Direct answer to “How much do you make on forex average?”
There is no single, reliable “average” amount you make in forex that applies to everyone. Even when using the same indicators—specifically ADX and moving averages—your average result depends on definitions (what counts as a trade and what counts as profit), market period, instrument, and risk assumptions. Without those inputs, any number would be fabricated.
How ADX and moving averages fit into “average” results
ADX (Average Directional Index) is commonly used to describe the strength of a market trend rather than its direction by itself. Moving averages summarize price over a chosen lookback period and can be used to characterize whether price is generally above or below an average line.
When people say “on average” in forex, they usually mean one of these measurable statistics:
- Average return per trade: total profit divided by the number of closed trades.
- Average return per unit time: profit per day/week/month.
- Average win size vs average loss size: how large winners are compared with losers.
- Average expectancy: a weighted average of outcomes, often mixing win rate and win/loss sizes.
ADX and moving averages can be used to structure how you decide when conditions are stronger or weaker (for example, trend strength versus ranging conditions), and that structure changes which trades you include. If your trade selection changes, your average profit changes—so there is no universal average tied only to the indicators.
Example checks you can run to estimate an “average” for your case
If your goal is to compute an average outcome for a method that uses ADX and moving averages, the minimum independent checks are definition and comparability:
- Fix the profit definition: Use realized profit only (closed trades) and state whether you include spreads, commissions, and slippage assumptions.
- Fix the time window: Results can differ across years and volatility regimes, even with the same indicator settings.
- Separate trend-strength regimes: Since ADX relates to trend strength, compare average outcomes across periods with higher versus lower ADX.
- Compare moving-average contexts: Split results by whether price is above/below the moving average, based on the same rule across the entire dataset.
These checks do not guarantee a number, but they allow you to compute an average that is at least internally consistent with your assumptions.
Relevant limitations and risks
Several limitations prevent a simple “average profit” answer:
- Selection bias: If you choose the indicator settings, time period, or trade rules after seeing outcomes, the computed average may be misleading.
- Non-stationarity: Forex behavior changes over time; a past average may not reflect future conditions.
- Costs and execution: Small frictional differences (spreads and execution quality) can meaningfully change average results.
- Indicator ≠ outcome: ADX and moving averages describe characteristics of price/market conditions. They do not inherently determine a specific return.
So the most verifiable statement is that “average” profit is not a universal forex fact. It is an output of your method’s definitions and assumptions, and it must be estimated using consistent, transparent calculations on historical data you can independently reproduce.