A Little About Lot Sizes In Forex Trading

Understanding lot sizes in forex trading is very important to help you avoid the pitfalls of trading on a leveraged account. Forex trading involves the use of dramatically leveraged accounts and before you put one dime into a live forex account you need to understand how leverage works and what is happening in all the different sized lots. Also what is the optimal size lot to use when learning forex trading.

Let me talk to you a little about forex lot sizes. OK I am reaching with a play on words there but a lot of people who read my articles should know by now that I think forex trading should be fun and profitable.

normal Lot: Many forex brokers will require $10,000 to open an account and on it you can trade a normal lot size. There is usually a 1 lot minimum trade.The normal lot is worth $100,000 in currency and when you trade a lot it is 1:100 leverage. What this means is that you are getting a loan from the broker to control $100,000 for your $1,000. Now lets look at this leverage thing a bit more because so many people make a big deal about how wonderful forex trading is due to the leverage you can get. I completely agree that leverage is one of the many benefits of forex trading but it seems to me not many people properly understand the concept.

As an example you have a standard account with 1:100 leverage then for every 1 Pip you gain there is $10 in profit for you ( basically not factoring spreads commissions etc. ). Now leverage is a 2 way street and for every 1 pip the forex market moves against you then you lose $10 and this is what makes leverage fascinating to many. The fact is that you must understand both sides before getting into forex trading. Most markets swing up to 100+ pips a day easily and this means at 1:100 leverage you can in theory gain 100 pips in 1 day thus taking a $10,000 account to $11,000. Now for the bad news you can also lose 100 Pips on most markets and take $10,000 to $9,000 in a day just trading 1 lot. So when you hear people talking about 1:400 leverage they better be very accurate with their forex trading.

Mini Lots: Ok now lets look at a Mini lot and how leverage works with it. Most brokers require at least 1 mini lot to be traded. The mini lot is worth $10,000 this means you are trading with 1:40 Leverage. Let's do some math and I promise it want hurt much.

$250 x 40 = $10,000 and since $10,000 is 1/10 of a standard forex lot this is why for every 1 Pip in your favor you earn $1 profit. Conversely for every 1 pip that moves against you forex trading you lose $1.

Micro lots: Now some brokers allow micro lots where you can do forex trading at 1:4 leverage again lets hit the math book a second.

$250 x 4 = $1,000 which is 1 / 10 of a ($10,000) mini lot

and this means for every 1 pip in your favor forex trading you will make 10 cents profit and of course conversely for every 1 pip against you then you will lose 10 cents. I know to the novice this does not sound like much but if you had only $100 and traded an account with 1 micro lot then every 10 pips in your favor will mean 1% gain on your account. The micro is in my opinion a great size to trade when learning in a small account if your Broker allows this. Practicing forex trading with micro lots will give you room for forex market swings and time to develop your skills as a forex trader.

That is just a little about forex lots and I hope it clears some things up and explains some of the risk and rewards of forex trading.

Be Careful of These Words When Looking to Learn About Forex, Best Forex Trading Course

Nearly every serious wannabe Forex trader at some point decides to get a solid education in Forex trading and begins to look for the best Forex trading course. What makes a Forex trading course, the best, or just good? Further, How much should it cost?

Having spent more time in the last 5 years than anyone I know has spent on two PhDs, learning Forex and researching the field, I think I can speak somewhat expertly on what it takes to produce a top notch Forex trading education and course. I think I can say that it can't be learned at a weekend seminar, nor can it be learned in week long seminar. It cannot be taught by a guru that charges $10,000 for 3 days of your time in a very nice resort and mostly it cannot and is not taught by simply expounding on the all of the techniques that exist to trade but do not work.

Let me explain each of those briefly here. Nothing as complex as Forex nor as competitive nor as difficult could be taught in a weekend. The people teaching such a seminar aren't smart enough and less than 1% of 1% of 1% (maybe less) would be smart enough to learn it and if they were, they wouldn't be there anyway. The same can be said for the multi-thousand dollar week long seminars and the same can be said for the Get-Away weekends with the author of a book or specific trading method. If those people had a secret, they wouldn't give it away and if they were excellent traders, it is highly unlikely they could impart their knowledge to you in a short period of time.

What makes a really good Forex trading course? The place to start is with yourself. What do you know about trading? What do you know about economics? What do you know about foreign exchange and currencies and the countries involved? A self analysis would certainly be in order and this would be the starting point. If I went to Ben Hogan and he was willing to spend time with me, which as many know, he would not, he would immediately access my ability. He would want to know what I knew and where I was in my physical ability.

If you are completely new to Forex you will need more basic training then someone else. If you do not understand how money works in the economy, then you will need to learn this as well. In other words, learning to trade Forex is not as simple as taking a course from an institute that bills itself as a teaching center. Most are taught be people who are taught about Forex like McDonald's teaches its employees how to make French fries; out of manual. So if you are going to learn how to do something from someone who has read a book and is only one step ahead of you, then why not read two books and get ahead of them.

To be successful in Forex, this is the way you will need to think and it will be the way you need to act. You will need to think forward. The best Forex trading courses will be constructed by you.

Learn Forex Trading - Professional Forex Training - What's the Buzz About?

So what is the buzz about trading Forex?

Well, I love what I am doing... I love it so much that I decided to demonstrate the Forex buzz with you. And if you give me ten minutes of your time, you too will understand why...

Forex is a potential solution for every single person looking to make more money; earn persistent income and take back control of their lives.

That is a huge statement, I know! But in these times of job loss, economic uncertainty and less money to make ends meet, there has to be a better solution than getting yet another job, or working twice as hard or downsizing your lifestyle.

Forex is a perfect solution! (I will explain why in a minute)

First, indulge me and take a look at your personal situation right now...

Take a minute and think about your lifestyle; your income; and how good (or challenging) life has been. Now, think about an additional monthly income that would financially take you to the next level... from getting ahead financially to being able to upgrade on whatever lifestyle choice you desire next. What is the income number you just thought of? Is it a modest $500 per month? Is it $5000 per month? Is it $20,000 per month? Now write out this statement:

(Don't be shy... be bold!) I would like to earn $_______________ more each month.

Now take a minute and think about your current job(s); current lifestyle; current free time... what options are available for you to increase your income by this amount? Do you see yourself achieving the additional income amount your just wrote down if you continue doing what you have been doing?

Will you need to (or can you) work harder? Can you ask for raise or get another job? Do you have the time (and tuition) to learn an entirely new profession?

If you are at all like me, the answers to the last three questions were no, no, and no!

So how do you get to this next level of income? For me, Professional Forex Trading has been the answer... and I think it can work for you too! I want to demonstrate how and why it has worked because I believe Professional Forex Trading is a real option for anyone interested in trading to earn additional, persistent income.

Hold on just a minute though. Before continuing, I want to make a distinction between trading and Professional Trading; and specifically how this applies in the Forex Market. There really is a huge difference! There are many people who trade, either actively or passively. But the vast majority trade without any trading education or a structured approach to the market. And their results are average at best.

Trading in general (which is non-professional trading) typically consists of:

• Acquiring as many trading tools, indicators, news and information as possible to make buying decisions (usually not selling decisions)

• Attempting to trade, but experiencing average or worse-than-average results

• Inconsistent execution leading to larger, uncontrolled losses and minimal gains

• Inconsistent risk management leading to the depletion of trading capital over time

• Years of frustration and mixed results that rarely ever achieve professional status

Perhaps that sounds familiar to you. It did for me.

Professional Trading (the kind I am now doing) consists of these keys:

1. Mastering statistically proven trading systems

2. Incorporating rigid risk management rules

3. A Business Plan optimized for the temperament and lifestyle of the trader

4. Proper Training by other Professional Trader(s)

And actually, these keys to Professional Trading, (professional meaning trading as part of your profession), are a formula that applies to every profession in the world! Consider a doctor (or lawyer, or accountant, etc...): if I gave you all of the tools, medical books and state of the art equipment doctors use today, could you walk in and perform surgery? Even if you were allowed to try, you would NOT be very good at it. Why not? What do aspiring doctors obtain before they have the confidence to perform surgery on their own? Well, you probably already know the answer. The aspiring doctor practices alongside other Professional Doctors until he builds the knowledge and skill set to take the next step and perform surgery on their own. They NEVER EVER are allowed to just 'try it themselves'. And thankfully, the medical community is structured to prevent anyone from just 'trying it on their own'.

It's a different story in the trading world, unfortunately. You can pretty much do what you want; all you need is some capital and any firm will open your account and let you begin to self-destruct!

Today, however, there are real solutions available!

If you want to create the persistent results of a Professional Trader, you MUST acquire the tools and practice alongside other Professional Traders already creating persistent results. PERIOD!

Then, only after you have the tools; have learned alongside other Professional Traders; and have practiced enough to build your own business plan, you can expect to go forward and create a persistent income stream for yourself. Without the Professional Trader by your side, you are just using your own capital to reinvent a very expensive wheel.

Great! So what does it take to learn Professional Forex Trading? (Glad you asked!)

The answer is easier than you may think... at least it is today! And that's where the buzz of Forex is building.

There are many firms touting Forex, but a relatively few firms popping up that are addressing the aspects of Learning Professional Forex Trading. One company in particular has developed an individualized structure far beyond what I have seen anywhere else. And, their approach is dedicated to applying the four keys to Professional Forex Trading mentioned above and applying them in the Forex market. Here they are again:

Professional Forex Trading consists of:

1. Mastering statistically proven Forex trading systems

2. Incorporating rigid risk management rules to preserve your capital

3. Creating a Business Plan optimized for your temperament and lifestyle

4. Proper Training from another Professional Forex Trader

Sounds nice, and if you are anything like me, the next question is, how can I possibly learn how to do this? My life is hectic as it is! (At least that is what I said.)

But you know what... there is a very real solution that has been structured to adapt to your schedule and provide you with live, professional guidance literally on-demand! (I will share where to find this environment in a moment.)

First, I want to demonstrate why Forex is the place to learn (vs. all of the other markets) and why this market is the best I have seen to learn to Professionally Trade Forex:

Forex is the easiest and most accurate market to trade.

The Forex market is the most liquid market in the world (and it continues to grow), meaning there are more people trading Forex than any other market! This makes it the easiest market for every single trader to get in and out of trades both easily and accurately.

Forex enables you to trade only when it's convenient for you!

Forex is available virtually on-demand. Forex is open for trading 24 hours a day for 5 days each week; making it available for every single trader to participate on-demand, on their schedule (and not during specific market times). This is the perfect opportunity to trade only when it's convenient for you!

Forex enables you to control 50 times your investment capital.

Forex offers traders considerable leverage for their investment; enabling traders to control 10-50 times their own trading capital. For example, a $1000 investment would control $50,000 worth of currency; compared to a $1000 investment in stock being able to control just $1000 worth of stock.

Professional Forex Trading is now available to individual traders in the convenience of their own office (or home) and at the times that most suits their schedule.

So, you may be asking 'where do I go?'...well, there lots of Forex trading firms and Forex trading systems available. Just do a search for Forex and you will have plenty to sift through. However, there is a short list of Forex environments that enable you to truly learn how to trade professionally from Professional Traders. So wherever you look, be sure to check for the four keys that must be included. Ask these questions:

- Do you provide statistically proven trading systems?

- What are your money management and risk parameters?

- What is the business trading plan that you will teach me to create?

- Who are the professional traders that will mentor me to success?

- Is there a live trading environment where the mentors are available 24 hours each day while the market is open?

Once you are trading professionally, you can take you business anywhere, but until you are a professional, if the firm or individual cannot provide good answers to all of your questions, consider going somewhere else to learn Professional Forex Trading.

There is one firm in particular that answers all four points and answers them so well, I ultimately signed up with their program. They have a live Forex trading environment open 24 hours a day and you are guided by their professional traders ever step of the way.

Remember, wherever you ultimately jump on the buzz of the Forex market, select a program most suited to your lifestyle and goals. Forex is the quickly becoming the part-time business of choice that is supplanting peoples 'day job' salaries.