Forex Broker

A broker is any person or firm that charges a fee in exchange for executing trades for a trader. A Forex broker does not charge a commission for placing a buy or a sell order the way a real estate broker would charge a percentage fee of the total price of a sale. A Forex broker is paid according to the spread or the difference between the trader s bid for a currency, and the seller s asking price for that currency. Usually this spread is less than 0.1% or ten pips. (Pips are the smallest movement a currency can make on the Forex. Pips are commonly called referred to as points.) The lower the spread, the less a trader pays a Forex broker for a trade.

The Forex market is global and does not have one central regulatory agency like the Security Exchange Commission. Each country is responsible for the actions of trades in it s own country. A Forex broker in America must register with the Commodities Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). While traders are not regulated, Forex brokers are. A Forex broker must be registered as a Futures Commercial Merchant (FCM) before that Forex broker is allowed to accept a deposit for an account from a trader. Once registered, a Forex broker is given an identification number so that a trader can check the status of a Forex broker before hiring that Forex broker. There are such people known as introducing brokers who may solicit traders for a registered Forex broker, but the introducing broker cannot accept a deposit for a trader s account. It is a good idea for any trader hiring a Forex broker to check the status of the Forex broker with the authorities