Transaction costs and market makers
Transaction costs and market makers
Market makers are well compensated for allowing retail clients to enter the Forex market. They take part or all of the spread in all currency pairs traded. In a common example, EUR/USD, the spread is typically 3 pips (3/100 of a percent). Thus prices are quoted with both a Buy and Sell price (e.g., Buy Eur/USD 1.2000, Sell Eur/USD 1.2003). That difference of 3 pips is the spread and can amount to a significant amount of money. (Note: the spread is only taken out at the beginning of the trade; this transaction cost is subtracted only upon entering the trade, not leaving it) Because the typical standard lot is 100,000 units of the base currency, those 3 pips on EUR/USD translate to $30 paid by the client to the market maker. However, a pip is not always $10. A pip is 1/100th of a percent, and the currency pairs are always purchased by buying 100,000 of the base currency, which is also known as the counter currency. For the pair EUR/USD, the base currency is USD; thus, 1/100th of a percent on a pair with USD as the base currency will always have a pip of $10. If, on the other hand, your currency has Swiss Frank (CHF) as a base instead of USD, then 1/100th of a percent is now worth around $8, because you are buying 100,000 worth of Swiss Franks.
If a trader with a $10,000 account on 100:1 leverage felt, after reading reports on the economy, that the USD was going to go up in value against the EUR and the CHF, he would Sell EUR/USD (thus selling EUR and buying USD) and Buy USD/CHF (buying USD and selling CHF). The transaction is all electronic, so the trader doesn’t need to have Euros in his account. On a large scale, the market maker can sell Euros on behalf of the trader, knowing that the position will eventually be closed and converted back to USD. Assume that the client sold 100,000 EUR/USD at 1.2000 and bought 100,000 USD/CHF at 1.2500. Seconds after this transaction, his account would read: Balance: $10,000, Equity $9,946. The loss of $54 is due to the transaction cost taken only at the entry of a position of 3 pips, which translates to $30 for the EUR/USD pair and $24 for the USD/CHF pair. With equity of $9,946 on 100:1 leverage with 2 positions opened, $2,000 is now held in margin, leaving the trader $7,946 in usable margin. Suppose the EUR/USD (sold at 1.2003) starts to move against the trader and goes up in value to 1.2013, while the USD/CHF (bought at 1.2500) starts moving for the client and also goes up in value to 1.2515. His account information will have changed but his balance and margin will remain unchanged at $10,000 and $2,000 respectively. His equity and his usable margin, however, will change to reflect the new market conditions. While for the trader, the platform will calculate this all automatically, it is important to see it step by step.
Beginning SummaryClient Account: XXXBalance $10,000Equity: $ 10,000Usable Margin: $10,000Used Margin: $0
Step 1: Client XXX places two trades.Sells 1 standard lot EUR/USD (100,000 worth of the base currency -- USD)Buys 1 standard lot of USD/CHF (100,000 worth of the base currency – CHF)
Balance remains: $10,000Equity: $9,946 (roughly, due to transaction costs of 3 pips each. $30 – EUR/USD transaction cost $24 USD/CHF transaction cost---the difference is due to difference in pip value)Usable Margin: $7,946Used Margin $2,000
Step 2: Market Conditions Change, with EUR/USD going up 10 pips (a 10 pip decrease in value to the client, since he is short EUR/USD), while the USD/CHF has increased in value by 15 pips.
EUR/USD pair has lost 10 pips, with each pip $10 so it has lost $100USD/CHF has gained 15 pips, with each pip around $8 so it gained $120The difference is now +$20
Balance: $10,000Equity: $9,966Usable Margin: $7966Used Margin: $2000
Step 3: Client closes both positions (by performing the opposite trade – Buying EUR/USD and Selling USD/CHF). He now has no positions in the market, and his money is no longer fluctuating with the market.
Balance: $9,966Equity: $9,966Usable Margin: $9,966Used Margin: $0
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