After a Record Low FX Volatility in the First Half of 2014, What Lies Ahead?

Following the conclusion of FX trading volume reports flowing from the industry for the first half of this year, we are presented with results which are quite substantially lower than what would have been expected by most players after the materially lower activity during the second half of 2013. The past quarter has offered yet another three months of slowing G7 FX Volatility Volatility In finance, volatility refers to the amount of change in the rate of a financial instrument, such as commodities, currencies, stocks, over a given time period. Essentially, volatility describes the nature of an instrument’s fluctuation; a highly volatile security equates to large fluctuations in price, and a low volatile security equates to timid fluctuations in price. Volatility is an important statistical indicator used by financial traders to assist them in developing trading systems. Traders In finance, volatility refers to the amount of change in the rate of a financial instrument, such as commodities, currencies, stocks, over a given time period. Essentially, volatility describes the nature of an instrument’s fluctuation; a highly volatile security equates to large fluctuations in price, and a low volatile security equates to timid fluctuations in price. Volatility is an important statistical indicator used by financial traders to assist them in developing trading systems. Traders Read this Term which culminated in a series of multi-decade lows throughout the last three months.

With the initial excitement after the Federal Reserve had finally started with its tapering effort waning and with the realization that interest rates are here to remain low for quite a substantial period ahead. If we take the British pound out of the equation, we have a stagnating market where the blind is leading the blind.

The ECB has rocked the euro at pretty much every single press conference during the month, only for it to reiterate its resilience in the light of the ever expanding Federal Reserve balance sheet, while the main factor behind the Japanese yen, which is the so called Abenomics effort that has been put to the test by the Japanese sales tax hike, which has taken effect since the beginning of April.

Publicly listed companies across the industry have experienced substantial declines with Plus500, FXCM and GAIN Capital being at the forefront of FX related stock market activity, all losing substantial market share.

On a positive note, some new exciting markets have been growing at a very rapid pace - among others is the rising star of North Africa, while in the technological and platform space we are seeing material new entrants starting to build up on the trust that initial users have granted to some innovative solutions such as Tradable.

The second quarter edition of the Forex Magnates Quarterly Industry Report has put some questions to industry insiders about the missing volatility in the markets and to what has happened to the imploding Japanese yen volatility which drove the retail brokerages across the FX market last year to mark their best volume figures ever. The most pressing questions to the industry, including the ways in which social media is used, as well as the most complete data on the trend of volumes across the globe are an eyeopener to the challenges which are accompanying the Forex Forex Foreign exchange or forex is the act of converting one nation’s currency into another nation’s currency (that possesses a different currency); for example, the converting of British Pounds into US Dollars, and vice versa. The exchange of currencies can be done over a physical counter, such as at a Bureau de Change, or over the internet via broker platforms, where currency speculation takes place, known as forex trading.The foreign exchange market, by its very nature, is the world’s largest tradi Foreign exchange or forex is the act of converting one nation’s currency into another nation’s currency (that possesses a different currency); for example, the converting of British Pounds into US Dollars, and vice versa. The exchange of currencies can be done over a physical counter, such as at a Bureau de Change, or over the internet via broker platforms, where currency speculation takes place, known as forex trading.The foreign exchange market, by its very nature, is the world’s largest tradi Read this Term industry today.