Demo Trading vs. Real-Time Forex Trading
Most retail forex brokers offer free practice accounts, also called demo accounts. These accounts allow a new trader the chance to practice trading in the forex market at no charge. It also allows a trader to test out a broker platform and also test out trading strategies without having to risk capital since it is all paper trading. It also permits brokers to have prospective clients test their platforms and hopefully encourage then to open accounts. This article is aimed at the new trader and its goal is to point out how trading a demo account differs from trading a live account.
There is a major difference between forex trading using a practice account where no real money is at risk vs. trading a live account with real capital. It doesn’t matter how much money is at risk. It is very different when trading with real money. This is when psychology and emotion get factored into the mix.
There should be little emotion associated with trading a forex practice account. A position can go against you and it should not trigger any emotion as there is nothing at risk. You can let a losing position run with no concern of losing your capital as only your paper balance will decrease. If the position eventually recovers and makes money, it does not prepare you for real-time forex trading. In fact, it may send the wrong signal that you can hold on to a position indefinitely until you recover a loss. You may get more excited if you make profits trading a demo account but it cannot compare with making real profits with a live account. Experienced traders will tell you to keep emotion out of trading but that is easier said than done, especially for new traders who have not experienced the highs and lows of this business.
It is a different ball game when trading an account funded with real capital. don’t care if you risk one dollar or a thousand dollars. It is quite different when real money is at risk. It is difficult to describe what it is like trading with real capital as it is different when your emotions rise watching a position go into the red and seeing your account balance go down. This is especially true for the retail forex trader who often comes into the game either undercapitalized or trading with excessive leverage.
This brings up another issue trading with a demo account. Currency trading practice accounts often come with a $50,000 balance and it is easy to leverage it up since it is only paper money at risk. It is also easy to place a wide stop or no stop at all since you are not risking real capital. It is therefore easier to make money this way if you use excessive leverage, do not use stops and get lucky if it is a time when markets are not trending. If your account gets wiped out, you can always open a new practice account or ask the broker to replenish the existing account. This makes the transition to a live account even more difficult when the reality of trading with limited capital takes over. If your account gets wiped out, you either have to replenish the capital or drop out of the game. Losses are part of the learning process and all traders experience them. It can become even more painful if a trader enters the game with a false sense of confidence.
Now don’t get me wrong. I am not criticizing forex practice accounts. In fact, I think they are a wonderful way to learn how to trade. I wish they were available when I started out. Forex brokers provide a great service to the forex trading community by making them available. My issue is with new traders and how they generally use them. If a currency trader trades a demo account without a systematic approach, disciplined money management, proper use of stops and leverage, looking for good risk/reward trades, etc. then the transition to real-time forex trading may be less painful. On the other hand, if a trader does not trade a demo account as he/she plans to trade in real-time, then practice trading can become a “fool’s gold.” Nothing will prepare you for the emotion associated with trading real money but if you take advantage of a practice account to hone your skills as if you were trading real-time, it will at least prepare you for currency trading in real-time conditions.
Copyright (c) 2009 Jay Meisler
Most retail forex brokers offer free practice accounts, also called demo accounts. These accounts allow a new trader the chance to practice trading in the forex market at no charge. It also allows a trader to test out a broker platform and also test out trading strategies without having to risk capital since it is all paper trading. It also permits brokers to have prospective clients test their platforms and hopefully encourage then to open accounts. This article is aimed at the new trader and its goal is to point out how trading a demo account differs from trading a live account.
There is a major difference between forex trading using a practice account where no real money is at risk vs. trading a live account with real capital. It doesn’t matter how much money is at risk. It is very different when trading with real money. This is when psychology and emotion get factored into the mix.
There should be little emotion associated with trading a forex practice account. A position can go against you and it should not trigger any emotion as there is nothing at risk. You can let a losing position run with no concern of losing your capital as only your paper balance will decrease. If the position eventually recovers and makes money, it does not prepare you for real-time forex trading. In fact, it may send the wrong signal that you can hold on to a position indefinitely until you recover a loss. You may get more excited if you make profits trading a demo account but it cannot compare with making real profits with a live account. Experienced traders will tell you to keep emotion out of trading but that is easier said than done, especially for new traders who have not experienced the highs and lows of this business.
It is a different ball game when trading an account funded with real capital. don’t care if you risk one dollar or a thousand dollars. It is quite different when real money is at risk. It is difficult to describe what it is like trading with real capital as it is different when your emotions rise watching a position go into the red and seeing your account balance go down. This is especially true for the retail forex trader who often comes into the game either undercapitalized or trading with excessive leverage.
This brings up another issue trading with a demo account. Currency trading practice accounts often come with a $50,000 balance and it is easy to leverage it up since it is only paper money at risk. It is also easy to place a wide stop or no stop at all since you are not risking real capital. It is therefore easier to make money this way if you use excessive leverage, do not use stops and get lucky if it is a time when markets are not trending. If your account gets wiped out, you can always open a new practice account or ask the broker to replenish the existing account. This makes the transition to a live account even more difficult when the reality of trading with limited capital takes over. If your account gets wiped out, you either have to replenish the capital or drop out of the game. Losses are part of the learning process and all traders experience them. It can become even more painful if a trader enters the game with a false sense of confidence.
Now don’t get me wrong. I am not criticizing forex practice accounts. In fact, I think they are a wonderful way to learn how to trade. I wish they were available when I started out. Forex brokers provide a great service to the forex trading community by making them available. My issue is with new traders and how they generally use them. If a currency trader trades a demo account without a systematic approach, disciplined money management, proper use of stops and leverage, looking for good risk/reward trades, etc. then the transition to real-time forex trading may be less painful. On the other hand, if a trader does not trade a demo account as he/she plans to trade in real-time, then practice trading can become a “fool’s gold.” Nothing will prepare you for the emotion associated with trading real money but if you take advantage of a practice account to hone your skills as if you were trading real-time, it will at least prepare you for currency trading in real-time conditions.
Copyright (c) 2009 Jay Meisler
Article Source: http://www.articlewarehouse.com
Jay Meisler has been a forex trader since the 1970s and has traded for a bank, managed a fund and been an independent trader. He is a co-founder of Gllobal-View.com, the leading forex discussion site that attracts members from over 170 countries. Traders from around the globe come to Global-View in search of trading ideas, latest news, flows and rumors => www.global-view.com
Demo Trading vs. Real-Time Forex Trading
Most retail forex brokers offer free practice accounts, also called demo accounts. These accounts allow a new trader the chance to practice trading in the forex market at no charge. It also allows a trader to test out a broker platform and also test out trading strategies without having to risk capital since it is all paper trading. It also permits brokers to have prospective clients test their platforms and hopefully encourage then to open accounts. This article is aimed at the new trader and its goal is to point out how trading a demo account differs from trading a live account.
There is a major difference between forex trading using a practice account where no real money is at risk vs. trading a live account with real capital. It doesn’t matter how much money is at risk. It is very different when trading with real money. This is when psychology and emotion get factored into the mix.
There should be little emotion associated with trading a forex practice account. A position can go against you and it should not trigger any emotion as there is nothing at risk. You can let a losing position run with no concern of losing your capital as only your paper balance will decrease. If the position eventually recovers and makes money, it does not prepare you for real-time forex trading. In fact, it may send the wrong signal that you can hold on to a position indefinitely until you recover a loss. You may get more excited if you make profits trading a demo account but it cannot compare with making real profits with a live account. Experienced traders will tell you to keep emotion out of trading but that is easier said than done, especially for new traders who have not experienced the highs and lows of this business.
It is a different ball game when trading an account funded with real capital. don’t care if you risk one dollar or a thousand dollars. It is quite different when real money is at risk. It is difficult to describe what it is like trading with real capital as it is different when your emotions rise watching a position go into the red and seeing your account balance go down. This is especially true for the retail forex trader who often comes into the game either undercapitalized or trading with excessive leverage.
This brings up another issue trading with a demo account. Currency trading practice accounts often come with a $50,000 balance and it is easy to leverage it up since it is only paper money at risk. It is also easy to place a wide stop or no stop at all since you are not risking real capital. It is therefore easier to make money this way if you use excessive leverage, do not use stops and get lucky if it is a time when markets are not trending. If your account gets wiped out, you can always open a new practice account or ask the broker to replenish the existing account. This makes the transition to a live account even more difficult when the reality of trading with limited capital takes over. If your account gets wiped out, you either have to replenish the capital or drop out of the game. Losses are part of the learning process and all traders experience them. It can become even more painful if a trader enters the game with a false sense of confidence.
Now don’t get me wrong. I am not criticizing forex practice accounts. In fact, I think they are a wonderful way to learn how to trade. I wish they were available when I started out. Forex brokers provide a great service to the forex trading community by making them available. My issue is with new traders and how they generally use them. If a currency trader trades a demo account without a systematic approach, disciplined money management, proper use of stops and leverage, looking for good risk/reward trades, etc. then the transition to real-time forex trading may be less painful. On the other hand, if a trader does not trade a demo account as he/she plans to trade in real-time, then practice trading can become a “fool’s gold.” Nothing will prepare you for the emotion associated with trading real money but if you take advantage of a practice account to hone your skills as if you were trading real-time, it will at least prepare you for currency trading in real-time conditions.
Copyright (c) 2009 Jay Meisler
Most retail forex brokers offer free practice accounts, also called demo accounts. These accounts allow a new trader the chance to practice trading in the forex market at no charge. It also allows a trader to test out a broker platform and also test out trading strategies without having to risk capital since it is all paper trading. It also permits brokers to have prospective clients test their platforms and hopefully encourage then to open accounts. This article is aimed at the new trader and its goal is to point out how trading a demo account differs from trading a live account.
There is a major difference between forex trading using a practice account where no real money is at risk vs. trading a live account with real capital. It doesn’t matter how much money is at risk. It is very different when trading with real money. This is when psychology and emotion get factored into the mix.
There should be little emotion associated with trading a forex practice account. A position can go against you and it should not trigger any emotion as there is nothing at risk. You can let a losing position run with no concern of losing your capital as only your paper balance will decrease. If the position eventually recovers and makes money, it does not prepare you for real-time forex trading. In fact, it may send the wrong signal that you can hold on to a position indefinitely until you recover a loss. You may get more excited if you make profits trading a demo account but it cannot compare with making real profits with a live account. Experienced traders will tell you to keep emotion out of trading but that is easier said than done, especially for new traders who have not experienced the highs and lows of this business.
It is a different ball game when trading an account funded with real capital. don’t care if you risk one dollar or a thousand dollars. It is quite different when real money is at risk. It is difficult to describe what it is like trading with real capital as it is different when your emotions rise watching a position go into the red and seeing your account balance go down. This is especially true for the retail forex trader who often comes into the game either undercapitalized or trading with excessive leverage.
This brings up another issue trading with a demo account. Currency trading practice accounts often come with a $50,000 balance and it is easy to leverage it up since it is only paper money at risk. It is also easy to place a wide stop or no stop at all since you are not risking real capital. It is therefore easier to make money this way if you use excessive leverage, do not use stops and get lucky if it is a time when markets are not trending. If your account gets wiped out, you can always open a new practice account or ask the broker to replenish the existing account. This makes the transition to a live account even more difficult when the reality of trading with limited capital takes over. If your account gets wiped out, you either have to replenish the capital or drop out of the game. Losses are part of the learning process and all traders experience them. It can become even more painful if a trader enters the game with a false sense of confidence.
Now don’t get me wrong. I am not criticizing forex practice accounts. In fact, I think they are a wonderful way to learn how to trade. I wish they were available when I started out. Forex brokers provide a great service to the forex trading community by making them available. My issue is with new traders and how they generally use them. If a currency trader trades a demo account without a systematic approach, disciplined money management, proper use of stops and leverage, looking for good risk/reward trades, etc. then the transition to real-time forex trading may be less painful. On the other hand, if a trader does not trade a demo account as he/she plans to trade in real-time, then practice trading can become a “fool’s gold.” Nothing will prepare you for the emotion associated with trading real money but if you take advantage of a practice account to hone your skills as if you were trading real-time, it will at least prepare you for currency trading in real-time conditions.
Copyright (c) 2009 Jay Meisler
Article Source: http://www.articlewarehouse.com
Jay Meisler has been a forex trader since the 1970s and has traded for a bank, managed a fund and been an independent trader. He is a co-founder of Gllobal-View.com, the leading forex discussion site that attracts members from over 170 countries. Traders from around the globe come to Global-View in search of trading ideas, latest news, flows and rumors => www.global-view.com