Since the demise of fixed foreign currency exchange rates in the early 1970's, the world economy has undergone sweeping changes. The collapse of the Bretton Woods Agreement in 1971 signaled an increase in currency market volatility and trading opportunities. What is the lure of the Foreign Exchange markets? What is its power? How does it grow to be the most important market in the World? How can you benefit from it?

The foreign exchange market dwarfs the combined operations of the New York, London, Tokyo futures and stock exchanges, the daily turnover is approximately 1 Trillion (U.S.) dollars per day.

The fascination of this market lies in its sheer size, its complexity and almost limitless reach of influence. During the past decade, the foreign exchange market has been the invincible hand guiding the purchase and sale of goods, services and raw materials in every corner of the globe.

The foreign exchange market directly affects every country's bonds, equities, private property, manufacturing and all assets that are accessible to foreign investors.

Foreign exchange rates play a major role in determining who finances government deficits, who buys equity in companies, who owns real-estate, who hires and fires employees and who owns the bank at which to maintain your corporate or personal account(s).

There is little doubt that this market affects every aspects of our daily personal and corporate financial lives and influences the economic and political destiny of every nation.

The foreign exchange market, then, is the one stabilizing factor in the worlds system of monetary exchange. This market was created not by design but necessity. Traders, bankers, investors, importers and exporters recognized the benefits of hedging risk, or speculating for profit.

The currency in your pocket is literally your stock in your country, like stock, its value fluctuates on the international market providing substantial opportunities for profit or loss.

The market has its own momentum, it follows its own imperatives, and arrives at its own conclusions. Since the conclusions of value, fortunately or unfortunately affect the value of all assets it is crucial that every individual or institutional investor have an understanding of the foreign exchange markets and the forces behind this ultimate free-market system.

There is approximately one trillion dollars worth of average daily 24 hour turnover in the global foreign exchange market. 51% is in spot f/x transactions, followed by 32% in currency swap transactions, and forward outright f/x transactions represents another 5% of this daily turnover.

Spot transactions and forward outright f/x transactions all take place in the interbank market with options on interbank F/X transactions making up another 8%, the interbank market accounts for 96% of the global foreign exchange market, the remaining 4% is divided among all the global futures exchanges.

Interbank currency contracts and options, unlike futures contracts, are not traded on exchanges and are not standardized: rather banks and dealers act as principles in these markets, negotiating each transaction on an individual basis. Forward "cash" or "spot" trading in currencies is substantially unregulated; there are no limitations on daily price movements and SPECULATIVE POSITIONS LIMITS ARE NOT APPLICABLE. During problems of liquidity dealers can place trades through a larger number of market participants for better execution.

Cash markets are the primary markets, futures are the secondary markets. The cash currency market represents 24 times the volume of currency futures. Cash trading deals in "Real" instruments with volume exceeding one trillion U.S. dollars worldwide daily. Cash markets provide better liquidity, execution and trading hours.

FCM trades primarily "Real" markets for its customers catering to substantial individual and/or institutional investors whom at this time because of the futures markets reputation and lack of liquidity are justifiably reluctant to participate in secondary markets such as futures.

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