Thing to Consider When Choosing a Forex Broker | Forex Trading

The first particular step to your successful trading is to choose a Forex broker. There are many questions that must be answered before you are able to decide responsibly. Brokers' revenue and available information will not facilitate this decision. Below you will find information on the basic issues you may encounter when choosing a Forex broker and how to overcome those issues.

You cannot move forward without a Forex broker, and choosing the right one is essential and highly important. This is the reason why this topic is one of the most discussed throughout Forex forums.

Before you start trading Forex, you need to set up an account with a broker. The broker is essentially a mediator, individual or company that buys and sells orders according to the retailer. Brokers profit either from charging a fee for their services, or (and this is more often) from the spread. Considering the huge number of brokers offering their services online, it's likely you may feel helpless and overloaded by lots of information you may do not know what to do with. And it is not easy to choose the right broker.

There are thousands of brokers, from the solid and reliable ones to the crooked and dishonest trying to pluck their clients. You should take a look on published references and stick to the advices to protect you from the sophisticated marketing brainwashing. Broker is a necessary mediator between you and the market. Its main task is to fulfill your orders to buy and sell a currency on the Forex market. Services, such as the fast transfer of money to him and back as well as a reliable platform should be standard of all brokers above the average.

When selecting parameter, it is appropriate to give preference to those that are related to your style of trading (fees, spreads, etc.), instead of peripheral ones like language support, assistance on what to buy and sell, etc.

Keep in mind one thing - before you start your search, it is good to take note of the fact that terms like "best, cheapest, most reliable, etc." make little or no sense in the industry of Forex brokers and usually, the real interest of brokers who use those terms is solely to let you trade currencies as often as is possible regardless of whether you earn or lose money.

Criteria for selecting a Forex broker

There are several criteria that are worth considering before you fill in the registration form with a broker. Competition among Forex brokers is huge, which guarantees a neat chance for a good choice. It pays to take the time to choose a broker that will best fit your needs and you will be able to use their services for your benefit.

Regulation and References

The first thing you may want to take a look at when selecting a Forex broker is the issue of security. You have to find out if the selected broker is registered with any regulatory authority. In the United States, a broker should be registered as Futures Commission Merchant (FCM) with the Commodity Future Trading Commission (CFTC) and should be a member of the National Futures Association (NFA). The two authorities - the CFTC and the NFA are on the market in order to protect the public against fraud, manipulation and illegal trading practices.

On the website of the National Futures Association's you can check the registration of a particular company or individual with the CFTC and the NFA. Focus on that the company you choose has a clean regulatory records and solid financial background. And watch out! It is not recommend using services of unregulated companies or individuals in any case.

Common foreign exchange controls include:

• Banning the use of foreign currency within the country
• Banning locals from possessing foreign currency
• Restricting currency exchange to government-approved exchangers
• Fixed exchange rates
• Restrictions on the amount of currency that may be imported or exported

Foreign exchange controls are various forms of controls imposed by a government on the purchase/sale of foreign currencies by residents or on the purchase/sale of local currency by nonresidents. Just like depositing your money in any bank or financial institution, before you deposit with an on-line forex broker, it's important to comprehend which regulatory body is going to be looking after your funds. In the US, the National Futures Association (NFA) and Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) are tasked with overseeing off-exchange foreign currency exchange broker transactions.

As such, each forex company that is in any way involved with US traders, or is located in the US, must be registered and licensed with the NFA and CFTC. So, if you're a US resident looking to trade forex, you should definitely inquire about a prospective forex broker's regulation in the US before you decide to use their services.

Since the NFA/CFTC regulations regarding forex transactions are quite stringent, only a minority of forex trading brokers are eligible to accept US forex traders.

In Europe, there exist a wide range of regulatory bodies tasked with overseeing forex transactions with on-line forex brokers depending on the country.

In the United Kingdom, the Financial Services Authority has the mandate of regulating off-exchange foreign currency exchange trading.

In France, the Autorit de Contrle Prudentiel of the Banque de Franceis responsible for "the licensing of French financial firms and monitoring compliance by entities subject to its authority."

In Italy, the CONSOB (Commissione Nazionale per le Societ e la Borsa) describes itself as the competent authority for ensuring transparency, disclosure and compliance by securities market participants.

Other financial regulatory bodies exist for Denmark, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and other European countries.

It's a good idea to take a few minutes and inquire about a forex trading brokers regulatory status before you decide to use their investment services. Beyond the issue of financial regulation and supervision for on-line investors, it's also important to ensure that the trading platforms you use and the financial transfers you initiate when conducting your forex investing with on-line forex brokers are secure.

The other aspect of account safety is encryption, and the physical safety of your account data against theft. Firms like Markets.com, and Finexo take great care about these aspects of safety, but there are also many others that assume a proactive attitude to this crucial side of running a brokerage business. To aid our task, technologies like SSL-encryption are standard in the business nowadays, and if you don't see them implemented, it is time to depart for better, more serious brokers.

Also, there are many sites on the Internet dealing with Forex and on these websites you will find references to various brokers from around the world. You may find references also here. The reputation among the clients is an important factor when deciding about the Forex broker. However, if you still want more in-depth reference and you resort to any discussion forum, always ask how the broker behaves in crisis situations, such as:

• Speed
• Performance of market orders in an important announcement
• Stretching spreads
• Extraordinary market movements
• Communication in poorly filled orders, etc.

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