Online trading is great way for serious investors to make money, but inexperienced traders often wind up with big losses. A good set of instructions can minimize the risks and save months of expensive trial-and-error learning. Day Trading Day Trading had its heyday during the bull market of the 1990's. All the amateurs have since dropped out, but day trading is still being practiced...

Forex Broker Commissions

Eddie Tobey

Most forex brokers do not charge commissions. GFT Forex Brokers, like other forex brokers, are compensated by revenues from their activities as currency dealers, including proceeds from buying, selling, converting and holding currencies, interest on deposited funds, and rollover fees.

Many may wonder how brokers work without commissions. The forex dealer is like a middleman. Let's consider the case of a bread middleman. He buys bread at a "wholesale" price and he sells it at a "retail" price. So if one is a baker, he can ask the middleman how much he would buy his bread for. Let's say the middleman quotes $1, so he's willing to pay $1 per loaf.

On the other side of the equation, let's say you just finished his last slice of bread, and you needs a new loaf. So you call up the local middleman, and ask him how much he's willing to sell you (a customer) a loaf of bread for. And he quotes the baker $1.25. That sounds reasonable, so you tell him to drop one off for you.

In this example, the bread middleman didn't charge you a commission to either the baker or you, the customer. Instead he bought at one price and sold at another. He will let you buy from him at $1.25, and let you sell to him at $1. So every time the baker has bread to sell, he checks the middleman's sell price. And when you want to buy a loaf of bread, you check the buy price. In trading, this is known as the "bid" and "ask". The bid is the price you can sell at, and the ask is the price you can buy at.

Considering forex broker commissions, the forex dealer will let the trader buy from him at 1.1971 and will let the trader sell to him at 1.1967. The difference 0.0004 is known as the spread. And this spread is where the forex "middleman" makes his money.

If the trader were to buy at 1.1971, then the instant the trader buys, he is "down" 0.0004, because if the trader wanted out of the trade, the best price he could sell it for is 1.1967. So as the forex dealer takes varying trades from people, each buying or selling, he can make money from this price gap. Each minimum increment, 0.0001 is referred to as a "pip". So the spread in this example is 4 pips. In terms of dollars, for a forex contract of $100,000, this transaction would cost you $40 ($100,000 x 0.0004) or 4 pips. So the trader will find that some companies will advertise a spread of 3 pips on some currencies, usually ranging up to five on others. In forex trading, the tighter the spread is, the better.

About the author:

Forex Broker Info provides detailed information on forex brokers, forex trading and market makers, and other forex-related topics. Forex Broker Info is the sister site of Incorporating in Florida Web.

The latest information and news on Forex Trading:

Yahoo! News Search Results for forex

IntegrityFX announces Live Forex Training for Middle East (AME Info)
IntegrityFX, LLC (IntegrityFX) announced today that it would begin offering Live Forex training in Dubai beginning in May 2009.
Mini Forex Accounts (PIZZAHEROS)
High leverage and low margin in these mini forex accounts play a very important role in magnifying trading gains as well as losses. Mini forex trading accounts come with lower account minimums than of regular accounts, which enables small investors to day trade in foreign currencies.
RBI earns $6 b from forex kitty (The Economic Times)
Despite the central bank?s foreign exchange horde dipping $23.4 billion during April-September 2008, the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has managed to improve its earnings from forex reserves by about 30% over the same period a year ago.
Euro Falters as CPI Suggests ECB Will Cut Rates (Forex Video) (Daily FX via Y...
The euro tumbled as Euro-zone CPI estimates show that inflation has fallen below the ECB's 2.0% target, adding to speculation that the bank will cut rates next week. However, the British pound gained along with the commodity dollars, despite indications that the BOE will reduce rates on Thursday - w...
Forex ? A Winning Opportunity for Women (PIZZAHEROS)
Many psychologists are of the view that women are generally more in touch with their emotions than their male counterparts.
Yahoo! News Search Results for currencies

Emerging Currencies to Drop, Morgan Stanley Says (Update1) (Bloomberg)
Jan. 6 (Bloomberg) -- Emerging-market currencies are poised for further losses as recessions force wealthier nations to rein in overseas investment, Morgan Stanley said.
Emerging-Market Currencies May Extend Drop, Morgan Stanley Says (Bloomberg)
Jan. 6 (Bloomberg) -- Emerging-market currencies are poised for further losses as recessions force wealthier nations to rein in overseas investment, Morgan Stanley says.
Gold prices advance slightly as dollar weakens against other major currencies...
Gold prices rose slightly Tuesday as the dollar weakened against some other currencies. Oil prices fell, while agriculture futures rose.The
Asian Currencies May Extend Drop in 2009, Brown Brothers Says (Bloomberg)
Jan. 5 (Bloomberg) -- Asian currencies may remain weak in 2009 on slowing inflation, weaker growth and deteriorating exports, according to Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.
Euro to Decline Against European Currencies, Goldman Sachs Says (Bloomberg)
Jan. 5 (Bloomberg) -- The euro may decline by 10 percent against a basket of European currencies, which includes the British pound, Norwegian krone and the Swedish krona, according to Goldman Sachs Group Inc.