What is Forex? | We have 469 free forex articles/answers for you.
Latest Articles
A Look at Online Forex BrokersAn online forex broker is a firm that facilitates retail trading using Internet technologies. Global Forex Trading (GFT), one of the popular online forex brokers. It provides retail traders with a free demo trading account, allows users to open a...
Forex Trading Signals for Better Trade Timing
Forex trading signals are most commonly selected by traders through shopping the charts for the one that shows them exactly what they want to see. The wiser approach would be to learn how each indicator works and use that information to build a...
What is the Absolute Fastest Way to Learn to Trade on the Forex Currency Market?
Technology is opening doors for us everyday. It’s making the world smaller, communication faster and making restrictions obsolete. It endows you with the power to do many things, to change the way you work and live, and to be heard. Beyond that,...
Introduction To FOREX
The Foreign Exchange Market, better known as FOREX, is a worldwide market for buying and selling currencies. It handles a huge volume of transactions 24 hours a day, 5 days a week. Daily exchanges are worth approximately $1.5 trillion (US dollars). In comparison, the United States Treasury Bond market averages $300 billion a day, and American stock markets exchange about $100 billion a day.The Foreign Exchange Market was established in 1971 when fixed currency exchanges were abolished. Currencies became valued at 'floating' rates determined by supply and demand. The FOREX grew steadily throughout the 1970's, but with the technological advances of the 80's FOREX expanded from trading levels of $70 billion a day to the current level of $1.5 trillion.
Who Trades in FOREX?
The FOREX is made up of about 5,000 trading institutions such as international banks, central government banks (such as the US Federal Reserve), and commercial companies and brokers for all types of foreign currency. There is no centralized location of FOREX; major trading centers are located in New York, Tokyo, London, Hong Kong, Singapore, Paris, and Frankfurt. All trading is done by telephone or Internet. Businesses use the market to buy and sell their products in other countries, but most of the activity on the FOREX is from currency traders who use it to generate profits from small movements in the market.
Even though there are many huge players in FOREX, it is accessible to the small investor thanks to recent changes in the regulations. Previously, there was a minimum transaction size and traders were required to meet strict financial requirements.
With the advent of Internet trading, regulations have been changed to allow large interbank units to be broken down into smaller lots. Each lot is worth about $100,000 and is accessible to the individual investor through 'leverage' loans extended for trading. Typically, lots can be controlled with a leverage of 100:1 meaning that US$1,000 will
allow you to control a $100,000 currency exchange.
Advantages to Trading in FOREX
Liquidity - Because of the size of the Foreign Exchange Market, investments are extremely liquid. International banks are continuously providing bid and ask offers and the high number of transactions each day ensures there is always a buyer or a seller for any currency.
Accessibility - The market is open 24 hours a day, 5 days a week. The market opens Monday morning Australian time and closes Friday afternoon New York time. Trades can be done on the Internet from your home or office.
Open Market - Currency fluctuations are usually caused by changes in national economies. News about these changes is accessible to everyone at the same time--there can be no 'insider trading' in FOREX.
No Commission - Brokers earn money by setting a 'spread'--the difference between what a currency can be bought at and what it can be sold at.
How does it work?
Currencies are always traded in pairs: the US dollar against the Japanese yen, or the English pound against the euro. Every transaction involves selling one currency and buying another, so if an investor believes the euro will gain against the dollar, he will sell dollars and buy euros.
The potential for profit exists because there is always movement between currencies. Even small changes can result in substantial profits because of the large amount of money involved in each transaction. At the same time, it can be a relatively safe market for the individual investor. There are safeguards built in to protect both the broker and the investor, and a number of software tools exist to minimize loss.
About the Author
Ron King is a full-time researcher, writer, and web developer. Visit FOREX4U to learn more about this fascinating investment medium.
Copyright 2005 Ron King. This article may be reprinted if the resource box is left intact.
Written By: Ron King
 The Guardian | WORLD FOREX: Dollar Up As Greece, India Rate Hike Roil Markets Wall Street Journal TORONTO (Dow Jones)--Investors shunned risk-sensitive currencies and bid the dollar higher Friday after Greece's ... FOREX-Euro falls vs dollar as Greek worries linger Forex - Dollar mixed vs. rivals as US jobs data eyed WORLD FOREX: Dollar Soars As Greece, India Hike Rattle Markets |
 Globe and Mail | FOREX-Dollar rebounds broadly; AUD and CAD off highs Reuters ... dollar yet after getting done with major central bank events this week," said Hiroshi Maeba, executive director of forex trading at Nomura Securities. ... WORLD FOREX: Dollar Drops As Fed Kills Early Rate-Rise Hopes WORLD FOREX: Euro Down Vs Dollar, Yen As Asian Equities Weigh FOREX-Dollar falls vs most majors; euro off 5-week highs |
 istockAnalyst.com (press release) | Forex: Dollar falls further against European currencies NASDAQ Regarding the Federal Reserve decision on monetary policy, Nick Nasad from CMS Forex affirms: "All in all the statement lacked much in terms of surprise and ... Forex - Dollar mixed against rivals after US PPI data FOREX: US Dollar starts week strong. EUR/USD falls below 1.3700 Forex: Dollar falls across the board as FED leaves rates unchanged |
 France24 | WORLD FOREX: Dollar Weakens Slightly On Euro After Trade Data Wall Street Journal NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--The dollar weakened slightly against the euro Thursday, after US data painted a mixed picture ... WORLD FOREX: Dollar At 2-Week High Vs Yen On Asia Stock Rises FOREX-Dollar falls vs yen and euro after trade data FOREX-Dollar gains vs yen after US retail sales data |
Armstrong on Gold, Dollar and Phase II of the Debt Crisis Forexrazor High-Risk Warning Forex, Futures, and Options trading has large potential rewards, but also large potential risks. The high degree of leverage can work ... Armstrong on Gold, Dollar and Phase II of the Debt Crisis |
FOREX: US Dollar on the rise. Leading Indicators, Manufacturing rise. Jobless ... CountingPips EUR/USD Chart – The euro dropping today versus the US dollar in forex trading and breaking through the rising support trendline on the hourly chart. ... |
WORLD FOREX: Euro Up Vs Yen, Dollar On Hedge Buying; May Resume Fall MarketWatch TOKYO (MarketWatch) -- The euro rose against the yen and dollar in Asia Friday as Japanese short-term investors who have recently bet ... Dollar recovers as markets look past Fed decision The demand for the high-risk currencies increased again. The oil rate ... |
 The Guardian | WORLD FOREX: Dollar Slips On Bernanke's Benign Rate Outlook Wall Street Journal NEW YORK (Dow Jones)--The dollar's march higher was halted Wednesday as disappointing US economic data and Federal ... FOREX-Dollar supported, investors brace for Bernanke Forex: Dollar ticks down after Bernanke's testimony and weak home sales Forex - Dollar decline against yen stalls at 89.21 |
 France24 | FOREX: Dollar slides vs Majors. Fed holds interest rate, housing data declines CountingPips AUD/USD Chart – The Australian dollar today surging higher versus the US dollar in forex trading. The AUD/USD rose to its highest level since January 19th ... Forex Market Bell by Ben Bernanke US DOLLAR: NOTHING WRONG WITH BEING PREDICTABLE USD May Fall Further Following Bernanke Testimony |
 Ecommerce Journal | Forex trends: dollar gains ground touching 2-day high vs euro Ecommerce Journal The dollar that closed Wednesday's New York trading at 1.0543 against the franc and 1.5327 against the pound is presently quoted at 1.0555 and 1.5312, ... The Trader Advantage: Forex Heats Up- Swiss And Cad Rate Questions Forex - USD/CHF climbs after mixed Swiss data Forex: USD/CHF finds resistance at 1.0600 |
