Category: Forex Basics

Forex is the largest financial market in the world, and getting started is more accessible than ever. This beginner’s guide walks you through the steps to place your first trade — the right way.

1. Learn the basics

Before risking money, understand how currency pairs, pips, lots and leverage work. A pair like EUR/USD shows how much one currency is worth in another, and your profit or loss moves as that price changes.

2. Choose a broker

Your broker is your gateway to the market. Look for tight spreads, fast execution, easy deposits and responsive support. (We cover this in detail in our guide to choosing a broker.)

3. Open and verify your account

Opening an account takes a few minutes. You’ll provide some basic details and complete identity verification (KYC) — a quick upload of an ID and proof of address that keeps your funds secure.

4. Practise on a demo

A demo account lets you trade real market conditions with virtual money. Use it to learn the platform and test a strategy with zero risk before going live.

5. Fund your account

Start small. At SCapitalFX you can fund from just $10 using fast crypto deposits (USDT, BTC, ETH and more).

6. Place your first trade

• Pick a pair you understand (majors like EUR/USD are a good start).
• Decide your direction, size and — crucially — your stop loss.
• Risk only a small percentage of your balance per trade.

7. Manage risk and keep learning

The traders who last are the ones who protect their capital. Always use a stop loss, avoid over-leveraging, and review your trades to improve.

Ready to begin?

You can open a free account or try a risk-free demo today. Compare the options on our Account Types page, and check the FAQ if you have questions.

Your choice of broker affects every single trade — your costs, your execution, how you fund and withdraw, and the tools you trade with. Pick well and trading is smooth; pick badly and small frustrations add up. Here are the seven things to check before you open an account.

1. Trading costs (spreads and commission)

Costs eat directly into profits, so compare them carefully. Look at the spread on the pairs you trade and any commission. A broker offering tight spreads — and a choice between Standard and Raw pricing — lets you keep more of every trade.

2. Execution quality

You want your orders filled fast at the price you expect. Slippage and requotes cost money. Look for instant execution with no dealing desk and no requotes.

3. Easy funding and withdrawals

This is where many traders get stuck. Check that funding and — crucially — withdrawals are quick and convenient. Brokers that support crypto deposits and withdrawals make this fast and borderless.

4. Leverage and account types

Check the available leverage and whether there are account types to match your style (a simple no-commission account for beginners, a raw-spread account for active traders).

5. The trading platform

You will live on this platform, so it needs to be fast and capable. Look for a solid mobile app with reliable charts, multiple timeframes and indicators, and instant order execution.

6. Low minimum deposit

A low entry lets you start small and learn without risking much. Some brokers — like SCapitalFX, from $10 — let you begin with very little while you find your feet.

7. Transparency and support

Read the terms before you deposit, make sure costs and conditions are clear, and check that customer support is responsive. Transparency and good support are signs of a broker that treats traders fairly.

How SCapitalFX measures up

• Costs: spreads from 0.0 pips (Raw) with a clear $6 commission, or 1.0 pip with no commission (Standard)
• Execution: instant, no dealing desk, no requotes
• Funding: crypto deposits and withdrawals with 50+ coins
• Markets: 34 instruments across forex, metals, indices, energy and crypto, leverage up to 1:200
• Platform: a mobile-first app with 9 timeframes and 8 indicators
• Low entry: start from $10, plus a free demo

Risk warning: Trading forex and CFDs on margin carries a high level of risk and may not be suitable for everyone. You could lose some or all of your invested capital. Always read a broker’s terms and understand the risks before depositing.

Frequently asked questions

What is the most important thing in a forex broker?

For most traders it is a combination of low trading costs, reliable execution, and easy withdrawals. A great platform and low minimum deposit make starting easier.

How much do I need to open an account?

It varies by broker. SCapitalFX lets you start from $10, which is among the lowest entries available.

Why are withdrawals so important to check?

Because getting your money out smoothly is the real test of a broker. Crypto withdrawals are fast and borderless.

Should beginners use a demo first?

Yes — always practise on a demo to test the broker’s platform and conditions before funding a live account.

Try it yourself

Open a free demo or a $10 account and judge the conditions for yourself. Explore all markets and trading conditions here.

Ask ten traders how they analyse the market and you will get two main answers: technical analysis or fundamental analysis. Both aim to predict where price is going, but they look at completely different things. This guide explains both, their pros and cons, and which suits you.

What is technical analysis?

Technical analysis studies the price chart itself. The idea: all known information is already reflected in the price, so by reading charts, patterns and indicators you can spot probable future moves. Technical traders look at trends, candlesticks, support and resistance, and indicators.

What is fundamental analysis?

Fundamental analysis studies the forces behind the price: interest rates, inflation, employment data, central-bank policy and geopolitics. A fundamental trader asks whether a currency is strong or weak based on its economy, and watches the economic calendar for market-moving news.

Technical vs fundamental: at a glance

	Technical	Fundamental
Focus	Price charts & patterns	Economy & news
Best for	Timing entries & exits	Understanding the bigger trend
Timeframe	Short to medium term	Medium to long term
Main tools	Charts, indicators	Data releases, rates

Pros and cons

Technical analysis is precise for timing and works on any timeframe, but it can give false signals and ignores big news. Fundamental analysis explains the why behind moves and suits longer-term views, but it is poor for exact entry timing and reacts to surprises.

Which should you use?

Most successful traders use both: fundamentals to decide the overall direction (is this currency strong or weak?), and technicals to time the entry and exit. As a beginner, start by learning technicals for clear rules, while keeping an eye on major news so you are not caught off guard.

The SCapitalFX app gives you the charts, timeframes and indicators for technical analysis — learn the basics in our beginners guide.

Risk warning: No method of analysis guarantees profit. Trading carries a high level of risk and you could lose your invested capital.

Frequently asked questions

Which is better, technical or fundamental analysis?

Neither is strictly better — technicals are best for timing, fundamentals for direction. Many traders combine them.

Can a beginner start with just technical analysis?

Yes. Technicals give clear, rule-based signals. Just stay aware of major news events that can override the charts.

What is the economic calendar?

A schedule of upcoming data releases (like inflation and jobs reports) and central-bank decisions that move the markets.

Do professional traders use both?

Most do — fundamentals for the big picture and technicals for precise entries and exits.

Start analysing the markets

Open a free demo and practise both approaches risk-free.

With dozens of currency pairs to choose from, beginners often wonder which ones to actually trade. The answer starts with understanding the three groups — majors, minors and exotics — and why most successful traders focus on the majors. Here is everything you need to know.

Quick recap: what is a currency pair?

Forex is always traded in pairs, like EUR/USD. The first currency is the base, the second is the quote, and the price shows how much of the quote currency it takes to buy one unit of the base. New to this? See what is a pip.

The major currency pairs

The majors are the most traded pairs in the world, and they all include the US dollar. They have the highest liquidity and the tightest spreads:

• EUR/USD — euro vs US dollar (the most traded pair)
• GBP/USD — British pound vs US dollar
• USD/JPY — US dollar vs Japanese yen
• USD/CHF — US dollar vs Swiss franc
• AUD/USD — Australian dollar vs US dollar
• USD/CAD — US dollar vs Canadian dollar
• NZD/USD — New Zealand dollar vs US dollar

At SCapitalFX, EUR/USD spreads start from just 1.0 pip on Standard and 0.0 pips on Raw — see Standard vs Raw.

Minor pairs (crosses)

Minors, or crosses, are pairs that do not include the US dollar — for example EUR/GBP, EUR/JPY or GBP/JPY. They are still liquid but usually have slightly wider spreads than the majors.

Exotic pairs

Exotics pair a major currency with the currency of a smaller or emerging economy. They can move sharply and tend to have much wider spreads and lower liquidity, which makes them riskier for beginners.

Which pairs should a beginner trade?

Stick to the majors — especially EUR/USD. They are the most liquid, have the tightest spreads (lower cost), and are heavily covered in news and analysis, so they are easier to study. Focusing on one or two pairs also helps you learn how they behave.

Major pairs and trading sessions

Each pair is most active when its home markets are open. EUR/USD and GBP/USD move most during the London and New York sessions, while USD/JPY and AUD/USD are livelier in the Asian session — see best time to trade.

Risk warning: Trading forex on margin carries a high level of risk and may not be suitable for everyone. You could lose some or all of your invested capital.

Frequently asked questions

What is the most traded currency pair?

EUR/USD is by far the most traded pair, with the highest liquidity and among the tightest spreads.

What is the difference between majors, minors and exotics?

Majors include the US dollar and are the most liquid; minors (crosses) exclude the dollar; exotics pair a major with an emerging-market currency and have wider spreads.

Which pairs are best for beginners?

The majors — especially EUR/USD — because of their liquidity, tight spreads and abundance of analysis.

How many pairs should I trade at once?

Start with just one or two so you can learn their behaviour and avoid over-exposure to correlated moves.

Start with the majors

Open your account or a free demo and practise on EUR/USD with tight spreads. New to trading? Read our beginners guide.

Should you trade on a demo account or jump straight to real money? It is one of the first questions every new trader asks. The short answer: start on demo to learn, then move to a small live account to learn what demo cannot teach you. Here is how to get the most from each.

What is a demo account?

A demo account lets you trade with virtual money on real, live prices. Everything works like a real account — charts, orders, spreads — except the money is not real. It is the safest place to learn.

What is a live account?

A live account uses your real money. Profits and losses are real, which means your emotions are real too. At SCapitalFX you can open a live account from just $10.

The benefits of a demo account

• Zero risk while you learn how the platform works.
• Test strategies and timeframes without losing money.
• Practise the mechanics — placing, modifying and closing trades, setting stop-loss and take-profit.
• Build confidence before any money is on the line.

The limits of a demo account

Demo has one big blind spot: emotion. Because the money is not real, you do not feel the fear and greed that change real decisions. That is why demo results often look better than early live results — see trading psychology.

When should you switch to live?

Move to a live account when you can tick these boxes:

• You are consistently profitable on demo over many trades (not just lucky once).
• You follow a written trading plan and understand risk management.
• You can place trades and manage them without hesitation.

Go live the smart way: start small

When you switch, start with the smallest size possible (micro lots) on a small balance — you can begin from $10. This lets you feel real emotions while risking very little, so the transition is gentle. See how to start with $10.

Demo and live at SCapitalFX

SCapitalFX offers a free demo to practise, and live accounts from $10 (Standard) — so you can learn first, then go live at a level that feels comfortable.

Risk warning: Live trading involves real risk and you could lose some or all of your invested capital. Demo performance does not guarantee live results.

Frequently asked questions

How long should I trade on demo?

Until you are consistently profitable over a meaningful number of trades and comfortable with the platform — often a few weeks to a few months.

Is demo trading realistic?

The prices and mechanics are realistic; the missing piece is the emotion of risking real money.

Can I use demo and live at the same time?

Yes — many traders keep a demo to test new ideas while trading their proven approach live.

How much should I deposit for my first live account?

Start small — you can open from $10 — and only add more once you trade consistently.

Start practising today

Open a free demo or a $10 live account and put your plan to work. New here? Begin with our beginners guide.

Knowing the different order types is what separates a trader with a plan from one who just clicks buy and hopes. Orders let you enter at the right price, lock in profits and cap losses — automatically. This guide explains every forex order type in plain English, with when to use each.

The two ways to enter a trade

1. Market order

A market order opens a trade immediately at the current price. Use it when you want in (or out) right now and a few pips do not matter. This is the most common order for beginners.

2. Pending orders (enter later, at your price)

A pending order tells the platform to open a trade only when price reaches a level you choose. There are four types:

• Buy Limit: buy below the current price (you expect a dip, then a bounce up).
• Sell Limit: sell above the current price (you expect a rise, then a drop).
• Buy Stop: buy above the current price (you expect a breakout higher).
• Sell Stop: sell below the current price (you expect a breakdown lower).

Pending orders are great when you have a plan but cannot watch the screen all day.

The two orders that protect every trade

Stop-loss (SL)

A stop-loss automatically closes your trade at a set price if the market moves against you — capping your loss. Every trade should have one. It is your single most important risk-management tool.

Take-profit (TP)

A take-profit automatically closes your trade once it reaches your profit target, so you lock in gains without having to watch constantly.

Putting it together: a worked example

Say EUR/USD is at 1.0800 and you expect a rise:

• You place a market order to buy at 1.0800.
• You set a stop-loss at 1.0780 (20 pips of risk).
• You set a take-profit at 1.0840 (40 pips of reward).

That is a 1:2 risk-to-reward trade that manages itself — whether it wins or loses, your plan is already in place.

Risk warning: Orders help manage risk but do not remove it. In fast markets, prices can gap past a stop-loss. Trading carries a high level of risk and you could lose your invested capital.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a limit and a stop order?

A limit order buys lower or sells higher than the current price (trading a reversal); a stop order buys higher or sells lower (trading a breakout).

Should I always use a stop-loss?

Yes. A stop-loss caps your downside and is the foundation of risk management on every trade.

What is a good risk-to-reward ratio?

Many traders aim for at least 1:2 — risking 20 pips to make 40 — so winners outweigh losers over time.

Can I change my stop-loss and take-profit after opening a trade?

Yes, you can adjust them while the trade is open — but avoid moving your stop further away just to avoid a loss.

Trade with a plan

Open a free demo and practise market and pending orders with stop-loss and take-profit. New here? Start with our beginners guide and learn to read charts.

Margin is one of the most important concepts in leveraged trading — and one that trips up many beginners. Understand it, and you will know exactly how much you can trade and how to avoid having positions closed on you. This guide breaks down margin, free margin, margin level, and the margin call.

What is margin in forex?

Margin is the amount of your own money set aside to open and hold a leveraged trade. It is not a fee — it is a good-faith deposit that is locked while the trade is open and released when you close it. Margin is the flip side of leverage: the higher your leverage, the less margin you need.

How to calculate required margin

Required margin = position size ÷ leverage.

Example: to open 1 standard lot of EUR/USD (worth about $108,000) at 1:200 leverage, you need $108,000 ÷ 200 = $540 in margin.

The four terms you need to know

• Balance: your account cash, not counting open trades.
• Equity: balance plus or minus the profit/loss of open trades.
• Used margin: the total margin locked in your open positions.
• Free margin: equity minus used margin — what you have left to open new trades or absorb losses.

What is margin level?

Margin level shows how healthy your account is:

Margin level = (equity ÷ used margin) × 100%

A high margin level is safe; a falling one means your losses are eating into your margin.

Margin call and stop-out

SCapitalFX uses two protective levels based on your margin level:

• Margin call at 100%: a warning that your equity has dropped to your used margin. Add funds or reduce positions.
• Stop-out at 50%: if your margin level keeps falling to 50%, positions are automatically closed (worst first) to stop further losses.

How to avoid a margin call

• Do not use all your free margin at once — keep a buffer.
• Always trade with a stop-loss so losses can’t spiral.
• Use sensible position sizes (risk 1–2% per trade).
• Watch your margin level, especially around big news.

Risk warning: Trading on margin carries a high level of risk and can lead to rapid losses. You could lose some or all of your invested capital. Never trade with money you cannot afford to lose.

Frequently asked questions

Is margin a fee or a cost?

No. Margin is a deposit that is locked while your trade is open and returned to your free margin when you close it.

What happens at a margin call?

It is a warning that your account is at risk. If the margin level keeps falling to the stop-out level (50%), positions are closed automatically.

How much margin do I need?

Divide the position size by your leverage. A $20,000 position at 1:200 needs $100; the same position at 1:50 needs $400.

What is the difference between margin and free margin?

Used margin is locked in open trades; free margin is what is left over to open new trades or withstand losses.

Trade with margin in mind

Open a free demo to see margin and margin level update live as you trade. Learn the basics first in our beginners guide.

When you place a forex trade, you choose a lot size — and that single choice decides how much each price move is worth, and how much you can win or lose. Getting it right is the heart of risk management. This guide explains what a lot is, the different lot sizes, and how to pick the right one.

What is a lot in forex?

A lot is the standard unit of trade size in forex. It tells you how many units of the base currency you are trading. Instead of saying “100,000 euros,” traders just say “1 lot of EUR/USD.”

Forex lot sizes explained

Lot type	Size you enter	Units	1 pip value*
Standard lot	1.0	100,000	$10
Mini lot	0.1	10,000	$1
Micro lot	0.01	1,000	$0.10

*Approximate pip value for US-dollar-quoted pairs. See what is a pip.

At SCapitalFX you can trade from 0.01 lots (a micro lot), which keeps each pip worth about 10 cents — ideal while you learn.

Why lot size matters so much

Your lot size directly controls your risk. The same 30-pip loss is:

• $300 on a standard lot
• $30 on a mini lot
• $3 on a micro lot

Same market move, very different outcomes — which is why beginners should start small.

How to choose the right lot size

Professionals size trades from their risk, not their hopes. The formula:

Lot size = (risk in $) ÷ (stop-loss in pips × pip value per lot)

Worked example

Say you have $1,000 and risk 1% ($10) on a trade with a 50-pip stop-loss:

• You need a pip value of $10 ÷ 50 = $0.20 per pip.
• Since a micro lot is $0.10 per pip, that is about 0.02 lots.

This way, even if the trade hits your stop, you only lose the $10 you planned to risk.

Risk warning: Trading forex on margin carries a high level of risk. Position sizing controls your risk, but you can still lose your invested capital. Never risk money you cannot afford to lose.

Frequently asked questions

What is the smallest lot I can trade?

At SCapitalFX you can trade from 0.01 lots (a micro lot), so you can keep positions and risk very small.

How much is 1 lot worth?

A standard lot is 100,000 units, where each pip is about $10 for US-dollar pairs. A mini lot is $1 per pip and a micro lot $0.10.

What lot size should a beginner use?

Start with micro lots (0.01) and size each trade so you risk only 1–2% of your balance.

Does lot size change for gold or indices?

Yes — each market has its own contract size. For example, 1 lot of gold is 100 ounces and 1 lot of an index is 1 contract. Check each instrument’s details before trading.

Practise your sizing

Open a free demo or live account and practise lot sizing with micro lots. New? Start with how to start with $10 and our beginners guide.

Forex and stocks are two of the most popular ways to grow money in the markets — but they work very differently. If you are deciding where to start, this guide compares them on the things that actually matter: cost, hours, leverage, capital needed and risk.

The quick answer

Forex suits traders who want low startup costs, flexible 24-hour access and short-term opportunities. Stocks suit investors who want to own a piece of a company and hold for the longer term. Many people do both — and you can get stock-market exposure through indices without buying individual shares.

Forex vs stocks at a glance

Feature	Forex	Stocks
What you trade	Currency pairs (EUR/USD…)	Shares of companies
Market hours	24 hours, 5 days a week	Stock-exchange hours only
Leverage	Up to 1:200	Usually much lower
Starting capital	Low (from $10)	Often higher
Number of markets	A few dozen key pairs	Thousands of stocks
Go short easily?	Yes	Harder for retail
Best for	Active, flexible trading	Longer-term investing

Advantages of trading forex

• Open 24/5 — trade around your schedule.
• Low entry — start from $10 with micro lots.
• High liquidity — major pairs are easy to enter and exit with tight spreads.
• Profit in both directions — go long or short with equal ease.
• Fewer markets to follow — you can focus on a handful of pairs.

Advantages of stocks

• Ownership — a share is a slice of a real company, sometimes paying dividends.
• Long-term growth — historically strong over years and decades.
• Huge choice — thousands of companies across sectors.

Which is better for beginners?

Neither is “better” — it depends on your goals:

• Want short-term, flexible trading with a small budget? Forex is a natural starting point.
• Want to invest and hold for years? Individual stocks may suit you more.

Whichever you choose, the fundamentals are the same: learn the basics, manage risk, and practise first. Start with our forex for beginners guide and learn about leverage before you trade.

Get stock-market exposure without buying single stocks

At SCapitalFX you can trade forex, gold, energy, crypto and stock indices from one account. Indices like the US 500 (S&P 500), US30 (Dow) and Nasdaq let you trade the direction of the whole stock market in a single position — a popular way to get equity exposure with the flexibility of CFDs.

Risk warning: Trading forex and CFDs on margin carries a high level of risk and may not be suitable for everyone. You could lose some or all of your invested capital.

Frequently asked questions

Is forex riskier than stocks?

Forex is often more volatile in the short term and the use of higher leverage increases risk. With disciplined risk management, both can be traded responsibly.

Can I trade forex with less money than stocks?

Usually yes — you can start forex from $10 with micro lots, while building a stock portfolio often needs more capital.

Can I trade stocks at SCapitalFX?

You can trade major stock indices (like the S&P 500, Dow and Nasdaq) for broad market exposure, alongside forex, gold, energy and crypto.

Which should a beginner start with?

If you want flexible, low-cost, short-term trading, forex is a common first step. Practise on a demo before risking real money.

Start trading today

Open your account or a free demo and explore forex and indices side by side. See all markets and conditions here.

Every time you open a trade, there is a small built-in cost called the spread. Understanding it is one of the easiest ways to trade smarter and keep more of your profits. This guide explains what the spread is, how it is measured, why it changes, and how to pay less.

What is the spread in forex?

The spread is the difference between the buy price (ask) and the sell price (bid) of a market. When you open a trade you start slightly in the negative by exactly this amount — so the spread is effectively your cost of entry.

Example: if EUR/USD is quoted as 1.0800 / 1.0801, the spread is 1 pip. You buy at 1.0801 and could immediately sell at 1.0800 — the 1-pip gap is the cost.

How is the spread measured?

In forex the spread is measured in pips (see what is a pip). On gold, indices and crypto it is measured as a price gap in dollars or points. The tighter (smaller) the spread, the less you pay to trade.

What a spread costs you

Cost = spread × pip value × lots. On 1 standard lot of EUR/USD (where 1 pip = $10), a 1-pip spread costs about $10 to enter a trade. On a micro lot it is just $0.10.

Why do spreads change?

• Liquidity: major pairs like EUR/USD have the tightest spreads; exotic pairs are wider.
• Volatility: spreads can widen during big news or thin markets.
• Trading session: spreads are usually tightest during the busy London–New York overlap.
• Account type: Raw-spread accounts show near-zero spreads plus a commission; Standard accounts bundle the cost into a slightly wider spread.

Spreads at SCapitalFX

You choose how you pay your spread cost:

• Standard account: spreads from 1.0 pip on EUR/USD, with no commission — simple, all-in pricing.
• Raw account: spreads from 0.0 pips on EUR/USD plus a small $6 round-turn commission — usually cheaper for active traders.

See the full breakdown in Standard vs Raw account.

How to pay less in spreads

• Trade liquid major pairs (EUR/USD, GBP/USD) rather than exotics.
• Trade during active sessions when spreads are tightest — see best time to trade.
• Use a Raw account if you trade often or in size.
• Avoid trading right into major news, when spreads can widen.

Risk warning: Trading forex and CFDs on margin carries a high level of risk and may not be suitable for everyone. You could lose some or all of your invested capital.

Frequently asked questions

Is the spread the only cost of trading?

On a Standard account, the spread is your main cost. On a Raw account you pay a smaller spread plus a fixed commission. Holding trades overnight may also incur a swap fee.

What is a good spread in forex?

For EUR/USD, anything around 1 pip or below is competitive. Raw accounts can offer near 0.0 pips plus commission.

Why did my spread suddenly get wider?

Usually because of low liquidity or high volatility — often around major news or at the daily rollover.

Standard or Raw — which has the lower cost?

For frequent or larger trades, Raw is usually cheaper once you include commission. For small or occasional trades, Standard is simpler.

Start trading with tight spreads

Open your account or a free demo and see SCapitalFX spreads live. Explore all markets and conditions here.