Understanding Pips Essential to Forex Traders
Many who
are new to the world of Forex are overwhelmed by the numerous terms peculiar to Forex trading. Obviously a reliable Forex converter is essential to keep track of currency movements. One of the most common terms used by Forex traders is ‘pip.’
To understand Forex trading and to take advantage of Forex opportunity it is important to understand what a pip is.
Pips Part of Everyday Forex Terminology
Traders refer to increased or decreased pips as part of their everyday terminology. When a Forex trader refers to a pip he or she is referring to the smallest unit of price for a given currency. A pip is the last decimal point in an exchange rate. Aside from the obvious necessity of a Forex converter an understanding of pips and how to calculate them is essential for success trading Forex.
For example if an investor bought the Pair-US dollar/ Swiss Franc-USD/CHF at 1.2375 and sold it for 1.2455 the investor profited by 8 pips. This figure is arrived at by subtracting the lower number from the higher one. The value of the pip is $0.08.
Pips Calculate Profit and Loss
While this may seem like a small profit but considering the fact that most investors trade in large currency lots, thanks to margin, that 8 pips could be a sizeable sum. Aside from a currency converter a working knowledge of pips is extremely important. Profits and losses are measured in pips and without pips traders and investors would have no way to calculate profit and loss.
Using Leverage
Thanks to leverage a small investor can control a large amount of currency. If a broker gives an investor a leverage of 100 to one the investor can control $400,000 in currency for an investment of $4,000. At a leverage of 100 to one that small 8 pips becomes a fairly large sum of money.
The Need For a Reliable Forex Converter
In today’
s volatile markets an accurate and reliable Forex converter is an absolute must. There are many reliable Forex converters available online for free and there are also more sophisticated ones available for a fee. Without pips there would be no way for investors to know how much money they are making. Without pips there would be no Forex market.


