Is Forex Trading Gambling?
In this article
Would you like to know if forex trading is gambling or not? There are a staggering number of forex broker scams on the internet. Many unscrupulous brokers remain in business despite the forex market becoming more regulated.
If you want to trade forex, you should choose a reliable and viable broker and avoid those who aren’t. It is essential to separate trustworthy brokers from those with shady dealings before depositing large amounts of capital with a broker.
It isn’t easy to make money when a broker operates in a way that completely opposes the trader, even with the best broker.
How does forex trading work?
Like a currency exchange overseas, forex trade involves one currency being bought and sold, and the exchange rate constantly fluctuates in response to supply and demand.
A forex market trades currencies around the clock every day of the week. Forex trading is over-the-counter (OTC), which means there is no physical exchange (as there are for stocks). Instead of a central exchange (as there is for stocks), a global network of financial institutions oversees trading.
Forex traders affiliated with banks, fund managers, or multinational corporations make up most of the trade activity!
In addition, the traders might not own the currencies; they might speculate about future exchange rate fluctuations.
Forex Traders expect the value of the US dollar to increase, able to buy more euros to buy dollars and sell euros.
During this time, an American company with European operations could use the forex market to hedge against the Euro’s weakening. It is essential to separate trustworthy brokers from those with shady dealings before depositing large amounts of capital with a broker.
How did forex get its start?
Historians debate the origins of the forex market. One scholar says it dates back thousands of years. Mesopotamia tribes were the first to adopt the barter system traded goods for other goods.
This system established the first exchange between regions as traders traded spices and salt between ships.
Before transferring a more significant amount of capital to a broker, several steps must be taken to distinguish trustworthy brokers from those with shady dealings.
There are several reasons why forex is an appealing market, even for beginners. First, as a result, traders have access to the market throughout the day, even when other markets are closed.
A forex pair is comprised of how much one unit of the base currency is worth in the quote currency. That’s why forex trading involves selling one currency to buy another – the price of a forex pair is the value of one unit of the base currency in the quote currency.
The US dollar is rarely traded in major currency pairs, but major currencies are often paired against each other.
What is the process of trading forex?
The currency pairs trading are used for hedging or speculation in forex trading. A retail investor needs to open a brokerage account, fund it, and trade forex.
Those who believe that the US dollar will rise between the Japanese Yen and the US dollar could set up this arrangement and buy US dollars and sell Japanese Yens afterwards.
Investors who believe the Euro will decline relative to the Dollar can open one lot of a sell position on EUR/USD if they believe the Euro will decline.
They will profit if they place the correct bet in either case. Conversely, loss occurs if their prediction is incorrect.
The number of currency units that an investor trades is called a lot. Standard, mini, micro, and nano lots consist of 100,000, 10,000, 1,000, and 100 currency units.
How does currency trading work?
All currencies have three-letter codes, just like a stock ticker. For example, the US dollar plays an essential role in most forex trading even though there are more than 170 currencies worldwide, so it’s essential to know it is coded as USD.
The Euro (EUR) is ranked second on the list, being accepted in 19 countries within the European Union. There are several reasons why forex is an appealing market, even for beginners.
As a result, traders have access to the market throughout the day, even when other markets are closed.
As well as the Japanese yen (JPY), the New Zealand dollar (NZD), the Australian Dollar (AUD), the Canadian Dollar (CAD), and the Swiss franc (CHF) are other major currencies.
Forex trading involves combining two currencies into one. Forex trading is dominated by the following major currency pairs, which account for about 75% of all trading:
- EUR/USD
- USD/JPY
- GBP/USD
- AUD/USD
- USD/CAD
- USD/CHF
- NZD/USD
How does a forex trade quote work?
Currency pairs represent the current exchange rate between two currencies. As an example, let’s take EUR/USD as our example.
- On the left, you can see the Euro is the base currency.
- A dollar is described on the right as the quote currency (the United States dollar).
One unit of the quote currency is needed for every unit of the base currency. Since the entire base currency is always one unit, the quote currency changes depending on the market and how much base currency is needed to buy one unit of the quote currency.
1.2 EUR/USD = 1 EUR = 1 USD (or, put another way, 1 USD = 1 EUR).
Since one Euro buys more US dollars when the exchange rate increases, the base currency gains value over the quote currency. The base currency loses value when the exchange rate falls.
Throughout history, there have been exceptions regarding when to refer to currency pairs as the base currency and the quote currency. For example, EUR/USD is given rather than USD/EUR for the USD to EUR conversion.
How can you trade forex in three ways?
When we trade forex, we speculate about future price movements, not exchange currencies (as we might do when travelling at a currency exchange).
A forex trader buys or sells currencies based on their belief that their value will increase or decrease against other currencies.
There are several reasons why forex is an appealing market, even for beginners. First, as a result, traders have access to the market throughout the day, even when other markets are closed.
There are three ways traders can trade forex depending on their goals:
- The spot market is a primary forex market where demand and supply determine the real exchange rate.
- Forex traders can also lock in upcoming exchange rates through binding (private) contracts with other traders for a certain amount of currency later.
- A trader can also purchase or sell a currency at a future date by signing a standardised contract. A forwarding contract is private, but a standardised contract is public.
Forex traders use forward and futures markets to speculate on or hedge against future changes in currencies. Most forex trades are executed on the market, the largest market. As a result, the spot market determines exchange rates.
Forex glossary
Each market has a language that is specific to that market. Here are some terms you should know before you start trading forex:
- A currency pair is involved in every forex trade. Then there are exotic commodities (currencies from developing countries), which go beyond the majors.
- As a unit of measurement, a pip determines the range within which a currency pair may fluctuate. For example, because forex prices are quoted to four decimal places, a pip equals 0.0001.
- The exchange rate is determined by buying and selling currencies (bids and asks). Buyers bid by offering a certain amount (the bid), while sellers ask by offering a certain amount (the ask). Trades are ultimately executed at the spread value between these two amounts.
- In the forex market, lots are standardised currency units. Therefore, in addition to micro (1,001) and mini (10,001) lots, there is also an average lot size of 100,000 units.
- Traders may be discouraged from executing trades due to the large lot sizes. In the forex market, traders can borrow money without depositing a large amount. This translates into borrowing money without putting up a large deposit.
- Margins are not free. Traders need to deposit a margin when making a transaction.
The forex market is driven by what?
In addition to the demand and supply of buyers and sellers, the price of currencies is also determined by supply and demand. Therefore, macroeconomic factors also play a role in this market.
Various factors contribute to the demand for specific currencies, including interest rates, central bank policies, economic growth, and political factors.
When news comes out on the forex market, traders can react to it right away, even if that same news won’t affect the stock market for several weeks or months. Since so much currency trading involves speculation or hedging, currency traders need to be aware of dynamics that could lead to sharp spikes in currencies.
Benefits and drawbacks of forex trading
The benefits of forex include scalability, leverage, and deep liquidity. Forex brokers may also advertise that fees are non-existent.
One of the significant appeals of forex trading is the tiny capital requirement. Trading forex can be done with leverage, so you don’t need a lot of cash.
Using currency pairs as a proxy for changes in stock and bond values, scaling refers to making trades based on price changes. There are no restrictions on day trading on the forex market.
There are, however, some drawbacks. Gains and losses can be accelerated by leverage, for example. Also, the forex market has a high degree of liquidity. So it isn’t easy to make real money in this market without leverage.
Leverage can cause substantial risks for retail traders if they don’t understand how it works and has easy access.
There are risks associated with foreign exchange trading. For example, in forex trading, traders use leverage and margin, which are higher risks than other assets.
Currency trading involves constantly fluctuating prices in small amounts, so traders must engage in large trades (with leverage).
The leverage allows traders to maximise profits if they make a winning bet. However, it is possible that losses can be magnified, even exceeding the amount borrowed.
Leverage users may be forced to sell securities if currency values fall too far. Moreover, transaction costs can reduce the profitability of a trade.
Furthermore, we suggest that you do not forget that foreign exchange traders are little fish in a pond full of seasoned, skilled professionals – and the Securities and Exchange Commission cautions that new traders should beware of potential frauds and inaccurate information.
The lack of widespread forex trading may benefit individual investors. According to DailyForex, retail forex trading only makes up 5.5% of the global cryptocurrency market. Moreover, many significant brokers don’t even offer to trade!
Most retail forex traders are struggling to make a profit. A recent report shows that 71% of retail forex traders lose money on average. Because of this, forex trading is mainly carried out by professionals.
Why should the average consumer care about forex trading?
The forex market affects everyone, affecting the average investor, even though an individual shouldn’t touch it. We will pay more for exports and travel when the spot market is active.
The US dollar’s strength against the Euro, for example, will make it easier for Americans to travel abroad and purchase imports (US dollars will buy more euros).
Alternatively, a weaker dollar makes travelling abroad more expensive and imports more expensive (but will boost exports).
When purchasing imported goods or travelling outside the US, you should pay attention to the forex market’s exchange rate.
Bottom line
Making money through forex trading is legal. However, the forex market is full of scams, so you should know how to avoid them.
Forex trading is a profitable industry-there are many forex traders who earn consistent profits every year.
The forex market offers traders a lot of leverage, allows them to trade 24/7, and starts with minimal capital. In addition, they can easily trade using online brokers because they have many options to choose from.
The risks associated with these investments outweigh the potential gains. First, leverage can magnify losses, so retail traders who want to participate will face competition from financial institutions.
Jason Morgan is an experienced forex analyst and writer with a deep understanding of the financial markets. With over 15+ years of industry experience, he has honed his skills in analyzing and forecasting currency movements, providing valuable insights to traders and investors.
Forex Content Writer | Market Analyst
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