AdsunWhat is forex trading? A clear beginner's guide to the forex market (2026)
Forex explained simply: how the $9.6 trillion-a-day currency market works, currency pairs, pips, spreads and leverage, who trades forex, its real risks and why so many forex communities live on Telegram.
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Quick answer
Forex (FX, foreign exchange) is the global market where currencies are bought and sold in pairs such as EUR/USD. It is the largest financial market in the world: according to the Bank for International Settlements, FX trading averaged $9.6 trillion per day in April 2025. Banks, companies, funds and retail traders exchange currencies to pay for trade, hedge risk or speculate on price moves. Retail traders usually trade through a broker with leverage, which magnifies both gains and losses, so most beginners should learn on a demo account first. Many forex traders now follow analysis, news and signals in Telegram channels and groups.
Key takeaways
- Forex = trading one currency against another, always quoted in pairs.
- BIS data: about $9.6 trillion traded per day (April 2025), up 28% since 2022.
- Leverage magnifies losses as much as gains — EU rules cap it at 30:1 for major pairs for retail clients.
- Telegram is one of the main places where forex communities share analysis and signals.
How the forex market works
Currencies trade over the counter (OTC) through a global network of banks, brokers and electronic platforms, 24 hours a day from Monday to Friday across the Sydney, Tokyo, London and New York sessions. A quote such as EUR/USD 1.0850 means one euro costs 1.0850 US dollars. Buying the pair means you expect the euro to rise against the dollar; selling means you expect it to fall.
Major pairs include the US dollar (EUR/USD, GBP/USD, USD/JPY, USD/CHF, AUD/USD, USD/CAD, NZD/USD). Gold against the dollar (XAU/USD) is not a currency pair but is offered by most forex brokers and is one of the most-followed instruments in Telegram signal channels.
Key terms every beginner needs
- Pip: the smallest standard price step (0.0001 for most pairs).
- Lot: trade size — 1 standard lot = 100,000 units of the base currency, 0.01 = micro lot.
- Spread: the gap between buy and sell price, your built-in cost.
- Leverage and margin: borrowed exposure and the deposit that secures it.
- Stop-loss and take-profit: orders that close a trade at a planned loss or profit.
Who trades forex and why
Banks and dealers make up the largest share of turnover. Importers, exporters and multinational companies exchange currency for real payments and hedging. Asset managers adjust currency exposure. Retail traders — individuals using online brokers — speculate on short-term price moves, usually through spot forex or CFDs.
Retail speculation is the part of the market most targeted by marketing, education products, signal services and, unfortunately, scams. That is why regulators such as ESMA, the FCA and the CFTC publish specific retail warnings.
The real risks of forex trading
- Forex and CFD trading involves a high risk of losing money, especially with leverage. Nothing here is financial advice.
- EU-regulated CFD providers must show the percentage of their retail accounts that lose money — check this number before opening an account.
- Leverage can wipe out a deposit in minutes during news events.
- Unlicensed brokers and 'account managers' are a common fraud route; verify any firm on a regulator register such as the FCA Register or NFA BASIC.
Forex and Telegram
Telegram channels broadcast market analysis, economic calendars and trade ideas to unlimited subscribers, while groups let traders discuss setups. That reach also makes Telegram an important place for licensed brokers, trading educators and signal channels to advertise — always with risk warnings and without profit promises.
Adsun is a Telegram-first ad network: advertisers run CPM or CPC campaigns inside Telegram Mini Apps, bots and public channels and pay in USDT (CPC bids from 0.02 USDT, CPM from 0.70 USDT, 213 target countries). Forex brokers licensed in the targeted countries and forex signal or education channels can advertise after moderation, with honest copy, risk warnings and no promised profits.
Metric definitions and formulas
- Pip
- The standard smallest price step for most currency pairs.
EUR/USD 1.0850 → 1.0851 = 1 pip (0.0001); USD/JPY uses 0.01 - Spread
- The built-in trading cost you pay on every entry.
Spread = Ask price − Bid price - Leverage
- Borrowed exposure that magnifies both gains and losses.
Position size ÷ margin, e.g. 30:1 = $30,000 position on $1,000 margin - Risk-reward ratio
- How much a trade aims to win for every unit it risks.
R:R = (Take-profit − Entry) ÷ (Entry − Stop-loss) - Expectancy
- Average result per trade; only a positive number means an edge.
Expectancy = (Win rate × Average win) − (Loss rate × Average loss)
More terms in the glossary and the advertising metrics guide.
Worked example
Hypothetical example — not a real provider
A channel posts 100 signals: 55 hit take-profit at an average of +30 pips and 45 hit stop-loss at an average of −40 pips. Net = (55 × 30) − (45 × 40) = 1,650 − 1,800 = −150 pips. A 55% win rate still loses money because losses are larger than wins — always ask for the full result list, not the win rate.
Adsun measurement methodology
Adsun counts an impression when an ad is rendered in a publisher block, a click when the user opens the ad destination, and a reward only after the server-to-server Reward URL confirms completion. Debug-mode traffic is excluded from billing and reports. Metrics are shown per platform, block and country in the partner and advertiser dashboards. Adsun does not publish aggregate network benchmarks in this guide; any number below marked “Hypothetical” is illustrative only. See the SDK documentation for integration details.
About Adsun
Adsun is a Telegram advertising network operated by Adsun. Products: Rewarded ads, Interstitial ads, Task ads, Native ads. Platforms: Telegram Mini Apps, Telegram bots, Telegram channels. Learn more about Adsun.
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Frequently asked questions
What is forex in simple words?
Forex is the market for exchanging one currency for another. Traders buy a currency pair if they expect the first currency to rise against the second, and sell if they expect it to fall.
How big is the forex market?
The Bank for International Settlements' 2025 Triennial Survey measured average FX turnover of $9.6 trillion per day in April 2025, making it the largest financial market in the world.
Can beginners make money trading forex?
Some do, but many retail traders lose money, particularly with leverage. Regulators require CFD providers in the EU to disclose the share of retail accounts that lose money. Learn on a demo account and never risk money you cannot afford to lose.
When is the forex market open?
Forex trades 24 hours a day from Monday to Friday, moving through the Sydney, Tokyo, London and New York sessions. Liquidity is usually highest when the London and New York sessions overlap.
Is forex trading legal?
Forex trading is legal in most countries, but brokers must be licensed where they serve clients and some countries restrict leverage or products. Check your local regulator.
What is the best forex pair for beginners?
Many beginners start with liquid major pairs such as EUR/USD because spreads are usually tighter, but no pair removes risk.
Why are there so many forex channels on Telegram?
Telegram channels can broadcast instantly to unlimited subscribers with charts and alerts, which suits fast-moving market updates and signal services.
Sources
- BIS — Triennial Central Bank Survey: OTC FX turnover in April 2025
- ESMA — Restrictions on CFDs for retail investors
- CFTC — Forex fraud advisory
- NFA — BASIC registration and disciplinary lookup
- FCA — Financial Services Register
- FCA — ScamSmart
- Telegram — Channels, groups and supergroups FAQ
- Telegram — Bot API reference
- Telegram — Official Ad Platform
Update log
- 2026-10-28: First published as part of the Adsun forex & Telegram signals blog series (batch 7).