There are many benefits and advantages of trading forex. Here are just a few reasons why so many people are choosing this market:
No commissions
No clearing fees, no exchange fees, no government fees, no brokerage fees. Most retail brokers are compensated for their services through something called the “bid-ask spread“.
No middlemen
Spot currency trading eliminates the middlemen and allows you to trade directly with the market responsible for the pricing on a particular currency pair.
No fixed lot size
In the futures markets, lot or contract sizes are determined by the exchanges. A standard-size contract for silver futures is 5,000 ounces. In spot forex, you determine your own lot, or position size. This allows traders to participate with accounts as small as $25 (although we’ll explain later why a $25 account is a bad idea).
Low transaction costs
The retail transaction cost (the bid/ask spread) is typically less than 0.1% under normal market conditions. At larger dealers, the spread could be as low as 0.07%. Of course this depends on your leverage and all will be explained later.
A 24-hour market
There is no waiting for the opening bell. From the Monday morning opening in Australia to the afternoon close in New York, the forex market never sleeps. This is awesome for those who want to trade on a part-time basis, because you can choose when you want to trade: morning, noon, night, during breakfast, or in your sleep.
No one can corner the market
The foreign exchange market is so huge and has so many participants that no single entity (not even a central bank or the mighty Chuck Norris himself) can control the market price for an extended period of time.
Leverage
In forex trading, a small deposit can control a much larger total contract value. Leverage gives the trader the ability to make nice profits, and at the same time keep risk capital to a minimum.
For example, a forex broker may offer 50-to-1 leverage, which means that a $50 dollar margin deposit would enable a trader to buy or sell $2,500 worth of currencies. Similarly, with $500 dollars, one could trade with $25,000 dollars and so on. While this is all gravy, let’s remember that leverage is a double-edged sword. Without proper risk management, this high degree of leverage can lead to large losses as well as gains.
High Liquidity.
Because the forex market is so enormous, it is also extremely liquid. This is an advantage because it means that under normal market conditions, with a click of a mouse you can instantaneously buy and sell at will as there will usually be someone in the market willing to take the other side of your trade. You are never “stuck” in a trade. You can even set your online trading platform to automatically close your position once your desired profit level (a limit order) has been reached, and/or close a trade if a trade is going against you (a stop loss order).
Low Barriers to Entry
You would think that getting started as a currency trader would cost a ton of money. The fact is, when compared to trading stocks, options or futures, it doesn’t. Online forex brokers offer “mini” and “micro” trading accounts, some with a minimum account deposit of $25.
We’re not saying you should open an account with the bare minimum, but it does make forex trading much more accessible to the average individual who doesn’t have a lot of start-up trading capital.
Free Stuff Everywhere!
Most online forex brokers offer “demo” accounts to practice trading and build your skills, along with real-time forex news and charting services.
And guess what?! They’re all free!
Demo accounts are very valuable resources for those who are “financially hampered” and would like to hone their trading skills with “play money” before opening a live trading account and risking real money.
Now that you know the advantages of the forex market, see how it compares with the stock market!
外汇交易的优势
交易外汇有很多好处和优点。此处列举一些为什么有这么多人选择这个市场的原因：
无佣金
没有结算费用，没有交易费，没有印花税，没有中介费。代理商通过点差来赚取费用。
没有中间商
外汇交易不存在中间人，所有交易都直接在市场上执行。
无固定批量
在期货市场中，交易手数和合同量有明确的要求，例如一个标准手的银期货是5000盎司。在汇市中，你自己决定持仓的大小，这允许交易者只用250美金就可以开一个户头（以后我们会解释实际上250美金的帐户是很危险的。）
交易成本低
在有些市场情况下交易点差的费用低至0.1%。对于大客户来说更可以低至0.07%，不过这要取决于你所使用的杠杆（leverage ），我们以后会解释。
24小时市场
不需要等待开市铃，从星期天晚上，到周五下午，汇市一直开放，这对于想兼职炒汇的人来说简直是天大的好事，你可以任意选择交易的时间。 因为你可以选择任何你希望交易的时间：上午，中午，晚上，早餐时间，或者在你睡觉的时候。
没有人能够垄断市场
汇市太大了以至于没有任何人或者机构能够操控货币的价格。
杠杆作用
在外汇交易中，一小部分的保证金就可以进行大笔的交易。杠杆给了交易者赚取更大利润的机会，把投资降到最小。例如对于一个200：1的杠杆，你只需要50美金，就可以买卖10000美金的货币。同样，使用500美金，就可以交易100000美金。但是杠杆也是一把双刃剑，如果没有一个良好的风险管理，杠杆作用也会增加你的损失。
高流动性
外汇市场不仅规模巨大，其流动性也是惊人。这意味着在正常的市况下，你只需轻点鼠标，你就能按照你的意志进行不间断的买卖交易，因为，在市场中，经常有某一个人，所进行的交易操作正好和你相反，这能够保证你的交易能够顺利执行。因此，你的交易永远不会卡壳的情况。一旦你的理想获利点位已经达到，你能够将你的交易平台设定为自动平仓，或者是，如果市场方向和你的判断方向相反，你也能够止损平仓。
进入门槛低
你可能认为进行货币交易需要大把资金。事实上，和交易证券、期货或期权相比，进行货币交易并非如此。在线代理通常会提供”mini”和”micro”交易帐户，起始资金只需要300美金，或者更少。这里我们并不是建议您使用规定上最少的资金来开帐户，但是这确实使汇市的门槛降低很多。
免费的东西无处不在！
大部分在线外汇代理都提供免费的平台来供您练习，同样也有外汇新闻和聊天系统，这些资源对于我们这些初学者来说是非常有用的。
你猜怎么着？！ 他们都是免费的！