Fortunes can be made (and lost) on the FOREX market, but patience and a little bit of common sense can help you succeed where almost everyone else fails. The simple FOREX trading tips outlined below will help get you on the path to big profits in the FOREX market while at the same time reducing your losses. And you *will* suffer losses  its a fact of life in the FOREX market. What separates the successful FOREX investor from the burnout is the successful FOREX investor understands this and plans for it, while those that dont quickly lose their shirt.

FOREX Tip #1  Start with at least $1000 ready to trade. Although you can open micro accounts for as little as $200 you really wont be able to weather any turbulence in the market with so little investment capital. Start your online FOREX trading career with a minimum of $1000 in a micro account, and once youve made $10,000 roll it into a mini account and see your profits really pick up.

FOREX Tip #2  Use leverage wisely. The ability to control large sums of currency with small amounts of cash is one of the major advantages of FOREX trading, but if not used correctly you can quickly blow through all of your investment capital. Make smaller trades to start with, and keep enough cash in your account so that you can withstand the occasional margin call.

FOREXT Tip #3  Use a winning FOREX trading system. Seems like a common sense thing to say, but jumping in and spending thousands of dollars on the first trading system you find online can leave you penniless and none the wiser. Youre far better off creating your own system (its really not that difficult) and applying it to your trades. Youll learn how to recognize trends, when to get in and exit, and youll be able to understand why a trade works one day and why it didnt the next. Using this knowledge you can modify your FOREX trading system accordingly  if you had simply purchased a system online youd be stuck with what they gave you.

FOREXT Tip #4  Manage your risk. You make money on the FOREX market based on two events  when you buy and when you sell. Discipline is key when determining when to get out of a trade, so set up stop losses at reasonable positions in line with your trading system and *always* follow your system. There may be times youre tempted to get out early, but dont deviate from your system. If you set your stops wisely youll manage your losses over the long run and end up turning a decent profit.

FOREXT Tip #5  Practice, practice, practice! If youre just getting started in the FOREX trading world you may be seeing dollar signs dancing around your eyes, and yes it is possible to make some really nice profits by trading currencies. However, as with any kind of investing, if you jump in without really knowing what youre doing youll quickly lose your money. Most online FOREX brokers offer demo accounts that let you trade with fake money using real data  take advantage of this and fine-tune your FOREX trading skills. Get comfortable with your trading system and work on your discipline, and only move up to real money trading when youre consistently making winning trades in your demo account.