Economy
Can You Make a Living Trading Forex?
Forex trading has a certain appeal to people who would like to be their own boss and work at flexible hours.
In the past, the market was restricted to big companies; however, the internet made it possible for everyone to trade currencies.
Although some people might call it an easy way to make a living, it is a huge risk, especially if you are trading a lot of cash. If you are a risk-taker and want to participate, read on for some tips on how to start making a living trading forex.
Trading forex
Before jumping into the market, you need to understand the concept of forex trading. It takes place between two parties in an over-the-counter market that is controlled by different banks in the major trading centres.
You can trade any time of the day at any hour that you see fit because there is no central location restricting you. It is all about buying currencies and selling them when their value hits the roof.
Amount of Capital Needed
Some people worry about the capital needed to start trading because they think that they must have a considerable amount of cash.
However, it is easier than they think as you can trade forex with any capital because of the availability of micro-accounts. You just have to make sure that you can afford to lose that amount without risking your ability to pay the daily bills.
Furthermore, the more you risk, the higher your earnings will be. Consider starting as a part-time trader, then become a full-timer when you are confident that you can make a living from it.
The Importance of Brokers
Making it into the world of trading on your own may be a bit hard. That’s why brokers, or middlemen as they are called in the forex market, are needed. They are the third party that makes the transactions easier and helps you find good bids. The number of brokers in the market is growing, and that’s why researchers at Observer recommend checking testimonials and looking for the most reliable brokers.
This is especially because no rules are governing the market. You should also ask the broker about the way to withdraw your earnings and the ease of navigation of their website.
Another reason why hiring forex brokers is necessary is because they can offer you a fixed or variable spread according to your deal. The perks of a variable spread are the ability to adjust your bid depending on the volatility of the market. However, volatility is a double-edged weapon because you can lose money if the value of the currency drops.
Putting a Successful Strategy
Understanding yourself and your goals will help you put a successful strategy. Before you start trading forex, you have to include the possibility of losing and winning in order to keep your expectations in check. Many factors affect your strategies such as your capital, patience, and degree of dependency on the trading money.
You get to choose the type of forex market according to your plan and whether you would like short or long-term profits. For instance, the spot forex market takes place as soon as you choose the currency pair you want to exchange.
On the other hand, if you want to earn profit in the future, you can choose between forwarding or future forex markets. The difference between them is that the future one will bind you with a legal contract regardless of the price of the currency at that time.
Consider checking the available strategies to help you in making up your mind. Some of the methods are day trading, scalping, and arbitrary trading. It is better to be flexible when it comes to changing plans after realizing that the initial one isn’t paying off anymore.
Certain factors can affect your plans such as the ratio between the risk and win rates. Even though trading forex is flexible, you have to teach yourself discipline and commitment to make money.
Predicting the Market
Although it is hard to guarantee the full return of your money, amount of profit, or cash you may lose, you can learn how to predict the market’s volatility. Some surprise moves may take place raising the value of the currency or dropping it to the ground. This can help some traders become millionaires while leaving others bankrupt.
Periods of sudden volatility are not that common, so there is always room for prediction. The most important risk possibility that you need to take into consideration is slippage. You should also know when you have achieved an edge on the market. This will help your capital grow and lead to great profits.
Understanding the industry will help you minimize the risks and increase the probability of making huge sums of money. It is better to start as a part-timer and test the market before throwing away a job that provides you with a stable income. Trading forex can be quite profitable in the long-term, especially if you put a sound strategy and deal with a smart broker.
By Dipo Olowookere
Investors at the Nigerian Exchange (NGX) Limited have continued to show excitement for the full-year earnings of companies on the exchange so far.
On Friday, Customs Street further appreciated by 1.01 per cent as more organization released their financial statements for the 2025 fiscal year.
During the session, traders continued their selective trading strategy, with the energy sector going up by 2.47 per cent at the close of business despite profit-taking in the banking counter, which saw its index down by 0.11 per cent.
Yesterday, the insurance space grew by 2.16 per cent, the industrial goods segment expanded by 1.70 per cent, and the consumer goods industry jumped by 0.42 per cent.
Consequently, the All-Share Index (ASI) increased by 1,722.13 points to 171,727.49 points from 170,005.36 points, and the market capitalisation soared by N1.106 trillion to N110.235 trillion from the N109.129 trillion it ended on Thursday.
Business Post reports that there were 59 appreciating stocks and 19 depreciating stocks on Friday, representing a positive market breadth index and strong investor sentiment.
The trio of Omatek, Deap Capital, and NAHCO gained 10.00 per cent each to sell for N2.64, N6.82, and N136.40 apiece, as Zichis and Austin Laz appreciated by 9.98 per cent each to close at N6.72 and N5.40, respectively.
Conversely, The Initiates depreciated by 9.74 per cent to N19.45, DAAR Communications slumped by 7.32 per cent to N1.90, United Capital crashed by 6.55 per cent to N18.55, Coronation Insurance lost 5.71 per cent to quote at N3.30, and First Holdco shrank by 5.53 per cent to N47.00.
The activity chart showed an improvement in the activity level, with the trading volume, value, and number of deals up by 33.77 per cent, 93.27 per cent, and 10.63 per cent, respectively.
This was because traders transacted 953.8 million shares worth N43.1 billion in 51,005 deals compared with the 713.0 million shares valued at N22.3 billion traded in 46,104 deals a day earlier.
Fidelity Bank was the most active with 92.4 million units sold for N1.8 billion, Chams transacted 69.2 million units valued at N310.9 million, Deap Capital exchanged 59.1 million units worth N382.7 million, Access Holdings traded 57.2 million units valued at N1.3 billion, and Tantalizers transacted 48.6 million units worth N228.2 million.
By Adedapo Adesanya
The value of the Naira contracted against the United States Dollar on Friday by 13 Kobo or 0.01 per cent to N1,366.19/$1 in the Nigerian Autonomous Foreign Exchange Market (NAFEX) from the previous day’s value of N1,366.06/$1.
According to data from the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), the Nigerian currency also depreciated against the Pound Sterling in the same market window yesterday by N2.37 to N1,857.75/£1 from the N1,855.38/£1 it was traded on Thursday, and further depleted against the Euro by 57 Kobo to close at N1,612.52/€1 versus the preceding session’s N1,611.95/€1.
In the same vein, the exchange rate for international transactions on the GTBank Naira card showed that the Naira lost N8 on the greenback yesterday to N1,383/$1 from the previous day’s N1,375/$1 and at the black market, the Nigerian currency maintained stability against the Dollar at N1,450/$1.
FX analysts anticipate this trend to persist, primarily influenced by increasing external reserves, renewed inflows of foreign portfolio investments, and a reduction in speculative demand.
In the short term, stability in the FX market is expected to continue, supported by policy interventions and improving market confidence.
Nigeria’s foreign reserves experienced an upward trajectory, increasing by $632.38 million within the week to $46.91 billion from $46.27 billion in the previous week.
The Dollar appreciation this week appears to be largely technical, serving as a correction to the substantial losses experienced from mid- to late January.
Meanwhile, the cryptocurrency market slightly appreciated, with Bitcoin (BTC) climbing near $68,000, up nearly 5 per cent since hitting $60,000 late on Thursday after investor confidence in crypto’s utility as a store of value, inflation hedge, and digital currency faltered.
The sell-off extended beyond crypto, with silver plunging 15 per cent and gold sliding more than 2 per cent. US stocks also fell.
The latest recoup saw the price of BTC up by 4.7 per cent to $67,978.96, as Ethereum (ETH) appreciated by 6.3 per cent to $2,021.10, and Ripple (XRP) surged by 9.5 per cent to $1.42.
In addition, Solana (SOL) grew by 7.3 per cent to $85.22, Cardano (ADA) added 6.1 per cent to trade at $0.2683, Dogecoin (DOGE) expanded by 5.4 per cent to $0.0958, Litecoin (LTC) rose by 5.2 per cent to $53.50, and Binance Coin (BNB) jumped by 2.3 per cent to $637.79, while the US Dollar Tether (USDT) and the US Dollar Coin (USDC) traded flat at $1.00 each.
By Adedapo Adesanya
Oil prices settled higher on Friday as traders worried that this week’s talks between the US and Iran had failed to reduce the risk of a military conflict between the two countries.
Brent crude futures traded at $68.05 a barrel after going up by 50 cents or 0.74 per cent, and the US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures finished at $63.55 a barrel due to the addition of 26 cents or 0.41 per cent.
Iran and the US held negotiations in Muscat, the capital of Oman, on Friday to overcome sharp differences over Iran’s nuclear programme.
It was reported that the talks had ended with Iran’s foreign minister saying negotiators will return to their capitals for consultations and the talks will continue.
Regardless, the meeting kept investors anxious about geopolitical risk, as Iran wanted to stick to nuclear issues while the US wanted to discuss Iran’s ballistic missiles and support for armed groups in the region.
Any escalation of tension between the two nations could disrupt oil flows, since about a fifth of the world’s total consumption passes through the Strait of Hormuz between Oman and Iran.
Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Iraq export most of their crude via the strait, as does Iran, which is a member of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC).
According to Reuters, Iran objected to the presence of any US Central Command (CENTCOM) or other regional military officials, saying that would jeopardise the process.
The current confrontation was sparked by more than two weeks of unrest in Iran that saw authorities launch a deadly crackdown that killed thousands of civilians and shocked the world. As reports of the deaths trickled out of Iran, US President Donald Trump threatened to strike Iran if any of the tens of thousands of protesters arrested were executed.
Meanwhile, Kazakhstan’s planned oil exports could fall by as much as 35 per cent this month via its main route through Russia, as the country’s top oil company, Tengiz oilfield, slowly recovers from fires at power facilities in January.
ING analysts have pointed out Iran’s neighbour, Iraq, and a disagreement with the US as another bullish factor for oil prices. It seems Iraqi politicians favour Mr Nouri al-Maliki as the country’s next Prime Minister, but the US thinks Mr al-Maliki is too close to Iran. President Trump has already threatened the oil producer with consequences if he emerges as PM.
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