There are so many brokers offering online foreign currency trading it can be difficult to decide which one is right for you. Fortunately they make this easier by offering free practice accounts where you can put their platform to the test before you commit any real money.

Another advantage of a Forex mini account is if compounding is part of your strategy you will be able to begin compounding earlier than you would if you had a standard account.

Most Forex brokers will give you the same tools and services regardless of what account type you have, so you really can’t lose by choosing a mini account.

If you just want to have a look at what a currency has been doing but you don’t necessarily want to start trading Forex Daily FX offers free Forex charts.

Simply choose a chart and wait for the application to load. You can then choose from a variety of chart types, currencies and periods and add on basic studies if you like.

These charts are great for a quick look at a currency but are not ideal for those serious about Forex trading due to the limited data available and limited tools as compared to a desktop application like MetaTrader 4.

You can open a free currency demo trading account to see if you like their platform. AC-Markets also offer Forex mini trading accounts which suit start up funds of $2,000 – $5,000 USD.

If you would like to be able to manipulate the charts yourself or you are looking for a real time foreign currency exchange rate the cheapest option is to open a free currency demo trading account. Most Forex brokers offer a free demo account with real time data and a certain amount of historical data. My favorite Forex software is Meta Trader 4 and best of all it’s free. Here are some of the advantages I’ve found:

- Meta Trader 4 is very popular, this means it is offered by a huge range of Forex brokers.
- There is a huge range of custom indicators and expert advisor’s available.
- Meta Trader 4 contains a very comprehensive list of built in technical indicators.
- Unlike E-signal each time you load a chart in Meta Trader 4 new data is added with no historical data taken away.
- Easy to use and with so many people using it help should not be hard to find.

Good luck with your search for free Forex charts, fortunately with so many Forex brokers offering currency demo trading accounts you should find what you need.

Strategy Runner allows clients to automate trading strategies that have been created on TradeStation, MetaTrader 4, Excel or using programming languages such as C++, Java and VB. The integration will give Forex Capital Markets clients a selection of over 300 Forex trading system’s that can be traded automatically in their account.

Signals will be automatically executed on single or multiple accounts through Strategy Runner Servers located in the Forex Capital Market’s data center.

Forex Capital Markets is one of the largest Forex brokers, with over 100,000 live Forex accounts and more than $200 billion traded each month.

Clients are currently able to open a live trading account with Forex Capital Markets using the Avalon FX Pro 4.1 Forex trading platform.

Avalon Capital Holdings subsidiary, Traders Development will generate income from the connection to Forex Capital Markets based on the number of currency units transacted. The expectation is that Traders Development will generate between $10 and $60 for every million currency units processed through the FXCM-Avalon connection.

The move by Avalon Capital Holdings is an attempt to achieve greater liquidity and tighter spreads for Avalon clients.

The Finotec Group’s Forex trading platform features real-time prices and an advanced user-friendly Forex charting tool with over 50 popular technical indicators.

Finotec Group has recently opened a new office in the financial district of London, England. The new office will include the company’s dealing room and is located at Holland House. The company has opened an office in the largest center in the world for foreign currency exchange as a strategic move to give clients better access to the major players in the Forex market. The FSA regulated firm standard held by Finotec Group gives customers confidence that they are dealing with a top class, transparent company.

I was hoping to write a positive article about this company but when I started searching for reviews it became apparent this could be difficult. So, on one of the major forex broker review sites I typed in a few other companies we have personally traded forex with and have been very happy with and I was quite surprised to see that they too scored very poorly. So, what does this mean? It’s pretty hard to find any forex broker that is perfect for everyone.

There are advantages to trade forex with ACM as compared with other forex brokers. For 1 they are a very large swiss broker, in fact they claim to be the most visited online forex dealer in the world, so they must be doing something right. Switzerland is the largest banking capital in the world, and there must be a reason for that. Privacy, security of funds, access to financial products, a stable currency and a politically and socially stable environment are a few big reasons.

My advice to you if you are looking to trade forex with ACM is to open a demo account at a few different forex brokers. Then treat the demo accounts like real accounts, trade them as you would with real money and take your time. There can be huge differences between the trading platforms of different forex brokers, by trading with a currency trading demo account you will find which forex broker’s platform you prefer and which gives you the best execution.

The Marketscope charting package which is integrated in Forex Capital Markets trading platform, FX Trading Station, has been revamped as a result of customer feedback.

Traders using Marketscope will enjoy an improved user-friendly look and feel, but the major change is that traders can now place orders and manage positions directly from the chart. This new feature eliminates the need to switch back and forth that was previously necessary.

To try out Forex Capital Markets improved charting package Marketscope, simply open a free Forex Capital Markets demo trading account.

So what does a Forex broker do? A Forex broker is a person or group of people that process trades for investors and traders. A forex broker does not charge any commission per trade like stock brokers do. Instead Forex brokers make their money by taking the difference between the bid and ask prices of a currency. This difference is referred to as the spread.

On average the spread charged by a Forex broker is usually around 2-4 pips for the major currencies. Be aware that brokers that charge more than the average as this could have a huge impact on your profit. You should also be careful of a Forex broker that charges less than the average, they may be making their money by cutting down on the quality of the service, this could end up costing more than you expect.

One of the most important factors you should consider is whether or not the Forex broker is regulated. Ensure that your U.S. based Forex broker is registered with the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) and is a member of the National Futures Association (NFA).

A good place to research basic details on a Forex broker is the NFA’s website at http://nfa.futures.org/basicnet. Ensure that your prospective Forex broker has a clean record and has solid company financials.

Good customer service is not something you should compromise on when selecting a Forex broker. The Forex market is open 24/7, that means that you could be placing trades at any time of the day or night. It is therefore important that your Forex broker is accessible at any time and can respond to your question quickly. There are several review sites and forums where traders discuss Forex brokers, these are a good starting point to find out what current users have to say about a Forex broker. Another good way to find out about the customer service of a Forex broker is to call them at various times of the day and night to see what response you get.

Another important factor you should consider is the Forex brokers platform. Most brokers offer a choice of a web-based platform or a downloadable application. The web-based platforms advantage is that you can connect from any computer in the world that has internet access, however the response time is often slower than a downloadable application. A downloadable application is often faster but it can only by run from a computer it’s installed on. There is a large variety in features offered on the platform by each Forex broker so it’s a good idea to open a currency demo trading account at a few different brokers to see which is the right for you.

Some other things you might like to consider to choose the right forex broker for you are: the minimum account opening deposit, the possibility of opening a mini account, professional reports and advice and what education services are offered.

Most of the time, a trader will open a live account with the same company they held a currency demo trading account. Therefore before you open a currency demo trading account it is worth spending a bit of time thinking about what features you would like and comparing what different forex broker’s offer and at what cost.

Before you start currency demo trading you should have a plan. What strategy are you going to trade? What are you entry and exit rules? How will you manage the trade when it’s in profit and when you’re losing? What hours of the day are you going to trade? How will you react to news releases? What will you do if you have a run of losses or a run of winners? A well thought out trading plan that answers these questions is essential to avoid letting your emotions take control.

Learning a currency demo trading platform is much easier than learning to trade forex. Learning the basics of forex trading is essential for success. The internet and e-books can provide a lot of useful information to get you started.

In Part I
1- Account Type Available
2- Spreads / Commissions / Fees
3- Margin / Leverage
4- Execution
In Part II
5- Rollover Policy
6- Trading Platform
7- Reputation
8- Support

Account Types Available.

First of all, if you are new to Forex or if you intend to trade with a small amount of capital, I highly suggest that you start by looking at brokers who offer mini accounts. With a mini account, you have pretty much all the same advantages as a full account but can trade lots which are 10 times smaller. Very few brokers offer the possibility to trade an even smaller amount than a mini account, all the way down to units of $1. A mini account will give you the opportunity to sharpen your skills while limiting your risk. If you are just starting in Forex, I suggest that you look for a broker that also offers a demo account for a period of at least 30 days. This way you can learn the basics without any risk. Here are some questions to ask or look for:

1- Can you open a demo account?
2- Can you trade mini lots?
3- Can you easily change to a standard account if desired in the future?
4- What is the minimum deposit and account balance?

Spreads / Commissions / Fees

Most Forex brokers don’t charge commissions (always make sure), but will charge what is called a spread. In currency trading, the smallest possible movement in either direction is called a pip. Forex brokers will therefore add a few extra pips on the buy side of any transaction as their commission. This will have an important impact on your return, because obviously you need to have the market go in your predicted direction by the spread amount just to break even. Before I get into more detail about the spread, make sure you also look at the other fees or commission that the Broker might be charging. For example, do they charge any fees for deposit and/or withdrawal? Do they charge a fees for their online trading platform or for placing a trade by phone? Any other fees?

Most brokers will have a fixed spread which will be posted on a page of their website. A fixed spread will guarantee you the same commission in any market condition, at any time of day or night. Some Forex broker might offer variable spread which will be most likely lower than fixed spread under normal market condition but things heat up and the market become more volatile (usually when important economic news are release) the spread will become wider. I personally prefer the fixed spread as I will sometime have to enter or exit a trade in a busier period, and don’t want to get caught with higher spread which will turn my trade into a less favorable one. But depending on your strategy, variable could be better for you.

The spread will be different depending on which currency you want to trade, so it’s important to look at the one you intend on trading the most to start with but obviously also plan ahead. Make sure you verify if their spread is different depending if you choose a mini account or a normal account as they might also be different.
Obviously, spread is important and will directly affect your profit potential. However be aware that some Forex Brokers will offer low spread knowing that most traders will look for this first and foremost and won’t notice other trading condition which might be less advantageous and end up costing you more at the end as well.
Here are some questions to look ask or look for concerning the spread:
1- Is there any other commissions or fees apart from the spread?
2- Are the spread Fix or Variable?
3- Are the spread for Mini and Normal account the same?
4- What are the spread on the currency pairs I wish to trade?

Margin / Leverage

Because moves in the Forex market are counted in pips, and that 1 pip is generally the equivalent of 1/100th of a cent, leverage is essential to make any profits. Therefore you’ll find that margin of 100:1 will be commonly offered. This means that you can invest by borrowing up to 100 times more than you account balance. But obviously with leverage you will also be exposed to more risk. Actually, one of the most common reasons for beginners to fail in this market is losing their starting account by taking too much at once. So a higher leverage isn’t necessarily better and not really required. Most brokers should offer an amount of leverage sufficient for your needs. The most important thing here will be to make sure you check their margin requirement (different margin on the weekend), how their margin call work, if it’s different depending on the account type or currency traded.

Here are some questions to look ask or look for concerning the spread:
1- What leverage do they offer?
2- Is the margin the same for any account type?
3- What is the margin requirement?
4- How is it calculated?
5- Does it change depending on the currency pairs traded?
6- Is it the same at any time of the day or on week-end?

Execution

One of the most important thing to consider for successful trading is the how fast and accurate your orders will be executed by your Forex broker. Especially in time of higher volatility, will you get your desired price with minimum slippage? Under volatile condition, some broker will re-quote you with a new price which you’ll have to accept or decline (but then price might have moved again), some will just reject your order (you’ll have to do another one) and others will just execute your order at the new current price. Considering that many times per month, especially during major news release, a currency pair can fluctuate as much as 100 pips in a matter of practically seconds, this could lead to a disastrous result for your trade. I can’t stress enough about the importance of this. Yes, some places might offer better spread, but in reality, because of slippage or slow execution, you might end up paying way more than you expected.
Here are some questions to look ask or look for concerning the spread:
1- How fast will the order be executed?
2- Is there any execution guarantees for Limit and Stop orders?
3- What type of execution can you expect under volatile conditions?

Part II to follow this week…