Bloomberg Markets — The Lure of Forex

November 17, 2014 9:22 pm

A few months ago I was asked by Bloomberg Markets to photograph some people involved in foreign exchange trading (often referred to as forex). Many compare this type of investing to playing roulette at a casino, but the difference is that forex traders overwhelmingly bankroll their accounts using credit cards.

I don’t know much about investing and I’ve never found it very interesting, but forex is a fascinating story. Most experts look at it as a terrible idea and the numbers say the same thing, but the people who believe in it have an incredible amount of conviction. In September I travelled to Orlando Florida to photograph Jared Martinez. He teaches a forex masterclass and goes by “the FX Chief”. It’s always interesting to speak with a man whose charm is his biggest asset.

Below are some of the pictures I took – you can check out David Evans’ article in full by clicking here.

Many thanks to Photo Editor Manuela Oprea and the Bloomberg Markets photography department.

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Martinez refers to himself as the “FX Chief.” He illustrates his presentation with slides of forex price charts interspersed with photos of himself wearing a dark pinstriped suit. He says he became a millionaire trading forex after growing up dirt-poor in Whitefish, Montana, on the Blackfoot American Indian reservation.

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One graduate of Martinez’s school who’s pleased with what he’s learned is Ron Abrams, who paid $5,000 for a 16-lesson course in July 2013.

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Jared Martinez preparing for an all-day forex trading seminar at his school in Lake Mary, Florida.

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Glenn Stevens, CEO of Gain Capital, says individual forex traders rarely do the market and risk analysis necessary to win consistently. Most traders don’t have a disciplined approach, he says.

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Martinez, who refers to himself as 'the FX Chief,' teaches pattern recognition in the forex market.

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Gain Capital CEO Glenn Stevens says forex traders often don't do enough homework.

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