World Currencies

Concept of currency:

1. country's monetary unit and its type (golden, silver, paper);
2. foreign countries banknotes as well as credit and payment instruments expressed in foreign monetary units (bills of exchange, cheques etc.) and used in international payments.

Currency types:

1. fully convertible currency has no restrictions on any financial transactions for both residents as well as non-residents and may be exchanged for any foreign currency (the US dollar, Canadian dollar, Swiss franc, etc.);

2. partially convertible currency has restrictions on certain foreign exchange transactionsas well as restrictions for non-residents. Partially convertible currencies are those of the majority of Western European countries (Great Britain, France, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland and Austria). After abolishing in December 1958 foreign exchange restrictions for non-residents, it became possible for them to convert any amount of money in bank accounts into US dollars or other currencies;

3. inconvertible (weak) currency has restrictions on currency transactions for residents as well as for non-residents. This group consists of currencies of dependent and developing countries, which are pegged to the parent states? currencies. Weak currencies rates are set at levels profitable for foreign monopolies.

Forex history

Since 1867 the "gold standard" has been in use to allow a national currency to be exchanged only for gold in order to "return" money and prevent governments from arbitrary emission, which accelerates inflation. But this "standard" was not able to solve all problems.
The country's growing economy led to the import increase to the point where gold resources were depleted. As a consequence, the amount of money in circulation decreased, interest rates grew and economic activity slowed down to the stage of recession. Then prices usually fell and other countries started to import cheap goods which led to an increase in gold reserves, monetary growth, lower interest rates and overall strengthening of the economy of the initial country. Most countries had been developing according to this "boom-bust" model before World War I, which interrupted the flow of commerce and gold.
After World War II and until 1971 there existed the so-called Bretton Woods agreement under which exchange rates of national currencies were fixed to the dollar, and the dollar itself was pegged to gold with the price per ounce set equal to 35 dollars. It was prohibited for countries participating in the agreement to conduct devaluation in order to improve the exchange rate of its currency.
Post-war reconstruction of the global economy and the increase in trade between the countries demanded a reconsideration of the fixed rate, and in 1971 the Agreement was "temporarily" suspended. Then the history of Forex began. By 1973, currencies of the most developed nations were freely convertible, and their exchange rates were mainly defined by supply and demand. During the 1970s volatility and turnover increased, new financial instruments appeared, and currency trading began to attract venturers.

Forex Vs Stock

Forex (Foreign exchange market) is an inter-bank market that took shape in 1971 when global trade shifted from fixed exchange rates to floating ones. This is a set of transactions among forex market agents involving exchange of specified sums of money in a currency unit of any given nation for currency of another nation at an agreed rate as of any specified date. During exchange, the exchange rate of one currency to another currency is determined simply: by supply and demand – exchange to which both parties agree.A stock market, or (equity market), is a private or public market for the trading of company stock and derivatives of company stock at an agreed price; these are securities listed on a stock exchange as well as those only traded privately.Stocks are usually arbitrary pieces of a company that the board of directors issues to the public so that ownership of the company is distributed among everyone with a piece of stock.The performance of a company’s stock is directly related to the performance of that company greater profits generated by the company translate into higher stock prices. Stocks can be sold off to make a profit or held for future gains.

Canadian Dollar Hurt by Economy, Politics

Having fallen well below parity with the USD, the Canadian Loonie is now being attacked on two fronts. First, there is the deteriorating economic situation. Prices for virtually all commodities, namely oil, have declined significantly this year, dealing a harsh blow to the natural resource-dependent Canadian economy. In addition, its largest trade partner, the US, is suffering from economic woes of its own and is in no position to support the Canadian export sector. The result is surging unemployment and the most precipitous decline in factory production in 25 years. The most optimistic economists are forecasting GDP growth of 0.0% in 2009. The second prong of the attack against the Loonie is being waged unintentionally by the country's Prime Minister, who recently suspended Parliament in order to avoid a no-confidence vote in his leadership. In short, bulls for the Canadian Dollar (not to mention democracy) don't have much to be excited about these days. Bloomberg News reports:
"The global backdrop is bearish for the Canadian dollar and domestic numbers are merely piling on,"said a senior currency strategist. "No one is looking for reasons to buy the Canadian dollar right now. They want reasons to sell."

WORLD FOREX:Yen Rises Despite Weak BOJ Tankan; Worry Over GM - Wall Street Journal

CNBC WORLD FOREX :Yen Rises Despite Weak BOJ Tankan; Worry Over GM Wall Street Journal By Takashi Nakamichi OF DOW JONES NEWSWIRES TOKYO (Dow Jones)–The yen rebounded from one-month lows against the dollar in late Tokyo hours Wednesday despite the release of ugly Bank of Japan business sentiment data, as worries over US car makers grew … FOREX -Yen surges on US auto, reverses losses Reuters WORLD FOREX :Yen Falls Vs Euro And Dlr On Year-End Settlement Wall Street Journal WORLD FOREX : Book-Squaring Hits Dollar, Helps Euro Wall Street Journal Wall Street Journal - Reuters all 326 news articles

FOREX-US dollar rises as jobs data dulls market optimism - Reuters

FOREX -US dollar rises as jobs data dulls market optimism Reuters By Steven C. Johnson NEW YORK, April 3 (Reuters) - The US dollar rose against most currencies on Friday as data showed the United States continued to hemorrhage jobs in March, dulling recent hopes of a nascent recovery and enhancing the greenback's …

Foreign Exchange Rates (03 April 2009)

Buying and selling prices of USD, Euro and British Pound in Istanbul and Ankara at 9:30 a.m. on Friday are as follows (in TL):
ISTANBUL Buying Selling
USD 1.6000 1.6050
Euro 2.1450 2.1500
British Pound 2.3350 2.3450

ANKARA
USD 1.5960 1.6140
Euro 2.1400 2.1680
British Pound 2.3270 2.3810

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FOREX RATE

Forex Rates (Karachi). Updated at:3/12/2009 4:08:29 PM(PST). Remitt, Buying, Selling, Trend. USD TT, 0, 0. USD DD, 0, 0. Currency Notes. CAD, 61.5, 62.31 ...www.forexpk.com/kalpoint/kki/code/kkionline_ver5.1/kki_fxrates.asp?action=send&id=4&template_set=plain

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Yen Drops on Toxic Assets Disposal

The Japanese yen declined against the other major currencies today as the Forex traders speculated that the U.S. plan to buy out the toxic assets is going to hurt the «safe haven» currencies, spurring the risk-hungry carry trade.
During the early Asian trading session the U.S. dollar was also bearish against the euro and the pound as the investors dumped it in favor of the more riskier assets. As of now the dollar is rising against the euro as the confidence in the U.S. economy is rising after the American administration unveiled the long-awaited plan to remove the bad debt from the private financial system.
The yen, on the other hand, is very vulnerable to any news that eliminate the risk-aversion. The Japanese economy has already suffered more than U.S. from the ongoing crisis and the only advantage the yen can offer is a safety, which is quite vague and isn’t very sought by the traders when there is chance for the stable carry trade opportunity.
Analysts believe that the U.S. government’s action will increase the money flow into the emerging markets and reduce the global volatility. If the traders won’t be skeptical about these changes, this short relief may become a real long-lasting rally. That’s not a good sign for the Japanese yen and probably has some dangerous risk for the dollar.
USD/JPY went up for the third day today — from 96.94 to 98.25 as of 7:56 GMT. EUR/JPY rose from 132.05 to 133.65 after reaching as high as 134.49 — the maximum since October 21st 2008. GBP/JPY gained from 141.08 to 143.96 today.

Euro Declines in Correction Following Rally

The euro fell against the dollar and the yen today following the yesterday’s unprecedented rally as the market participant speculate that ECB will have to follow Fed’s money-printing trend.
The European currency rallied yesterday against the U.S. dollar after the Federal Reserve pledged to buy $300 billion in the U. S. Treasury securities, technically stating that it will print those money. The euro advanced by more than 3.4 percent against the greenback yesterday. Today it’s posting a technical correction supported by the expectations that the next statement by the European Central Bank won’t differ much from the Fed’s one.
The currency rose against the pound, which is considered to be a rather weak player on the currency market (it failed to rally at similarly fast pace against the dollar yesterday). The yen gained for the first time in 6 days against the euro today. Analysts believe that there is a great chance for the ECB to follow Fed’s steps and we may see a backward rally on EUR/USD soon — the next monetary policy meeting for Eurozone is scheduled for April 2.
EUR/USD fell from 1.3490 to 1.3476 as of 7:54 GMT today after rallying from 1.3035 to 1.3490 yesterday. EUR/JPY declined from 129.74 to 128.61 and EUR/GBP rose from 0.9442 to 0.9457 today.

Aussie Rises to New Monthly Maximums

The Australian dollar reached the new monthly maximum the Japanese yen as the stock markets signaled growth for a third day on improved earnings of the banks.
The currency experienced a minor decline during the day as the markets reacted on the RBA minutes stating the necessity of the further interest rate cuts. But then the growth followed. The Aussie also fell against the New Zealand dollar as the gain in commodities market made the NZD look more promising than than its Australian counterpart.
The analysts talk mainly about the good news from the U.S. banking sector as the primary reason for the global stock and high-yielding optimism. Some are afraid of the further rate cuts and say that the current optimism can’t last for too long and the Australian dollar has now some considerable space to fall. When the optimism is over, the crude oil will start to pare its gains and the Aussie will have to step back against other currencies.
AUD/USD is currently trading near its open level at 0.6583 as of 13:52 GMT after almost reaching new monthly high at 0.6615. AUD/JPY rose from 64.74 to 65.03 after peaking at 65.39 — the highest level since January 8. AUD/NZD fell for sixth day in a row — from 1.2442 to .12424. NZD/USD rose from 0.5288 to 0.5300, while NZD/JPY went up from 51.96 to 52.59 today.

Rupee to Post Worst Weekly Drop This Year

The Indian rupee declined against the U.S. dollar today and is currently ready to show the biggest weekly drop since the beginning of the year as the slump of the U.S. stock markets was followed by the decline in the Asian markets.
The Bombay Stock Exchange benchmark index (SENSEX) is currently falling by more than 2.5 percent. Such a strong decline in the stocks prompt foreign investment funds to sell their Indian equities and to convert from the rupee the Indian dollar. The rupee is currently approaching its 11-week lowest level against the dollar.
The analysts see a little chance that the rupee will be growing again soon — even the country’s officials are saying that the recession will have a deeper influence on the Indian economy than it was expected earlier. The capital outflows are likely to continue to be the major disadvantage of the INR, which is likely to get many speculative positions traded against it.
USD/INR from 49.73 to 49.87 as of 9:13 GMT today — its highest level since early December. The weekly gain of this currency pair is 1.9 percent.

Forex(FX) Trading Strategy

A forex trading strategy can provide profit for a skilled speculator. A FX trading strategy is, simply put, a method for using foreign exchange rates of currency from various countries to buy one country’s currency when it is undervalued, and exchange it for another country’s currency with it is of normal or higher value, with the difference being profit.
A common forex trading strategy could involve US dollars and the Euro, the official currency of most European countries. To use a simple example of a forex trading strategy, a speculator would buy Euros when they were undervalued; let’s say two Euros equaled one US dollar. This would be unusual because normally the two currencies are almost equal.
By spending one hundred US dollars to buy two hundred Euros a speculator would be able to buy more goods in Germany, France or other European countries. When the market changed and became more even, the speculator would have twice as many goods as he normally would have, and would be able to exchange those goods for US dollars once again.
The difference would be profit. This is a very simple explanation of a forex trading strategy, but gives the basics to the new speculator.Of course, when coming up with a forex trading strategy the trader should only use money that he or she can afford to loose. This is speculation, as opposed to investment. The chances for profit are real, and could come quick but if the market turns the opposite way than expected the trader could actually loose money.
A forex trading strategy can reap large profits, but if anyone tells you that all trades will result in profit, they haven’t studied the market as well as they should have and they are not correct. Still having a sound forex trading strategy for a competent businessman can be a profitable venture. It requires study of the markets, which takes time and is usually best accomplished by reading financial newsletters and using tools available on the Internet.
Getting the advice of a professional forex trading strategy specialist can also be a sound choice. Professionals have the time, education and skills and can generally help a trader come up with a forex trading strategy that will result in profit more often than one could do without their help.The most sound forex trading strategy options are generally used by large multinational corporations who are often able to make steady profits.
Watching what large corporations do who are involved in forex trading, looking for patterns they may have set, can help a trader to get the benefit of the very expensive expertise used by these large companies. Making watching of the large traders a part of a person’s education is definitely a good place to start a forex trading education. Identifying the state of the market, determining the time frame you are working in, and the currencies that have fluctuation and getting the advice of professionals through self study can be the wisest forex trading strategy option available.

Why should I learn Forex currency trading?

I think you are already aware that Forex trading is a good way to make money at home. More over, I bet you knew someone, or would have heard of someone, who's already making tons of good money in FX trading.
But what you wouldn't know is that 7 out of 10 traders keep losing money in Forex market! That's right, 70% of individual FX traders keep losing their hard-earned money in the market; while the rest of the 30% work freely at home and earn millions annually)
Wonder what differs between the losing 70% and the winning 30%?
Forex trading skills and the trading system! If you want to work less than 20 hours a day at home, if you want to make millions by trading freely at home, if you want to have financial freedom by trading Forex; you better LEARN Forex trading before you start trading Forex. Forex market is definitely not a game for newbie and you need to brush up your skills before getting your hands wet.

Forex Enterprise — A Full Review

new marketing course to hit the internet by Nick Marks that advertises earnings of $1000 a day and $30,000 a month respectively. This turnkey system generating multiple streams of income is relatively new and so it is my pleasure to review it for you. After purchasing you are given a login page where you are introduced to the system which is in website format. Everything is easy to access and well organized. After Nick gives you a little pep talk about positive thinking and goal setting, you will be introduced to his first recommendation: join Coastal Vacations. While not a part of his main Forex system this is a recommendation I could've done without. In the pay per click section you are given a large list of keywords that Nick found convert really well with his system. Some of the keywords in the list have bid prices already attached to them so you can get front page exposure. The course also has $50 in free adwords credit that unfortunately only works with new accounts so I was out of luck. If you don't already have an account this is worth the price of the course alone. The forex course shows you some inexpensive traffic methods and provides links to these sources. He also covers stuff like pop-over ads, e-mail lists and autoresponders. Not bad information by any means, and is an alternative to pay per click advertising if you have a smaller budget. He has an ebook package that seemed like it was going to be really cool as there were dozens of bonus ebooks and software programs covering everything from creating ebooks and website templates, to getting top positions in the major search engines. As I took a closer look at this package I realized there were some bargain bin informational products included. However, there were also alot of goodies in there as well that I found rather useful. You get so many ebooks and software in here that it really is worth far more than the price of the course. There is a section on becoming an Ebay power seller in 90 days that goes into a fair amount of detail and wasn't bad. However, Ebay isn't something I have ever been particularly interested in doing. There is also a section on baccarat strategies that I had no interest in. One of the last sections of his course introduces you to e-currency exchanging using the DXINONE system. It is a great way to acquaint yourself with this increasingly popular opportunity without having to buy standalone e-currency courses which can cost a couple hundred dollars. The author has combined several effective ways to earn money online and rolled them all into one course. While I didn't jump up and down about all of his strategies, the free ebooks, software, and adwords credit make Forex Enterprise worth the money.

The Forex Market is full of misleading advertising

Why complain when someone tries to bring a little balance, or reality into public view.I have read several times that 80 to 85% of all new fx trading accounts lose money overall. Why is this when a trader's odds should be just under 50% using blind random trade selection.The reason is simple. The real cost of trading forex is not 2 to 5 pips as advertised everywhere (irresponsibly). It is on average closer to 65 pips as stated at forexfacts.atspace.com Wake up people, you either have a realistic understanding of your odds, or you lose. I win consistently through hard work and knowledge, logic, understanding trader sentiment, sound risk management etc... I NEVER set stop losses! I repeat I NEVER set stop losses.If you want to win, there are no shortcuts. Well that is my understanding and I hope it helps.Good luck and stop picking on people who try to break your false illusions.

Reality of Online Forex Trading

Foreign exchange trading is the trading of currencies. Most currencies can be traded. Huge amounts of currencies are traded 24 hours a day, 5 days a week. On average $1.9 trillion is traded a day. The most traded are United States Dollar, Japanese Yen, Euro, Canadian Dollar, British Pound Sterling, Australian Dollar and Swiss Franc. Many brokers will let you open an account with a starting balance of just $250. Though that may seem small, remember you will be trading on margin. Your $250 investment may let you control $25,000. As with all investments there are risks so make sure you take the time to study the markets and your exposure before making your first trades. I highly recommend that you do some paper trades first to make sure you have understood how the markets work. No risk training, just write down the trades you would have done for real and chart the prices. Buy and sell and see if you have the right strategy before making real trades. A fast internet connection will allow you to do forex trading online. Your broker will give you many online tools to allow you to study the markets: Real time quotes, news feeds: Visit different broker's websites and compare the services they offer. Some brokers give you the possibility to open demo accounts. Do so, to test their software and find the one you like best. Before you start trading make sure that you have learnt the terminology: Market Order, Limit Order, Stop Order. You may find the definitions of these terms and more information at http://www.forex.value-guides.com/calc-forex.html Calculating Forex Profits And Losses. All currencies have standard identifying code used worldwide, some examples are: EUR (European euros), GBP (United Kingdom pounds), AUD (Australian dollars). Of course you don't have to know them all but it may be good to be able to recognize all the major currencies codes so that you will be able to make quick decisions. To make sound evaluations, you need information. Follow carefully the world's current events, economic and political news. You will be surprised to see how, what may seem to you as insignificant will cause the currencies markets to fluctuate wildly.

Forex Trade: Main Drawbacks of a Forex Trader

Why is it that very few traders succeed in the Forex trading environment while the grand majority of traders fail to achieve success? Although there is no hard answer to this question, there are a few things that will put you one step ahead and will definitely put the odds in your favor. The main purpose of this article is to guide you through some important aspects of Forex trading. But in a different way, instead of telling you what to do or the best way to do it, it will tell you what to avoid. Sometimes it is better to identify the main drawbacks on a discipline and then isolate them so we have the best results at a certain level of development. The search for the Holy Grail Many traders spend years and years trying to find the Holy Grail of trading. That magic indicator or set of indicators, only known by a few traders, that will make them rich in a short period of time. Fact: Well, there is no magic indicator, nor a set of indicators that will make anyone rich in a short period of time. The main reason of this is because market changes, every single moment is unique. Every Forex trading system will fail from time to time. Our work here is to find a Forex trading system that fits our personality as traders, otherwise the trader will find it hard to follow it. Looking for Easy Money Unfortunately most traders are attracted to the Forex market for this reason. Mainly because of the publicity showing or rather trying to show how easy is to trade and make money in the Forex market. Fact: Yes, it is very easy to trade, anyone can do it. It is as hard as one click. But the second part of it isn't that easy. Making money or achieving consistent profitable results is hard. It requires lots of education, patience, discipline, commitment, and this list could go to infinite. In a few words, it is possible to have consistent profitable results, but definitely it is not easy. Looking for Excitement Some other traders are attracted to the Forex market or any other financial market because they think it is exciting to be a trader. Fact: Yes, it is very exciting to trade the Forex market. But if this is the main reason you are still trading the Forex market, sooner or later you will discover the most expensive adventure you have ever known. Do some thinking on it. Not Using Money Management. Most traders forget about this important aspect of trading. They think they shouldn't be using money management until they achieve consistent profitable results. They totally forget about the risk side of trading. Fact: Money management allows your profits to increase geometrically, but also limits your risk on every single trade. Money management tells you how much to risk on each trade. Using money management is a must if you want to achieve your trading goals. By using money management you make sure you are going to be able to trade tomorrow, the next week, month and the following years. Not Being Psychology Tuned This is one of the most underestimated subjects when it comes to trading. One of the main principles of financial markets is that the price of each instrument is based on the perception of each individual participant "the crowd." In other words the price of each instrument is determined by the fear, greed, ego and hope of all traders. Fact: Being aware of all psychological issues that affect the decisions made by traders will definitely put the odds in your favor. Lack of Education Education is the base of knowledge on every discipline. As lawyers and doctors require several years of college until they get their degree, Forex traders also require long years of study. It is better to have someone experienced to guide you through your trading, since some information could take you in the wrong path. Fact: The market teaches us invaluable lessons on every single trade made. The process of education for a Forex trader could take for ever. That's right, we never stop learning. We should be humble about the markets and our knowledge; otherwise the market will prove us wrong. These are some of the most important barriers every trader faces when trying to trade successfully. Trading successfully the Forex markets is no easy task, it requires a lot of hard work to do it right, but with the right education, you will put yourself closer to your trading goals.

Forex Trading — Understanding Commissions, Spreads and Trading Costs

The forex market is quickly becoming one of the most popular markets for trading. Not only are the experienced traders looking to this market to maximize their trading returns, but many new, individual investors are now able to trade the Forex market — just as they do stocks and futures. More and more individuals are seeing Forex not only as a new way to diversify their portfolio, but are also finding that it is becoming the most profitable component of their investments. And that's because of the many advantages Forex offers over other markets like stocks or commodities. Here's what you will typically see advertized about Forex: — Unparallelled liquidity. It is the largest financial market in the world by far. Almost $2 trillion being traded daily! — Excellent leverage potential. Individual investors have access to leverage of 100:1 and even 200:1 — No Commissions (more on this later on) — Low trading costs. And yes, the Forex market really does offer all these advantages. But the last two points above talk about costs, and that's what we'd like to focus on in this article. Like any trading, there are costs involved, and, while these may be much lower than they used to be, it is important to understand what those are. Let's start by looking at stock trading, something that most of us investors are pretty familiar with. When trading stocks, most investors will have a trading account with a broker somewhere and will have investment funds deposited in that account. The broker will then execute the trades on behalf of the account holder, and of course, in return for providing that service, the broker will want to be compensated. With stocks, typically, the broker will earn a commission for executing the trade. They will charge either a fixed dollar amount per trade, or a dollar amount per share, or (most commonly) a scaled commission based on how big your trade is. And, they will charge it on both sides of the transaction. That is to say, when you buy the stock you get charged commission, AND then when you sell that same stock you get charged another commission. With Forex trading, the brokers constantly advertise "no commission". And, of course that's true — except for a few brokers, who do charge a commission similar to stocks. But also, of course, the brokers aren't performing their trading services for free. They too make money. The way they do that is by charging the investor a "spread". Simply put, the spread is the difference between the bid price and the ask price for the currency being traded. The broker will add this spread onto the price of the trade and keep it as their fee for trading. So, while it isn't a commission per se, it behaves in practically the same way. It is just a little more hidden. The good news though is that typically this spread is only charged on one side of the transaction. In other words, you don't pay the spread when you buy AND then again when you sell. It is usually only charged on the "buy" side of the trades. So the spread really is your primary cost of trading the Forex and you should pay attention to the details of what the different brokers offer. The spreads offered can vary pretty dramatically from broker to broker. And while it may not seem like much of a difference to be trading with a 5 pip spread vs a 4 pip spread, it actually can add up very quickly when you multiply it out by how many trades you make and how much money you're trading. Think about it, 4 pips vs 5 pips is a difference of 25% on your trading costs. The other thing to recognize is that spreads can vary based on what currencies you're trading and what type of account you open. Most brokers will give you different spreads for different currencies. The most popular currency pairs like the EURUSD or GBPUSD will typically have the lowest spreads, while currencies that have less demand will likely be traded with higher spreads. Be sure to think about what currencies you are most likely to be trading and find out what your spreads will be for those currencies. Also, some brokers will offer different spreads for different types of accounts. A mini account, for example may be subject to higher spreads than a full contract account. And finally, because the spreads really are the difference between bid prices and ask prices as determined by the free market, it is important to recognize that they are not "guaranteed". Most brokers will tell you that there may be times during periods of low demand, or very active trading when the spreads widen and you will be charged that wider spread. These do tend to be rarer situations because the Forex market really is so large and demand and supply are generally quite predictable, but they do occur, especially with some of the lesser traded currencies. So it's important to be aware of that. In summary then, when trading Forex, understand that the "spread" is truly your most important consideration for trading costs. Spreads can vary significantly between brokers, account types and currencies traded. And small differences in the spread can really add up to thousands of dollars in trading costs over even just a few months. So be sure to understand what currencies you are going to be trading, how frequently, and in what type of account and use those factors to help decide which broker can offer you the best trading costs.

Trading Forex To Advance Your Financial Position

Everyday, currencies are traded in an international foreign exchange market, otherwise known as the forex market, with the main marketplaces (otherwise known as bourses) existing in the world's financial centes New York, London, Tokyo, Frankfurt and Zurich. Historically, the only way to participate was from the trading floor of one of these bourses, but today, people can trade forex from anywhere through a secure internet connection and a PC. Today's traders operate in a global network, taking positions in the market and making investment decisions based on either relative value between two currencies, or a particular currency's actual price. Currency value fluctuations are constantly renegotiated through trading activity, and this activity, and the corresponding currency values are also indicators of the levels of currency supply. An example of market behaviour greater demand for the Euro might indicate a weakening supply. Low supply and increased demand will drive the price of the Euro up against other currencies like the dollar, until the price better reflects what traders are prepared to pay when short supply exists. Another way to look at this situation is this higher demand means it will cost more dollars to buy the Euro, which equates to a weakening of the dollar in comparison. Analysis of situations such as in this example forms the basis for a trader's investment decisions, and they will purchase or sell currency accordingly. This should be remembered, as while many see the foreign exchange market as the vehicle for converting their home currency while travelling abroad, many others choose to use the market to advance their financial position and secure their future.

The 6 Advantages Forex Trading Has Over Other Investments

There are many different advantages to trading forex instead of futures or stocks, such as: 1. Lower Margin Just like futures and stock speculation, a forex trader has the ability to control a large amount of the currency basically by putting up a small amount of margin. However, the margin requirements that are needed for trading futures are usually around 5% of the full value of the holding, or 50% of the total value of the stocks, the margin requirements for forex is about 1%. For example, margin required to trade foreign exchange is $1000 for every $100,000. What this means is that trading forex, a currency trader's money can play with 5-times as much value of product as a futures trader's, or 50 times more than a stock trader's. When you are trading on margin, this can be a very profitable way to create an investment strategy, but it's important that you take the time to understand the risks that are involved as well. You should make sure that you fully understand how your margin account is going to work. You will want to be sure that you read the margin agreement between you and your clearing firm. You will also want to talk to your account representative if you have any questions. The positions that you have in your account could be partially or completely liquidated on the chance that the available margin in your account falls below a predetermined amount. You may not actually get a margin call before your positions are liquidated. Because of this, you should monitor your margin balance on a regular basis and utilize stop-loss orders on every open position to limit downside risk. 2. No Commission and No Exchange Fees When you trade in futures, you have to pay exchange and brokerage fees. Trading forex has the advantage of being commission free. This is far better for you. Currency trading is a worldwide inter-bank market that lets buyers to be matched with sellers in an instant. Even though you do not have to pay a commission charge to a broker to match the buyer up with the seller, the spread is usually larger than it is when you are trading futures. For example, if you were trading a Japanese Yen/US Dollar pair, forex trade would have about a 3 point spread (worth $30). Trading a JY futures trade would most likely have a spread of 1 point (worth $10) but you would also be charged the broker's commission on top of that. This price could be as low as $10 in-and-out for self-directed online trading, or as high as $50 for full-service trading. It is however, all inclusive pricing though. You are going to have to compare both online forex and your specific futures commission charge to see which commission is the greater one. 3. Limited Risk and Guaranteed Stops When you are trading futures, your risk can be unlimited. For example, if you thought that the prices for Live Cattle were going to continue their upward trend in December 2003, just before the discovery of Mad Cow Disease found in US cattle. The price for it after that fell dramatically, which moved the limit down several days in a row. You would not have been able to leave your position and this could have wiped out the entire equity in your account as a result. As the price just kept on falling, you would have been obligated to find even more money to make up the deficit in your account. 4. Rollover of Positions When futures contracts expire, you have to plan ahead if you are going to rollover your trades. Forex positions expire every two days and you need to rollover each trade just so that you can stay in your position. 5. 24-Hour Marketplace With futures, you are generally limited to trading only during the few hours that each market is open in any one day. If a major news story breaks out when the markets are closed, you will not have a way of getting out of it until the market reopens, which could be many hours away. Forex, on the other hand, is a 24/5 market. The day begins in New York, and follows the sun around the globe through Europe, Asia, Australia and back to the US again. You can trade any time you like Monday-Friday. 6. Free market place Foreign exchange is perhaps the largest market in the world with an average daily volume of US$1.4 trillion. That is 46 times as large as all the futures markets put together! With the huge number of people trading forex around the globe, it is very hard for even governments to control the price of their own currency.

Forex Glossary

Here are some of the most common terms used in FOREX trading. Ask Price — Sometimes called the Offer Price, this is the market price for traders to buy currencies. Ask Prices are shown on the right side of a quote — e.g. EUR/USD 1.1965 / 68 — means that one euro can be bought for 1.1968 UD dollars. Bar Chart — A type of chart used in Technical Analysis. Each time division on the chart is displayed as a vertical bar which show the following information — the top of the bar is the high price, the bottom of the bar is the low price, the horizontal line on the left of the bar shows the opening price and the horizontal line on the right of bar shows the closing price. Base Currency — is the first currency in a currency pair. A quote shows how much the base currency is worth in the quote (second) currency. For example, in the quote — USD/JPY 112.13 — US dollars are the base currency, with 1 US dollar being worth 112.13 Japanese yen. Bid Price — is the price a trader can sell currencies. The Bid Price is shown on the left side of a quote — e.g. EUR/USD 1.1965 / 68 — means that one euro can be sold for 1.1965 UD dollars. Bid/Ask Spread — is the difference between the bid price and the ask price in any currency quotation. The spread represents the broker's fee, and varies from broker to broker. Broker — the intermediary between buyer and seller. Most FOREX brokers are associated with large financial institutions and earn money by setting a spread between bid and ask prices. Candlestick Chart — A type of chart used in Technical Analysis. Each time division on the chart is displayed as a candlestick — a red or green vertical bar with extensions above and below the candlestick body. The top of the extension shows the highest price for the chart division and the bottom of the extension shows the lowest price. Red candlesticks indicate a lower closing price than opening price, and green candlesticks indicate the price is rising. Cross Currency — A currency pair that does not include US dollars — e.g. EUR/GBP. Currency Pair — Two currencies involved in a FOREX transaction — e.g. EUR/USD. Economic Indicator — A statistical report issued by governments or academic institutions indicating economic conditions within a country. First In First Out (FIFO) — refers to the order open orders are liquidated. The first orders to be liquidated are the first that were opened. Foreign Exchange (FOREX, FX) — Simultaneously buying one currency and selling another. Fundamental Analysis — Analysis of political and economic conditions that can affect currency prices. Leverage or Margin — The ratio of the value of a transaction to the required deposit. A common margin for FOREX trading is 100:1 — you can trade currency worth 100 times the amount of your deposit. Limit Order — An order to buy or sell when the price reaches a specified level. Lot — The size of a FOREX transaction. Standard lots are worth about 100,000 US dollars. Major Currency — The euro, German mark, Swiss franc, British pound, and the Japanese yen are the major currencies. Minor Currency — The Canadian dollar, the Australian dollar, and the New Zealand dollar are the minor currencies. One Cancels the Other (OCO) — Two orders placed simultaneously with instructions to cancel the second order on execution of the first. Open Position — An active trade that has not been closed. Pips or Points — The smallest unit a currency can be traded in. Quote Currency — The second currency in a currency pair. In the currency pair USD/EUR the euro is the quote currency. Rollover — Extending the settlement time of spot deals to the current delivery date. The cost of rollover is calculated using swap points based on interest rate differentials. Technical Analysis — Analysis of historical market data to predict future movements in the market. Tick — The minimum change in price. Transaction Cost — The cost of a FOREX transaction — typically the spread between bid and ask prices. Volatility — A statistical measure indicating the tendency of sharp price movements within a period of time.