications?

Now what - not trading and not ready [quite] to quit - still studying and searching.

Probably the single most important ‘thing’ that got me to a next step in learning how to trade, was the concept of a trading setup, and that a setup and a signal were not the same. This was extremely meaningful to me, as it also led to an understanding of how to better use trading indicators for the information that they can provide, but not to use them as trading signals - in essence I began learning about trading method where discretion could be consistently applied -vs- trading system that was mechanical and arithmetic rules.

Traders who are indicator only traders, are also what I refer to right side only traders, that is they are always looking at the right side of their charts for an indicator signal. BUT what about the left side of the chart, what about price and patterns, what about market conditions - WHAT about the relevant ‘things’ that are ‘moving’ price, instead of indicators only as an arithmetic derivative of price, and thus, one that is dependant on the time frame that you have chosen to trade from? These ‘thoughts’, along with the concept of trade setup, became instrumental in the development of a trading method, and how I came to turning my trading around.

When I think about the steps in my learning progression - I would list them as follows:

2/95 - 6/96
indicators only
teaching service that included signals
learning to trading with real money and trading psychology issues
stop trading

6/96 - 3/97
understanding of trading psychology issues
learning about trading setups concept
trading method -vs- trading system
trade setup - trade trigger are not the same
method development
understand the importance of the left side of the chart and what is happening ‘across’ the chart
related trading setups and how/when they triggered
indicators + pattern
indicators + pattern + price
indicators + pattern + price + market conditions

3/97 - 11/97
able to paper trade profitably
able to real money trade profitably
able to trade for a living

Indicator Only Day Trader - Setup Including Indicators Method Day Trader

I have attempted to discuss the way I started day trading, and the way I think many-most traders typically begin. Along with this, I have pointed various issues and problems that I had - those regarding how to learn to trade, and then progressing into a profitable trader. My experiences have been both personal, as well as those of many traders that I have worked with over the last 8-9 years through Tactical Trading - that a very large number of these problems are due to day trading only with indicators, the specific indicators used, along with trying to turn these indicators into a mechanical trading system. This is not to say that this can’t be done - I simply couldn’t do it. However, I would strongly suggest that anyone who is in the early stages of day trading, or struggling with their day trading, consider these things that have been discussed.

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What You Should Know About Currency Trading

25 July, 2009 | Currency Trading | By: patjackson11

Have you heard about FOREX? How currencies are traded?

When you think about Forex, what do you think of first? Which aspects of Forex are important, which are essential, and which ones can you take or leave? You be the judge.

Lets talk about FOREX and advantages of FOREX trading.

The good thing about FOREX is that the amount of money you need to place a trade (known as “margin”) is all that can be lost!

Of course, with the proper self-taught education you will win more than you will lose, but you should know that despite the high leverage of FOREX trading (200:1 is possible, which means that when you put up $1 the trading vendor will allow you to trade it as if you have $200), its still less risky than futures (commodities) trading. And when you trade stocks you can’t get this type of leverage.

Because of the FOREX markets liquidity and twenty four hours continuous trading, dangerous trading gaps and limit moves are eliminated. Orders are executed very quickly, without slippage. If you do your research and find good brokers, they will automatically close some or all of your open positions if your accounts equity falls below the level required to hold the positions. You’ll never lose more than you have in your FOREX account.

Currencies are traded in dollar amounts called *lots* — One lot is equal to $1,000, which controls $100,000 in currency.
This is the “margin” I talked about above. You can control $100,000 worth of currency for only 1,000 dollars.

Currencies are always traded in pairs. The most popular currencies and their symbols are:

USD - The US Dollar
EUR - The currency of the European Union “EURO”
GBP - The British Pound
JPN - The Japanese Yen
CHF - The Swiss Franc
AUD - The Australian Dollar
CAD - The Canadian Dollar

A currency can never be traded by itself, so you can’t trade a USD by itself. You always need to compare one currency with another currency to make a trade possible.

The most commonly traded currency pairs are:

EUR/USD Euro / US Dollar
“Euro”

USD/JPY US Dollar / Japanese Yen
“Dollar Yen”

GBP/USD British Pound / US Dollar
“Cable”

USD/CAD US Dollar / Canadian Dollar
“Dollar Canada”

AUD/USD Australian Dollar/US Dollar
“Aussie Dollar”

USD/CHF US Dollar / Swiss Franc
“Swissy”

EUR/JPY Euro / Japanese Yen
“Euro Yen”

The currency on the left is called the base currency. The currency on the right is the counter currency. For example, when you place an order to buy EUR/USD pair, you are actually buying the EUR and you are selling the USD. When you place an order to sell EUR/USD you are selling the EUR and you are buying the USD. Buying or selling a currency PAIR means buying or selling the base currency, and doing the opposite with the counter currency.

It might seem a little confusing, but actually it is easier to treat the currency PAIR as one item. It means when you place trades you simply sell or buy the pair. The base/counter concept is only important for fundamental analysis.

To decide when to sell or buy you will need to learn technical analysis and/or fundamental analysis.

In currency trading you can make money both, when the currencies go up or down.

The FOREX currency trading is a great way to work from home in your free time. You can trade any time you want, from Monday to Friday. But you must know that you can lose money in FOREX. So, getting the proper education and trading before doing any real trades is a must. Fortunately you can first practice on a demo account, until you get to the point that you win 70% of your trades. Nobody wins 100%. But you can be in profit even with 50% wins.

There are plenty of books and courses to learn currency trading, but be careful with all those $1000+ courses. Usually you can find courses with the same content for much less.

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Currency Trading Tips For Beginners

24 July, 2009 | Currency Trading | By: patjackson11

Currency trading is a platform where individuals speculate on the exchange rate between two currencies. Traders buy and sell currencies hoping to realize a profit. In order to succeed in currency trading you will need a source of accurate and timely information. You’ll need to familiarize yourself with a whole new language.

When you start currency trading you’ll learn what a market trend is and how it will affect your trading. Trends move up, down and sideways. There are also trend classifications within market trends. These classifications are intermediate, short-term and long-term trend. You’ll learn how to look at and understand basic trend lines, which is the most valuable trading. You’ll learn about channel lines and support levels.

When you enter currency trading you’ll be able to make sales online 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, unlike the Stock Market. Many online brokers offer commission free trading and you’ll want to make sure that you have instant execution of your market orders.

A new addition to many currency trading online business sites is the ability to set up a free demo account. This is a good way to get practice about trading and learn about live quotes, charts and streaming news before you start investing with real money.

When you set up your demo account it’s a good time to test the software that the company offers. If you don’t like the software program, contact the company and see how similar it is to the software program you would get if you signed a contract with them. If you don’t like the software program try another broker. Also, decide if you want web based or client based software. Web based software is housed on your brokers website, you won’t have to install any software onto your computer. A web based software program will allow you to log in from any computer that has an internet connection. Client based software is loaded onto your computer, and can only be accessed from that computer, potentially limiting your usage.

Another thing you’ll want to check before choosing an online broker is how quickly they respond to your need for help. Seeing how quickly they respond to your questions could be key in how they respond to customer needs. If you don’t get a speedy and accurate reply you may not want to trust them with your business.

You’ll need to have high speed internet connection in order to succeed in currency trading online. The currency trading market is a fast moving one and dial up internet access will not work well for this. Another consideration could be the location of the servers used by your broker. If your broker’s servers are located quite a distance from you, say in another country, this could potentially slow down your transmissions.

Take you time and investigate online brokers. Talk with friends and family about their dealings with online brokers. Take time and do a thorough evaluation of your options before you trust anyone with your money.

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Is it Possible to Predict the Stock Market Actions?

24 July, 2009 | Currency Trading | By: angelheld

Some who are particularly savvy about stock market predictions have indicated that they knew this recent market plunge was coming. How did they know, you may ask? Their claim is that the economy goes through cycles, and it was time for this recession. You’ve heard the term “timing is everything”. This theory also applies to the stock market. They are cyclical in that they go up, peak, go down and then tank! One cycle is followed by the next, and on it goes. Based on the current trend of the stock market, that may be good news. Perhaps it’s time for the upward cycle soon.

How can the losses from stock market predictions be avoided?

Jokingly, someone might say, just don’t invest in the stock market. However, having a particular strategy in mind when setting up your stock market account can at least prevent losing it all. Always have an exit strategy planned when something unforeseen occurs with your stock, a way to cash out of an investment. For example, place a stop loss order on your account. For those who are not adept at seeing a stock market plunge coming, the stop loss order tells your broker to stop buying the stock when it reaches a certain amount (which you indicate) and sell your shares. Also, there are scale orders which include several limit orders. If it is a buy order, it triggers buying the stock at a lower price. Conversely, if it’s a sell order, the limit order will increase in price, allowing the trader to lock in profit returns.

Trading with greater confidence regardless of trends

Some traders are very selective with which stocks they choose. Because they feel they have picked a stock that is of value regardless of market fluctuations, they take a buy and hold strategy. They are not concerned about prediction indicators. This trader will hold onto a particular stock or two for a very long period of time, believing in its ability to recover even if it has recently taken quite a fall. One advantage is that long term investments are taxed at a lower rate than short term investments.

Is the stock market risky? Yes.

Honestly speaking, no one believes that there is system that can predict the future of the stock market. Nevertheless, millions and millions of people are investing millions and millions of dollars each day. An astounding number of individuals have been successful in making huge amounts of money through their investments. Even though it’s a gamble, it’s probably a lot safer than waiting for a payout at Las Vegas. Staying with the value stocks is a very good way to make money over time. Ask Warren Buffett, one of the richest men in the world. He uses a very conservative strategy in buying stocks.

Caterina Christakos is a private investor and published author. To get more information go to: http://www.highyieldinvestmentreview.com

Are There Really Big Gains To Be Made From Forex Trading?

23 July, 2009 | Currency Trading | By: jamesw

A lot of people get the wrong idea about forex trading. They hear these stories about people creating substantial wealth just by trading the currency markets and automatically assume that it happened in a short space of time. However the fact is that is probably took these top traders several years before they starting seeing some decent returns.

It is not easy to do either. In fact making money from forex trading is one of the most challenging occupations available to you, particularly if you are risking your own money. Anyone that tells you it’s easy is lying.

To start generating some decent profits from forex trading, you need to spend lots of time creating your own profitable trading system. This can take several months or years, and may not happen at all in some cases.

The crucial point is that you should not be looking to try and make a quick buck from forex trading. Of course with the option of using leverage it is possible to make some huge gains in a short space of time, at least in theory, but by the same token you can also lose big sums of money as well if your trading position goes against you.

If you really want to target those big gains you should try and do so over long periods of time. By compounding your capital each month and developing a system that gives you steady profits in the long run, you can achieve such wealth just as easily. It just takes longer that’s all.

For instance if you can grow your trading account by as little as 3-4% each month, then you will be sitting on some huge profits in a couple of years time. It’s not that difficult to do either. Providing you only risk a small percentage of your capital on any one trade and you use a strict stop loss at all times, then you can easily achieve these kinds of profit targets.

The problem for most people comes when they experience a couple of losing trades consecutively. This happens to everyone at some point, but losing trades are part of the game. No trading system wins all of the time but as long as you remain disciplined and stick to your well-established system, then you should be okay in the long run.

So to sum up, while there are indeed big gains to be made from forex trading, there is a right way and a wrong way to go about achieving these kinds of gains. The right way is to look at the bigger picture and try and grow your account slowly and steadily, whilst the wrong way is to simply gamble with your money by targeting highly speculative positions using huge amounts of leverage.

Click here for more information about a forex course that will teach you all the basics of forex trading, and to read a full review of Forex Nitty Gritty.

Stock Market Trading Software

20 July, 2009 | Currency Trading | By: angelheld

Your Online Trading Sources. Many investors really enjoy making their own trades and managing their own stock portfolios. And due to internet stock trade brokers and stock market trading software, self management of stock portfolios is a very real opportunity. Some retirees come to enjoy managing their own portfolio and investments as a way to fill some of their postretirement hours. One phrase that comes to mind is “Money is only a tool. It will take you wherever you wish to go, but it will not replace you as the driver.” With stock market trading software, you are in the driver’s seat.

One such software is called MarketBrowser and is free software with which you are able to monitor and research your investments. This software also tracks the equities market and the major currencies, (if you are into FOREX trading). The software can actually be downloaded to your own computer for the convenience of using it whenever you like. There is a privacy policy that you will want to read before downloading.

Then there is the AutoTrader Review, which has nothing whatsoever to do with the buying or selling of automobiles, but is software specifically for traders who wish to buy and sell equities, not automobiles. Don’t be confused by the name.

There is also investment software for the Day Trader at daytradingrobot. Day trading is somewhat risky, however, and requires a certain talent to succeed. This writer is not recommending any certain software, just bringing the stock investor information about the fact that software is available online.

How expensive is online trading?

Trading with online brokers is different than having your own software for research and in some cases, online trades. The software you download is usually a real time look at what’s happening at the moment in the various markets.

Utilize the downloadable stock market trading software. These will keep you informed regarding the direction your investments are taking for the day. There are some names in online stock brokering that you will recognize, such as Ameritrade, Scott-trade, just to name a couple. There is a cost involved in trading with either of these two brokers. You will be required to pay $7 for each stock purchase with Scott-trade. For example, if you want to buy 10 shares of a stock that is $15 per share, you will need to have settled funds available for trading of at least $157.00. $150 is for the cost of the 10 shares of stock and a $7 fee for the trade.

Settled funds are what you have in your account after a purchase or sale of stock has been requested. This settled amount usually takes 5 days to be reflected in your account. Research the stock trading software that is available on the internet. There is much to be learned and you have a real incentive to do so. These are your investments, made with your hard earned money and you have the most interest in their success.

Caterina Christakos is a private investor and published author. To get more information go to: http://financialinvestmentsdirectory.com

Managed Forex Account - What Is It?

20 July, 2009 | Currency Trading | By: ryanmoxie

In this day economic recession investing extra funds has become paramount. In searching how to best invest your money you may wish to check into having a managed Forex account. It is always easier and safe to let a qualified person handle your money. Understanding what a managed Forex account is can be confusing. This article will hopefully help you to understand it better.

A managed Forex account basically allows someone who manages your money to trade your money on your behalf for a slight fee. This type of investing is close to hiring an advisor to manage your equities as well as bonds. The fees as well as the returns between the various accounts can greatly vary. You should really do research before making your final decision on the option you choose.

One type of managed Forex account teaches the person managing the money various signals and interpretation. This helps to keep any over analytical thinking from occurring when it comes to wins and losses. The other type of managed Forex account will use the firm of the broker’s to trade. Just remember there is no such thing as a perfect way to make money. Most firms will keep their programs for trading very close to home because sellers do not want to share the information.

You are probably wondering what a managed Forex account entails. Many clients are interested in the Forex trading market because the trading takes place 24 hours a day, the liquidity of the assets is high, the costs to start are low, and many other reasons. The downside is that many traders have difficulty learning in trading the currency due to not having the time to commit to it. Due to the above stated reason, a managed Forex account is the way to go. It is actually established and funded by the client and then traded by the company or a professional on behalf of the company. The person investing will have a rate of return that is reasonable and the best part is the investor does not have to do the trading. The opportunity to invest in this type of program opens the door to the whole world for you.

You will find hundreds of investment professionals ready to start you with a managed Forex account. Just be sure to do research and find the ones that specialize in managed Forex accounts. The professionals that specialize in it are trustworthier because they spend every bit of their time as well as effort mainly in exchange of currency. Your confidence in them will grow at a lightening quick pace because of their professionalism. You could get a return on your investment between 5% and 20% a month.

The professional may actually take a fee even though there is no return for you. Be sure to check out the firm you wish to use. If you are searching for a way to make more money at a steady pace for a lengthy period of time without having the ups and downs with trading yourself. If you have the money and have chosen a reputable firm to represent you, then a managed Forex account could be a fantastic opportunity.

Ryan Moxie helps you understand how forex investing can be done with a forex managed account.

Are You Placing Too Much Faith In Your Chosen Forex Broker?

18 July, 2009 | Currency Trading | By: jamesw

A lot of people do not spend anywhere near enough time choosing the right forex broker. They will quickly choose one that offers an attractive sign-up bonus, or one that offers high leverage and decent charting software, for instance, but there are arguably more important factors that you should consider.

For a start you need to look at where the forex broker is actually based. It’s not generally a good sign if they are based offshore because this will generally mean that they are unregulated by any controlling body.

Therefore can you really feel confident depositing money with such a company? If you make some decent profits, you may have difficulties withdrawing your winnings, and furthermore if the company runs into financial difficulties, they may simply disappear overnight with no prior warning.

You’re much better off choosing a well-established forex broker that’s operating in a major European country or the US, for example, and are also fully regulated by the financial regulatory body for that particular country, so you know your money is safe.

For instance in the US fully regulated forex brokers are generally members of the National Futures Association (NFA) and are regulated by the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Similarly forex brokers in the UK, for example, are regulated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA).

Once you have drawn up a shortlist of brokers that are all fully regulated, then you can start narrowing down your list according to the criteria you are looking for. For instance you may be interested in opening an account that offers a free demo account or you may be interested in choosing a broker that provides complimentary charting software free of charge.

However it’s still worth pointing out that just because a company is fully regulated doesn’t necessarily make them completely trustworthy. You should also do plenty of research online before opening an account and depositing any of your hard-earned money.

This is quite easy to do because there are lots of review sites online so you can easily access a whole wealth of reviews on any broker that you may come across. Nearly all brokers will have one or two negative reviews, but if lots of people complain about the same thing, then that’s a major warning sign that you should avoid that particular broker.

Overall though if you take plenty of time to choose a long-established and fully regulated broker that has mainly positive reviews from other traders, then you won’t go far wrong.

Click here to read a full Zecco Forex review and to find out more about what you should be looking for when choosing from one of the many different online forex brokers.