Forex Leverage Explained
One of the features of forex markets that differentiate it from other financial markets is the astronomical level of leverage that is commonplace in the forex world. Whats so special about Forex Leverage?
Some Forex brokers can offer up to 400:1 leverage on the average retail trading account. The usual level of leverage is 100:1. The implications of this are mind boggling. This means that $1 in a traders forex account can control up to $400 in a currency trade. No other financial market offers even close to this level of leverage.
Forex leverage is a double edged sword. Forex leverage can both be a very positive feature as well as a very negative one. By definition, leverage is type of financial magnification. While it is true that high leverage magnifies profits, it also magnifies losses equally.
High leverage of the magnitude found in forex trading can offer tremendous possibilities to the upside as well as the downside. However, you need to use it with a great deal of caution. This high level of leverage summarily wipes out otherwise healthy trading accounts often.
Common leverage ratios offered by forex brokers range from 50:1 on the low side all the way up to 400:1 on the high side. The sheer magnitude of this leverage, even on the lows side, far eclipses, the amount of leverage available in other financial markets.
Suppose that 400:1 leverage is utilized. In practical terms, what this means to you as a forex trader is that a standard lot of $100,000 for example can be traded in EUR/USD currency pair with only $250 in trading account margin.
You must have seen many ads by forex brokers that say that you can start trading with as little as $250. You will be surprise that you only need $250 in your account to start trading. $250 in your forex trading account can control a trade of $100,000 using 400:1 leverage in this particular example. For every $1, you as a forex trader are in fact controlling a whopping $400 in other words.
Some brokers even advertise that you can open a trading account with $50. With $50 you can trade a mini lot of $10,000 using a 200:1 leverage ratio. The fact that a small amount of money can control a large amount of money in forex trading can certainly serve to magnify potential profits. Can you handle this much leverage while trading? The amount of risk involved in using this high level of leverage is also equally magnified, however on the flip side of the coin.
Therefore, it is advisable to use caution when trading with the substantial leverage common in forex trading. High leverage trading is aggressive trading that is both characterized by high risk and high reward potential.
Dont get hoodwinked by the forex broker advertisements. Too much leverage is dangerous. Even a small movement in the market can be magnified many times by using leverage making large profits for you when the market moves in your favor. Now this is the positive side. You need leverage in forex markets because the size of the currency pair movements is too small. So you need to magnify it with leverage. However, when the market moves even a small amount against your position, your whole trading account can get wiped out. This is the dark side of using too high a leverage.
You need to know the safe level of leverage you can use in your trading. In the beginning, dont use more than 5:1 leverage in your trading. You can increase that level to 10:1 or 20:1 with experience, but this much leverage would be sufficient for you. Once you really start trading like a professional trader than you can use 100:1 ratio to trade a standard lot. - 23305
Some Forex brokers can offer up to 400:1 leverage on the average retail trading account. The usual level of leverage is 100:1. The implications of this are mind boggling. This means that $1 in a traders forex account can control up to $400 in a currency trade. No other financial market offers even close to this level of leverage.
Forex leverage is a double edged sword. Forex leverage can both be a very positive feature as well as a very negative one. By definition, leverage is type of financial magnification. While it is true that high leverage magnifies profits, it also magnifies losses equally.
High leverage of the magnitude found in forex trading can offer tremendous possibilities to the upside as well as the downside. However, you need to use it with a great deal of caution. This high level of leverage summarily wipes out otherwise healthy trading accounts often.
Common leverage ratios offered by forex brokers range from 50:1 on the low side all the way up to 400:1 on the high side. The sheer magnitude of this leverage, even on the lows side, far eclipses, the amount of leverage available in other financial markets.
Suppose that 400:1 leverage is utilized. In practical terms, what this means to you as a forex trader is that a standard lot of $100,000 for example can be traded in EUR/USD currency pair with only $250 in trading account margin.
You must have seen many ads by forex brokers that say that you can start trading with as little as $250. You will be surprise that you only need $250 in your account to start trading. $250 in your forex trading account can control a trade of $100,000 using 400:1 leverage in this particular example. For every $1, you as a forex trader are in fact controlling a whopping $400 in other words.
Some brokers even advertise that you can open a trading account with $50. With $50 you can trade a mini lot of $10,000 using a 200:1 leverage ratio. The fact that a small amount of money can control a large amount of money in forex trading can certainly serve to magnify potential profits. Can you handle this much leverage while trading? The amount of risk involved in using this high level of leverage is also equally magnified, however on the flip side of the coin.
Therefore, it is advisable to use caution when trading with the substantial leverage common in forex trading. High leverage trading is aggressive trading that is both characterized by high risk and high reward potential.
Dont get hoodwinked by the forex broker advertisements. Too much leverage is dangerous. Even a small movement in the market can be magnified many times by using leverage making large profits for you when the market moves in your favor. Now this is the positive side. You need leverage in forex markets because the size of the currency pair movements is too small. So you need to magnify it with leverage. However, when the market moves even a small amount against your position, your whole trading account can get wiped out. This is the dark side of using too high a leverage.
You need to know the safe level of leverage you can use in your trading. In the beginning, dont use more than 5:1 leverage in your trading. You can increase that level to 10:1 or 20:1 with experience, but this much leverage would be sufficient for you. Once you really start trading like a professional trader than you can use 100:1 ratio to trade a standard lot. - 23305
About the Author:
Mr. Ahmad Hassam is a Harvard University Graduate. He is interested in day trading stocks and currencies. Try 1500 Pips a day Forex Signals. Discover a revolutionary Forex Robot Trading System!
posted by Mr. Forex at
12:21 AM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
Subscribe to Post Comments [Atom]
<< Home