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Understanding Your Trading Costs in Forex

by Sonal Shukla

To be successful as a trader, it’s critical to understand the trading costs in forex. Forex brokers charge fees in one form or the other, and each trade placed has accompanying trading costs. Many traders often forget about trading costs when placing trades on the market. LSM99

These costs can make a significant difference to the outcome of your portfolio value. If you want to learn more about the trading costs you’ll face on the forex market, keep reading.

Spreads

Forex spreads are the biggest forex trading costs. The spread in forex is the difference between the buy price (or ask price) and the sell price (or bid price) quoted for a currency. At any given moment, the price at which a trader can buy a currency is always higher than the selling price. The difference between the two numbers, or the spread, provides brokers with the profits to finance their operations.

A spread can be wide or narrow. A wide spread indicates a greater difference between the ask price and the bid price. It generally means low liquidity and high volatility. On the other hand, a narrow spread indicates high liquidity and low volatility. Spreads are measured in pips (price interest point or percentage in point). For major currency pairs like GBP/USD or EUR/USD, the spread can be as low as half a pip.

Commissions and Fees

Other trading costs your broker may charge can be in the form of commissions and fees. Some accounts may have spreads as low as 0.0 on the EUR/USD, but the broker charges a commission per lot. Many brokers no longer charge trading commissions due to the stiff competition among brokerages.

The accounts that charge a commission are typically ECN accounts. Forex traders get the raw spreads, or something relatively close. In exchange, the broker gets a commission. Trading commissions usually come in the form of costs per traded side or traded lot.

Swap Rates

Swap rates are often referred to as rollover rates. It’s the net interest return that’s accumulated on a currency position held overnight. Rollover or swap rates occur due to the interest rate differences between the base currency and the quote currency. Brokers will list how the swap rate is calculated.

Withdrawal Costs

Withdrawal costs are essential costs to consider when trading. Most brokers charge a withdrawal fee when you want to withdraw your profits from your brokerage account. This can be a standard charge per withdrawal, a percentage of the withdrawal amount, or a combination of these.

Conclusion

When looking for trading opportunities, you should be aware of the trading costs that accompany them. Forex brokers charge fees in various forms, as fees are an important source of income for them. Trading fees are usually charged as spreads and commissions. However, brokers may also charge fees, such as overnight financing fees and storage fees.

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