�����֧ܧ�

Beginner's Guide

WELCOME to the world of trading foreign exchange, or Forex or FX. The biggest financial market in the world and increasingly the choice of individual traders armed with just a mouse, computer and high-speed Internet connection.

Once seen as just a market for professional traders, trading Forex has become easier than ever for all types of investor as new electronic trading platforms have emerged and greater transparency and information flows have made it accessible to all. In addition, the benefits of currency trading for individuals have become more widely appreciated.

Forex traders have access to global currency markets 24 hours a day during the working week (actually six and a half days) and can take advantage of rolling news to take decisions on their positions in the world's major currencies. Given the sheer scale of trading - about US$ 2 trillion dollars every day - there is never any problem with liquidity.

In fact, it is estimated that only 5% of global currency trading is to do with the actual demand by governments, businesses and travelers for foreign currency. The rest is attributed to speculation on Forex movements caused by economic, political and social events as they occur.

Potentially Substantial Rewards
Forex traders have to be ahead of the game to succeed. And the rewards can be substantial, given the opportunity to leverage up trades far more than in most futures trading or equity markets. Forex trading platforms such as Ikon Group's generally offer leverage is 100 to 1 or 200 to 1, meaning that US$100,000 or US$100,000 of foreign currency can be traded with only US$1,000 or US$500(called margin).

Obviously, this can lead to significant gains from only small currency movements, although - as ever - there are downside risks.

But the opportunity to identify several trading opportunities during every 24 hours cycle with such leverage is clearly of massive appeal to anyone who is a trader at heart.

There are other significant advantages to Forex trading, such as a tight and transparent spread, speed of execution and lower trading costs than for any other market.