Brief history of Forex trading

Initially, the value of goods was expressed in terms of other goods, i.e. an economy based on barter between individual market participants. The obvious limitations of such a system encouraged establishing more generally accepted means of exchange at a fairly early stage in history, to set a common benchmark of value. In different economies, everything from teeth to feathers to pretty stones has served this purpose, but soon metals, in particular gold and silver, established themselves as an accepted means of payment as well as a reliable storage of value. Originally, coins were simply minted from the preferred metal, but in stable political regimes the introduction of a paper form of governmental IOUs (I owe you) gained acceptance during the Middle Ages. Such IOUs, often introduced more successfully through force than persuasion were the basis of modern currencies. Before World War I, most central banks supported their currencies with convertibility to gold. Although paper money could always be exchanged for gold, in reality this did not occur often, fostering the sometimes disastrous notion that there was not necessarily a need for full cover in the central reserves of the government. At times, the ballooning supply of paper money without gold cover led to devastating inflation and resulting political instability. To protect local national interests, foreign exchange controls were increasingly introduced to prevent market forces from punishing monetary irresponsibility. In the latter stages of World War II, the Bretton Woods agreement was reached on the initiative of the USA in July 1944. The Bretton Woods Conference rejected John Maynard Keynes suggestion for a new world reserve currency in favour of a system built on the US dollar. Other international institutions such as the IMF, the World Bank and GATT (General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade) were created in the same period as the emerging victors of WW2 searched for a way to avoid the destabilising monetary crises which led to the war. The Bretton Woods agreement resulted in a system of fixed exchange rates that partly reinstated the gold standard, fixing the US dollar at USD35/oz and fixing the other main currencies to the dollar - and was intended to be permanent. The Bretton Woods system came under increasing pressure as national economies moved in different directions during the sixties. A number of realignments kept the system alive for a long time, but eventually Bretton Woods collapsed in the early seventies following president Nixon's suspension of the gold convertibility in August 1971. The dollar was no longer suitable as the sole international currency at a time when it was under severe pressure from increasing US budget and trade deficits. The following decades have seen foreign exchange trading develop into the largest global market by far. Restrictions on capital flows have been removed in most countries, leaving the market forces free to adjust foreign exchange rates according to their perceived values. But the idea of fixed exchange rates has by no means died. The EEC (European Economic Community) introduced a new system of fixed exchange rates in 1979, the European Monetary System. This attempt to fix exchange rates met with near extinction in 1992-93, when pent-up economic pressures forced devaluations of a number of weak European currencies. Nevertheless, the quest for currency stability has continued in Europe with the renewed attempt to not only fix currencies but actually replace many of them with the Euro in 2001. The lack of sustainability in fixed foreign exchange rates gained new relevance with the events in South East Asia in the latter part of 1997, where currency after currency was devalued against the US dollar, leaving other fixed exchange rates, in particular in South America, looking very vulnerable. But while commercial companies have had to face a much more volatile currency environment in recent years, investors and financial institutions have found a new playground. The size of foreign exchange markets now dwarfs any other investment market by a large factor. It is estimated that more than USD 3,000 billion is traded every day, far more than the world's stock and bond markets combined.

Fixed exchange rate

A fixed exchange rate, sometimes called a pegged exchange rate, is a type of exchange rate regime wherein a currency's value is matched to the value of another single currency or to a basket of other currencies, or to another measure of value, such as gold. A fixed exchange rate is usually used to stabilize the value of a currency, vis-a-vis the currency it is pegged to. This facilitates trade and investments between the two countries, and is especially useful for small economies where external trade forms a large part of their GDP. It is also used as a means to control inflation. However, as the reference value rises and falls, so does the currency pegged to it. In addition, a fixed exchange rate prevents a government from using domestic monetary policy in order to achieve macroeconomic stability.

Maintaining a fixed exchange rate

Typically, a government wanting to maintain a fixed exchange rate does so by either buying or selling its own currency on the open market. This is one reason governments maintain reserves of foreign currencies. If the exchange rate drifts too far below the desired rate, the government buys its own currency off the market using its reserves. This places greater demand on the market and pushes up the price of the currency. If the exchange rate drifts too far above the desired rate, the opposite measures are taken. Another, less used means of maintaining a fixed exchange rate is by simply making it illegal to trade currency at any other rate. This is difficult to enforce and often leads to a black market in foreign currency. Nonetheless, some countries are highly successful at using this method due to government monopolies over all money conversion. This is the method employed by the Chinese government to maintain a currency peg or tightly banded float against the US dollar.[citation needed] Throughout the 1990s, China was highly successful at maintaining a currency peg using a government monopoly over all currency conversion between the yuan and other currencies.

Exchange rate regime

The exchange rate regime is the way a country manages its currency in respect to foreign currencies and the foreign exchange market. It is closely related to monetary policy and the two are generally dependent on many of the same factors. The basic types are a floating exchange rate, where the market dictates the movements of the exchange rate, a pegged float, where the central bank keeps the rate from deviating too far from a target band or value, and the fixed exchange rate, which ties the currency to another currency, mostly more widespread currencies such as the U.S. dollar or the euro.

Linked exchange rate

A linked exchange rate system is a type of exchange rate regime to link the exchange rate of a currency to another. It is the exchange rate system implemented in Hong Kong to stabilise the exchange rate between the Hong Kong dollar (HKD) and the United States dollar (USD). The Macao pataca (MOP) is similarly linked to the Hong Kong dollar. Unlike a fixed exchange rate system, the government or central bank does not actively interfere in the foreign exchange market by controlling supply and demand of the currency in order to influence the exchange rate. The exchange rate is stabilised by a mechanism.

History

As a response to the Black Saturday crisis in 1983, the linked exchange rate system was adopted in Hong Kong on October 17, 1983 through the currency board system[1]. The redemption of certificates of indebtedness (for backing the banknotes) were sent out by note-issuing banks to peg the domestic currency against the US dollar at an internal fixed rate of HKD $7.80 = USD $1[2]. The Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), Hong Kong's de facto central bank, authorised note-issuing banks are to issue banknotes. These banks are required to have the same amount of USD to issue banknotes. The HKMA guarantees to exchange USD into HKD, or vice versa, at the rate of 7.80. When the market rate is below 7.80, the banks will convert USD for HKD from the HKMA, HKD supply will be increased, and the market rate will climb back to 7.80. The same mechanism also works when the market rate is above 7.80, and the banks will convert HKD for USD. In practice, the HKMA also set a lower limit at 7.80 (7.85 as an upper limit and 7.75 as a lower limit since May 18, 2005) for the HKD to flow within. The HKMA will buy or sell HKD in the market when the exchange rate is at (or extremely close) the lower limit and upper limit respectively. The HKD is backed by one of the world's largest foreign exchange reserves, which is several times the amount of money supplied in circulation.

Benefits of forex

Although the Forex market is by far the largest and most liquid in the world, day traders have up to now focused on seeking profits in mainly stock and futures markets. This is mainly due to the restrictive nature of bank-offered Forex trading services.Unlike others, NorthFinance offers both online and traditional phone Forex trading services to all investors, with minimum account opening values starting at 100 USD.There are many advantages to trading spot Forex as opposed to trading stocks and futures. In the peoples mind there is this opinion that brokerage firms and analysis’s can change the flow of the currency. But in reality, FOREX is an independent international foreign exchange market which can be influenced by many factors but NOT by the wants(wills) of traders and brokerage firms.Because of its diversity you are able to trade FOREX 5 days a week, 24 hours a day. US, Europe and Asia the major trading sessions enable you to trade on your own schedule and make a quick respond to breaking news from all continents of the world no matter where you are located.Complied benefits from both high leverage and potential profits from both rising and falling market, Forex is very interesting for speculators from every point of view. For example, with $10,000 cash in a standard account that allows 1:100 leverage (1%), you can control up to $1,000,000 in notional value. NorthFinance charges NO commissions or fees, simply take all your profits with you. Commission-free trading is one of the most attractive features of NF. The dealing spreads are as low as 2 pips(for EUR/USD). Providing a more comfortable environment when trading. Versatility all around The overall volume of FOREX market is $2 trillion. Almost all the amount of the volume involves trading of the major currency pairs, NorthFinance clients enjoy tight spreads on these pairs.NorthFinance clients have the ability to trade in both directions, compared to other equity markets where it is more difficult to make certain trades. This gives an advantage to all our clients.It is simple to open an account, you can do it on-line within 10 minutes. With multiple means of funding/withdrawing you can start trading within one hour. Access your trading account from anywhere in the world. Our company serves clients, from over 150 countries and with a large network of world wide located offices and representatives it makes contact us easy.Trader Y opened an account of USD 50'000. He buys EUR/USD 500'000 @ 1.3500 at the market and places a stop loss order at 1.3460.This point shows that his maximum risk is USD 2'000 and his margin utilization is 10%, well above the minimum.