Which web browsers are compatible with the online forex trading system?
The forex day trading system supports both Netscape 6.0 or higher as well as Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) version 5.01 or higher. However, for best operation, we strongly recommend Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 or higher.
What software do I need to run the online forex trading system and where do I get it?
The first time you login to the system, you must load a Java applet to enable the online forex trading system software. Once you have installed the plug-in and applet you will not be required to do so again. To load the applet you must have 'JavaT 2 JRE v1.3.1_11 for Windows' installed. The JRE download bundle includes the Java 2 Runtime Environment with Java Plug-in software. If these components are already installed, Internet Explorer will automatically load the applet necessary to run the forex day trading system. Load time for the applet on a 56k modem is approximately 1 minute. If you do not have 'JavaT 2 JRE v1.3.1_11 for Windows' installed, Internet Explorer will prompt you to install it. If IE does not automatically prompt you to install these components, or if you are a Netscape user, you may install the files directly by clicking on this link. Load time is approximately 20 minutes on a 56K connection.
What are the hardware requirements for the online forex trading system?
Minimum System requirements: Pentium class (or similar chip) running at 200Mhz or higher and a monitor that supports 800x600 with a color depth of 16 bits (65,536 colors) or higher resolution. A minimum of 96 MB of RAM for Windows 95/98 and 128 MB of RAM for Windows NT. Additional RAM may be required to run several other applications simultaneously with the online forex trading software. You may experience slightly longer response times.
Recommended System requirements: Pentium II or Celeron class running at 400Mhz or higher, and a monitor that supports 1024x768 with a color depth of 32 bits (16,777,216 colors) or higher resolution. 128MB of RAM for Windows 95/98, and 256MB of RAM for Windows NT/2000/XP.
Which Operating Systems are not supported?
Currently, the latest version of the Java components necessary to run the online forex trading software (JavaT 2 JRE v1.3.1_11) is not supported for the Mac OS 9 or below.
What are the minimum requirements for Internet connection speed?
We recommend a connection of 56K bps or higher. 28.8K modems are acceptable, but you may experience slightly longer response times.
How do I connect to the forex day trading system through a Firewall or Proxy server?
A client service associate can assist you in configuring your Firewall or Proxy server to access the online forex trading system. Please call 1-877-424-6227 - toll free within North America, or +1.908.731.0700 outside North America.
How do I resize the forex trading system window inside my browser?
You must resize the browser window to affect the size of the online forex trading system software window inside. Internet Explorer allows you to set the size of the window to full screen, either by using the F11 function key or selecting View > Full Screen in the IE menu.
What if I request a deal but do not receive a deal confirmation?
Normal confirmation times are 1-2 seconds. If you do not receive a 'deal confirmed' or 'deal failed' message within that time, there are two possible causes. Either you have been disconnected from the Internet or the connection from our Server to your PC has dropped. To troubleshoot, first check to see if you are still connected to the Internet by trying to access another web page. To make sure the page is not stored in your cache, click the 'refresh' or 'reload' button, depending on your choice of browser. If your Internet connection is intact, you must re-login to the online forex trading system.
Why can't I see all the deals in my Position Management window?
The online forex trading system is best viewed in Microsoft IE at full screen. In the IE menu, go to View > Full Screen or use the F11 function key. Even with your screen maximized, you may still have to use the scroll bar - depending on how many deals are in your portfolio.
When I launch the online forex trading software, why do the menu tabs and icons appear larger than usual or distorted?
This often happens if you try to re-size the window while the forex software is loading. The situation is usually resolved by minimizing and then maximizing the window. If this does not fix the problem, please log off, close and reopen the browser, and then login again.
What is the Java Console?
When starting the Forex Day Trading system software, the Java Console may appear. This is normal and is used to observe the incoming and outgoing messages. If you do not wish to see this simply close the window. If you do not want the Java Console to appear, from the Program menu select Java Plug-in Control Panel and disable the "Show Java Console" checkbox. Click on Apply to save changes.
Why didn't I receive an email with my username and password after I registered for a free 30-day demo for the trading system?
When you register for a free forex demo by filling out the registration form, right away you should receive an email with your the user name and password you need to log in the demo. If you haven't received the email, it could be due to a few reasons. The three main reasons are:
You did not provide a valid email address. If you do not type your email address correctly on the demo request form, the email that is automatically sent by the system when the form is submitted will never arrive. If you are afraid that you typed your email address incorrectly, please register for another demo. If you are certain that you provided the correct email address, please check the other two reasons below.
Your email account provider incorrectly placed the email in your junk mail folder. If you did not receive an email from us right away after filling out the demo registration form, your email account provider (Yahoo, Hotmail, BellSouth, etc.) might have incorrectly routed the email to your Junk Mail or Spam folder. Please check your junk folder to see if the email is there. If it is not there, and you did not delete your junk mail folder after registering for the free forex trading demo, then you can register for a new demo again by filling out the registration form one more time.
Email account is over quota. Some clients realize, after signing up for a free trading demo, that their email accounts are full or OVER QUOTA. This might be the case why you did not receive the email with log in instructions after you filled out the demo form. If this is so, please empty some emails from your account so that it is no longer over quota and then fill out the forex demo form again.
I am trying to log in with the user id and password I received after I registered for a demo and they are not working. What is going on?
There are a large number of users on the demo servers at any give time. From time to time, the servers need to be upgraded or need maintenance. If you have been able to log in successfully to your free forex demo and all of the sudden you can't, more than likely the reason is that the servers are undergoing maintenance. Please try logging in again a bit later to see if the problem persists.
My 30-day free trial of your forex system has expired, can you renew my demo?
If your 30-day demo expired, you can simply register for a new demo by going to the Forex Day Trading home page and following the same steps that you did the first time when you signed up for your demo. You can do this as many times as you like, but if you ever decide to open an account and trade with real money, please go through our free, live forex training first.
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
FOREX MARKET FAQ
What is Foreign Exchange?
The Foreign Exchange market, also referred to as the "Forex" or "FX" market, is the largest financial market in the world, with a daily average turnover of approximately US$1.5 trillion. Foreign Exchange is the simultaneous buying of one currency and selling of another. The world's currencies are on a floating exchange rate and are always traded in pairs, for example Euro/Dollar or Dollar/Yen.
Where is the central location of the Forex Market?
Forex Trading is not centralized on an exchange, as with the stock and futures markets. The Forex market is considered an Over the Counter (OTC) or 'Interbank' market, due to the fact that transactions are conducted between two counterparts over the telephone or via an electronic network.
Who are the participants in the Forex Market?
The Forex market is called an 'Interbank' market due to the fact that historically it has been dominated by banks, including central banks, commercial banks, and investment banks. However, the percentage of other market participants is rapidly growing, and now includes large multinational corporations, global money managers, registered dealers, international money brokers, futures and options traders, and private speculators.
When is the Forex market open for trading?
A true 24-hour market, Forex trading begins each day in Sydney, and moves around the globe as the business day begins in each financial center, first to Tokyo, then London, and New York. Unlike any other financial market, investors can respond to currency fluctuations caused by economic, social and political events at the time they occur - day or night.
What are the most commonly traded currencies in the Forex markets?
The most often traded or 'liquid' currencies are those of countries with stable governments, respected central banks, and low inflation. Today, over 85% of all daily transactions involve trading of the major currencies, which include the US Dollar, Japanese Yen, Euro, British Pound, Swiss Franc, Canadian Dollar and the Australian Dollar.
Do you need a lot of money to trade currencies?
No. The minimum deposit required is $2,500. Customers are allowed to execute margin trades at up to 100:1 leverage. This means that investors can execute trades up to $100,000 with an initial margin requirement of $1000. However, it is important to remember that while this type of leverage allows investors to maximize their profit potential, the potential for loss is equally great. A more pragmatic margin trade for someone new to the Forex markets would be 5:1 or even 10:1, but ultimately depends on the investor's appetite for risk.
What is Margin?
Margin is essentially collateral for a position. If the market moves against a customer's position, additional funds will be requested through a "margin call." If there are insufficient available funds, immediately the customer's open positions will be closed out.
What does it mean have a 'long' or 'short' position?
A long position is one in which a trader buys a currency at one price and aims to sell it later at a higher price. In this scenario, the investor benefits from a rising market. A short position is one in which the trader sells a currency in anticipation that it will depreciate. In this scenario, the investor benefits from a declining market. However, it is important to remember that every Forex position requires an investor to go long in one currency and short the other.
How can I get familiar with terms such as "bid, "ask", "spread," etc.?
We have an extensive Glossary that provides detailed definitions of all Forex related terms. Click on this link to go to the forex glossary.
What is the difference between an "intraday" and "overnight" position?
Intraday positions are all positions opened anytime during the 24 hour period AFTER the close of normal trading hours at 4:30pm EST. Overnight positions are positions that are still on at the end of normal trading hours (4:30pm EST), which are automatically rolled at competitive rates (based on the currencies interest rate differentials) to the next day's price.
What affects the prices of currencies?
Currency prices (exchange rates) are affected by a variety of economic and political conditions, most importantly interest rates, inflation and political stability. Moreover, governments sometimes participate in the Forex market to influence the value of their currencies, either by flooding the market with their domestic currency in an attempt to lower the price, or conversely buying in order to raise the price. This is known as Central Bank intervention. Any of these factors, as well as large market orders, can cause high volatility in currency prices. However, the size and volume of the Forex market makes it impossible for any one entity to "drive" the market for any length of time.
How do I manage risk when I trade currencies?
The most common risk management tools in Forex trading are the limit order and the stop loss order. A limit order places restriction on the maximum price to be paid or the minimum price to be received. A stop loss order ensures a particular position is automatically liquidated at a predetermined price in order to limit potential losses should the market move against an investor's position. The liquidity of the Forex market ensures that limit order and stop loss orders can be easily executed.
What kind of trading strategy should I use?
Currency traders make decisions using both technical factors and economic fundamentals. Technical traders use charts, trend lines, support and resistance levels, and numerous patterns and mathematical analyses to identify trading opportunities, whereas fundamentalists predict price movements by interpreting a wide variety of economic information, including news, government-issued indicators and reports, and even rumor. The most dramatic price movements however, occur when unexpected events happen. The event can range from a Central Bank raising domestic interest rates to the outcome of a political election or even an act of war. Nonetheless, more often it is the expectation of an event that drives the market rather than the event itself.
How frequent do people trade currencies?
Market conditions dictate trading activity on any given day. As a reference, the average small to medium trader might trade as often as 10 times a day.
How long are positions maintained?
As a general rule, a position is kept open until one of the following occurs: 1) realization of sufficient profits from a position; 2) the specified stop-loss is triggered; 3) another position that has a better potential appears and you need these funds.
I am interested in foreign exchange trading, but would like some additional information. Any suggestions?
In Forex Education section we describe the foreign exchange market in some detail. In order to gain a practical understanding of foreign exchange trading, there is no better way than to open a forex demo account, where you can experience what it's like to trade the forex market without risking any capital.
The Foreign Exchange market, also referred to as the "Forex" or "FX" market, is the largest financial market in the world, with a daily average turnover of approximately US$1.5 trillion. Foreign Exchange is the simultaneous buying of one currency and selling of another. The world's currencies are on a floating exchange rate and are always traded in pairs, for example Euro/Dollar or Dollar/Yen.
Where is the central location of the Forex Market?
Forex Trading is not centralized on an exchange, as with the stock and futures markets. The Forex market is considered an Over the Counter (OTC) or 'Interbank' market, due to the fact that transactions are conducted between two counterparts over the telephone or via an electronic network.
Who are the participants in the Forex Market?
The Forex market is called an 'Interbank' market due to the fact that historically it has been dominated by banks, including central banks, commercial banks, and investment banks. However, the percentage of other market participants is rapidly growing, and now includes large multinational corporations, global money managers, registered dealers, international money brokers, futures and options traders, and private speculators.
When is the Forex market open for trading?
A true 24-hour market, Forex trading begins each day in Sydney, and moves around the globe as the business day begins in each financial center, first to Tokyo, then London, and New York. Unlike any other financial market, investors can respond to currency fluctuations caused by economic, social and political events at the time they occur - day or night.
What are the most commonly traded currencies in the Forex markets?
The most often traded or 'liquid' currencies are those of countries with stable governments, respected central banks, and low inflation. Today, over 85% of all daily transactions involve trading of the major currencies, which include the US Dollar, Japanese Yen, Euro, British Pound, Swiss Franc, Canadian Dollar and the Australian Dollar.
Do you need a lot of money to trade currencies?
No. The minimum deposit required is $2,500. Customers are allowed to execute margin trades at up to 100:1 leverage. This means that investors can execute trades up to $100,000 with an initial margin requirement of $1000. However, it is important to remember that while this type of leverage allows investors to maximize their profit potential, the potential for loss is equally great. A more pragmatic margin trade for someone new to the Forex markets would be 5:1 or even 10:1, but ultimately depends on the investor's appetite for risk.
What is Margin?
Margin is essentially collateral for a position. If the market moves against a customer's position, additional funds will be requested through a "margin call." If there are insufficient available funds, immediately the customer's open positions will be closed out.
What does it mean have a 'long' or 'short' position?
A long position is one in which a trader buys a currency at one price and aims to sell it later at a higher price. In this scenario, the investor benefits from a rising market. A short position is one in which the trader sells a currency in anticipation that it will depreciate. In this scenario, the investor benefits from a declining market. However, it is important to remember that every Forex position requires an investor to go long in one currency and short the other.
How can I get familiar with terms such as "bid, "ask", "spread," etc.?
We have an extensive Glossary that provides detailed definitions of all Forex related terms. Click on this link to go to the forex glossary.
What is the difference between an "intraday" and "overnight" position?
Intraday positions are all positions opened anytime during the 24 hour period AFTER the close of normal trading hours at 4:30pm EST. Overnight positions are positions that are still on at the end of normal trading hours (4:30pm EST), which are automatically rolled at competitive rates (based on the currencies interest rate differentials) to the next day's price.
What affects the prices of currencies?
Currency prices (exchange rates) are affected by a variety of economic and political conditions, most importantly interest rates, inflation and political stability. Moreover, governments sometimes participate in the Forex market to influence the value of their currencies, either by flooding the market with their domestic currency in an attempt to lower the price, or conversely buying in order to raise the price. This is known as Central Bank intervention. Any of these factors, as well as large market orders, can cause high volatility in currency prices. However, the size and volume of the Forex market makes it impossible for any one entity to "drive" the market for any length of time.
How do I manage risk when I trade currencies?
The most common risk management tools in Forex trading are the limit order and the stop loss order. A limit order places restriction on the maximum price to be paid or the minimum price to be received. A stop loss order ensures a particular position is automatically liquidated at a predetermined price in order to limit potential losses should the market move against an investor's position. The liquidity of the Forex market ensures that limit order and stop loss orders can be easily executed.
What kind of trading strategy should I use?
Currency traders make decisions using both technical factors and economic fundamentals. Technical traders use charts, trend lines, support and resistance levels, and numerous patterns and mathematical analyses to identify trading opportunities, whereas fundamentalists predict price movements by interpreting a wide variety of economic information, including news, government-issued indicators and reports, and even rumor. The most dramatic price movements however, occur when unexpected events happen. The event can range from a Central Bank raising domestic interest rates to the outcome of a political election or even an act of war. Nonetheless, more often it is the expectation of an event that drives the market rather than the event itself.
How frequent do people trade currencies?
Market conditions dictate trading activity on any given day. As a reference, the average small to medium trader might trade as often as 10 times a day.
How long are positions maintained?
As a general rule, a position is kept open until one of the following occurs: 1) realization of sufficient profits from a position; 2) the specified stop-loss is triggered; 3) another position that has a better potential appears and you need these funds.
I am interested in foreign exchange trading, but would like some additional information. Any suggestions?
In Forex Education section we describe the foreign exchange market in some detail. In order to gain a practical understanding of foreign exchange trading, there is no better way than to open a forex demo account, where you can experience what it's like to trade the forex market without risking any capital.
Forex Glossary
Appreciation - A currency is said to 'appreciate ' when it strengthens in price in response to market demand.
Arbitrage - The purchase or sale of an instrument and simultaneous taking of an equal and opposite position in a related market, in order to take advantage of small price differentials between markets.
Around - Dealer jargon used in quoting when the forward premium/discount is near parity. For example, "two-two around" would translate into 2 points to either side of the present spot.
Ask Rate - The rate at which a financial instrument if offered for sale (as in bid/ask spread).
Asset Allocation - Investment practice that divides funds among different markets to achieve diversification for risk management purposes and/or expected returns consistent with an investor's objectives.
Back Office - The departments and processes related to the settlement of financial transactions.
Balance of Trade - The value of a country's exports minus its imports.
Base Currency - In general terms, the base currency is the currency in which an investor or issuer maintains its book of accounts. In the FX markets, the US Dollar is normally considered the 'base' currency for quotes, meaning that quotes are expressed as a unit of $1 USD per the other currency quoted in the pair. The primary exceptions to this rule are the British Pound, the Euro and the Australian Dollar.
Bear Market - A market distinguished by declining prices.
Bid/Ask Spread - The difference between the bid and offer price, and the most widely used measure of market liquidity.
Big Figure - Dealer expression referring to the first few digits of an exchange rate. These digits rarely change in normal market fluctuations, and therefore are omitted in dealer quotes, especially in times of high market activity. For example, a USD/Yen rate might be 107.30/107.35, but would be quoted verbally without the first three digits i.e. "30/35".
Book - In a professional trading environment, a 'book' is the summary of a trader's or desk's total positions.
Broker - An individual or firm that acts as an intermediary, putting together buyers and sellers for a fee or commission. In contrast, a 'dealer' commits capital and takes one side of a position, hoping to earn a spread (profit) by closing out the position in a subsequent trade with another party.
Bretton Woods Agreement of 1944 - An agreement that established fixed foreign exchange rates for major currencies, provided for central bank intervention in the currency markets, and pegged the price of gold at US $35 per ounce. The agreement lasted until 1971, when President Nixon overturned the Bretton Woods agreement and established a floating exchange rate for the major currencies.
Bull Market - A market distinguished by rising prices.
Bundesbank - Germany's Central Bank.
Cable - Trader jargon referring to the Sterling/US Dollar exchange rate. So called because the rate was originally transmitted via a transatlantic cable beginning in the mid 1800's.
Candlestick Chart - A chart that indicates the trading range for the day as well as the opening and closing price. If the open price is higher than the close price, the rectangle between the open and close price is shaded. If the close price is higher than the open price, that area of the chart is not shaded.
Central Bank - A government or quasi-governmental organization that manages a country's monetary policy. For example, the US central bank is the Federal Reserve, and the German central bank is the Bundesbank.
Chartist - An individual who uses charts and graphs and interprets historical data to find trends and predict future movements. Also referred to as Technical Trader.
Clearing - The process of settling a trade.
Contagion - The tendency of an economic crisis to spread from one market to another. In 1997, political instability in Indonesia caused high volatility in their domestic currency, the Rupiah. From there, the contagion spread to other Asian emerging currencies, and then to Latin America, and is now referred to as the 'Asian Contagion'.
Commission - A transaction fee charged by a broker.
Confirmation - A document exchanged by counterparts to a transaction that states the terms of said transaction.
Contract - The standard unit of trading,
Counterparty - One of the participants in a financial transaction.
Country Risk - Risk associated with a cross-border transaction, including but not limited to legal and political conditions.
Cross Rate - The exchange rate between any two currencies that are considered non-standard in the country where the currency pair is quoted. For example, in the US, a GBP/JPY quote would be considered a cross rate, whereas in UK or Japan it would be one of the primary currency pairs traded.
Currency - Any form of money issued by a government or central bank and used as legal tender and a basis for trade.
Currency Risk - the probability of an adverse change in exchange rates
Day Trading - Refers to positions which are opened and closed on the same trading day.
Dealer - An individual who acts as a principal or counterpart to a transaction. Principals take one side of a position, hoping to earn a spread (profit) by closing out the position in a subsequent trade with another party. In contrast, a broker is an individual or firm that acts as an intermediary, putting together buyers and sellers for a fee or commission.
Deficit - A negative balance of trade or payments.
Delivery - An FX trade where both sides make and take actual delivery of the currencies traded.
Depreciation - A fall in the value of a currency due to market forces.
Derivative - A contract that changes in value in relation to the price movements of a related or underlying security, future or other physical instrument. An Option is the most common derivative instrument.
Devaluation - The deliberate downward adjustment of a currency's price, normally by official announcement.
Economic Indicator - A government issued statistic that indicates current economic growth and stability. Common indicators include employment rates, Gross Domestic Product (GDP), inflation, retail sales, etc.
European Monetary Union (EMU) - The principal goal of the EMU is to establish a single European currency called the Euro, which will officially replace the national currencies of the member EU countries in 2002. On January 1st, 1999 the transitional phase to introduce the Euro began. The Euro now exists as a banking currency and paper financial transactions and foreign exchange are made in Euros. This transition period will last for three years, at which time Euro notes an coins will enter circulation. On July 1,2002, only Euros will be legal tender for EMU participants, the national currencies of the member countries will cease to exist. The current members of the EMU are Germany, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Austria, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain and Portugal.
EURO - the currency of the European Monetary Union (EMU). A replacement for the European Currency Unit (ECU).
European Central Bank (ECB) - the Central Bank for the new European Monetary Union.
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC ) - The regulatory agency responsible for administering bank depository insurance in the US.
Federal Reserve (Fed) - The Central Bank for the United States.
Flat/square - Dealer jargon used to describe a position that has been completely reversed, e.g. you bought $500,000 then sold $500,000, thereby creating a neutral (flat) position.
Foreign Exchange - (Forex, FX) - the simultaneous buying of one currency and selling of another.
Forward - The pre-specified exchange rate for a foreign exchange contract settling at some agreed future date, based upon the interest rate differential between the two currencies involved.
Forward points - The pips added to or subtracted from the current exchange rate to calculate a forward price.
Fundamental analysis - Analysis of economic and political information with the objective of determining future movements in a financial market.
Futures Contract - An obligation to exchange a good or instrument at a set price on a future date. The primary difference between a Future and a Forward is that Futures are typically traded over an exchange (Exchange-Traded Contacts - ETC), versus forwards, which are considered Over The Counter (OTC) contracts. An OTC is any contract NOT traded on an exchange.
Good 'Til Cancelled Order (GTC) - An order to buy or sell at a specified price. This order remains open until filled or until the client cancels.
Hedge - A position or combination of positions that reduces the risk of your primary position.
Inflation - An economic condition whereby prices for consumer goods rise, eroding purchasing power.
Initial margin - The initial deposit of collateral required to enter into a position as a guarantee on future performance.
Interbank rates - The Foreign Exchange rates at which large international banks quote other large international banks.
Leading Indicators - Statistics that are considered to predict future economic activity.
LIBOR - The London Inter-Bank Offered Rate. Banks use LIBOR when borrowing from another bank.
Limit order - An order with restrictions on the maximum price to be paid or the minimum price to be received. As an example, if the current price of USD/YEN is 102.00/05, then a limit order to buy USD would be at a price below 102. (i.e., 101.50)
Liquidity - The ability of a market to accept large transaction with minimal to no impact on price stability.
Liquidation - The closing of an existing position through the execution of an offsetting transaction.
Long position - A position that appreciates in value if market prices increase.
Margin call - A request from a broker or dealer for additional funds or other collateral to guarantee performance on a position that has moved against the customer.
Market Maker - A dealer who regularly quotes both bid and ask prices and is ready to make a two-sided market for any financial instrument.
Market Risk - Exposure to changes in market prices.
Mark-to-Market - Process of reevaluating all open positions with the current market prices. These new values then determine margin requirements.
Maturity - The date for settlement or expiration of a financial instrument.
Momentum investor - A market participant who increase market exposure when the market is rising and decreases exposure or goes short when the market is declining.
Offer - The rate at which a dealer is willing to sell a currency.
Offsetting transaction - A trade with which serves to cancel or offset some or all of the market risk of an open position.
One Cancels the Other Order (OCO) - A designation for two orders whereby one part of the two orders is executed the other is automatically cancelled.
Open order - An order that will be executed when a market moves to its designated price. Normally associated with Good 'til Cancelled Orders.
Open position - A deal not yet reversed or settled with a physical payment.
Over the Counter (OTC ) - Used to describe any transaction that is not conducted over an exchange.
Overnight - A trade that remains open until the next business day.
Pips - Digits added to or subtracted from the fourth decimal place, i.e. 0.0001. Also called Points.
Political Risk - Exposure to changes in governmental policy which will have an adverse effect on an investor's position.
Position - The netted total holdings of a given currency.
Premium - In the currency markets, describes the amount by which the forward or futures price exceed the spot price.
Price Transparency - Describes quotes to which every market participant has equal access
Quote - An indicative market price, normally used for information purposes only.
Rate - The price of one currency in terms of another, typically used for dealing purposes.
Resistance - A term used in technical analysis indicating a specific price level at which analysis concludes people will sell.
Revaluation - An increase in the exchange rate for a currency as a result of central bank intervention. Opposite of Devaluation.
Risk - Exposure to uncertain change, most often used with a negative connotation of adverse change.
Risk Management - the employment of financial analysis and trading techniques to reduce and/or control exposure to various types of risk.
Roll-Over - Process whereby the settlement of a deal is rolled forward to another value date. The cost of this process is based on the interest rate differential of the two currencies.
Settlement - The process by which a trade is entered into the books and records of the counterparts to a transaction. The settlement of currency trades may or may not involve the actual physical exchange of one currency for another.
Short Position - An investment position that benefits from a decline in market price.
Spot Price - The current market price. Settlement of spot transactions usually occurs within two business days.
Spread - The difference between the bid and offer prices.
Sterling - slang for British Pound.
Stop Loss Order - Order type whereby an open position is automatically liquidated at a specific price. Often used to minimize exposure to losses if the market moves against an investor's position. As an example, if an investor is long USD at 156.27, they might wish to put in a stop loss order for 155.49, which would limit losses should the dollar depreciate, possibly below 155.49.
Support Levels - A technique used in technical analysis that indicates a specific price ceiling and floor at which a given exchange rate will automatically correct itself. Opposite of resistance.
Swap - A currency swap is the simultaneous sale and purchase of the same amount of a given currency at a forward exchange rate.
Swissy - Slang for Swiss Franc.
Technical Analysis - An effort to forecast prices by analyzing market data, i.e. historical price trends and averages, volumes, open interest, etc.
Tomorrow Next (Tom/Next) - Simultaneous buying and selling of a currency for delivery the following day.
Transaction Cost - the cost of buying or selling a financial instrument.
Transaction Date - The date on which a trade occurs.
Turnover - The total money value of all executed transactions in a given time period; volume.
Two-Way Price - When both a bid and offer rate is quoted for a FX transaction.
Uptick - a new price quote at a price higher than the preceding quote.
Uptick Rule - In the U.S., a regulation whereby a security may not be sold short unless the last trade prior to the short sale was at a price lower than the price at which the short sale is executed.
US Prime Rate - The interest rate at which US banks will lend to their prime corporate customers
Value Date - The date on which counterparts to a financial transaction agree to settle their respective obligations, i.e., exchanging payments. For spot currency transactions, the value date is normally two business days forward. Also known as maturity date.Variation Margin - Funds a broker must request from the client to have the required margin deposited. The term usually refers to additional funds that must be deposited as a result of unfavorable price movements. Volatility (Vol) - A statistical measure of a market's price movements over time.
Whipsaw - slang for a condition of a highly volatile market where a sharp price movement is quickly followed by a sharp reversal.
Yard - Slang for a billion.
Arbitrage - The purchase or sale of an instrument and simultaneous taking of an equal and opposite position in a related market, in order to take advantage of small price differentials between markets.
Around - Dealer jargon used in quoting when the forward premium/discount is near parity. For example, "two-two around" would translate into 2 points to either side of the present spot.
Ask Rate - The rate at which a financial instrument if offered for sale (as in bid/ask spread).
Asset Allocation - Investment practice that divides funds among different markets to achieve diversification for risk management purposes and/or expected returns consistent with an investor's objectives.
Back Office - The departments and processes related to the settlement of financial transactions.
Balance of Trade - The value of a country's exports minus its imports.
Base Currency - In general terms, the base currency is the currency in which an investor or issuer maintains its book of accounts. In the FX markets, the US Dollar is normally considered the 'base' currency for quotes, meaning that quotes are expressed as a unit of $1 USD per the other currency quoted in the pair. The primary exceptions to this rule are the British Pound, the Euro and the Australian Dollar.
Bear Market - A market distinguished by declining prices.
Bid/Ask Spread - The difference between the bid and offer price, and the most widely used measure of market liquidity.
Big Figure - Dealer expression referring to the first few digits of an exchange rate. These digits rarely change in normal market fluctuations, and therefore are omitted in dealer quotes, especially in times of high market activity. For example, a USD/Yen rate might be 107.30/107.35, but would be quoted verbally without the first three digits i.e. "30/35".
Book - In a professional trading environment, a 'book' is the summary of a trader's or desk's total positions.
Broker - An individual or firm that acts as an intermediary, putting together buyers and sellers for a fee or commission. In contrast, a 'dealer' commits capital and takes one side of a position, hoping to earn a spread (profit) by closing out the position in a subsequent trade with another party.
Bretton Woods Agreement of 1944 - An agreement that established fixed foreign exchange rates for major currencies, provided for central bank intervention in the currency markets, and pegged the price of gold at US $35 per ounce. The agreement lasted until 1971, when President Nixon overturned the Bretton Woods agreement and established a floating exchange rate for the major currencies.
Bull Market - A market distinguished by rising prices.
Bundesbank - Germany's Central Bank.
Cable - Trader jargon referring to the Sterling/US Dollar exchange rate. So called because the rate was originally transmitted via a transatlantic cable beginning in the mid 1800's.
Candlestick Chart - A chart that indicates the trading range for the day as well as the opening and closing price. If the open price is higher than the close price, the rectangle between the open and close price is shaded. If the close price is higher than the open price, that area of the chart is not shaded.
Central Bank - A government or quasi-governmental organization that manages a country's monetary policy. For example, the US central bank is the Federal Reserve, and the German central bank is the Bundesbank.
Chartist - An individual who uses charts and graphs and interprets historical data to find trends and predict future movements. Also referred to as Technical Trader.
Clearing - The process of settling a trade.
Contagion - The tendency of an economic crisis to spread from one market to another. In 1997, political instability in Indonesia caused high volatility in their domestic currency, the Rupiah. From there, the contagion spread to other Asian emerging currencies, and then to Latin America, and is now referred to as the 'Asian Contagion'.
Commission - A transaction fee charged by a broker.
Confirmation - A document exchanged by counterparts to a transaction that states the terms of said transaction.
Contract - The standard unit of trading,
Counterparty - One of the participants in a financial transaction.
Country Risk - Risk associated with a cross-border transaction, including but not limited to legal and political conditions.
Cross Rate - The exchange rate between any two currencies that are considered non-standard in the country where the currency pair is quoted. For example, in the US, a GBP/JPY quote would be considered a cross rate, whereas in UK or Japan it would be one of the primary currency pairs traded.
Currency - Any form of money issued by a government or central bank and used as legal tender and a basis for trade.
Currency Risk - the probability of an adverse change in exchange rates
Day Trading - Refers to positions which are opened and closed on the same trading day.
Dealer - An individual who acts as a principal or counterpart to a transaction. Principals take one side of a position, hoping to earn a spread (profit) by closing out the position in a subsequent trade with another party. In contrast, a broker is an individual or firm that acts as an intermediary, putting together buyers and sellers for a fee or commission.
Deficit - A negative balance of trade or payments.
Delivery - An FX trade where both sides make and take actual delivery of the currencies traded.
Depreciation - A fall in the value of a currency due to market forces.
Derivative - A contract that changes in value in relation to the price movements of a related or underlying security, future or other physical instrument. An Option is the most common derivative instrument.
Devaluation - The deliberate downward adjustment of a currency's price, normally by official announcement.
Economic Indicator - A government issued statistic that indicates current economic growth and stability. Common indicators include employment rates, Gross Domestic Product (GDP), inflation, retail sales, etc.
European Monetary Union (EMU) - The principal goal of the EMU is to establish a single European currency called the Euro, which will officially replace the national currencies of the member EU countries in 2002. On January 1st, 1999 the transitional phase to introduce the Euro began. The Euro now exists as a banking currency and paper financial transactions and foreign exchange are made in Euros. This transition period will last for three years, at which time Euro notes an coins will enter circulation. On July 1,2002, only Euros will be legal tender for EMU participants, the national currencies of the member countries will cease to exist. The current members of the EMU are Germany, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Austria, Finland, Ireland, the Netherlands, Italy, Spain and Portugal.
EURO - the currency of the European Monetary Union (EMU). A replacement for the European Currency Unit (ECU).
European Central Bank (ECB) - the Central Bank for the new European Monetary Union.
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC ) - The regulatory agency responsible for administering bank depository insurance in the US.
Federal Reserve (Fed) - The Central Bank for the United States.
Flat/square - Dealer jargon used to describe a position that has been completely reversed, e.g. you bought $500,000 then sold $500,000, thereby creating a neutral (flat) position.
Foreign Exchange - (Forex, FX) - the simultaneous buying of one currency and selling of another.
Forward - The pre-specified exchange rate for a foreign exchange contract settling at some agreed future date, based upon the interest rate differential between the two currencies involved.
Forward points - The pips added to or subtracted from the current exchange rate to calculate a forward price.
Fundamental analysis - Analysis of economic and political information with the objective of determining future movements in a financial market.
Futures Contract - An obligation to exchange a good or instrument at a set price on a future date. The primary difference between a Future and a Forward is that Futures are typically traded over an exchange (Exchange-Traded Contacts - ETC), versus forwards, which are considered Over The Counter (OTC) contracts. An OTC is any contract NOT traded on an exchange.
Good 'Til Cancelled Order (GTC) - An order to buy or sell at a specified price. This order remains open until filled or until the client cancels.
Hedge - A position or combination of positions that reduces the risk of your primary position.
Inflation - An economic condition whereby prices for consumer goods rise, eroding purchasing power.
Initial margin - The initial deposit of collateral required to enter into a position as a guarantee on future performance.
Interbank rates - The Foreign Exchange rates at which large international banks quote other large international banks.
Leading Indicators - Statistics that are considered to predict future economic activity.
LIBOR - The London Inter-Bank Offered Rate. Banks use LIBOR when borrowing from another bank.
Limit order - An order with restrictions on the maximum price to be paid or the minimum price to be received. As an example, if the current price of USD/YEN is 102.00/05, then a limit order to buy USD would be at a price below 102. (i.e., 101.50)
Liquidity - The ability of a market to accept large transaction with minimal to no impact on price stability.
Liquidation - The closing of an existing position through the execution of an offsetting transaction.
Long position - A position that appreciates in value if market prices increase.
Margin call - A request from a broker or dealer for additional funds or other collateral to guarantee performance on a position that has moved against the customer.
Market Maker - A dealer who regularly quotes both bid and ask prices and is ready to make a two-sided market for any financial instrument.
Market Risk - Exposure to changes in market prices.
Mark-to-Market - Process of reevaluating all open positions with the current market prices. These new values then determine margin requirements.
Maturity - The date for settlement or expiration of a financial instrument.
Momentum investor - A market participant who increase market exposure when the market is rising and decreases exposure or goes short when the market is declining.
Offer - The rate at which a dealer is willing to sell a currency.
Offsetting transaction - A trade with which serves to cancel or offset some or all of the market risk of an open position.
One Cancels the Other Order (OCO) - A designation for two orders whereby one part of the two orders is executed the other is automatically cancelled.
Open order - An order that will be executed when a market moves to its designated price. Normally associated with Good 'til Cancelled Orders.
Open position - A deal not yet reversed or settled with a physical payment.
Over the Counter (OTC ) - Used to describe any transaction that is not conducted over an exchange.
Overnight - A trade that remains open until the next business day.
Pips - Digits added to or subtracted from the fourth decimal place, i.e. 0.0001. Also called Points.
Political Risk - Exposure to changes in governmental policy which will have an adverse effect on an investor's position.
Position - The netted total holdings of a given currency.
Premium - In the currency markets, describes the amount by which the forward or futures price exceed the spot price.
Price Transparency - Describes quotes to which every market participant has equal access
Quote - An indicative market price, normally used for information purposes only.
Rate - The price of one currency in terms of another, typically used for dealing purposes.
Resistance - A term used in technical analysis indicating a specific price level at which analysis concludes people will sell.
Revaluation - An increase in the exchange rate for a currency as a result of central bank intervention. Opposite of Devaluation.
Risk - Exposure to uncertain change, most often used with a negative connotation of adverse change.
Risk Management - the employment of financial analysis and trading techniques to reduce and/or control exposure to various types of risk.
Roll-Over - Process whereby the settlement of a deal is rolled forward to another value date. The cost of this process is based on the interest rate differential of the two currencies.
Settlement - The process by which a trade is entered into the books and records of the counterparts to a transaction. The settlement of currency trades may or may not involve the actual physical exchange of one currency for another.
Short Position - An investment position that benefits from a decline in market price.
Spot Price - The current market price. Settlement of spot transactions usually occurs within two business days.
Spread - The difference between the bid and offer prices.
Sterling - slang for British Pound.
Stop Loss Order - Order type whereby an open position is automatically liquidated at a specific price. Often used to minimize exposure to losses if the market moves against an investor's position. As an example, if an investor is long USD at 156.27, they might wish to put in a stop loss order for 155.49, which would limit losses should the dollar depreciate, possibly below 155.49.
Support Levels - A technique used in technical analysis that indicates a specific price ceiling and floor at which a given exchange rate will automatically correct itself. Opposite of resistance.
Swap - A currency swap is the simultaneous sale and purchase of the same amount of a given currency at a forward exchange rate.
Swissy - Slang for Swiss Franc.
Technical Analysis - An effort to forecast prices by analyzing market data, i.e. historical price trends and averages, volumes, open interest, etc.
Tomorrow Next (Tom/Next) - Simultaneous buying and selling of a currency for delivery the following day.
Transaction Cost - the cost of buying or selling a financial instrument.
Transaction Date - The date on which a trade occurs.
Turnover - The total money value of all executed transactions in a given time period; volume.
Two-Way Price - When both a bid and offer rate is quoted for a FX transaction.
Uptick - a new price quote at a price higher than the preceding quote.
Uptick Rule - In the U.S., a regulation whereby a security may not be sold short unless the last trade prior to the short sale was at a price lower than the price at which the short sale is executed.
US Prime Rate - The interest rate at which US banks will lend to their prime corporate customers
Value Date - The date on which counterparts to a financial transaction agree to settle their respective obligations, i.e., exchanging payments. For spot currency transactions, the value date is normally two business days forward. Also known as maturity date.Variation Margin - Funds a broker must request from the client to have the required margin deposited. The term usually refers to additional funds that must be deposited as a result of unfavorable price movements. Volatility (Vol) - A statistical measure of a market's price movements over time.
Whipsaw - slang for a condition of a highly volatile market where a sharp price movement is quickly followed by a sharp reversal.
Yard - Slang for a billion.
Forex Dealing Handbook
Trading Hours
Currency Pairs
Dealing Spread
Fees
Trading Minimums
Price Quotes
Trading over the Internet
Phone Trading
Order Types
Order Execution
Margin
Rollovers
Confirmations
Daily Housekeeping
Interest
Reporting
Mini Accounts:Forex Day Trading's minimum transaction size for mini accounts is 1/10th the size of a standard lot, or 10,000 of the base currency, with a minimum margin deposit of 0.5% (that is, 200:1 leverage). For example, a US$10,000 position would require an initial margin deposit of US$50.
Standard Accounts:The minimum transaction size for standard accounts is 1 lot of 100,000 of the base currency, with a minimum margin deposit of 1% (that is, 100:1 leverage). For example, a US$100,000 position would require an initial margin deposit of US$1,000.
Forex Day Trading clients have the ability to execute trades directly from real time streaming bid/ask quotes. Live prices are continuously published to clients via the currency trading dealing software, and traders can at any time click on the current bid or offer and instantaneously execute a trade. Prices are updated automatically as market conditions dictate. On average, the forex traders make 100,000 prices per day. More importantly, we publish the same dealing price to the entire client base and allows any client to deal on the available price.
Executing a deal via the Internet is a simple two-step process. Simply enter the number of lots and then click on the bid (buy) or offer (sell) for the currency pair you wish to trade - your deal is automatically executed. The forex trading software automatically calculates the initial margin requirement based upon the notional amount of the deal, and if sufficient funds are available in your account, will accept the transaction. Deals are confirmed online, normally within one second, and the system instantaneously updates both your open position and calculates your current P&L.
Live clients may trade over the telephone with the forex trading desk 24 hours a day, from Sunday at 1700 ET through Friday at 1630 ET. When trading via phone, our dealers will quote the same tight spreads available via the trading platform. All trades executed via the phone are subject to a pre-deal margin availability check and will be manually entered into the customer's account for integrated P&L analysis and reporting. All telephone calls are recorded for the safety of both parties.
Phone Dealing Procedure
Immediately state your ID and Password.
State your interest. Always be sure to include the number of lots and the currency pair you are interested in.
Example: "I would like a price on 5 lots of Euro/Dollar."
The Forex Dealer will then provide a 2-way price quote.
Example: "Euro/Dollar is 1.2416/20" (the first number being the bid, the second the offer)
State your trade.
Example: "At 1.2416, I sell 5 lots of Euro/Dollar,"
or
"At 1.2420, I buy 5 lots of Euro/Dollar"
If you do not wish to deal at the quoted levels, simply say "Nothing Done," hang up and call again later. Or, place a limit or stop order at your desired level.
Remember: A price given is the dealing price at that time; haggling is not allowed nor are Traders allowed to remain on the phone until the price changes.
It is important to remember that Dealing Desk phone lines are reserved for the placing of orders only, and that proper Phone Dealing Procedures be observed at all times.
The forex dealing platform provides sophisticated order entry and tracking. Orders may be entered at any rate - inside or outside the existing spread - using the following orders types:
Limit ordersAn order with restrictions on the maximum price to be paid or the minimum price to be received.
If a trader is long USD/CHF is 1.4627, a limit order would be entered to sell dollars above that price, for example, at 1.4800.
Stop Loss ordersOrder type whereby an open position is automatically liquidated at a specific price. Often used to minimize exposure to losses if the market moves against an investor's position.
If the trader above is long USD at 1.4627, a stop loss order could be left at 1.4549, in case the dollar depreciates below 1.4549.
As a rule, sell stops are filled on our bid, and buy stops are filled on our offer. This allows us to fill client stop orders at the rate they requested in almost every case. In the rare instance that the market gaps over a requested rate, the stop is filled at the best available price. This is an important point for traders who are accustomed to being filled on sell stops when the offer reaches the requested order rate. For example, if a stop order is placed to sell USD/CHF at 1.4549, the trader will be filled when the bid reaches 1.4549 (i.e. the bid/offer is 1.4549/54).
One Cancels Other orders (OCO's)A contingent order providing that one part of the order is cancelled if the other part is executed. This is a particularly useful order type in that it allows traders to execute specific trading strategies based on technical analysis - without having to watch the market tick by tick.
As above, with the trader long USD/CHF at 1.4627, a typical OCO order would be a stop loss at 1.4562 and a limit (take profit) at 1.4700. If one part of the order is filled, the other is automatically cancelled.
All of the above orders may be entered as Day Orders, entered today and good until end of NY business day (1700 ET). Or, clients may choose to may enter a Good 'til Cancelled Order (GTC), which is valid until the order is executed or cancelled. Orders remain open until they are triggered or cancelled. If you close out a position manually, you must cancel any order(s) relating to that position.
First In First Out (FIFO)Open positions are closed according to the FIFO accounting rule. All positions opened within a particular currency pair are liquidated in the order in which they were originally opened.
Stop Loss Orders - Execution RulesAs a rule, sell stops are filled on our bid, and buy stops are filled on our offer. This allows us to fill client stop orders at the rate they requested in almost every case. In the rare instance that the market gaps over a requested rate, the stop is filled at the best available price. This is an important point for traders who are accustomed to being filled on sell stops when the offer reaches the requested order rate. For example, if a stop order is placed to sell USD/CHF at 1.4549, the trader will be filled when the bid reaches 1.4549 (i.e. the bid/offer is 1.4549/54).
Good Til Cancelled (GTC) Orders - Execution RulesAll GTC orders remain open until they are triggered or cancelled. If you close out a position manually, you must cancel any order(s) relating to that position.
Orders left over the weekendOrders left pending at close of trading on Friday at 1630 ET or placed over the weekend are subject to a gap open on Sunday evening when trading at 1900 ET. For both stop loss and limit orders - if your order is triggered due to news, events or other fundamental factors, it will not be executed over the weekend. Your order WILL be executed at the prevailing price when the trading desk opens Sunday. Because of the additional gap risk involved, you may want to reconsider leaving open orders over the weekend.
The initial margin requirement is 0.5% for mini accounts and 1% for standard accounts.
If you do not have adequate funds available to enter a new forex position, you will receive an "insufficient margin funds" message when attempting to deal.
If the unrealized P&L of your net total open position falls below your account balance, your trading account is under margined and all your open positions may be liquidated. To avoid liquidation of your positions, do not use your entire account balance as margin for open positions. Instead, leave enough funds in your account to withstand a market movement against your open positions. We suggest you always use stop loss orders to limit your downside risk when trading.
Please contact us if you wish at any time to use a lower degree of leverage or otherwise adjust the margin settings in your forex account.
A rollover is the simultaneous closing of an open position for today's value date and the opening of the same position for the next day's value date at a price reflecting the interest rate differential between the two currencies.All open positions are automatically rolled over to the next day's value date following the close of NY trading at 1700 ET.Clients have the opportunity to earn interest on rollovers, depending on the direction of their positions and interest rate differential between the two currencies involved. For example, US interest rates are higher than Japan's, so if a trader is long USD/JPY (i.e. holding dollars), they will earn interest on the roll. Conversely, if a trader is short USD/JPY (i.e. holding yen) they will pay interest on the rollover.The spot forex market is traded on a two-day value date. For example, for trades executed on Monday, the value date is Wednesday. However, if a position is opened on Monday and held overnight (remains open after 1700 ET), the value date is now Thursday. The exception is a position opened and held overnight on Wednesday. The normal value date would be Saturday; because banks are closed on Saturday the value date is actually the following Monday. Due to the weekend, positions held overnight on Wednesday incur or earn an extra two days of interest. Trades with a value date that falls on a holiday will also incur or earn additional interest.Rollover credits or debits are reflected in the unrealized P&L of the open position, and a rollover report (available in the "Reports" tab of the trading platform) provides additional detail of rollover activity.
Currency Pairs
Dealing Spread
Fees
Trading Minimums
Price Quotes
Trading over the Internet
Phone Trading
Order Types
Order Execution
Margin
Rollovers
Confirmations
Daily Housekeeping
Interest
Reporting
Mini Accounts:Forex Day Trading's minimum transaction size for mini accounts is 1/10th the size of a standard lot, or 10,000 of the base currency, with a minimum margin deposit of 0.5% (that is, 200:1 leverage). For example, a US$10,000 position would require an initial margin deposit of US$50.
Standard Accounts:The minimum transaction size for standard accounts is 1 lot of 100,000 of the base currency, with a minimum margin deposit of 1% (that is, 100:1 leverage). For example, a US$100,000 position would require an initial margin deposit of US$1,000.
Forex Day Trading clients have the ability to execute trades directly from real time streaming bid/ask quotes. Live prices are continuously published to clients via the currency trading dealing software, and traders can at any time click on the current bid or offer and instantaneously execute a trade. Prices are updated automatically as market conditions dictate. On average, the forex traders make 100,000 prices per day. More importantly, we publish the same dealing price to the entire client base and allows any client to deal on the available price.
Executing a deal via the Internet is a simple two-step process. Simply enter the number of lots and then click on the bid (buy) or offer (sell) for the currency pair you wish to trade - your deal is automatically executed. The forex trading software automatically calculates the initial margin requirement based upon the notional amount of the deal, and if sufficient funds are available in your account, will accept the transaction. Deals are confirmed online, normally within one second, and the system instantaneously updates both your open position and calculates your current P&L.
Live clients may trade over the telephone with the forex trading desk 24 hours a day, from Sunday at 1700 ET through Friday at 1630 ET. When trading via phone, our dealers will quote the same tight spreads available via the trading platform. All trades executed via the phone are subject to a pre-deal margin availability check and will be manually entered into the customer's account for integrated P&L analysis and reporting. All telephone calls are recorded for the safety of both parties.
Phone Dealing Procedure
Immediately state your ID and Password.
State your interest. Always be sure to include the number of lots and the currency pair you are interested in.
Example: "I would like a price on 5 lots of Euro/Dollar."
The Forex Dealer will then provide a 2-way price quote.
Example: "Euro/Dollar is 1.2416/20" (the first number being the bid, the second the offer)
State your trade.
Example: "At 1.2416, I sell 5 lots of Euro/Dollar,"
or
"At 1.2420, I buy 5 lots of Euro/Dollar"
If you do not wish to deal at the quoted levels, simply say "Nothing Done," hang up and call again later. Or, place a limit or stop order at your desired level.
Remember: A price given is the dealing price at that time; haggling is not allowed nor are Traders allowed to remain on the phone until the price changes.
It is important to remember that Dealing Desk phone lines are reserved for the placing of orders only, and that proper Phone Dealing Procedures be observed at all times.
The forex dealing platform provides sophisticated order entry and tracking. Orders may be entered at any rate - inside or outside the existing spread - using the following orders types:
Limit ordersAn order with restrictions on the maximum price to be paid or the minimum price to be received.
If a trader is long USD/CHF is 1.4627, a limit order would be entered to sell dollars above that price, for example, at 1.4800.
Stop Loss ordersOrder type whereby an open position is automatically liquidated at a specific price. Often used to minimize exposure to losses if the market moves against an investor's position.
If the trader above is long USD at 1.4627, a stop loss order could be left at 1.4549, in case the dollar depreciates below 1.4549.
As a rule, sell stops are filled on our bid, and buy stops are filled on our offer. This allows us to fill client stop orders at the rate they requested in almost every case. In the rare instance that the market gaps over a requested rate, the stop is filled at the best available price. This is an important point for traders who are accustomed to being filled on sell stops when the offer reaches the requested order rate. For example, if a stop order is placed to sell USD/CHF at 1.4549, the trader will be filled when the bid reaches 1.4549 (i.e. the bid/offer is 1.4549/54).
One Cancels Other orders (OCO's)A contingent order providing that one part of the order is cancelled if the other part is executed. This is a particularly useful order type in that it allows traders to execute specific trading strategies based on technical analysis - without having to watch the market tick by tick.
As above, with the trader long USD/CHF at 1.4627, a typical OCO order would be a stop loss at 1.4562 and a limit (take profit) at 1.4700. If one part of the order is filled, the other is automatically cancelled.
All of the above orders may be entered as Day Orders, entered today and good until end of NY business day (1700 ET). Or, clients may choose to may enter a Good 'til Cancelled Order (GTC), which is valid until the order is executed or cancelled. Orders remain open until they are triggered or cancelled. If you close out a position manually, you must cancel any order(s) relating to that position.
First In First Out (FIFO)Open positions are closed according to the FIFO accounting rule. All positions opened within a particular currency pair are liquidated in the order in which they were originally opened.
Stop Loss Orders - Execution RulesAs a rule, sell stops are filled on our bid, and buy stops are filled on our offer. This allows us to fill client stop orders at the rate they requested in almost every case. In the rare instance that the market gaps over a requested rate, the stop is filled at the best available price. This is an important point for traders who are accustomed to being filled on sell stops when the offer reaches the requested order rate. For example, if a stop order is placed to sell USD/CHF at 1.4549, the trader will be filled when the bid reaches 1.4549 (i.e. the bid/offer is 1.4549/54).
Good Til Cancelled (GTC) Orders - Execution RulesAll GTC orders remain open until they are triggered or cancelled. If you close out a position manually, you must cancel any order(s) relating to that position.
Orders left over the weekendOrders left pending at close of trading on Friday at 1630 ET or placed over the weekend are subject to a gap open on Sunday evening when trading at 1900 ET. For both stop loss and limit orders - if your order is triggered due to news, events or other fundamental factors, it will not be executed over the weekend. Your order WILL be executed at the prevailing price when the trading desk opens Sunday. Because of the additional gap risk involved, you may want to reconsider leaving open orders over the weekend.
The initial margin requirement is 0.5% for mini accounts and 1% for standard accounts.
If you do not have adequate funds available to enter a new forex position, you will receive an "insufficient margin funds" message when attempting to deal.
If the unrealized P&L of your net total open position falls below your account balance, your trading account is under margined and all your open positions may be liquidated. To avoid liquidation of your positions, do not use your entire account balance as margin for open positions. Instead, leave enough funds in your account to withstand a market movement against your open positions. We suggest you always use stop loss orders to limit your downside risk when trading.
Please contact us if you wish at any time to use a lower degree of leverage or otherwise adjust the margin settings in your forex account.
A rollover is the simultaneous closing of an open position for today's value date and the opening of the same position for the next day's value date at a price reflecting the interest rate differential between the two currencies.All open positions are automatically rolled over to the next day's value date following the close of NY trading at 1700 ET.Clients have the opportunity to earn interest on rollovers, depending on the direction of their positions and interest rate differential between the two currencies involved. For example, US interest rates are higher than Japan's, so if a trader is long USD/JPY (i.e. holding dollars), they will earn interest on the roll. Conversely, if a trader is short USD/JPY (i.e. holding yen) they will pay interest on the rollover.The spot forex market is traded on a two-day value date. For example, for trades executed on Monday, the value date is Wednesday. However, if a position is opened on Monday and held overnight (remains open after 1700 ET), the value date is now Thursday. The exception is a position opened and held overnight on Wednesday. The normal value date would be Saturday; because banks are closed on Saturday the value date is actually the following Monday. Due to the weekend, positions held overnight on Wednesday incur or earn an extra two days of interest. Trades with a value date that falls on a holiday will also incur or earn additional interest.Rollover credits or debits are reflected in the unrealized P&L of the open position, and a rollover report (available in the "Reports" tab of the trading platform) provides additional detail of rollover activity.
Forex Trading System
The forex trading system is intuitive and ergonomic. All trading functions can be performed from the main screen, including placing a trade, leaving an order, position and order management, and margin analysis.
A screenshot of the main trading screen is provided below with each section numbered. Below the image is a list of the numbered sections with a short description. Click on any of the numbered links to see specific information about a particular section of the forex trading system. Specific information about trade execution and order management is also provided. Remember that our customers get free, live training. Go to the Forex Day Trading home page for more info.
Currency Dealing Boxes: one box per currency pair; view real time forex rates; click on the BUY or SELL to instantaneously execute a forex trade.
Forex Rate History: quick snapshot of current bid/ask rates, today's high and low prices, etc., by currency pair.
Forex Position Management: real time, summary view of all open forex positions. Use the position section to place, monitor, and cancel orders.
Economic Calendar: Weekly listing of upcoming economic reports, including date and time, country, forecast, previous and actual figures.
Forex Charting: access the free forex charting tool of the software by clicking the "Charting" tab.
Charting Overview
Charting Toolbar
Technical Analysis Functions
Chart Zoom Function
Text Function
Chart Data Display
Value Cursor
Forex Indicators and Technical Studies
Forex Indicator Definitions
Drawing Trend Lines
Fibonacci Studies
Creating Multiple Forex Charts
Margin Analysis: real time information about margin, P&L and account balances. Click the "Deal Analysis" tab to access this information.
Trading Activity Log: lists each action completed or attempted in your forex account
Deal Blotter: provides pertinent details on all open forex trades, as well as trades that have been closed out during the current trading day.
Forex News: Stay on top of the news that can affect the forex market. Twenty-four-hour streaming news service from Thompson IFR provides market news and analysis that trader's can react to.
System Log In/Log Off: enter your user ID and password and access user configurable settings for the forex trading system.
Reports: access to several forex trading reports for data export or printing.
User Tools: Forex trading tools, including COMPASS indicator by Nostradamus.
Forex Commentary: expert forex market analysis provided by senior traders
A screenshot of the main trading screen is provided below with each section numbered. Below the image is a list of the numbered sections with a short description. Click on any of the numbered links to see specific information about a particular section of the forex trading system. Specific information about trade execution and order management is also provided. Remember that our customers get free, live training. Go to the Forex Day Trading home page for more info.
Currency Dealing Boxes: one box per currency pair; view real time forex rates; click on the BUY or SELL to instantaneously execute a forex trade.
Forex Rate History: quick snapshot of current bid/ask rates, today's high and low prices, etc., by currency pair.
Forex Position Management: real time, summary view of all open forex positions. Use the position section to place, monitor, and cancel orders.
Economic Calendar: Weekly listing of upcoming economic reports, including date and time, country, forecast, previous and actual figures.
Forex Charting: access the free forex charting tool of the software by clicking the "Charting" tab.
Charting Overview
Charting Toolbar
Technical Analysis Functions
Chart Zoom Function
Text Function
Chart Data Display
Value Cursor
Forex Indicators and Technical Studies
Forex Indicator Definitions
Drawing Trend Lines
Fibonacci Studies
Creating Multiple Forex Charts
Margin Analysis: real time information about margin, P&L and account balances. Click the "Deal Analysis" tab to access this information.
Trading Activity Log: lists each action completed or attempted in your forex account
Deal Blotter: provides pertinent details on all open forex trades, as well as trades that have been closed out during the current trading day.
Forex News: Stay on top of the news that can affect the forex market. Twenty-four-hour streaming news service from Thompson IFR provides market news and analysis that trader's can react to.
System Log In/Log Off: enter your user ID and password and access user configurable settings for the forex trading system.
Reports: access to several forex trading reports for data export or printing.
User Tools: Forex trading tools, including COMPASS indicator by Nostradamus.
Forex Commentary: expert forex market analysis provided by senior traders
Forex Taxes
This applies to U.S. traders only. Foreign investors that are not residents or citizens of the United States of America do not have to pay any taxes on foreign exchange profits.
This information is for educational purposes only and should not be construed as tax or investment advice of any kind. Make sure that you consult with a tax professional about your forex taxes.
More and more investors from all over the world are accessing the largest financial markets online through their personal computers. As demand surges for foreign exchange trading, more and more U.S. Traders have to deal with taxation issues at the end of the year.
Forex: Taxed as Futures or Cash?
Currency traders involved in the forex spot (cash) market, can choose to be taxed under the same tax rules as regular commodities [IRC (Internal Revenue Code) Section 1256 contracts] or under the special rules of IRC Section 988 (Treatment of Certain Foreign Currency Transactions). IRC 988 applies to cash forex unless the trader elects to opt out.
The Advantage of Section 1256 for Currency Traders
Under Section 1256, forex traders can have a significant advantage over stock traders. By reporting capital gains on IRS Form 6781 (Gains and Losses from Section 1256 Contracts and Straddles), forex traders are allowed to split their capital gains on Schedule D using a 60% / 40% split. This means that 60% of the capital gains are taxed at the lower, long-term capital gains rate (currently 15%) and the remaining 40% at the ordinary or short-term capital gains rate, which depends on the tax bracket the trader falls under (as high as 35%). This results in an average rate of 23%, which is 12% less than the regular (short-term) rate.
If cash forex is subject to the Section 988 rules, how can a trader elect the more beneficial Section 1256 split? Please read on to find out more.
To Opt Out or Not to Opt Out of Section 988
Companies that profit from the fluctuation in foreign exchange rates as part of their normal course of business, fall under Section 988. This means their gains and losses from foreign exchange (such as buying and selling of foreign goods) are treated as interest income or expense and get taxed accordingly. Consequently, they do not receive the beneficial 60/40 split.
Since forex traders are also exposed to daily exchange rate fluctuations, their trading activity falls under the provisions of Section 988 too - but don't worry. The IRS wants to be nice to you (so far). Because these daily fluctuations can be considered part of a currency trader's assets in the normal course of his business, the IRS gives the trader the option of rejecting (opting out) of Section 988 and electing that the gains be taxed under the favorable 60/40 split of Section 1256.
What do you have to do to opt out of Section 988? Even though you don't have to file anything with the IRS to opt out, you are required to do so "internally" before starting to trade; i.e., you must keep records in your own books about the fact that you are opting out of Section 988.
Many currency traders bend the rules by waiting after the year is over to see if they have any gains from their trading activities. If they do, they claim that they elected out of IRC 988 to enjoy the beneficial Section 1256 treatment. On the other hand, if the sum of the trades from cash forex is not positive, they stick with the traditional Section 988. Since (under the current tax law) it becomes very difficult to disprove whether the trader made the election at the beginning or at the end of the year, IRS has not yet begun to crack down on this activity.
What does a Forex Trader do When Tax Time Comes?
Forex traders should receive 1099 forms from their US-based broker at the end of the year like stock and futures traders do. No matter in what country your forex broker is based or what tax-related reports they provide, you could pull up reports online from your accounts and seek the help of a tax professional. No matter what you decide to do, don't fall into the temptation of lumping your trades with your section 1256 activity (if any). Forex transactions need to be separated into Section 988 reporting.
Given the fact that the forex market is one of the fastest-growing financial markets around, it might eventually come under closer IRS regulation. In the meantime, traders continue to enjoy tax advantages by trading foreign currencies.
This information is for educational purposes only and should not be construed as tax or investment advice of any kind. Make sure that you consult with a tax professional about your forex taxes.
More and more investors from all over the world are accessing the largest financial markets online through their personal computers. As demand surges for foreign exchange trading, more and more U.S. Traders have to deal with taxation issues at the end of the year.
Forex: Taxed as Futures or Cash?
Currency traders involved in the forex spot (cash) market, can choose to be taxed under the same tax rules as regular commodities [IRC (Internal Revenue Code) Section 1256 contracts] or under the special rules of IRC Section 988 (Treatment of Certain Foreign Currency Transactions). IRC 988 applies to cash forex unless the trader elects to opt out.
The Advantage of Section 1256 for Currency Traders
Under Section 1256, forex traders can have a significant advantage over stock traders. By reporting capital gains on IRS Form 6781 (Gains and Losses from Section 1256 Contracts and Straddles), forex traders are allowed to split their capital gains on Schedule D using a 60% / 40% split. This means that 60% of the capital gains are taxed at the lower, long-term capital gains rate (currently 15%) and the remaining 40% at the ordinary or short-term capital gains rate, which depends on the tax bracket the trader falls under (as high as 35%). This results in an average rate of 23%, which is 12% less than the regular (short-term) rate.
If cash forex is subject to the Section 988 rules, how can a trader elect the more beneficial Section 1256 split? Please read on to find out more.
To Opt Out or Not to Opt Out of Section 988
Companies that profit from the fluctuation in foreign exchange rates as part of their normal course of business, fall under Section 988. This means their gains and losses from foreign exchange (such as buying and selling of foreign goods) are treated as interest income or expense and get taxed accordingly. Consequently, they do not receive the beneficial 60/40 split.
Since forex traders are also exposed to daily exchange rate fluctuations, their trading activity falls under the provisions of Section 988 too - but don't worry. The IRS wants to be nice to you (so far). Because these daily fluctuations can be considered part of a currency trader's assets in the normal course of his business, the IRS gives the trader the option of rejecting (opting out) of Section 988 and electing that the gains be taxed under the favorable 60/40 split of Section 1256.
What do you have to do to opt out of Section 988? Even though you don't have to file anything with the IRS to opt out, you are required to do so "internally" before starting to trade; i.e., you must keep records in your own books about the fact that you are opting out of Section 988.
Many currency traders bend the rules by waiting after the year is over to see if they have any gains from their trading activities. If they do, they claim that they elected out of IRC 988 to enjoy the beneficial Section 1256 treatment. On the other hand, if the sum of the trades from cash forex is not positive, they stick with the traditional Section 988. Since (under the current tax law) it becomes very difficult to disprove whether the trader made the election at the beginning or at the end of the year, IRS has not yet begun to crack down on this activity.
What does a Forex Trader do When Tax Time Comes?
Forex traders should receive 1099 forms from their US-based broker at the end of the year like stock and futures traders do. No matter in what country your forex broker is based or what tax-related reports they provide, you could pull up reports online from your accounts and seek the help of a tax professional. No matter what you decide to do, don't fall into the temptation of lumping your trades with your section 1256 activity (if any). Forex transactions need to be separated into Section 988 reporting.
Given the fact that the forex market is one of the fastest-growing financial markets around, it might eventually come under closer IRS regulation. In the meantime, traders continue to enjoy tax advantages by trading foreign currencies.
Forex Trading
If you are interested in online currency trading, you will find the forex market offers several advantages over stock and futures trading. The advantages of forex trading are as follow:
24-hour forex trading
Forex is a true 24-hour market. Whether it's 6 PM or 6 AM, somewhere in the world there are buyers and sellers actively trading foreign currencies. Traders involved in forex trading can always respond to breaking news immediately, and profit and loss is not affected by after hours earning reports, analyst conference calls, nor trading stoppages due to "pending news" or announcements.
After hours trading for U.S. stocks and futures brings with it several limitations. ECN's (Electronic Communication Networks), also called matching systems, exist to bring together buyers and sellers - when possible. However, there is no guarantee that every trade will be executed, nor at a fair market price. Quite frequently, traders must wait until the market opens the following day in order to receive a tighter spread.
Superior liquidity
With a daily trading volume that is 50 times larger than the New York Stock Exchange, there are always broker/dealers willing to buy or sell currencies in the forex markets. The liquidity of the forex market, especially that of the major currencies, helps ensure price stability. Traders can almost always open or close a position at a fair market price. This is a huge advantage of forex trading.
Because of the lower trade volume, investors in the stock market and other exchange-traded markets are more vulnerable to liquidity risk, which results in a wider dealing spread or larger price movements in response to any relatively large transaction.
100:1 Leverage in forex trading
100 to 1 leverage is commonly available from online forex dealers, which substantially exceeds the common 2:1 margin offered by equity brokers, and 15:1 in the futures market. At 100:1, traders post $1000 margin for a $100,000 position, or 1%.
While certainly not for everyone, the substantial leverage available from online forex trading firms is a powerful, moneymaking tool. Rather than merely loading up on risk as many people incorrectly assume, leverage is essential in the forex market. This is because the average daily percentage move of a major currency is less than 1%, whereas a stock can easily have a 10% price move on any given day.
The most effective way to manage the risk associated with margined forex trading is to diligently follow a disciplined trading style that consistently utilizes stop and limit orders. Devise and adhere to a forex trading system where your controls kick in when emotion might otherwise take over.
Lower transaction costs
It is much more cost-efficient to trade forex in terms of both commissions and transaction fees (See the "Commission-Free Trading" section of the disclosure page).
Commissions for stock trades in the online discount brokerage world typically range from $7.95-$29.95 per trade, with full service brokers typically charging $100 or more per trade. An average commission on a futures trade is $15 a round turn. Forex brokers offer much lower commission structures. Thus, investors involved in forex trading could limit their cost.
Equal profit potential in both rising and falling markets
In every open forex position, an investor is long in one currency and short the other. A short position is one in which the trader sells the base currency in anticipation that it will depreciate. This means that, in forex trading, potential exists in a rising as well as a falling market.
The ability to sell currencies without any limitations is another distinct advantage over equity trading. In the US equity markets, it is much more difficult to establish a short position due to the Zero Uptick rule, which prevents investors from shorting a stock unless the immediately preceding trade was equal to or lower than the price of the short sale. This limitation does not exist in forex trading.
24-hour forex trading
Forex is a true 24-hour market. Whether it's 6 PM or 6 AM, somewhere in the world there are buyers and sellers actively trading foreign currencies. Traders involved in forex trading can always respond to breaking news immediately, and profit and loss is not affected by after hours earning reports, analyst conference calls, nor trading stoppages due to "pending news" or announcements.
After hours trading for U.S. stocks and futures brings with it several limitations. ECN's (Electronic Communication Networks), also called matching systems, exist to bring together buyers and sellers - when possible. However, there is no guarantee that every trade will be executed, nor at a fair market price. Quite frequently, traders must wait until the market opens the following day in order to receive a tighter spread.
Superior liquidity
With a daily trading volume that is 50 times larger than the New York Stock Exchange, there are always broker/dealers willing to buy or sell currencies in the forex markets. The liquidity of the forex market, especially that of the major currencies, helps ensure price stability. Traders can almost always open or close a position at a fair market price. This is a huge advantage of forex trading.
Because of the lower trade volume, investors in the stock market and other exchange-traded markets are more vulnerable to liquidity risk, which results in a wider dealing spread or larger price movements in response to any relatively large transaction.
100:1 Leverage in forex trading
100 to 1 leverage is commonly available from online forex dealers, which substantially exceeds the common 2:1 margin offered by equity brokers, and 15:1 in the futures market. At 100:1, traders post $1000 margin for a $100,000 position, or 1%.
While certainly not for everyone, the substantial leverage available from online forex trading firms is a powerful, moneymaking tool. Rather than merely loading up on risk as many people incorrectly assume, leverage is essential in the forex market. This is because the average daily percentage move of a major currency is less than 1%, whereas a stock can easily have a 10% price move on any given day.
The most effective way to manage the risk associated with margined forex trading is to diligently follow a disciplined trading style that consistently utilizes stop and limit orders. Devise and adhere to a forex trading system where your controls kick in when emotion might otherwise take over.
Lower transaction costs
It is much more cost-efficient to trade forex in terms of both commissions and transaction fees (See the "Commission-Free Trading" section of the disclosure page).
Commissions for stock trades in the online discount brokerage world typically range from $7.95-$29.95 per trade, with full service brokers typically charging $100 or more per trade. An average commission on a futures trade is $15 a round turn. Forex brokers offer much lower commission structures. Thus, investors involved in forex trading could limit their cost.
Equal profit potential in both rising and falling markets
In every open forex position, an investor is long in one currency and short the other. A short position is one in which the trader sells the base currency in anticipation that it will depreciate. This means that, in forex trading, potential exists in a rising as well as a falling market.
The ability to sell currencies without any limitations is another distinct advantage over equity trading. In the US equity markets, it is much more difficult to establish a short position due to the Zero Uptick rule, which prevents investors from shorting a stock unless the immediately preceding trade was equal to or lower than the price of the short sale. This limitation does not exist in forex trading.
Currency Trading Basics
All currency trades involve the buying of one currency and the selling of another, simultaneously. Currency quotes are given as exchange rates; that is, the value of one currency relative to another. The relative supply and demand of both currencies will determine the value of the exchange rate.
When a currency trader places a trade he wants the currency purchased to appreciate in value versus the currency sold. His ability to determine the direction that the exchange rate will move, will dictate his gain or loss in a trade. Let's do an example with a currency quote obtained from the forex trading system.
Example of a forex trade
The current bid-ask price for EUR/USD is 1.0120/1.0126, meaning you can buy 1 euro (EUR) for 1.0126 US dollars (USD).
Suppose you feel that the EUR is undervalued against the dollar. To execute this strategy, you would buy Euros (simultaneously selling Dollars) and then wait for the exchange rate to rise.
So you make the trade: purchasing 100,000 EUR (1 lot) and selling 101,260 Dollars. (Remember, at 1% margin, your initial margin deposit would be 1,000 Euros.)
As you expected, EUR/USD rises to 1.0236/42. Since you bought Euros and sold Dollars in your previous trade, you must now sell Euros for Dollars to realize any profit. You can now sell 1 EUR for 1.0236 Dollars. When you sell the 100,000 Euros at the current EUR/USD rate of 1.0236, you will receive 102,360 USD.
Since you originally sold (paid) 101,260 USD, your profit is US $1100.
Total profit = US $1100.00
When a currency trader places a trade he wants the currency purchased to appreciate in value versus the currency sold. His ability to determine the direction that the exchange rate will move, will dictate his gain or loss in a trade. Let's do an example with a currency quote obtained from the forex trading system.
Example of a forex trade
The current bid-ask price for EUR/USD is 1.0120/1.0126, meaning you can buy 1 euro (EUR) for 1.0126 US dollars (USD).
Suppose you feel that the EUR is undervalued against the dollar. To execute this strategy, you would buy Euros (simultaneously selling Dollars) and then wait for the exchange rate to rise.
So you make the trade: purchasing 100,000 EUR (1 lot) and selling 101,260 Dollars. (Remember, at 1% margin, your initial margin deposit would be 1,000 Euros.)
As you expected, EUR/USD rises to 1.0236/42. Since you bought Euros and sold Dollars in your previous trade, you must now sell Euros for Dollars to realize any profit. You can now sell 1 EUR for 1.0236 Dollars. When you sell the 100,000 Euros at the current EUR/USD rate of 1.0236, you will receive 102,360 USD.
Since you originally sold (paid) 101,260 USD, your profit is US $1100.
Total profit = US $1100.00
Forex Quote - How to Read a Currency Quote
Before trading currencies an investor has to understand the basic terminology of the forex market, including how to interpret forex quotes. In every foreign exchange transaction an investor is simultaneously buying one currency and selling another. These two currencies make up a currency pair. This is an example of a foreign currency exchange rate of the dollar versus the yen:
USD/JPY = 119.72
The currency to the left of the slash ("/") is called the base currency (in this example, the US dollar) and the one on the right is called the quote currency or counter currency (in this example, the Japanese Yen). This notation means that 1 unit of the base currency (that is, 1 dollar) is equal to 119.72 Japanese Yen. If buying, the exchange rate specifies how much you have to pay in units of the quote currency to buy one unit of the base currency; in the above example, you have to pay 119.72 yen to buy 1 US dollar. If selling, the foreign currency exchange rate specifies how much units of the quote currency you get for selling one unit of the base currency; in the above example, you will receive 119.72 Japanese Yen when you sell 1 US dollar.
As with stocks, a forex quote includes a bid price (or bid) and an ask price (or ask). This can be easily illustrated with an example of a currency quote taken from the forex trading software
In the above example, the bid price is 119.68 yen and the ask price is 119.75 yen [notice that when the ask price is displayed, only the last two decimal places are displayed to the right of the slash (75 instead of 119.75)]. The bid price is the price at which dealers are willing to buy the base currency (in units of the quote currency) and users of our software can sell. Thus, if a trader presses the button "Sell USD," he/she would sell dollars at 119.68 yen. The ask price, on the other hand, is the price at which dealers are willing to sell the base currency and users of our system could buy it. By clicking "Buy USD," an investor would be buying dollars at 119.75 yen.
Even though there are many currencies all over the world, 85% of all daily transactions involve trading a group of currencies known as the "Majors." These currencies include the US Dollar, Japanese Yen, Euro, British Pound, Swiss Franc, Canadian Dollar and Australian Dollar. The four most actively traded currency pairs are the US Dollar / Japanese Yen (USD/JPY), Euro / US Dollar (EUR/USD), British Pound / US Dollar (GBP/USD), and the US Dollar / Swiss Franc (USD/CHF). The US Dollar / Canadian Dollar (USD/CAD) and the Australian Dollar / US Dollar (AUD/USD) are also actively traded pairs. For traders, the best trading opportunities are with the most commonly traded (and therefore most liquid) currencies; i.e., the "Majors."
The examples below were taken from the currency dealing system which provides forex real time quotes. From left to right are the euro-dollar exchange rate, the british pound-dollar exchange rate, and the dollar-swiss franc exchange rate. All of these currency quotes are of major currency pairs.
Taking the example of the euro forex quote (first pair above), buying one euro would cost 1.0099 US dollars and selling would provide 1.0093 US dollars.
If you want to see more live currency quote examples, you can sign up for a free test drive of our forex trading software by clicking the appropriate link below. You will be able to obtain live forex quotes as well as place simulated trades in real time using different currency pairs.
USD/JPY = 119.72
The currency to the left of the slash ("/") is called the base currency (in this example, the US dollar) and the one on the right is called the quote currency or counter currency (in this example, the Japanese Yen). This notation means that 1 unit of the base currency (that is, 1 dollar) is equal to 119.72 Japanese Yen. If buying, the exchange rate specifies how much you have to pay in units of the quote currency to buy one unit of the base currency; in the above example, you have to pay 119.72 yen to buy 1 US dollar. If selling, the foreign currency exchange rate specifies how much units of the quote currency you get for selling one unit of the base currency; in the above example, you will receive 119.72 Japanese Yen when you sell 1 US dollar.
As with stocks, a forex quote includes a bid price (or bid) and an ask price (or ask). This can be easily illustrated with an example of a currency quote taken from the forex trading software
In the above example, the bid price is 119.68 yen and the ask price is 119.75 yen [notice that when the ask price is displayed, only the last two decimal places are displayed to the right of the slash (75 instead of 119.75)]. The bid price is the price at which dealers are willing to buy the base currency (in units of the quote currency) and users of our software can sell. Thus, if a trader presses the button "Sell USD," he/she would sell dollars at 119.68 yen. The ask price, on the other hand, is the price at which dealers are willing to sell the base currency and users of our system could buy it. By clicking "Buy USD," an investor would be buying dollars at 119.75 yen.
Even though there are many currencies all over the world, 85% of all daily transactions involve trading a group of currencies known as the "Majors." These currencies include the US Dollar, Japanese Yen, Euro, British Pound, Swiss Franc, Canadian Dollar and Australian Dollar. The four most actively traded currency pairs are the US Dollar / Japanese Yen (USD/JPY), Euro / US Dollar (EUR/USD), British Pound / US Dollar (GBP/USD), and the US Dollar / Swiss Franc (USD/CHF). The US Dollar / Canadian Dollar (USD/CAD) and the Australian Dollar / US Dollar (AUD/USD) are also actively traded pairs. For traders, the best trading opportunities are with the most commonly traded (and therefore most liquid) currencies; i.e., the "Majors."
The examples below were taken from the currency dealing system which provides forex real time quotes. From left to right are the euro-dollar exchange rate, the british pound-dollar exchange rate, and the dollar-swiss franc exchange rate. All of these currency quotes are of major currency pairs.
Taking the example of the euro forex quote (first pair above), buying one euro would cost 1.0099 US dollars and selling would provide 1.0093 US dollars.
If you want to see more live currency quote examples, you can sign up for a free test drive of our forex trading software by clicking the appropriate link below. You will be able to obtain live forex quotes as well as place simulated trades in real time using different currency pairs.
Forex Market Introduction
Money or currency is the ultimate commodity. Every time a company or government buys or sells products and services in a foreign country, they are subject to a foreign currency trade; the exchanging of one currency for another. Many individuals and organizations also trade currencies for speculative purposes. With all of these currency transactions going on daily, it is no wonder that the foreign currency exchange market, also known as "forex" or "fx" market, has such a huge global reach and has become extremely popular among traders.
Trillions of dollars of foreign exchange activity takes place every day. From 1997 to the end of 2000, daily forex trading volume surged from US$5 billion to US$1.5 trillion. The forex market continues to grow at a phenomenal rate.
Before the internet came along, only corporations and wealthy individuals could trade currencies in the forex market through the use of the proprietary trading systems of banks. These systems required as much as US$1 million to open an account. Thanks to advancements in online technology, today investors with only a few thousand dollars can have access to the forex market 24 hours a day.
For traders, forex trading provides an alternative to stock market trading. While there are thousands of stocks to choose from, there are only a few major currencies to trade (the Dollar, Yen, British Pound, Swiss Franc, and the Euro are the most popular). Forex trading also provides a lot more leverage* than stock trading, and the minimum investment to get started is a lot lower. Add to that the ability to choose flexible trading hours (forex trading goes on 24 hours a day)
Trillions of dollars of foreign exchange activity takes place every day. From 1997 to the end of 2000, daily forex trading volume surged from US$5 billion to US$1.5 trillion. The forex market continues to grow at a phenomenal rate.
Before the internet came along, only corporations and wealthy individuals could trade currencies in the forex market through the use of the proprietary trading systems of banks. These systems required as much as US$1 million to open an account. Thanks to advancements in online technology, today investors with only a few thousand dollars can have access to the forex market 24 hours a day.
For traders, forex trading provides an alternative to stock market trading. While there are thousands of stocks to choose from, there are only a few major currencies to trade (the Dollar, Yen, British Pound, Swiss Franc, and the Euro are the most popular). Forex trading also provides a lot more leverage* than stock trading, and the minimum investment to get started is a lot lower. Add to that the ability to choose flexible trading hours (forex trading goes on 24 hours a day)
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