Lesson 3 of 69
What can you trade?
6 min read
Chapter checkpoints
0/1Optional — tick a chapter as you finish it to keep your place inside this lesson.
A modern broker gives you access to far more than currencies. Most instruments are traded as (contracts for difference), meaning you speculate on the price without owning the underlying asset.
Forex
EURUSD · GBPJPY
Metals
XAUUSD · XAGUSD
Energy
USOIL · NATGAS
Crypto
BTCUSD · ETHUSD
Indices
US500 · GER40
| Market | Examples | Character |
|---|---|---|
| Forex | EUR/USD, GBP/JPY | Deep liquidity, tight spreads, steady moves |
| Metals | XAU/USD (gold), XAG/USD (silver) | Safe-haven flows, strong trends |
| Energy | USOIL, UKOIL, NATGAS | Supply, geopolitics, high volatility |
| Crypto | BTC/USD, ETH/USD | 24/7, very volatile, sentiment driven |
| Indices | US500, US30, GER40 | Tracks a basket of shares, follows economic cycles |
Which should a beginner start with?
- Pick one or two liquid instruments — EUR/USD and gold are common starting points.
- Avoid exotic pairs and small-cap crypto early on: wide punish beginners.
- Learn one market's rhythm properly before adding another to your screen.
Volatility is not the same as opportunity
A market that moves 8% a day can wipe out an oversized position in minutes. Match the instrument's to your , not the other way round.
Key takeaways
- Most brokers offer currencies, metals, indices, energies and crypto from the same account.
- Currency pairs are grouped into majors, minors and exotics — majors are cheapest and most liquid.
- Metals like gold move faster than most currency pairs, so positions must be sized smaller.
- Crypto trades at weekends too, which changes how you manage risk over Saturday and Sunday.
Knowledge check
3 quick questions — your best score is saved to your progress.
1. Which group contains the most liquid, cheapest-to-trade currency pairs?
2. Why does gold usually need a smaller position size than EUR/USD?
3. What makes crypto different from forex for risk management?
Progress is saved on this device.
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