Forex leverage is something that you need to be very clear from the very start. One of the features of forex markets that differentiate it from other financial markets is the astronomical level of leverage that is commonplace in the forex world. Whats so special about Forex Leverage?
Some Forex brokers can offer up to 400:1 leverage on the average retail trading account. The usual level of leverage is 100:1. The implications of this are mind boggling. This means that $1 in a traders forex account can control up to $400 in a currency trade. No other financial market offers even close to this level of leverage.
Forex leverage can both be a very positive feature as well as a very negative one. Leverage is type of financial magnification by definition. Forex leverage is a double edged sword. While it is true that high leverage magnifies profits, it also magnifies losses equally.
Often, this high level of leverage summarily wipes out otherwise healthy trading accounts. Used with a great deal of caution, however, high leverage of the magnitude found in forex trading can offer tremendous possibilities to the upside as well as the downside.
If you have been trading stocks than you already know that stock brokers only offer leverage ratio of 2:1 on margin accounts. The futures market is better. FCMs (Futures Commission Merchants) offer leverage of 10:1 to futures traders. But in case of forex trading, common leverage ratios offered by forex brokers range from 50:1 on the low side all the way up to 400:1 on the high side. Even on the low side, as compared to the amount of leverage available in other financial markets, the sheer magnitude of forex leverage far eclipses whatever leverage is available in other markets.
400:1 leverage is too much. Some forex brokers use it to entice new people who have never traded before. Never use this high leverage even if someone offers it to you on a silver platter. Suppose that 400:1 leverage is utilized by you. In practical terms, what this means to you as a forex trader is that a standard lot of $100,000 for example can be traded in EUR/USD currency pair with only $250 in trading account margin.
In other words, for every $1, you as a forex trader are in fact controlling a whopping $400. In this particular example, $250 in your forex trading account can control a trade of $100,000 using 400:1 leverage.
Some brokers even advertise that you can open a trading account with $50. With $50 you can trade a mini lot of $10,000 using a 200:1 leverage ratio. The fact that a small amount of money can control a large amount of money in forex trading can certainly serve to magnify potential profits. Can you handle this much leverage while trading? The amount of risk involved in using this high level of leverage is also equally magnified, however on the flip side of the coin.
Leverage is required by aggressive traders who are willing to take risk. But most of the traders like you and me need to be balanced in their risk taking behavior. Highly leverage trading is aggressive trading that is both characterized by high risk and high reward potential. Therefore, it is advisable to use caution when trading with the substantial leverage common in forex trading.
Why too much leverage is dangerous? When the market moves in your favor, even a small movement in the market can be magnified many times by using leverage making large profits for you. But the dark side of using too much leverage is that when the market moves even a small amount against your position, your whole trading account can get wiped out.
What is the safe level of leverage that you can use in your trading? In the beginning, dont use more than 5:1 leverage in your trading. With experience, you can increase that level to 10:1 or 20:1 but this much leverage would always be sufficient for you.
Some Forex brokers can offer up to 400:1 leverage on the average retail trading account. The usual level of leverage is 100:1. The implications of this are mind boggling. This means that $1 in a traders forex account can control up to $400 in a currency trade. No other financial market offers even close to this level of leverage.
Forex leverage can both be a very positive feature as well as a very negative one. Leverage is type of financial magnification by definition. Forex leverage is a double edged sword. While it is true that high leverage magnifies profits, it also magnifies losses equally.
Often, this high level of leverage summarily wipes out otherwise healthy trading accounts. Used with a great deal of caution, however, high leverage of the magnitude found in forex trading can offer tremendous possibilities to the upside as well as the downside.
If you have been trading stocks than you already know that stock brokers only offer leverage ratio of 2:1 on margin accounts. The futures market is better. FCMs (Futures Commission Merchants) offer leverage of 10:1 to futures traders. But in case of forex trading, common leverage ratios offered by forex brokers range from 50:1 on the low side all the way up to 400:1 on the high side. Even on the low side, as compared to the amount of leverage available in other financial markets, the sheer magnitude of forex leverage far eclipses whatever leverage is available in other markets.
400:1 leverage is too much. Some forex brokers use it to entice new people who have never traded before. Never use this high leverage even if someone offers it to you on a silver platter. Suppose that 400:1 leverage is utilized by you. In practical terms, what this means to you as a forex trader is that a standard lot of $100,000 for example can be traded in EUR/USD currency pair with only $250 in trading account margin.
In other words, for every $1, you as a forex trader are in fact controlling a whopping $400. In this particular example, $250 in your forex trading account can control a trade of $100,000 using 400:1 leverage.
Some brokers even advertise that you can open a trading account with $50. With $50 you can trade a mini lot of $10,000 using a 200:1 leverage ratio. The fact that a small amount of money can control a large amount of money in forex trading can certainly serve to magnify potential profits. Can you handle this much leverage while trading? The amount of risk involved in using this high level of leverage is also equally magnified, however on the flip side of the coin.
Leverage is required by aggressive traders who are willing to take risk. But most of the traders like you and me need to be balanced in their risk taking behavior. Highly leverage trading is aggressive trading that is both characterized by high risk and high reward potential. Therefore, it is advisable to use caution when trading with the substantial leverage common in forex trading.
Why too much leverage is dangerous? When the market moves in your favor, even a small movement in the market can be magnified many times by using leverage making large profits for you. But the dark side of using too much leverage is that when the market moves even a small amount against your position, your whole trading account can get wiped out.
What is the safe level of leverage that you can use in your trading? In the beginning, dont use more than 5:1 leverage in your trading. With experience, you can increase that level to 10:1 or 20:1 but this much leverage would always be sufficient for you.
About the Author:
Mr. Ahmad Hassam is a Harvard University Graduate. He is interested in day trading stocks and currencies. Try 1500 Pips a day Forex Signals. Discover a revolutionary Forex Robot Trading System!
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