How to Start Forex Trading in Jamaica

Trading forex from Jamaica has some advantages over trading currencies from more highly regulated jurisdictions like the U.S. or the EU. For example, you can use higher leverage ratios when trading from Jamaica, although that can magnify your losses as well as your profits. Without the right knowledge and guidance, beginners can easily make mistakes that could cost them money. That's why it's important to educate yourself on the basics of forex trading before diving in.

Keep reading to get a step-by-step guide on how to start forex trading in Jamaica, including what you need to know to get started, how to choose a reputable broker, and tips for developing a successful trading strategy.

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Get Started with Forex in Jamaica

Many quality international forex brokers offer their services to Jamaican clients. If you’ve never traded currencies before, trading forex from Jamaica can be quite easy. You just need to follow the 6 steps detailed below:

• Get a stable internet connection: Get a reliable internet-connected device like a smartphone, tablet or PC.
• Find a regulated broker: Find an online forex broker that will accept Jamaican clients.
• Open a forex trading account: Open a forex trading margin account with that broker. 
• Deposit funds: Deposit funds to your account using a payment method accepted by the forex broker, such as Skrill, Neteller or WebMoney. Many brokers also accept deposits made via Mastercard, Visa and bank wire transfers. 
• Get access to a trading platform: Obtain access to the broker’s trading platform or one it supports, like MetaTrader.
• Start trading: Enter and monitor your first trade.

Once you’ve taken those steps, you will have a funded online forex trading account you can use to trade forex from Jamaica. 

Best Online Forex Brokers in Jamaica

Although online brokers generally do not have offices in Jamaica, various forex brokers based outside of Jamaica accept clients from the county. Below you'll find Benzinga's top picks for forex broker options in Jamaica.

Jamaican Forex Trading Strategies

Having a good forex trading strategy can make or break your forex trading account. You can practice using your strategy with a forex demo account that most brokers offer.

Several popular trading strategies you can implement in your account are listed below, although keep in mind that some require more expertise and dedicated time than others. These strategies can help forex traders make money whether trading from Jamaica or elsewhere. 

Scalping

This short-term trading strategy involves quickly entering and exiting the market to take advantage of small exchange rate fluctuations. Scalpers typically aim to capture a few pips of profit on each trade.  

Day Trading

This trading strategy involves buying and selling during a trading session, although all positions are closed out before that session ends. This means day traders can avoid the extra risk exposure involved in carrying overnight positions.

News Trading

Traders who like to watch economic and geopolitical news might enjoy news trading. This strategy aims to profit from the sharp exchange rate moves often seen right after sensitive economic data or news is released. 

Trend Trading

If you like to take a longer-term view on exchange rates, then trend trading might be for you. This strategy involves establishing a position to profit from a prevailing market trend and then closing that position out once the trend finishes. 

Swing Trading

Sometimes also called momentum trading, swing trading usually involves making trades based on momentum indicator signals. The overall goal is to buy low then sell high or sell high then buy low. Since this strategy lacks time constraints, swing traders can hold positions for as long as needed to allow the market to move as expected. 

This daily chart for the past year shows how USD/JMD typically trades in a range between 146 and 157 that an astute swing trader could take advantage of. Source: XE.com

Forex Trading Examples for Jamaica

Jamaica’s national currency is the Jamaican dollar (JMD) that has the code J$ to distinguish it from other dollar currencies. The Jamaican dollar is divided into 100 smaller units — cents — although the 1, 10 and 25 cent coins were demonetized in February 2018, so the $1 coin is currently the lowest coin denomination in Jamaica. The Bank of Jamaica issues and manages the value of the Jamaican dollar.

A recent quote for the USD/JMD exchange rate was 140.75 Jamaican dollars to 1 U.S. dollar. If your analysis of the market suggests the USD/JMD exchange rate will rise, then you could purchase 100,000 U.S. dollars against the Jamaican dollar today at that 140.75 exchange rate

If the USD/JMD rate then subsequently rallied to 141.75, you would use this calculation to determine your trading profits:

100,000 USD x (141.75-140.75 JMD/USD) = 100,000 JMD

To convert that amount of profit from Jamaican dollars into U.S. dollars, you would need to perform this calculation:

100,000 JMD ÷ 141.75 JMD/USD = 705.47 USD

Alternatively, if the USD/JMD market had instead declined to 139.75, you would have lost this amount:

100,000 USD x (139.75-140.75 JMD/USD) = -100,000 JMD

When converted into U.S. dollars at the USD/JMD exchange rate of 139.75, your loss would be:

-100,000 JMD ÷ 139.75 JMD/USD = -715.56 USD

Making Money with Forex in Jamaica

Trading forex successfully typically requires more than just acting on educated guesses or hunches. Most good traders obtain their market knowledge and develop their views through extensive research and analysis. They also incorporate that information into a profitable trading strategy and have the discipline required to stick to it. 

Since making money trading forex generally requires having a consistently profitable strategy that you can adhere to, you should be prepared to take the time to perform the detailed research and testing needed to formulate a profitable trading strategy. Most good strategies incorporate objective trading criteria, as well as some form of risk/reward analysis and well-established money management techniques. 

Remember, too, that many strategies can work well for a while, but they might not do as well once market conditions change, so be sure to backtest your strategy over a wide range of market environments. 

Forex Terminology

Professional forex traders have evolved a unique jargon to describe certain aspects of their business. You may benefit from familiarizing yourself with this special terminology before starting to trade. It includes the following common terms: 

• Lot size: A lot is a standardized trading unit. Standard forex lots have a lot size of 100,000 base currency units, while mini lots consist of 10,000 units and micro-lots consist of 1,000 units.  
• Pip: This popular acronym stands for “point in percentage” and refers to the smallest exchange rate movement for a particular currency pair.
• Margin call: If holding your trading positions necessitates an additional margin deposit, your broker may issue a notice or “margin call” for you to add funds to your account. Some online brokers will instead automatically liquidate positions when holding them exceeds your deposited margin.  
• Orders: These consist of instructions you give your broker to make trades on your behalf. Commonly used forex orders include limit, stop-loss, take profit and market orders.  

Does Trading the Forex Market in Jamaica Make Sense for You?

Those prepared to invest the time and money into developing a profitable trading strategy can stand a chance of becoming successful trading forex on their own. The good news is that you can do that in Jamaica or anywhere else in the world you can trade forex. 

Beginners without a strategy or those who have less time to spend developing one can use a social trading platform and copy the trades of those traders with a good established track record in their own account.  

Remember, forex trading in Jamaica should be accompanied by a broker that is strictly overseen by a major financial regulator like the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). You can select any broker from among those we‘ve listed. Ensure that they take Jamaican clients and apply them to open a trading account today. 

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