Trading Glossary A–Z: Forex, Risk and Technical Analysis Terms

This trading glossary explains core terms in plain English and places each term in its proper market context. Use it for a quick definition, then continue to a guide, tool or research page when you need a practical method, a calculation or evidence.

Use the right page for the job

Question	Best content type	Example
What does this term mean?	Glossary entry	Bid, ask, free margin
How should I use it?	Practical guide	Position sizing or order placement
What is the calculation?	Calculator	Margin, position size or ATR stop
Does the idea hold under rules?	Research / case study	Backtest, walk-forward or Monte Carlo

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Forex and execution

Bid, ask, spread, slippage, market execution, requotes and partial fills. Start with Forex slippage explained.

Orders and platforms

Market, limit, stop and pending orders; MT5 platform terms; long and short positions.

Risk and performance

Margin, drawdown, R-multiple, profit factor, MAE/MFE, Sharpe and Sortino. See the risk-to-reward guide and position sizing formula.

Technical analysis

Market structure, candlesticks, indicators, Volume Profile and price action. Use the technical analysis frameworks guide for the wider map.

SMC, ICT and MSNR

Liquidity, fair value gap, order blocks, points of interest and zone-quality language. These frameworks are interpretive; treat their terminology as a structured hypothesis, not proven market intent.

Prop firms, brokers and regulation

Daily loss, trailing drawdown, payout split and broker execution terms vary by provider, legal entity and jurisdiction. Always read current official terms before making a financial decision.

Macro and market data

DXY, economic calendars, COT, yields, volume and data-feed limitations. Begin with how to read a Forex economic calendar.

Important context

Spot FX is decentralized, while exchange-traded futures report activity through a defined venue. A term such as volume, liquidity or delta can therefore mean something different depending on the market and data feed. The glossary will always state its scope where that distinction matters.

Sources and editorial standard

Definitions are written for education and reviewed against official regulatory, exchange, platform or academic sources where appropriate. Product rules, fees and legal availability can change; check primary sources and the date of verification.