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Key Similarities and Differences between Stock Trading vs Forex Trading

Two of the most popular international markets are Forex or foreign exchange and stocks. Stock trading is the more famous of the two, with some investors going into trading in stocks without blinking. However, the Forex market is coming on par, and is proving lucrative for many investors, so investors wish to explore Forex trading too. Before you indulge in either (or both), there are distinctions and similarities that may help you in your trading activity and define your strategy and appetite for risk.

Key Differences Stock Trading vs Forex Trading

When you choose to open a Demat account online, it is clearly with a view to investing in the stock market. However, in order to diversify your portfolio, or to provide more liquidity in your investments, you may want to pursue other investment avenues, like Forex trading, for instance. While making a selection between where to allocate your funds, it is important to know of differences in various investment instruments, so you know what to expect. The differences between Forex trading and stock trading are glaring, and since there are more differences than similarities, those should be explored first. Here are the key differences:

The Instrument - What you are trading in signifies the major difference between stock trading and Forex trading. Forex represents a market where currencies are bought and sold, while stocks (shares of companies) are purchased and sold in stock markets. The currency markets are the most valuable and biggest in the investment world today, and whether you choose to trade in stocks or Forex is entirely dependent on your individual requirements.

Hours of Trading - In stock trading, markets open and close, and the opening time of a market can impact trading. For instance, you will need time to monitor the market before you trade. The Forex market is a global one, so it allows for trading 24 x 7, five days in a week. Therefore, you have more opportunities to trade.

Market Impact - While trading in stocks, you need to concentrate on the companies you are investing in, their earnings, cashflow, levels of debt, etc. While trading in Forex, complex factors tend to affect prices of markets. These are aspects like a country’s unemployment, GDP, inflation, etc, and whatever factors affect currency values.

Liquidity of the Market - Stock trading may not offer you a high degree of liquidity, as everything depends on the stock you trade in. Liquidity is all about how easily an asset can be sold or bought in any market. The Forex market can give you more liquidity, as the more trading there is taking place, the more cash flow there is. The Forex market is the largest financial one in the world and sees a daily turnover of dollars in the trillions!

Similarities

Differences between Forex trading and stock trading may be all too clear, but there are some similarities which may not be instantly obvious. Primarily, both Forex markets and stock markets are affected by factors of demand and supply and both make up financial markets. Moreover, you may see volatility in both Forex trading and stock trading. Price fluctuations take place in stock markets and in currency markets, because there are certain factors that impact the prices of companies’ shares and currency values. In terms of liquidity, just as Forex trading offers a great deal of liquidity, so do certain stocks. For instance, well known stocks like those of Apple and Microsoft have willing sellers and even more willing buyers.

Decide and Invest

It is easy to invest in currency markets and stock markets if you are an Indian investor, although currency markets may prove to be a challenge as regulations govern this kind of trading in India. However, you can simply open a Demat account with a reliable broker like Motilal Oswal and learn all about trading and decide your channel of investment.