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Everything About Trading The CAD/SGD Forex Currency Pair

Introduction

CAD/SGD is a Forex exotic currency pair where CAD represents the Canadian Dollar and the SGD, – the Singapore Dollar. For this pair, the CAD is the base currency, and the SGD is the quote currency. Therefore, the price attached to the pair is the quantity of the SGD that can be bought by 1 CAD. If the price of the CAD/SGD pair is 1.0289, it means that 1 CAD dollar buys for 1.0289 SGD.

CAD/SGD Specification

Spread

In forex trading, the difference in pips between the buying price (bid) and selling price (ask) is the spread. Forex brokers primarily generate their revenues through the spread. The spread varies depending on the type of trading account. The spread for the CAD/SGD pair is:

ECN: 7 pips | STP: 12 pips

Fees

For every individual trade made on an ECN account, one has to pay a commission. This fee varies with the broker and depends on the type of trade executed and the currency being traded. STP accounts do not have fees.

Slippage

In forex trading, slippage is the difference in the price in which a trader initiates a trade and the price at which it is executed. Slippage is a direct result of the brokers’ speed of execution and market volatility.

Trading Range in the CAD/SGD Pair

In forex, the trading range shows the fluctuation of a currency pair within s specific timeframe. The trading range is useful to estimate potential profit or loss from trading different timeframes. For example, if the CAD/SGD pair fluctuates ten pips in the 2-hour timeframe, it means that a trader can expect to either gain or lose $97 by trading one standard lot.

Below is a table showing the minimum, average, and maximum volatility of CAD/SGD across different timeframes.

The Procedure to assess Pip Ranges

  1. Add the ATR indicator to your chart
  2. Set the period to 1
  3. Add a 200-period SMA to this indicator
  4. Shrink the chart so you can determine a larger period
  5. Select your desired timeframe
  6. Measure the floor level and set this value as the min
  7. Measure the level of the 200-period SMA and set this as the average
  8. Measure the peak levels and set this as Max.

CAD/SGD Cost as a Percentage of the Trading Range

Cost expressed as the Percentage of the trading range helps a forex trader establish the anticipated trading costs under different market volatility across different timeframes.

Total cost = Slippage + Spread + Trading Fee

The tables below show the percentage costs to be expected when trading the CAD/SGD pair. The costs are expressed as a percentage of pips.

ECN Model Account

Spread = 7 | Slippage = 2 | Trading fee = 1

Total cost = 10

STP Model Account

Spread = 12 | Slippage = 2 | Trading fee = 0

Total cost = 14

The Ideal Timeframe to Trade CAD/SGD

We can see that in both the ECN and the STP accounts, costs are higher when volatility is at a minimum across all timeframes. Furthermore, we can observe that these costs tend to reduce when the volatility increases to the maximum.

For the CAD/SGD pair, costs are highest when volatility is at the lowest at 0.02 pips during the 1-hour timeframe. Conversely, the trading costs are lowest at the 1-month timeframe when volatility is at a maximum of 8.7 pips. Since high volatility can be risky and low volatility less profitable, forex traders should consider trading during times of average volatility.

More so, traders can increase their profitability by eliminating the costs associated with slippage. By using limit instead of market orders, forex traders can avoid experiencing slippage when entering and exiting positions.

Let’s have a look at how zero slippage cost affects the total costs.

ECN Account Using Limit Model Account

Total cost = Slippage + Spread + Trading fee

= 0 + 7 + 1 = 8

Notice that using the limit order type reduces the overall costs. The highest cost, for example, has reduced from 169.49% to 135.59%.

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Analyzing The Costs Involved While Trading The NZD/SGD Exotic Forex Pair

Introduction

NZD/SGD is the abbreviation for the native currencies of New Zealand and Singapore. It is considered an exotic pair, where NZD is the first (base) currency, and SGD is the second (quote) currency.

Understanding NZDSGD

This pair’s price determines the value of SGD, which is equivalent to one New Zealand Dollar, NZD. We can quote it as 1 NZD per X number of SGD. For example, if the NZDSGD pair’s value is at 0.90759, we need almost 0.90759 SGD to buy one NZD.

NZDSGD Specification

Spread

The spread comes from the difference between the bid and the ask prices offered by the broker. This value is controlled by the brokers; therefore, traders don’t have a say in this. This value varies on the type of execution used for performing the trades. Below are the ECN and STP values for NZD/SGD currency pair.

Spread on ECN: 26 pips | Spread on STP: 31 pips

Fees

The fee or commission in Forex is similar to the one that is paid to stockbrokers, where it is automatically deducted from traders’ accounts when they take a trade. Note that there are no fees on STP trading accounts, but a few pips are charged on ECN accounts.

Slippage

Slippage happens when a trader tries to open a trade in a price, but it opens at another price. The main reason to occur slippage is the market volatility and the broker’s execution speed.

Trading Range in NZDSGD

Procedure to assess Pip Ranges

  1. Add the ATR indicator to your chart
  2. Set the period to 1
  3. Add a 200-period SMA to this indicator
  4. Shrink the chart so you can assess a large time period
  5. Select your desired timeframe
  6. Measure the floor level and set this value as the min
  7. Measure the level of the 200-period SMA and set this as the average
  8. Measure the peak levels and set this as Max.

NZDSGD Cost as a Percent of the Trading Range

If we look at the volatility values at the above table, we can see how the cost changes with the change in volatility of the market. We just have got that ratio and converted into percentages.

ECN Model Account 

Spread = 26 | Slippage = 5 | Trading fee = 8

Total cost = Spread + Slippage + Trading Fee

= 26 + 5 + 8

Total cost = 39

STP Model Account

Spread = 26 | Slippage = 5 | Trading fee = 0

Total cost = Spread + Slippage + Trading Fee

= 26 + 5 + 0

Total cost = 31

The Ideal way to trade the NZDSGD

The NZDSGD is a currency pair that has a lot of volatility and liquidity. Therefore, it is easier for a trader to trade this currency pair. The above-mentioned percentage values are all within almost 500%. It is an indication that the cost is higher in the lower timeframe and lowers in the higher timeframe.

In other words, the cost rises with an increase in volatility. Therefore, the risk of this pair is that it is highly volatile. However, the best time to trade in this pair is when the volatility is at the average value. A decrease in volatility is ineffective, while the increase in volatility is risky. Therefore, sticking to the average value is suitable for this pair.

Furthermore, there’s an additional way to lessen the cost of the trades you execute. This is by placing a pending order as a ‘limit’ order instead of a ‘market’ order. In this case, there will be no slippage. So, in this example, the total cost will be reduced by five pips.

STP Model Account (Using Limit Orders)

Spread = 26 | Slippage = 0 | Trading fee = 0

Total cost = Spread + Slippage + Trading Fee

= 26 + 0 + 0

Total cost = 26

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Trading The GBP/SGD Exotic Currency Pair

Introduction To GBP & SGD Pairs

GBP

Great Britain Pound is also known in some contexts as the pound or sterling. It is the official currency of the United Kingdom and many British overseas territories. It is subdivided into 100 pence. The Pound Sterling is the oldest currency in continuous use, and also the fourth most-traded currency in the Forex market, after the United States dollar, the euro, and the Japanese yen.

SGD

The Singapore dollar is Singapore’s official currency, and it is divided into 100 cents. This currency is the thirteenth most traded currency in the world by value.

GBPSGD is the abbreviation for the Pound sterling against the Singapore Dollar. It is classified as an exotic-cross currency pair. In this currency pair, the GBP is the base currency, and the SGD is the quote currency.

Understanding GBP/SGD

In Forex, in order to find out the relative value of one currency, we need another currency to compare. It shows how much the GBP (the base currency) is worth as measured against the SGD (quote currency). It can simply be understood as 1GBP is equal to how much SGD. So if the exchange rate for the pair GBPSGD is 1.6894. It means that one GBP costs 1.6894 SGD.

Spread

The spread is the difference between the Bid (Sell) price and the Ask (Buy) price of an asset. The spread is how brokers make their money. Some broker Instead of charging a fee for performing a trade, the cost is built as a difference between the buy and sell prices of the currency pair.

ECN: 15 pips | STP: 19 pips

Fees

A Fee is simply the commission we pay to the broker on each position we open. There is no fee on STP account models, but a few pips on ECN accounts.

Slippage

Slippage is the difference between the price at which the trader wants to execute the trade and the price at which the trade is effectively executed. Slippage can occur at any time but is mostly happens when the market is very Volatile.

Trading Range in GBP/SGD

The amount of money we will win or lose in a given amount of time can be assessed using the trading range table. This is a representation of the minimum, average, and maximum pip movement in a currency pair.

Procedure to assess Pip Ranges

  1. Add the ATR indicator to your chart
  2. Set the period to 1
  3. Add a 200-period SMA to this indicator
  4. Shrink the chart so you can assess a large time period
  5. Select your desired timeframe
  6. Measure the floor level and set this value as the min
  7. Measure the level of the 200-period SMA and set this as the average
  8. Measure the peak levels and set this as Max.

GBP/SGD Cost as a Percent of the Trading Range

The cost of trade varies based on the volatility of the market. This is because the total cost involves slippage and spreads apart from the trading fee. Below is the representation of the cost variation in terms of percentages. The comprehension of it is discussed in the coming sections.

ECN Model Account

Spread = 15 | Slippage = 3 | Trading fee = 5

Total cost = Slippage + Spread + Trading Fee = 3 + 15 + 5 = 23

STP Model Account

Spread = 19 | Slippage = 3 | Trading fee = 0

Total cost = Slippage + Spread + Trading Fee = 3 + 19 + 0 = 22

Trading the GBP/SGD currency pair

The GBPSGD is an exotic-cross currency pair and is a normal ranging market. For instance, the average pip movement on the 1H timeframe is only 62 pips. Note that the higher the volatility, the lower is the cost of the trade. However, this is not an advantage as it is risky to trade highly volatile markets.

Also, the larger/smaller the percentages, the higher/lower are the costs on the trade. So, we can infer that the costs are higher for low volatile markets and high for highly volatile markets.

To reduce the risk, it is recommended to trade when the volatility is around the minimum values. The volatility here is low, and the costs are a little high compared to the average and the maximum values. But, if you’re priority is towards reducing costs, you may trade when the volatility of the market is around the maximum values.

Also, we can take advantage of the Limit orders to reduce costs. When orders are executed as market orders, the risk of slippage always persists. But, with the help of limit orders, we can completely avoid slippage, thereby reducing the overall trading cost. When slippage is Zero, only trading fees and the spread will be taken into consideration to calculate the total costs. Hence, it brings down the cost significantly.

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Trading Costs Involved While Trading The EUR/SGD Exotic pair

Introduction

EUR/SGD is the abbreviation for the Euro area’s euro against the Singapore Dollar. This is one of the most traded exotic currency pairs in the world. In this pair, EUR is the base currency, and SGD is the quote currency.

Understanding EUR/SGD

The price of this pair represents the value of SGD, which is equal to one EUR. It is quoted as 1 EUR per X SGD. For example, if the value of this pair is 1.5552, then about 1.5 Singapore Dollars are required to purchase one euro.

EUR/SGD Specification

Spread

The spread is the difference between the bid and the ask price in the market. These two prices are set by the brokers. And it depends on the type of execution model used by the brokers.

Spread on ECN: 10 pips | Spread on STP: 11 pips

Fees

On ECN accounts, for every position you open, there is some fee involved with it. This is different for different brokers. However, on STP accounts, there is no fee as such.

Slippage

To put it in simple words, slippage is the difference between the trader’s demanded price and price given by the broker. The trader does not get his intended price due to two reasons – Broker’s execution speed & Market volatility

Trading Range in EUR/SGD

With the trading range table, we can assess our gain/loss on a trade in a given timeframe even before we open positions for it. This is done by considering the past volatility of the market.

Now, to determine the profit/loss on a trade, all you must do is, multiply the volatility value with the pip value ($7.25).

Procedure to assess Pip Ranges

  1. Add the ATR indicator to your chart
  2. Set the period to 1
  3. Add a 200-period SMA to this indicator
  4. Shrink the chart so you can assess a large time period
  5. Select your desired timeframe
  6. Measure the floor level and set this value as the min
  7. Measure the level of the 200-period SMA and set this as the average
  8. Measure the peak levels and set this as Max.

EUR/SGD Cost as a Percent of the Trading Range

This is an excellent application to the above volatility table. By considering the pip movement values, we can determine the cost variation of a trade as well. To do so, we find the ratio between the total cost and volatility value and convert it into percentages. Below are the cost variations for ECN and STP accounts models.

ECN Model Account 

Spread = 10 | Slippage = 3 | Trading fee = 3

Total cost = Slippage + Spread + Trading Fee = 3 + 10 + 3

Total cost = 16

STP Model Account

Spread = 11 | Slippage = 3 | Trading fee = 0

Total cost = Slippage + Spread + Trading Fee = 3 + 11 + 0

Total cost = 14

The Ideal way to trade the EUR/SGD

Comprehending the costs : Large/Small percentage -> High/Low costs

From the above the tables and the implications, we can conclude that costs are high when the volatility of the low and high when the volatility is low. And when it comes to the ideal way to trade this pair, conservative traders may trade it during those times when the volatility values are at or above the average values. This will ensure enough volatility as well as affordable costs. And other aggressive traders may trade during any of the extremes.

Also, traders can reduce their total costs by trading using limit orders and stop orders. Unlike the market orders, limit and stop orders do not include slippage on the trade. Hence, this will reduce costs considerably.

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Forex Assets

Analyzing The USD/SGD Forex Currency Pair

Introduction

US dollar versus the Singapore dollar, in short, is referred to as USDSGD. USD stands for the US dollar and is the base currency, and SGD stands for the Singapore dollar and is the quote currency. This currency pair comes under the sack of exotic currency pairs. Unlike the major and minor currencies, exotic currencies tend to have high volatility and low volumes.

Understanding USD/SGD

Comprehending the value of USDSGD is simple. The number of SGD equivalent to one USD is the value of the currency pair USDSGD. It is quoted as 1 USD per X SGD. So, if the value of this pair is 1.3641, then 1.3241 units of SGD are to be produced to purchase one USD.

Spread

Spread is a term given to the difference between the bid price and ask price of a currency pair. This value varies from broker to broker and on the type of execution model.

ECN: 7 | STP: 9

Fees

The fee is similar to the commission that is paid on each trade. This value, too, varies based on how the brokers execute a trade. Note that there is no fee on STP accounts. However, there is a fee on ECN accounts. And for exotic pairs, the fee is pretty high.

Slippage

Slippage is the difference between the price that a trader expected to receive and the price he actually got. There is always this difference due to the volatility of the market and the broker’s execution speed.

Trading Range in USD/SGD

Assessing the profit or loss that a trader is liable for is considered to be a vital factor in trading. This can easily be determined using the table below, which represents the pip movements in the currency pair in a given timeframe.

Procedure to assess Pip Ranges

  1. Add the ATR indicator to your chart
  2. Set the period to 1
  3. Add a 200-period SMA to this indicator
  4. Shrink the chart so you can assess a large time period
  5. Select your desired timeframe
  6. Measure the floor level and set this value as the min
  7. Measure the level of the 200-period SMA and set this as the average
  8. Measure the peak levels and set this as Max.

USD/SGD Cost as a Percent of the Trading Range

The total cost on a trade does not remain static even though you’re trading with the same broker. It varies depending on the volatility of the currency pair. To find the variation of these costs, we consider the values in the pip movement table and find the ratio with the total cost, and represent in percentage.

ECN Model Account

Spread = 7 | Slippage = 3 |Trading fee = 3

Total cost = Slippage + Spread + Trading Fee = 7 + 3 + 3 = 13

STP Model Account

Spread = 9 | Slippage = 3 | Trading fee = 0

Total cost = Slippage + Spread + Trading Fee = 9 + 3 + 0 = 12

The Ideal way to trade the USD/SGD

As mentioned, exotic pairs are pretty expensive to trade. However, it can still be traded in some moments when the costs are low.

It can be ascertained from the above table that the percentages are maximum in the min column and minimum on the max column. This means that the costs are high when the market’s volatility is low and vice versa.

Now, to ensure moderate volatility with affordable costs, it is ideal to trade when the volatility of the market is somewhere around the average values of the volatility table.

Slippage is a variable in the total cost that can be erased by trading using limit orders instead of market orders. In doing so, the costs will be reduced by a significant value. For example, if the total cost on the trade was 13 (including slippage=3), then the costs would be reduced to 10 as slippage is not considered.