Forex trading, or currency trading, or FX trading, as it can be also abbreviated, are all terms that describe the currency exchange market as we know it today, which in simple language refers to the global, decentralized marketplace where individuals, companies and financial institutions exchange currencies for one another at floating rates.
The current floating rates system, which we know today, was adopted after World War II and has been in effect ever since. Prior to the current forex trading rates system, a monetary management system called the Bretton Woods Agreement was in existence, in which the exchange prices of currencies against each other were tied and correlated to the reserves of gold in possession of the two countries that were the originators of the actual currencies related to a transaction.
Forex Trading Marketplace
The forex trading marketplace, as it stands today, is the world’s largest and most liquid market due to a number of factors which include, but are not limited to, ease of performing transactions over the internet, the modern development of travelling, ease of international communication and modern transportation, which have made our world a smaller place.
By making our world a smaller and more global place, this automatically means that people, goods and services can travel faster and more easily. This also means that a necessity of currencies to be traded against each other is needed in order for this to happen. All these factors have determined a growing forex trading marketplace, which will only continue to grow and become more dynamic, liquid and responsive.
Forex Trading Marketplace
Among the main participants of the forex trading market, one of the most growing segments of the total pool of participants of the marketplace, are retail foreign exchange traders (individuals) who participate in online forex trading for mainly speculative reasons with the ultimate goal of generating a profit from currency fluctuations (market changes), or hedging unwanted currency risk.
This segment participates in the forex trading marketplace via a broker, or via a bank. In this case, the bank or the broker will issue the retail client a trading account that will be funded in a base currency (usually the local currency of the region where the client is domiciled), and the client will have the opportunity to buy and sell currencies both online and over the phone with the goal of deriving profit.
Forex Trading Marketplace
Participating in the forex trading market means that the client receives access to real-time pricing of the forex market and is quoted buy and sell prices for a number of instruments via an online trading platform. The client has the freedom to decide at which price they decide to buy or sell, and vice versa, and can execute a transaction at any time they wish.
