While forex trading comes with several perks, like being your own boss, flexible hours, and the opportunity to become wealthy, the biggest drawback is the risk factor. There’s always a chance that you’ll lose money, no matter how well-educated you are. If you want to minimize your losses as much as possible, then it is crucial to have a good risk-management strategy working for you. Otherwise, you could quickly become one of the many beginners that walk away from trading for good.
The first mistake many beginners make is overleveraging their trades. If a broker offers a leverage of 1:1000, that means you can multiply every $1 you’ve invested times a thousand. This would allow you to make a $1,000 trade with only $1 in your trading account. Leverage is one of the biggest draws to forex trading since it allows you to increase your investment power. However, you shouldn’t use the highest leverage just because you can, otherwise, it can backfire and cause large losses. Leverage is often referred to as a double-edged sword, and beginners often find themselves on the sharp edge. Resisting the temptation to use higher leverage at first is crucial for beginners to see success later.
Monitoring the size of your positions is another important step. Many professionals recommend that you only risk 1% of your account’s balance on any one trade. This may not equal a large amount of profits, but it helps to reduce losses if things don’t go in your favor. Remember that winning even a small amount is better than losing a lot of money. Setting a stop-loss order is a precaution that causes the trade to close if a certain loss level is reached. Traders would need to figure out how many pips they want to risk and then set their orders. Beginners should also recognize the point of when to take profits. Putting a close order position in place to take profits at the appropriate level of resistance or using candlestick recognition or moving average crossover strategies can help accomplish this.
One of the best things you can do to set yourself up for success is to have a good trading strategy. The internet is filled with different kinds of strategies that suit the needs and skill levels of every different kind of trader. Having a plan to follow will help you know what to look for and you can even monitor and improve your strategy with a trading journal.
Managing your risks in forex trading will keep you afloat where others have failed. Setting a good trading plan without risking more than a small percentage of your capital sets up a firm foundation. Then, you can set stop-loss orders and take profit levels to further minimize your risk. Choosing appropriate leverage is another important factor. If you go into the market without a strategy, risking 10% or 20% per trade, then you will likely wipe out your trading account very quickly. Likewise, if you’re a beginner trading with a 1:1000 leverage, you’re more likely to lose everything. Using the above risk-management strategies (and others) will help you to avoid losing all your money as it provides a cushion against losses.
Finally, know that you shouldn’t base your risk-management plan from this article alone. Do more research online and read about the ways that other traders minimize their risks. You’ll need to read about stop-loss orders, trailing stops, and so. Don’t make the mistake of using leverage that is too high, never risk more than a small percentage on any one trade, and be sure to do more thorough research to help with your strategy and other risk-management precautions.
