ABOUT FOREX

Foreign Exchange (FOREX) is the arena where a nation's currency is exchanged for that of another. The foreign exchange market is the largest financial market in the world, with the equivalent of over $1.9 trillion changing hands daily; more than three times the aggregate amount of the US Equity and Treasury markets combined. Unlike other financial markets, the Forex market has no physical location and no central exchange (off-exchange). It operates through a global network of banks, corporations and individuals trading one currency for another. The lack of a physical exchange enables the Forex market to operate on a 24-hour basis, spanning from one zone to another in all the major financial centers.

Some of the participants in this market are simply seeking to exchange a foreign currency for their own, like multinational corporations which must pay wages and other expenses in different nations than they sell products in. However, a large part of the market is made up of currency traders, who speculate on movements in exchange rates, much like others would speculate on movements of stock prices. Currency traders try to take advantage of even small fluctuations in exchange rates.

In the foreign exchange market there is little or no 'inside information'. Exchange rate fluctuations are usually caused by actual monetary flows as well as anticipations on global macroeconomic conditions. Significant news is released publicly so, at least in theory, everyone in the world receives the same news at the same time.

Forex trading transpires on a world wide decentralized exchange which is an over-the-counter financial market for the exchange of currencies. The purpose of Forex currency trading is to assist in international trade and investment. The FX trading market provides businesses the ability to convert one currency into another. For example, if a U.S. business is importing European products it will need to convert its dollars over to euros in order to pay the European country. The Forex trading market facilitates these types of transactions. The FX trading market boasts the biggest daily volume of any financial market in the world, this allows for very dense liquidity which is the main reason why so many retail speculators are drawn to Forex trading.

The global economy does not rest, there are always international business transactions taking place between companies located in different countries that use different currencies. The Forex trading market allows around the clock business transactions to take place. There is no waiting for the market to open as with stocks or commodities; the Forex currency trading market is always open, 24 hours a day 6 days a week. Most FX trading takes place over the internet, in this way it has allowed retail traders to easily get involved in speculating, which has worked to further the depth of liquidity in the Forex trading market.

The catalysts that drive Forex trading are largely macroeconomic mechanisms such as central bank interest rates, inflation policies, and monthly economic reports. As such, these relatively stable mechanisms allow the FX trading market to be a great fit for technical trading and especially for the utilization of simple Forex trading methods like price action analysis. There generally will be a few big news release price spikes throughout the month but the rest of the time the Forex currency trading market moves very technically, and as such, lends itself nicely to the simplicity of price action trading.