Markets Overview

What is on the markets page

The markets page lists every instrument available in the simulator, grouped by asset class: US equities, cryptocurrencies, exchange-traded funds, major and minor forex pairs, and commodities. Each row shows the current simulated price and the day's change, and links to a dedicated page for that instrument.

The Markets page uses simulated practice prices and estimated changes for visual feedback. Provider-backed, delayed or cached data may appear elsewhere on TradeHQ and is labelled separately when available. This is a learning environment, not a market-data terminal — do not use these quotes for any real decision.

How to choose what to practise first

• Start with something you already understand as a customer or user — a retailer, an index ETF, or a currency you have actually spent.
• Prefer liquid, well-covered instruments. Thin instruments punish beginners with wide spreads and erratic prices.
• Trade one instrument for a month before adding a second. Depth beats breadth when you are learning.
• Read the instrument's guide page before the first practice order so you know what typically moves it.

Asset classes explained briefly

• Stocks: fractional ownership of a listed company; move on earnings, guidance, sector rotation and rates.
• ETFs: baskets that track an index or theme; usually less volatile than any single holding inside them.
• Crypto: 24/7 markets with no closing bell, high volatility and a strong link to overall market liquidity.
• Forex: relative pricing of two currencies; driven by rate differentials, inflation prints and risk appetite.
• Commodities: physical goods with supply-and-demand and seasonality effects that equities do not have.

Reading a market list without being misled

A percentage change tells you almost nothing on its own. A 3% day is unremarkable for a small-cap crypto asset and extraordinary for a major currency pair, because each instrument has its own normal range of movement. Before reacting to a mover, learn what a typical day looks like for that instrument.

Volume matters as much as price. A move on thin volume often reverses; a move on heavy volume more often marks a genuine shift in who wants to own the asset. Neither is a signal to trade — both are context.

Things that trip beginners on a markets screen

• Chasing the biggest gainer of the day, which is usually the worst risk-reward entry available.
• Assuming a low nominal price means an asset is 'cheap' — price per unit says nothing about value.
• Treating an ETF as safe because it is diversified; a sector ETF can fall as hard as a single stock.
• Ignoring market hours: equities gap overnight, crypto trades continuously, forex has session-driven liquidity.