Archive: September 2026
OTC vs exchange: how is spot forex different from currency futures?
The same euro trades in two places: over the counter and on an exchange. Who is on the other side, who sets the price, and why does the futures quote not match spot?
What is OPEC, and how do its decisions reach your currency pairs?
OPEC sets how much oil its members pump. How does that decision end up in USD/CAD, and what should a forex trader watch when OPEC+ meets?
Dollar drives euro to three-month low as gold rebounds 1.3%
The dollar took the euro below its June low and the Australian dollar below 0.70 after the RBA's hike, while gold rebounded 1.3% as oil slid.
Does forex have real volume? What the MT5 volume bar actually counts
The MT5 volume bar counts price changes, not money. We set it against the BIS figures: it tracks when a pair is busy, not how much of it trades.
Volatility vs liquidity vs volume: a busy market is not a deep market
Volatility is how far price moves, liquidity how much you can trade without moving it, volume how much was traded. We measured the two moments they split.
Gold sinks over 3% as US Treasury yields return to 2007 highs
Trump's rejection of Iran's Hormuz plan lifted oil and sent the US ten-year yield back to its 2007 highs; gold fell more than 3% and silver more than 5%.
Pips vs points vs ticks: the 5-digit broker confusion
MT5 counts in points, not pips. On a 5-digit broker a point is a tenth of a pip, so a spread of 12 is 1.2 pips. How to tell pips, points and ticks apart.
ECN vs STP vs market maker: who is on the other side of your trade?
Three labels for what a broker does with your order. Which one is yours, and why does the licence say more than the account page?
Yields at a 19-year high and a dollar that beat every major
The US ten-year yield hit a 19-year high and the dollar rose against all seven majors in our feed. So why did it reach the top half of our strength table only once?
Slippage vs requote vs gap: why did you get a different price?
Three events, one symptom: the price you got is not the one you clicked. Which one hit you, and what decides if a move reaches you as slippage or as a requote?
Yen jumps after Trump flags its weakness; oil eases on Iran deal hopes
The yen jumped after Trump flagged its weakness to Japan's prime minister, oil eased on US-Iran deal reports, and the 30-year Treasury yield hit a 22-year high.
Backtest vs forward test vs walk-forward: three tests, and only one runs in real time
Backtest and walk-forward both run on the past; only a forward test runs on prices that did not exist yet. The three side by side, and the MT5 option that borrows the name.
Dollar extends streak on Fed hawkishness; yen, Swiss franc weaken
The dollar rallied on hawkish Federal Reserve remarks, the yen and Swiss franc weakened, and the two levels the week watched both broke: Brent above $100, the 10-year above 5%.
Margin vs leverage: one is a ratio, the other is money
One is a permission your broker grants, the other is money a single trade locks and returns. The same position at four leverage settings, and the one number that never moves.
Spread vs commission vs swap: what a trade really costs
Three costs, one bill, charged at three different moments. What does one standard lot of EUR/USD held overnight really cost, and which of the three takes over after night two?
US PMIs surge and yields hit their highest since 2007
A jump in US business activity drove Treasury yields to their highest since 2007 and the dollar to a two-month high, while silver tumbled 3.67% and gold fell over 1.5%.
Dollar extends recovery, pound slips as oil stabilizes
The US dollar climbed to multi-week highs, supported by hawkish Federal Reserve expectations, while the British pound dipped. Oil prices halted a four-day slide, and gold…
Balance, equity, margin and free margin: what your terminal is telling you
Five numbers along the bottom of your platform, and the one beginners watch is the one that cannot tell them anything. What each means, and which decides if your trades stay open.
