However, in spite of its immense potential for profit, most forex traders lose their money within a year.



The reasons for this, I have found, can be summarized thusly:

1. Investors have unrealistic expectations.

Too many beginning investors read about how easy it is to make money doing forex trading, so that they can easily jump in and lose everything before they realize what has happened.

In fact, forex trading is not a way to get rich quick. You can indeed get rich, but you need to work hard and do a lot of research to be successful. Even then, every trade will not be profitable. Even experienced traders lose on some trades. What's most important is that you know when to cut your losses and get out of something where you're losing money, while you focus on what's making you a profit.

2. Investors don't do enough research.

It's easy to learn forex trading, but hard to really become expert at it. Even though experienced traders can make it look easy, predicting currency prices can be complex. If you are a small investor, you are at a disadvantage because large financial institutions can access resources you can't. They might have an entire staff just to analyze the most recent economic indicators. You, however, are on your own with your own expertise. Expect to spend a lot of time learning before you can expect to really profit from forex trading.

3. Forex trading is meant to focus on investing; it's not gambling.

Don't expect to beat the market without doing research. You can't simply operate on hunches and pick your currency trades that way. Most people who operate this way usually pick an occasional successful trade but lose everything over the long haul.

4. New investors don't focus.

Although it depends somewhat on the broker you use, you can likely trade in dozens of currencies. However, when you're just starting out, pick just a few to focus on that you can become familiar with. These include the Japanese Yen, the US Dollar, or the Euro; focus exclusively on them while you are learning. The more you know about them, the more data you have to analyze and spot trends, which will increase your chances of success.

5. New investors don't have a trading system.

Even though there are many, many trading systems available, many investors fail to pick one and then stick with it. Many, in fact, are free, which means you don't even have to risk any capital on it when you start out. Pick one that is right for you and what you want to accomplish. This will give you a much better chance of success.

6. New investors don't stick with their trading systems.

If you don't have a trading system, get one, and then stick with it. You have to follow it no matter what else is happening. Although this is easier said than done, you can't get greedy or nervous and ignore what it tells you. Follow what your system tells you to determine both when you should get in and when you should get out. If you ignore your system, you risk missing out on making a big profit or risk incurring a substantial loss.

The best forex traders know that it's just as important to know when you should get out of a trade as it is to know when you should go in.