If you want to be involved in forex trading, one of the first things that you will need to do is to find yourself a broker. Now, these types of brokers are a dime of dozen. What you need to focus on is how to choose a forex broker that is right for you.
How to Choose a Forex Broker That is Right for You
By employing a broker that is compatible with your needs and expertise level, you are much likely to be able to trade more successfully. Here are some of the tips you can follow for finding your best possible option:
Is the Broker Regulated?
As mentioned, you will find no shortage of brokers on the internet. This can make deciding between the legitimate ones and the scams quite difficult. If you want to be assured that you are making the right decision, then it is best to opt for a broker that is regulated by an authoritative agency.
Each country has a regulatory association that is responsible for forex brokers within their borders. For the United States, this is the National Futures Association and the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission, while in the UK it is the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority.Australian brokers are managed by the Australian Securities and Investment Commission whereas the Swiss brokers have to be regulated by the Swiss Federal Banking Commission.
In Germany, there is the Bundesanstalt für Finanzdienstleistungsaufsicht (BaFin) while France and Canada adhere to rules set by the Autorité des Marchés Financiers.
What are the Account Offerings Like?
Each broker is going to make various promises regarding the leverage and margin, commissions and spreads, as well as the minimum initial deposit. It is a good idea to make comparisons between the brokers to decide which one is making the best offerings for you.
Each broker is going to have different accounts and then ask for varying minimal deposits. It is always a good idea to stick with an account that you can afford so that you don’t run out of cash too quickly.
If the leverage that is offered is competitive, then you can significantly increase on your initial deposit. However, to avoid falling into debt, you should remember to limit how you use the leverage.
There are two ways that brokers make money – commissions and spreads. Those that are involved in commissions generally charge a certain percentage of the spread. The brokers that don’t charge commissions, though, and make money from wide spreads. As such, it is best to stick with more popular currency pairs with these type of brokers.
What Currency Pairs are Offered?
There are some currency pairs that are known as majors. These include the EUR/USD, USD/JPY, GBP/USD, and USD/CHF. If you are interested in trading with these or others that are similarly popular, you are in luck as almost every broker is offering these. If you want something more exotic, though, you will have to first ascertain that a broker that you are interested in actually offers these pairings.
What is the Trading Platform Like?
If you aren’t able to use a particular trade properly, there is a good chance that you will make numerous mistakes with your trades. As a result, you can lose a lot of money. To avoid this, you will need to find a trading platform that you are comfortable using. All of the controls and features must be easy to use and you should have no problem entering or exiting a trade. Similarly, it should offer you a lot of trading tools to choose from. Trading alerts and automated trading options can also help you a great deal when trading.
How Easy it to Deposit and Withdraw Money?
To make quick trades, you are going to need to deposit money into your account quite quickly. So, in addition to bank transfers and checks, you should also be able to place money into your account via credit cards and PayPal for faster options. Now, you should also look at the methods as well as the terms and conditions surrounding your withdrawal options. These tend to be tricky so you should ensure that you can take your money out with minimal hassle and cost to you.
This is how to choose a forex broker that is right for you. With some research and due diligence, you should be able to decide on one that is reliable as well as profitable.