How to start Forex Trading in South Africa
1. How much do you need to trade forex?
This depends on the broker you use but in most cases it is R5000 or even less. The even bigger advantage is that most brokers give you a demo or dummy account to practice using their platform / software without risking your own money. This gives you a great opportunity without you having to risk 1 cent of your money. So in summary you do not need a cent to start practicing and a small amount to start trading.
2. It is very easy to start.
As we mentioned earlier there is a higher learning curve than most people think, it is however by no means difficult to get going. What you need is an internet connection, a trading device in the form of either a PC, tablet or smartphone, a trading platform, this is the software that allows you to execute trades, and a strategy or system. There are many strategies and systems, have a look on the safx.co.za website for more information on trading strategies and trading systems.
3. There is great software available.
A few years ago you basically had to be a mathematician to take advantage of technical indicators and other trading tools as you had to work out values with complex formulae. Nowadays you are able to take advantage of tools and software that have made the process of decision-making in online trading much easier. At SAFX we have developed a number of trading tools and software that will aid you in your decision making process. It is very important to watch out for scams when it comes to software as there are many products out there that just do not do what they promise. For peace of mind have a look at our products or let us assist you to determine whether or not a product is suitable or not.
4. Forex is the biggest market in the world.
There are a huge amount of currencies and currency combinations, or what most people refer to as currency pairs, that you can trade. The forex market has an estimated daily trading volume of roughly 5 Trillion Dollars. Yes that does mean that $5 Trillion is moved in the forex market everyday.
5. How much commission do you pay to trade forex?
Well to be quite frank this depends on your broker but mostly the commissions payable i forex is in the form of a spread. A spread just means that if a dollar is worth R14 the broker will sell it to you at R14.03 and the R0.03 would be the commission. It depends on the currencies that are traded. Your most traded currencies are the cheapest. In most cases the EURUSD pair would be the cheapest and a good indication whether the broker is competitive or not.
6. You can manage your risk.
As we said earlier forex trading can be risky and you can lose your entire investment. It is very important to note however that you can take full control of your risk and how much you are comfortable with. You determine your risk on every trade and you can trade forex very safely if you have a good risk management system in place.
7. You can trade currencies from anywhere in the world.
As you only need a trading device with an internet connection and a forex trading account you can trade from anywhere in the world. You do not have to be stuck in an office. You can literally trade forex while travelling the world. You obviously would have to learn to do so properly beforehand but it is a real possibility. Have a look at our trading education packages at safx.co.za
8. What is liquidity in trading?
The forex market is the most liquid market in the world, this simply means when you are ready to buy you can do so at the click of a button and when you are ready to sell you can also do so at the click of a button. When trading shares you need shares available to buy and when you want to sell there has to be a willing buyer on the other side. In forex this is not the case. You buy when you want and sell when you want.