An Explanation of Forex Trading



Posted: Monday, October 24, 2005

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Forex trading means the simultaneous buying of one currency, and selling of another. The currency of one country is exchanged for that of another. The currencies are always traded in pairs such as US Dollar/Japanese Yen (USD/JPY), Euro/US Dollar (EUR/USD), Great Britain Pound/US Dollar (GBP/USD).

More than 80% of daily forex trading involves major currencies like Australian Dollar (AUD), British Pound, Canadian Dollar (CAD), Japanese Yen, Swiss Franc (CHF), and the US Dollar. Forex Trading is not centralized on an exchange. It is a 24-hour market, and trading moves from major banking centers like Wellington, Sydney, Japan, London and New York – in that order.

In Forex Trading, there is a bid price and an ask price, and the difference of the two is called the spread. The bid is the price at which buyers are willing to buy, and the ask is the price that sellers are willing to sell at any given time. The prices are always 5 digit numbers, irrespective of where the decimal point is placed. For example, EUR/USD has a bid price of 1.2641 and an ask price of 1.2644, thereby yielding a 3 pip spread. In another example, the USD/JPY bid price is 107.09 and ask price is 107.12.

A transaction takes place when one currency is on the up, and another is going down. Choosing the right currency will ensure a profit.

Margin is collateral for a position. If the market moves downward, the forex trader will ask the investor for additional funds by way of a “margin call". In case of insufficient funds, the trader will close the open positions immediately.

A “long" position is one in which the investor buys a currency at one price, with the expectation of selling it later at a higher price. A short position is one in which the investor sells a currency with the expectation of buying it back at a lower price, expecting the currency to fall. Every forex trading position taken means that the investor has gone long in one currency, and short in the other.

 

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