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Disclaimer
Information and strategies contained in this book are intended as educational
information only and should not be treated as advice or a recommendation to trade
nor used as a sole trading guide. The past is not a guide to future performance, and
strategies that have worked in the past may not work in the future. Digital options1 and
CFD trading involves a high level of risk and may not be suitable for all customers.
The value of any trade, and the income derived from it, can go down as well as up, and
your capital is at risk. Although due care has been taken in preparing this document,
we disclaim liability for any inaccuracies or omissions. Deriv is the manufacturer and
distributor of its products.
Products offered in deriv.com are considered complex derivatives and may not be
suitable for retail clients. CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of
losing money rapidly due to leverage. 68% of retail investor accounts lose money when
trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs
work and whether you can afford to take the risk of losing your money.
Deriv Investments (Europe) Ltd (W Business Centre, Level 3, Triq Dun Karm, Birkirkara
BKR 9033, Malta) is licensed and regulated in Malta by the Malta Financial Services
Authority under the Investment Services Act to provide investment services in the
European Union. It is also authorised and subject to limited regulation by the Financial
Conduct Authority in the UK. Details about the extent of our authorisation and regulation
by the Financial Conduct Authority are available from us on request.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any
means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or using any information
storage and retrieval system, without the written permission of the publisher, except where
permitted by law. For information about the reproduction rights, contact First Information at the
above email address.
1
Currently not offered to clients residing in the European Union and the United Kingdom
How to Trade the Forex Market
Vince Stanzione has been trading markets for over 30 years and has shared his
knowledge and experience in a number of books. He is the New York Times bestselling
author of The Millionaire Dropout and has created the “Making Money from Financial Spread
Trading” course. He has been quoted and featured favourably in over 200 newspapers,
media outlets, and websites including CNBC, Yahoo Finance, Marketwatch, Reuters.com,
Independent, Sunday Independent, Observer, Guardian, The Times, Sunday Times, Daily
Express, What Investment, Growth Company Investor, New York Times, Bullbearings,
City Magazine, Canary Wharf, Institutional Investor China, and Shares Magazine.
Introduction 05
Final note 56
Appendices 58
Glossary 72
INTRODUCTION
How to Trade the Forex Market | Introduction
INTRODUCTION
Foreign exchange – forex or the FX market, as it is commonly known – is one of the biggest marketplaces
in the world. Here, no trading floor exists; banks, brokers, companies, and governments trade among
themselves through high-tech computer networks, such as those offered by Reuters and Bloomberg.
It’s hard to comprehend the colossal amount You will be able to practise trading forex with a
of money traded in this market on a daily basis, demo account. So you can see it in action without
which totals around 6.6 trillion USD per day, as risking any money. As you become more confident,
reported in a 2019 survey by the BIS Triennial you can start using a real trading account. The
Central Bank Survey. Approximately 10% is great advantage of using Deriv services, which are
fuelled by companies trading overseas, needing available for clients above the age of 18, is that
to convert currencies for routine commerce, such you can start trading with just a small deposit.
as import/export businesses; the rest is pure
speculation and investment.
This book explores the world of forex, especially This book explores
as accessed via Deriv online trading platform the world of forex,
(DTrader), as well as the leading platform
MetaTrader 5 (MT5). especially as
accessed via Deriv
online trading
platform (DTrader),
as well as the
leading platform
MetaTrader 5 (MT5).
6
THE BASICS OF FOREX
How to Trade the Forex Market | The basics of forex
Today, it’s possible for anyone to trade currencies Whilst FX is a global market, the two biggest
– even with a small amount of money. You can trading centres are London and New York,
also trade in the FX market regardless of which accounting for 50% of the trading volume. This
country you are in. Prices are always being timeframe also coincides with many US economic
quoted and are universally accessible. data releases which are reported in the morning
New York time, such as unemployment numbers,
The currency market offers nearly 24 hours of
and these can cause sharp moves in currencies.
seamless trading – starting on Sunday at 9:00 pm
GMT, which is early morning in Asia, and carrying Although cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin are
on all the way until Friday evening in New York, starting to be more frequently used for cross
or 10:00 pm GMT. Although the FX market is border transfers, the total volume of crypto
liquid almost all the time, the most active times exchanges is still tiny compared to the FX market.
are typically around 1:00 pm GMT to 4:00 pm
GMT when the London and US markets are both
open. This is also known as the overlap sessions.
Another busy time is around 8:00 am GMT, when
London initially opens and the Far East is closing
down for the day.
Both sessions
overlap
Figure 1. The most active times in FX are when London and New York are open; however,
there is adequate liquidity 24 hours a day with Sydney and Tokyo trading overnight.
8
WHO USES THE
FOREX MARKET?
How to Trade the Forex Market | Who uses the fx market?
Businesses
Businesses often need to convert currencies Companies trading commodities will likely do
when they conduct trades outside the boundaries their transactions in USD. For example, gold
of their home countries. Large companies need to is traded in USD per ounce. Yet the gold was
convert huge amounts of currency. likely mined in a non-USD country, probably
accumulating additional costs in other countries
A multinational company, such as Apple, converts
with their different local currencies along the way.
tens of billions of dollars each year from sales
made outside of the United States. Apple makes
60% of its revenue outside the US.
10
How to Trade the Forex Market | Who uses the fx market?
Figure 2. The 10 biggest FX banks and trading companies according to the 2020
Euromoney FX survey.
11
How to Trade the Forex Market | Who uses the fx market?
1 2 3 4
China Japan Saudi Arabia Switzerland
12
WHICH CURRENCIES ARE
ON THE FOREX MARKET?
How to Trade the Forex Market | Which currencies are on the fx market?
The table below shows 42 currencies that people Gold and Oil (which are quoted in USD per ounce
use around the world. Yet the majority of all FX or barrel). Companies that do business throughout
trades – i.e. approximately 80% – involve the US many parts of the world still report in USD. Even
dollar (USD). The USD remains the world’s reserve kidnappers, criminals, and drug dealers prefer to
currency, used when trading commodities such as be paid in USD!
14
How to Trade the Forex Market | Which currencies are on the fx market?
Cryptocurrencies
such as Bitcoin
(BTC) are on the
rise, but they
are still in their
infancy. And yes,
Bitcoin is mainly
quoted in USD, so
you cannot escape
the mighty dollar.
This currency
essentially sets
the bar throughout
the globe.
15
WHY TRADE FOREX ON
DERIV
How to Trade the Forex Market | Why trade fx on deriv
Let’s first examine what it’s like to trade FX with regular brokers who only offer margin trading, often
with no safety measures (see Appendix G to learn more about margin trading and leverage). Imagine a
broker who is offering you 100:1 leverage. This offer would immediately enable you to trade $100,000
in currency with just 1% margin. At first, this seems like a bargain since all you would need is $1,000
deposited into the account. The broker provides the remaining 99% (i.e. $99,000). However, if a position
goes against your prediction, you will either have to quickly put up more funds – the dreaded situation
known as a margin call – or your trade will be closed out. As you can see, trading on margin is risky
because it can suddenly leave you way in above your head, forced to refuel your account with additional
funds to stay ”alive”.
Now, let’s take a look at trading the forex market on Deriv. With Deriv, you have two choices:
2
This trade type is not offered to Deriv clients in the United Kingdom, and any point on digital options throughout this book does not
apply to Deriv products and services provided for the UK residents.
17
How to Trade the Forex Market | Why trade fx on deriv
18
How to Trade the Forex Market | Why trade fx on deriv
Be in control
When you’re trading digital options on DTrader, you can decide the length of your FX trade upfront. This
length can range from ticks to seconds to days. With digital options, your trades settle automatically with
no need to make a closing trade. If the trade moves according to your prediction, any profit that you make
is added to your account balance automatically with no waiting for settlement.
When trading FX on multipliers, it’s of course completely up to you when to close your trade.
You can also have several trades open simultaneously. For example, you could have a Rise (buy) trade on
USD/EUR to settle in 1 hour and also have a Fall (sell) trade on AUD/JPY to settle in 1 minute.
Enjoy flexibility
You can have multiple trades open on various FX pairs and other markets with Deriv at the same time.
With digital options, you can also have different timeframes on the same pair, so, for example, you could
go long on EUR/USD over the next 5 days but short on the same pair over the next 1 hour, and you could
potentially profit on both.
Multipliers give you even more flexibility. You can close the trade when you want, depending on the
market movement, and you also have factors you can set such as the multiplier, take profit, stop loss, and
deal cancellation to have more control over how the trade goes.
Whilst multipliers use leverage, because of their unique structure, they still protect you from the risks of
margin trading and leaning on leverage, as do the non-leveraged digital options. They both also remove the
100k lot barrier to entry to the forex market. You can jump right into trading by purchasing contracts as
low as $1, working your way up at your own pace, as you gain greater confidence in your forex knowledge
and skills.
19
How to Trade the Forex Market | Why trade fx on deriv
Have choices
When you trade forex on DTrader, there are three digital option trades that you can currently choose from.
Deriv plans to add more. Below, you are introduced to those offered on DTrader at the time that this book
is being written.
Rise/Fall
Predict whether the exit spot will be strictly higher or lower than the
entry spot at the end of the contract period. Select the Allow equals
checkbox to win the payout if the exit spot is higher than or equal to the
entry spot for Rise or if the exit spot is lower than or equal to the entry
spot for Fall.
Higher/Lower
Predict whether the exit spot will be higher or lower than a price target
(the barrier) at the end of the contract period.
Touch/No Touch
Predict whether the market will touch or not touch a target at any time
during the contract period.
20
How to Trade the Forex Market | Why trade fx on deriv
4
1
5
Figure 3. Rise/Fall
Here we have the EUR/USD. The current spot Our stake is $10. 5 You can trade as little as $1
price is 1.19076. 1 on most markets. The returns offered can be seen.
We can predict that the first currency, the euro, If the trade is successful, we will be credited the
will go higher or lower against the USD. If we investment ($10) plus the payout amount. If we
think the euro will go higher, we select Rise, 2 lose, we only lose the initial $10.
and if we think it’ll go lower, we select Fall. 3 Some forex digital options trades allow selling
We can set the trade duration from a few seconds the contract before it expires to either gain a
to days as long as the contract expires on trading profit or close at a loss depending on the market
day. In the above example, we’ve set the duration position at that moment, but most options run
21
How to Trade the Forex Market | Why trade fx on deriv
22
How to Trade the Forex Market | Why trade fx on deriv
23
How to Trade the Forex Market | Why trade fx on deriv
A CFD is a derivative
product that
you can use to
Set an automatic brake to lower speculate on the
your risk
future direction of
Using DMT5 to trade CFDs on forex gives you an
additional tool to manage your risk. You can set a a market’s price.
stop loss when you want to purchase the contract You’ll never take
so that if the market moves against you, your
position gets closed automatically if your loss
ownership of the
reaches that preset level. In this way, your loss underlying asset.
will not exceed what you judge to be affordable.
24
CURRENCY PAIRS YOU CAN
TRADE ON DERIV
How to Trade the Forex Market | Currency pairs you can trade on deriv
1
Major pairs
The most popular, commonly traded currency pairs, such as EUR/USD and USD/
JPY. All major pairs include USD since it’s the world’s most traded currency.
2
Minor pairs
Currency pairs that don’t include USD, but still encompass the currency of
developed countries.
26
How to Trade the Forex Market | Currency pairs you can trade on deriv
3
Exotic pairs
Currency pairs consisting of one major currency and the currency of a
developing country, such as Turkey (available on DMT5).
27
FOREX IN MORE DETAIL
How to Trade the Forex Market | Forex in more detail
29
How to Trade the Forex Market | Forex in more detail
30
How to Trade the Forex Market | Forex in more detail
Point
Point is the smallest price change on the left side of the decimal point — for example, if the price
of an asset changes from $15.00 to $17.00, the asset has moved 2 points.
Pip Tick
(percentage in point/price interest point)
Pip is the smallest price change on the In forex trading, a tick has the same
right side of the decimal point that an meaning as a pip. However, in other
exchange rate can make based on the markets, ticks aren’t necessarily
market convention. measured in factors of 10.
For most currency pairs, such as EUR/ For example, if the minimum price
USD, a pip is the fourth decimal place movement in a market is measured in
(the 1 in 0.0001 ). In other pairs, such increments of 0.25, each tick will equal
as USD/JPY, a pip will be the second 0.25, and each point will be 4 ticks.
decimal point (the 1 in 0.01).
31
How to Trade the Forex Market | Forex in more detail
Trend higher
The lows are becoming higher. The highs are also • Rise/Fall: choose Rise when the market is
becoming higher. trending higher
In other words, whenever the market sells off, it • Higher/Lower: choose Higher when the market
rebounds at a higher price than the previous time. is bullish
This is considered to be positive or bullish activity
• In/Out3
because market participants are willing to pay
more than in the past. With a CFD on DMT5, you would want to buy
(long) the strong currency.
The types of trades that you would look to make
on DTrader during these market conditions are:
Figure 10. EUR/GBP: the euro is gaining against the British pound
3
Available on SmartTrader, a platform accessible to Deriv clients who do not live in the European Union or the United Kingdom
32
How to Trade the Forex Market | Forex in more detail
Trend lower
This is a downtrend: lows become lower, and • Rise/Fall: choose Fall when the market is
highs become lower too. trending lower
Any up moves are quickly sold off, as the market • Higher/Lower: choose Lower when the market
is losing energy. A helpful analogy is a boxer is Bearish
being knocked down gradually, taking longer
• Touch/No Touch
and longer to get up each time.
• In/Out
This is considered to be negative or bearish
activity because market participants are willing With a CFD on DMT5, you want to go short, so in
to pay less than in the past. The currency is the example below, you should sell (short) the
losing strength. USD.
Figure 11. USD is weak against the CHF. Traders would rather hold CHF.
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How to Trade the Forex Market | Forex in more detail
74.56
Figure 12. Stays Between: With Deriv, even a stagnant market might work to
your advantage.
34
How to Trade the Forex Market | Forex in more detail
Sideways range
Markets can also be dull or range-bound, with very little movement in either direction. Such periods
can last for weeks and sometimes months.
Let’s say every time the EUR/AUD exchange rate reaches 1.61, there’s support from buyers. This amount
would be the lower range that can be seen in the image below. Then every time the exchange rate gets
up to 1.66, we find resistance from buyers. This amount would be the higher range.
Prices can bounce between the two levels for a long period of time. At some stage, the equilibrium is
broken, and a new trend or range is established. This state is often overlooked, but a currency can stay
in a sideways range for weeks or even months. A sideways range is a case in which buyers and sellers
are equally matched. In this case, price levels have been formed that attract buyers (or support) and
sellers (or resistance).
35
How to Trade the Forex Market | Forex in more detail
Most traders don’t profit from ranging markets. Resistance levels occur when the consensus is
However, with Deriv, you can trade and profit that the price will not move higher. It is the point
from range markets. Let’s see how. at which sellers outnumber buyers. Resistance
can be seen as a ceiling for the exchange rate.
Support levels occur when the consensus is that
the price will not move lower. It is the point at
which buyers outnumber sellers. Support can be
seen as a floor for the exchange rate.
Figure 14. USD/CHF settled into a range of 0.92 and 0.90 for a few months
For trading in the situation shown in Figure 13, we can choose a Higher/Lower digital option. If we take the
low-risk view that this situation will continue, we can select 0.92 as the barrier over the next 7 days. The
return is 21%. As long as the USD/CHF ends below 0.92, we will be paid our return, which in this example is
USD 21.
36
How to Trade the Forex Market | Forex in more detail
Let me show you another way of trading the same scenario using Ends Between/Ends Outside 4 that you
can find on the SmartTrader platform, also accessible through Deriv. This offers a little more risk but an
extra 9.5% return. If we select a higher barrier of 0.92 (same as the previous example) but also add a lower
barrier of 0.90, we can increase the return.
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4
Available on SmartTrader, a platform accessible to Deriv clients
who do not live in the European Union or the United Kingdom
37
How to Trade the Forex Market | Forex in more detail
In this guide, we will spend more time focusing on technical analysis, charting, and system trading than
fundamentals and economic indicators. Let’s start with an overview of fundamental analysis.
Fundamental analysis
As previously mentioned, traders are always Twitter is also a good source of these
looking for clues to the vitality of a country’s announcements. Below you will see an example
economy and currency. They analyse from the Bloomberg TV Twitter account.
fundamental data, such as unemployment
figures, inflation, GDP, and even new car
sales. These types of figures can all provide a
temperature reading of sorts to help gauge an
economy’s relative strength.
• Yahoo! Finance
• Investing.com
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How to Trade the Forex Market | Forex in more detail
Typically, before and after a major announcement, and helps traders remain up to date on
a currency becomes more volatile as traders global markets and well prepared for market
predict, interpret, and react to the news. movements. Below is a screenshot of MT5 in
which you can see the economic calendar menu.
MetaTrader 5 (MT5), which is accessible via
DMT5, has a robust calendar tool. The MT5
calendar marks events in order of significance
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How to Trade the Forex Market | Forex in more detail
40
How to Trade the Forex Market | Forex in more detail
Technical analysis
Disclaimer: There is no guarantee that analysing the past performance of the market, whether on
financial or synthetic indices, can lead to successfully predicting future market movements. These
technical analysis tools merely help to gain a better understanding of how markets move and how
such data can be analysed for a better-informed decision when trading. Please remember that trading
always involves risk, and you should consider this when trading.
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How to Trade the Forex Market | Forex in more detail
Candlesticks are usually composed of the body, of the body. The closing price is at the top. If the
typically shaded in black or white illustrating asset has closed lower than it opened, the body
the opening and closing trades, and the wick, is black. The opening price is at the top. The
consisting of an upper and lower shadow closing price is at the bottom. A candlestick need
illustrating the highest and lowest traded prices not have either a body or a wick. In the examples
during the time interval represented. throughout this book, we have used red for a
down candle instead of black, and green for an up
If the asset has closed higher than it opened, the
candle instead of white.
body is white. The opening price is at the bottom
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How to Trade the Forex Market | Forex in more detail
Timeframes
Depending on which timeframe you use in a chart, the trends and patterns will look very different. Many
traders examine multiple timeframes for the same currency pair, such as the EUR/JPY in one-minute,
one-hour, and one-day charts.
Deriv offers comprehensive charts across different timeframes, ranging from very short-term (i.e. mere
ticks, or seconds) to one-day bars.
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How to Trade the Forex Market | Forex in more detail
This guide doesn’t aim to go into the hundreds of possible technical trading tools, patterns, and
indicators, but the following can give you an understanding of the main tools available. This brief
overview is designed to help you get started in trading via CFDs or digital options so that you can begin
to build up your knowledge. Deriv and MT5 offer access to excellent complementary charts and tools
with over 30 technical indicators, but we will stick to three of the main ones here:
Moving averages
It’s important to keep your trading system simple at the beginning. As you progress, you can add extra
tools to refine your abilities further.
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How to Trade the Forex Market | Forex in more detail
Moving averages
It’s hard to trace the precise origins of the moving Every charting software package incorporates
average (MA), although this concept is often the moving average, as it is one of the most
attributed to Richard Donchian. He was a great fundamental aspects of trading. You will also find
pioneer of systematic trading in the 1950s and it on the various charts featured on the internet.
’60s. The methodologies that he developed You don’t need to worry about working it out
over 40 years ago still serve as the basis of manually on your own.
many complex systems used by the world’s best
traders.
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How to Trade the Forex Market | Forex in more detail
Simple/arithmetic
Exponential
Variable
Triangular
Weighted
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How to Trade the Forex Market | Forex in more detail
A few simple pointers: the following chart shows the AUD/USD with a 20-day simple moving average. The
chart timeframe is daily. If I changed the time to 1 minute, it would then become a 20-minute simple
moving average.
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How to Trade the Forex Market | Forex in more detail
Whilst you can also trade on tick charts, a moving average of less than 1 minute has no real value, and I
would not advise it. Popular moving averages are 20 days, 50 days, and 200 days for longer-term trading.
For shorter terms, 20 minutes, 60 minutes (1 hour), 4 hours, and 8 hours are all popular. These time
intervals can be easily set up in DTrader as you can see below:
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How to Trade the Forex Market | Forex in more detail
Moving averages work best when prices are If the price moves
“moving” either up or down. In a sideways range,
the moving average will go flat and give out many
above the moving
false signals. average, you would be
looking to place bullish
bets (up trades), and
if it breaks below, you
will place bearish bets
(down trades).
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How to Trade the Forex Market | Forex in more detail
Deriv allows you to trade extremely short-term digital options – such as holding for one minute and, in
some cases, even less time.
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How to Trade the Forex Market | Forex in more detail
This is a very simple system that can be programmed to trade automatically using DBot or an MT5 trade
so you would not have to keep monitoring.
It’s also possible to test a system with a demo account. You could also use a CFD trade which would
remain open as long as the price remains above the moving average (long trade). When it falls below, you
close the trade. You can also then open a new trade (short trade).
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How to Trade the Forex Market | Forex in more detail
The Donchian channel is an indicator used in Of course, we can also stop and reverse to do
market trading, developed by Richard Donchian. exactly the opposite for long trades:
It is formed by taking the highest high and the
• Enter Long when the price hits 20-minute
lowest low for a set period, such as 20 days.
high Donchian channel
The area between the high and the low is the
Donchian channel for the period chosen. This tool • Close Sell when the price hits 20-minute low
is available within Deriv charts, with adjustable Donachian channel
settings for the period length. Twenty days is
A simple system like this can be programmed into
the conventional timeframe, which is why the
MT5 or using DBot so trades can be automated,
Donchian channel is often referred to as the 20-
and I will cover more about DBot later on. I have
day rule or the 4-week rule.
used 20 minutes, but that could be 20 hours or
In the example below, we see the AUD/CAD one- 20 days for a longer-term system. There is also
minute chart with a 20-minute Donchian channel. nothing to stop you using 10 minutes.
We can see that the price had been trending
higher but is now trending lower. Down digital
options or short CFDs would be the way to trade
in this case. Whilst we see rebounds, the lows are
getting lower. The Donchian channel
If you were short on a CFD, your basic system is an indicator used
could be: in market trading,
• Enter Short when the price hits 20-minute developed by Richard
low Donchian channel
Donchian. It is formed
• Close Buy When the price hits 20-minute
high Donchian channel
by taking the highest
high and the lowest low
for a set period, such as
20 days.
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How to Trade the Forex Market | Forex in more detail
Whilst basic, this system has some powerful as long as the winning trades make more points
advantages: than the losing ones. You can also profit from
down moves as well as up.
1. Winning trades are left to run.
The middle line on the chart below is just a 50%
2. You have an exact exit strategy (no guessing).
line of the High/Low channels. Some traders may
3. The system is rule-based. use this as a first warning sign of an impending
trend change.
4. Your risk is always defined.
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How to Trade the Forex Market | Forex in more detail
The relative strength index (RSI) indicator measures a share’s performance against itself. It is often
used to identify buying opportunities in market dips and selling opportunities in market rallies. The
value of the RSI is always a number between 0 and 100. The indicator was developed and introduced
into practice in 1978 by an American engineer J. Welles Wilder, real estate developer and famous
technical analyst. It is still widely in use.
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How to Trade the Forex Market | Forex in more detail
55
FINAL NOTE
How to Trade the Forex Market | Final note
FINAL NOTE
I hope you found this short guide of use and that you will refer back to it in due course. This book has shown
the many ways that forex can be traded on Deriv via DTrader and DMT5.
Using Deriv services allows you to trade a great selection of markets. You will find additional resources,
charts, and tools on the deriv.com website.
57
APPENDICES
How to Trade the Forex Market | Appendices
APPENDICES
General points about trading and Deriv
Appendix A
Unlike some brokers that make it easy to deposit money yet hard to withdraw, Deriv
enables you to withdraw easily and securely. Please note that whilst Deriv processes
your withdrawal requests efficiently and quickly, the period it might take banks or other
financial institutions to perform withdrawals can be longer. Deriv tries to give you an
estimate of the total waiting time.
All your money is segregated and held in secure and licensed financial institutions. In
this way, in the unlikely event of Deriv becoming insolvent, all your money will be returned
to you because it is never merged with Deriv’s.
Deriv has over 1.8 million trading accounts opened with more than 8 billion US dollars
of total trade turnover, so you’re in good hands.
Each trade, even if the trading capital is small, is given a unique reference ID number
for the opening and closing. This means that each trade has a full audit trail that can
be checked, so there is no way that the outcome can be manipulated either by Deriv
or the trader.
On a side note, if you place a trade and then for whatever reason, lose internet
connection, your trade still continues as it’s placed with the Deriv servers. You can still
check the outcome once your connection is re-established. I had this happen to me
whilst travelling in Thailand.
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How to Trade the Forex Market | Appendices
Appendix B
Having a demo account is a great way to practise, but for a chance to profit from
markets, you will need a real account. Rules and regulations will apply depending on
the country you are based in. Deriv aims to make the process as simple as possible. If
you are requested for a copy of your ID, please provide it as soon as possible to avoid
delays in setting up your account.
Once your real account is open, set yourself a trading goal or plan. Just keep in mind
that trading should not be considered as a means to earn a living, to solve financial
problems, or to make financial investments. Synthetic indices on Deriv are available
round the clock, so you can always come back to trade on Deriv in your leisure time.
You can make trades in USD, GBP, AUD5, or EUR even if you are based in a country that
has a different base currency. For example, if you’re based in Indonesia, your home
currency is IDR, but you can still trade in USD, which may be more stable than your
home currency.
5
Trading on Australian dollar is not currently possible for Deriv clients residing in the European Union or the United Kingdom
60
How to Trade the Forex Market | Appendices
Appendix C
Albert Einstein was once asked what mankind’s greatest invention was. He replied:
“Compound interest.” There’s even one claim that Einstein called compound interest
the “eighth wonder of the world.”
I have been in the trading business for over 35 years, and I started small. It was
through the power of compounding that I could build up to where I am now. You need
to understand compounding to perceive what a powerful tool it can be. Below is an
excerpt from one of my favourite fables which sums this up. The same principle can be
used when trading with Deriv.
The daughter of the Chinese emperor was ill, and he promised riches beyond compare
to whoever could cure her. A young peasant named Pong Lo entered the palace. With
his wit and bravery, he restored the princess’s health and won her heart. As a reward,
Pong Lo asked for her hand in marriage. The emperor refused and asked Pong Lo to
think of anything else he would like.
After several moments of thought, Pong Lo said, “I would like a grain of rice.”
“A grain of rice! That is nonsense! Ask me for fine silk, the grandest room in the palace,
a stable full of wild stallions – they shall be yours!” exclaimed the emperor.
“A grain of rice will do,” said Pong Lo, “but if His Majesty insists, he may double the
amount every day for a hundred days.”
So on the first day, a grain of rice was delivered to Pong Lo. On the second, two grains of
rice were delivered; on the third day, four grains; on the fourth day, eight grains; on the
fifth day, 16 grains; on the sixth day, 32 grains; on the seventh day, 64 grains; and on
the eighth day, 128 grains. By the twelfth day, the grains of rice numbered 2,048.
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How to Trade the Forex Market | Appendices
By the twentieth day, 524,288 grains were delivered; and by the thirtieth day,
536,870,912, requiring 40 servants to carry them to Pong Lo. In desperation, the
emperor did the only honourable thing he could do and consented to the marriage. Out
of consideration for the emperor’s feelings, no rice was served at the wedding banquet.
Risk too much, and a few bad trades will make you lose your trading bank. Risk too
little, and it’s going to be a long time before you see any decent profits. As previously
explained, money management does not have to be very complicated, but a simple
system will ensure that no single trade can wipe out your trading account. The mistake
many new traders make is trying to grow their account too fast.
Trading with a demo account and trading with real money are not the same. As in
most walks of life, when real money is at stake, irrational and instantaneous reactions
might take over. Since trading can become addictive, it is important to know how
to stay in control and remain reasonable especially when trading with real money.
Besides reading the following tips, please visit Secure and responsible trading and
begambleaware.org for more information.
It may not be possible to trade logically all the time; after all, we are humans, with
occasional impulsive decisions. But by using a system and steadily applying practical
experience, you can train your reasoning powers to have a more permanent presence.
Be careful about taking in too much news and over-monitoring your position. It is easy
to overreact to a news story that may cause a short-term spike but is actually not that
important in the long run.
Using mobile devices and apps can cause you to make snap decisions that you
may later regret. The same sound judgment should be used with all trade purchase
decisions, no matter how or where they’re ultimately executed.
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Many still believe that in order to make money, the price of a share, market, currency, or
commodity must go up. However, this is not true. As I have outlined in this guidebook, you
can profit from up, down, and even sideways movements, so don’t see falling markets as
a negative.
If you watch financial news channels such as CNBC or Bloomberg, it seems that you
should always be doing something, since the channels are filled with “breaking news.”
Remember: these channels have to fill their airtime, and in many cases, the best trade
is, in fact, no trade. If you are not sure, or do not see an opportunity you are happy with,
then do nothing and just wait for the next one. With the many markets offered by Deriv,
you will likely find plenty of opportunities at any time of the day or night.
Deriv offers a vast selection of trading opportunities ranging from lower-risk trades with
returns of 5-10% to those with higher returns of 100% or more. Deriv prices trades
based on mathematical probabilities. Of course, unexpected events do happen, but
overall, if you are being offered returns of more than 200% for a trade lasting a day or
less – just as an example – the reason for such generous returns is that the likelihood of
a payout is fairly slim. Keep in mind it’s readily possible to “mix and match” your trades
on Deriv.
Some people trade casually, and that is perfectly fine. Some approach it with a more
serious attitude. While I do not encourage you to view trading as a means to earn
a living, to solve financial problems, or to make financial investments, and while I
certainly don’t deny the role of chance in trading, I do believe there are ways to trade
more smartly, especially when it comes to financial indices. See the tips under “Keep
your emotions in check and trade wisely”. For instance, keep solid records of your
winning and losing trades. A diary can help with this to complement the tracking tools
you’ll find on deriv.com, enabling you to keep tabs on your winnings. Also, stick to a
trading system to help minimise emotional decision-making.
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How to Trade the Forex Market | Appendices
Appendix D
If you’re going through a bad run, then take a step back, reduce the size of your trades,
or maybe even go back to using a demo account for a while. Deriv does not place a time
limit on demo accounts, and you can use your real and demo accounts side by side. In
fact, since Deriv is committed to responsible trading, it encourages you to use all of the
measures it offers to stay in control at all times.
There’s a practical tip that might help you manage your risks while trading. Let’s say you
start with a $1,000 account. If you limit your risk on any one trade to 5% of the account,
this practice would allow you to keep trading, even with a bad run. Let’s observe this
simple system in action.
The maximum stake on a single trade should never be more than 5% of your account
total. So initially, 5% of your $1,000 account balance would be $50. If your balance
goes down, then your trade size is proportionately reduced.
Let’s say that – following a few losing trades – your account balance decreases to $900;
5% of this amount would now be $45. If you have had a good run, then your allowance
per trade proportionately increases.
Suppose you’ve had a few winning trades in a row and your account balance has risen
to $1,200; your 5% maximum per trade is now $60.
The key is that no one trade should ever blow your trading account.
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How to Trade the Forex Market | Appendices
If your account goes down 50%, how much do you need to put on the line to get back to even? Most will
say 50% to make up for the previous losses, but here’s the problem: You would need the account to move
100% to make this strategy work. As any trader will tell you, this is a not a wise approach.
Therefore, it is important to avoid big losses from the get-go. To do so on DTrader, use only a small
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How to Trade the Forex Market | Appendices
fraction of your account balance to purchase a trade so that if the market moves
against you, your loss would be an amount you can easily afford. For leveraged trading
on DMT5, you need to be extra vigilant. Cut your losses at an affordable point. Better
still, use Deriv’s stop loss feature to make it automatic. Also, follow the tips below.
Remember, above all, that synthetic indices are influenced by chance and their patterns
are by no means reliable.
You may not be able to control the index price. Still, the money-management principles
described in this book can help you control the amount of risk you place on any one
trade, the amount of margin you use, and the total percentage of your account being
invested at any time.
Watch that ego. Don’t mistake a lucky run with skill. After a good run, many become
overconfident and start taking stupid risks. After a poor run, many attempt to play
catchup, trying to make their losses back fast. Both of these slippery slopes are easy
ways to lose your trading capital.
Many books have been written on money management with complicated formulas.
The key principle is quite simple: no single trade should ever cause you irrecoverable
financial or emotional damage. However sure you are that XYZ is going to rocket, only a
percentage of your trading bank should ever be risked.
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Appendix E
Some of Deriv’s best clients are also its best affiliates. To find out more, please visit
https://deriv.com/partners/
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How to Trade the Forex Market | Appendices
Appendix E
Deriv has a simple trading bot called DBot which allows you to input your own trading
rules with no computer programming skills. You can also import ready-made strategies.
A simple system such as ‘buy when two simple moving averages cross’, or ‘buy after 3
upticks’ can be easily programmed in.
Deriv currency trading is also compatible with third-party vendor trading systems where you can use
trading software which would plug into your Deriv account. MT5 has a growing number of plugs in and
Scripts which allow you to trade systematically.
6
Not offered to Deriv clients residing in the European Union or the United Kingdom for financial products
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How to Trade the Forex Market | Appendices
Appendix G
For example, you have $1,000 in your account but would like to buy $10,000 worth
of an index. Without leverage, this is impossible. But if a broker offers to boost your
purchase power, or in other words, give you leverage, your wish can come true. Deriv
offers up to 1:1000 leverage. With global interest rates remaining low, the cost of
borrowing money remains low, and leverage proves to be cost-effective. Leverage is
offered at no extra charge.
Leverage magnifies your gains; of course, it will also magnify your losses. However,
with Deriv, it is not possible to go into a negative balance because Deriv applies a stop
out and negative balance protection to protect your account against losses that might
exceed your equity. All the same, when trading CFDs, it is important to monitor your
open positions closely because you may lose more than your initial investment if the
price moves against your prediction. You can use stop loss to limit your risk.
Of course, just like a maximum speed limit, you don’t have to drive right at the limit,
and you don’t have to take your account to the maximum margin.
If used sensibly, leverage can help to build up your account, but you should be aware
of the risks as well.
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How to Trade the Forex Market | Appendices
Appendix H
FAQs
Opening an account
I’m new to trading. Where do I start?
The first step is to open an account. You can apply online in just a few minutes.
Financial security
How safe is my money with Deriv?
Your money is always safe with Deriv and held in segregated accounts at all times.
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How to Trade the Forex Market | Appendices
Is it possible to deposit and withdraw the same funds through different payment
methods?
Unfortunately, no. Funds initially deposited through one payment method must be
withdrawn through the same system; funds cannot be transferred to an alternate
system for withdrawal. However, Deriv offers a wide variety of payment methods to
suit your specific needs and preferences.
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GLOSSARY
How to Trade the Forex Market | Glossary
GLOSSARY
Derivative
Bearish A derivative is a financial instrument whose value
This refers to a market in decline. Someone with is determined by reference to an underlying
a negative view on a market would be a Bear. market. Derivatives are commonly traded in the
inter-bank market, and digital options are one of
the simplest forms of derivatives.
Bullish
This refers to a market that is rising. Someone
with a positive view on a market would be a Bull. Duration
The duration is the length of a purchased trade.
(See also Contract period.)
Digital option
A digital option is a contract purchased by
a trader, based upon predicting the future Ends Between/Ends Outside trades
movement of a selected asset’s price with two An Ends Between trade pays out if the market exit
possible outcomes, which pays a predetermined price is strictly higher than the low-price target and
amount if the prediction is correct. strictly lower than the high price target.
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How to Trade the Forex Market | Glossary
No Touch trades
Fundamental analysis These are trades in which the trader selects a
Fundamental analysis is a method of quantitative price target and predicts that the market will never
and qualitative analysis used by traders to touch the target before the expiry of the trade.
determine the macroeconomic outlook of a
country and currency. Inflation, unemployment,
and interest rates are just a few of the One Touch trades/Touch trades
considerations in fundamental analysis. These are trades in which the trader selects a
price target, and predicts that the market will
touch the target before the expiry of the trade.
GMT
GMT stands for “Greenwich Mean Time,” the
official time used in the UK during winter. In Offer price (ask price)
summer, the UK changes to British Summer Time, When trading a CFD, the offer price or ask price
which is GMT+1 hour. All times on the Deriv site is the price you buy. In the pair of quoted prices,
use GMT all year round. the second price is the offer price; for example,
1.2810 (bid)/12811 (offer).
Higher/Lower trades
These are trades in which the trader predicts if a Payout
market will finish higher or lower than a specified The payout is the amount paid to a digital options
price target. trader if their prediction is correct.
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How to Trade the Forex Market | Glossary
Profit
Profit is the difference between the purchase price
Stays Between/Goes Outside trades
(i.e. the stake) and the payout on a winning trade.
A Stays Between trade pays out if the market
stays between (i.e. does not touch) both the high
barrier or the low barrier at any time during the
Pair
period chosen by a trader. A Goes Outside trade
In currency trading, we are always trading a pair
pays out if the market touches either the high
such as USD/EUR.
barrier or the low barrier at any time during the
period chosen by a trader.
Resale price
The resale price indicates a contract’s current
Spread
market price. Resale prices are on a best-efforts
Spread is the difference between the Bid and the
basis and may not be available at all times after
Offer. This is where the broker makes their profit.
purchase. (See Sell option for more details on
The tighter the spread, the better.
selling contracts before expiry.)
Tick
Return
A tick is the minimum upward or downward
The return is the money realised when the
movement in the price of a market. A tick chart is
contract expires. (See Payout.) Rise/Fall trades
the shortest possible chart timeframe.
These are trades in which the trader predicts if
a market will rise or fall at the end of a selected
timeframe.
Technical analysis
Technical analysis is a system of analysis
whereby historical data is examined to predict
Sell option
future trends in the prices of assets. Charts and
It is sometimes possible to sell a digital option
indicators are often used.
before the expiry of a trade, but only if a fair price
can be determined. If this option is available, you
will see a Sell button next to your trade.
Underlying
Each digital option is a prediction concerning the
future movement of an underlying market, i.e. the
Spot price
specific type of asset involved in a given trade; for
This is the current price at which an underlying
example, EUR/CHF
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