The essential vocabulary
A currency pair quotes units of the second currency per unit of the first. A pip is a quotation convention, not a standard amount of profit. In a dealer market the bid–ask spread, commission and rollover can all matter. Begin with what is a pip, spread mechanics and order execution.
Know who sits on the other side
The CFTC retail forex advisory stresses registration and dealer due diligence. A broker’s regional legal entity and the exact account agreement may matter more than a global app’s advertised features.
Learn without pretending risk disappears
Test hypothetical calculations using the pip worksheet and risk-sizing worksheet. None of these tools receives live prices or proves a strategy has positive expected returns.
Broker profile — United Kingdom
CMC publishes detailed UK contract and platform information. This guide shows which claims can be sourced and which still need direct verification.
17 October 2026 · 7 min read
US retail forex broker research
FOREX.com's US fee schedule is detailed enough for a realistic commission example. It is not evidence that its actual trading cost is lower than competitors'.
17 October 2026 · 6 min read
Broker profile — United Kingdom
IG's UK branding covers more than one product and legal arrangement. Here's how to check the contracting entity and full trading costs before comparing.
17 October 2026 · 7 min read
US retail forex broker research
OANDA Corporation's own materials establish a useful research trail for platforms, fees and regulatory claims—but not a recommendation or a verified execution score.
17 October 2026 · 6 min read
Broker profile — United Kingdom
Pepperstone's Standard and Razor accounts are not interchangeable on fees or software. We read the UK terms and identify what a trader still needs to verify.
17 October 2026 · 7 min read
Currency pairs
Not every foreign-exchange trade needs to involve the U.
16 October 2026 · 6 min read
Market structure
Foreign exchange is a decentralized global market.
16 October 2026 · 6 min read
Currency pairs
Sterling-dollar is sensitive to expectations for both the Bank of England and the Federal Reserve.
16 October 2026 · 6 min read
Market mechanics
The exchange rate visible on a chart is not necessarily the price available to a particular trader.
16 October 2026 · 6 min read
Currency pairs
USD/JPY often draws attention when investors debate monetary divergence between the United States and Japan.
16 October 2026 · 6 min read
Currency pairs
The euro–dollar rate reflects two monetary systems, not one headline. Here's how to separate evidence, timing and alternative explanations.
16 October 2026 · 7 min read
Market structure
A record volume figure makes headlines. The more useful question is what that figure actually measures—and what it cannot say about your next trade.
16 October 2026 · 7 min read
Digital assets
Cryptoasset prices can move sharply as trading flows meet fragmented venues, changing liquidity and leverage.
16 October 2026 · 6 min read
Rates & bonds
Bond yields and foreign exchange are connected through capital allocation, monetary expectations and perceived risk.
16 October 2026 · 6 min read
Setups
A breakout describes price moving beyond a previously observed range.
16 October 2026 · 6 min read
Risk management
A strategy can have many winners and still lose money.
16 October 2026 · 6 min read
Trading process
A useful journal separates decisions made with available information from the luck of the outcome, then measures whether the process survives costs.
16 October 2026 · 7 min read
Process & discipline
A trading plan is useful when someone other than its author could apply it to a past chart and reach broadly the same decision.
16 October 2026 · 6 min read
Indicators
Average True Range (ATR) is a measure of observed trading range.
16 October 2026 · 6 min read
Momentum and indicators
The RSI can stay above 70 through a strong trend. Treat a threshold as a description of momentum, not a guaranteed reversal.
16 October 2026 · 7 min read
Central banking
Central banks influence short-term financial conditions, but the route from a policy decision to an exchange rate runs through expectations, credit and international capital markets.
16 October 2026 · 6 min read
Portfolio risk
Investment losses are asymmetric in percentage terms.
16 October 2026 · 6 min read
Long-term investing
Diversification is about the relationships among investments, not just the number of lines in an account statement.
16 October 2026 · 7 min read
Beginner guide
Before attempting a forex strategy, learn what is being purchased, how currency pairs are quoted, who provides prices, and which contractual obligations attach to the account.
16 October 2026 · 6 min read
Fundamental analysis
Fundamental analysis considers the economic and policy conditions that might shape demand for currencies.
16 October 2026 · 6 min read
Macroeconomics
Inflation affects currencies through purchasing power, interest rates and perceptions of macroeconomic stability.
16 October 2026 · 6 min read
Risk fundamentals
Collateral is not your maximum loss. A worked example separates exposure, margin, equity and a position's sensitivity to price changes.
16 October 2026 · 7 min read
Market mechanics
Liquidity describes how easily an asset can trade without moving its price excessively.
16 October 2026 · 6 min read
Trade execution
A stop is a trigger, not an insurance policy. Understanding how orders actually execute can matter more than spotting a market pattern.
16 October 2026 · 7 min read
Risk fundamentals
Position sizing is the process of linking a planned invalidation point to a tolerable loss amount.
16 October 2026 · 6 min read
Behavioral finance
Trading psychology becomes more useful when translated into observable behavior.
16 October 2026 · 6 min read
Beginner guide
A pip is a conventional unit for discussing small movements in a currency pair.
16 October 2026 · 6 min read