If you are new to the world of Forex trading, you might not know what the best Forex trading software is. However, this is something you're going to want to know if you want to be successful in Forex trading. Good software can make the difference between being an adequate trader and a great and very successful trader.
This will present an overview of what Forex is and how it can work for you. Forex trading, also called foreign exchange trading, works by trading currency pairs. Basically, you are predicting that one country's currency within your pair is going to do better than the other currency in the pair your trading. You make trades based upon these predictions, and make or lose money based upon how things actually work out.
Even the best Forex trading software can't work for you until you know how the market actually works, but it can streamline the process for you once you do. Learn your way around the Forex market by opening up a "demo" account with one of the Forex traders online and practicing. While you practice, you can also begin to use Forex trading software so that you learn how to use it so that you can make trades to your best advantage. You should know that you should never trade with real money until you know the market very well and have learned how to use your Forex trading software expertly, too.
What the best Forex trading software can do for you
The best Forex trading software cannot "take over" your trades for you completely, even though some sites may tell you that you don't need to know anything about Forex and can still make money as long as you use their software. In fact, you're going to use your Forex trading software to make your trades for you automatically, based upon criteria you give it. That is the main key right there - the criteria you give it, and that is where your understanding of the Forex market comes in, so that you understand exactly what criteria to give the Forex software to maximize your profits and minimize your losses.
What your Forex trading software can do for you is to keep up with the Forex market, which moves very fast and in real-time. There is a lot of data to be analyzed and considered, much more than you can analyze manually. The best Forex trading software will receive this information as quickly as it comes in, and make your trades for you based upon the criteria you've given it so that you have your best success.
What should your Forex trading software be able to do?
Your Forex trading software should be able to provide you what are called "trading signals." These trading signals are basically indications provided to you by a third party that recommend whether you should buy or sell. Therefore, your best Forex trading software is going to have this particular function built into it as part of the service.
A second thing your Forex trading software should be able to do is to allow you to place what are called "stop loss" orders. These are automated orders whereby your currency will be sold if it falls below a certain value that you have specified. This is important, because it keeps you from "losing your shirt" on a trade that is losing money. By defining your stop loss at specific values, you accomplish two things. First, doing so ensures that you don't have to be there in order to have the stop loss order implemented. You simply place it and it is implemented at the appropriate time, automatically, unless you cancel it. It helps keep you from experiencing additional loss.
The second thing placing a stop loss order does is that it negates any psychological factors that may actually help cause extreme losses. Let's say you're losing on a trade and you've placed a stop loss order so that the currency is sold once it drops to two dollars. By doing this, you prevent yourself from risking further loss by saying, "Well, maybe this currency will gain in value once again, so I'm going to stay in on the trade and see what happens." In effect, you are giving yourself an automatic "out" and taking yourself out of the process once that loss has occurred.
Remember that even the best Forex trading software can't do everything. Forex trading software is meant to be a tool to help streamline the Forex trading process for you so that it is automated to some extent. However, you still must have a good solid working knowledge of the Forex system and how it works in order to be able to use your Forex trading software effectively.
It's a bit like learning how to drive a car. Improvements in cars these days like power steering, power brakes, and airbags make driving safer and much easier than ever before. However, you still must be able to steer the car effectively, to accelerate and brake as necessary, in order to be a safe driver. In other words, the car is a vehicle you control, and you can't simply sit back and let it do the work for you.
The same is true of even the best Forex trading software. It can streamline the process for you and make it much easier and more automatic, but you still have to be in control. This is why it's imperative to know the Forex market very well before you try to trade with real money. In addition, having a thorough knowledge of the Forex market will tell you which software is best for you.