The foreign exchange market is an over-the Counter or global market for the trading of foreign currencies. This marketplace determines international exchange rates for each currency exchanged. It includes all facets of purchasing, selling and trading currencies in current or determined markets. This market is the largest and most liquid of all markets and handles a large volume of trade. Its primary trading centers are in New York, Tokyo and London.
Forex traders utilize two types of leverage: Short-term and Long-term. Leverage allows traders to increase their profits by utilizing smaller amounts of money than they could potentially invest. By using leverage, a trader can control a small portion of the currency market and thus influence its price. Leverage also allows for risk management since, if the currency fluctuates too much a trader will lose some of his funds.
A Forex broker is someone who assists Forex traders in buying and selling currencies on the Forex market. They use Forex brokers tools such as Forex accounts and Forex software to facilitate the trades. There are many types of Forex brokers including centralized, internet-based, and telephone brokers. A Forex broker typically offers services such as bank account maintenance, custom orders, news announcements and news bulletins, tips for maximizing the profits and advice on how to manage the risks associated with Forex trading. Brokers are able to give individuals, groups and corporations a range of different types of Forex services based on their personal needs.
The fundamental part of Forex trading deals with the buying and selling of one currency pair in exchange for another. In order to make money, it is necessary to purchase currency that is less expensive than the one you wish to purchase so that you can “leverage” the former currency pair. In Forex, leverage is necessary because you can potentially gain much more money by trading a small amount of money than you could if you were to invest that same amount in an equivalent currency pair. A Forex broker helps individuals choose the appropriate currency pair that is right for them.
Forex brokers provide individuals with a variety of different ways in which they can increase their income through Forex trading. Some brokers provide “frictional” accounts which allow for higher levels of leverage. Others may offer their clients the opportunity to open their own accounts which still allow for low levels of leverage. It is up to the individual as to which method they choose to increase their income through Forex trading.
In general, Forex pairs include the US dollar against the Euro, the Japanese yen against the US dollar, the Australian dollar against the Euro, and the British pound against the Japanese yen. These major currency pairs are considered strong global currencies due to the fact that they are usually strong throughout most of the year and tend to follow very similar trends. Weakness in any one of these pairs does not usually have a significant effect on the global economy since they are usually traded back and forth between several countries.