The Benefits of Online trading forex

The forex is the largest and fastest growing financial market in the world. It's open twenty-four hours a day, it allows traders to have a huge amount of leverage (as much as 250:1), it charges zero commissions, and it can never experience a bear market. And thanks to the advent of online forex trading, virtuallyevery citizen of the free world can profit in the forex market!

Before online forex trading, the foreign currency exchange market was like a private club for investment banks, foreign governments, and extremely wealthy individuals. After all, since foreign currency trades are often open and closed on the same day (sometimes within minutes or even seconds!), it didn't make sense for stockbrokers to trade currencies for their clients. On top of that, there are no commissions on forex trades, which was another thing that brokers didn't like about the forex market. But thanks to the Internet, online forex trading allows individuals to participate in the forex from the comfort of their own homes -- no middle man is necessary!

Forex is the ultimate market for Internet-based trading. After all, unlike most stock exchanges, the forex doesn't have a physical location -- it's all electronic. So when you're in your pajamas doing online forex trading, big bankers in New York skyscrapers have no concrete advantages over you.

Another aspect of online forex trading that has made it so popular is the ability of personal computers to perform complex charting operations in real time. In the days before the 'Net and high-powered computers in every home, it was nearly impossible to perform these tasks.

But what are the benefits of online forex trading to the individual? For one, it allows you to diversify your overall investment strategy. You may choose to keep long-term investments in the stock or bond markets, but still engage in online forex trading with a portion of your holdings. Remember, unlike other financial markets, the forex never goes up or down, so online forex trading can be especially attractive during economic downturns in the U.S.

Another benefit of online forex trading is there are no commissions! You buy a currency from a "market maker," paying in the form of another currency. The amount the market maker is willing to pay you (the "bid") is slightly less than he's willing to sell you that currency for (the "ask") and this is known as "the spread." But spreads exist in stocks, as well, and with online forex trading, you're never charged $9.95 (or more!) for merely executing a trade.

One final benefit of online forex trading is that it provides small traders with more leverage than any other market. Typical leverage is at least 100:1, meaning you can control $100 in currency for every $1 in your account. Stock margin is just 2:1, so online forex trading offers you up to fifty times (or more!) the buying power of stock trading.