What is the FX market?

The FX market is the only truly continuous and nonstop trading market in the world. In the past, the forex market was dominated by institutional firms and large banks, which acted on behalf of clients. But it has become more retail-oriented in recent years—traders and investors of all sizes participate in it. Where Is It?

What is forex trading & how does it work?

At its simplest, forex trading is similar to the currency exchange you may do while traveling abroad: A trader buys one currency and sells another, and the exchange rate constantly fluctuates based on supply and demand. Currencies are traded in the foreign exchange market, a global marketplace that’s open 24 hours a day Monday through Friday.

What is foreign exchange trading?

Foreign exchange trading—also commonly called forex trading or FX—is the global market for exchanging foreign currencies. Forex is the largest market in the world, and the trades that happen in it affect everything from the price of clothing imported from China to the amount you pay for a margarita while vacationing in Mexico.

How do forex brokers get paid?

Forex brokers are compensated two ways. The first is through the bid-ask spread of a currency pair. For example, when the Euro-U.S. Dollar pair is priced as 1.20010 bid and 1.20022 ask, the spread between these two prices is .00012, known as 1.2 pips.