4 Steps to Become a Successful Forex Trader (for dummies)

by FinanceAttitude.com

To become a successful forex trader, you need to learn, practice and set a clear plan for the trade. Getting into the forex business is easy and you can follow a few simple steps. You need to learn how to mitigate losses while maximizing profits which you can achieve by identifying good trade setups that have a positive risk and reward set up. Here are 4 steps you can follow to become a successful forex trader:

Step 1: Research and open an online forex brokerage
Research on different forex brokerage accounts available in the market that is regulated by an oversight body. Visit their website, ensure that it has active links and read reviews about them. Find out the transactions cost per trade. Request for information about opening an account with them, you can choose either a personal or a managed account. A personal account enables you to execute your own trades and the broker will execute trades for you in a managed account.

Step 2: Use a Demo Account
The next step is to open a demo account that acts as a trading account with monopoly money in it which is connected to the live market. You can place trades just like in trading in a live account and have true losses and gains represented in real time. You should be able to trade profitably on your paper trading or demo account. You need to do a lot of practice before you commit your real cash to this trade. Using a demo account, you can practice the trade until you are contented. This is quite helpful because it gives the feel of the trading platform and you get well acquainted/versed with its features. However, do not overtrade on a demo account, switch to a live trading account as soon as you are ready.

Step 3: Learn and practice FX trading before going live
Another important aspect of forex trading is learning the forex trading terminologies. You can read material and watch webinars to understand forex trading better. Get advice from a forex trainer. You will need to develop unique trading style and strategies as a trader. Developing such strategies takes time and efforts and is a trial and error process. You can choose to become a swing trader, a positional trader etc. Set stop-loss order for every trade. Set a margin of about 2% per single trade. Never place a trade in a bid to compensate a previously incurred loss. Trade at the moment that you feel its right and never fear losses, every trader has them.

Step 4: Get the trading capital and start trading
Forex trading doesn’t necessarily require a lot of minimum capital to trade. The forex trader should seek to trade on margin. On average a forex broker requires at least $300 to open an account and to begin trading. A general rule of the thumb is to have at $1,000-$2,000 to open a mini account. It helps the trader to have a bit of buffer in case of losses. The idea is to avoid risking the entire amount but rather have just a higher cushion so that you can remain as a trader for longer. It is difficult to know when you are fully ready to switch to live trading. The process should take about a month after you gather a good understanding of the market and the risks involved in forex trade. You need to analyze the market and then determine your margin. You can then place your order, for example, a market order, a limit order or a stop order.

It takes time effort and passion to become successful in forex trading. Keep on keeping on until you all master the tricks of the trade.

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