Forex trading has gained in reputation as the financial upheaval has resulted in traders looking for one more source of speculation and earnings. On the other hand, there are many traders who have never heard of Forex and have little to no understanding of what it is or how it works.
Forex Basics
Forex stands for \”foreign exchange\” and it refers to automated foreign currency exchange from around the globe. It is the largest market for traders and speculators in the world and results in trades adding up to over $3 trillion daily. Trade markets are in London, Frankfurt, New York, Sydney and Tokyo. As a result of the revolving worldwide trading structure, the Forex market is a 24/7 process.
Codes
Currencies are identified by a three letter code. For example, the United States dollar is noted by USD, the British pound by GBP, the euro by EUR and so forth.
A \”cross\” is a grouping of two currencies that are being compared for exchange rates. For example, GBPUSD means one British pound to the number of United States dollars. So GBP=1.6768 means that one British pound is equal to $1.68 United States dollars. As the rate changes, the computerized display is shown in bold to designate a shift in rates.
Rates are displayed in five digit numbers; for example, 1.6768.
Vocabulary
Ask – the preferred trade rate for a seller. Bid – the tender from a buyer. Spread – the difference between the ask and the bid. Pip – the smallest unit in which a currency rate can adjust, for example, a change of 1.6766 to 1.6769 would be a three pip adjustment (6 to 9).
Advantages of Forex Trading
There are quite a few advantages to using Forex trading for traders and speculators. The Forex market is open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week as it is an intercontinental market.
Also, it provides instant liquidity for traders. There are always currencies to buy and sell and large players supply the short term lending necessary between banks to allow the currency trades to take place. This allows for a constantly changing market that is both comparatively stable and liquid.
For currency investors who closely watch currency trends, there is tremendous opportunity for profit if a particular currency is rising or falling. The goal of all market speculation is to buy low and sell high. Just like in the stock market, close market observers will notice if a currency is starting to plummet and sell those currencies when they are at the highest of their value. In contrast, when a currency is beginning to gain in value, then buyers will attempt to purchase that currency while it is still fairly low so that they can turn around and sell it when it begins to fall again. It is this continuous moving of the market that allows for profits on either end of the shift for close market analysts.
Before you start trading with real money, you must spend time to learn forex and move on only when you have a solid forex trading education