An overview of the Forex marke

The Forex market is a non-stop cash market where currencies of nations are traded, typically via brokers. Foreign currencies are constantly and simultaneously bought and sold across local and global markets and traders' investments increase or decrease in value based upon currency movements. Foreign exchange market conditions can change at any time in response to real-time events.

The main enticements of currency dealing to private investors and attractions for short-term Forex trading are:

* 24-hour trading, 5 days a week with non-stop access to global Forex dealers.
* An enormous liquid market making it easy to trade most currencies.
* Volatile markets offering profit opportunities.
* Standard instruments for controlling risk exposure.
* The ability to profit in rising or falling markets.
* Leveraged trading with low margin requirements.
* Many options for zero commission trading.


Forex trading
The investor's goal in Forex trading is to profit from foreign currency movements. Forex trading or currency trading is always done in currency pairs. For example, the exchange rate of EUR/USD on Aug 26th, 2003 was 1.0857. This number is also referred to as a "Forex rate" or just "rate" for short. If the investor had bought 1000 euros on that date, he would have paid 1085.70 U.S. dollars. One year later, the Forex rate was 1.2083, which means that the value of the euro (the numerator of the EUR/USD ratio) increased in relation to the U.S. dollar. The investor could now sell the 1000 euros in order to receive 1208.30 dollars. Therefore, the investor would have USD 122.60 more than what he had started one year earlier. However, to know if the investor made a good investment, one needs to compare this investment option to alternative investments. At the very minimum, the return on investment (ROI) should be compared to the return on a "risk-free" investment. One example of a risk-free investment is long-term U.S. government bonds since there is practically no chance for a default, i.e. the U.S. government going bankrupt or being unable or unwilling to pay its debt obligation.

When trading currencies, trade only when you expect the currency you are buying to increase in value relative to the currency you are selling. If the currency you are buying does increase in value, you must sell back the other currency in order to lock in a profit. An open trade (also called an open position) is a trade in which a trader has bought or sold a particular currency pair and has not yet sold or bought back the equivalent amount to close the position.

However, it is estimated that anywhere from 70%-90% of the FX market is 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

Forex VS Stocks Market

Foreign currency exchange (Forex) market and stocks market work quite differently. Neither Forex market or stock market is greater than each other but the investing concept in them differs quite a lot.

However, by comparing their differences, we wish to give you a clearer picture on these two markets thus help you to select the market type that suits you the best. Fact is you might want to get involved in both market to diversify your on hand capital.

Must-Do 5': Discipline trading

Trading Forex with discipline is important. Success in Forex trading could not be achieved by plotting out the best trading plan. It is also depends on implementing the trading plan. Be discipline, trade according to your plan and never trade with your emotion no matter you are losing money or winning. Greed will stop you from taking profit at predetermined level; while fear will stop you from making the nice kill in the market.

'Must-Do 4': Money management

Money management is controlling your risk through the use of protective stops, while balancing your potential for profit against your potential for loss. For example, good money management means you know your profit objective and the odds of being right or wrong, and controlling your risk with protective stops. You are better off with a trade where you might lose $1000 if you are wrong and make $500 if you are right, that would work eight times out of ten, than to take a trade where you would make $1000 if you are right and lose only $500 if you are wrong, but works only one time out of three.

If you are investing using your savings, it's even more important that you manage your money in your trading and in your personal expenses. Chances are high that you miss a good investing chance because of you are lack of capital.

Must-Do 3': Have a trading plan

As the old says: “Fail to plan is plan to fail”. Trading is like sailing boat middle in the sea; you will not be going anywhere without compass and navigator.

What is the detail objective of the trades? How much profit to expect from the trade? When to get into the market? How much to invest? What price to exit the market? If things do not work out, when do execute the stop loss order? How high is the affordable risk? A good trading plan should at least answers the above questions. Further more, if your trading plan fails, review and modify your trading plan.

Find out your mistakes and learn from them.

'Must-Do 2': Getting the right trading system

It is wise to research very well and consider all the various brokers' system available to you before making your choice. By applying certain level of computer automations (such like charting and doing auto trades), trading; a well-designed trading system will reduce your work dramatically. This in turns give you more time to focus on studying the market and plotting your strategy. Also, using auto-trading system will avoid you from doing emotional-trades.

Must-Do 1': Invest in your brain first

If you are serious about investing in Forex market, building up your trading skills and knowledge is the very first step that you must take. Seminars, workshops, video tutorials, online learning, or even books are handful to help us learn from the professional.

Learn to implement technical charting into your trades; learn using indicators to determine the right time to enter/exit the market; brush up your experience by trading with a demo account… all these are effective to ensure your smooth starts and it will definitely reduce your chances of losing money.

Forex Beginners 'Must-Do'

It is believe that more than 50% of Forex traders are losing money long term in the foreign currency exchange market. Yet, there are still a lot of Forex traders jump in to the market, trade blindly and lost their money.

Trade after trade, its surprising to see that 'normally-losing' traders keep betting (not investing!) their money into Forex market without reviewing their trading strategy. No matter you are the experienced or the beginners, there are certain 'must-do' when trading Forex to manage the risk wisely and to increase your possibilities in making profits.

Conclusion

Without a doubt, Forex is gaining its popularity fast against other kind of trading. No limited market access, no liquidity issues-after market hours, zero commission fees, low capital requirements with high leverage rates, and no restrictions on short selling -- Forex can be very beneficial to a variety of people. Like any other trading business, if you are new to it, best advice you can get is to learn and practice more before you test your 'wings'. Seminars, eBooks, Internet, papers, video courses - all these are helpful to raise your confidence level before you trade with your real hard-earn dollars.

Fundamental analysis and Technical analysis in Forex

Fundamental Analysis refers to the study of the core underlying elements that influence the economy of a particular entity. As in Forex trading, government policies, bank policies, natural disasters, and speculators mood are some of the fundamentals considered to predict the currency market trends. Fundamental FOREX traders will review a country economy's situation base on these fundamental elements and respond accordingly. To gain max, fundamentalists often apply precise method to convert study's results into accurate entry/exit price indicator.

Technical Analysis, on the other hand, is a completely different story. Instead of reviewing on the fundamental issues, traders from the technical side define market movement according to data purely generated from the market. The term 'Technical' is applied in all trading fields, from commodity stocks exchange to option trading, from Forex to futures.

Generally, the purpose of technical analysis is to find potential price reversal or pivotal points. These points basically refer the change of market trends, which then indicates when to enter or exit from the market. It is important to know that as with any other techniques in your trading system, these technical analysis indicators could be used alone or with other indicators. Traders are always recommended to learn more different technical methods to analyze different market data because none of these techniques are 100% accurate and 100% foolproof. Taking example of the 'price' data and the 'time' data, which are widely used by FOREX trader.

There are some techniques consider solely on the 'price' factor, while some solely rely on the 'time' factor. The fact is if you know both technical methods, you can take both price and time into consideration during estimating market future trends. This will of course then reduce the risks of losing money in Forex market. Also, it would be wise if traders combine both technical and fundamental techniques when trading Forex, as a country currency value depends a lot on fundamental variables such as war, change of national leaders, terrorism attacks, as well as natural disasters.

Facts about Forex market

As a matter of fact, large international banks are still the major traders in currency exchange market. Deutsche Bank is one of the top currency traders; along with other major banks like UBS, Citi Group, HSBC, Barclays, J. P. Morgan Chase, Coldman Sachs, ABN Amro, Morgan Stanley, and Merril Lynch; these banks are said to be responsible for more than 70% trades in currency market.

When you are trading Forex with currency dealer, the Forex quotes might look a bit different from our previous example. Often, a two-sided quote, consisting of 'bid' and 'ask' price, is listed when dealing with currency brokers. For example, EUR/USD 1.2385/1.2390: 1.2385 is known as the 'bid' price while 1.2390 is commonly known as the 'ask' or 'buy' price. The 'bid' is the price at which you can sell the base currency; while the 'ask' is the price at which you can buy the base currency. As you study the numbers, you might realize that the two-sided currency price is quoted against you.

Traders are forced to buy the currency in a higher price than the selling one. This is done because FOREX trades are done without any commission chargers. Thru quoting currency 'bid & ask' price differently in this way, the currency brokers are manage to make profit without charging their client commission fees directly

How currency exchange (FOREX) market works

I bet you are well aware of the existent of Forex trading nowadays. Forex market exists wherever one currency is traded for another. Forex, or Foreign Exchange Market, is generally works as an international currency exchange market. Investors and speculators are allowed to trade currencies from all around the world thru Forex trading.

Forex is a very unique type of trading where traders are buying and selling 'money' in the same time. The trades are done in pairs, such as Euro/JPY, USD/CHF, and CAD/USD. It is the world largest trading market where an average of $1.9 trillion trades is done on a daily basis. The turnover rates in FOREX are nearly 30 times larger than the total volume of equity trades in United States.

Despite its large volume of trades done daily, Forex is relative new to the publics nonetheless. It is only made available to publics in year 1998 where big sized inter-bank units are sliced into smaller pieces and offered to individual traders like you and me. Before that, Forex is a game only for banks, multi national cooperation, and big currency dealers. Only those with large business size and strong financial background were permitted to trade foreign currencies.

When you are analyzing potential option positions, it helps to have a computer program like Option-Aid that swiftly calculates volatility impacts, probabilities, statistics, and other parameters of interest. These programs can pay for themselves with the first trade that they help you with.

Foreign Exchange

Forex is derived from the words, Foreign Exchange. Simply put, forex trading involves trading of currency pairs, or the simultaneous purchase of one currency and sale of another. The exchange rate is expressed as the value of one currency in terms of another. If the exchange rate for EUR/USD is 1.2100, it is showing that 1 Euro is worth $1.21 USD. The first currency referred to in a currency pair is called the base currency and the second one is referred to as the counter currency or the terms currency. For each transaction, it is the base currency that is being bought or sold.
The Forex market is the largest financial market in the world, with an estimated daily transaction volume of $1.3 Trillion. Its very size makes it a very liquid market, which is very desirable for traders. It operates 24 hours per day throughout the week (M-F).
It has been estimated that approximately 80% of the Forex market is speculative. Speculators engage in Forex transactions to profit from currency swings or perceived currency inequities. They have no intention of taking delivery of the currency that they are purchasing. Speculators often do online forex trading while using Forex trading software to evaluate positions. Forex software comes in different types. Traders can use Option-Aid for trading Forex options. Many traders use a Forex trading system which generate Forex trading signals using various Forex trading strategies.
Merchants engage in Forex transactions to hedge risk, essentially transferring the risk to speculators who hope to profit by taking on the risk. An exporter who sells products in the currency of another country at a future time runs a risk because by the time the product is shipped and sold, the revenue may be lower if the value of that currency drops by the time the goods are actually sold. An importer who buys goods in the currency of another country runs a risk because the currency may have risen in value when the actual transaction is made, increasing his costs and decreasing his profit. Even a tourist visiting a country runs a risk that the currency of that country rises, increasing the cost of his visit. Each of these occurrences can motivate forex transactions to mitigate the risks involved. Forex transactions can help stabilize cash flows and profits, improve forecasts, and decrease uncertainty
It is important to understand what actually moves floating exchange rates. The following factors play a role in setting fair exchange rates.
* the trade balance (based on import and export flows)
* the flow of capital or funds between countries
* relative inflation rates
Forex trading is done in a Foreign Exchange Market, referred to as Interbank. This is an over-the-counter (OTC) market; there is no central clearinghouse or fixed exchange. It is traded through banks, brokers, dealers, and financial institutions, as well as individual traders.
The Spot Market is for buying and selling currencies marked for settlement within two business days, on the "Value Date." Most dealers can automatically roll over an open position, which essentially allows you to hold a position for any time period you wish. The rollover cost is based on the interest rate differential between the two currencies.
The most common currency codes are:
* USD = US Dollar
* EUR = Euro
* JPY = Japanese Yen
* GBP = British Pound
* CHF = Swiss Franc
* CAD = Canadian Dollar
* AUD = Australian Dollar
* NZD = New Zealand Dollar
Forex trading is facilitated by market makers who provide liquidity by taking the opposite side of your trade. Brokers match buyers and sellers, taking a commission for their services.
When a currency transaction takes place, the seller sells at the bid price (also called the sell quote), and the buyer buys at the ask price (also called the buy quote). The difference between the bid and ask price is the spread.
The Price Interest Point (pip) is the smallest price increment a currency can make. The lot is the standard size of a contract, typically 100,000 units of the base currency (traded in standard accounts) or 10,000 units for a mini (traded in mini accounts). For example, the currency pair EUR/USD has the following parameters:
* 1 pip = 0.0001
* pip value = $10 for 100,000 lot size
* pip value = $1 for 10,000 mini lot size
Contracts are typically traded in margin accounts, so the transactions are highly leveraged. A 1% margin account gives 100:1 leverage. The normal margin requirement is between 1% and 5% of the trade. A margin call occurs if the funds in your margin account drop below the minimum required to support your open positions, requiring you to deposit additional funds to avoid automatic close-out of your position. Trading with this kind of leverage can greatly magnify your profits, but also your losses - so it must be used judiciously.
Typically trades are made with limit orders and stop losses for protection.

Why should I learn Forex currency trading?

By reaching to our website, I think you are already aware that Forex trading is a good way to make money at home. More over, I bet you knew someone, or would have heard of someone, who's already making tons of good money in FX trading.

But what you wouldn't know is that 7 out of 10 traders keep losing money in Forex market! That's right, 70% of individual FX traders keep losing their hard-earned money in the market; while the rest of the 30% work freely at home and earn millions annually)

Wonder what differs between the losing 70% and the winning 30%?

Forex trading skills and the trading system! If you want to work less than 20 hours a day at home, if you want to make millions by trading freely at home, if you want to have financial freedom by trading Forex; you better LEARN Forex trading before you start trading Forex. Forex market is definitely not a game for newbie and you need to brush up your skills before getting your hands wet.

What is carry?

Carry is the most popular trade in the currency market, practiced by both the largest hedge funds and the smallest retail speculators. The carry trade rests on the fact that every currency in the world has an interest rate attached to it. These short-term interest rates are set by the central banks of these countries: the Federal Reserve in the U.S., the Bank of Japan in Japan and the Bank of England in the U.K. (To learn more, see What Are Central Banks?)

The idea behind the carry is quite straightforward. The trader goes long the currency with a high interest rate and finances that purchase with a currency with a low interest rate. In 2005, one of the best pairings was the NZD/JPY cross. The New Zealand economy, spurred by huge commodity demand from China and a hot housing market, has seen its rates rise to 7.25% and stay there (at the time of writing), while Japanese rates have remained at 0%. A trader going long the NZD/JPY could have harvested 725 basis points in yield alone. On a 10:1 leverage basis, the carry trade in NZD/JPY could have produced a 72.5% annual return from interest rate differentials alone without any contribution from capital appreciation. Now you can understand why the carry trade is so popular! But before you rush out and buy the next high-yield pair, be aware that when the carry trade is unwound, the declines can be rapid and severe. This process is known as carry trade liquidation and occurs when the majority of speculators decide that the carry trade may not have future potential. With every trader seeking to exit his or her position at once, bids disappear and the profits from interest rate differentials are not nearly enough to offset the capital losses. Anticipation is the key to success: the best time to position in the carry is at the beginning of the rate-tightening cycle, allowing the trader to ride the move as interest rate differentials increase.

Which currencies are traded?

Although some retail dealers trade exotic currencies such as the Thai baht or the Czech koruna, the majority trade the seven most liquid currency pairs in the world, which are the four majors:

* EUR/USD (euro/dollar)
* USD/JPY (dollar/Japanese yen)
* GBP/USD (British pound/dollar)
* USD/CHF (dollar/Swiss franc)

and the three commodity pairs:

* AUD/USD (Australian dollar/dollar)
* USD/CAD (dollar/Canadian dollar)
* NZD/USD (New Zealand dollar/dollar)

These currency pairs, along with their various combinations (such as EUR/JPY, GBP/JPY and EUR/GBP) account for more than 95% of all speculative trading in FX. Given the small number of trading instruments - only 18 pairs and crosses are actively traded - the FX market is far more concentrated than the stock market.

What are you really selling or buying in the currency market?

The short answer is "nothing". The retail FX market is purely a speculative market. No physical exchange of currencies ever takes place. All trades exist simply as computer entries and are netted out depending on market price. For dollar-denominated accounts, all profits or losses are calculated in dollars and recorded as such on the trader's account.

The primary reason the FX market exists is to facilitate the exchange of one currency into another for multinational corporations who need to trade currencies continually (for example, for payroll, payment for costs of goods and services from foreign vendors, and merger and acquisition activity). However, these day-to-day corporate needs comprise only about 20% of the market volume. Fully 80% of trades in the currency market are speculative in nature, put on by large financial institutions, multi-billion dollar hedge funds and even individuals who want to express their opinions on the economic and geopolitical events of the day.

Because currencies always trade in pairs, when a trader makes a trade he or she is always long one currency and short the other. For example, if a trader sells one standard lot (equivalent to 100,000 units) of EUR/USD, she would, in essence, have exchanged euros for dollars and would now be "short" euro and "long" dollars. To better understand this dynamic, let's use a concrete example. If you went into an electronics store and purchased a computer for $1,000, what would you be doing? You would be exchanging your dollars for a computer. You would basically be "short" $1,000 and "long" 1 computer. The store would be "long" $1,000 but now "short" 1 computer in its inventory. The exact same principle applies to the FX market, except that no physical exchange takes place. While all transactions are simply computer entries, the consequences are no less real.

What is a pip?

Pip stands for "percentage in point" and is the smallest increment of trade in FX. In the FX market, prices are quoted to the fourth decimal point. For example, if a bar of soap in the drugstore was priced at $1.20, in the FX market the same bar of soap would be quoted at 1.2000. The change in that fourth decimal point is called 1 pip and is typically equal to 1/100th of 1%. Among the major currencies, the only exception to that rule is the Japanese yen. Because the Japanese yen has never been revalued since the Second World War, 1 yen is now worth approximately US$0.08; so, in the USD/JPY pair, the quotation is only taken out to two decimal points (i.e. to 1/100th of yen, as opposed to 1/1000th with other major currencies).

Where is the commission in FX?

Investors who trade stocks, futures or options typically use a broker, who acts as an agent in the transaction. The broker takes the order to an exchange and attempts to execute it as per the customer's instructions. For providing this service, the broker is paid a commission when the customer buys and sells the tradable instrument.

How does this market differ from other markets?

Unlike the trading of stocks, futures or options, currency trading does not take place on a regulated exchange. It is not controlled by any central governing body, there are no clearing houses to guarantee the trades and there is no arbitration panel to adjudicate disputes. All members trade with each other based upon credit agreements. Essentially, business in the largest, most liquid market in the world depends on nothing more than a metaphorical handshake.

Common Questions About Currency Trading

Although forex is the largest financial market in the world, it is relatively unfamiliar terrain to retail traders. Until the popularization of internet trading a few years ago, FX was primarily the domain of large financial institutions, multinational corporations and secretive hedge funds. But times have changed, and individual investors are hungry for information on this fascinating market. Whether you are an FX novice or just need a refresher course on the basics of currency trading, read on to find the answers to the most frequently asked questions about the forex market.

100:1 Leverage

Leverage (gearing) enables you to hold a position worth up to 100 times more than your margin deposit. For example, a USD 10,000 deposit can command positions of up to USD 1,000,000 through leverage. You can leverage the first USD 25,000 of your investment up to 100 times and additional collateral up to 50 times.

No commissions

The fact that Forex is often traded without commissions makes it very attractive as an investment opportunity for investors who want to deal on a frequent basis.
Trading the “majors” is also cheaper than trading other cross because of the high level of liquidity. For more information on the trading conditions of Saxo Bank, go to the Account Summary on your SaxoTrader and open the section entitled “Trading Conditions” found in the top right-hand corner of the Account Summary.

Why Trade Forex?

One of the major advantages of trading Forex is the opportunity to trade 24 hours a day from Sunday evening (20:00 GMT) to Friday evening (22:00 GMT). This gives you a unique opportunity to react instantly to breaking news that is affecting the markets.

Forward Outrights

For forward outrights, settlement on the value date selected in the trade means that even though the trade itself is carried out immediately, there is a small interest rate calculation left. The interest rate differential doesn't usually affect trade considerations unless you plan on holding a position with a large differential for a long period of time. The interest rate differential varies according to the cross you are trading. On the USDCHF, for example, the interest rate differential is quite small, whereas the differential on NOKJPY is large. This is because if you trade e.g. NOKJPY, you get almost 7% (annual) interest in Norway and close to 0% in Japan. So, if you borrow money in Japan, to finance the trade and buying NOK, you have a positive interest rate differential. This differential has to be calculated and added to your account. You can have both a positive and a negative interest rate differential, so it may work for or against you when you make a trade.

Forex trading

The investor's goal in Forex trading is to profit from foreign currency movements. Forex trading or currency trading is always done in currency pairs. For example, the exchange rate of EUR/USD on Aug 26th, 2003 was 1.0857. This number is also referred to as a "Forex rate" or just "rate" for short. If the investor had bought 1000 euros on that date, he would have paid 1085.70 U.S. dollars. One year later, the Forex rate was 1.2083, which means that the value of the euro (the numerator of the EUR/USD ratio) increased in relation to the U.S. dollar. The investor could now sell the 1000 euros in order to receive 1208.30 dollars. Therefore, the investor would have USD 122.60 more than what he had started one year earlier. However, to know if the investor made a good investment, one needs to compare this investment option to alternative investments. At the very minimum, the return on investment (ROI) should be compared to the return on a "risk-free" investment. One example of a risk-free investment is long-term U.S. government bonds since there is practically no chance for a default, i.e. the U.S. government going bankrupt or being unable or unwilling to pay its debt obligation.

When trading currencies, trade only when you expect the currency you are buying to increase in value relative to the currency you are selling. If the currency you are buying does increase in value, you must sell back the other currency in order to lock in a profit. An open trade (also called an open position) is a trade in which a trader has bought or sold a particular currency pair and has not yet sold or bought back the equivalent amount to close the position.

However, it is estimated that anywhere from 70%-90% of the FX market is 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

An overview of the Forex market

The Forex market is a non-stop cash market where currencies of nations are traded, typically via brokers. Foreign currencies are constantly and simultaneously bought and sold across local and global markets and traders' investments increase or decrease in value based upon currency movements. Foreign exchange market conditions can change at any time in response to real-time events.

The main enticements of currency dealing to private investors and attractions for short-term Forex trading are:

• 24-hour trading, 5 days a week with non-stop access to global Forex dealers.
• An enormous liquid market making it easy to trade most currencies.
• Volatile markets offering profit opportunities.
• Standard instruments for controlling risk exposure.
• The ability to profit in rising or falling markets.
• Leveraged trading with low margin requirements.
• Many options for zero commission trading.

Definitions of Forex Trading on the Web:

The foreign exchange (currency or forex or FX) market exists wherever one currency is traded for another

Foreign exchange history, origins of the forex

In order to gain a complete understanding of what forex is, it is useful to examine the reasons that lead to its existence in the first place. Exhaustively detailing the historical events that shaped the foreign exchange market into what it is today is of no great importance to the Fx trader and therefore we will happily omit explanations of historical events such as the Bretton Woods accord in favor of a more specific insight into the reasoning behind foreign exchange as a medium of exchange of goods and services.

Originally our ancestors conducted trading of goods against other goods this system of bartering was of course quite inefficient and required lengthy negotiation and searching to be able to strike a deal. Eventually forms of metal like bronze, silver and gold came to be used in standardized sizes and later grades (purity) to facilitate the exchange of merchandise. The basis for these mediums of exchange was acceptance by the general public and practical variables like durability and storage. Eventually during the late middle ages, a variety of paper IOU started gaining popularity as an exchange medium.

The obvious advantage of carrying around 'precious' paper versus carrying around bags of precious metal was slowly recognized through the ages. Eventually stable governments adopted paper currency and backed the value of the paper with gold reserves. This came to be known as the gold standard. The Bretton Woods accord in July 1944 fixed the dollar to 35 USD per ounce and other currencies to the dollar. In 1971, president Nixon suspended the convertibility to gold and let the US dollar 'float' against other currencies.

Since then the foreign exchange market has developed into the largest market in the world with a total daily turnover of about 3.2 trillion USD. Traditionally an institutional (inter-bank) market, the popularity of online currency trading offered to the private individual is democratising forex and widening the retail market.

The Gold exchange period and the Bretton Woods Agreement.

Prior to Bretton Woods, the gold exchange standard -- paramount between 1876 and World War I -- ruled over the international economic system. Under the gold exchange, currencies experienced a new era of stability because they were supported by the price of gold.

However, the gold exchange standard had a weakness of boom-bust patterns. As a country's economy strengthened, its imports would increase until the country ran down its gold reserves, which were required to support its currency. As a result, the money supply would diminish, interest rates escalate and economic activity slowed to the point of recession. Ultimately, prices of commodities would hit bottom, appearing attractive to other nations, who would rush in and amid a buying frenzy inject the economy with gold until it increased its money supply, driving down interest rates and restoring wealth into the economy. Such boom-bust patterns abounded throughout the gold standard until World War I temporarily discontinued trade flows and the free movement of gold.

The Bretton Woods Agreement, established in 1944, fixed national currencies against the dollar, and set the dollar at a rate of USD 35 per ounce of gold. The agreement was aimed at establishing international monetary steadiness by preventing money from taking flight across countries, and to curb speculation in the international currency market. Participating countries agreed to try to maintain the value of their currency within a narrow margin against the dollar and an equivalent rate of gold as needed. As a result, the dollar gained a premium position as a reference currency, reflecting the shift in global economic dominance from Europe to the USA. Countries were prohibited from devaluing their currency to benefit their foreign trade and were only allowed to devalue their currency by less than 10%. The great volume of international Forex trade led to massive movements of capital, which were generated by post-war construction during the 1950s, and this movement destabilized the foreign exchange rates established in Bretton Woods.

The year 1971 heralded the abandonment of the Bretton Woods in that the US dollar would no longer be exchangeable into gold. By 1973, the forces of supply and demand controlled major industrialized nations' currencies, which now floated more freely across nations. Prices were floated daily, with volumes, speed and price volatility all increasing throughout the 1970s, and new financial instruments, market deregulation and trade liberalization emerged.

The onset of computers and technology in the 1980s accelerated the pace of extending the market continuum for cross-border capital movements through Asian, European and American time zones. Transactions in foreign exchange increased intensively from nearly billion a day in the 1980s, to more than $1.9 trillion a day two decades later.

The History of the Forex Market

An overview into the historical evolution of the foreign exchange market

This article will follow the historical roots of the international currency trading from the days of the gold exchange, through the Bretton Woods Agreement, to its current setting.

Market Participants

Unlike the equity market - where investors often only trade with institutional investors (such as mutual funds) or other individual investors - there are additional participants that trade on the forex market for entirely different reasons than those on the equity market. Therefore, it is important to identify and understand the functions and motivations of the main players of the forex market.

Governments and Central Banks
Arguably, some of the most influential participants involved with currency exchange are the central banks and federal governments. In most countries, the central bank is an extension of the government and conducts its policy in tandem with the government. However, some governments feel that a more independent central bank would be more effective in balancing the goals of curbing inflation and keeping interest rates low, which tends to increase economic growth. Regardless of the degree of independence that a central bank possesses, government representatives typically have regular consultations with central bank representatives to discuss monetary policy. Thus, central banks and governments are usually on the same page when it comes to monetary policy.

Central banks are often involved in manipulating reserve volumes in order to meet certain economic goals. For example, ever since pegging its currency (the yuan) to the U.S. dollar, China has been buying up millions of dollars worth of U.S. treasury bills in order to keep the yuan at its target exchange rate. Central banks use the foreign exchange market to adjust their reserve volumes. With extremely deep pockets, they yield significant influence on the currency markets.

Banks and Other Financial Institutions
In addition to central banks and governments, some of the largest participants involved with forex transactions are banks. Most individuals who need foreign currency for small-scale transactions deal with neighborhood banks. However, individual transactions pale in comparison to the volumes that are traded in the interbank market.

The interbank market is the market through which large banks transact with each other and determine the currency price that individual traders see on their trading platforms. These banks transact with each other on electronic brokering systems that are based upon credit. Only banks that have credit relationships with each other can engage in transactions. The larger the bank, the more credit relationships it has and the better the pricing it can access for its customers. The smaller the bank, the less credit relationships it has and the lower the priority it has on the pricing scale.

Banks, in general, act as dealers in the sense that they are willing to buy/sell a currency at the bid/ask price. One way that banks make money on the forex market is by exchanging currency at a premium to the price they paid to obtain it. Since the forex market is a decentralized market, it is common to see different banks with slightly different exchange rates for the same currency.

Hedgers
Some of the biggest clients of these banks are businesses that deal with international transactions. Whether a business is selling to an international client or buying from an international supplier, it will need to deal with the volatility of fluctuating currencies.

If there is one thing that management (and shareholders) detest, it is uncertainty. Having to deal with foreign-exchange risk is a big problem for many multinationals. For example, suppose that a German company orders some equipment from a Japanese manufacturer to be paid in yen one year from now. Since the exchange rate can fluctuate wildly over an entire year, the German company has no way of knowing whether it will end up paying more euros at the time of delivery.

One choice that a business can make to reduce the uncertainty of foreign-exchange risk is to go into the spot market and make an immediate transaction for the foreign currency that they need.

Unfortunately, businesses may not have enough cash on hand to make spot transactions or may not want to hold massive amounts of foreign currency for long periods of time. Therefore, businesses quite frequently employ hedging strategies in order to lock in a specific exchange rate for the future or to remove all sources of exchange-rate risk for that transaction.

For example, if a European company wants to import steel from the U.S., it would have to pay in U.S. dollars. If the price of the euro falls against the dollar before payment is made, the European company will realize a financial loss. As such, it could enter into a contract that locked in the current exchange rate to eliminate the risk of dealing in U.S. dollars. These contracts could be either forwards or futures contracts.



Speculators
Another class of market participants involved with foreign exchange-related transactions is speculators. Rather than hedging against movement in exchange rates or exchanging currency to fund international transactions, speculators attempt to make money by taking advantage of fluctuating exchange-rate levels.

The most famous of all currency speculators is probably George Soros. The billionaire hedge fund manager is most famous for speculating on the decline of the British pound, a move that earned $1.1 billion in less than a month. On the other hand, Nick Leeson, a derivatives trader with England’s Barings Bank, took speculative positions on futures contracts in yen that resulted in losses amounting to more than $1.4 billion, which led to the collapse of the company.

Some of the largest and most controversial speculators on the forex market are hedge funds, which are essentially unregulated funds that employ unconventional investment strategies in order to reap large returns. Think of them as mutual funds on steroids. Hedge funds are the favorite whipping boys of many a central banker. Given that they can place such massive bets, they can have a major effect on a country’s currency and economy. Some critics blamed hedge funds for the Asian currency crisis of the late 1990s, but others have pointed out that the real problem was the ineptness of Asian central bankers. (For more on hedge funds, see Introduction To Hedge Funds - Part One and Part Two.)Either way, speculators can have a big sway on the currency markets, particularly big ones.

Now that you have a basic understanding of the forex market, its participants and its history, we can move on to some of the more advanced concepts that will bring you closer to being able to trade within this massive market. The next section will look at the main economic theories that underlie the forex market.

Current Exchange Rates

After the Bretton Woods system broke down, the world finally accepted the use of floating foreign exchange rates during the Jamaica agreement of 1976. This meant that the use of the gold standard would be permanently abolished. However, this is not to say that governments adopted a pure free-floating exchange rate system. Most governments employ one of the following three exchange rate systems that are still used today:

1. Dollarization;
2. Pegged rate; and
3. Managed floating rate.

The History of the Forex

Gold Standard System
The creation of the gold standard monetary system in 1875 marks one of the most important events in the history of the forex market. Before the gold standard was implemented, countries would commonly use gold and silver as means of international payment. The main issue with using gold and silver for payment is that their value is affected by external supply and demand. For example, the discovery of a new gold mine would drive gold prices down.

The underlying idea behind the gold standard was that governments guaranteed the conversion of currency into a specific amount of gold, and vice versa. In other words, a currency would be backed by gold. Obviously, governments needed a fairly substantial gold reserve in order to meet the demand for currency exchanges. During the late nineteenth century, all of the major economic countries had defined an amount of currency to an ounce of gold. Over time, the difference in price of an ounce of gold between two currencies became the exchange rate for those two currencies. This represented the first standardized means of currency exchange in history.

The gold standard eventually broke down during the beginning of World War I. Due to the political tension with Germany, the major European powers felt a need to complete large military projects. The financial burden of these projects was so substantial that there was not enough gold at the time to exchange for all the excess currency that the governments were printing off.

Although the gold standard would make a small comeback during the inter-war years, most countries had dropped it again by the onset of World War II. However, gold never ceased being the ultimate form of monetary value. (For more on this, read The Gold Standard Revisited, What Is Wrong With Gold? and Using Technical Analysis In The Gold Markets.)

Bretton Woods System
Before the end of World War II, the Allied nations believed that there would be a need to set up a monetary system in order to fill the void that was left behind when the gold standard system was abandoned. In July 1944, more than 700 representatives from the Allies convened at Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, to deliberate over what would be called the Bretton Woods system of international monetary management.

To simplify, Bretton Woods led to the formation of the following:

1. A method of fixed exchange rates;
2. The U.S. dollar replacing the gold standard to become a primary reserve currency; and
3. The creation of three international agencies to oversee economic activity: the International Monetary Fund (IMF), International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT).

One of the main features of Bretton Woods is that the U.S. dollar replaced gold as the main standard of convertibility for the world’s currencies; and furthermore, the U.S. dollar became the only currency that would be backed by gold. (This turned out to be the primary reason that Bretton Woods eventually failed.)

Over the next 25 or so years, the U.S. had to run a series of balance of payment deficits in order to be the world’s reserved currency. By the early 1970s, U.S. gold reserves were so depleted that the U.S. treasury did not have enough gold to cover all the U.S. dollars that foreign central banks had in reserve.

Finally, on August 15, 1971, U.S. President Richard Nixon closed the gold window, and the U.S. announced to the world that it would no longer exchange gold for the U.S. dollars that were held in foreign reserves. This event marked the end of Bretton Woods.

Even though Bretton Woods didn’t last, it left an important legacy that still has a significant effect on today’s international economic climate. This legacy exists in the form of the three international agencies created in the 1940s: the IMF, the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (now part of the World Bank) and GATT, the precursor to the World Trade Organization. (To learn more about Bretton Wood, read What Is The International Monetary Fund? and Floating And Fixed Exchange Rates.)

Forex History and Market Participants

Given the global nature of the forex exchange market, it is important to first examine and learn some of the important historical events relating to currencies and currency exchange before entering any trades. In this section we’ll review the international monetary system and how it has evolved to its current state. We will then take a look at the major players that occupy the forex market - something that is important for all potential forex traders to understand.

Forex trading History Explained

The modern online Forex history begins in 1973. Even though currency trading has been around since the times of ancient Egypt, which at that time the market was extremely primitive, and there were no advance trading tools as today's fundamental analysis, for example.

The first currency coins were used at the times of the pharos, and the first paper notes were then introduced by the Babylonians. Later on, the roman coin called aureus was used, which was followed by the denarius. Both coins had worldwide use, making them the first global foreign currency coins.

The Bretton Woods System (1944-1973), came after the great instability of World War II. England and other European countries were left in ruins, after the war ended, while the US's economy was left relatively stable and strong.

The USD became the prominent currency after WWII, mainly because of the war. The Dollar also became the new global reserve currency, and remained so throughout the rest of the Forex history. This was agreed upon in the Bretton Woods conference, when all of the other foreign currencies were pegged to the USD, and a new international financial network was formed.

In 1971, the Smithsonian Agreement was signed by ten of the major financial powers, but it's attempt to improve stability to the current Forex history failed.

Free Floating exchange rates came into use when the Bretton Woods agreement ended. This occurred after this international financial system was in operation for three decades in the Forex history.

During 1973, the UK, facing financial problems, floated it's currency. Other currencies began to lose value, and this led the European economies to also float their currencies.

1994 saw the first online currency trading introduced to Forex history. This had a large impact on the development of the Euro currency, and introduced a new major contender to the control of the USD in the Forex history. By 2002 the Euro became the official currency for 12 European nations, and in the past few years more nations have joined this agreement. The modern online forex history offered new options for the online trader, such as the use of margin account to leverage investments, and this is all thanks to the contribution of the internet to the forex history.

Forex history

Since 1867 the "gold standard" has been in use to allow a national currency to be exchanged only for gold in order to "return" money and prevent governments from arbitrary emission, which accelerates inflation. But this "standard" was not able to solve all problems.

The country's growing economy led to the import increase to the point where gold resources were depleted. As a consequence, the amount of money in circulation decreased, interest rates grew and economic activity slowed down to the stage of recession. Then prices usually fell and other countries started to import cheap goods which led to an increase in gold reserves, monetary growth, lower interest rates and overall strengthening of the economy of the initial country. Most countries had been developing according to this "boom-bust" model before World War I, which interrupted the flow of commerce and gold.

After World War II and until 1971 there existed the so-called Bretton Woods agreement under which exchange rates of national currencies were fixed to the dollar, and the dollar itself was pegged to gold with the price per ounce set equal to 35 dollars. It was prohibited for countries participating in the agreement to conduct devaluation in order to improve the exchange rate of its currency.

Post-war reconstruction of the global economy and the increase in trade between the countries demanded a reconsideration of the fixed rate, and in 1971 the Agreement was "temporarily" suspended. Then the history of Forex began. By 1973, currencies of the most developed nations were freely convertible, and their exchange rates were mainly defined by supply and demand. During the 1970s volatility and turnover increased, new financial instruments appeared, and currency trading began to attract venturers.

The Explosion of the Euromarket

A major catalyst to the acceleration of Forex trading was the rapid development of the eurodollar market; where US dollars are deposited in banks outside the US. Similarly, Euromarkets are those where assets are deposited outside the currency of origin. The Eurodollar market first came into being in the 1950s when Russia’s oil revenue-- all in dollars -- was deposited outside the US in fear of being frozen by US regulators. That gave rise to a vast offshore pool of dollars outside the control of US authorities. The US government imposed laws to restrict dollar lending to foreigners. Euromarkets were particularly attractive because they had far less regulations and offered higher yields. From the late 1980s onwards, US companies began to borrow offshore, finding Euromarkets a beneficial center for holding excess liquidity, providing short-term loans and financing imports and exports.

London was, and remains the principal offshore market. In the 1980s, it became the key center in the Eurodollar market when British banks began lending dollars as an alternative to pounds in order to maintain their leading position in global finance. London’s convenient geographical location (operating during Asian and American markets) is also instrumental in preserving its dominance in the Euromarket.

Forex History - The Evolution OF FX Markets

In 1967, a Chicago bank refused a college professor by the name of Milton Friedman a loan in pound sterling because he had intended to use the funds to short the British currency. Friedman, who had perceived sterling to be priced too high against the dollar, wanted to sell the currency, then later buy it back to repay the bank after the currency declined, thus pocketing a quick profit. The bank’s refusal to grant the loan was due to the Bretton Woods Agreement, established twenty years earlier, which fixed national currencies against the dollar, and set the dollar at a rate of $35 per ounce of gold.

The Bretton Woods Agreement, set up in 1944, aimed at installing international monetary stability by preventing money from fleeing across nations, and restricting speculation in the world currencies. Prior to the Agreement, the gold exchange standard--prevailing between 1876 and World War I--dominated the international economic system. Under the gold exchange, currencies gained a new phase of stability as they were backed by the price of gold. It abolished the age-old practice used by kings and rulers of arbitrarily debasing money and triggering inflation.

But the gold exchange standard didn’t lack faults. As an economy strengthened, it would import heavily from abroad until it ran down its gold reserves required to back its money; consequently, the money supply would shrink, interest rates rose and economic activity slowed to the extent of recession. Ultimately, prices of goods had hit bottom, appearing attractive to other nations, who would rush into buying sprees that injected the economy with gold until it increased its money supply, and drive down interest rates and recreate wealth into the economy. Such boom-bust patterns prevailed throughout the gold standard until the outbreak of World War I interrupted trade flows and the free movement of gold.

After the Wars, the Bretton Woods Agreement was founded, where participating countries agreed to try and maintain the value of their currency with a narrow margin against the dollar and a corresponding rate of gold as needed. Countries were prohibited from devaluing their currencies to their trade advantage and were only allowed to do so for devaluations of less than 10%. Into the 1950s, the ever-expanding volume of international trade led to massive movements of capital generated by post-war construction. That destabilized foreign exchange rates as setup in Bretton Woods.

The Agreement was finally abandoned in 1971, and the US dollar would no longer be convertible into gold. By 1973, currencies of major industrialized nations floated more freely, as they were controlled mainly by the forces of supply and demand. Prices were floated daily, with volumes, speed and price volatility all increasing throughout the 1970s, giving rise to new financial instruments, market deregulation and trade liberalization.

In the 1980s, cross-border capital movements accelerated with the advent of computers and technology, extending market continuum through Asian, European and American time zones. Transactions in foreign exchange rocketed from about $70 billion a day in the 1980s, to more than $1.5 trillion a day two decades later.

Margined Currency Trading

is an extremely risky form of investment, and may not be suitable for all investors.

The visitor to this web site hereby acknowledges that he/she fully understands the risk factor is high in currency trading and before deciding to trade foreign exchange you should carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk level.

A person who does not have extra capital that they can afford to lose should not trade in any currency market. No "safe" trading system has ever been devised and no one can guarantee profits or freedom from loss. In fact, no one can ever guarantee to limit the extent of loss. There are risks associated with utilizing an Internet-based deal execution trading system including, but not limited to, the failure of hardware, software, and Internet connection.

A B C D E F G H I L M N O P Q R S T V U W Y

Appreciation - A currency is said to 'appreciate ' when it strengthens in price in response to market demand. Arbitrage - The purchase or sale of an instrument and simultaneous taking of an equal and opposite position in a related market, in order to take advantage of small price differentials between markets. Around - Dealer jargon used in quoting when the forward premium/discount is near parity. For example, "two-two around" would translate into 2 points to either side of the present spot. Ask Rate - The rate at which a financial instrument if offered for sale (as in bid/ask spread). Asset Allocation - Investment practice that divides funds among different markets to achieve diversification for risk management purposes and/or expected returns consistent with an investor's objectives. Back Office - The departments and processes related to the settlement of financial transactions. Balance of Trade - The value of a country's exports minus its imports. Base Currency - In general terms, the base currency is the currency in which an investor or issuer maintains its book of accounts. In the FX markets, the US Dollar is normally considered the 'base' currency for quotes, meaning that quotes are expressed as a unit of $1 USD per the other currency quoted in the pair. The primary exceptions to this rule are the British Pound, the Euro and the Australian Dollar. Bear Market - A market distinguished by declining prices. Bid Rate - The rate at which a trader is willing to buy a currency. Bid/Ask Spread - The difference between the bid and offer price, and the most widely used measure of market liquidity. Big Figure - Dealer expression referring to the first few digits of an exchange rate. These digits rarely change in normal market fluctuations, and therefore are omitted in dealer quotes, especially in times of high market activity. For example, a USD/Yen rate might be 107.30/107.35, but would be quoted verbally without the first three digits i.e. "30/35". Book - In a professional trading environment, a 'book' is the summary of a trader's or desk's total positions. Broker - An individual or firm that acts as an intermediary, putting together buyers and sellers for a fee or commission. In contrast, a 'dealer' commits capital and takes one side of a position, hoping to earn a spread (profit) by closing out the position in a subsequent trade with another party. Bretton Woods Agreement of 1944 - An agreement that established fixed foreign exchange rates for major currencies, provided for central bank intervention in the currency markets, and pegged the price of gold at US $35 per ounce. The agreement lasted until 1971, when President Nixon overturned the Bretton Woods agreement and established a floating exchange rate for the major currencies. Bull Market - A market distinguished by rising prices. Bundesbank - Germany's Central Bank. Cable - Trader jargon referring to the Sterling/US Dollar exchange rate. So called because the rate was originally transmitted via a transatlantic cable beginning in the mid 1800's. Candlestick Chart - A chart that indicates the trading range for the day as well as the opening and closing price. If the open price is higher than the close price, the rectangle between the open and close price is shaded. If the close price is higher than the open price, that area of the chart is not shaded. Central Bank - A government or quasi-governmental organization that manages a country's monetary policy. For example, the US central bank is the Federal Reserve, and the German central bank is the Bundesbank. Chartist - An individual who uses charts and graphs and interprets historical data to find trends and predict future movements. Also referred to as Technical Trader. Choice Market - A market with no spread. All trades buys and sells occur at that one price. Clearing - The process of settling a trade. Contagion - The tendency of an economic crisis to spread from one market to another. In 1997, political instability in Indonesia caused high volatility in their domestic currency, the Rupiah. From there, the contagion spread to other Asian emerging currencies, and then to Latin America, and is now referred to as the 'Asian Contagion'. Collateral - Something given to secure a loan or as a guarantee of performance. Commission - A transaction fee charged by a broker. Confirmation - A document exchanged by counterparts to a transaction that states the terms of said transaction. Contract - The standard unit of trading. Counterparty - One of the participants in a financial transaction. Country Risk - Risk associated with a cross-border transaction, including but not limited to legal and political conditions. Cross Rate - The exchange rate between any two currencies that are considered non-standard in the country where the currency pair is quoted. For example, in the US, a GBP/JPY quote would be considered a cross rate, whereas in UK or Japan it would be one of the primary currency pairs traded. Currency - Any form of money issued by a government or central bank and used as legal tender and a basis for trade. Currency Risk - the probability of an adverse change in exchange rates. Day Trading - Refers to positions which are opened and closed on the same trading day. Dealer - An individual who acts as a principal or counterpart to a transaction. Principals take one side of a position, hoping to earn a spread (profit) by closing out the position in a subsequent trade with another party. In contrast, a broker is an individual or firm that acts as an intermediary, putting together buyers and sellers for a fee or commission. Deficit - A negative balance of trade or payments. Delivery - An FX trade where both sides make and take actual delivery of the currencies traded. Depreciation - A fall in the value of a currency due to market forces. Derivative - A contract that changes in value in relation to the price movements of a related or underlying security, future or other physical instrument. An Option is the most common derivative instrument. Devaluation - The deliberate downward adjustment of a currency's price, normally by official announcement. Economic Indicator - A government issued statistic that indicates current economic growth and stability. Common indicators include employment rates, Gross Domestic Product (GDP), inflation, retail sales, etc. End Of Day Order (EOD) - An order to buy or sell at a specified price. This order remains open until the end of the trading day which is typically 5PM ET. European Monetary Union (EMU) - The principal goal of the EMU is to establish a single European currency called the Euro, which will officially replace the national currencies of the member EU countries in 2002. On Janaury1, 1999 the transitional phase to introduce the Euro began. The Euro now exists as a banking currency and paper financial transactions and foreign exchange are made in Euros. This transition period will last for three years, at which time Euro notes an coins will enter circulation. On July 1,2002, only Euros will be legal tender for EMU participants, the national currencies of the member countries will cease to exist. The current members of the EMU are Germany, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Austria, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, italy, Spain and Portugal. EURO - the currency of the European Monetary Union (EMU). A replacement for the European Currency Unit (ECU). European Central Bank (ECB) - the Central Bank for the new European Monetary Union. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) - The regulatory agency responsible for administering bank depository insurance in the US. Federal Reserve (Fed) - The Central Bank for the United States. Flat/square - Dealer jargon used to describe a position that has been completely reversed, e.g. you bought $500,000 then sold $500,000, thereby creating a neutral (flat) position. Foreign Exchange - (Forex, FX) - the simultaneous buying of one currency and selling of another. Forward - The pre-specified exchange rate for a foreign exchange contract settling at some agreed future date, based upon the interest rate differential between the two currencies involved. Forward points - The pips added to or subtracted from the current exchange rate to calculate a forward price. Fundamental analysis - Analysis of economic and political information with the objective of determining future movements in a financial market. Futures Contract - An obligation to exchange a good or instrument at a set price on a future date. The primary difference between a Future and a Forward is that Futures are typically traded over an exchange (Exchange - Traded Contacts - ETC), versus forwards, which are considered Over The Counter (OTC) contracts. An OTC is any contract NOT traded on an exchange. Good 'Til Cancelled Order (GTC) - An order to buy or sell at a specified price. This order remains open until filled or until the client cancels. Hedge - A position or combination of positions that reduces the risk of your primary position. Inflation - An economic condition whereby prices for consumer goods rise, eroding purchasing power. Initial margin - The initial deposit of collateral required to enter into a position as a guarantee on future performance. Interbank rates - The Foreign Exchange rates at which large international banks quote other large international banks. Leading Indicators - Statistics that are considered to predict future economic activity. LIBOR - The London Inter-Bank Offered Rate. Banks use LIBOR when borrowing from another bank. Limit order - An order with restrictions on the maximum price to be paid or the minimum price to be received. As an example, if the current price of USD/YEN is 102.00/05, then a limit order to buy USD would be at a price below 102. (ie 101.50) Liquidity - The ability of a market to accept large transaction with minimal to no impact on price stability. Liquidation - The closing of an existing position through the execution of an offsetting transaction. Long position - A position that appreciates in value if market prices increase. Margin - The required equity that an investor must deposit to collateralize a position. Margin call - A request from a broker or dealer for additional funds or other collateral to guarantee performance on a position that has moved against the customer. Market Maker - A dealer who regularly quotes both bid and ask prices and is ready to make a two-sided market for any financial instrument. Market Risk - Exposure to changes in market prices. Mark-to-Market - Process of re-evaluating all open positions with the current market prices. These new values then determine margin requirements. Maturity - The date for settlement or expiry of a financial instrument. Offer - The rate at which a dealer is willing to sell a currency. Offsetting transaction - A trade with which serves to cancel or offset some or all of the market risk of an open position. One Cancels the Other Order (OCO) - A designation for two orders whereby one part of the two orders is executed the other is automatically cancelled. Open order - An order that will be executed when a market moves to its designated price. Normally associated with Good 'til Cancelled Orders. Open position - A deal not yet reversed or settled with a physical payment. Over the Counter (OTC) - Used to describe any transaction that is not conducted over an exchange. Overnight - A trade that remains open until the next business day. Pips - Digits added to or subtracted from the fourth decimal place, i.e. 0.0001. Also called Points. Political Risk - Exposure to changes in governmental policy which will have an adverse effect on an investor's position. Position - The netted total holdings of a given currency. Premium - In the currency markets, describes the amount by which the forward or futures price exceed the spot price. Price Transparency - Describes quotes to which every market participant has equal access. Quote - An indicative market price, normally used for information purposes only. Rate - The price of one currency in terms of another, typically used for dealing purposes. Resistance - A term used in technical analysis indicating a specific price level at which analysis concludes people will sell. Revaluation - An increase in the exchange rate for a currency as a result of central bank intervention. Opposite of Devaluation. Risk - Exposure to uncertain change, most often used with a negative connotation of adverse change. Risk Management - The employment of financial analysis and trading techniques to reduce and/or control exposure to various types of risk. Roll-Over - Process whereby the settlement of a deal is rolled forward to another value date. The cost of this process is based on the interest rate differential of the two currencies. Settlement - The process by which a trade is entered into the books and records of the counterparts to a transaction. The settlement of currency trades may or may not involve the actual physical exchange of one currency for another. Short Position - An investment position that benefits from a decline in market price. Spot Price - The current market price. Settlement of spot transactions usually occurs within two business days. Spread - The difference between the bid and offer prices. Sterling - slang for British Pound. Stop Loss Order - Order type whereby an open position is automatically liquidated at a specific price. Often used to minimize exposure to losses if the market moves against an investor's position. As an example, if an investor is long USD at 156.27, they might wish to put in a stop loss order for 155.49, which would limit losses should the dollar depreciate, possibly below 155.49. Support Levels - A technique used in technical analysis that indicates a specific price ceiling and floor at which a given exchange rate will automatically correct itself. Opposite of resistance. Swap - A currency swap is the simultaneous sale and purchase of the same amount of a given currency at a forward exchange rate. Technical Analysis - An effort to forecast prices by analyzing market data, i.e. historical price trends and averages, volumes, open interest, etc. Tomorrow Next (Tom/Next) - Simultaneous buying and selling of a currency for delivery the following day. Transaction Cost - the cost of buying or selling a financial instrument. Transaction Date - The date on which a trade occurs. Turnover - The total money value of all executed transactions in a given time period; volume. Two-Way Price - When both a bid and offer rate is quoted for a FX transaction. Uptick - a new price quote at a price higher than the preceding quote. Uptick Rule - In the U.S., a regulation whereby a security may not be sold short unless the last trade prior to the short sale was at a price lower than the price at which the short sale is executed. US Prime Rate - The interest rate at which US banks will lend to their prime corporate customers. Value Date - The date on which counterparts to a financial transaction agree to settle their respective obligations, i.e., exchanging payments. For spot currency transactions, the value date is normally two business days forward. Also known as maturity date. Variation Margin - Funds a broker must request from the client to have the required margin deposited. The term usually refers to additional funds that must be deposited as a result of unfavorable price movements. Volatility (Vol) - A statistical measure of a market's price movements over time. Whipsaw - slang for a condition of a highly volatile market where a sharp price movement is quickly followed by a sharp reversal. Yard - Slang for a billion.

Currency market - the development and reality

International currency market - Forex (from Foreign Exchange market) is the largest twenty-four-hour dynamically developing highly remunerative market in the world. The promising Margin Trading system is one of the most paying capital investing and business administering ways. Having originated in the 70-ies of the 20th century, it enabled a wide circle of progressive participants with not very big capitals to get income quickly by increasing the speed, turnover, number of deals and volume of trade. Trade with money for money and only for money (and these are the assets circulating on FoRex) has the lowest cost price of deals and the highest liquidity possible.

Practically in seconds, at any time of day you can buy or sell at the market price any amount of currency essentially exceeding the capacity of any other market. Already now, the total volume of this ever-growing, huge international market exceeds 3-4 trillion US dollars per day, which is 1-3 annual budgets of USA (for comparison: the volume of securities market on New York Stock Exchange is 300-500 milliard dollars a day only).
The absolutely-highest-of-all-possible liquidity of trading operations is a strong attractive power for investors and speculating traders. It ensures the freedom to open or close positions of any volume practically at one and the same - currently available - market quote, with minimum spread.

The intensity and quantity of buyers and sellers ready for deals doesn't allow separate big participants to move the market in joint effort in their own interests on a long-term basis. Unambiguity and stability of quotes ensures essential continuity of price fluctuations, allows to execute orders-applications in a workmanlike manner and facilitates deal-making.
Twenty-four hours a day, constantly, in any time zone, in all financial centers, throughout the working week except for weekends the work on the market is going on. There're always people who trade and banks that work, providing prices for deals at any moment, opening or closing your positions on the market. Active twenty-four hours a day uninterrupted access allows concluding deals, keeping track of and executing your orders, making quick decisions, reacting to events on-the-fly and, being ahead of others, getting better prices. It's an essential, risk-reducing strong and attractive advantage.

The ability to keep open positions as long, as you wish, and lack of commission expenses for deals, except for small natural market difference - spread - between the bid and ask prices, essentially increases profitability of trade and traditionally lowers operating expenses, reducing the cost of deals, making it lower than on other financial markets.
Deals with currency pairs allow to use any trends and to get big profit constantly, both with ascending and descending trends, for each position includes the act of buying of one currency and simultaneous selling of another. You can buy yen for euro, and pay for dollars with pounds. A sufficient selection of the most appropriate and quickly tradeable instruments in the middle of a large number of currency pairs allows to work confidently, understanding and using their interference in order to trade several currencies at a time.
The progressive technologies of global interbank trade, absence of controlling and supervising institutions with all their charges and fees, unique opportunities opened up by Margin Trading without delivery lower the cost price of deal processing, which improves your working conditions.

Freedom and perfect competition on Forex allows to do without any special place for trade, there're no limitations on currency fluctuations and trade never stops, no regulation, deals are concluded between the banks all over the world, via modern point-of-sale terminals (ReutersDealing, EBS) and by phone, while the prices are determined only by demand and supply, which calls forth strong trends and allows getting considerable profit.
All these advantages provide exceptional earning opportunities and enable you to stay on the market all the time, combining the trade and your basic occupation, keeping track of all essential events and making deals.

High dynamics of constant changes in demand and supply due to various events taking place all the time at high rate, free price fluctuations as well as the opportunity to trade in real time, in combination with the capability to get quick and significant speculative profit (in a few hours or even minutes) at low risks, brings new promising participants to the market, able to find their bearings quickly and wishing to make real profit by trading.

The Euromarket

A major catalyst to the acceleration of Forex trading was the rapid development of the eurodollar market; where US dollars are deposited in banks outside the US. Similarly, Euromarkets are those where assets are deposited outside the currency of origin. The Eurodollar market first came into being in the 1950s when Russia's oil revenue-- all in dollars -- was deposited outside the US in fear of being frozen by US regulators. That gave rise to a vast offshore pool of dollars outside the control of US authorities. The US government imposed laws to restrict dollar lending to foreigners. Euromarkets were particularly attractive because they had far less regulations and offered higher yields. From the late 1980s onwards, US companies began to borrow offshore, finding Euromarkets a beneficial center for holding excess liquidity, providing short-term loans and financing imports and exports.

London was, and remains the principal offshore market. In the 1980s, it became the key center in the Eurodollar market when British banks began lending dollars as an alternative to pounds in order to maintain their leading position in global finance. London's convenient geographical location (operating during Asian and American markets) is also instrumental in preserving its dominance in the Euromarket.

But the gold exchange standard didn't lack faults. As an economy strengthened, it would import heavily from abroad until it ran down its gold reserves required to back its money. As a result, money supply would shrink, interest rates rose and economic activity slowed to the extent of recession. Ultimately, prices of goods had hit bottom, appearing attractive to other nations, which would rush into buying sprees that injected the economy with gold until it increased its money supply, and drive down interest rates and recreate wealth into the economy. Such boom-bust patterns prevailed throughout the gold standard until the outbreak of World War I interrupted trade flows and the free movement of gold.

After the Wars, the Bretton Woods Agreement was founded, where participating countries agreed to try and maintain the value of their currency with a narrow margin against the dollar and a corresponding rate of gold as needed. Countries were prohibited from devaluing their currencies to their trade advantage and were only allowed to do so for devaluations of less than 10%. Into the 1950s, the ever-expanding volume of international trade led to massive movements of capital generated by post-war construction. That destabilized foreign exchange rates as set up in Bretton Woods.

The Agreement was finally abandoned in 1971, and the US dollar would no longer be convertible into gold. By 1973, currencies of major industrialized nations became more freely floating, controlled mainly by the forces of supply and demand which acted in the foreign exchange market. Prices were floated daily, with volumes, speed and price volatility all increasing throughout the 1970s, giving rise to new financial instruments, market deregulation and trade liberalization.

In the 1980s, cross-border capital movements accelerated with the advent of computers and technology, extending market continuum through Asian, European and American time zones. Transactions in foreign exchange rocketed from about $70 billion a day in the 1980s, to more than $1.5 trillion a day two decades later.

The Bretton Woods Agreement In 1967, a Chicago bank refused a college professor by the name of Milton Friedman a loan in pound sterling because he had intended to use the funds to short the British currency. Friedman, ho had perceived sterling to be priced too high against the dollar, wanted to sell the currency, then later buy it back to repay the bank after the currency declined, thus pocketing a quick profit. The bank's refusal to grant the loan was due to the Bretton Woods Agreement, established twenty years earlier, which fixed national currencies against the dollar, and set the dollar at a rate of $35 per ounce of gold. M. Friedman The Bretton Woods Agreement, set up in 1944, aimed at installing international monetary stability by preventing money from fleeing across nations, and restricting speculation in the world currencies Prior to the Agreement, the gold exchange standard--prevailing between 1876 and World War I--dominated the international economic system. Under the gold. exchange, currencies gained a new phase of stability as they were backed by the price of gold. It abolished the age-old practice used by kings and rulers of arbitrarily debasing money and triggering inflation.

The Bretton Woods Agreement

In 1967, a Chicago bank refused a college professor by the name of Milton Friedman a loan in pound sterling because he had intended to use the funds to short the British currency. Friedman, ho had perceived sterling to be priced too high against the dollar, wanted to sell the currency, then later buy it back to repay the bank after the currency declined, thus pocketing a quick profit. The bank's refusal to grant the loan was due to the Bretton Woods Agreement, established twenty years earlier, which fixed national currencies against the dollar, and set the dollar at a rate of $35 per ounce of gold.

Forex history rates

The history exchange rates shown are the indicational rates as at 16h00 for the selected date and are for amounts up to R 50,000.

Please note:

Bank charges and commissions have not been allowed for. The history rates are only available from the 1st October 2001. The following European Monetary area currencies have been incorporated into the Euro currency : ATS, BEF, DEM, ESP, FIM, FRF, GRD, IEP, ITL, NLG, PTE.

The values are foreign exchange reference spot rates from the European Central Bank. The reference rates are based on the regular daily concertation procedure between central banks within and outside the European System of Central Banks, which normally takes place at the EZB at 2.15 p.m. ECB time (CET). The reference exchange rates are published both by electronic market information providers and on the ECBs website shortly after the concertation procedure has been completed. They are updated on forex-history.net at 2:30 p.m. CET.
Please remember that there are no rates on weekends & holidays!

Explanation

This is a one-to-one exchange rate table for all currencies. To see the exchange rate, start on the top line with a base currency and go down to the target currency of your choice to see the exchange rate.
Sorting: The matrix is sorted according to the average change of each currencies towards all other currencies. The base currency that became weakest towards all other currencies are on the right, those that became stronger towards all others are on the left.
Coloring: The colors indicate the percentage change of the currency. The more change, the lighter, small changes are darker. Currencies that have the same value on both dates have a black background. Weakening exchange rates are red, strengthening are green.

FXHistory®: historical currency exchange rates

FXHistory is the easiest tool to access the largest foreign exchange database on the Internet. To obtain the historical exchange rate for any currency pair, select the language, the range of dates and the currencies you would like to obtain exchange rates for. You can obtain the historical exchange rates with the desired rate (cash, interbank, credit card), in ASCII, CSV or HTML format. Click on "Get Table" to obtain the historical currency exchange rates from our exchange servers.