by Damian Papworth
The foreign exchange market is mystifying to many people. There is good reason for this, since these financial markets are among the riskiest in which to trade. This article will explore the topic of the foreign exchange market, what makes it so risky and how to understand it a little better.
What exactly does foreign exchange mean? What are the nuts and bolts of this market? Quite simply, it's the money used in different countries around the world. An investor buys money (known as currency) from one country with the sale of money from another. Without this transaction process, the global economy would stop. Whether you know it or not, you have probably engaged in the foreign exchange market already. In fact, it may be an everyday occurrence for you.
Maybe it was on your last vacation; maybe you went to Rome on business, changing some money for a night on the town. Even if you used a traveler's cheque or swiped a credit card, you aren't operating with your native currency if you are in a foreign country. Welcome to the exchange market, which you've already played.
Often, we are involved in the exchange market indirectly, as consumers who purchase goods from another country. Anything imported was either bought or sold with an exchange in currency. Next, a calculation by the importer will set the price for the foreign goods in the country where it will be sold, taking the entire scale of exchange into account. While you might have forgotten that it took this sort of arrangement for foreign goods to make their way to local stores, it happens every day of the year. The FX market has everyone involved, from tourists to exporters, from consumers to importers. The exchange of currencies makes it happen.
Maybe you have been mystified by the fluctuating currencies of different countries. Like most things in the business world the currency's supply versus its demand changes the rate. When a currency comes into high demand, with few sellers on the market, that makes it instantly more valuable. Buyers will pay a higher price to get their hands on it. Conversely, when a currency is unwanted and sellers flood the market looking to dump it, the price goes down. Those willing to take on such an unattractive commodity pay less to do so. The explanation is simple when you think in this manner.
The hard part is determining the root of supply and demand fluctuations. Therein lies the complex part of foreign currency exchange. Not even economists can pinpoint exactly the cause of demand and supply changing like the tides. Being a good trader is having a grasp on the big factors and investing accordingly, but there is definitely no simple answer and thus the market of currency exchange is not a simple game to play. There are no formulas.
Currency prices are a measure of a countries "economic value" as compared against another countries "economic value". If you think about the myriad of factors which impact people's perceptions of the economy of the country you live in, you can start to understand why predicting FX price movements is difficult.
But your countries economy is only half the equation. We are not measuring the value of your economy alone, rather comparing it against the economy of a different country. Therefore, even if you have a really good understanding of your own economy, you need the same understanding of the other country's economy also.
On top of that, your currency will be stacked up against the entire world's currencies. At this point you need a truly global perspective, weighing extremely diverse factors, before you decide one country's currency will spike in value while another will remain stagnant.
And if you manage to get all your analysis correct, you then need to hope everyone else does too. Currencies can move on investors opinions, expectations met or expectations not met, global sentiments of what is likely to happen as much as global opinion of what has happened. There are fundamental traders (who look at information such as the above to make their decisions) and technical traders. (who just follow graphs and don't care why) Both trader groups can impact the price as they impact supply and demand.
Some investors will buy currencies with long-range goals in mind. With a big investment in currencies, they use it to support other ventures, which also has an effect on the currency's value.
Then there are Foreign Exchange Trading Strategies which don't need to predict if a currency is going to go up or down. It doesn't matter which way the traded currencies move, they make small incremental profits in both directions.
Hopefully, this explanation of various factors affecting the Foreign Exchange market has served to illuminate the subject.
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New Unique Article!
Title: Foreign Exchange Trading Demystified
Author: Damian Papworth
Email: articles@oceanfeather.com.au
Keywords: FOREX trading,FX Trading,foreign exchange,personal finance,wealth building,retirement planning,finance,investments,investing,business,family
Word Count: 798
Category: forex
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