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Investing in the Forex market is an effective option for passive income. However, any investment of funds has potential risks, and the global currency exchange market is no exception. In this article, you will learn about the various types of risks faced by participants in the Forex market and how to identify the main methods for their reduction and diversification.

Forex Risks Investors Should Consider

What are the Risks of Forex?

The Forex market is a stable system of economic and organizational relations between banks and brokerage firms. The main features of this market are that anyone can participate in it; anyone can buy and sell currency; and anyone can bet on price increases for currency pairs, securities, precious metals, and other trading instruments.


What are the Risks of Forex?

A private player in the Forex market is called a trader. A trader cannot enter the interbank market on her or his own but rather must do so through a broker acting as an intermediary company. A trader also invests through a broker. An important feature of the Forex market is that it practically does not limit the investor in the direction and method of investment or the amount of investment. A direct consequence of which is the ability to receive a large passive income.


However, an investor in the foreign exchange market needs to understand that Forex has a high volatility parameter, which means that currency quotes change every minute and depend on an infinite number of micro- and macroeconomic factors, not all of which are predictable. The Forex market is a territory of truly highly profitable investment, but the risks are also very high. As usual, the magnitude of the risk directly depends on the size of the potential profit.


Risks are attendant with any investment option, not just in the Forex market. However, no other option allows you to manage your capital so flexibly and efficiently or provides such a wide range of opportunities for obtaining high profits within a relatively short time. It is this which attracts traders and investors — high risks, but also high profits.

Main Types of Risks When Investing in Forex

Investors constantly face the risk of losing all or part of investments, simply based on the law of averages. Even when buying real estate, there is a chance that it will depreciate; or after making a bank deposit, the bank could file for bankruptcy. For the Forex market, this is especially true because of its high volatility. All risks on Forex are usually divided into two large groups — trading and non-trading risks.

Forex Trading Risks

Forex trading is carried out according to the margin type. In margin trading, funds are provided to the seller under the deposit or margin. Margins differ from loans in that they are significantly lower than potential profit. For example, to provide a contract for the purchase of 100 thousand euros for dollars, the broker requires a deposit (margin) of only 2000 dollars.


All trading risks for investors in the Forex market are directly related to this, i.e., the loss of capital due to incorrect decision making. For example, the thoughtless use of leverage may lead to a quick loss of the entire deposit. By the way, it’s easiest to predict trading risks for PAMM accounts, because the broker provides the investor with detailed statistics and a history of the manager’s trades.


There is only one option to minimize trading risks for a trader trading on their own: experience. Over time, the independent trader begins to understand the subtleties of the foreign exchange market, learns to project general economic events correctly, generate forecasts for quotes, and devises long-term strategies that take into account a maximum of factors. From this point of view, the stock market is, of course, less risky. At least because the leverage there is several times less (1:4 on average, while for Forex brokers the leverage can be 1:50 up to 1:1000).

Important!
Important!

Another important point is the trading instruments. Trading risks always depend on the type of instruments (types of currency pairs and precious metals, etc.) used. The simplest example is the volatility (changeability) of the euro/dollar pair is always higher than for the American dollar/Swiss franc pair. Because the Swiss franc is one of the most stable currencies, and the difference between the dollar and the euro fluctuates every minute. Precious metals are naturally more stable than currency pairs, but they also have their own idiosyncrasies.

Non-Trading Risks

Non-trading risks for investors in the Forex market are not connected with trading in any way. We may often talk about accidents, but all these are real situations that occur frequently. The problem with non-trading risks is that they are nearly impossible to predict. Here are the main non-trading risks:

  • 1

    Termination of the broker’s activity.


    There can be many reasons for this, ranging from bankruptcy to license revocation. In any case, a trader may lose his entire deposit or have insufficient time to withdraw all or part of it.
  • 2

    Judicial risks.


    It is not frequent, but traders do sometimes sue brokers. And the trials are expensive and trial costs and attorney’s fees aren’t always reimbursable even in the case of a victory.
  • 3

    Currency risks.


    Investors cannot control the consequences of the largest group of non-trading risks. For example, the ruble is sagging against the dollar by 10%. This means that investors using the ruble as their base currency, in addition to other losses, automatically lose 10% of their capital.
  • 4

    Other risks.


    These risks include a global economic crisis; the collapse of some state leaving its currency sagging on the world market; the creation of new international trade associations; armed conflicts, and many other unpredictable factors.

Unfortunately, it is impossible to completely eliminate non-trading risks. The investor should nevertheless try to predict some of them (e.g., currency sagging) and this could save the trader’s capital. It also makes sense to work only with reliable brokers, this reduces the risk of litigation or a sudden revocation of the broker’s license by regulators.

Difficulties an Investor May Face

Here are a few positions from the global Forex market that do not identify risks, per se, but pinpoint the conceptual difficulties that every Forex investor eventually learns:

  • unpredictable fluctuations of an asset in the market (frequent changes in its value);
  • the dependence of quotes on all trading instruments on a variety of micro- and macroeconomic factors;
  • the possibility that leverage may lead to a loss of capital if the trader is inexperienced or not careful;
  • sometimes an unreliable broker can adjust a trader’s strategy for personal benefit;
  • Unfortunately, PAMM, LAMM, and trust management fraud aren’t completely eradicated yet;
  • the incompetence of the approach to the trading process will always bring losses, and the higher they are, the more funds the investor loses;
  • rushing is the main scourge of most investors because it leads to hasty decisions that result in losses of capital.

The main difficulties for a novice investor in the Forex market coincide with the main risks, and one is always either the cause or the consequence of the other. But all these risks (excluding foreign exchange and general economic non-trading) can be minimized if you choose a reliable broker who is experienced, licensed, and is skilled at detecting favorable market conditions.

TOP 5 Reliable Forex Brokers for Investing

  • FxPro


    The regulator of this broker is CySEC. The minimum investment deposit is $1.
  • IC Markets


    The minimum deposit is $200. PAMM trading services are offered.
  • RoboForex


    The broker's activities are regulated by IFSC. The minimum deposit for investing in RAMM is $100.
  • Exness


    The regulator of this broker is CySEC. The broker offers a convenient and safe service for investing in PAMM accounts, plus it can copy trades.
  • InstaForex


    The regulator of this broker is BVI FSC and the minimum deposit for the investment segment is $10. Modern PAMM and auto trading services are offered.

How to Minimize Forex Risks for the Investor?

Today, an investor in the Forex market has many more opportunities to minimize risks than 5-10 years ago. Some mechanisms are universal. Below, is a basic list of solutions to reduce, and sometimes eliminate, trade and non-trade risks:

  • 1

    you can invest not in a specific PAMM or LAMM account, but in an investment portfolio prepared by a broker to make up for the loss on one account with profits from other accounts;

  • 2

    it is important to carefully select a Forex broker because you will be increasing or decreasing investment risks depending directly on its reliability and the opportunities it provides;

  • 3

    it is necessary to constantly monitor the global economic situation, follow the news and, if possible, receive advice from more experienced traders;

  • 4

    The trader and the investor need to listen to their intuition, which naturally intensifies over time, and which allows you to avoid non-trading risks.

How to Minimize Forex Risks for the Investor?

For PAMM or LAMM accounts, it is important and necessary to use portfolios. Indeed, it is obligatory for novice investors. You can create your own portfolios by selecting top managers based on their broker ratings.


You can, for example, use one manager who specializes in a standard euro/dollar pair, and another broker who specializes in trading precious metals. Then, if the foreign exchange market is destabilized by a crisis, you are unlikely to lose funds invested in precious metals. Moreover, you may win.



An alternative way to get a portfolio to reduce investment risks is to adopt a ready-made portfolio. Many brokers provide investors with free portfolios set up to achieve different goals.


Risks are diversified in independent trading by applying three components — (i) competent and meticulous elaboration of a trading strategy; (ii) monitoring global political and economic news; and (iii) obtaining advice from professional traders. Sometimes brokers provide such advice for free, but more often it is a paid service that pays for itself.


Minimizing risks when investing in trusts presents two options. The first is do not invest your funds with little-known private traders. Instead, do so with employees of licensed and established brokerage companies that provide such services. The second option is to carefully learn ratings and statistics of the top traders, choosing only the most reliable. Of course, it’s more profitable to use both options at once.

FAQs about Forex Trading Risks

What is more profitable - trading or investing?

Only 11-25% of the total number of novice traders become successful. For Forex investors, this figure is almost 40%. In terms of profit, both options can give good income, the difference is that investing is a passive income.

What type of Forex investing is best?

All investment options are currently popular — PAMM, MAM, and RAMM accounts; LAMM systems; trust management; auto trading (copying trades based on providers' signals). Each option has distinct advantages, as well as risks, and is selected based on the personal preferences of the investor.

How realistic is it to reduce risks when investing?

Very. Choosing a reliable broker and successful managers, allocating capital between several accounts, monitoring news, and the global market. Several other methods can help to significantly reduce trading and non-trading risks.

How to choose a good broker?

Top brokers may be analyzed according to the following indicators: (i) experience in the Forex market; (ii) trading instruments; (iii) trading conditions; (iv) regulations (e.g., licensing); and (v) advantages of investment programs. To simplify the task, you can use the ratings of the independent Traders Union.