Plain answers on crypto, USDT, forex and stocks
Cryptocurrency Trading Platform Made Simple
A cryptocurrency trading platform will happily take your deposit before it explains anything. We do it the other way round: answer the questions first, from what USDT is and which network to send it on to what a trade really costs, so you can judge any platform on your own terms.
The list of questions below narrows as you type. Everything runs in your browser.
LumexTrader is not a trading platform
The name sounds like one, so to be completely clear: there is nothing to sign up for here. You cannot open an account, deposit money, buy crypto or place a trade on this site. We have no app, no wallet, no login and no trading signals. If anyone contacts you as "LumexTrader" offering to trade or invest for you, it is not us. Read who we are.
Questions readers start with
Pick a question or search above. Each link opens a full answer with worked numbers where they help.
USDT and Bitcoin
Crypto basics
Forex and stocks
What does a crypto platform actually do?
It matches buyers with sellers, usually holds your coins while they sit in your balance, and charges you at several points along the way.
Behind the buy button is an order book: a live list of prices at which other people will sell to you or buy from you. The platform's matching engine pairs those orders. While your coins stay on the platform, they sit in wallets it controls, which means you are trusting the firm, not the blockchain, with them.
The cost is rarely one number. There is a trading fee, a spread between buy and sell prices, and a network fee when you move coins out. Our guide to hidden trading costs adds them up, and ten checks before you trust a provider covers custody and regulation.
Is USDT the same as a dollar?
No. USDT is a token issued by a private company, Tether, that aims to stay at one US dollar. Most of the time it trades very close to that, but it is a claim on a company, not cash in a bank.
USDT exists on several blockchains. The two you meet most often are Tron (TRC20, addresses starting with T) and Ethereum (ERC20, addresses starting with 0x). The network you send on must match the network the receiving address expects, or the transfer can be lost. The full USDT answer explains reserves, freezes and the rules that now apply in the EU and US.
Why does it matter? Because on most crypto platforms USDT is the unit everything else is priced in. When you sell a coin "for dollars" there, you usually receive USDT, and your balance is only as good as the token and the platform holding it.
What would a Bitcoin trade really have made?
Less than the price change suggests, because a fee comes off when you buy and again when you sell.
An illustrative example: you put $1,000 into Bitcoin at $60,000 and sell at $66,000, a 10% rise. With a 0.1% fee on each side you receive about $1,097.80, a profit of roughly $97.80 rather than $100. Change the numbers in the calculator to test your own scenario, including a loss. Higher fees or a wide spread shrink the result further.
For the full method, see the crypto profit calculator guide.
Crypto profit calculator
How it worksWhich markets are open right now?
Your local time: –
Crypto never closes. Forex runs 24 hours from Sunday evening to Friday evening New York time. Stock exchanges keep office hours on weekdays.
The board works out open or closed in your browser from each market's regular session. Public holidays and early closes are not included.
Why it matters for crypto readers: when New York opens, share and currency news starts flowing, and Bitcoin often reacts in the same hour. Weekend crypto moves, by contrast, happen while the other markets on this list are shut.
How is forex different from crypto?
Currencies move far less than coins, so forex is traded in bigger sizes, usually with leverage, and under stricter rules.
A pair like EUR/USD reads like BTC/USDT: the first currency is what you buy, the second is what you pay with. But a busy day in EUR/USD might be a move of well under one percent, so prices are quoted to four or five decimals and measured in pips. In the UK, EU and Australia, retail leverage on major pairs is capped at 30:1. See how forex trading works and the trading session map.
Are shares safer than crypto?
They are more tightly regulated and tied to company profits, which removes some risks. It does not stop prices from falling hard.
When you buy a share through a regulated broker, it is normally held in your name or in a protected nominee account, separate from the broker's own money. Most crypto platforms offer nothing equivalent. Still, individual companies can fail and whole markets can drop for months. Start with how the stock market works and how to read a market move.
Which calculators can I use?
Four, all free, all running on your own device, each with its formula shown.
How do I spot a fake trading platform?
Be suspicious of anything that finds you first, promises steady returns, or makes withdrawals difficult.
- A stranger, a new online friend or a "mentor" introduces the platform.
- Returns are described as guaranteed, daily or risk-free.
- You must pay a "tax", "fee" or "unlock deposit" before you can withdraw.
- The firm cannot be found on the register of the regulator it names.
More warning signs and what to do if money has already gone: how to spot trading scams.
Who writes these answers?
A small independent editorial team, working from regulator publications, exchange rulebooks and protocol documentation.
We use AI tools to help draft, and every page is checked by an editor, with worked examples recalculated before publication. We take no payment from platforms and we do not rank or recommend them. Read about LumexTrader, our editorial policy and the disclaimer.