The Foreign Exchange Market is one of the most popular financial markets for speculation. The forex market or the trading of currencies is the largest market in the world with an average daily volume of $1.9 trillion per day. As governments, large businesses and banks do most of the trading, the average investor is in the dark when it comes to details about this huge monetary market. Because it is so large yet relatively unknown by the masses, many myths have spread regarding various aspects of the market. Due to the market's enormous size, liquidity and tendency for currencies to move in strong trends some refer to it as the closest market to the ideal perfect competition, not withstanding market manipulation by central banks. Many foreign exchange traders ended up losing by coming up with false expectations on market psychology and miscalculating profit potential with loss probability.
One myth that has been in the forex market is a low risk proposition. In fact, trading in currencies can be more risky than trading in equities, as the market for currency is considered over the counter (OTC), and is not a highly regulated market such as the New York Stock Exchange or NASDAQ. Because of this lack of regulation, the market is open to manipulation, which can often leave the small retail investor with huge losses. As the forex market is not centralized like a large equities market, it can often be difficult to prove that any manipulation has occurred, so investors are not as protected. In addition, the forex market is open 24 hours a day, except on weekends, and is influenced by events all over the world, so often things can happen internationally that will affect the market while an investor is caught unaware. The forex market is also typically more volatile than the various equity markets, which can mean huge price fluctuations, which compound the risk to the investor.
Trading in the foreign exchange market takes a lot of will-power combined with rational thinking and self discipline to withstand the market's volatility. Short-term trading is not an amateur's game and is usually not the path for quick riches. One cannot hope to make extraordinary gains without taking extraordinary risks. A trading strategy that involves taking a high degree of risk means suffering inconsistent trading performance and often could incur to large losses.
A corollary to this myth is that some believe trading on margin is risk-free. When an investor trades on margin, he is borrowing money from the investment brokerage to invest in a market, using what is called leverage. By using this loan, one can keep any profits that are generated by the investment without having to come up with the initial money. The loan is eventually repaid when the investment is sold. Many traders use this tool extremely well, making much more money than they would earn using only their own money. But this opportunity also involves a substantial risk, in that if the price of the investment goes down substantially, the brokerage may be forced to give the trader a margin call. When this happens, the investment is sold automatically to pay back part of the loan, and the investor is left with a bill for the remaining part of the loan that was not repaid. Brokerage houses do this to protect their equity in the loan and to make sure that they get at least part of the amount back.
Trading into the currency market is not easy, and many traders with years of trading experience still incur periodic losses. One must realize that trading takes knowledge and time to master and there are absolutely no shortcuts to this process. Though currencies may seem exotic or less familiar than traditional financial markets, the rules of finance and simple logic are not suspended. Successful traders believe that the timing and execution of the trade is the most crucial part of foreign exchange trading in addition of not going against and chasing the market's trend.
While many myths involving trading in the forex market have been circulated regarding the risk level, the truth is that many people have made a substantial amount of income trading in foreign currencies. By finding a reputable broker, one can mitigate the risk and still take advantage of one of the most volatile and exciting investment markets in the world.