The foreign exchange market, or forex market, can be a great place to invest your money, but like any market, it has its share of pitfalls. Too many traders jump right in without knowing what they are doing and end up losing their shirt. Before you start trading, read this advice.

When you invest in trading forex, it is important that you do not let your emotions get the best of you. If you do not keep a level head, you can make bad choices. All trading calculations should be done purely through logic and understanding, not greed, fear or panic.

Never add money to a losing trading in the foreign exchange markets. It might be tempting to add to a losing trade in hopes of a more lucrative payout, but the chances are good that the trade will just continue to lose. If a trade does start to show signs of succeeding, there will still be time to add to it.

Do not make the mistake of competing with other traders. Just because someone else is making 20% return does not mean you need to immediately change your trading strategy to do better. Every trader is different. Work with the tools that work for you. The purpose is to make a profit, not to get rich tomorrow.

When developing your forex trading strategy it is essential that you take your own motivations and temperament into consideration. If you are naturally a patient person you will have a different strategy than if you are a risk-taking aggressive person. Paying attention to your temperament can help you choose a strategy that works for you.

A good thing to know about forex trading is that it is a zero sum game. This simply states that if there are 60% of people investing long term then that means that there are 40% of people that are investing in the short term. People concentrating in short term investments usually have lots of money.

Learn to keep your emotions and trading completely separate. This is much easier said than done, but emotions are to blame for many a margin call. Resist the urge to “show the market who’s boss.” A level head and well-planned trades, are the way to trading profits. If you feel that anxiety, excitement, anger or any other emotion has taken over your logical thoughts, it’s time to walk away or you might be in for a margin call.

No matter how successful you get in Forex trading, keep a journal that documents all your failures and all your successes. Use the journal to record your failures and successes. This can help you look at the results of your actions in the past and let you make better decisions going forward.

Once you’ve learned the basics of trading on the forex market, it can be a great place to invest your money. A little education can go a long way in protecting you from big losses. If you apply the lessons you’ve learned from this article, you’ll be a successful forex trader in no time.