2Bull Forex Blog

Forex scalpers aim to make small regular profits and in time build this up to a large income. Forex scalping is very popular and here we are going to look at how not to lose your money at it.

The best way not to lose money is not to even try it - it doesn’t work, before we explain why you may wonder why you see so many courses and people claiming big gains so here is the answer - the gains are paper gains and not real money. Read the disclaimer below which you will always see or a similar one with any forex scalping system:

“CFTC RULE 4.41 - Hypothetical or simulated performance results have certain limitations. Unlike an actual performance record, simulated results do not represent actual trading. Also, since the trades have not been executed, the results may have under-or-over compensated for the impact, if any, of certain market factors, such as lack of liquidity. Simulated trading programs in general are also subject to the fact that they are designed with the benefit of hindsight. No representation is being made that any account will or is likely to achieve profit or losses similar to those shown“.

As you can see if a trading system carries the above it’s of no real use in terms of indicating profitability. We can all make money knowing closing prices and past data - it’s easy. In the real hard world of forex trading, you don’t have this luxury.

So why is forex scalping doomed to failure? The answer lies in the data is not reliable and you cannot (no matter how clever your trading system is) get the odds on your side.

In currencies prices in a few hours can and do go any where volatility is random and support and resistance levels within a day simply cannot be used to get the odds on your side.

As all volatility is random you are destined to lose long term. If you think about this it’s obvious:

Huge numbers of traders make the final price and they all have different motivations, skills and levels of emotion that input into their trading and to say this huge mass can be predicted in short time frames is ridiculous.

Not only do you have the above to contend with but forex scalping breaks a fundamental rule of trading:

Run your profits to cover your inevitable losses.

All trading systems have losses and drawdown periods and you need to run your profits to cover them. Now scalpers do get profits (everyone is lucky some time) but what do they do - Do they run it? Not a chance they bank it!

Of course luck doesn’t last for ever and if you are trading with the odds against you your on borrowed time and will lose eventually it’s just a question of when.
So if you want to keep your equity intact don’t forex scalp - trade longer term and get the odds on your side. Sure, short term trading sounds great but the odds don’t stack up it’s a wonder that sane intelligent people in other walks of life think they can win with a made up track record and a system costing a few hundred bucks.

You can make a lot of money trading but forex scalping is doomed to failure - trade longer term, get the odds on your side and win.

FX online trading has been growing in popularity in the past few years. With the rise of the number of people accessing the internet every year, it is inevitable that more and more people are looking to trade currencies on the internet. As such, the traditional method of calling of your broker to enter a trade is slowly becoming obsolete.

Of course, the convenience and ease-of-use of most online Forex trading platforms these days are what attracts so many people to become interested in learning how to trade online. However, even though there are numerous benefits of FX online trading, you will do well to take note of its potential pitfalls as well.

Be Careful About Choosing Your Broker

Unlike the stock and futures trading markets, there is no central trading exchange that caters to the Forex market. In other words, there is no single governing authority that protects the interest of retail Forex traders all around the world.

This has encouraged the setting up of a number of poorly managed trading houses and brokerages that quickly close down at the first sign of trouble. Many such ‘scam’ brokerages have come and gone, unfortunately taking their clients’ money with them as they disappear into thin air.

If you’re interested in FX online trading, I would highly suggest that you sign up with a broker (or trading house) that is NFA registered.

Find Out The Pip Spreads That Are Charged

Although the trading houses and brokerages in the Forex market don’t claim to charge a commission fee, the reality is that you will still be charged a fee nonetheless. The fees that you pay will be included in the ‘spread’ that you pay for each completed buy and sell order. This is to say that every time you buy and sell a currency pair, you will be charged a fee in the form of the ‘spread’.

Different brokers charge different spreads on the same currency pair, so it’s a good idea for you to familiarize yourself with the type of spread that you will be incurring. This is especially important if you plan to be a scalper. A small difference of one or two pips can eventually cost you a lot of money if you enter into multiple trades in a single day.