Forex Trading in French Polynesia

A small collection of islands located in the South Pacific, most people associate French Polynesia with leisure and luxury. With a currency pegged to the euro and a growing, stable internet infrastructure, it’s never been easier to trade forex from one of the many islands that make up French Polynesia.

Interested in learning more about how to open a brokerage account, place your first forex trade or formulate your own trading strategy? This comprehensive guide for beginners will make things simple when you want to register with financial institutions, commence with foreign exchange trading or test the foreign exchange market.

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Disclosure: CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 68% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.

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Get Started with Forex in French Polynesia 

Trading forex begins with opening a brokerage account. Though most international brokers now allow you to do this completely online, you should start by ensuring that you have a stable internet connection. Check to make sure that your connection is private and that you aren’t on a public network. Doing this will protect your personal data.

After you stabilize your connection, begin comparing brokers. Many brokers offer forex trading capabilities in French Polynesia, most of which are based outside of the country. Some of the factors you might want to consider when you compare brokers include:

• Base currency availability
• Supported transfer methods
• Supported platforms
• Currencies available to trade
• Fees and transaction costs

When you find a broker you’d like to work with, open an account online. Most forex brokers require that you submit proof of your identity and residence before you can fully open your account. Remember, foreign exchange transactions with the local base currency are just one way to invest. You can search for other countries exhibiting economic growth, and invest in a variety of foreign currencies that will help improve the performance of your portfolio.

Next, deposit trading funds into your brokerage account. International forex brokers typically support a range of transfer methods, including:

• Direct bank account transfer
• Credit or debit card purchase
• Transfer from an electronic wallet

The native currency of French Polynesia is the CFP franc, which is pegged to the euro at a rate of 1 XPF to 0.00838 euro. This means that 1 franc will always be equal to 0.00838 euro, no matter what market conditions are currently like. Because of this, many brokers offering service to investors in French Polynesia also allow you to use euros as your base currency.

It might take a few days for your transfer to appear in your brokerage account. Once your funds arrive, you can place your first trade using your forex broker’s platform. 

French Polynesia Forex Trading Strategies

The CFP franc is a particularly strong currency thanks to its tie with the euro, one of the world’s most important reserve currencies. This means that there are many short-term and long-term trading strategies that you can use to see a profit when trading the franc.

Let’s take a look at a sample of the most common strategies and indicators that you can use to trade forex in French Polynesia. 

Reversal Candlesticks

A reversal candlestick is a short-term indicator that tells the investor that a currency is likely to change its price direction soon. A reversal candlestick may be bullish or bearish depending on where it’s located on a chart. The strength of a reversal candlestick can usually be determined by its tail length — the longer the tail, the stronger the indicator.  

Breakout Strategy

The breakout strategy is another popular trading strategy. To use the breakout strategy, start trading when your base currency has moved in a sideways direction and showing little volatility. Establish a resistance and support value for your chart. When a candlestick “breaks out” of this predefined range, it may indicate a buy or sell signal that tells you that the trend will continue. 

Forex Trading Example in French Polynesia 

Is it possible to earn money forex trading? 

Yes! Professional forex traders earn money by strategically purchasing and selling currency pairs, exchanging currencies when it's beneficial for their held currency. Let’s take a look at an example.

Imagine that you open a brokerage account and fund it with 100,000 F. You believe that the franc will soon decrease in value against the British pound, so you decide to invest your entire lot of francs into the pound. Your broker offers you up to 100:1 leverage, which means that you can potentially place a trade worth up to 10 million francs. However, you choose to use 10:1 leverage.

If the GBP was equal to 0.0076 XPF, youwould be able to convert 1 million francs to 7,600 pounds. Soon, you see that your analysis was correct — when the value of 1 GBP reaches 0.0072 XPF, you decide to convert your pounds back to francs. This leaves you with about 1,055,555 F. After accounting for the money you used in leverage, you’ve earned a profit of about 55,555 F on this trade. 

Making Money with Forex in French Polynesia 

Trading forex is legal in French Polynesia, and there are no current legal limitations to the amount of profit that you can take from your trading or the amount of money you can deposit into an international brokerage account. However,  there are very few controls and license requirements for local brokers.

We recommend working with an international broker overseen by a major regulatory body like the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission or the Financial Conduct Authority. These brokers need to meet strict checks that ensure the broker is financially stable, and limitations are put on available leverage. These accounts also typically have negative balance protections, which prevent you from falling into debt when you trade forex.

Best Online Forex Brokers in French Polynesia 

As a forex trader in French Polynesia, you can work with one of the many international forex brokers offering trading capabilities in your country. The broker you choose will determine which currencies you have access to, how you can trade and what you’ll pay in currency pairs, so it’s well worth the effort to take your time and ensure that you’re working with the best broker for you.

Not sure where to begin your research? Consider exploring a few of these top brokers offering service in French Polynesia below. 

Forex Terminology

Forex traders have their own unique “language” they use to discuss trades and orders. Familiarizing yourself with a few of the most common forex terms will enhance your trading when you do enter the market. Below, you’ll find a few terms that you’ll hear again and again when you trade forex.  

• Pip: A pip is the smallest unit by which a currency exchange rate can move. In most cases, a single pip is equal to 0.0001 of the currency’s standard value. For example, if the USD increases in value from 1.2500 to 1.2501 in relation to a certain currency, you could say that the value of the USD increased by 1 pip.
• Lot size: Your lot size is the number of units of currency you’re trading on a single trade.
• Orders:  An order is a set of instructions given to your broker to execute transactions on your behalf. There are multiple types of orders, and your order availability may vary by broker.
• Calls: If you trade using leverage, be wary of margin calls. A margin call is a form of notice from your broker to deposit more money to your account or close out of your position when your account’s value dips below a set percentage.

The Emerging Forex Market of French Polynesia

While the forex sphere of the country is growing, few laws and regulations control brokers, limit leverage offering or ensure that brokers have enough money in segregated bank accounts. Thoroughly researching each broker you consider can help you avoid costly forex scams, which are still present throughout the world. 

Frequently Asked Questions