The foreign exchange market is an over-the-counter or global market for the buying and trading of various currencies. This marketplace determines international exchange rates for each currency. It includes all parts of the buying, selling and trading of currencies in current or determined quantities. The foreign currency market acts as a vital part of the world financial system.
Forex is the largest market in the world and it’s considered to be one of the most important markets in the world. This marketplace is very liquid and has less liquid cash balances than other markets. One reason for this is that the Forex contract generally is not a position held overnight but rather a position taken today. Because of this, Forex is also less liquid than other markets, particularly commodities. Traders tend to hold on to their Forex longer than they would a commodity like gold. Because Forex is traded on 24 hours a day and it is traded globally, Forex is less liquid and its movements are not easily tracked by charting software like those used to track the movements of the price of gold.
A good example of a liquid commodity market is the oil futures market, which has daily and weekly contract prices that are widely followed. The oil futures contract price is based on the spot price of oil, which changes frequently based on the world market. In addition to this, contracts for long-term energy contracts like gas and electricity are also highly liquid. With so much volatility in the Forex market and less liquidity compared to other commodities markets, Forex contracts represent a substantial portion of the total volume in the Forex market.
There are four major Forex markets: the US dollar, the Euro, the Japanese yen and the Swiss franc. These four exchanges handle almost ninety percent of the daily volume. Another ten percent is traded between the other major currencies. Each of these Forex markets has very different characteristics. The Swiss franc for example, has one currency that are strong and one that is weak and vice versa.
The primary drivers for traders to buy and sell foreign currency pairs are interest rates, political events, economic news and economic reports from around the world. Economic news can affect foreign currency interest rates drastically and change the value of the currency pair that is being traded. As a trader, if you see that the market interest rate changes, then you should be ready to react quickly because it could mean a big win for you. If the interest rate changes significantly, the price of the currency pair that you are holding may vary significantly. For this reason, Forex hedging plays an important role in the Forex market.
Forex blenders are entities or individuals who facilitate the exchange of currency pairs by buying and selling them on behalf of the investors. Forex blenders are usually financial institutions or individuals that have an account with a Swiss bank. These firms or individuals use their own capital and invest in different foreign exchange currencies depending on their performance and circumstances. The Forex blenders then allow the trader to trade at a predetermined price. When a currency pair is bought and sold, the Forex blenders make money by making profits on the transactions. They pass this profit on to the trader.