foreign exchange

What is foreign exchange?
Forex
An abbreviation of foreign exchange.

Speculator
A sophisticated individual who trades with significant leverage, taking on above average risk in hopes of above average returns.
foreign exchange consists of trading one type of currency for another. Unlike other financial markets, the FX market has no physical location and no central exchange. It operates "over the counter" through a global network of banks, corporations and individuals trading one currency for another. The FX market is the world's largest financial market, operating 24 hours a day with enormous amounts of money traded on a daily basis.

Unlike any other financial market, investors can respond to currency fluctuations caused by economic, political and social events at the time they occur, without having to wait for exchanges to open. Access to modern news services, charting services, 24- hour dealing desks and sophisticated online electronic trading platforms has seen speculation in the FX market explode, particularly for the individual trader.

The currency markets are not new. They've been around for as long as banks have been doing business. What is relatively new is the accessibility of these markets to the individual speculator, particularly the small- to medium-sized trader