A Day in The Life of a Forex Trader

 

So, what does a forex trader do every day? A typical day for a successful forex trader is one of routines and schedules. Forex is all about analyzing and studying market conditions before making the first trade. Studying the charts of the particular market (U.S., Asia or Europe) that the trader wishes to trade in is critical. Knowing which live forex chart belongs to which market calls for being extremely organized and methodical in the analysis. This is extremely important when staring at a chart for hours upon end – sometimes a trader will forget what currency or market he or she is analyzing and can lose focus.

 

The trader will then monitor the particular currency pairs that are of interest. Currencies fluctuate constantly, so the trader will usually have tools at his or her disposal to assist in tracking the market. Forex rates are determined by the values of a particular currency pair and the pip spread that the broker sets for both entry and exit, so knowing the rate at which a trade is set is critical to watching the bottom line.

 

Understanding the signals of the forex market allows the foreign exchange trader to know when he or she is about to enter and exit the market. There are hundreds of different forex signals used by different traders throughout the world, and many will use several at once to fine-tune the trading experience. The trader will have chosen which signals are suitable for his or her style of trading, and tests each one for at least 3 months to determine how well each signal works.

 

Forex news comes in the form of fundamental announcements and should be read by all traders. Foreign exchange traders are not the only ones who can benefit from these fundamental announcements, but traders of all markets around the world. In many cases, an apparently minor event – such as unemployment figures or a change in government – can profoundly affect the volume and direction of a country’s currency and all pairs to which that currency is associated.

 

Trading the forex can become life altering – the forex market operates 24 hours per day, so full-time traders will sometimes have to schedule when to eat and sleep! It all depends on the person and the level of involvement he or she wishes to commit.