Forex Market vs. Stock Market

Trade Around the Clock

The forex market is a near-seamless 24-hour market. Subject to available liquidity, FXCM offers forex trading from Sunday, starting after 5:15 p.m. ET, until Friday, 4:55 p.m., ET (FXCM Client Service is available 24/7). Orders placed prior may be filled until 5 PM (ET). With the ability to trade around the clock, currency traders have the advantage of customizing their own trading schedule; they can usually get in or out of the market at any time without waiting for an opening bell or encountering a market gap. While trading stocks after usual market hours is possible, very often that possibility is negated by a lack of order flow or a drastic widening of the bid-ask spread.

Pay No Commissions*

In the forex market costs are generally confined to the bid-ask spread. FXCM charges no commission and is compensated through a mark-upwhich is added to the spread it receives from its liquidity providers§ via the FX Trading Station.

* FXCM is compensated by a mark-up, which is automatically added to the spreads it receives from its liquidity providers, FXCM may also receive compensation for order flow from its liquidity providers. FXCM does not charge commissions on standard accounts, however, commission charges may apply for certain classes of non-standard accounts such as Active Trader.

Forex Market Information Easily Accessible

Information about stocks is abundant, but so are the stocks. Finding a trade opportunity in the equities markets may mean sifting through data on thousands of stocks, while the forex trader has only six major currencies to research. Additionally, the vital information that moves equity markets, such as revenues and profits, which can be convoluted and sometimes subject to fraud, deception and insider trading. In contrast, virtually all of the news that bears on the forex market is publicly disseminated reports from governments or research institutions, and is transparent.

We feel that the knowledge you've gained in analyzing stocks can easily be transferred to the forex market. Many of the economic indicators familiar to equity traders, such as payroll data and interest rates, affect the currency markets. And many technical traders have found the forex market to be particularly attractive, since currencies respond well to many of the common technical indicators, such as MACD, RSI, and Candlestick charting.

To learn more about transitioning from trading equity markets to forex trading, contact the FXCM staff today at 888-503-6739.

Level II Pricing

The Active Trader Group provides lower commissions for high-volume traders. You can take advantage of this pricing on any of FXCM's platforms. If you choose to trade on the Active Trader platform you will also have a view of the available liquidity at each price level. The combined transaction costs of the Active Trader program (spreads + commissions) should be substantially lower than the transaction costs (spreads) available to the typical FXCM standard account.

Forex Trading is a High Risk Investment

Trading foreign exchange on margin carries a high level of risk, and may not be suitable for all investors. The high degree of leverage can work against you as well as for you. Before deciding to trade foreign exchange you should carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite. The possibility exists that you could sustain a loss of some or all of your initial investment and therefore you should not invest money that you cannot afford to lose. You should be aware of all the risks associated with foreign exchange trading, and seek advice from an independent financial advisor if you have any doubts.