Is private forex trading as lucrative as it seems? People online seem to be making consistent, solid returns on relatively small investments (you can start out with < $100k)
I seriously doubt that. Realistically, Forex trading is gambling [1], and gamblers tend to be loud about their gains and silent about their losses.
[1] Note that this doesn't necessarily mean that it's random chance – Poker is also gambling and depends partially on skill, not only luck.
Typical news stories:
1. Amateur currency traders in Japan, making a fortune until they don't.
> Most of these accounts involve margin trading, in which investors place a cash deposit with a brokerage that allows them to borrow up to 20 or even 100 times their holdings for trading.
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/16/business/worldbusiness/16h...
2. A similar story in Europe, when the Swiss dropped their currency peg
> Europe has no caps in place, in contrast to other jurisdictions, such as the US, Hong Kong and Singapore. Clients deposit money with trading venues and use this as collateral to borrow a much larger amount and magnify their trading positions. In London it is usually 100-200 times the amount deposited into a retail account, but can be upwards of 500 times.
http://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/8676c6c6-9d97-11e4-8946-00144feabd...
The fact that there are so many 'get rich quick' schemes and 'guides' on forex makes me think that it's a fast way to lose your money.