| |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
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. 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.
MORE RESOURCES:
Investing - Google News |
|
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
Five Sure Fire Way to Secure Your Financial Future "You can be poor when you're young, but you can't be poor when you're old." That was the tag line used some years ago in a financial services television commercial. How Eating Bitumen Made Me a Better Stock Trader Stock market trading is a fascinating activity.There are so many layers to it. Who Wants To Be A Millionaire? I am sure you have probably read about the power of compound interest. And how if you invested $10,000 at 10% return and let it compound for 50 years you would have a little over 1 million dollars. Trading Systems A trading system consists of a set of rules for viewing markets and making trades. The advantages of trading systems can be hidden when they become associated with trading platforms involving trade order submission and processing. Angels, Are They Real? They're real, but few survive. High risk investing is dangerous to your bank balance. What is an Investor Ready Business Plan A Business Plan, as all good entrepreneurs starting out in life should know is the foundation, or rather a springboard, towards the establishment and growth of a new business. A business plan is an essential tool for companies raising capital - and your business plan needs to be Investor Ready. Discipline in Investing and Trading Discipline can be simply defined as your ability to follow your investing and trading plan.Discipline is a rather simple concept. Powerful Options Basics Lessons Improving your trading in 180 days. An option is a traded security that is a derivative product.By derivative product we mean that it is a product whose value is based upon or derived from the price of something else. Investing and Asset Allocation Sometimes you spend sleepless nights worrying about which stocks to buy and which to sell, which funds to own and which to dump and whether to get into bonds.All of these are legitimate concerns, but the greatest determinant of your success as an investor will not be your sagacity in selecting specific stocks, bonds or funds for your portfolio. Commodities - The Next Big Wave of Fortune Building Have you often wished you could have got in on a tremendous money making opportunity before it took off? How would you feel if you had bought Microsoft stock when it first went public and your investment doubled 5 times? Imagine how rich you would be right now?I'm not saying you should be in Microsoft stock at this time. In fact Microsoft's stock has stayed in the $25 range for years now. For Entrepreneurs A SIMPLE Plan May Be Best Q: I own a small decorating business and I'll be the first to admit that I don't know anything about taxes or retirement plans. I'd like to set up a 401(k) or an IRA or some other kind of retirement plan for me and my three employees. Trading Tips No 3: Online Trading and Investing: Buy, Hold, and Hope So you have learned how to trade the markets by mastering a few trading tools like Moving Averages, Channels, Stochastics, MACD, or RSI - that is a great accomplishment achieved by only a few. However, having the tools and rules to trade markets successfully, year in and year out, is only half of the challenge. Justify Social Security ... Dont Save for Retirement It is a common question when investors review their retirement plan-should we include social security benefits into our retirement income projections?It seems the closer an investor is to retirement, the more likely he/she will include social security benefits into the analysis. Younger investors, however, may feel compelled to omit such benefits. Day Trading Strategy or Stock Trading Software? The Way You Pick Stocks Affects Your Results The trading method you employ to approach the stock market can make a big difference in your results.Stock trading is a very competitive field and in order to succeed you need to FOCUS on a set of simple strategies that you can implement without hesitation. How to Invest Your Money Think carefully on how to invest your money because if you make wrong decisions it could cost you dearly. There are many ways in which to invest your money and as such seeking the advice of a professional would be a very wise move. Press Release Scams and Successes: Reading Between the Lines Press releases are a means through which companies can keep the public up to date regarding their recent affairs. It is the duty of every public company to keep its investors and indirectly potential investors aware of what is going on in the company. Franchise Investing, Franchise Opportunities and Franchising Renewals Have you considered buying a franchise instead of trying to start a business from scratch. Many franchise agreements are renewed every five or ten years, automatically. Investing In or Owning Drug Lab Properties Clean Up (includes the insides and the outside of a building)Air out the buildingRemoval of contaminated materials: Carpets, carpet pads, Linoleum, drapes and blinds, air-filters, refrigerators, range, water heater, all tenant clothing and their furniture.Removal needs to be to a site that accepts contaminated product. The Economy Is Not The Stock Market Several days ago, the Commerce Department reported that May's factory orders had increased by a 2.9 percent. Your Portfolio and "Old Ironsides" The USS Constitution first ventured into the waters in 1798. From there she became an icon of durability and success.
|
