Foreign Exchange as a Financial Market
Currency exchange is very attractive for both the corporate and individual traders who make money on the Forex - a special financial market assigned for the foreign exchange. The following features make this market different in compare to all other sectors of the world financial system:
- heightened sensibility to a large and continuously changing number of factors;
- accessibility to all traders in the major currencies;
- guaranteed quantity and liquidity of the major currencies;
- increased consideration for several currencies, round-the clockbusiness hours which enable traders to deal after normal hours or duringnational holidays in their country finding markets abroad open and
- extremely high efficiency relative to other financial markets.
Foreign Exchange in a Historical Perspective
Currency trading has a long history and can be traced back to the ancient Middle East and Middle Ages when foreign exchange started to take shape after the international merchant bankers devised bills of exchange, which were transferable third-party payments that allowed flexibility and growth in foreign exchange dealings.
The modern foreign exchange market characterized by the consequent periods of increased volatility and relative stability formed itself in the twentieth century. By the mid-1930s London became to be the leading center for foreign exchange and the British pound served as the currency to trade and to keep as a reserve currency. Because in the old times foreign exchange was traded on the telex machines, or cable, the pound has generally the nickname “cableâ€. In 1930, the Bank for International Settlements was established in Basel, Switzerland, to oversee the financial efforts of the newly independent countries, emerged
after the World War I, and to provide monetary relief to countries experiencing temporary balance of payments difficulties.After the World War II, where the British economy was destroyed and the United States was the only country unscarred by war, U.S. dollar became the prominent currency of the entire globe. Nowadays, currencies all over the world are generally quoted against the U.S. dollar.
How do I get started in Forex
Do you see the profit potential in trading currencies, but learning to trade just seems too daunting? Have you watched with excitement the recent crashing of the value of the USD, but simply don’t know how to get started trading?
While it is simple to begin trading Forex online, maintaining profitability in the long term is no easy task. You have probably heard that 90% of Forex traders lose their money in the long term. If indeed this is true, it is the result of a couple of different factors
Overtrading: Each trade costs you a couple of pips—Consider your trades well before you make them. Each faulty trade, even if exited quickly, drains equity.
Bad money management: One bad trade can wipe out a year of patient, smart trading. Manage your risk using stop loss orders, so that you never risk too high a percentage of your equity on any one single trade.
Lack of knowledge: If you have never traded Forex before, educate yourself! Successful traders are not born that way. The difference between success and failure in the Forex market depends in no small part on the knowledge and education of a trader. For the beginning trader, a proper education is essential before investing in the Foreign Exchange. Find a program you are comfortable with, and begin practicing on a demo account.
Trading on the foreign exchange offers unparalleled opportunities for profit, but it is also extremely risky. Make sure you know what you are getting into before you start trading, and start trading only when you are comfortable in your knowledge and ability.
Carry Trading
The carry trade is a popular online Forex strategy which takes advantage of the different interest rates between two currencies.
If one currency has a relatively low interest rate it can be sold against a currency with a high interest rate and the trader may pocket the interest rate differential.
Speculators are guaranteed rollover interest deposits in their account at the end of each trading day.
This can provide a significant boost to trader’s profit. If, for instance, an investor buys the NZD against the JPY, which have interest rates of 7.25 and
.25 respectively, the trader can make a profit of 7% provided the market doesn’t move.However, even when exploiting interest rate differentials, there are still significant risks to a trader. Obviously, the market can still move against the trader’s position, though the rollover interest adjustments do help mitigate potential losses. Considering that most carryover traders use exceptionally high leverages to exploit interest rate differentials, even a small move against a position can lead to very high losses