I’m a complete beginner and trying to avoid spending money on courses until I’m sure this is for me.
Any suggestions for quality free resources that can help me learn the basics effectively?
YouTube’s where I started. Trading 212 and Forex.com have solid basics without the sales pitch.
Babypips School of Pipsology is hands down the best free course. Takes you from zero to actually understanding this stuff. I worked through it when I was starting out.
After you’ve got the basics, grab a demo account with any decent broker. Nothing beats actually placing trades and watching the market move. I spent 3 months on demo before using real money.
Avoid anything promising quick profits or secret strategies. Usually just paid courses trying to hook you.
Babypips.com offers a solid free course that covers everything from basics to advanced concepts without any sales pitch.
You should look into Trading 212 and Ben Felix on YouTube as well. They explain things simply and avoid unnecessary hype.
It’s a good idea to start with this, then practice with a demo account for a few months before diving into real trading.
Investopedia’s got solid free articles for the basics. Just don’t expect to turn a profit anytime soon.
Get comfortable losing money first - that’s your real education. Babypips covers the theory well, but open a demo account right away. Trade every major pair for at least 100 trades each and track everything in a spreadsheet. Most beginners obsess over entry signals. Don’t. Learn position sizing and risk management instead. Never risk more than 1% per trade. This single habit separates profitable traders from the 90% who blow their accounts. Skip all those indicator courses until you actually understand price action basics.
Start with a demo account then hit up YouTube when you get stuck.