Trading forexx

Trading Hours

* 24 hour market
* Sunday 5pm EST through Friday 4pm EST.
* Trading begins in the Asia-Pacific region followed by the Middle East, Europe, and America

Size

* One of the largest financial markets in the world
* $3.2 trillion average daily turnover, equivalent to:

o More than 10 times the average daily turnover of global equity markets1
o More than 35 times the average daily turnover of the NYSE2
o Nearly $500 a day for every man, woman, and child on earth3
o An annual turnover more than 10 times world GDP4

* The spot market accounts for just under one-third of daily turnover

1. About $280 billion - World Federation of Exchanges aggregate 2006
2. About $87 billion - World Federation of Exchanges 2006
3. Based on world population of 6.6 billion - US Census Bureau
4. About $48 trillion - World Bank 2006.


Source: BIS Triennial Survey 2007

Major Markets

* The US & UK markets account for just over 50% of turnover
* Major markets: London, New York, Tokyo
* Trading activity is heaviest when major markets overlap5
* Nearly two-thirds of NY activity occurs in the morning hours while European markets are open6

5. The Foreign Exchange Market in the United States - NY Federal Reserve
6. The Foreign Exchange Market in the United States - NY Federal Reserve

Average Daily Turnover by Geographic Location

Source: BIS Triennial Survey 2007

Concentration in the Banking Industry

* 12 banks account for 75% of turnover in the U.K.
* 10 banks account for 75% of turnover in the U.S.
* 3 banks account for 75% of turnover in Switzerland
* 9 banks account for 75% of turnover in Japan

Source: BIS Triennial Survey 2007
Technical Analysis
Commonly used technical indicators:

* Moving averages
* RSI
* Fibonacci retracements
* Stochastics
* MACD
* Momentum
* Bollinger bands
* Pivot point
* Elliott Wave

Currencies

* The US dollar is involved in over 80% of all foreign exchange transactions, equivalent to over US$2.7 trillion per day

Currency Codes

* USD = US Dollar
* EUR = Euro
* JPY = Japanese Yen
* GBP = British Pound
* CHF = Swiss Franc
* CAD = Canadian Dollar (Sometimes referred to as the "Loonie")
* AUD = Australian Dollar
* NZD = New Zealand Dollar

Average Daily Turnover by Currency

N.B. Because two currencies are involved in each transaction, the sum of the percentage shares of individual currencies totals 200% instead of 100%.

Source: BIS Triennial Survey 2007

Currency Pairs

* Majors: EUR/USD (Euro-Dollar), USD/JPY, GBP/USD - (commonly referred to as the "Cable"), USD/CHF
* Dollar bloc: USD/CAD, AUD/USD, NZD/USD - (commonly referred to as the "Kiwi")
* Major crosses: EUR/JPY, EUR/GBP, EUR/CHF

Average Daily Turnover by Currency Pair

Source: BIS Triennial Survey 2007

Related Links

Foreign exchange market