Leverage

In 2010 there were some changes in the regulations to the Forex market regarding leverage. A rule passed that brought leverage for US brokers down to 50:1 on the major currency pairs and to 20:1 on some of the exotic pairs.

This move towards lower leverage was great. You need to always keep in mind that increasing leverage increases the amount of risk that you're taking. So, it's always good to keep the leverage to a minimum. Typically going above 1:12 on leverage is a very bad idea.

If you're located outside of the United States you'll be able to trade with a non-US broker. For instance, some of the UK brokers that TCFX works with offer leverage of up to 200:1. Even if you have this leverage available you should still be very careful and trade conservatively because leverage can be a very dangerous thing.