Here is a short but useful (especially to beginners) article I’ve found written by a fellow forex trader named Davion Wong. Enjoy, and apply these rules!
By Davion Wong
Published: November 26, 2007
Picking the right forex trading broker can be a tedious exercise for most traders. There are more than a hundred online brokers today and more are coming on board. Since the foreign exchange market is worth trillions of dollars, it offers lucrative opportunities for brokers to set up their firm online. The challenge is with too many choices, it is hard to decide which is best for you. This piece of information would provide you with the necessary tips to pick an ideal forex trading broker.
Since the foreign exchange market is decentralized, it can be hard to identify fraudulent practices by unscrupulous brokers. When finding a broker, do make sure to follow the following pointers and your chances of finding an honest and reliable forex trading broker are dramatically increased!
1. Always request for references that you can speak with.
2. Do a check with the local regulatory agencies and make sure that the forex trading broker is registered. For US-based brokers, see if they are registered as Futures Commission Merchants (FCM) with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and registered with National Futures Association (NFA).
3. Compare the account details such as the minimum deposit required, leverage, spreads and so on. Ask them specifically are there any commissions chargeable, lot fees, etc. This is to ensure you do not incur hidden costs. Some sneaky traders deliberately give you an impression that they are the cheapest to use but in actual fact load you on hidden charges.
4. The trading platform needs to be user-friendly. Many traders especially first-timers find it challenging to navigate around the site just to make sense of the charts and currency prices. If there are demo accounts, try them.
5. REQUOTING. This is a big pitfall that many traders fell into before realizing. Low spreads and commissions do not mean much if the forex trading broker decides to “trick” you with requoting. Basically, what it means is that when you transact with a buy/sell call for a currency pair at a certain price, the broker requotes and charge you on the requoted price rather than what you see.
The difference in transacted prices can be as much as 9 pips and beyond. Be wary of those dealers that keep requoting when you are making huge gains! It is common to have occasional ones but when it happens way too often, you should smell a rat. Always choose one that have a “no requoting” policy.
Well, now you are in a better position to find an ideal broker to work with. Be adventurous and start your search now. While forex trading carries risks, it is also a place where people make their riches.
Support the writer of this great article by visiting Davion’s wildly popular Forex Trading Made Easy blog.