Although the spot market is commonly known as one that deals with transactions in the present rather than the future , these trades actually take two days for settlement. Unlike the spot market, the forwards and futures markets do not trade actual currencies.
Instead they deal in contracts that represent claims to a certain currency type, a specific price per unit and a future date for settlement. In the forwards market, contracts are bought and sold OTC between two parties, who determine the terms of the agreement between themselves.
In the futures market, futures contracts are bought and sold based upon a standard size and settlement date on public commodities markets, such as the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. In the U. Futures contracts have specific details, including the number of units being traded, delivery and settlement dates, and minimum price increments that cannot be customized.
The exchange acts as a counterpart to the trader, providing clearance and settlement. Both types of contracts are binding and are typically settled for cash at the exchange in question upon expiry, although contracts can also be bought and sold before they expire. The forwards and futures markets can offer protection against risk when trading currencies. Usually, big international corporations use these markets in order to hedge against future exchange rate fluctuations, but speculators take part in these markets as well. Note that you'll often see the terms: FX, forex, foreign-exchange market, and currency market.
These terms are synonymous and all refer to the forex market.
Companies doing business in foreign countries are at risk due to fluctuations in currency values when they buy or sell goods and services outside of their domestic market. Foreign exchange markets provide a way to hedge currency risk by fixing a rate at which the transaction will be completed. To accomplish this, a trader can buy or sell currencies in the forward or swap markets in advance, which locks in an exchange rate. For example, imagine that a company plans to sell U. A stronger dollar resulted in a much smaller profit than expected.
The blender company could have reduced this risk by shorting the euro and buying the USD when they were at parity. That way, if the dollar rose in value, the profits from the trade would offset the reduced profit from the sale of blenders. If the USD fell in value, the more favorable exchange rate will increase the profit from the sale of blenders, which offsets the losses in the trade. Hedging of this kind can be done in the currency futures market.
The advantage for the trader is that futures contracts are standardized and cleared by a central authority. However, currency futures may be less liquid than the forward markets, which are decentralized and exist within the interbank system throughout the world. Factors like interest rates , trade flows, tourism, economic strength, and geopolitical risk affect supply and demand for currencies, which creates daily volatility in the forex markets. An opportunity exists to profit from changes that may increase or reduce one currency's value compared to another.
A forecast that one currency will weaken is essentially the same as assuming that the other currency in the pair will strengthen because currencies are traded as pairs. Imagine a trader who expects interest rates to rise in the U. The trader believes higher interest rates in the U. There are two distinct features to currencies as an asset class :.
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An investor can profit from the difference between two interest rates in two different economies by buying the currency with the higher interest rate and shorting the currency with the lower interest rate. Prior to the financial crisis, it was very common to short the Japanese yen JPY and buy British pounds GBP because the interest rate differential was very large. This strategy is sometimes referred to as a " carry trade. Currency trading was very difficult for individual investors prior to the internet.
Currency Trading
Most currency traders were large multinational corporations , hedge funds or high-net-worth individuals because forex trading required a lot of capital. With help from the internet, a retail market aimed at individual traders has emerged, providing easy access to the foreign exchange markets, either through the banks themselves or brokers making a secondary market. Most online brokers or dealers offer very high leverage to individual traders who can control a large trade with a small account balance. Trading currencies can be risky and complex.
The interbank market has varying degrees of regulation, and forex instruments are not standardized. In some parts of the world, forex trading is almost completely unregulated. The interbank market is made up of banks trading with each other around the world. The banks themselves have to determine and accept sovereign risk and credit risk , and they have established internal processes to keep themselves as safe as possible.
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Regulations like this are industry-imposed for the protection of each participating bank. Since the market is made by each of the participating banks providing offers and bids for a particular currency, the market pricing mechanism is based on supply and demand. Because there are such large trade flows within the system, it is difficult for rogue traders to influence the price of a currency.
This system helps create transparency in the market for investors with access to interbank dealing. Depending on where the dealer exists, there may be some government and industry regulation, but those safeguards are inconsistent around the globe. Most retail investors should spend time investigating a forex dealer to find out whether it is regulated in the U. It is also a good idea to find out what kind of account protections are available in case of a market crisis, or if a dealer becomes insolvent.
Pro : The forex markets are the largest in terms of daily trading volume in the world and therefore offer the most liquidity. Challenge : Banks, brokers, and dealers in the forex markets allow a high amount of leverage , which means that traders can control large positions with relatively little money of their own.
Leverage in the range of is a high ratio but not uncommon in forex. A trader must understand the use of leverage and the risks that leverage introduces in an account. Extreme amounts of leverage have led to many dealers becoming insolvent unexpectedly. Pro : The forex market is traded 24 hours a day, five days a week—starting each day in Australia and ending in New York.
Challenge : Trading currencies productively requires an understanding of economic fundamentals and indicators. A currency trader needs to have a big-picture understanding of the economies of the various countries and their inter-connectedness to grasp the fundamentals that drive currency values.
For traders —especially those with limited funds— day trading or swing trading in small amounts is easier in the forex market than other markets. For those with longer-term horizons and larger funds, long-term fundamentals-based trading or a carry trade can be profitable. A focus on understanding the macroeconomic fundamentals driving currency values and experience with technical analysis may help new forex traders to become more profitable.
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Would you buy something like that?
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Probably not, and this is an example of why you need to know and understand what you buy and sell. Currency trading is great because you can use leverage, and there are so many different currency pairs to trade. It's better to pick a few that have no relation and focus on those. Having only a few will make it easy to keep up with economic news for the countries involved, and you'll be able to get a sense of the rhythm of the currencies involved.
After you've been trading with a small live account for a while and you have a sense of what you're doing, it's ok to deposit more money and increase your amount of trading capital. Knowing what you're doing boils down to getting rid of your bad habits, understanding the market and trading strategies, and gaining some control over your emotions.
If you can do that, you can be successful trading forex. Managing risk and managing your emotions go hand in hand. When people feel emotional, greedy or fearful, that is when they make mistakes with risk, and it's what causes failure. When you look at a trading chart, approach it with a logical, objective mindset that only sees the presence or lack of potential; it shouldn't be a matter of excitement. If pulling the trigger on a trade feels emotional in any way, you should re-evaluate why you're not able to be objective.
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