Trading with FOREX.com FAQs
What are your commissions and fees on trading?
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FOREX.com does not charge commissions. Prices quoted are inclusive of our normal dealing spreads, which are derived from Interbank dealing spreads on all major currencies, including US Dollar, British Pound (Sterling), Japanese Yen, Euro, Swiss Franc, Canadian Dollar, and Australian Dollar. FOREX.com is compensated for its services through the bid/ask spread.
Are there data fees associated with my FOREX.com account?
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FOREX.com customers with active accounts access a host of premium research tools and services – at no cost. Accounts with no activity for a period of 90 days or more are subject to a monthly data fee of $15 (effective March 1, 2012). You have the option of avoiding this fee by temporarily deactivating your account. You may deactivate your account by contacting Customer Support.
How do I deactivate or reactivate my account and is there a cost involved?
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Simply contact us to have your account temporarily deactivated or reactivated at any time. There is no charge for account deactivation or reactivation. You will not incur data fees while your account is deactivated. Please note, however, that during any period of deactivation your account will be inaccessible.
Trading is available 24 hours a day from 5:00pm ET Sunday through 5:00pm ET on Friday, including most U.S. holidays. Please be advised of the potential for illiquid market conditions particularly at the open of the trading week. These conditions may result in wider spreads for some currency pairs based on market liquidity.
Can I trade with FOREX.com if I am not using my main computer?
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You can trade with FOREX.com on any computer with an Internet connection. Simply go to www.forex.com and login to your account. If you are traveling or do not have access to a computer with an Internet connection, you can execute trades over the phone by calling the trade desk.
Along with comprehensive account management tools and monthly statements, FOREX.com's dealing software provides each client with a wide range of trading tools, including technical analysis and charting, real-time news feeds, real-time profit and loss analysis, and full back office capabilities. FOREX.com's market professionals also provide daily FX commentary. Finally, account statements are sent at the beginning of each month, and list all transactions for the previous month by currency and value date, a summary of all current open positions, and account balance as calculated at the close of business on the last business day of the month.
What happens to my open positions at the end of the trading day?
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FOREX.com automatically rolls forward all open positions following the close of NY trading at 5:00 pm ET. Trading is typically suspended for up to 1 minute during the roll process. The amount paid or earned depends on the direction of the open position and the interest rate differential between the two currencies involved. For example, assuming UK interest rates are significantly higher than Japan's, a trader long GBP/JPY (i.e. holding British Pounds), is paid interest upon rollover. Conversely, if a trader is short GBP/JPY (i.e. holding yen) interest will be debited upon the rollover.
Rollover credits or debits are applied daily to the customer's account reflecting interest paid or earned on each open position held overnight.
FOREX.com's daily rollover rates and detailed reporting of rollover activity is available in the Reports section of the trading platform.
Trade confirmations are provided online as soon as the trade is executed. Full transaction details may be accessed on screen, including date, time, rate, notional amount bought and sold, USD value, and reference number. Confirmations may also be accessed via your daily statement.
When do I place a limit order and when do I place a stop?
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| If you are placing an order to: |
Order to place |
| Sell above the current market price |
Sell limit |
| Sell below the current market price |
Sell stop |
| Buy above the current market price |
Buy stop |
| Buy below the current market rate |
Buy limit |
To place a trade over the phone, contact customer service.
State your Account Number.
You will be asked to verify the name on the account and answer other security questions.
Ask for the current price i.e.
“I would like a price on Euro/Dollar.”
FOREX.com will provide the current bid/offer.
“Euro/Dollar is trading at 1.28551/562” (the first number being the bid, the second the offer).
If you wish to place a market order, state your interest.
“I sell 50,000 of Euro/Dollar at the market.” FOREX.com will provide verbal confirmation of the trade. Your trade will be entered on your behalf and the trade will appear in the trading platform immediately. If you do not wish to deal at the quoted levels, simply say “nothing done.” You may also request that a stop or limit order be placed on your behalf. Be sure to indicate the type of order and the price.
All trades executed via the phone are subject to a pre-deal margin availability check and will be manually entered into the customer’s account for integrated P&L analysis and reporting. All phone orders will be recorded to ensure fairness and accuracy for all parties involved.
No. We do not accept trades via email. You can place trades online or by calling 1.877.367.3946 or 1.908.731.0750 (Int'l).
Can I hold positions over the weekend and major holidays?
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Yes, you can hold positions over the weekend and major holidays, but make sure you review your margin balance to cover any negative move against your open positions. It's not uncommon for currencies to "gap" - trade at prices considerably away from previous levels - when they re-open for trading after a holiday or weekend. This may negatively impact your excess margin.
We suggest you keep a cash "cushion" in your account of at least 2% against your open positions; to help protect against automatic liquidations of your positions to meet margin requirements. For example, if open positions equaled $400,000, then margin balance should equal at least $8,000 (400,000 x .02).
