Currency Day Trading For Dummies

When you decide to get involved in Currency Trading, also known as Forex, you are going to find that one small article on currency trading for dummies will fall far short of giving you all of the information you need. There are many pieces to look at if you are going to start trading in the Foreign Exchange market. You will need to learn terminology, strategies, methods, and techniques that will help you to make successful trades. This is one of the biggest markets in the world and currency is traded seven days a week, on a 24 hour basis.
Forex traders are betting on the way that exchange rates will move. This sounds easy, but exchange rates for countries are affected by multiple variables. The Forex trading arena is an even playing field, information is received by all traders at the same time. While everyone speculates on changes in the currency market, no one can know for sure when a market is going to rise or fall.
The most telling impact on currency in a country can be seen by the people of that country. Wars, arms, a death of major leaders, all affect the currency exchange rate. The global economy is affecting currency exchange rates around the world. Individuals who are speculating on when this currency will change direction have an opportunity to see significant gains in their portfolios or to lose substantially.
Traders try to predict fluctuations in the exchange rate and bet on the pairs that will give them the largest gains on their bet. When one country's currency is being traded against another country's currency, it is call a "pair". All of the major pairs that are traded involve the US dollar. When a currency pair is being traded that does not involve the US, it is called a "cross currency pair." An example of a cross currency pair would be EUR/JPY (Euro/Japanese Yen). The most actively traded cross currency pairs are the EUR, JPY, and the GBP (sterling pound or British currency).
If you though that the way that the currency is written and listed wasn't that important, think again. The stronger currency is traditionally shown on the left. When you see EUR/USD, it means that the Euro is stronger than the US dollar. The currency that is listed on the left is the "base currency." Whatever happens on the left creates the opposite action on the right. So, if you buy 100 EUR, you automatically sell 100 USD.
On paper it would look like this, 10000 EUR/USD. The currency on the right is called the "counter currency" or "secondary currency." The value of this currency when you buy or sell your base currency will determine what your profit or loss is on your trade.
Reading this does not convey the speed with which trades are happening. Trading is taking place throughout every day and night every day of the year. The market can fluctuate by the minute with many of the currency pairs. There are pairs that provide less risk and extremely high risk pairs. You will want to know which pairs fit in with the level of risk you are willing to take.
Now, this is only one tiny little piece of what you need to know to begin trading. There are strategies, methods, and much more that will be important in making successful trades on a consistent basis. It will be important to take some classes and talk to successful traders to learn about the different strategies and methods for trading that are effective.