Tuesday, January 6, 2009

The Forex Market Basics


An Investment Foundation

The Forex Marketplace was established in 1971 with the abolishment of fixed currency exchanges. There are two types of traders in the Forex market; technical and fundamental. Reports released by the government that detail a country's economic performance are economic indicators. The main trading centers are in London, New York, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Singapore, but banks throughout the world participate.

Pips are commonly referred to as points. A pip is the smallest movement a currency moves. The forex market is not a "marketplace" in the traditional sense due to the fact that there is no centralized location for forex trading activity and, therefore, trades placed in the foreign exchange market are considered over-the-counter (OTC).

Technical analysis in the Forex is that price is assumed to reflect all news and the charts provided by the brokers are the objects of analysis. The duration of the trade can be a few days, months or years. Although exchange rates are affected by other factors, in the end, currency prices are a result of supply and demand forces. No other marketplace encompasses (and distills) as much of what is going on in the world at any given time as the foreign exchange market.

Fundamental analysis in the Forex is the economic conditions and the affect those conditions have on a nation's currency. In recent years, for example, money supply, employment, trade balance figures and inflation numbers have all taken turns in the spotlight. There is the potential for profit in the currencies market regardless of which way the market moves.

If you are trading in the United States, make sure your Foreign exchange brokerage firm is registered with Futures Commission Merchant (FCM) and regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC). Most large-scale brokerage firms are in some way connected to a bank or financial institution.

A Forex broker does not charge a commission for placing a buy or a sell order the way a real estate broker would charge a percentage fee of the total price of a sale. A Foreign exchange broker is paid according to the spread or the difference between the traders bid for a currency, and the sellers asking price for that currency. Different dealers offer very different deals to their customers.

Foreign exchange trading starts on Sunday at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST). You can trade 24-hours a day in the largest and most fluid market in the world. There is very little volume on Fridays, Sundays and holidays and you will probably end up losing money if you choose to trade on these days.

Once you have deposited your money with a Forex broker you will than be able to trade. It is strongly recommended that you trade with a demo account until you are comfortable with the way the currency market moves. It's not the fact that you are trading currencies but how you manage the risk of the currency trading marketplace. Due to the over-the-counter (OTC) nature of currency markets, there are rather a number of interconnected marketplaces, where different currency instruments are traded.

There is the potential for profit in the currencies marketplace regardless of which way the market moves. The Foreign Exchange Marketplace better known as Forex - is a world wide market for buying and selling currencies.

Guide to Currency Trading and Investing

The Complete Guide to Currency Trading & Investing: How to Earn High Rates of Return Safely and Take Control of Your Investments

Well-written and easy to understand, this book offers an excellent introduction to anyone looking to enter the complicated world of currency trading. To someone like me who had only a passing knowledge of the world of international finance, this book provides a strong base of knowledge and levels the playing field for a newcomer with a passion to learn. The chapter devoted to the Forex Market was especially useful to me and is a must read for anyone even just interested in learning more about currency trading and investing.

Like so many specialized fields, currency trading has its own language, language that can be daunting to a newcomer to the field. Burrell does a stellar job of weaving explanations of important terms seamlessly throughout the text. After reading this book, I feel much more confident getting involved in discussion about currency trading and in following the market news. I also feel Burrell made clear the possible perils of currency trading and investing, never seeking to glamorize this volatile market.

Burrell's obvious knowledge on the subject combined with strong writing skills made this book enjoyable to read and easy to understand. Whether you're a former English major who never took a class on finance, or a former Finance major just trying to reconnect with the industry, this book is a must-have for the reference shelf of anyone interested in currency trading and investing.

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Forex Market - Currency Trading

Currency trading is risky but not any riskier than other investment trading (such as the stock market). If you would like to participate in the Foreign exchange marketplace, learn how to manage the risks involved. The Forex Market was established in 1971 with the abolishment of fixed currency exchanges. The foreign exchange marketplace is a worldwide marketplace and according to some estimates is almost as big as thirty times the turnover of the US Equity markets.

Make sure the broker that you choose when opening a Forex account offers a demo account that you can trade with prior to opening a live account. A Good For The Day (GFD) order remains active in the Foreign exchange marketplace until the end of the trading day. A good Foreign exchange brokerage firm should offer real-time charts, technical analysis tools, real-time trade alerts and website support. Different dealers offer very different deals to their customers.

Interest rate news has a direct impact on the international financial markets. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) represents the total marketplace value of all goods and services produced in a country during a given season. This type of information can be used to predict the performance of and the immediate direction of a country's economy. There are many economic indicators that can be used to evaluate the fundamentals of the Forex.

The Forex can be broken up into three major trading sessions: the Tokyo Session, the London Session, and the U.S. Session. No other marketplace encompasses (and distills) as much of what is going on in the world at any given time as forex.

A Forex broker is paid according to the spread or the difference between the traders bid for a currency, and the sellers asking price for that currency. Different dealers offer very different deals to their customers. Therefore you need to carefully research the Foreign exchange dealers before you sign up with their company. A broker is any person or firm that charges a fee in exchange for executing trades for a trader.

Foreign exchange trading starts on Sunday at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST). There is very little volume on weekends and holidays and you will probably end up losing money if you choose to trade on these days. The London session is usually busier than the Tokyo or U.S. The foreign exchange is usually considered a 24-hour market.

This is how forex trading using leverage works. The loan (influence) in the margined account is collateralized by your initial margin (deposit), if the value of the trade (position) drops sufficiently, the broker will ask you to either put in more cash, or sell a portion of your position or even close your position. Closing your open positions will prevent your account from falling into a negative balance.

Although currencies do not have an annual growing season like physical commodities, business cycles do make themselves felt. There is the potential for profit in the currencies market regardless of which way the marketplace moves. Major news events are released publicly, often on scheduled dates, so many people have access to the same news at the same time.

Technical analysis in the Forex is that price is assumed to reflect all news and the charts provided by the brokers are the objects of analysis.

Forex Trading Signals

Forex News Day Trading Signal - 02/28/08

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Forex Market Trading

The foreign exchange (currency or FX) market is where currency trading takes place. FX transactions typically involve one party purchasing a quantity of one currency in exchange for paying a quantity of another. The Foreign Exchange Market that we see today started evolving during the 1970s when worldover countries gradually switched to floating exchange rate from their erstwhile exchange rate regime, which remained fixed as per the Bretton Woods system till 1971.

Today FX market is one of the largest and most liquid financial markets in the world, and includes trading between large banks, central banks, currency speculators, corporations, governments, and other institutions. The average daily volume in the global forex and related markets is continuously growing. Traditional daily turnover was reported to be over US$ 3.2 trillion in April 2007 by the Bank for International Settlements. Triennial Central Bank Survey (December 2007), Bank for International Settlements. Since then, the market has continued to grow. According to Euromoney's annual FX Poll, volumes grew a further 41% between 2007 and 2008. Annual FX poll (May 2008), Euromoney.

The purpose of FX market is to facilitate trade and investment. The need for a foreign exchange market arises because of the presence of multifarious international currencies such as US Dollar, Pound Sterling, etc, and the need for trading in such currencies.

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