Forex vs. Equities

Tweet

If you are interested in trading currencies online, you will find that the Forex market offers several advantages over equities trading. Lower Transaction Costs It is much more cost-efficient to trade Forex in terms of both commissions and transaction fees. FOREX.com charges NO commissions* or transaction fees , while still offering traders access to all relevant market information and trading tools. In contrast, commissions for stock trades range from $7.95-$29.95 per trade with online discount brokers up to $100 or more per trade with full service brokers. Another important point to consider is the width of the bid/ask spread. Regardless of deal size, forex dealing spreads are normally 3-4 pips (a pip is .0001 US cents) in the major currencies. In general, the width of the spread in a forex transaction is less than 1/10 that of a stock transaction, which could include a .125 (1/8) wide spread. Trade on Your Schedule Forex is a true 24-hour market, which offers a major advantage over equities trading. Whether it's 6pm or 6am, somewhere in the world there are always buyers and sellers actively trading foreign currencies. Traders can always respond to breaking news immediately, and P&L is not affected by after hours earning reports or analyst conference calls. After hours trading for U.S. equities brings with it several limitations. ECN's (Electronic Communication Networks), also called matching systems, exist to bring together buyers and sellers - when possible. However, there is no guarantee that every trade will be executed nor at a fair market price. Quite frequently, traders must wait until the market opens the following day in order to receive a tighter spread.