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A Short Introduction To FOREX


FOREX is the world's largest and most liquid trading market. Many consider FOREX as the best home business you can ever venture in. Even though regular people have had the opportunity to take part in trading foreign currencies for profit (in the same way banks and large corporations do) since 1998, it is just now becoming the cool, hip, new "thing" to talk about at parties, business events, and other social gatherings.

Even though it has been somewhat of a loosely guarded secret, every day more and more investors are turning to the all-electronic world of FOREX trading for income and profit because of its numerous benefits & advantages over traditional trading vehicles, like stocks, bonds and commodities.

But, still, whenever something seems new or is just becoming a part of social conversation, news articles, and water cooler gossip, misconceptions have to be overcome, the mind has to be open and the slate has to be clear for starting out fresh with the CORRECT information.

So, in this article, it is my attempt to give you some solid, but not over-detailed, information on just what the heck "FX" (FOREX) means, what it is, and why it exists.

As a successful trader said, Trading FOREX is like picking money up off the floor. Not trading FOREX is like leaving it there for someone else to pick up." Others in the industry have also said, Trading FOREX is like having an ATM machine on your own computer.

Here's an explanation (one I feel you'll appreciate) of what FOREX is and how a bunch of traders, profit from it:

The Foreign Exchange Market, also referred to the "FOREX" or "FX" market, is the spot (cash) market for currency.

But, don't mistake FX as trading the futures market, where you buy a contract to purchase a particular currency at a future price in time.

What FX traders do is much less risky than trading currencies on the futures market, much more profitable, and a lot easier, than trading stocks.

So, you're probably wondering where it's at ... or ... how to access the FX market?

The answer is: FX Trading is not bound to any one trading floor and is not centralized on an exchange, as with the stock and futures markets. The FX market is considered an Over-the-Counter (OTC) or 'Interbank' market, due to the fact that the entire market is run electronically, within a network of banks, continuously over a 24-hour period.

Yes, if that's the first time you've heard about an all-electronic market, I know this may sound somewhat intriguing to you.

Here's what you are actually trading when you participate in the Foreign Exchange (FOREX) market:

Essentially, like the large banks who use the FX market to protect themselves from the fluctuating exchange rate of different currencies, as an investor, what a FX trader is doing is simultaneously exchanging one countries currency for another. So, in actuality, they're electronically trading a currency-pair and the price that is quoted to us is the exchange rate between the two currencies.

In other words, simply the quoted price is how many of the one currency is worth 1 of the other currency.

Example:

EUR/USD last trade 1.2850 - One Euro is worth $1.2850 US dollars.The first currency (in this example, the EURO) is referred to as the base currency and the second (/USD) as the counter or quote currency.

The FOREX has a DAILY trading volume of around $1.5 trillion dollars - 30 times larger than the combined volume of all U.S. equity markets. This means that 1,498,574 skilled traders could each take 1 million dollars out of the FOREX market every day and the FOREX would still have more money left than the New York Stock exchange every day!

The FOREX plays a vital role in the world economy and there will always be a tremendous need for the FOREX. International trade increases as technology and communication increases. As long as there is international trade, there will be a FOREX market. The FX market has to exist so a country like Japan can sell products in the United States and be able to receive Japanese Yen in exchange for US Dollar.

There's plenty of money to be made using FOREX for plenty of traders that use the right trading techniques / tactics that will allow them to profit immensely. And, with only 5% of the daily turnover of volume coming from banks, government and large corporations who need to hedge, the other 95% is for speculation and profit.

http://www.1-forex.com

Omar Vargas; Forex trader and freelance writer. http://www.1-forex.com/


MORE RESOURCES:
FOREX-Euro hits 1-week low vs yen, dlr, stocks struggle - Reuters

Maktoob

FOREX-Euro hits 1-week low vs yen, dlr, stocks struggle
Reuters - 8 hours ago
By Naomi Tajitsu LONDON, Nov 20 (Reuters) - The euro hit a one-week low against the yen and the dollar on Thursday after a dim economic outlook from the ...
Forex Markets: A Look Into The Dollar Part I istockAnalyst.com (press release)
Australia Intervenes in Forex Market, Spends Record 3 Billion to ... Daily FX
FOREX-US dollar slips against yen, up versus euro Reuters UK
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FOREX-Dollar, yen gain as economy worries grow - Reuters

FOREX-Dollar, yen gain as economy worries grow
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By Steven C. Johnson NEW YORK, Nov 20 (Reuters) - The dollar and yen rose against the euro and other currencies from countries with high interest rates as ...
FOREX-Yen advances vs dollar, euro, stocks eyed for direction - Reuters

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Reuters - Nov 19, 2008
... and momentum traders jumped in and followed the moves to push them higher," said Brian Dolan, head of research at Forex.com in Bedminster, New Jersey. ...
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PFGBEST.com Delivers MetaTrader4 Retail Forex Platform
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FOREX-Recession fear sweeps yen up; high-yielders fall - Reuters

StarPhoenix

FOREX-Recession fear sweeps yen up; high-yielders fall
Reuters - 6 hours ago
By Veronica Brown LONDON, Nov 20 (Reuters) - The low-yielding yen extended a broad rally against major currencies on Thursday after downbeat economic ...
HK shares steady but telco services firms outperform Forbes
FOREX-Auto-driven economic, stock worries lift yen, dlr Reuters
PRESS DIGEST - Malaysia - Nov 18 Forbes
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FOREX-Dollar rises vs yen, US stocks dictate direction - Reuters

FOREX-Dollar rises vs yen, US stocks dictate direction
Reuters - Nov 18, 2008
By Gertrude Chavez-Dreyfuss NEW YORK, Nov 18 (Reuters) - The dollar climbed versus the yen on Tuesday, boosted by a steady performance in the US stock ...
FOREX-Rebounding US stocks lift dollar vs yen Reuters
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Dukascopy Daily Forex Overview - Forex Hound

Dukascopy Daily Forex Overview
Forex Hound, NY - 8 hours ago
On Wednesday, the euro was whipsawed and finished the New York trading session down against the dollar, overcome by a big drop in US stocks. ...


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