Technology
advances like the internet have spawned a new craze, where anyone with
a secure internet connection prepared to undertake a small amount of
training can engage in trading foreign exchange on the forex market.
Just
as a day trader will closely track stock price movements on the Dow
Jones Industrial Average, all over the world forex traders monitor
currency fluctuations in a similar fashion.
Forex traders have
the aim of using the smallest amount of one currency, say the US
dollar, to purchase another currency like the British Pound. If supply
of the pound lessens in a busy market, it will cost more dollars to buy
pounds, and the forex trader hopes to sell their pounds at a higher
than their purchase price. In many respects, this type of trading
behaviour is very similar to trading in stocks, where the aim of nearly
all traders is to buy low and sell high.
The trading process
works under a bid/ask system. In the above example, a forex trader
might bid 10 dollars in return for 5.7 British pounds, and the seller
of the pounds could be asking 11 dollars for the same amount of pounds.
If the seller accepts the bid, the trader then hopes the pound
continues to increase in price, so that when time comes to sell, they
can get in excess of the 10 dollars initially paid.
As only
registered traders have access to this auction process, most online
speculators will trade through a bank or broking house. Such brokerages
charge a commission for facilitating the trades, and forex traders
should consider these transaction costs when calculating their selling
offer when time comes to exit their position, as this will influence
their profit margin.
The global foreign exchange market can
trade in excess of a trillion dollars a day. Sheer market size means
there is considerable money to be made, and lost, through
miscalculation. It is neither a guaranteed, nor easy path to riches, so
traders should be educated in how to play the market. Instructional
packages are available, and should be carefully reviewed as they can
easily range in quality and price.
About the Author:
Jay Moncliff is the founder of http://www.forexadvise.info
a website specialized on Forex, resources and articles. This site
provides updated information on Forex. For more info on Forex visit: http://www.forexadvise.info
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