Forex vs stocks

Trading hours differ between the forex market and the stock market. The forex market is open 24 hours a day, 5 days a week, due to the overlap between time zones. This is one of the advantages of forex trading over stocks. On the other hand, there is a set daily timetable for stock market trading hours​, depending on the specific region and exchange.

For example, the London Stock Exchange (LSE) is open between 08.00-16.30, whereas the central forex market operates between 08.00-16.00, while being overlapped by both New York and Tokyo sessions. Certain exchanges also close for a lunch break, in particular, within the Asia-Pacific region. Therefore, you could say that forex trading hours​ are much more flexible than those of the stock market and there is definitely more time to spend trading forex. However, neither of these financial markets operate over the weekend.

A particular appeal of forex trading is the volume of assets available to trade. We offer forex trading on more than 330 currency pairs, including major, minor and exotic forex pairs, which is the highest figure in the current market (see our forex trading page for more details). Forex traders tend to lean toward major currencies such as EUR/USD and GBP/USD, as these considered to be generally stable within the forex market.

The stock market opportunities are endless, however, it does not come close to forex trade volume of around $5 billion per day. You can trade on thousands of global shares within the technology, pharmaceutical and automobile industries. This includes both blue-chip stocks and penny stocks. Some of the most distinguished global indices​ are traded on the stock market, such as the Dow Jones Index and S&P 500.

However, the number of shares on the stock market is not always seen as an advantage over forex trading. Some traders prefer the reliability of trading a small number of top forex pairs that have remained in the market consistently, rather than deciding between existing, new and emerging possible stocks to invest in.

A popular method of trading stocks over forex is through ETF trading. Exchange-traded funds are investment funds that hold a collection of underlying assets and work in a similar way to shares. This gives the trader partial ownership of the underlying stock, whereas spread bets and CFDs do not provide any ownership to the trader. Given that stock traders often prefer to open long-term positions within the stock market, ETFs are a useful product for this purpose*.

Browse our instruments​ page to explore over 8,000 shares and 1,000 ETFs available to trade on our platform now.

A popular topic for the forex vs stocks debate refers to market volatility. This measures price fluctuations within the markets that can either help traders to gain profits if the trade is executed effectively, or losses if the trade is not successful. Forex traders in particular often look for high liquidity within the market, as this means that an asset can be bought and sold rapidly without having much of an effect on its price. Therefore, it is likely that high market volatility is more beneficial for short-term traders. Many forex strategies work to open and close positions in a short period of time, with the intention of making a profit from small price movements when the market is particularly volatile. This way, they can enter and exit trades with quick precision.

In contrast, long-term traders that prefer a buy-and-hold method may be less comfortable in a volatile environment. This relates especially to stock traders. Given that certain blue-chip stocks are known for their stability within the stock market, traders are more likely to open positions with a potential for profit in the long-term. Therefore, as they are not looking for short-term price fluctuations, a volatile market would not work for their trading strategy. Learn more about volatility trading​.

Leverage in trading is definitely something to consider when weighing up the forex market against the stock market, also known as margin trading​. Opening a spread betting or CFD trading account allows traders to place a small percentage of the full trade value, which is known as a deposit. This allows traders better exposure for trading both stocks and forex, as they have the opportunity to magnify their profits. This can, however, also result in the opposite direction of magnified losses.

In general, the forex market offers much lower margin rates, starting at around 3.3% or a leverage equivalent of 20:1. On the other hand, the stock market presents fewer risks of capital loss by offering margin rates from 20% or a leverage ratio of 5:1. Indeed, this should prevent traders from greater losses if their trades are unsuccessful. However, forex traders with more experience of volatile markets and closing quick positions may thrive off this higher leverage ratio, as the payout will be worth the risk if successful.

Another major difference between forex and stocks is the wealth of resources and strategies that have been created for traders of the forex market. As discussed already, many forex trading strategies aim to make a profit in the short term, such as day trading, swing trading and scalping. In particular, intraday trading can be applied to other markets, including the stock market, along with swing trading stocks. However, focused strategies for stock trading are generally less common, due to the fact that stocks are often traded through long-term positions, and currency pairs are instead appreciated more by short-term traders in volatile markets. The abundance of resources and tips on how to succeed in the forex market perhaps adds to the advantage of forex trading over stocks.

Learn about swing trading forex and stocks​ >