Currency Trading Information


A Short Introduction To FOREX


FOREX is the world's largest and most liquid trading market. Many consider FOREX as the best home business you can ever venture in. Even though regular people have had the opportunity to take part in trading foreign currencies for profit (in the same way banks and large corporations do) since 1998, it is just now becoming the cool, hip, new "thing" to talk about at parties, business events, and other social gatherings.

Even though it has been somewhat of a loosely guarded secret, every day more and more investors are turning to the all-electronic world of FOREX trading for income and profit because of its numerous benefits & advantages over traditional trading vehicles, like stocks, bonds and commodities.

But, still, whenever something seems new or is just becoming a part of social conversation, news articles, and water cooler gossip, misconceptions have to be overcome, the mindhas to be open and the slate has to be clear for starting out fresh with the CORRECT information.

So, in this article, it is my attempt to give you some solid, but not over-detailed, information on just what the heck "FX" (FOREX) means, what it is, and why it exists.

As a successful trader said, Trading FOREX is like picking money up off the floor. Not trading FOREX is like leaving it there for someone else to pick up." Others in the industryhave also said, Trading FOREX is like having an ATM machine on your own computer.

Here's an explanation (one I feel you'll appreciate) of what FOREX is and how a bunch of traders, profit from it:

The Foreign Exchange Market, also referred to the "FOREX" or "FX" market, is the spot (cash) market for currency.

But, don't mistake FX as trading the futures market, where you buy a contract to purchase a particular currency at a future price in time.

What FX traders do is much less risky than trading currencies on the futures market, much more profitable, and a lot easier, than trading stocks.

So, you're probably wondering where it's at ... or ... how to access the FX market?

The answer is: FX Trading is not bound to any one trading floor and is not centralized on an exchange, as with the stock and futures markets. The FX market is considered an Over-the-Counter (OTC) or 'Interbank' market, due to the fact that the entire market is run electronically, within a network of banks, continuously over a 24-hour period.

Yes, if that's the first time you've heard about an all-electronic market, I know this may sound somewhat intriguing to you.

Here's what you are actually trading when you participate in the Foreign Exchange (FOREX) market:

Essentially, like the large banks who use the FX market to protect themselves from the fluctuating exchange rate of different currencies, as an investor, what a FX trader is doing issimultaneously exchanging one countries currency for another. So, in actuality, they're electronically trading a currency-pair and the price that is quoted to us is the exchange ratebetween the two currencies.

In other words, simply the quoted price is how many of the one currency is worth 1 of the other currency.

Example:

EUR/USD last trade 1.2850 - One Euro is worth $1.2850 US dollars.The first currency (in this example, the EURO) is referred to as the base currency and the second (/USD) as the counter or quote currency.

The FOREX has a DAILY trading volume of around $1.5 trillion dollars - 30 times larger than the combined volume of all U.S. equity markets. This means that 1,498,574 skilled traders could each take 1 million dollars out of the FOREX market every day and the FOREX would still have more money left than the New York Stock exchange every day!

The FOREX plays a vital role in the world economy and there will always be a tremendous need for the FOREX. International trade increases as technology and communication increases. As long as there is international trade, there will be a FOREX market. The FX market has to exist so a country like Japan can sell products in the United States and be able to receive Japanese Yen in exchange for US Dollar.

There's plenty of money to be made using FOREX for plenty of traders that use the right trading techniques / tactics that will allow them to profit immensely. And, with only 5% of the daily turnover of volume coming from banks, government and large corporations who need to hedge, the other 95% is for speculation and profit.

http://www.1-forex.com

Omar Vargas; Forex trader and freelance writer. http://www.1-forex.com/


MORE RESOURCES:

UK Currency Trading Fell 3% in October From April to $1.97 Trillion/Day
Bloomberg
Foreign-exchange trading in the UK fell 3 percent to $1.97 trillion a day in October compared with April, according to a semi-annual survey of trading published by the Foreign Exchange Joint Standing Committee. From a year earlier, average daily ...

and more »


India Eases Currency Trading Limits for Some Banks
Wall Street Journal
By SUDEEP JAIN MUMBAI -- India's central bank has asked banks to approach it individually for relaxing some foreign currency trading limits and has already eased restrictions for some banks, a top official said Monday. "Some limits, based on their ...

and more »


Two Principals of Foreign Currency Trading Firm Sentenced for $17 Million ...
LoanSafe
by Evan Bedard on February 3, 2012 in Scams (Source: FBI) – CHICAGO—Two principals of a foreign currency trading firm that collapsed in 2007 were sentenced to 17 years and 12.5 years in federal prison, respectively, after pleading guilty to fraud ...
2 sentenced for stealing millions in fraud schemeHarrisburg Daily Register
Feds: 2 sentenced for stealing $17 million in fraudChicago Tribune

all 34 news articles »


Argentina Sends Tax Agents to Control Currency Trading
Wall Street Journal
Afip said that one well-known currency trading business, Banco Piano, refused to let inspectors do their job. As a result, Afip officials interviewed Banco Piano customers outside three of the company's branches. The government will fine Banco Piano ...

and more »


FOCUS: Technology Buoys Retail Currency Trading, Reshapes Old Models
Wall Street Journal
By Eva Szalay Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES LONDON (Dow Jones)--Retail foreign-exchange trading is emerging as one of the biggest growth areas in the currencies space, and some of the trading firms that facilitate these flows are building up a whole new ...

and more »


Morgan Stanley Currency-Trading Head Stephen Mettler Leaves Bank
BusinessWeek
By Michael J. Moore Jan. 26 (Bloomberg) -- Stephen Mettler, who oversaw Morgan Stanley's interest rates and foreign-exchange trading businesses, has left the bank. Mettler, who joined the firm in 1997, retired, according to an internal memo obtained by ...

and more »


The Daily Star

Iran bans foreign currency trading on the street
CBS News
Ebrahim Darvishi said authorities were monitoring street vendors and currency trading operations, in what was the government's latest effort to shore up the currency which was being traded on the open market at rates differing from those set by the ...
Iran bans foreign currency tradingBusiness Recorder (blog)
Iran's CB forbids foreign currency trading outside banksMiddle East North Africa Financial Network

all 141 news articles »


Daily Monitor

Weighing currency trading options
Daily Monitor
The use of leverage in currency trading is perhaps the biggest source of opportunity and stunning returns but also a significant source of investment risk that traders must know about. The commonly presented picture of glowing investment performance is ...



PR Web (press release)

The Euro and US Dollar are at a Crossroads, Explains Jason Fielder of Absolute ...
PR Web (press release)
The currency pair has pulled back farther than expected, remarks Jason Fielder, a 10 year Forex currency trading veteran and contributor to the Absolute Wealth newsletter. If the pair breaks above the point of 1.3201 then a long breakout could be on ...
The Euro and U.S. Dollar are at a Crossroads, Explains Jason Fielder of ...DigitalJournal.com (press release)

all 9 news articles »


CNBC.com

Euro Slips, Dollar Lifts on More Greek Drama
CNBC.com
[Reuters] -------------------- MULTI CURRENCIES VS THE DOLLAR Tune In: CNBC's "Money in Motion Currency Trading" airs on Fridays at 5:30pm and repeats on Saturdays at 7pm. Learn more: The essential vocabulary for currency trading is on Key Currency ...
Euro Falls Versus Dollar, Yen on Concern Greek Agreement ElusiveSan Francisco Chronicle

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