Is Forex Trading a Digital Skill? Here Is What You Need 2 Know (II)

Dapo willis
4 min readDec 4, 2023

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To be able to make consistent profits trading forex, you need to have a deep understanding of the dynamic nature of the markets and their price movements. There are numerous factors involved in this process.

And as a forex trader, it becomes skillsets when you become constantly profitable.

That is because, you possess a deep understanding of market dynamics, technical knowledge, and the ability to utilize price movements to make trading decisions effectively.

This process allows you to maintain profitability in your trading. When this becomes a regular and predictable occurrence, you can consider yourself consistently profitable.

And it all boils down to this one big question:

Is Forex Trading A Digital Skill?

Forex trading itself is not inherently a digital skill, it is a financial activity that comprises of buying and selling of currencies against one another in the global foreign exchange market.

Rather it is a technical skill that requires a deep understanding of market dynamics, and the ability to leverage basic technical tools to navigate your way into price and other fundamental factors that influence the price of a currency.

All these cannot be achievable without the availability of online trading software, like chart software for market analysis, automated trading, etc.

As a Trader, I rely heavily on these digital tools and technologies to analyze market trends, execute trades, and manage my positions efficiently.

Before delving further, let us first understand what the term “digital skills” entails and why it differs from Technical skills.

What Do We Mean By “Digital Skills”?

Digital skills are essential know-how that allows individuals to navigate, utilize, and thrive in the digital era.

They comprise various abilities that leverage technology and digital tools to achieve specific goals.

Common digital skills include coding, data analysis, social media marketing, email marketing, digital communication, web design, etc.

In other words, Digital skills are necessary to leverage digital tools and platforms, but they are not the defining aspect of forex trading expertise.

While digital skills are not the core aspect of forex trading, they only play a supportive role in executing trades and accessing market information.

For instance, let’s consider a Forex trader named Joseph.

Joseph possesses sound technical skills in identifying trading opportunities by using his technical skills to determine his entry and exit points in the markets, market analysis, and identify price action patterns.

While executing trades based on his technical skill sets, Joseph utilizes the use of digital trading platforms that provides real-time market data, live price action charts, and order placement functionality.

This Digital trading platform helps to execute trades and order placements but the work comes from the analysis.

In other words, Joseph’s digital skills only come into play when it comes to trade execution and accessing the market data but his success relies on his technical skills.

Traders need to be digitally literate to use online trading platforms, access real-time market data, and utilize charting software only as being digitally literate doesn’t guarantee success in trading.

The breakthrough comes when a trader recognizes it as a technical skill rather than solely a digital skill.

Your Proficiency in market analysis, trader psychology, risk management, trading methodology, and understanding fundamental and technical factors impacting currency prices are crucial for achieving success in forex trading.

While digital skills enhance the trading process, they are not the primary determinant of trading expertise.

Forex Trading: The Key Role of Technical Skills

Trading strategies:

As a trader, you need to have a proven trading methodology that aligns with your style of trading.

If you are looking to hold trades for the longest, then consider swing traders (e.g., day trading, scalp trading).

And also knowing when to enter and exit a trade.

Technical analysis:

Technical analysis is the ability to leverage the use of some basic technical tools to interpret the market and use these concepts to spot, price patterns, trend reversal, support and resistance levels, and chart patterns to determine the next move in price.

Risk management:

Trading is a game of probability and successful traders like to place odds in their favour. This is where risk management plays a vital role.

In case the price tends to go wrong, traders limit their potential losses to a manageable level.

They understand the importance of preserving their trading capital and avoiding catastrophic losses that could deplete their entire account.

By implementing effective risk management strategies, they ensure that any losses incurred are minimal and can be absorbed without significant impact.

Is Forex A Good Skill To Learn?

Forex trading is a valuable financial skill you can learn because it offers more potential opportunities for capital gains by participating in the buying and selling of currencies in the global market. But it requires some form of dedication, discipline, and keeping your risk management intact.

Rounding Up

Forex trading requires a deep level of skillsets to be able to navigate your way into the Global markets and this skillset is 100% technical because it determines the success and failure of your trading career when not trained with proper education.

In other words, forex trading can only be considered as a technical skillset rather than a digital skill.

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