Hotspot FX Announces Dramatic Volume Increase for January 2013

Another company to experience a considerable increase in volume for January 2013 is Hotspot FX, reporting a 38% rise in average daily volumes (ADV) from December 2012, giving the platform an encouragingly strong start to this year compared to the previous January. This is particularly encouraging as 2012 was a year for low volumes industry-wide. January's posted an ADV of $27.1 billion with a total of $596.9 billion transacted on the platform.

Owner Knight Capital Group is actively engaged in a Merger Merger A merger is defined as the absorption of the interest of another. It can include an estate, or contract. There are no specific rules or formats for a union in general. It is a method of combining two or more organizations, business concerns, or other related interests. The terms of a merger are usually by agreement of the parties involved. In the financial sphere, merger refers to an agreement between two or more companies or corporations, public and private, to merge into one entity. Mergers differ from acquisitions, where the buy absorbed all the assets and liabilities of another. A purchase does not necessarily have to be friendly. One business or venture could simply buy up enough shares of a corporation to control it without the consent of its previous controllers, whereas a merger is usually by understanding. A merger is usually a decision by two companies to combine all operations, officers, structure, and other functions of the business. Who Benefits from Mergers?Mergers are meant to be mutually beneficial for the parties involved. In the case of two publicly-traded companies, a merger usually involves one company giving shareholders in the other its stock in exchange for surrendering the stock of the first company. The acquiring company continues to function, and the acquired company ceases to exist. This does not mean that the brand disappears. An example is when Kmart Holdings and Sears merged in 2004. The two corporations announced the combining Sears and Kmart into a significant new retail company named Sears Holdings Corporation. Sears Holdings is the nation's third-largest retailer, with approximately $55 billion in annual revenues and a national footprint of nearly 3,500 retail stores in the United States. Both Kmart and Sears stores continued to operate under their brand names and identities. Kmart and Sears shareholders each approved the combination. A merger is defined as the absorption of the interest of another. It can include an estate, or contract. There are no specific rules or formats for a union in general. It is a method of combining two or more organizations, business concerns, or other related interests. The terms of a merger are usually by agreement of the parties involved. In the financial sphere, merger refers to an agreement between two or more companies or corporations, public and private, to merge into one entity. Mergers differ from acquisitions, where the buy absorbed all the assets and liabilities of another. A purchase does not necessarily have to be friendly. One business or venture could simply buy up enough shares of a corporation to control it without the consent of its previous controllers, whereas a merger is usually by understanding. A merger is usually a decision by two companies to combine all operations, officers, structure, and other functions of the business. Who Benefits from Mergers?Mergers are meant to be mutually beneficial for the parties involved. In the case of two publicly-traded companies, a merger usually involves one company giving shareholders in the other its stock in exchange for surrendering the stock of the first company. The acquiring company continues to function, and the acquired company ceases to exist. This does not mean that the brand disappears. An example is when Kmart Holdings and Sears merged in 2004. The two corporations announced the combining Sears and Kmart into a significant new retail company named Sears Holdings Corporation. Sears Holdings is the nation's third-largest retailer, with approximately $55 billion in annual revenues and a national footprint of nearly 3,500 retail stores in the United States. Both Kmart and Sears stores continued to operate under their brand names and identities. Kmart and Sears shareholders each approved the combination. Read this Term with GETCO at present, which is likely to go ahead in April this year. This is a factor which may affect Hotspot FX's direction during the course of the year ahead.

The monthly statistics for January 2013 are:

Monthly Statistics:

USD Dollar Value Traded Average Daily Volume (ADV)

January 2013 $596.9 Billion $27.1 Billion

December 2012 $392.2 Billion $19.6 Billion

Volume Breakdown

In January 2013, the Asian and European sessions had an uptick in trading activity by 1.69% and 2.941% respectively. The American session contracted by 4.61%.

Volume percentages by time zone were:

Asia Europe Americas

15.82% 45.01% 39.16 (Figures for January 2013)

14.13% 42.1% 43.77% (Figures for December 2012)

The Top Five currency pairs by volume percentage were as follows:

EURUSD 34.87%

USDJPY 15.90%

AUDUSD 10.14%

GBPUSD 9.71%

USDCAD 5.92%

In January 2013, the vast majority of the Top 20 pairs experienced a slight contraction in volume. The exception and largest increase occurred in EUR/USD which gained 1.11%. In ranking of the pairs was similar to the previous month. However, EUR/CHF displaced USD/MXN to return as the 10th most active pair. Additionally, USD/SGD rejoined the listing as 18th most active and USD/SEK was removed.