Forex Trading Uk
Forex Trading in current financial market
Foreign Exchange or Forex is the financial market 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 $2.5 trillion changing hands daily; more than three times the aggregate amount of the US equity and bond and commodity markets combined.
Unlike the other financial markets mentioned, the Forex market has no physical location and no central exchange; this makes the Forex market an OTC or over-the counter market. It operates through a global network of banks, corporations and market makers 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 time zone to another in all the major financial centres of the world.
Traditionally, private traders only means of gaining access to the foreign exchange market was through banks that transacted large amounts of currencies for commercial and investment purposes. Trading volume has increased rapidly over time, especially after exchange rates were allowed to float freely in 1971.
Over resent years the way the interbank currency market operates has changed dramatically. The Forex market has become accessible to private traders. The market makers have achieved this through a combination of low margin and high leverage and providing the professional tools and services needed to trade effectively in an independent atmosphere.
For the active trader, foreign exchange should be no different than other investments or financial instruments such as equities, commodities, bonds, notes, bills, etc.
In fact because of the globalisation of the economic world and the consolidation of whole economic regions such as the European Union, having currencies as part of a diversified portfolio simply makes sound portfolio and investment sense.
Just like these other investment alternatives mentioned, foreign exchange offers private traders and investors a market where they can buy and sell an investment product. In this case it is a specific Currency Pairs.
The currency pair may be the Euro versus the US Dollar, the US Dollar versus the Japanese Yen, the British Pound versus the US Dollar, the Euro versus British Pound, or a number of other currency combinations.
The different currency combinations represent nothing more than the value of one currency versus the value of another. That relationship is represented by a single price.
In foreign exchange, the price of a currency pair is the markets expectations at that time of the value of that currency vis-a-vis another currency given the current and expected economic and political situation of the two countries. In equity terms, it would be the price of the stock.
If for example, a country's inflation and interest rates are low and stable. If it's economy is strong and politics are stable and the expectations are for more of the same, then one can expect "in general" for that country's currency to remain strong versus a less fundamentally favourable currency. Keeping in mind that all comparisons are relative to that of other economic regions.
Contrasting that with equity, if the domestic and global economy is strong and inflation is not running away. If competition is not taking away market share or eating into margins as well product demand and growth are strong.
If the companies internal "politics" are such that the workers are happy and productive, and expectations are for more of the same, then you can expect that companies stock to remain strong versus a company with less favourable fundamentals within the same sector.
Like equities there are other factors that determine the short-term value of a product including technical analysis, short-term supply and demand, seasonal capital flow patterns, the current price of the instrument, etc.
By analysing the pricing dynamics and combining that with sound money management discipline like stop loss orders, the trader can insure greater success in his foreign exchange trading.
Benefits of Trading
Trading the Forex market has become very popular in the last years. Why is it that traders around the world see the Forex market as an investment opportunity We will try to answer this question in this article. Also we will discuss come differences between the Forex market, the stocks market and the futures market.
Some of the benefits of trading the Forex market are:
Superior liquidity
Liquidity is what really makes the Forex market different from other markets. The Forex market is by far the most liquid financial market in the world with nearly 2 trillion dollars traded everyday. This ensures price stability and better trade execution. Allowing traders to open and close transactions with ease. Also such a tremendous volume makes it hard to manipulate the market in an extended manner.
24hr Market.
This one is also one of the greatest advantages of trading Forex. It is an around the click market, the market opens on Sunday at 3:00 pm EST when New Zealand begins operations, and closes on Friday at 5:00 pm EST when San Francisco terminates operations. There are transactions in practically every time zone, allowing active traders to choose at what time to trade.
Leverage trading.
Trading the Forex Market offers a greater buying power than many other markets. Some Forex brokers offer leverage up to 400:1, allowing traders to have only 0.25% in margin of the total investment. For instance, a trader using 100:1 means that to have a US$100,000 position, only US$1,000 are needed on margin to be able to open that position.
Low Transaction costs.
Almost all brokers offer commission free trading. The only cost traders incur in any transaction is the spread (difference between the buy and sell price of each currency pair). This spread could be as low as 1 pip (the minimum increment in any currency pair) in some pairs.
Low minimum investment.
The Forex market requires less capital to start trading than any other markets. The initial investment could go as low as $500 USD, depending on leverage offered by the broker. This is a great advantage since Forex traders are able to keep their risk investment to the lowest level.
Specialized trading.
The liquidity of the market allows us to focus on just a few instruments (or currency pairs) as our main investments (85% of all trading transactions are made on the seven major currencies). Allowing us to monitor, and at the end get to know each instrument better.
Trading from anywhere.
If you do a lot of traveling, you can trade from anywhere in the world just having an internet connection. Some of the most important differences between the Forex market and other markets are explained below.
Forex market vs. Equity markets
Liquidity
FX market: Near two trillion dollars of daily volume.
Equity market: Around 200 billion on a daily basis.
Trading hours
FX market: 24hr market, 5.5 days a week.
Equity market: Monday through Friday from 8:30 EST to 5:00 EST.
Profit potential
FX market: In both, rising and falling markets.
Equity market: Most traders/investor profit only from rising markets.
Transaction costs
FX market: Commission free and tight spreads.
Equity market: High Commissions and transaction fees.
Specialization
FX market: most volume (85%) is made on major currencies (USD, EUR, JPY, GBP, CHF, CAD and AUD.)
Equity market: More than 40,000 stocks to choose from.
Forex market vs. Futures market
Liquidity
FX Market: Near two trillion dollars of daily volume.
Futures market: Around 400 billion dollars on a daily basis.
Transaction costs
FX market: Commission free and tight spreads.
Futures market: High commissions fees.
Margin
FX market: Fixed rate of margin on every position.
Futures market: Different levels of margin on overnight positions than day time positions.
Trade execution
FX market: Instantaneous execution.
Futures market: Inconsistent execution.
All this makes the Forex market very attractive to investors and traders. But I need to make something clear, although the benefits of trading the Forex market are notorious; it is still difficult to make a successful career trading the Forex market. It requires a lot of education, discipline, commitment and patience, as any other market.
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