To trade, you need to access the market through a Broker.

Brokers are the “intermediaries” between traders – using their trading software platforms to accept your trade and find another trader to complete an opposite trade (for each Buy Trade, there must be a Sell Trade and for each Sell Trade, there must be a Buy Trade).

These brokers charge you a fee to handle this transaction, often in the form of a commission or a percentage of your trade (depending on the tyope of product that you choose to trade).  These fees will vary depending on the broker, the product traded, the position size, as well as possibly the time you place or exit your trade.

Many Brokers will provide you with the means to analyse the Market, using a trading platform –a computer application that allows you view charts, as well as to place and close trading positions.

The very good trading platforms will have a “demo trading platform” which emulates the real time trading charts, but allows you to place “practice trades” with simulated funds, allowing you to learn without risking real money.

Choosing a Broker that suits your needs can be a large Key to your success as a Trader.

Don’t compromise when it comes to availability of charts and indicators, access to fast trade entries and exits, a reasonable pip spread that doesn’t steal all of your hard earned profits and reliability.

Many traders will tell you of their anguish waiting for their broker to accept their trade with the trade being high in the positives only to have it  turn around just as they were finally let in!