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 trading market by volume. According to the Bank of International Settlements (BIS) latest survey, the Forex market now turns over in excess of $5 trillion every day, with the most exchanges occurring between the US Dollar and the Euro (EUR/USD), followed by the US Dollar and the Japanese Yen (USD/JPY), then the US Dollar and Pound Sterling (GBP/USD). Ultimately, it is the very exchanging between currencies which causes a country’s currency to fluctuate in value in relation to another currency – this is known as the exchange rate. With regards to freely floating currencies, this is determined by supply and demand, such as imports and exports, and currency traders, such as banks and hedge funds. Emphasis on Retail Trading for ForexTrading the forex market for the purpose of financial gain was once the exclusive realm of financial institutions.But thanks to the invention of the internet and advances in financial technology from the 1990’s, almost anyone can now start trading this huge market. All one needs is a computer, an internet connection, and an account with a forex broker. Of course, before one starts to trade currencies, a certain level of knowledge and practice is essential. Once can gain some practice using demonstration accounts, i.e. place trades using demo money, before moving on to some real trading after attaining confidence. The main two fields of trading are known as technical analysis and fundamental analysis. Technical analysis refers to using mathematical tools and certain patterns to help decide whether to buy or sell a currency pair, and fundamental analysis refers to gauging the national and international events which may potentially affect a country’s currency value. 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 trading market by volume. According to the Bank of International Settlements (BIS) latest survey, the Forex market now turns over in excess of $5 trillion every day, with the most exchanges occurring between the US Dollar and the Euro (EUR/USD), followed by the US Dollar and the Japanese Yen (USD/JPY), then the US Dollar and Pound Sterling (GBP/USD). Ultimately, it is the very exchanging between currencies which causes a country’s currency to fluctuate in value in relation to another currency – this is known as the exchange rate. With regards to freely floating currencies, this is determined by supply and demand, such as imports and exports, and currency traders, such as banks and hedge funds. Emphasis on Retail Trading for ForexTrading the forex market for the purpose of financial gain was once the exclusive realm of financial institutions.But thanks to the invention of the internet and advances in financial technology from the 1990’s, almost anyone can now start trading this huge market. All one needs is a computer, an internet connection, and an account with a forex broker. Of course, before one starts to trade currencies, a certain level of knowledge and practice is essential. Once can gain some practice using demonstration accounts, i.e. place trades using demo money, before moving on to some real trading after attaining confidence. The main two fields of trading are known as technical analysis and fundamental analysis. Technical analysis refers to using mathematical tools and certain patterns to help decide whether to buy or sell a currency pair, and fundamental analysis refers to gauging the national and international events which may potentially affect a country’s currency value. Read this Term Magnates is proud to present its Q1 Quarterly Industry Report (QIR), showcasing the most interesting details and analyzing the most important developments that the FX industry has seen during the first quarter of 2014.

The beginning of the year so far has been a challenging period for financial markets. Geopolitical clashes in multiple strategic regions, talks about new regulations to curb high frequency speculators and the beginning of the end of the cheap money era on the horizon, all have affected traders' mood and confidence.

To aid the various actors in the FX business to get a firm grasp on the changing world, Forex Magnates' QIR1 2014 provides an in-depth examination of a wide range of issues, which can be critical to the industry. From the start of mandatory centralized FX  Clearing  Clearing Clearing is a general term that simply means many different things depending on the subject and related industry. Most commonly, this refers to the reciprocal exchange between banks of checks and drafts, and the settlement of the differences, or the total of claims settled at a clearinghouse. In finance and banking, the word clearing has different meanings depending on the more specific business model. Moving checks from the bank where they were deposited to the bank on which they were drawn. This gives credit to the bank where funds are deposited and a corresponding debit to the account of the paying institution. The Federal Reserve operates a nationwide check-clearing system. Clearing also is used to signify matching buyers and sellers in stock, futures, and options transactions. Understanding ClearingToday, any type of payment can be cleared. A credit card payment is cleared through the payment merchant. It can be said that clearing is the settlement of balances and transactions. There is also an act of cleaning contracts and risk through A clearinghouse, like CME Clearing, which is an intermediary between buyers and sellers in the derivatives market. As the intermediary or counterparty, to every trade, CME Clearing acts as the buyer for every seller and the seller for every buyer for every transaction on an exchange. Stocks are cleared through global stock exchanges similar to the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). The clearing is the process of updating the accounts of the trading parties and arranging for the transfer of money and securities. Clearing is a general term that simply means many different things depending on the subject and related industry. Most commonly, this refers to the reciprocal exchange between banks of checks and drafts, and the settlement of the differences, or the total of claims settled at a clearinghouse. In finance and banking, the word clearing has different meanings depending on the more specific business model. Moving checks from the bank where they were deposited to the bank on which they were drawn. This gives credit to the bank where funds are deposited and a corresponding debit to the account of the paying institution. The Federal Reserve operates a nationwide check-clearing system. Clearing also is used to signify matching buyers and sellers in stock, futures, and options transactions. Understanding ClearingToday, any type of payment can be cleared. A credit card payment is cleared through the payment merchant. It can be said that clearing is the settlement of balances and transactions. There is also an act of cleaning contracts and risk through A clearinghouse, like CME Clearing, which is an intermediary between buyers and sellers in the derivatives market. As the intermediary or counterparty, to every trade, CME Clearing acts as the buyer for every seller and the seller for every buyer for every transaction on an exchange. Stocks are cleared through global stock exchanges similar to the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). The clearing is the process of updating the accounts of the trading parties and arranging for the transfer of money and securities. Read this Term in Europe with EMIR, to the effects of political crises on trading volumes in Ukraine and Turkey, we got you covered.

In addition, we have taken a look at the costs of becoming a publicly traded company with the trend of FX firms launching IPOs. The report examines the current challenges for FX brokers operating in the U.S.; tries to understand why the strong economies of Germany, France and Canada fail to produce a more vibrant forex market; brings interviews with top industry executives discussing what is the factor moving their business forward, and more.

As always, subscribers will be first to recieve the latest edition, and our readers are more than welcome to send us their feedback or pitch us ideas for future research articles at research@forexmagnates.com

To view a free sample of the digital version of the QIR1 2014 click here.