What is Forex? and Who Can Trades Currency in Forex Market?

1. The Forex Market (Foreign Exchange Market) is the largest financial market in the world. This is the place where one currency is exchanged for another, and it has a lot of unique attributes that may surprise for new traders. Let take a look at an introductory at the forex market and how and why traders are increasingly flocking toward the trading. What Is Forex? An exchange rate is a price paid for on currency in exchange for another. It is the type of exchange that drives the forex market. More than 100 different kinds of official currencies in the world. Most of the international forex trades and payments are made using the U.S Dollar, Yen and Euro and other popular currency trading instruments include the British pound, Swiss Franc, Australian Dollar, Swedish Krona and Canadian Dollar. Currency can be traded through spot transactions, forwards, swaps, and option contracts where the underlying instrument is a currency. Currency trading occurs continuously around the world, 24 hours a day, five days a week. Watch out Video for better Understanding the Forex Trading Strategies for Beginners: Step By Step to Become a Better Trader https://youtu.be/zytmecklTWs Who Can Trades Currency in Forex Market

2. There are many players in the forex market: 1. Banks The greatest volume of currency is traded in the interbank market. Here banks of all sizes buy and sell the currency with each other and through electronic networks. Big Banks account for the large percentage of total currency volume trades. Banks facilitate forex transactions for the clients and conduct uncertain trades from their own trading desks. When banks act as dealers for clients, the bid-ask spread represents the bank's profit. Risky currency trades are executed to profit from currency fluctuations. 2. Central Banks Central banks are very important players in the forex market. Open market operations and interest rate policies of central banks influence currency rates to a large extent. Central banks are responsible for forex fixing. It is the exchange rate regime by which currency will trade in the open market. Floating, fixed and secured are the types of exchange rate regimes. Any action taken by a central bank in the forex market is taken to stabilize or increase the competitiveness of that nation's economy. Central banks may engage in currency interventions to make their currencies appreciate or depreciate. During periods of long deflationary trends, for example, a central bank may weaken its own currency by creating additional supply, which is then used to purchase foreign currency. This effectively weakens the domestic currency, making exports more competitive in the global market. 3. Investment Managers and Hedge Funds Portfolio Managers, Pooled Funds and Hedge Funds make up the second biggest collection of players in forex market world. Investment managers trade currencies for the large accounts such as endowments and pension funds. An investment manager with an international portfolio will have to purchase and sell currencies to trade foreign securities. Investment manager also makes speculative forex trades. Hedge funds execute speculative currency trades as well 4. Corporations Firms engaged in the importing and exporting conduct forex transactions to pay for services and goods. Example: German solar panel producer they import American components and sale is made, the Chinese Yuan must be converted back to Euros. The German firm must exchange Euros for dollars to purchases the American Components Companies’ trade forex to hedge the risk associated with the foreign currency translations. The same German firm might purchase American dollars in a spot market, or enter into a currency swap agreement to obtain dollars in advance of purchasing components from the American company to reduce foreign currency exposure risk.

3. 5. Individual Investors The volume of trade made by Retail Investors is extremely low as compared to that bank and the financial institutions, but the forex market is overgrowing in popularity. Retail investors base currency trades on a combination of fundamentals and technical factors. Forex market participants trade currencies for very different reasons. Speculative trades - executed by banks, hedge funds, financial institutions and individual investors are profit motivated. Central banks move forex markets through the monetary policy, exchange regime setting, and, in rare cases, currency intervention. Corporations trade currency for global business operations and to hedge risk.