It can be intimidating to opt for a forex trading platform when you first start off trading – here are some functions that any great forex trading platform need to have:
Safety
Does the forex broker supply details about the safety measures of its platform? Your trading and individual information need to be encrypted, so that your dollars and identity are safe, no matter if you are paying and becoming paid through PayPal or online bank transfers.
The forex broker ought to also give suggestions on how to enhance your on line safety – I’d be very suspicious of one that did not due to the fact they may possibly be making themselves liable if there are any complications.
Also, are there backup systems where your info can be stored in case of an IT difficulty?
Reliability
When can you use the forex trading platform? As forex is a 24-hour a day market, five.five days a week, look for one thing that you can use frequently. Even when the market is closed, you want to be able to place orders to open when the market place does.
The trading platform ought to also be efficient – if it is slow then the prices at which you are trading could be out of date. A great forex trading platform need to update a number of instances a second.
One particular-click trading
If a forex trading platform is unreliable, slow or prone to interruption, a trader can miss a rapid opportunity. A platform that presents a single-click trading will enable you to acquire or sell forex contract with 1 click, which implies there is no require to deal a ticket, and you will not miss the price tag you want.
Trading style suitability
Does the trading platform suit your trading style?
Is it easy to recognize, or can it only be interpreted by a Wall St retiree? Appear for a platform where it is
uncomplicated to search for your marketplace, and, if you want to trade much more than forex, look for a single that also enables you to trade on shares, solutions and indices.
Where are you trading from? If you use a Mac, can you use the platform on it? Likewise, can the system be accessed working with distinct browsers and diverse wise-phone handsets.
Fundamentally, does it do what you will need? A good forex trading platform need to be customisable to suit your trading tactic – does it enable automated trading, and does it allow you to micromanage just about every trade. The trading platform should really be able to alert you to excellent trading opportunities, as nicely as accept complicated orders, like the several stops and income that the forex broker gives, so you can easily minimise your risk while maximising your profits.
Charts
Does the forex trading platform have a separate charting platform, and how uncomplicated is it to navigate? And, if you want to trade from your iPhone or Blackberry, can you access these from your handset? And, can you trade straight from the charts, or do you have to have to deal a ticket?
Depending on your level of expertise, you might want a charting package with a pattern recognition tool that will monitor the markets on your behalf, and could even let you know when the chart patterns are indicating trading possibilities.
And, if you want to trade forex throughout the day, it is important that the charts are updated in genuine-time.
Market Analysis
Does your forex broker supply market place analyses, and is this obtainable applying their trading platform or do you need to pay a visit to their web site?
A fantastic forex trading platform ought to include things like industry evaluation tools, like news feeds, in-house study and third-celebration investigation. As data is energy, you want to be capable to access as a great deal of it as probable, and to have access to it without crawling the world wide web for the facts you require.
Any trading that offers industry analysis need to also have historical data available, so you can see how the forex was affected when a related circumstance occurred.
Is the platform cost-free? Many on the net forex trading platforms presented by respected brokers are totally free, and your only costs will be if you make a loss.
If forex trading software isn’t free, or if there is a nominal charge, find out what the added advantages are. And, if it is not free of charge, is there a income-back assure if you are not satisfied with the software?
Value, two
Does the trading platform provide the similar pip spreads as the broker has advertised, or do you want to phone to get the best deal?
A pip is a .0001 unit of currency, and the pip spread is the difference involving the get and sell price tag of your currencies – so if the AUD/USD is quoted at 1.0578/1.0579, the sell price tag is 1.0578 and the acquire price is 1.0579. For any spread, the price of the currency needs to make up the distinction of the spread ahead of you can make a profit. So, in the instance, if you purchase at 1.0579, the AUD only requires to rise two pips from 1.0578 to 1.0560 for you to make a profit. If there is a three pip spread, the currency would have to move by four pips prior to you produced a profit.
Customer assistance
Is your forex broker just interested in having you an account, or do they provide ongoing help for buyers making use of the trading platform?
You must be able to email and/or telephone your broker with questions ranging from placing trades to the button on your trading platform that isn’t carrying out what you want.