With the advent of Internet trading, remote work in financial markets has become possible. Even some institutional players have moved from offices to homes and apartments, equipped with work stations. Online trading allows you to quickly open trading accounts with brokers and send them trade orders to buy or sell any assets (stocks, currencies, futures, etc.).
In Forex trading, demo accounts play a pivotal role. Even professionals use them to test new strategies and discover new methods. In this article, we will talk about another useful invention that appeared in the era of Internet trading: a demo account and how it works.
What is a demo account?
The demo account appeared soon after the widespread distribution of Internet trading accounts and is now an exact copy of them. The demo account has full access to market quotes, charts, allows you to place trade orders, open/close positions, view reports and even financial news.
However, it also has a number of differences. Since it was created to familiarize and demonstrate the possibilities of online trading, quotes for it are somewhat late, and in addition, all operations are performed using fake, virtual funds. This means that any profit or loss resulting from financial transactions is invalid. In short, when you are using a demo trade account you are learning the basics of trading and how everything works in the Forex market.
Demo trading has especially become popular during the pandemic of 2020 when people were forced to stay at home. As they were left without jobs the only thing that helped them learn trading was a demo account. Of course, knowledge is necessary, however with demo accounts you carry out everything in practice, which is why the following tool is preferable compared to other sources.
Demo account for a beginner
For a newcomer to trading, a demo account is the only opportunity to try stock trading without risking even a penny. At the moment, almost all large and medium brokers provide beginners with the opportunity to open a demo account in a matter of seconds. Most often, it is enough to just fill out a small form on the official website of the broker, after which a link to download the trading platform becomes available.
A newcomer to trading, as a rule, has a hard time imagining the mechanism of buying or selling an asset on the stock exchange or Forex. He does not know how his account will change as the market quotes change. A demo account allows you to quickly figure it out. In addition, a demo account allows you to familiarize yourself with the trading platform without opening a real account, in which the trader will have to work if he decides to cooperate with this broker.
Demo account for a professional
However, not only newcomers to the market use a demo account. Since working on it does not carry any risk, it is an ideal “testing ground” for testing any trading strategies that mature in the minds of professional traders. In the trading environment, there is a long-standing rule: first, test a trading strategy on a demo account, and only then start real trading. This is due to the fact that trading in financial markets is associated with risk, many trading strategies do not work, and unexpected flaws in the trading process may come to light. If this happens on a live trading account, a lot of money can be lost. There is no such danger on a demo account.
Normally, professionals use demo accounts to master new strategies, which otherwise would not be possible with real accounts, because real money is needed. Demo trading accounts for professional traders have a certain range of usage. After that, it is not possible to use them unless the money is paid.
Psychological features of working on a demo account
There is only one drawback to working on a demo account, and it lies in the field of psychology. A demo account does not allow a trader to feel the tension that he experiences when trading on a real account. This can play a cruel joke with a beginner. That is why professionals do not recommend transferring the psychological experience gained on a demo account into real trading. When a trader really loses or makes money, he experiences completely different emotions. This must be taken into account.
In demo trading, everything looks easier. You might earn a lot of money. There is no same tension when you are using real funds. You can make risky deals and still make a lot of money, but normally such things do not happen with real money.
Founder Dinis Guarda
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