The foreign currency trading market, better known as the Forex, is by far the largest market in the world. In excess of two trillion dollars are traded on it each and every day, while 'only' 50 billion dollars are traded on the world's principal stock exchange, the New York Stock Exchange, every day. This actually makes Forex larger than all the world's stock exchanges combined!

It is possible to get a managed Forex account, which means that you pay a professional Forex trader to manage your money and trades for you. You have as much say in your account as you like or none at all. However, this is not the way to make a decent amount of money unless you start with a great deal of money.

If you want to build up a small fortune from a few hundred or a few thousand dollars, you will have to do a lot of study yourself. If this is your main job, because you are retired or unemployed, that is all very well. If you are working and treat Forex dealing as a hobby, that is fine too, but researching the markets of a few currencies is the key. Gambling wildly is not.

There are a few basic principals that you ought to be conscious of, before you start to think about devising your own personal Forex trading system.

Firstly, a successful Forex trading system is usually quite simple. Complicated trading systems with too many rules are too difficult to follow and it is a simple truth that simple systems work better than complex ones. They simply have a higher likelihood of success.

Secondly, a successful Forex trading system cuts losses and runs profits. Your system will need to be able to slash losses rapidly, if not instantly.

Thirdly, a successful Forex trading system follows long-term trends. Focus on long-term trends and you will see better results.

The five tips to trade Forex effectively are:

1. Your trading system must be as easy as possible. Integrate only a few essential rules and an extensive investment management system.

2. Only seek long-term trends. A week is not long enough, a long term trend will continue for months, but take into account local events like elections, industrial relations and even the weather (for seasonal earnings).

3. Look for unexpected changes to trends and try to work out why they occurred. Can you ride the trend, or will it reverse? This will take research and perception.

4. Try to learn how to interpret charts. This is a subject all on its own and there is a vast amount of material on the topic. Read up on Stochastic charts to begin with and then go on to others.

5. Specialize. Specialize in a few currencies, the countries of which appeal to you too. Read all the news items you can get hold of, listen to TV reports and keep your ears open to every bit of information that comes your way,

You do not have to react to everything you hear, but over time hopefully you will learn to differentiate between what can affect a currency and what might not.