Let’s Talk Forex with Alison and Chris

163. Set and Forget Trading in Forex: Does It Really Work or Is It a Myth?

Set and forget trading is often promoted as an easy way to trade forex. You place a trade, set your stop loss and take profit, walk away, and let the market do the work. But does set and forget trading actually work in real market conditions, or is it a myth that sells simplicity?In episode 163 of Let's Talk Forex, Chris and Alison break down what set and forget trading really means, why traders misunderstand it, and whether it can be a sustainable trading style for retail traders. The discussion covers pending orders, swing trading, and automated forex trading, along with the real risks traders often ignore, such as slippage, spread widening, leverage, swap fees, and changing market conditions.The episode also looks at automated trading systems and forex bots, discusses why backtests often fail in live markets and why promises of guaranteed returns are a major red flag. Ultimately, this conversation explains why successful set and forget trading is not about ignoring your trades, but about predefined rules, realistic execution, controlled risk, and disciplined monitoring. If you are considering set and forget trading in forex, this episode will help you decide whether it truly fits your trading style and long-term goals.
The video version of this podcast can be found here!
FxScouts DISCLAIMER:
75-90% of retail traders lose money trading Forex and CFDs. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs and leveraged trading work and if you can afford the high risk of losing your money. Any information discussed here is solely for educational and informational purposes and should not be considered tax, legal or investment advice.

162. Backtesting Explained: The One Skill Most Forex Traders Skip

Most Forex traders fail not because their strategy is bad, but because they never test whether it actually works over time. In episode 162 of Let’s Talk Forex, Alison and Chris explain how to backtest properly, why expectancy matters more than win rate, and how backtesting builds discipline through drawdowns and losing streaks. You’ll discover the biggest beginner mistakes, how to avoid overfitting, and why manual repetition improves execution and confidence. This is an essential guide for traders who want to stop guessing and start trading with evidence.
Watch the podcast on YouTube here!
FxScouts DISCLAIMER:
75-90% of retail traders lose money trading Forex and CFDs. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs and leveraged trading work and if you can afford the high risk of losing your money. Any information discussed here is solely for educational and informational purposes and should not be considered tax, legal or investment advice.

161. Why Most YouTube Forex Strategies Fail in Real Trading

Why do so many Forex strategies look amazing on YouTube, only to fall apart when traded with real money? In episode 161 of Let’s Talk Forex, Alison and Chris break down the real reasons popular online strategies fail in live markets. They explore cherry-picked examples, survivorship bias, backtest overfitting, real-world trading costs like spread and slippage, missing risk management, and the psychology challenges traders face when real money is on the line. This video gives traders a practical checklist to evaluate any strategy they see online and explains what actually makes a strategy tradable, sustainable, and realistic in real market conditions.
Watch the podcast video here!
FxScouts DISCLAIMER:
75-90% of retail traders lose money trading Forex and CFDs. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs and leveraged trading work and if you can afford the high risk of losing your money. Any information discussed here is solely for educational and informational purposes and should not be considered tax, legal or investment advice.

160. Forex Trading for Beginners: Where to Start (Real Beginner Explains)

Where should you start as a complete beginner in Forex trading? In episode 160 of Let’s Talk Forex, Alison is joined by Erik, a real beginner trader, to break down Forex from the ground up. We explain what Forex trading actually is, how currency pairs work, why the market moves, and the most common mistakes beginners make when starting out. You’ll also learn why demo trading, focusing on one currency pair, understanding risk, and keeping things simple are essential for building a solid foundation before trading live. This video is ideal for anyone new to Forex who wants a clear, practical introduction without hype or overcomplication.
Watch the full video here!
FxScouts DISCLAIMER:
75-90% of retail traders lose money trading Forex and CFDs. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs and leveraged trading work and if you can afford the high risk of losing your money. Any information discussed here is solely for educational and informational purposes and should not be considered tax, legal or investment advice.

159. How Banks and Institutions Move Price in Forex (No Myths, Just Charts)

New year and we are still here! In our first episode of season 8 of Let’s Talk Forex, Alison and Chris break down how institutions actually move the markets and why liquidity, not indicators or manipulation myths, drives major price moves. They explain why large players trade differently from retail traders, how stop-loss orders create liquidity, and how institutional activity leaves clear footprints in price action. You’ll learn to recognise false breakouts, liquidity grabs, and real market structure shifts, and how to adapt your thinking to read price more objectively instead of chasing moves. This episode is ideal for traders who want a clear, practical understanding of why price moves the way it does, without hype or jargon.
You can find the video version of this episode on our YouTube channel here!
FxScouts DISCLAIMER:
75-90% of retail traders lose money trading Forex and CFDs. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs and leveraged trading work and if you can afford the high risk of losing your money. Any information discussed here is solely for educational and informational purposes and should not be considered tax, legal or investment advice.

Bonus Episode: How Forex Brokers Really Work (Regulation, Liquidity & Risk Explained) | HFM Broker Interview

How does a Forex broker really work behind the scenes? For this in-depth interview, Alison headed to Cape Town for a sit down with Lethu Lushaba, Senior Market Analyst at HFM to break down broker regulation, liquidity providers, execution speed, slippage, and how client funds are actually handled. Lethu also shares his personal trading journey, hard lessons on psychology and risk management, and why discipline and education matter more than any strategy. We explain how STP brokers operate, why traders aren’t “trading against the broker,” how segregated accounts protect client funds, and the red flags every trader should watch for when choosing a broker. This video is essential viewing for Forex, CFD, indices, and Gold traders who want transparency, safer trading conditions, and a clearer understanding of how modern brokers operate.
If you wish you can also watch the interview on YouTube!
FxScouts DISCLAIMER:
75-90% of retail traders lose money trading Forex and CFDs. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs and leveraged trading work and if you can afford the high risk of losing your money. Any information discussed here is solely for educational and informational purposes and should not be considered tax, legal or investment advice.

158. Insider Trading - The Market Moves of 2025 That Were Too Convenient to Ignore

Some market moves in 2025 were simply too well-timed to ignore. In this season finale (episode 159), Alison and Chris break down the trades that weren’t illegal, weren’t confirmed, but were almost impossible to explain without someone knowing something early.
We unpack the SPY 0DTE explosion hours before a tariff announcement, the volume spikes before major Bitcoin treasury buys, the crypto “leaks” that hit FX instantly, and the hedge funds whose macro predictions were just a little too accurate. You’ll also learn why retail traders often get caught in the volatility that follows these perfectly timed moves and why 2025 has become the year of “plausible deniability.”This isn’t a conspiracy. It’s understanding how modern markets really react: hyper-connected, hyper-reactive, and sometimes a little too convenient.
Watch the full video here!
FxScouts DISCLAIMER:
75-90% of retail traders lose money trading Forex and CFDs. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs and leveraged trading work and if you can afford the high risk of losing your money. Any information discussed here is solely for educational and informational purposes and should not be considered tax, legal or investment advice.

157. Why December FX Moves Are So Strange: The Christmas Effect Explained

December and early January are some of the strangest weeks on the FX calendar, and there are real economic reasons behind it. In episode 157  of Let's Talk Forex, Alison and Chris pull back the curtain on the Christmas effect in forex trading. Discover how holiday spending, e-commerce flows, international travel, low liquidity, and corporate year-end repatriation all combine to push currencies into unusual seasonal patterns. We also break down how 2025 macro forces, from AI-driven capital flows to the December Fed rate cut expectations, Japanese bond volatility, and Trump’s pro-risk policies, are amplifying the moves this year. Perfect for traders looking to stay ahead of December volatility, USD seasonality, and January reversals.
Watch the full video here!🎥
FxScouts DISCLAIMER:
75-90% of retail traders lose money trading Forex and CFDs. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs and leveraged trading work and if you can afford the high risk of losing your money. Any information discussed here is solely for educational and informational purposes and should not be considered tax, legal or investment advice.
 

156. The Right Way to Use the RSI - Stop Misreading Overbought & Oversold

Most traders use the RSI completely backwards, and it costs them money. In episode 156 of Let’s Talk Forex, Alison and Chris break down what the Relative Strength Index actually measures, why the classic “sell at 70, buy at 30” approach fails in real markets, and how to use RSI like a grown-up trader. You’ll learn how to read RSI in context, use RSI zones to time pullbacks, avoid false divergence, and combine RSI with clean market structure. If RSI keeps getting you into trouble, this episode will show you exactly how to fix it.
Watch the full video here!
FxScouts DISCLAIMER:
75-90% of retail traders lose money trading Forex and CFDs. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs and leveraged trading work and if you can afford the high risk of losing your money. Any information discussed here is solely for educational and informational purposes and should not be considered tax, legal or investment advice.
 

155. Finfluencer Crackdown 2025: What Traders Must Know About Fake Gurus & Clone Brokers

Regulators are finally cracking down on “finfluencers” in 2025, and traders need to understand what’s changing. In episode 155 of Let’s Talk Forex, Chris is joined by Erik and breaks down why regulators like the FCA and ASIC are targeting financial influencers, real enforcement cases (including James Pereira, Tyson Scholz, and the Abe Lim impersonation scam), and how young traders are being misled online. They also explain the rise of clone brokers, where the line is between education and illegal financial advice, and practical steps you can take to protect yourself. Whether you’re new to trading or simply tired of TikTok gurus, this episode gives you the context you need to stay informed and stay safe.
Watch the episode on YouTube here!
Further reading:https://www.fca.org.uk/news/press-releases/fca-leads-international-crackdown-illegal-finfluencers
https://www.reuters.com/sustainability/boards-policy-regulation/australian-regulator-cracks-down-finfluencers-over-unlawful-financial-advice-2025-06-12/
https://www.investigate-europe.eu/posts/the-rogue-finfluencers-pushing-risky-investments-to-young-followers
https://www.businessinsider.com/finding-dora-influencer-instagram-pig-butchering-scams-victim-images-stolen-2025-7
https://home.barclays/news/press-releases/2025/10/influence-or-illusion--one-in-four-feel-under-pressure-to-act-qu/
https://www.financemagnates.com/forex/pepperstone-ceo-having-to-take-down-scam-websites-on-an-almost-daily-basis/
FxScouts DISCLAIMER:
75-90% of retail traders lose money trading Forex and CFDs. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs and leveraged trading work and if you can afford the high risk of losing your money. Any information discussed here is solely for educational and informational purposes and should not be considered tax, legal or investment advice.