The Forex market is complex to grasp and full of technicalities, so when you are trading it is always convenient to have access to as many tips and tricks as you can get your hands on.

The most important tip of all, I would say, is to make sure you know exactly what you are doing before you even start to think about trading with your own money. You can learn about trading forex by signing up for a training course or reading one of the numerous books available on the subject. Once you have a grasp of the basics, start putting them into practice by opening a demo account with one of the online brokers for more practice before you start using real cash.

A really good tip, particularly for beginners or those prone to emotional trading, is to put at least a part of your currency trading on autopilot. There are a variety of automated systems or Forex robots available which will enable you to do this.

When trading forex, work to a system which should include pre-defined entry and exit points. There is plenty of information available from websites and books that will help you choose the most suitable system for you. You should also keep your system as simple as possible

Ensure you make use of stop-losses to prevent you losing more money than you can comfortably afford to.

When you are converting currency, make sure you make the transaction in a country where at least one of the currency pair is the local currency.

Try and avoid trading during the release. This is because things can turn against you very quickly during this time.

Use the weekly chart. This will give you a clear view of the big trends, entry points, support and resistance levels.

Don’t be greedy and trade too much! If you let greed take over you run the risk of making poor decisions that are not based on trends and research. Keep your emotions in check at all times. You can also find that by being in the market too much you miss the real opportunities on the high reward, high odds trades because you are too bogged down with everything else you are dealing with.

If you are a smaller investor, then think about risking more on high odds trades. Generally speaking the recommended limit is around 2%, but if you are looking at a good potential return then it is worth going up to 10% or even 20% to make a meaningful gain.

Don’t diversify, particularly if you have a small trading account. It is better to risk more on higher odds trades than lots of smaller amounts on less profitable trades.

Set yourself a profit target for the year. Make it realistic – not even the world’s best fund managers hit 100%. Once you reach your target consider taking a break for a well earned rest before you start again!

Look at a bigger time frame than the one you are trading in. For example – if you are trading in a 1 hour timeframe you should look at daily and weekly charts.

Finally, treat forex trading as a serious business. If you just treat it as a hobby or as a fun pastime you will not make money. Don’t try and predict the market, always use your research tools and trade with your head, not your heart.