Beginners Guide to Trading

The foreign exchange (forex) market is where currencies are traded. When you trade EURUSD, you're simultaneously buying euros and selling US dollars. The goal is simple: you believe the euro will rise in value against the dollar, and if it does, you profit. If it falls, you lose.

Unlike stocks, forex has no central exchange. It trades 24 hours a day, five days a week, across global financial centres. That round-the-clock action is both its appeal and its danger — there's always a market, which means there's always risk.

Three terms you'll see constantly:

• Pip — the smallest price move a pair makes, usually the 4th decimal (0.0001). If EURUSD moves from 1.0820 to 1.0821, that's one pip.
• Lot — your trade size. One standard lot = 100,000 units. Most beginners start with 0.01–0.10 lots.
• Leverage — borrowed money that lets you control a large position with a small deposit. It magnifies both gains and losses, so treat it with respect.

A candlestick chart shows four prices for each time period: the open, high, low, and close. A green (or white) candle means price closed higher than it opened — buyers won that period. A red candle means it closed lower — sellers won. The "wicks" (thin lines) show how far price pushed beyond the open and close before settling.

Start with one timeframe — the 1-hour or 4-hour chart is ideal for beginners. Don't overcomplicate with a dozen indicators; a clean chart with price and a single moving average is plenty to begin.

On our platform: pick a symbol from the left sidebar, set your volume (start small — 0.01 lots), then click Buy if you think the price will rise or Sell if you think it will fall. That's it. Your position appears in the bottom table, where you can watch its profit/loss in real time and close it whenever you like.

This is the single most important lesson in trading, and most beginners ignore it until it's too late. Never risk more than 1–2% of your account on a single trade. With a $10,000 account, that's at most $100–200 of risk per trade. Use a stop-loss on every position, and size your trade so that hitting your stop costs no more than your risk budget.

The traders who survive and thrive aren't the ones who never lose — they're the ones whose losses are small and controlled. Protect your capital first; the profits will follow.

• Open a free account — fund your account with money.
• Place a few small trades to get comfortable with the platform.
• Move on to the Advanced Guide once the basics feel natural.