Individual

Many individuals are not aware that they are lenders, but almost everybody does lend money in many ways. A person lends money when he or she: puts money in a savings account at a bank; contributes to a pension plan; pays premiums to an insurance company; invests in government bonds; or invests in company shares More complex More complex transactions than a simple bank deposit require markets where lenders and their agents can meet borrowers and their agents, and where existing borrowing or lending commitments can be sold on to other parties. A good example of a financial market is a stock exchange. A company can raise money by selling shares to investors and its existing shares can be bought or sold. The following table illustrates where financial markets fit in the relationship between lenders and borrower Definition In economics, typically, the term market means the aggregate of possible buyers and sellers of a thing and the transactions between them. The term "market" is sometimes used for Among us on Xbox one what are more strictly exchanges, organizations that facilitate the trade in financial securities, e.g., a stock exchange or commodity exchange. This may be a physical location (like the NYSE) or an electronic system (like NASDAQ). Much trading of stocks takes place on an exchange; still, corporate actions (merger, spinoff) are outside an exchange, while any two companies or people, for whatever reason, may agree to sell stock from the one to the other without using an exchange. Trading of currencies and bonds is largely on a bilateral basis, although some bonds trade on a stock exchange, and people are building electronic systems for these as well, similar to stock exchanges. Financial markets can be domestic or they can be international The raising of capital (in the capital markets); The transfer of risk (in the derivatives markets); International trade (in the currency markets) – and are used to match those who want capital to those who have it. Typically a borrower issues a receipt to the lender promising to pay back the capital. These receipts are securities which may be freely bought or sold. In return for lending money to the borrower, the lender will expect some compensation in the form of interest or dividends Financial market In economics, a financial market is a mechanism that allows people to easily buy and sell (trade) financial securities (such as stocks and bonds), commodities (such as precious metals or agricultural goods), and other fungible items of value at low transaction costs and at prices that reflect the efficient-market hypothesis. Financial markets have evolved significantly over several hundred years and are undergoing constant innovation to improve liquidity. Both general markets (where many commodities are traded) and specialized markets (where only one commodity is traded) exist. Markets work by placing many interested buyers and sellers in one "place", thus making it easier for them to find each other. An economy which relies primarily on interactions between buyers and sellers to allocate resources is known as a market economy in contrast either to a command economy or to a non-market economy such as a gift economy. In finance, financial markets facilitate – Market forces If a currency is free-floating, its exchange rate is allowed to vary against that of other currencies and is determined by the market forces of supply and demand. Exchange rates for such currencies are likely to change almost constantly as quoted on financi market Offering sopt exchange In 2005 Barclays Capital broke with convention by offering spot exchange rates with 5 or 6 decimal places on their electronic dealing platform[2]. The contraction of spreads (the difference between the bid and offer rates) arguably necessitated finer pricing and gave the banks the ability to try and win transaction on multibank trading platforms where all banks may otherwise have been quoting the same price. A number of other banks have now followed this Market convention from the early 1980s to 2006 was that most currency pairs were quoted to 4 decimal places for spot transactions and up to 6 decimal places for forward outrights or swaps. (The fourth decimal place is usually referred to as a "pip"). An exception to this was exchange rates with a value of less than 1.000 which were usually quoted to 5 or 6 decimal places. Although there is no fixed rule, exchange rates with a value greater than around 20 were usually quoted to 3 decimal places and currencies with a value greater than 80 were quoted to 2 decimal places. Currencies over 5000 were usually quoted with no decimal places (e.g. the former Turkish Lira). e.g. (GBPOMR : 0.765432 - EURUSD : 1.5877 - GBPBEF : 58.234 - EURJPY : 165.29). In other words, quotes are given with 5 digits. Where rates are below 1, quotes frequently include 5 decimal places Market convention There is a market convention that determines which is the base currency and which is the term currency. In most parts of the world, the order is: EUR – GBP – AUD – NZD – USD – others. Thus if you are doing a conversion from EUR into AUD, EUR is the base currency, AUD is the term currency and the exchange rate tells you how many Australian dollars you would pay or receive for 1 euro. Cyprus and Malta which were quoted as the base to the USD and others were recently removed from this list when they joined the euro. In some areas of Europe and in the non-professional market in the UK, EUR and GBP are reversed so that GBP is quoted as the base currency to the euro. In order to determine which is the base currency where both currencies are not listed (i.e. both are "other"), market convention is to use the base currency which gives an exchange rate greater than 1.000. This avoids rounding issues and exchange rates being quoted to more than 4 decimal places. There are some exceptions to this rule e.g. the Japanese often quote their currency as the base to other currencies. Exchange system An exchange system quotation is given by stating the number of units of "term currency" (or "price currency" or "quote currency") that can be bought in terms of 1 "unit currency" (also called "base currency"). For example, in a quotation that says the EURUSD exchange rate is 1.4320 (1.4320 USD per EUR), the term currency is USD and the base currency is EUR Exchange rates In finance, the exchange rates (also known as the foreign-exchange rate, forex rate or FX rate) between two currencies specifies how much one currency is worth in terms of the other. It is the value of a foreign nation’s currency in terms of the home nation’s currency.[1] For example an exchange rate of 95 Japanese yen (JPY, ¥) to the United States dollar (USD, $) means that JPY 95 is worth the same as USD 1. The foreign exchange market is one of the largest markets in the world. By some estimates, about 3.2 trillion USD worth of currency changes hands every day. The spot exchange rate refers to the current exchange rate. The forward exchange rate refers to an exchange rate that is quoted and traded today but for delivery and payment on a specific future date Recently Trading in the euro has grown considerably since the currency's creation in January 1999, and how long the foreign exchange market will remain dollar-centered is open to debate. Until recently, trading the euro versus a non-European currency ZZZ would have usually involved two trades: EUR/USD and USD/ZZZ. The exception to this is EUR/JPY, which is an established traded currency pair in the interbank spot market. As the dollar's value has eroded during 2008, interest in using the euro as reference currency for prices in commodities (such as oil), as well as a larger component of foreign reserves by banks, has increased dramatically. Transactions in the currencies of commodity-producing countries, such as AUD, NZD, CAD, have also increased Positive currency The factors affecting XXX will affect both XXX/YYY and XXX/ZZZ. This causes positive currency correlation between XXX/YYY and XXX/ZZZ. On the spot market, according to the BIS study, the most heavily traded products were: EUR/USD: 27% USD/JPY: 13% GBP/USD (also called sterling or cable): 12% and the US currency was involved in 86.3% of transactions, followed by the euro (37.0%), the yen (17.0%), and sterling (15.0%) (see table). Note that volume percentages should add up to 200%: 100% for all the sellers and 100% for all the buyer Constitutes Currencies are traded against one another. Each pair of currencies thus constitutes an individual product and is traditionally noted XXX/YYY, where YYY is the ISO 4217 international three-letter code of the currency into which the price of one unit of XXX is expressed (called base currency). For instance, EUR/USD is the price of the euro expressed in US dollars, as in 1 euro = 1.5465 dollar. Out of convention, the first currency in the pair, the base currency, was the stronger currency at the creation of the pair. The second currency, counter currency, was the weaker currency at the creation of the pair

Companies Law Theory

A corporation is described to be a person in a political capacity created by the law, to endure in perpetual succession.”[3] Americans in the 1790s knew of a variety of corporations established for various purposes, including those of commerce, education, and religion. As the law of corporations was articulated by the Supreme Court under Chief Justice Marshall, over the first several decades of the new American state, emphasis fell, in a way which seems natural to us to Play Among us, upon commercial corporations. Nonetheless, Wilson believed that, in all cases, corporations “should be erected with caution, and inspected with care.” The actions of corporations were clearly circumscribed: “To every corporation a name must be assigned; and by that name alone it can perform legal acts.” For non-binding external actions or transactions, corporations enjoyed the same latitude as private individuals; but it was with an eye to internal affairs that many saw principal advantage in incorporation. The power of making by-laws was “tacitly annexed to corporations by the very act of their establishment.”[3] While they must not directly contradict the overarching laws of the land, the central or local government cannot be expected to regulate toward the peculiar circumstances of a given body, and so “they are invested with authority to make regulations for the management of their own interests and affairs Us companies law In the United States, corporations are generally incorporated, or organized, under the laws of a particular state. The corporate law of a corporation's state of incorporation generally governs that corporation's internal governance (even if the corporation's operations take place outside of that state). The corporate laws of the various states differ - in some cases significantly - from state to state, as a result of which corporate lawyers are often consulted in an effort to determine the most appropriate or advantageous state in which to incorporate, and a majority of public companies in the U.S. are Delaware corporations.[2] The federal laws of the United States and local law may also be applicable sources of corporate law. Company limited gurantee a company limited by guarantee. Commonly used where companies are formed for non-commercial purposes, such as clubs or charities. The members guarantee the payment of certain (usually nominal) amounts if the company goes into insolvent liquidation, but otherwise they have no economic rights in relation to the company . a company limited by guarantee with a share capital. A hybrid entity, usually used where the company is formed for non-commercial purposes, but the activities of the company are partly funded by investors who expect a return. a company limited by shares. The most common form of company used for business ventures. an unlimited liability company. A company where the liability of members for the debts of the company are unlimited. Today these are only seen in rare and unusual circumstances. There are, however, many specific categories of corporations and other business organizations which may be formed in various countries and jurisdictions throughout the world. Companies law Companies law (or the law of business associations) is the field of law concerning companies and other business organizations. It is an establishment formed to carry on commercial enterprises.[1] This includes corporations, partnerships and other associations which usually carry on some form of economic or charitable activity. The most prominent kind of company, usually referred to as a "corporation", is a "juristic person", i.e. it has separate legal personality, and those who invest money into the business have limited liability for any losses the company makes, governed by corporate law. The largest companies are usually publicly listed on stock exchanges around the world. Even single individuals, also known as sole traders may incorporate themselves and limit their liability in order to carry on a business. All different forms of companies depend on the particular law of the particular country in which they r The proprietary limited company is a statutory business form in several countries, including Australia. Many countries have forms of business entity unique to that country, although there are equivalents elsewhere. Examples are the Limited-liability company (LLC) and the limited liability limited partnership (LLLP) in the United States. Other types of business organisations, such as cooperatives, credit unions and publicly owned enterprises, can be established with purposes that parallel, supersede, or even replace the profit maximization mandate of business corporation other business forms are available in civil law countries, such as the German Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung (GmbH) and Aktiengesellschaft (AG); and the S.A., a form used in a number of countries which translates from various languages into the equivalent of anonymous society or anonymous company History According to one source, "it may be formed by Act of Parliament, by Royal Charter, or by registration under company law (referred to as a limited liability or joint-stock company)."[3] In the United Kingdom, the main regulating laws are the Companies Act 1985 and the Companies Act 2006.[3] Reportedly, "a company registered under this Act has limited liability: its owners (the shareholders) have no financial liability in the event of winding up the affairs of the company, but they might lose the money already invested in it".[3] In the USA, companies are registered in a particular state—Delaware being especially favoured—and become Incorporated (Inc). [3] In North America, two of the earliest companies were The London Company (also called the Charter of the Virginia Company of London)—a English joint stock company established by royal charter by James I of England on April 10, 1606 with the purpose of establishing colonial settlements in North America—and Plymouth Company that was granted an identical charter as part of the Virginia Company. The London Company was responsible for establishing the Jamestown Settlement, the first permanent English settlement in the present United States in 1607, and in the process of sending additional supplies, inadvertently settled the Somers Isles, alias Bermuda, the oldest-remaining English colony, in 1609.

currancy band

A country selects a range, or "band", of values at which to set their currency, and returns to a fixed exchange rate if the value of their currency shifts outside this band. This allows for some revaluation, but tends to stabilize the currency's value within the band. In this sense, it is a compromise between a fixed (or "pegged") exchange rate and a floating exchange rate. For example, the exchange rate of the renminbi of the mainland of the People's Republic of China has recently been based upon a currency band; the European Economic Community's "snake in the tunnel" was a similar concept that failed, but ultimately led to the establishment of the European Exchange Rate Mechanism (ERM) and ultimately the Euro. purpose In basic telephony there are two types of offices: local and foreign. A local office was assigned a specific area, and all telephone services provided to that area came from that central office. Each central office had its unique identifier. In the early days names were used, such as "Jackson" or "Newton". The office names were changed to three-digit numerical exchange codes (NNX), prefixed to the local phone number (not the area code). Customers who want a telephone number provided by a neighboring telephone central office, lease a "foreign exchange" line. With the old two-wire loop technology, this would require an engineered circuit with increased costs. The practice is rare except in big cities. currancy code ISO 4217 is the international standard describing three-letter codes (also known as the currency code) to define the names of currencies established by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). The ISO 4217 code list is the established norm in banking and business all over the world for defining different currencies, and in many countries the codes for the more common currencies are so well known publicly, that exchange rates published in newspapers or posted in banks use only these to define the different currencies, instead of translated currency names or ambiguous currency symbols. ISO 4217 codes are used on airline tickets and international train tickets to remove any ambiguity about the price. The first two letters of the code are the two letters of ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country codes (which are also used as the basis for national top-level domains on the Internet) and the third is usually the initial of the currency itself. So Japan's currency code becomes JPY—JP for Japan and Y for yen. This eliminates the problem caused by the names dollar, franc and pound being used in dozens of different countries, each having significantly differing values. Also, try Among us on Xbox, the currency code's last letter is changed to distinguish it from the old currency. In some cases, the third letter is the initial for "new" in that country's language, to distinguish it from an older currency that was revalued; the code sometimes outlasts the usage of the term "new" itself (for example, the code for the Mexican peso is MXN). Other changes can be seen, however; the Russian ruble, for example, changed from RUR to RUB, where the B comes from the third letter in the word "ruble companies law study Law schools typically offer either a single upper level course on business organizations, or offer several courses covering different aspects of this area of law. The area of study examines issues such as how each major form of business entity may be formed, operated, and dissolved; the degree to which limited liability protects investors; the extent to which a business can be held liable for the acts of an agent of the business; the relative advantages and disadvantages of different types of business organizations, and the structures established by governments to monitor the buying and selling of ownership interests in large corporations. The basic theory behind all business organizations is that, by combining certain functions within a single entity, a business (usually called a firm by economists) can operate more efficiently, and thereby realize a greater profit. Governments seek to facilitate investment in profitable operations by creating rules that protect investors in a business from being held personally liable for debts incurred by that business, either through mismanagement, or because of wrongful acts. As theorists such as Ronald Coase have pointed out, all business organizations represent an attempt to avoid certain costs associated with doing business. Each is meant to facilitate the contribution of specific resources - investment capital, knowledge, relationships, and so forth - towards a venture which will prove profitable to all contributors. Except for the partnership, all business forms are designed to provide limited liability to both members of the organization and external investors. Business organizations originated with agency law, which permits an agent to act on behalf of a principal, in exchange for the principal assuming equal liability for the wrongful acts committed by the agent. For this reason, all partners in a typical general partnership may be held liable for the wrongs committed by one partner. Those forms that provide limited liability are able to do so because the state provides a mechanism by which businesses that follow certain guidelines will be able to escape the full liability imposed under agency law. The state provides these forms because it has an interest in the strength of the companies that provide jobs and services therein, but also has an interest in monitoring and regulating their behaviour The question then arises: if corporations are to be inspected with care, what - if not the commercial or social conduct, or the by-laws - is to be inspected – and by whom? Do corporations have duties? Yes: “The general duties of every corporation may be collected from the nature and design of its institution: it should act agreeably to its nature, and fulfill the purposes for which it was formed.”[3] Who sees that corporations are living up to those duties? “The law has provided proper persons with proper powers to visit those institutions, and to correct every irregularity, which may arise within them.”[3] The Common Law provided for inspection by the court of king’s bench. In 1790, at least, “the powers of the court of king's bench [were] vested in the supreme court of Pennsylvania.”[3] As for the dissolution of corporations, there seems not to have been much question that a corporation might “surrender its legal existence into the hands of that power, from which it was received. From such a surrender, the dissolution of the body corporate ensues.”[3] Nor does there seem to have been much question that by “a judgment of forfeiture against a corporation itself, it may be dissolved.”[3] However, Supreme Court Justice Wilson, lecturing in his unofficial capacity, at least, suggests his displeasure with the doctrine that corporate dissolution cannot be predicated “by a judgment of ouster against individuals. God forbid ― such is the sentiment of Mr. Justice Wilmot ― that the rights of the body should be lost or destroyed by the offences of the members.

Forex Trading Broker

Aurora Global Markets is a new Forex broker company that was added to the list on my site today. It’s on-line since 2009 and offers brokerage services on almost every kind of financial market — starting from Forex and ending with the equities. They have their own custom browser-based platform, which supports charts and other useful trader’s tools. Other highlights of Aurora Global Markets include:

* Hundreds of trading instruments
* Only traders from South Africa, European Union, Canada, New Zealand and Bahrain are accepted
* Non-EU traders need to send notarized copies of ID documents
* Variable spreads on all instruments
* Regulated by FSA

Forex Small Change



EUR/USD rose slightly today, but again, just insignificantly, hovering slightly below the major resistance line. The lack of significant movement in the dollar-against-euro pair was accompanied by the increase of the initial jobless claims in the past week. EUR/USD is now trading near 1.4222.

Initial jobless claims were at 554k last week — that’s a 30k increase compared to the previous week’s 524k. The release came out to be almost exactly the same as the forecast value of 555k.

Existing home sales increased to 4.89 million annual rate in June, following the revised rate of 4.72 million in May and 4.83 million forecast for June.

As was reported yesterday, the U.S. crude oil inventories showed another declining week — -1.8 million barrels, while the motor gasoline inventories rose once again — by 0.8 million barrels.

Forex Management

A new trading e-book has been uploaded to my site today. It’s Forex Management. As the title of this book goes, it’s about money management — one of the most important parts of Forex trading (and not only Forex, but any other financial trading that involves risk and probability). The author wisely divides the money management into two kinds — the proper and improper money management. Where the first type refers to the one that always keeps in mind both the risk and reward parts of each trading action, while the improper tries to amplify the importance of only one of those to vital parts. Unfortunately, the majority of traders, especially newbie traders, that see the possibilities opened by the on-line Forex market and its huge leverage, fail to see the full picture and all the more so they can’t apply the proper money management to their trading strategy. But now you can download this book to learn more about the proper money management:

Forex News

Euro continued to fall for a second day against the U.S. dollar today as the durable goods orders in U.S. unexpectedly fell at a very fast pace. This is the second day in a row with the bad macroeconomic statistics from United States. EUR/USD is now trading near 1.4099.

Durable goods orders declined by 2.5% in June, following 1.3% growth in May. The market analysts expected a decline from this report but only by 0.6%. Durable goods orders rate is a good indicator of the overall conditions of the U.S. industrial production sector.

Crude oil inventories unexpectedly increased last week, and increased by a rather large amount — 5.1 million barrels compared to the previous week. Meanwhile, motor gasoline inventories decreased by 2.3 million barrels. So, the gain in the oil inventories looks like a result of poor production capacity utilization.

Forex Slumps

Forex is currently posting a biggest daily drop since July 10th as the consumer confidence report for July along with the housing data for May cut the traders’ hopes for the fast economical recovery and boosted the attractiveness of the U.S. dollar in the Forex market. EUR/USD is now trading near 1.4173.

S&P/Case-Shiller Home Price index for 20 U.S. states was at a seasonally adjusted level of 140.05 in May — that’s a 17.05% drop compared to a year before. A decline by 17.90% was expected following an 18.10% drop in April.

Consumer confidence decreased from 49.3 in June to 46.6 in July in United States. It was a rather unexpected drop (forecasts pointed at a decline only to 49.0).

On the good side, yesterday, a report on the June’s new home sales showed a growth from 346k to 384k annualized seasonally adjusted rate. That report surpassed the optimistic forecast of gain to 355k rate.

Forex Gets Rallied

EUR/USD rose today more than twice as much as yesterday as the news about 2nd quarter U.S. GDP change spurred bullish confidence in the euro and other high-yielding currencies. EUR/USD is now trading near 1.4134.

Advance estimate for the U.S. GDP change in the second quarter of 2009 came out at 1.0% decrease, which is better than the average forecast of 1.5% decline. But the first quarter’s GDP drop was negatively revised from -5.5% to -6.4%, which was quite a disappointment for the market participants.

Chicago PMI Business Barometer index went up from 39.9 to 43.4 in July, showing a good improvement in the business conditions, but still indicating an overall bad outlook for the industry. The forecast was near 43.0.

Yesterday, the initial jobless claims report was released for the last week, showing an increase from 559k to 584k claims, surpassing the 570k value of the forecasts.

Things You Should Know Before Opening A Forex Account

Forex or Foreign exchange has been more visible in many business portfolios ever since small investors were given a chance to join in the currency exchange realm. Even with the presence of pressure and the rigors of a day job, numerous traders still aspire to enter and profit from the Forex markets.

There are available Forex accounts that lets you practice your trading skills for 1 month without risk. There are quotes, currency pairs, technical charts and analysis and 24 hour news regarding your account. The amount of the mini practice account is $5,000 while the standard practice account costs $50,000.

The minimum investment in a standard Forex account ranges from $5,000 to $10,000.

There are different types of foreign exchange accounts and most traders keep two or more accounts while trading. These accounts are basically categorized according to how much capital a broker can invest. Generally there are three types of Forex accounts namely:

1. Mini account which is ideal for beginners who have an initial capital of less than $10,000. Basically, one is allowed to engage in Forex with just $250. Mini account can be a good starting point which can build up the confidence of new and less experienced traders in the market. With just a small capital, one should not expect a high profit; nevertheless your money is subject to low risks of loss.

2. Standard account which requires a trader an initial investment of $2,000.

3. Premium accounts with significant amounts of capital required. These accounts can have different trading services and tools for innovation.

With the presence of these kinds of accounts, it is worth pointing out that a good managed Forex account can do miracles in trading. A trader can gain much by choosing a managed account backed up with good track records. Aside from these facts, certain benefits are worth mentioning such as:

• Managed Forex accounts can let a trader participate in trading market without the hassle of monitoring it 24 hours.

• Managed accounts are handled by professionals

• There are managed accounts that are not attached to the stock market, thus assets can be more diversified.

• Greater profit maximization can be possible in both falling and rising markets.

• Assets are liquid and can be withdrawn regularly

• Monthly reports of account are accessible and there is a real time management of account.

Choosing a right account and investing in it poses a risk. It is important therefore to know what steps are to take in order to minimize. Here are the few things to remember when opening a Forex account:

1. In signing up for an account, identification is necessary; this is required by the Federal Law to avoid fraud. A trader will be asked to sign a margin agreement. Prepare the necessary documents and read the agreements thoroughly to avoid confusions.

2. Try the practice or demo account to learn the basics of trading. There are brokers who impulsively leap into trading and quickly lose their money. Take your time and learn how the trading process works.

3. Avoid being emotional while in a trade. Traders should stick to their decisions and not let their emotions control them.

Foreign exchange can be considered as the biggest and most interesting markets in the world. Certain individuals, even inexperienced ones get hooked on trading it. Before opening a Forex account, it is but necessary to be knowledgeable in all the aspects involved in trading.

How To Read Forex Quotes

1. Currency prices

Factors such as economic and political conditions deeply affect currency prices. Political stability, inflation, and interest rates are all factored into the price of any currency. The price of currency can be controlled by governments who flood the market or buy extensively.

2. Volume of FOREX

No force can have dominate the market due to the volume of Forex.Market forces will prevail in the long run, making FOREX one of the most open and fair investment opportunities available.

3. World Currency

Each world currency is given a three letter code which is used in FOREX quotes. The most common currencies are USD (US dollars), EUR (European euros), GBP (United Kingdom pounds), AUD (Australian dollars), JPY (Japanese yen), CHF (Swiss francs) and CAD (Canadian dollars).

4. Foreign exchange prices

Forex quotes can be used to determine prices of foreign exchange. The first currency is the 'base' and the second is the 'quote' currency. In this example: USD/EUR = 0.8419 the currency pair is US dollars and European euros. The base currency (USD) is always at '1' and the quote currency shows how much it costs to buy one unit of the base currency. In this example, 1 US dollar costs 0.8419 euros. Conversely...EUR/USD = 1.1882 ...tells us that it costs 1.1882 US dollars to buy 1 euro. When the price of the quote currency goes up it indicates that the base currency is becoming stronger – one unit of the base currency will buy more of the quote currency. The base currency is made weaker when the quote currency is weak.

5. Central banks

National central banks play an important role in the foreign exchange markets. They try to control the money supply, inflation, and/or interest rates and often have official or unofficial target rates for their currencies. They can use their often substantial foreign exchange reserves, to stabilize the market. Milton Friedman argued that the best stabilization strategy would be for central banks to buy when the exchange rate is too low, and to sell when the rate is too high - that is, to trade for a profit. Nevertheless, central banks do not go bankrupt if they make large losses, like other traders would, and there is no convincing evidence that they do make a profit trading.

The mere expectation or rumor of central bank intervention might be enough to stabilize a currency, but aggressive intervention might be used several times each year in countries with a dirty float currency regime. Central banks do not always achieve their objectives, however. The combined resources of the market can easily overwhelm any central bank. Several scenarios of this nature were seen in the 1992-93 ERM collapse, and in more recent times in South East Asia.

Forex

I think that the Forex market offers a lot of advantages compared to the other types of financial trading. Currency pairs offer a variety of choices, events to react on and the technical analysis is simply beautiful in Forex. But I also like to trade in other markets. Because many Forex brokers also offer gold and oil, I sometimes like to set up long-term positions on these instruments. I also have some portfolio in stocks, but it can hardly be called a real trading because I only trade like once in 3-6 months in stocks. What about you? Do you trade in anything else than currency pairs?

Forex Is For Everyone!

Simply put, foreign exchange, more popularly known as Forex or FX, is the simultaneous purchase of one currency and sale of another. The market for trading in currencies is known as the Forex Market. While getting started in Forex, you must understand that the Forex market determines the “exchange rate” for which the specified currencies can be bought and sold. This exchange rate is essentially a price and can be analyzed in the same way as we would analyze a price.

This can best be understood by providing an apt analogy in terms of the price of the commodity. Say that commodity is a pencil. If the purchase price of 4 pencils is $1 then, the dollar-to-pencil rate of exchange will be 4 pencils. You can look at this from another angle also. You can also have a fair idea of the pencil-to-dollar rate of exchange. This comes out to 25 cents. This essentially means that if you sell one pencil you can get 25 cents for it. You must understand that the rate of exchange that is available in the newspapers doe not refer to these simple commodities but gives readers information about the comparative prices for different currencies.

Getting Started in Forex!

Forex, in the true sense, is a global 24-hour marketplace. This is because, investors can respond in real time to any fluctuations caused by current economic, social and political events. You can get started in Forex by choosing two currencies you want to trade in. This is because the currencies are traded in pairs, i.e., Euro and Yen, US Dollar and Euro etc. The foreign exchange market is unique due to the extreme liquidity associated with it. Money freely flows from this market since millions of dollars can get in and out of it each day. It is also considered liquid due to the fact that traders can just open and close their trade positions in a wink of an eye!

Bevy of Trading opportunities in Forex

The sheer number of currencies traded is fascinating. There will always be currencies that are moving rapidly up or down, offering opportunities for profit (and commensurate risk) to astute traders. Yet, like the equity markets, Forex offers plenty of instruments such as forward contracts, futures and options, spot market etc, to mitigate risk and allows the individual to profit in both rising and falling markets.

Who can participate in the Forex Market?

Until recently, this 2 trillion dollar market was reserved for banks, insurance companies, large corporations and other large institutions, as the minimum traded volume was rather high. However, less than a decade ago, it became possible for retail investors to get started in the Forex market through dealers. Although the retail market for currency trading is more or less a parallel to the inter bank market, prices in both markets are very similar and move very closely.

Conclusion

The currency markets are hard to resist due to its sheer liquidity, opportunities for booking huge profits and high levels of leverage. However, you must also be aware of the risks involved in this segment so as to make an informed decision before venturing out into the unexplored world of Forex!

A Beginner’s Guide To Forex

FOREX is the abbreviation for the Foreign Exchange market. FOREX is basically an international exchange market where currencies from all over the world are bought and sold for profit. The market today began in the 1970’s. FOREX is a very unique market because it is not based in any particular place, and it also has very few qualifications for investing. FOREX is also free of external controls, and the investors (participants in the market) largely determine how much a currency is worth based on demand. Almost anyone can invest in FOREX, and there are strategies for investors who want to have long-term gains, and strategies for investors who desire short-term gains. The vast array of investors makes FOREX quite unique in the financial community.

The Workings of FOREX

FOREX is not centered at one place like the NYSE. The specific hours for FOREX trade are 24 hours a day from Sunday afternoon to Friday afternoon. FOREX transactions can take place at almost any time, anywhere, all over the world. There are FOREX dealers in almost all of the time zones, and it is simple to find them. Many dealers can be found online. All an investor does is decide what currency he or she wants to purchase, contact the dealer, and then makes the purchase. Many investors purchase using a credit line (money they do not have). This is called marginal trading.

What is Marginal Trading?

Marginal trading is a term used for trading with borrowed capital. FOREX investments can be made without actually having the money. All an investor needs to do is borrow the money for a certain currency. The investor wants to choose a currency that will increase in value quite rapidly. Once the currency increases, the investor pays back the money he or she borrowed and makes sheer profit. This is a high-risk investment, but the rewards are great (as with most high risk investments).

Two Types of FOREX Analytics

FOREX traders often have to analyze the market. Like all investments, FOREX involves a certain amount of calculated risk. Two ways to calculate these risks are though Technical Analysis and Fundamental Analysis.

Technical Analysis is based on the idea that trends through history will continue. A FOREX investor will notice that a certain currency is very strong and seems to be rising at a normal rate. The same investor will also suppose that the currency will not decline in value, and will continue to rise, as it has done in the past. The investor then purchases a large amount of that currency and expects to make a profit. This investment entails a large assumption but is relatively safe.

Fundamental Analysis is an analysis of an entire countries situation. Investors utilizing this technique look at the situation of the country in which the currency finds its base. Factors such as the countries economic status, political status, and global status are taken into account. For example, a Fundamental Analysis investor would not invest in currency from a country that just overthrew its leader and is in political shambles. Although this investment seems logical, it does not take into account one of the fundamental elements of FOREX trading. FOREX currency values are largely determined by the investors. That being said, Fundamental Analysis assumes that other FOREX traders will view a countries situation in the same way and respond accordingly.

Benefits of FOREX

FOREX can be very beneficial to a variety of people. FOREX trading can gain investors a large amount of money either over a long period of time, or in a short period of time. Investors who choose to invest in FOREX are generally well informed about the market and understand the current situations in many countries of the world. Investing in FOREX is simple and highly recommended for anyone who wants to enjoy profits from top-notch investments.

What Is Forex?

It may come as a shock to the investment rookie, but Forex is the largest market in the world. Forex is an abbreviated form of the term Foreign Exchange, or simply currency. These terms refer to the monetary value of one country’s money value (as measured by the country’s largest single-value denomination) and is usually measured in comparison to the unit of currency used by the country in which the investor is a citizen.

The measure by which Forex is considered the largest market is in terms of cash value traded, and it is used by every type of investment imaginable, from individuals (who use brokers or banks) to governments to international banking firms. Forex is extremely popular due to its extreme liquidity and its time capacity (with three large stock markets open day long during the week, it is possible to exchange foreign currency at every hour of the day). Liquidity is a term that is short for market liquidity, which refers to the ability to quickly buy or sell without causing a dramatic fluctuation in price. As currency for countries is determined mostly by internal (domestic) factors rather than external ones, Forex is not subject to the fluxes caused by a panicked sell-off.

As the industrial market place and arguably the defining center of the world, the dollar of the United States is used by far the most in Forex transactions. Involved in 89% of transactions, the US dollar was way ahead of other currencies, followed distantly by the euro (37%) and then the yen (20%). Remember that the numbers here do not add up to 100% because every transaction will contain at least two different currencies.

Forex speculators are a controversial topic among economists and politicians alike. One school of thought posits that currency speculation can contribute to a country’s economic downfall, as a lower currency value causes the price of inflation in comparison to imported goods to rise, snowballing the problem. Countries that are primarily exporters to a country with a higher currency value, however, receive benefits when their dollar is lowered in comparison, as their goods are thus inherently easier to purchase. The opposing view to the speculators as instruments of economic downfall is that speculators serve to keep currency regulated according to international agreements, and that their profits are the results of basic economic laws. Those who subscribe to this theory often point out that the opposing view is held all too often by leaders seeking to deflect attention away from their own domestic policies when explaining to a populace why their economy is in the toilet.

Individuals wishing to become involved in the Forex market need to remember that they must do so through a broker or bank, bodies regulated by their governments and international agreements to prevent the unlawful profit resulting in economic damage to a different country. Investing through these bodies inevitably means that the individual will not see the full results of their investment, as they naturally provide some insulation for themselves against loss in the fluctuating market.

Forex Trading Guide

Like many people I am sure you are interested to know more about Forex trading. To put it bluntly Forex trading can be either one the best ways to make or lose LOTS of money. Only those who take the Forex market seriously will be able to make money with it in the long term.

The Forex trading market is beyond a doubt the world’s largest market where all exchanges happen instantaneously. Thus, trades are a key challenge for even the most knowledgeable Forex bankers and traders. They have to learn and consider many factors before performing even a single trade.

At first when currencies began to be traded openly, only large banks were allowed to perform trades. These days, due to the advent of internet trading and margin accounts almost anybody can begin Forex trading. This in turn, has added to the liquidity of the Forex market, and has resulted in a huge increase in the number of individuals who are now active in the market.

So, does this mean it is easy to earn money through Forex trading? To answer this we must consider a few things.

Some data by Forex brokers seems to suggest that 90 percent of traders end up of losing their capital, 5 percent of traders have been able to break even and only 5 percent of them attain steady beneficial results. Thus, it seems that trading successfully is no simple task.

However, if you can learn to be among the 5 percent who make consistent money you can do extremely well by using Forex trading. To help you in this end I have listed five key ways to improve your odds dramatically of making money in the Forex market.

1. Education

Successful traders are knowledgeable about the Forex market. They have chosen to educate themselves about every single vital detail of Forex trading. The best traders know that every trade that they perform is an opportunity to learn something new.

2. Forex Trading System

All of the profitable traders have a Forex trading system or strategy. Furthermore, they have the will power to stick strictly to that system, because the best traders know that by sticking with their system they stand a far greater chance of earning money.

3. Price Behavior

Knowledgeable and successful traders also include price behavior in their systems. They have learned that prices can change quickly and suddenly but are prepared to deal with those situations when they arrive.

4. Trading Psychology

First-rate traders are aware of psychological issues that affect the choices of other traders make when Forex trading. They know that people do not always act rationally, and as a result this can alter the expected outcome of a trade. This can help them both when deciding to enter into a trade or when to exit.

5. Money Management

This is far and away the most important factor that will determine whether or not you become a successful trader. Averting the hazard of financial ruin is the main concern of all top traders. This means both adequately funding your trading account (only with money you can afford to live without of course) and never entering into trades that can potentially wipe out all of your assets. Better to start trading small and always use stop-loss orders to guarantee that your first trades are not also your last.

This is by no means an exhaustive list of everything you need to know but it outlines some of the areas you need to consider before making even that first trade. Now you know that it is not easy to earn money in the Forex market, however it is achievable.

However, success does not happen overnight and anyone promising you that it can is trying to sell you snake oil. It is an ongoing processes not something you pick up in a weekend. Trading success depends on the trader, and how hard you are willing to work to achieve your Forex trading goals.

Also, remember to try to have some fun. The clearest sign that Forex trading is not for you is if you find the prospect of learning about how the Forex market works boring or dull. If this is the case you won’t stick with it long enough to make money and you will be among the 90 percent who fail. Just remember these three important things: be disciplined in your trading habits, manager your money wisely and enjoy the experience of Forex trading.

Forex Trading Course Primer

Forex trading refers to foreign exchange. Since the currencies of different countries themselves are the commodities involved, the market has a “pure” behavior that is driven by large economic forces. To master this art, one should do comprehensive study with the help of a Forex trading course.

Forex trading is a specialized form of trading with potential quick and hefty profit and higher leverage than other financial markets. But the leverages it offers can be a double edged sword due to the complex and unpredictable nature of the market. Taking advantage of the leverage at crucial times with responsible risk management is the secret of this trade. But this is easier said than done. A complete knowledge of the market is the essential requirement for success in this business.

The value of a currency in the Forex market very much depends upon the products and services the country offers for sale in the foreign market. So the study of the currency depends up on the study of the economy of that particular country. For example a tea-producing country suffers a great loss in the market if the production of the tea crop fails in that country because of a monsoon or other reasons. Similarly the same can be said of any type of commodity and for any reason that affects supply and demand. The political, natural and environmental changes influence the foreign exchange market significantly. So how can one understand the market in a way that will enable him to gain profit consistently?

Forex Trading Course

A Forex trading course offers comprehensive study of the economic markets all over the world. Many factors influence the economy of a country. The savvy trader will focus on the important factors that affect the economy and how they affect currency values. The training course should offer material that demonstrates the factors affecting the economic condition of a country.

A reputable course includes facts and figures explained in the form of charts and technical analysis. They explain the reasons for the sluggish or tremendous growth of an economy under given conditions and how long trends might be sustained. A big part of Forex training involves identifying entry and exit signals using technical indicators and patterns. Simulated trading on historical data as well as demo trading in real time is extremely helpful for enabling the Forex trading student to gain experience without risking real money.

What many people do not realize is that one of the largest forces that drives the foreign exchange market is large institutions that export products such as automobiles, electronics, and commodities. When these products are sold to another country it creates an immediate demand for the currency of the country which is exporting. This causes that currency to increase in value. Conversely when a country imports products from other countries it creates an outflow of currency that weakens the importing country’s currency. These large forces are constantly at play throughout the world creating an ebb and flow in the value of the major currencies throughout the world.

It is not necessary to fully understand and follow all the economic forces in the world in order to trade Forex successfully. Many traders rely solely on technical analysis to enter and exit trades. By observing the movements and patterns on charts profitable trades can be executed without having any idea what economic news is creating the movement. This is the subject of most Forex trading courses that are popular today and makes life much easier for those who want to easily profit from this vast and popular market.

Forex Basics

The first thing to notice about currency prices in the Forex market is that there are two of them, called the bid price and the ask price. The second thing to notice is that they don’t favor you, the trader; they favor the broker, because that’s how he makes his money.

The ask price is what you pay should you wish to purchase that currency pair. Using the GBP/USD as an example, let’s say you believe the pound is going to strengthen against the U.S. dollar, meaning that the chart of the two currencies is going to go up on the graph.

In such a trade you would be purchasing the pound now at a lower rate (and by definition, selling the dollar) so that you can sell it later at its (hopefully) higher rate. And, since the pound is the base currency and it controls the direction of the trade, to purchase the pound means to purchase the currency pair. Such a trade is called opening a long position.

The bid price is the exact opposite: it’s what you pay should you wish to sell, or short, that currency pair. To continue the example of the GBP/USD, let’s say you believe the U.S. dollar is going to strengthen against the pound, rather than the other way around. In this trade, you would be purchasing the dollar now (and selling the pound) in order to sell it later.

But remember, it’s the base currency that controls the direction of the trade. When you purchase the cross currency, by definition you’re selling the base; in other words, you’re selling the currency pair rather than buying it. So all the signals are reversed: the chart will go down on the graph and the price of the currency pair will decrease.

But because you sold or shorted the currency pair rather than purchased it, you want the price to decrease, because it’s the price of the base currency that’s going down while the price of the cross is going up. In our example, if you shorted the GBP/USD, you would earn a profit if the price of the pair went down.

Calculating the number of pips you earn in a short trade is the same as for a long trade. Just ignore which was the purchase or the sale price, and subtract the lower number from the higher one. The difference is the amount of your gain.

Note that the ask price is always higher than the bid. You have no choice but to buy high and sell low when trading on the Forex market.

The difference between the bid and the ask is called the spread, and that’s the amount of money the broker takes as his commission. (Yes, that’s all the broker takes; he makes his profit on a large volume of trades rather than large commissions.)

Obviously, the smaller the spread, the more money you get to keep out of what you make. Spreads are competitive among brokers; keeping their spreads small is one means of attracting customers. And spreads among the most popular currency pairs are generally smaller than those for pairs that aren’t as commonly traded, which is one of the best reasons for sticking with the “majors,” as they’re called.

All About Forex – What You Need To Know

In order to succeed successfully in forex trading you need to know what the purpose of trading forex is. Forex trading as you know is the trading of online currency and the key to success is to buy low and sell high just as with any other market. You task as a forex trader is to try to determine the trend of the particular currency you are looking to either buy or sell and to utilise the forex trading strategies to ensure that a profit is made.

Now that you know the purpose of forex trading the next step in knowing all about forex is to understand the codes, definitions and numbers used when trading. All currencies used in forex trading are assigned a three letter code. An example of this is the US dollar which is USD or the Euro EUR. Online currency trading is done in combinations that are known as a cross and these are represented by 6 letter words with the more expensive currency coming first. An example of this is GBPUSD which will show you how many US Dollar you will need to pay for one British pound. These rates are shown as five digit numbers for example GPBUSD = 1.6262 which means that 1 British pound is worth 1.6262 US dollars. When the rate changes the change will be displayed in bold, eg GPBUSD = 1.6264 which will mean that the rate has moved by 2 points. Knowing this is the key to successful forex trading and your key to profit.

When you enter the forex trading market you will enter as a buyer or a seller of a particular currency. If you are a seller you price is known as the ASK price and the buyers price is known as the BID. You can only buy currency from a seller with an asking price the same as the BID price.

These are the main beginner’s points to note when it comes to forex trading and knowing what the purpose of trading forex is and knowing all about forex before you enter into the market can make a big difference when it comes to your profits.

How to make money online with forex

The largest financial trading market in the world. Open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Two trillion dollars on the line every day. And it’s all trade accessible from your personal computer.

Foreign exchange trading, often referred to as Forex trading, is potentially the key to monetary success in an open market. By trading foreign currency on an inter-bank, inter-dealer market, traders simply make money buying and selling any number of worldwide monies. But Forex training is essential to successful Forex trading. It’s a simple equation with enormous implications toward success or failure in the market.

A fast-paced industry with sudden, unexpected changes happening every day, multiple times a day, this market is forever moving. With no centralized market location, forex markets are traded mostly over computer terminals around the world. A literal 24/7 market, trading begins in Sydney and opens around the globe as the day rolls on. First in Tokyo, then London and onto New York.

Truly unique as a financial market, traders get to experience the ups and downs of the economy based on real-time current events. From economic fluctuations in Tokyo to a natural disaster in Europe or the election of a new U.S. President, Forex traders feel the fluctuations. Essentially, the value of a country’s economy or monetary power is mirrored in its financial situation. Trading on the Forex is like trading other countries based on their value.

Therefore, forex training is the key to success on this ever-changing worldwide market. Knowledge, training and a broad understanding of the basics and history of this institution is invaluable.

Foreign exchange is traded in currency pairs and involves the simultaneous buying of one currency and selling of another. More than 85 percent of all the daily transactions totaling $2 trillion dollars revolve around trading seven major currencies: U.S. Dollar, Japanese Yen, Euro, British Pound, Swiss Franc, Australian Dollar and Canadian Dollar. Trading these pairs allows for the best opportunities for financial success due to the incredible, nearly perfect liquidity of this market.

In recent years, technology and proper forex training has allowed for the Forex to transform into a trading revolution for the personal investor. In the past, only large investors and corporations could set foot in the market. Today, market makers and market participants and clients join together to make this interbank market a reality. The result: an efficient, low-price way to trade on a worldwide market.

Forex training must include a thorough understanding of how the trade process works. Essentially, there are two types of accounts: standard and mini. In a standard account, 1 contract controls $100,000 of currency with a margin requirement of $1000. A mini account controls $10,000 worth of currency with a $50 margin requirement. Therefore, the standard account has a leverage of 100:1, while the mini is at 200:1.

The minimum price increment measured is called a “pip,” also known as a point. When comparing currency pairs, investors buy their base currency against another. For example, if an investor purchased the U.S. Dollar against the Euro at 1.2500 and the price increased, the amount of pips would increase by the ratio of the standard or mini account.

Major advantages to trading the market with essential Forex training include free real-time quotes and charts, no exchange fees, 24-hour liquidity and no price discrepancy between the one desired and the actual price on fills.
Trading the forex is an opportunity with great potential for monetary success if the knowledge gained is fully understood and implemented.

Forex Training: What To Look For In A Forex Training Program

Should new Forex traders take Forex trading courses or join a Forex training program? Definitely yes; by now you have probably heard that only 5% of traders achieve consistent profitable results when trading the Forex market. The main reason for this is the lack of education. Don’t get me wrong here, taking a Forex training program or a Forex trading course won’t guarantee profitable results, nothing can, but choosing the right Forex training program or Forex trading course will definitely put the odds in your favor.

Before spending any amount of money on any Forex trading course or Forex training program there are some important aspects you need to take in consideration. There are many training programs available, but not every one of them suits the needs of every trader.

The first thing you should be looking in a Forex training program is the content of the material. Unfortunately, most courses or training programs focus or spend most of the time on basic concepts. Though these basic concepts are important, spending most of the course on them won’t help the trader to make consistent results.

The following subjects are what I consider the most important aspects of trading and every training program or trading course should address:

Forex trading basics.

Review basic concepts such as: margin, type of orders, a little background, bid/ask, rollover, etc. You need to make sure you understand every single concept to perfection.

Main drawbacks of Forex traders.

Being aware of the common mistakes made by Forex traders and knowing how to handle them will prevent new traders from making those mistakes.

Technical and fundamental analysis.

These are the two main approaches adopted by Forex traders. Knowing how to properly apply each concept will definitely put the odds in your favor.

The three pillars of Forex trading. I consider that these three subjects have the most impact on every trader trading account.

Forex trading system development.

Having the right system is a must if you want to have consistent profitable results. Having a system that doesn’t fit you will cause a series of problems that will make your trading account vanish away (second guessing the system, not following your system, etc.)

Money management.

This is considered by many successful traders to be the most important single aspect of trading. Money management helps to increase your profits geometrically and at the same time limit your losses (i.e. a good risk reward ratio of about 2:1 will make you money in a Forex trading system that is right only 38% of the time.)

Trading psychology.

Being aware and knowing hot to handle the psychological barriers that affect every trader decision will put the odds in your favor.

Other important aspects every training program should include are:
Developing habits for success (such as discipline patience, taking responsibility of every action, commitment, etc.,) understanding and taking our trading as a business, risk and trade management.

Another important aspect you should take into consideration when choosing a Forex training program is the mechanics of it, getting to know how the training program works.

A good course will have the following:

A live conference room, where you can apply everything learned under live market conditions.

One-on-one feedback, every trader has different needs and requires special attention. For instance a trader wanting to improve the system and requires individual feedback from the instructor about it.

Online trading course, a course that could be accessible through internet. A plus is a course where you are able to access the course at the convenient time for you, so you don’t have to change your lifestyle.

A forum, where members can talk just about everything related to the Forex market and the Forex training program.

Trading the Forex market is no easy task. It requires a lot of hard work. Making the right decision will definitely put the odds in your favor. Take your time when doing your diligence because it is a big and important step in a trader’s trading career.

Market Participants

Unlike a stock market, where all participants have access to the same prices, the foreign exchange market is divided into levels of access. At the top is the inter-bank market, which is made up of the largest investment banking firms. Within the inter-bank market, spreads, which are the difference between the bid and ask prices, are razor sharp and usually unavailable, and not known to players outside the inner circle. The difference between the bid and ask prices widens (from 0-1 pip to 1-2 pips for some currencies such as the EUR). This is due to volume. If a trader can guarantee large numbers of transactions for large amounts, they can demand a smaller difference between the bid and ask price, which is referred to as a better spread. The levels of access that make up the foreign exchange market are determined by the size of the "line" (the amount of money with which they are trading).

Competition
These spreads might not apply to retail customers at banks, which will routinely mark up the difference to say 1.2100/1.2300 for transfers, or say 1.2000/1.2400 for banknotes or travelers' checks. Spot prices at market makers vary, but on EUR/USD are usually no more than 3 pips wide (i.e., 0.0003). Competition is greatly increased with larger transactions, and pip spreads shrink on the major pairs to as little as 1 to 2 pips.
retail trading
Foreign exchange trading increased by 38% between April 2005 and April 2006 and has more than doubled since 2001. This is largely due to the growing importance of foreign exchange as an asset class and an increase in fund management assets, particularly of hedge funds and pension funds. The diverse selection of execution venues have made it easier for retail traders to trade in the foreign exchange market. In 2006, retail traders constituted over 2% of the whole FX market volumes with an average daily trade volume of over US$50-60 billion (see retail trading platforms).[6] Because foreign exchange is an OTC market where brokers/dealers negotiate directly with one another, there is no central exchange or clearing house. The biggest geographic trading centre is the UK, primarily London, which according to IFSL estimates has increased its share of global turnover in traditional transactions from 31.3% in April 2004 to 34.1% in April 2007. The ten most active traders account for almost 80% of trading volume, according to the 2008 Euromoney FX survey.[3] These large international banks continually provide the market with both bid (buy) and ask (sell) prices. The bid/ask spread is the difference between the price at which a bank or market maker will sell ("ask", or "offer") and the price at which a market-maker will buy ("bid") from a wholesale customer. This spread is minimal for actively traded pairs of currencies, usually 0–3 pips. For example, the bid/ask quote of EUR/USD might be 1.2200/1.2203 on a retail broker. Minimum trading size for most deals is usually 100,000 units of base currency, which is a standard "lot

Derivative
Several other developed countries also permit the trading of FX derivative products (like currency futures and options on currency futures) on their exchanges. All these developed countries already have fully convertible capital accounts. Most emerging countries do not permit FX derivative products on their exchanges in view of prevalent controls on the capital accounts. However, a few select emerging countries (e.g., Korea, South Africa, India—[1]; [2]) have already successfully experimented with the currency futures exchanges, despite having some controls on the capital account.

Turn over
Of the $3.98 trillion daily global turnover, trading in London accounted for around $1.36 trillion, or 34.1% of the total, making London by far the global center for foreign exchange. In second and third places respectively, trading in New York accounted for 16.6%, and Tokyo accounted for 6.0%.[4] In addition to "traditional" turnover, $2.1 trillion was traded in derivatives.
Exchange-traded FX futures contracts were introduced in 1972 at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and are actively traded relative to most other futures contracts.

World market
Presently, the foreign exchange market is one of the largest and most liquid financial markets in the world. Traders include large banks, central banks, currency speculators, corporations, governments, and other financial institutions. The average daily volume in the global foreign exchange and related markets is continuously growing. Daily turnover was reported to be over US$3.2 trillion in April 2007 by the Bank for International Settlements. [2] Since then, the market has continued to grow. According to Euromoney's annual FX Poll, volumes grew a further 41% between 2007 and 2008

Competition
As such, it has been referred to as the market closest to the ideal perfect competition, notwithstanding market manipulation by central banks. According to the Bank for International Settlements,[2] average daily turnover in global foreign exchange markets is estimated at $3.98 trillion. Trading in the world's main financial markets accounted for $3.21 trillion of this
uniqueness
The foreign exchange market is unique because of
its trading volumes,
the extreme liquidity of the market,
its geographical dispersion,
its long trading hours: 24 hours a day except on weekends (from 22:00 UTC on Sunday until 22:00 UTC Friday),
the variety of factors that affect exchange rates.
the low margins of profit compared with other markets of fixed income (but profits can be high due to very large trading volumes)
the use of leverage

Currency rates
In a typical foreign exchange transaction a party purchases a quantity of one currency by paying a quantity of another currency. The modern foreign exchange market started forming during the 1970s when countries gradually switched to floating exchange rates from the previous exchange rate regime, which remained fixed as per the Bretton Woods system
introduction
The foreign exchange market (currency, forex, or FX) trades currencies. It lets banks and other institutions easily buy and sell currencies. [1]
The purpose of the foreign exchange market is to help international trade and investment. A foreign exchange market helps businesses convert one currency to another. For example, it permits a U.S. business to import European goods and pay Euros, even though the business's income is in U.S. dollars.

Currancy code
ISO 4217 is the international standard describing three-letter codes (also known as the currency code) to define the names of currencies established by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). The ISO 4217 code list is the established norm in banking and business all over the world for defining different currencies, and in many countries the codes for the more common currencies are so well known publicly, that exchange rates published in newspapers or posted in banks use only these to define the different currencies, instead of translated currency names or ambiguous currency symbols. ISO 4217 codes are used on airline tickets and international train tickets to remove any ambiguity about the price.
The first two letters of the code are the two letters of ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country codes (which are also used as the basis for national top-level domains on the Internet) and the third is usually the initial of the currency itself. So Japan's currency code becomes JPY—JP for Japan and Y for yen. This eliminates the problem caused by the names dollar, franc and pound being used in dozens of different countries, each having significantly differing values. Also, if a currency is revalued, the currency code's last letter is changed to distinguish it from the old currency. In some cases, the third letter is the initial for "new" in that country's language, to distinguish it from an older currency that was revalued; the code sometimes outlasts the usage of the term "new" itself (for example, the code for the Mexican peso is MXN). Other changes can be seen, however; the Russian ruble, for example, changed from RUR to RUB, where the B comes from the third letter in the word "ruble

Investment Management Firms

Investment management firms (who typically manage large accounts on behalf of customers such as pension funds and endowments) use the foreign exchange market to facilitate transactions in foreign securities. For example, an investment manager bearing an international equity portfolio needs to purchase and sell several pairs of foreign currencies to pay for foreign securities purchases.
Some investment management firms also have more speculative specialist currency overlay operations, which manage clients' currency exposures with the aim of generating profits as well as limiting risk. Whilst the number of this type of specialist firms is quite small, many have a large value of assets under management (AUM), and hence can generate large trades

Delivery
About 70% to 90% of the foreign exchange transactions are speculative. In other words, the person or institution that bought or sold the currency has no plan to actually take delivery of the currency in the end; rather, they were solely speculating on the movement of that particular currency. Hedge funds have gained a reputation for aggressive currency speculation since 1996. They control billions of dollars of equity and may borrow billions more, and thus may overwhelm intervention by central banks to support almost any currency, if the economic fundamentals are in the hedge funds' favor

Stabilize
The mere expectation or rumor of central bank intervention might be enough to stabilize a currency, but aggressive intervention might be used several times each year in countries with a dirty float currency regime. Central banks do not always achieve their objectives. The combined resources of the market can easily overwhelm any central bank.[7] Several scenarios of this nature were seen in the 1992–93 ERM collapse, and in more recent times in Southeast Asia
central bank
National central banks play an important role in the foreign exchange markets. They try to control the money supply, inflation, and/or interest rates and often have official or unofficial target rates for their currencies. They can use their often substantial foreign exchange reserves to stabilize the market. Milton Friedman argued that the best stabilization strategy would be for central banks to buy when the exchange rate is too low, and to sell when the rate is too high—that is, to trade for a profit based on their more precise information. Nevertheless, the effectiveness of central bank "stabilizing speculation" is doubtful because central banks do not go bankrupt if they make large losses, like other traders would, and there is no convincing evidence that they do make a profit trading
commercial companies
An important part of this market comes from the financial activities of companies seeking foreign exchange to pay for goods or services. Commercial companies often trade fairly small amounts compared to those of banks or speculators, and their trades often have little short term impact on market rates. Nevertheless, trade flows are an important factor in the long-term direction of a currency's exchange rate. Some multinational companies can have an unpredictable impact when very large positions are covered due to exposures that are not widely known by other market participants

Bank holder
The interbank market caters for both the majority of commercial turnover and large amounts of speculative trading every day. A large bank may trade billions of dollars daily. Some of this trading is undertaken on behalf of customers, but much is conducted by proprietary desks, trading for the bank's own account. Until recently, foreign exchange brokers did large amounts of business, facilitating interbank trading and matching anonymous counterparts for small fees. Today, however, much of this business has moved on to more efficient electronic systems. The broker squawk box lets traders listen in on ongoing interbank trading and is heard in most trading rooms, but turnover is noticeably smaller than just a few years ago

Investment bank
After that there are usually smaller investment banks, followed by large multi-national corporations (which need to hedge risk and pay employees in different countries), large hedge funds, and even some of the retail FX-metal market makers. According to Galati and Melvin, “Pension funds, insurance companies, mutual funds, and other institutional investors have played an increasingly important role in financial markets in general, and in FX markets in particular, since the early 2000s.” (2004) In addition, he notes, “Hedge funds have grown markedly over the 2001–2004 period in terms of both number and overall size” Central banks also participate in the foreign exchange market to align currencies to their economic needs.

Constitutes

Currencies are traded against one another. Each pair of currencies thus constitutes an individual product and is traditionally noted XXX/YYY, where YYY is the ISO 4217 international three-letter code of the currency into which the price of one unit of XXX is expressed (called base currency). For instance, EUR/USD is the price of the euro expressed in US dollars, as in 1 euro = 1.5465 dollar. Out of convention, the first currency in the pair, the base currency, was the stronger currency at the creation of the pair. The second currency, counter currency, was the weaker currency at the creation of the pair

Purchasing powet parity
Fluctuations in exchange rates are usually caused by actual monetary flows as well as by expectations of changes in monetary flows caused by changes in gross domestic product (GDP) growth, inflation (purchasing power parity theory), interest rates (interest rate parity, Domestic Fisher effect, International Fisher effect), budget and trade deficits or surpluses, large cross-border M&A deals and other macroeconomic conditions. Major news is released publicly, often on scheduled dates, so many people have access to the same news at the same time. However, the large banks have an important advantage; they can see their customers'

Trading center
The main trading center is London, but New York, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Singapore are all important centers as well. Banks throughout the world participate. Currency trading happens continuously throughout the day; as the Asian trading session ends, the European session begins, followed by the North American session and then back to the Asian session, excluding weekends

Majority
There is no unified or centrally cleared market for the majority of FX trades, and there is very little cross-border regulation. Due to the over-the-counter (OTC) nature of currency markets, there are rather a number of interconnected marketplaces, where different currencies instruments are traded. This implies that there is not a single exchange rate but rather a number of different rates (prices), depending on what bank or market maker is trading, and where it is. In practice the rates are often very close, otherwise they could be exploited by arbitrageurs instantaneously. Due to London's dominance in the market, a particular currency's quoted price is usually the London market price. A joint venture of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and Reuters, called Fxmarketspace opened in 2007 and aspired but failed to the role of a central market clearing mechanism.

Mony transfer companies
Money transfer companies/remittance companies perform high-volume low-value transfers generally by economic migrants back to their home country. In 2007, the Aite Group estimated that there were $369 billion of remittances (an increase of 8% on the previous year). The four largest markets (India, China, Mexico and the Philippines) receive $95 billion. The largest and best known provider is Western Union with 345,000 agents globally.

Non-bank foreign exchange companies
Non-bank foreign exchange companies offer currency exchange and international payments to private individuals and companies. These are also known as foreign exchange brokers but are distinct in that they do not offer speculative trading but currency exchange with payments. I.e., there is usually a physical delivery of currency to a bank account.
It is estimated that in the UK, 14% of currency transfers/payments[10] are made via Foreign Exchange Companies.[11] These companies' selling point is usually that they will offer better exchange rates or cheaper payments than the customer's bank. These companies differ from Money Transfer/Remittance Companies in that they generally offer higher-value services
opportunity
There are two types of retail brokers offering the opportunity for speculative trading: retail foreign exchange brokers and market makers. Retail traders (individuals) are a small fraction of this market and may only participate indirectly through brokers or banks. Retail brokers, while largely controlled and regulated by the CFTC and NFA might be subject to foreign exchange scams.[8][9] At present, the NFA and CFTC are imposing stricter requirements, particularly in relation to the amount of Net Capitalization required of its members. As a result many of the smaller, and perhaps questionable brokers are now gone. It is not widely understood that retail brokers and market makers typically trade against their clients and frequently take the other side of their trades. This can often create a potential conflict of interest and give rise to some of the unpleasant experiences some traders have had. A move toward NDD (No Dealing Desk) and STP (Straight Through Processing) has helped to resolve some of these concerns and restore trader confidence, but caution is still advised in ensuring that all is as it is presented

Market forces

If a currency is free-floating, its exchange rate is allowed to vary against that of other currencies and is determined by the market forces of supply and demand. Exchange rates for such currencies are likely to change almost constantly as quoted on financi market.

offering sopt exchange
In 2005 Barclays Capital broke with convention by offering spot exchange rates with 5 or 6 decimal places on their electronic dealing platform[2]. The contraction of spreads (the difference between the bid and offer rates) arguably necessitated finer pricing and gave the banks the ability to try and win transaction on multibank trading platforms where all banks may otherwise have been quoting the same price. A number of other banks have now followed this

Market convention from the early 1980s to 2006 was that most currency pairs were quoted to 4 decimal places for spot transactions and up to 6 decimal places for forward outrights or swaps. (The fourth decimal place is usually referred to as a "pip"). An exception to this was exchange rates with a value of less than 1.000 which were usually quoted to 5 or 6 decimal places. Although there is no fixed rule, exchange rates with a value greater than around 20 were usually quoted to 3 decimal places and currencies with a value greater than 80 were quoted to 2 decimal places. Currencies over 5000 were usually quoted with no decimal places (e.g. the former Turkish Lira). e.g. (GBPOMR : 0.765432 - EURUSD : 1.5877 - GBPBEF : 58.234 - EURJPY : 165.29). In other words, quotes are given with 5 digits. Where rates are below 1, quotes frequently include 5 decimal places

Market convention
There is a market convention that determines which is the base currency and which is the term currency. In most parts of the world, the order is: EUR – GBP – AUD – NZD – USD – others. Thus if you are doing a conversion from EUR into AUD, EUR is the base currency, AUD is the term currency and the exchange rate tells you how many Australian dollars you would pay or receive for 1 euro. Cyprus and Malta which were quoted as the base to the USD and others were recently removed from this list when they joined the euro. In some areas of Europe and in the non-professional market in the UK, EUR and GBP are reversed so that GBP is quoted as the base currency to the euro. In order to determine which is the base currency where both currencies are not listed (i.e. both are "other"), market convention is to use the base currency which gives an exchange rate greater than 1.000. This avoids rounding issues and exchange rates being quoted to more than 4 decimal places. There are some exceptions to this rule e.g. the Japanese often quote their currency as the base to other currencies.

Exchange system
An exchange system quotation is given by stating the number of units of "term currency" (or "price currency" or "quote currency") that can be bought in terms of 1 "unit currency" (also called "base currency"). For example, in a quotation that says the EURUSD exchange rate is 1.4320 (1.4320 USD per EUR), the term currency is USD and the base currency is EUR.

Exchange rates
In finance, the exchange rates (also known as the foreign-exchange rate, forex rate or FX rate) between two currencies specifies how much one currency is worth in terms of the other. It is the value of a foreign nation’s currency in terms of the home nation’s currency.[1] For example an exchange rate of 95 Japanese yen (JPY, ¥) to the United States dollar (USD, $) means that JPY 95 is worth the same as USD 1. The foreign exchange market is one of the largest markets in the world. By some estimates, about 3.2 trillion USD worth of currency changes hands every day.
The spot exchange rate refers to the current exchange rate. The forward exchange rate refers to an exchange rate that is quoted and traded today but for delivery and payment on a specific future date

Recently
Trading in the euro has grown considerably since the currency's creation in January 1999, and how long the foreign exchange market will remain dollar-centered is open to debate. Until recently, trading the euro versus a non-European currency ZZZ would have usually involved two trades: EUR/USD and USD/ZZZ. The exception to this is EUR/JPY, which is an established traded currency pair in the interbank spot market. As the dollar's value has eroded during 2008, interest in using the euro as reference currency for prices in commodities (such as oil), as well as a larger component of foreign reserves by banks, has increased dramatically. Transactions in the currencies of commodity-producing countries, such as AUD, NZD, CAD, have also increased

Positive currency
The factors affecting XXX will affect both XXX/YYY and XXX/ZZZ. This causes positive currency correlation between XXX/YYY and XXX/ZZZ.
On the spot market, according to the BIS study, the most heavily traded products were:
EUR/USD: 27%
USD/JPY: 13%
GBP/USD (also called sterling or cable): 12%
and the US currency was involved in 86.3% of transactions, followed by the euro (37.0%), the yen (17.0%), and sterling (15.0%) (see table). Note that volume percentages should add up to 200%: 100% for all the sellers and 100% for all the buyers

History

According to one source, "it may be formed by Act of Parliament, by Royal Charter, or by registration under company law (referred to as a limited liability or joint-stock company)."[3] In the United Kingdom, the main regulating laws are the Companies Act 1985 and the Companies Act 2006.[3] Reportedly, "a company registered under this Act has limited liability: its owners (the shareholders) have no financial liability in the event of winding up the affairs of the company, but they might lose the money already invested in it".[3] In the USA, companies are registered in a particular state—Delaware being especially favoured—and become Incorporated (Inc). [3]
In North America, two of the earliest companies were The London Company (also called the Charter of the Virginia Company of London)—a English joint stock company established by royal charter by James I of England on April 10, 1606 with the purpose of establishing colonial settlements in North America—and Plymouth Company that was granted an identical charter as part of the Virginia Company. The London Company was responsible for establishing the Jamestown Settlement, the first permanent English settlement in the present United States in 1607, and in the process of sending additional supplies, inadvertently settled the Somers Isles, alias Bermuda, the oldest-remaining English colony, in 1609.

Individual
Many individuals are not aware that they are lenders, but almost everybody does lend money in many ways. A person lends money when he or she:
puts money in a savings account at a bank;
contributes to a pension plan;
pays premiums to an insurance company;
invests in government bonds; or
invests in company shares

More complex
More complex transactions than a simple bank deposit require markets where lenders and their agents can meet borrowers and their agents, and where existing borrowing or lending commitments can be sold on to other parties. A good example of a financial market is a stock exchange. A company can raise money by selling shares to investors and its existing shares can be bought or sold.
The following table illustrates where financial markets fit in the relationship between lenders and borrowers
raising capital
To understand financial markets, let us look at what they are used for, i.e. what is their purpose?
Without financial markets, borrowers would have difficulty finding lenders themselves. Intermediaries such as banks help in this process. Banks take deposits from those who have money to save. They can then lend money from this pool of deposited money to those who seek to borrow.
definition
In economics, typically, the term market means the aggregate of possible buyers and sellers of a thing and the transactions between them.
The term "market" is sometimes used for what are more strictly exchanges, organizations that facilitate the trade in financial securities, e.g., a stock exchange or commodity exchange. This may be a physical location (like the NYSE) or an electronic system (like NASDAQ). Much trading of stocks takes place on an exchange; still, corporate actions (merger, spinoff) are outside an exchange, while any two companies or people, for whatever reason, may agree to sell stock from the one to the other without using an exchange.
Trading of currencies and bonds is largely on a bilateral basis, although some bonds trade on a stock exchange, and people are building electronic systems for these as well, similar to stock exchanges.

Financial markets can be domestic or they can be international
The raising of capital (in the capital markets);
The transfer of risk (in the derivatives markets);
International trade (in the currency markets)
– and are used to match those who want capital to those who have it Typically a borrower issues a receipt to the lender promising to pay back the capital. These receipts are securities which may be freely bought or sold. In return for lending money to the borrower, the lender will expect some compensation in the form of interest or dividends.
financial market
In economics, a financial market is a mechanism that allows people to easily buy and sell (trade) financial securities (such as stocks and bonds), commodities (such as precious metals or agricultural goods), and other fungible items of value at low transaction costs and at prices that reflect the efficient-market hypothesis.
Financial markets have evolved significantly over several hundred years and are undergoing constant innovation to improve liquidity.
Both general markets (where many commodities are traded) and specialized markets (where only one commodity is traded) exist. Markets work by placing many interested buyers and sellers in one "place", thus making it easier for them to find each other. An economy which relies primarily on interactions between buyers and sellers to allocate resources is known as a market economy in contrast either to a command economy or to a non-market economy such as a gift economy.
In finance, financial markets facilitate