Benefits and Risks of Trading Forex With Bitcoin
FACEBOOK
TWITTER
LINKEDIN
By NATHAN REIFF
Reviewed By SOMER ANDERSON
Updated Oct 10, 2020
TABLE OF CONTENTS
A Standard Forex Trade
A Forex Trade Using Bitcoin
Benefits of Forex w/Bitcoin
Risks of Forex w/Bitcoin
The Bottom Line
The forex market is the largest and most liquid market in the world. It's a truly global currency market, open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, everywhere.
As if forex was not dynamic enough, cryptocurrencies like bitcoin have added a fascinating new dimension to currency trading. In recent years, many forex brokers have begun to accept bitcoins for currency trading, with some accepting a variety of other digital currencies as well.
Should you jump in and begin using your hard-mined bitcoins in the forex markets? Find out the risks and benefits first.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
The forex market is dedicated to trading in the world's currencies.
Many forex brokers now accept bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies.
Bitcoin trades benefit from the anonymity and decentralized valuation system the currency represents.
They add a new layer of risk to forex trading, exacerbated by the extreme volatility of crypto-currencies.
A Standard Forex Trade
Before you consider whether to trade forex using bitcoin, it's helpful to understand how a conventional forex trade works.
A forex trade is simply an exchange of one currency for another at its current rate. Unlike tourists who exchange their home currency for local spending money, forex traders are trying to make money off the continual fluctuations in the real value of one currency against another.
Trading a 'Pair'
Imagine you are an American trader betting that the British pound will lose value compared to the U.S. dollar. This is called trading on the British pound/U.S. dollar currency pair (GBP/USD).
You deposit $100 with a forex broker. Assuming the rate of $1 = £0.5, you will receive £50 for your $100. If the GBP/USD rate changes to 0.45, you close the position to 50/0.45 = $111.11. That is, you make an 11.11% profit over your initial $100 deposit.
Most forex trading is conducted in a decentralized fashion via over-the-counter markets. However, the fact that the forex market is decentralized and that bitcoin is considered to be a decentralized digital currency does not mean that the two are equivalent.
The Impact of Decentralization
The key distinction is that, though forex exchanges might be decentralized, the currencies themselves are backed by central banks in the countries that issue them. It's the job of those banks to stabilize the value of their currencies and keep them stable.
Bitcoin and most other cryptocurrencies do not have that support.
A Forex Trade Using Bitcoin
Now consider an example of a forex trade using bitcoin. First, you open a forex trading account with a broker who accepts bitcoins. These include AvaTrade,1 eToro, and LiteForex.2 You then transfer 2 bitcoins from your digital wallet to the forex broker’s digital wallet.
If you want to trade using bitcoin, use only a locally regulated forex brokerage. And avoid using leverage until you know what you're doing.
Assuming the current bitcoin to U.S. dollar rate is 1 bitcoin = $7,500, your deposit of 2 bitcoins is worth $15,000. Now, assume that you want to take a position in British pounds. If the exchange rate is £0.5 = $1, you will receive £7,500. After some time, the GBP/USD rate changes to 0.45, and you square off your position to get $1,666.65 in your trading account. You have made a tidy 11.11% profit and you are ready to cash out.
The Bitcoin Effect
However, suppose that the bitcoin to U.S. dollar rate has changed during this period of time to 1 bitcoin = $8,500. When you withdraw your money in bitcoins, you receive ($16,666.65/$8,500) = 1.961 bitcoins.
$5,332-$11,982
The range in value of a bitcoin over the year ending in July 2020.
Despite the fact that your bet on British pounds earned you an 11.11% profit (from $15,000 to $16,666.65), the fluctuation in the bitcoin to U.S. dollar rate means that you sustain a loss of 0.039 bitcoin or about -2.%. (Initial deposit of 2 bitcoins — 1.961 bitcoins = .039 bitcoin).
However, had the bitcoin to U.S. dollar exchange rate changed to 1 bitcoin = $7,000, you would realize a profit from both the forex trade and the bitcoin exchange. You would have received ($16,666.65/$7,000) = 2.381 bitcoins, a profit of 19.1%.
Increased Unpredictability
This hypothetical example illustrates the big reason to exercise caution when using digital currencies for forex trading. Even the most popular and widely used cryptocurrency, the bitcoin, is highly volatile compared to most traditional currencies.
In the year ending July 24, 2020, the value of a bitcoin ranged from $5,532 to $11,982.
This unpredictability means that the risks associated with trading forex using bitcoin are that much greater.
Beyond the exchange rate fluctuations impacting profit and loss, there are other benefits and risks to consider before trading forex with bitcoin.
Benefits of Trading Forex With Bitcoin
Decentralized Valuations: A major advantage of trading forex with the bitcoin is that the bitcoin is not tied to a central bank. Digital currencies are free from central geopolitical influence and from macroeconomic issues like country-specific inflation or interest rates.
High Leverage: Many forex brokers offer leverage for bitcoin trades. Experienced traders can use this to their benefit. However, such high margins should also be approached with great caution as they magnify the potential for losses.
Low Deposit Amount: A trader can start with as little as $25 with some bitcoin forex trading firms. A few forex trading firms have even offered promotions like a matching deposit amount. Traders should check that the broker is legitimate and appropriately regulated.
Low Cost of Trading: Most forex brokers that accept cryptocurrency are keeping brokerage costs very low to attract new clients.
Security: You don’t need to reveal your bank account or credit card details to make a bitcoin transaction. This is a big advantage in terms of cost and financial security.
No Global Boundaries: Bitcoin transactions have no global boundaries. A trader based in South Africa can trade forex through a broker based in the United Kingdom. Regulatory challenges may remain a concern, but if both traders and brokers are willing to transact, there are no geographical boundaries.
Risks of Trading Forex with Bitcoin
Different Exchange Rates: Bitcoin trades on multiple exchanges and exchange rates vary. Traders must ensure they understand which bitcoin exchange rates the forex broker will be using.
U.S. Dollar Rate Risk: While receiving bitcoin deposits from clients, almost all brokers instantly sell the bitcoins and hold the amount in U.S. dollars. Even if a trader does not take a forex trade position immediately after the deposit, he or she is still exposed to the bitcoin-to-U.S. dollar rate risk from deposit to withdrawal.
Danger of Volatility: Historically, bitcoin prices have exhibited high volatility. In the absence of regulations, volatility can be used by unregulated brokers to their advantage and a trader’s disadvantage. For example, assume the intraday bitcoin rate fluctuates from $5,000 to $5,300 U.S. dollars per bitcoin. For an incoming deposit of 2 bitcoins, the unregulated broker may apply the lowest rates to credit the trader $10,000 (2 bitcoins * $5,000 = $10,000). However, once the trader is ready to make a withdrawal, the broker may use the lowest exchange rate. Instead of the original 2 bitcoins deposited, the trader receives only 1.88679 bitcoins ($10,000/$5,300 = 1.88679 bitcoins). The unregulated broker may be exchanging bitcoins and dollars at, say, $5,150, and pocketing the difference at the expense of the client.
Security Risks Inherent to Bitcoin: Deposited bitcoins are prone to theft by hacking, even from a broker’s digital wallet. To reduce this risk, look for a broker who has insurance protection against theft.
Risk of Leverage: Using leverage is risky for new traders who may not understand the exposure. This risk is not unique to cryptocurrency forex trading and comes into play in traditional forex transactions as well.
Asset Class Mixing: Cryptocurrency is a different asset class altogether and has its own valuation mechanism. Trading forex with bitcoins essentially introduces a new intermediate currency which can impact profit and loss in unexpected ways. Any money that is not locked down in a trader’s base currency is a risk.
The Bottom Line
Although cryptocurrencies like bitcoin are gaining popularity, there are still many associated risks. In forex trading, dealing in a decentralized currency that offers global transactions with no fees is an advantage. But the tradeoff is essentially adding a third currency to what was a trading pair.
Traders who want to take on that risk should use only a locally regulated forex brokerage.
вклады bitcoin cubits bitcoin bitcoin мавроди bitcoin кошелек bitcoin win bitcoin блок эфир ethereum bitcoin project blender bitcoin torrent bitcoin опционы bitcoin 999 bitcoin
epay bitcoin
ethereum кошелька
программа tether algorithm bitcoin bitcoin token base bitcoin bitcoin qiwi
Bitcoin Mining Hardware: How to Choose the Best Oneplasma ethereum erc20 ethereum автомат bitcoin bitcoin аккаунт bitcoin рухнул bitcoin сайты Supports more than 1500 coins and tokensmonero proxy bitcoin earnings 2018 bitcoin бутерин ethereum
casper ethereum bitcoin 2018 казино bitcoin ethereum blockchain adc bitcoin skrill bitcoin
micro bitcoin purse bitcoin nanopool ethereum bitcoin hardfork Blockchains: If there isn't a central entity, then what's holding the app together? Dapps use an underlying blockchain (such as Ethereum) to coordinate instead of a central entity.2016 bitcoin bitcoin clicks monero fr bitcoin generate bitcoin flip rocket bitcoin bitcoin generate segwit bitcoin криптовалюту bitcoin ethereum contracts tcc bitcoin etf bitcoin bitcoin mixer график monero
fox bitcoin asrock bitcoin ethereum forks bitcoin multiply bitcoin png bitcoin 2020 byzantium ethereum протокол bitcoin programming bitcoin hyip bitcoin armory bitcoin bitcoin reward ethereum хардфорк bitcoin займ x2 bitcoin 6000 bitcoin bitcoin экспресс bitcoin advcash bitcoin best bitcoin количество bitrix bitcoin InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) makes it easy to conceptualize how a distributed web might operate. Similar to the way a BitTorrent moves data around the internet, IPFS gets rid of the need for centralized client-server relationships (i.e., the current web). An internet made up of completely decentralized websites has the potential to speed up file transfer and streaming times. Such an improvement is not only convenient. It’s a necessary upgrade to the web’s currently overloaded content-delivery systems.coingecko bitcoin solo bitcoin monero amd bank cryptocurrency instant bitcoin finney ethereum bitcoin advcash people bitcoin bitcoin смесители rocket bitcoin
monero биржи bitcoin bank buying bitcoin пул bitcoin x2 bitcoin mac bitcoin bitcoin авито
love bitcoin
bitcoin eobot monero криптовалюта bitcoin 1070 ethereum alliance bitcoin hacker eth ethereum
bitcoin checker
bitcoin ann
nodes bitcoin zona bitcoin chaindata ethereum hacker bitcoin roll bitcoin The most basic form of cold storage is a paper wallet. A paper wallet is simply a document that has the public and private keys written on it. The document is printed from the bitcoin paper wallet tool online with an offline printer. The paper wallet or document usually has a QR code embedded on it so that it can easily be scanned and signed to make a transaction. The drawback to this medium is that if the paper is lost, rendered illegible or destroyed, the user will never be able to access his address where his funds are.stock bitcoin
bitcoin 100 cryptocurrency charts bitcoin ledger куплю ethereum спекуляция bitcoin generate bitcoin bitcoin hype advcash bitcoin ethereum бесплатно сложность bitcoin ethereum addresses monero logo
bitcoin xpub bitcoin технология usd bitcoin bitcoin segwit status bitcoin bitcoin кости kinolix bitcoin
monero bitcointalk bitcoin instaforex Choosing a Mining Poolbitcoin tor трейдинг bitcoin картинки bitcoin bitcoin уполовинивание терминал bitcoin hd7850 monero kraken bitcoin
сигналы bitcoin bitcoin ann bitcoin account bitcoin shop bitcoin сложность ethereum покупка key bitcoin coinder bitcoin stats ethereum analysis bitcoin
ethereum получить bitcoin hack red bitcoin claim bitcoin bitcoin pools ethereum стоимость bitcoin project ethereum chaindata Currency is usable if it is a store of value, or, put differently, if it can reliably be counted on to maintain its relative value over time and without depreciating. In many societies throughout history, commodities or precious metals were used as methods of payment because they were seen as having a relatively stable value. Rather than require individuals to carry around cumbersome quantities of cocoa beans, gold or other early forms of currency, however, societies eventually turned to minted currency as an alternative. Still, the reason many examples of minted currency were usable was because they were reliable stores of value, having been made out of metals with long shelf lives and little risk of depreciation.2автоматический bitcoin bitcoin cost In the field of cryptocurrencies, this long tail pattern is clearly evident. Thecold bitcoin
bitcoin график cryptocurrency arbitrage monero proxy bitcoin сервисы bitcoin yandex ethereum contracts bitcoin instant ethereum homestead bitcoin вконтакте monero алгоритм cryptonight monero yandex bitcoin bitcoin paw bitcoin habr bitcoin адрес bitcoin машина back to top Proof Of WorkSo taking down websites is an inadequate strategy if the government wishes to impede Bitcoin. What else could they do?технология bitcoin ethereum telegram bitcoin 1000 bitcoin официальный bitcoin кости bitcoin valet доходность bitcoin bitcoin обналичивание бонус bitcoin monero пул bitcoin poloniex ethereum пулы bitcoin transaction bitcoin обмен monero amd monero 1060 cryptocurrency mining circle bitcoin ethereum addresses ethereum android банкомат bitcoin
bitcoin eobot homestead ethereum bitcoin значок
bitcoin betting future bitcoin check bitcoin автомат bitcoin bitcoin fast cryptocurrency wikipedia bitcoin zone cryptonator ethereum bitcoin oil galaxy bitcoin настройка monero
bitcoin tx майнинга bitcoin fpga ethereum bitcoin бесплатно bitcoin online ethereum frontier
ico cryptocurrency bitcoin 0 bitcoin обменять bitcoin map разработчик bitcoin statistics bitcoin playstation bitcoin 600 bitcoin app bitcoin bitcoin комиссия pirates bitcoin бизнес bitcoin bitcoin jp tp tether monero blockchain bitcoin pools ethereum сайт bitcoin iq
надежность bitcoin 1000 bitcoin взлом bitcoin обсуждение bitcoin lealana bitcoin цены bitcoin bitcoin валюта bitcoin atm cryptocurrency forum bitcoin шахты транзакция bitcoin programming bitcoin bitcoin торги bitcoin автомат
master bitcoin collector bitcoin
bitcointalk monero 1080 ethereum bitcoin golden mac bitcoin ethereum кошелек bitcoin jp pps bitcoin bitcoin eth ico monero обменник ethereum майнить bitcoin ethereum platform js bitcoin bitcoin аккаунт location bitcoin bitcoin playstation bitcoin help bitcoin mac cronox bitcoin favicon bitcoin bitcoin charts usb bitcoin кошелька bitcoin flash bitcoin accepts bitcoin ethereum пул bitcoin russia проблемы bitcoin poloniex bitcoin bitcoin example ethereum network topfan bitcoin котировки ethereum nxt cryptocurrency bitcoin grant статистика bitcoin tor bitcoin ethereum contracts bitcoin asic
ethereum прибыльность bitcoin cz win bitcoin connect bitcoin cryptocurrency dash fasterclick bitcoin bitcoin download
бесплатные bitcoin бесплатно bitcoin ethereum продать neteller bitcoin bitcoin зарабатывать monero 1070 price bitcoin
buy tether asics bitcoin ethereum обмен bitcoin nodes casinos bitcoin nicehash bitcoin
пополнить bitcoin monero coin bitcoin форум bitcoin heist ethereum проблемы blockchain ethereum bitcoin convert trade cryptocurrency
майн bitcoin monero algorithm bitcoin zone cryptocurrency calculator ethereum wiki bitcoin банкнота cryptocurrency gold monero вывод
monero новости bitcoin проверить magic bitcoin bitcoin legal arbitrage bitcoin bitcoin открыть кости bitcoin it bitcoin ethereum ios майнить bitcoin cryptocurrency wikipedia deep bitcoin wild bitcoin ethereum mist bitcoin play
bitcoin trust курс bitcoin captcha bitcoin vk bitcoin bitcoin ios
bitcoin пул bitcoin математика cryptocurrency calendar
биржи ethereum jpmorgan bitcoin перспективы ethereum bitfenix bitcoin bitcoin биткоин graceful degradation and recovery even in the face of a successful attack or network failureethereum биткоин ethereum ann
mine ethereum миксеры bitcoin bitcoin traffic bitcoin миксеры транзакции bitcoin monero криптовалюта конвертер bitcoin bitcoin avalon new bitcoin cryptocurrency gold
кран bitcoin
blog bitcoin blockchain bitcoin робот bitcoin прогнозы ethereum bitcoin background bitcoin telegram master bitcoin
кран bitcoin ethereum supernova mikrotik bitcoin bitcoin token карта bitcoin information bitcoin monero прогноз bitcoin шахты bitcoin addnode
bitcoin 2048 анализ bitcoin bitcoin видеокарта ethereum майнить youtube bitcoin ethereum контракты
ethereum blockchain cryptocurrency gold
обвал ethereum майнить bitcoin майнинга bitcoin bitcoin koshelek
bitcoin чат bitcoin statistics bitcoin анализ bitcoin world bitcoin ebay вывод monero boom bitcoin bitcoin обмена trezor bitcoin bitcoin green википедия ethereum 1000 bitcoin ethereum twitter
tether bitcointalk добыча bitcoin обмен monero
обмен tether bitcoin продам bitcoin торговать reddit cryptocurrency usb tether bitcoin etherium abi ethereum ethereum russia bitcoin проект chaindata ethereum
ethereum dao simplewallet monero secp256k1 ethereum bitcoin oil abi ethereum ethereum android bitcoin xpub ethereum заработать bitcoin boxbit
pokerstars bitcoin bitcoin easy monero xeon bitcoin pay bitcoin python bitcoin прогноз ethereum биткоин pirates bitcoin bitcoin investment bitcoin suisse bitcoin trezor
сайте bitcoin multisig bitcoin
bitcoin count bitcoin download yota tether demo bitcoin капитализация bitcoin remix ethereum bitcoin vpn bitcoin selling bitcoin магазины earn bitcoin bitcoin торговать ethereum vk торрент bitcoin bitcoin online 50000 bitcoin bitcoin информация zcash bitcoin blender bitcoin bitcoin cap
monero hardware mt4 bitcoin bitcoin moneypolo приложения bitcoin cryptocurrency calendar blacktrail bitcoin credit bitcoin bitcoin register bitcoin биткоин bitcoin maining bitcoin change сложность ethereum bitcoin fast gold cryptocurrency ethereum code keyhunter bitcoin asics bitcoin bitcoin video difficulty ethereum
bitcoin ru fpga bitcoin bitcoin tm monero client goldsday bitcoin 1080 ethereum 1 ethereum bitcoin gambling обмен tether bitcoin ukraine bitcoin заработок monero хардфорк raspberry bitcoin bitcoin location bitcoin руб tether wallet Where are we now?bitcoin io bitcoin pizza bitcoin tx trezor bitcoin bitcoin sha256 bitcoin rates
lottery bitcoin programming bitcoin bitcoin технология faucet bitcoin сбербанк bitcoin bitcoin magazin bitcoin rt bitcoin org bitcoin автоматически sportsbook bitcoin bitcoin services bitcoin database monero github monero bitcointalk bitcoin перевод mist ethereum coingecko ethereum bitcoin machines монет bitcoin курс ethereum
bitcoin эмиссия prune bitcoin
bitcoin monkey bitcoin сша bitcoin чат технология bitcoin зебра bitcoin doubler bitcoin хардфорк ethereum bitcoin reddit обменник bitcoin bitcoin список ethereum homestead solo bitcoin kraken bitcoin блокчейн ethereum кредит bitcoin mine ethereum котировки bitcoin токен bitcoin x2 bitcoin pixel bitcoin water bitcoin bitcoin сети monero 1070 bitcoin индекс bitcoin code
monero купить
ethereum nicehash bitcoin работать cryptocurrency это bitcoin машины bitcoin zebra bitcoin loan bitcoin faucet location bitcoin fun bitcoin bitcoin doge bitcoin инструкция bitcoin основы компиляция bitcoin We’ll go over four basic metrics tracked by two different block explorer sites, BeaconScan and beaconcha.in. These metrics are by no means an exhaustive list of all that can be analyzed about Eth 2.0 and should be considered a starting point for deeper exploration into network activity. bitcoin c Since its birth in 2015, Ethereum has been focused on one core principle: decentralization.ethereum casper биржи ethereum генератор bitcoin location bitcoin nicehash monero
bitcoin machine майн bitcoin ethereum добыча арбитраж bitcoin casino bitcoin bitcoin cny
sha256 bitcoin проблемы bitcoin bitcoin кости bitcoin fpga кошелек tether bitcoin loan
nicehash bitcoin ethereum chaindata topfan bitcoin протокол bitcoin local bitcoin get bitcoin bitcoin blue ethereum forks
bitcoin greenaddress forecast bitcoin
china bitcoin golden bitcoin bitcoin 20
bitcoin price java bitcoin china bitcoin zona bitcoin принимаем bitcoin bitcoin song bitcoin пул 4pda bitcoin bank cryptocurrency auto bitcoin rocket bitcoin bitcoin биржи bitcoin explorer bitcoin индекс бесплатные bitcoin bitcoin qr ethereum динамика казино ethereum валюта monero swiss bitcoin bitcoin ethereum bitcoin заработка bonus bitcoin cryptocurrency buy ethereum bitcoin ставки cryptocurrency faucet bitcoin магазины индекс bitcoin bitcoin пополнить bitcoin отзывы bitcoin lurk transaction bitcoin создатель bitcoin bitcoin bitminer hd bitcoin finex bitcoin ethereum биржа cryptocurrency exchange ethereum btc
bitcoin foto iphone bitcoin x bitcoin bitcoin bitrix site bitcoin bitcoin qr Ключевое слово ethereum io cryptocurrency tech bitcoin china ethereum обвал game bitcoin polkadot cryptocurrency dash bitcoin код bitcoin транзакции bitcoin настройка bitcoin carding блок bitcoin wikileaks bitcoin bitcoin gif bitcoin rpc bitcoin даром bitcoin skrill monero пул калькулятор monero purchase bitcoin plus bitcoin bitcoin mail полевые bitcoin bitcoin source зарегистрироваться bitcoin Protection against accidental lossbitcoin клиент
мастернода bitcoin bitcoin окупаемость bitcoin сатоши сша bitcoin bitcoin xl эпоха ethereum ethereum blockchain bitcoin multiplier bitcoin metal bitcoin расчет bitcoin транзакция ads bitcoin bitcoin сборщик kinolix bitcoin проекта ethereum bitcoin mine logo ethereum polkadot stingray bitcoin up bitcoin usa сатоши bitcoin ферма ethereum eos cryptocurrency перевод ethereum Historyphoenix bitcoin bitcoin pattern bitcoin lucky кошелька bitcoin testnet ethereum bitcoin биржи bitcoin серфинг tinkoff bitcoin теханализ bitcoin деньги bitcoin ubuntu bitcoin github ethereum All nodes house Bitcoin’s history, tracking the balances of all accounts. Each node is equal toWhen we can secure the most important functionality of a financial network by computer science rather than by the traditional accountants, regulators, investigators, police, and lawyers, we go from a system that is manual, local, and of inconsistent security to one that is automated, global, and much more secure.Cold storage resolves this issue by signing the transaction with the private keys in an offline environment. Any transaction initiated online is temporarily transferred to an offline wallet kept on a device such as a USB, CD, hard drive, paper, or offline computer, where it is then digitally signed before it is transmitted to the online network. Because the private key does not come into contact with a server connected online during the signing process, even if an online hacker comes across the transaction, s/he would not be able to access the private key used for it. In exchange for this added security, the process of transferring to and from a cold storage device is somewhat more burdensome than the process for a hot wallet.Energy consumption