Learn Forex Blog

August 15, 2009

fxcm broker review

Filed under: My forex blogs — Ellie @

After trying out fxcm broker for a while i have come to these findings. I will try to paint a complete picture of my research.

FXCM.com – 24 hour online forex trading with No Dealing Desk, spreads as low as 1 pip, trading from charts, and live support.

My findings:

Pros – big company, I think they may be the biggest fx broker today for normal trader. Some people may find this to be more safe. Of course nothing is guaranteed to be safe after what we have seen in the last 1-2 years in financial companies. But for the present time fxcm has to be one of the safer companies to use as broker.

Cons – The platform is not the greatest. Although generally reliable.. there are some slow execution times. Spread is okay, but only certain types of accounts have really good spread.

I also read a lot of reviews from users to confirm other peoples experiences with my own. They seem fairly mixed, either people really like them, or really dislike them. Very few in between so I suppose for fxcm broker your experience will come down to your preferences for broker and how important trade execution is for your trading strategies. I believe overall I can only recommend this broker if trade execution is not vitally important to your trading strategy and that price slippage is not a major concern for you.

Here are some examples of reviews from fxcm customers.

Wide spreads, always pricing away 2-3 pips more expensive than other brokers. Lets not forget this is the daughter of the late Refco ! The company that got more than 300 regulatory actions from NFA & CFTC.
- Reviewed by ForeXPP, December 3, 2008. Rating = 1/10

No Dealing Desk?? sometimes possibly. Have had an account for a few years with FXCM. last six months have traded Asian session a couple times and after entering the market watched the spread to go up to 10 or more on the GBP/USD. Recently, had a spread of 8 but was in 10 pips of profit (standard account) set a stop at break even and stepped away for about 2 min. came back and was closed out @ -15 pips. MY charts showed no more then 1 pip movement (dialed it down to a 1 min chart). Their excuse was that the stop order was hit and the order slipped 15 pips due to low liquidity at that time of day. (11:00PM ET) Again… No Dealing Desk? mmmmmm.
- Reviewed by Mikey, November 13, 2008. Rating = 3/10

FXCM has been fantastic so far. I have used FX Solutions, MB trading, and forex.com. They are before the best. Their platform is way more intuitive then the rest of these. Their customer service is topnotch. One of their agents even called me and asked me if their was anyway they could help me with my trading. I told them my biggest issue was managing risk and then sent me some free information with tips on such. I feel that with their separate news website, customer service, and classes they are doing everything they can to make successful traders. Who doesn’t want a broker like that?
- Reviewed by classyguy83, October 7, 2008. Rating = 10/10

I watch my stops being executed 2-3 pips away, even when the quotes/chart never get closer than 2-3 pips from the stop. The price I get is the price for the ordered stop, the difference is in fxcms pocket I guess, is that Fraud?? I’m moving on.
- Reviewed by will change, August 27, 2008. Rating = 3/10

People complain on reviews about losing their trades. Let’s be smart guys and gals, the majority of people lose money in the fx market. You can’t just open an account and expect to make money. Spend time trading a practice account and actually learn about techs and fundamentals. Learn to use them together and make money instead of blaming your loss on FXCM. FXCM does a great job and has good customer service!
- Reviewed by Jamison, July 19, 2008. Rating = 9/10
All live account quotes suspended during news sessions, but live quotes hided! Creating DUAL quotes! FXCM will selectively execute those quotes against your interest! FXCM violates the true nature of Forex Markets!
- Reviewed by FXCM Scam, July 7, 2008. Rating = 1/10
Awesome!
- Reviewed by 12, June 30, 2008. Rating = 10/10

August 1, 2009

How to become succesful in trading!

Filed under: My forex blogs — Tags: , , , , — Ellie @

Most new forex traders ask themselves this question. Just to make sure if they still have a chance to become successful in this form of trading. Upon reading this, I know some of you will answer it “it depends upon on how you trade”. Does it make sense? Yes, it is. Here are some few tips to follow, I am not saying that this will make you successful absolutely, but it will lessen losses on your part.

1. Implement a trading plan.

A trading plan is especially crucial in Forex trading to stay ‘in-control’ against the emotional stress in speculative situation. Often, your emotions will blind and lead you to the negative sides, which is greed that causes you to over-ride on a win while fear causes you to cut short in your profits.

2. Trade within your means

If you cannot afford to lose, you cannot afford to win. Losing is a not a must but it is the natural in any trading market. Trading should be always done using excess money in your savings. Before you start to trade in Forex, we suggest you to put aside some of your income to set up your own investment funds and trade only using that funds.

3. Avoid emotion trading

If you do not have a trading plan, make one. If you have a trading plan, follows it strictly! Never ever attempt to hold your weakened position and hope the market will turn back in your favor direction. You might end up losing all your capital if you keep holding. Move on, stay within your trading plan, and admit your mistakes if things do not turn as you want.

4. Ride on a win and cut your losses

Forex trader should always ride till the market turns around whenever a profit is show; while during losing, never hesitate to admit your mistakes and exit the market. It is human nature to stay long on loses and satisfy with small profits – this is why as mentioned earlier that a strictly followed trading plan is a must-have.

5. Love the trends

Trends are your friends. Although currency values fluctuate but from the big picture it normally goes in a steady direction. If you are not sure on certain moves, the long term trend is always your primary reference. In long run, trading with the trends improves your odds in the Forex market.

6. Stop looking for leading indicators

There aren’t any in the Forex market. While some firms make a lot of money selling software that predicts the future, the reality is that if those products really worked, they wouldn’t be giving the secret away.

7. Avoid trading in a thin market

Trade on popular currency pairs and avoid thin market. The lack of public participation will cause difficulties in liquidate your positions. If you are beginners, we suggest the big five: USD/EUR, USD/JPY, USD/GBD, USD/CHF, and EUR/JPY.

8. Avoid trading in too many markets

Do not confuse yourself by overtrading in too many markets especially if you are a beginner. Go for the major currency pairs and drill down your studies in it.

9. Implement a proper trading system

There is hundreds of trading systems available on line. Pick one that you are most comfortable with and stick with it. Stay organized in your trades and fully utilized stop-loss or limit functions in your trades.

10. Keep learning

The best investment is always the investment on your brain. Without a doubt, Forex trading needs much more than just a few guidelines or tips to be successful. Experience, knowledge, capital, fortitude, and even some help of luck are all crucial in one’s success in the FX market. if you lose in a trade, do not lose the experience in it. Learn from your mistakes and regain your position in the next trade.

I hope this will enlighten the mind of new comers in Forex world.

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