Currency Future

A currency future, also FX future or foreign exchange future, is a futures contract to exchange one currency for another at a specified date in the future at a price (exchange rate) that is fixed on the purchase date. Typically, one of the currencies is the US dollar. The price of a future is then in terms of US dollars per unit of other currency. This can be different from the standard way of quoting in the spot foreign exchange markets. The trade unit of each contract is then a certain amount of other currency, for instance €125,000. Most contracts have physical delivery, so for those held at the end of the last trading day, actual payments are made in each currency. However, most contracts are closed out before that. Investors can close out the contract at any time prior to the contract's delivery date.

Floating Exchange Rate

A floating exchange rate or fluctuating exchange rate is a type of exchange rate regime wherein acurrency's value is allowed to fluctuate according to the foreign exchange market. A currency that uses a floating exchange rate is known as a floating currency. It is not possible for a developing country to maintain the stability in the rate of exchange for its currency in the exchange market. There are two options open for them- [1] Let the exchange rate be allowed to fluctuate in the open market according to the market conditions, or [2] An equilibrium rate may be fixed to be adopted and attempts should be made to maintain it as far as possible. But, if there is a fundamental change in the circumstances, the rate should be changed accordingly. The rate of exchange under the first alternative is know as fluctuating rate of exchange and under second alternative, it is called flexible rate of exchange. In the modern economic conditions, the flexible rate of exchange system is more appropriate as it does not hamper the foreign trade.

State Administration of Foreign Exchange

The State Administration of Foreign Exchange (simplified Chinese: 国家外汇管理局; pinyin: Guójiā wàihuì guǎnlǐ jú) of the People's Republic of China is an administrative agency tasked with drafting rules and regulations governing foreign exchange market activities, and managing the state foreign exchange reserves, which at the end of June 2009 stood at $2.13 trillion for the People's Bank of China. The current director is Yi Gang.^[1]

InstaForex

InstaForex (InstaTrade Corporation) – ECN-broker provides on-line trading services on the international financial Forex market and trading of contracts for difference CFD services.

The name of the company comes from the eng. "instant" and "Forex", which means "instant execution of orders on the Forex market".

History

InstaForex project was founded in 2007 by InstaTrade Corporation as retail broker on the financial Forex market. Right after the registration the contract was concluded with one of the leading companies in software engineering for financial markets – MetaQuotes Software. That is how InstaForex started working on the market of brokerage services all over the world. During the first couple of months of InstaForex operations the contracts were concluded with the major western contra-agents, which provides access to the banking currency market. For providing informational support to the clients agreements were signed on the news providing with major media-company on financial markets in the USA – Dow Jones & Company.

Forex Bank

Forex AB is a Swedish financial services company. The company was started in 1927 as a currency exchange service for travellers, at the Central Station in Stockholm. The owner of Gyllenspet's Barber Shop, according to the legend, discovered that most of his customers were tourists in need of currency for their trips. The owner began keeping the major currencies on hand.

The company was subsequently acquired by Statens Järnvägar (now SJ AB), the Swedish State Railways, which expanded the operations until it was sold off to one of the managers, Rolf Friberg, in 1965. The company was the only one apart from the banks that was licensed to conduct currency exchange in Sweden.

FXdirekt Bank

The FXdirekt Bank is an independent company with around 90 employees. The company headquarters are located in Krefeld, Germany and the branch office is located in Oberhausen. The FXdirekt Bank is a member of the EdW ("Entschädigungseinrichtung der Wertpapierhandelsunternehmen"), which is an organisation created to secure investor claims and is also registered as a commercial bank with the BaFin (German Federal Institute for Financial Services Supervision).

National Stock Exchange of India

The National Stock Exchange of India Limited (NSE), is a Mumbai-based stock exchange. It is the largest stock exchange in India in terms of daily turnover and number of trades, for both equities and derivative trading.^[1]. NSE has a market capitalization of around Rs 47,01,923 crore (7 August 2009) and is expected to become the biggest stock exchange in India in terms of market capitalization by 2009 end.^[2]Though a number of other exchanges exist, NSE and theBombay Stock Exchange are the two most significant stock exchanges in India, and between them are responsible for the vast majority of share transactions. The NSE's key index is theS&P CNX Nifty, known as the Nifty, an index of fifty major stocks weighted by market capitalisation.

Origins

The National Stock Exchange of India was promoted by leading Financial institutions at the behest of theGovernment of India, and was incorporated in November 1992 as a tax-paying company. In April 1993, it was recognized as a stock exchange under the Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act, 1956. NSE commenced operations in the Wholesale Debt Market (WDM) segment in June 1994. The Capital Market(Equities) segment of the NSE commenced operations in November 1994, while operations in theDerivatives segment commenced in June 2000.

The Village Market

The Village Market Nairobi is a large shopping, recreation and entertainment complex in East Africa. It accommodates over 150 stores outlets covering 210,000 square feet (20,000 m²) of retail space, 20,000 square feet (1,900 m²) square feet of office space, in addition to recreation and entertainment facilities.

The Village Market is located in the Gigiri residential area which is about 6 miles from Nairobi city center on Limuru Road. The complex is designed to resemble an open-air African market, including waterfalls, rivers, plants and gardens.

History

In 1992 two Kenyan brothers, Hamed and Mehraz Ehsani had the idea of constructing a shopping and recreation mall within Nairobi. Their objective was to provide a shopping and recreation experience for Gigiri's residents which include diplomats, expatriates and touristsliving and/or working within the Nairobi's Diplomatic District and its immediate environs.^[1]

Construction began in April 1992 with 10 shops. Three years later they opened The Village Market's gates to the public. Today (February 2009) the complex covers over 225,713 square feet (20,969.4 m²) of leasing space; three levels high, with more than 150 outlets. It offers a variety of recreational facilities, including a cinema and an Olympic size bowling alley. The latest addition to the mall is a 5 star hotel with a 142 guest rooms and suites

Fundamental Analysis

Fundamental analysis of a business involves analyzing its financial statements and health, its management and competitive advantages, and its competitors and markets. When applied to futures and forex, it focuses on the overall state of the economy, interest rates, production, earnings, and management. When analyzing a stock, futures contract, or currency using fundamental analysis there are two basic approaches one can use; bottom up analysis and top down analysis.^[1] The term is used to distinguish such analysis from other types ofinvestment analysis, such as quantitative analysis and technical analysis.

Fundamental analysis is performed on historical and present data, but with the goal of making financialforecasts. There are several possible objectives:

• to conduct a company stock valuation and predict its probable price evolution,
• to make a projection on its business performance,
• to evaluate its management and make internal business decisions,
• to calculate its credit risk.

Finance Media Forex

In recent years, there are many people are involved in forex trading. Do you know what forex trading is ? Have you ever saw trading on the stock market? OK, Forex trading is just quite similar with that and in this field we make a deals with trading currencies amongst different countries which is usually done with a financial institution or a broker.

At this moment, we can say that Forex becomes the largest market on the planet and it is always changing, worldwide, 24×7. All these aspect is one of the things that makes forex so exciting. With that kind of activity, it is not always accurately predictable, but you need to understand the market so that you can jump on profitable trades and minimize your losses in losing trades, which is all based on the strategy that you utilize.

However, before you start to trade, one important things that you need to know and understand forex trading is a gamble, and like the advice offered to those who want to enter this field, never play with money you cannot afford to lose. Keep in mind There are no guarantees in the forex market, which means that you need to utilize all the tools at your disposal to ensure you have considered all factors that will impact a currency’s value, both now and in the future.

Forex Trading Basics

The Foreign Exchange market (also referred to as the Forex, FX market, “Cash” Forex or Spot Forex market ) is the largest financial market in the world, with more than $1.5 trillion changing hands every day — 30 times larger than the combined volume of all U.S. equity markets. Another major feature of the Forex market is that it operates 24 hours a day, corresponding to the opening and closing of financial centers in countries all across the world, starting each day in Sydney, then Tokyo, London and New York. At any time, in any location, there are buyers and sellers, making the Forex market the most liquid market in the world.

Benefits of Forex

As we mentioned above, trading on margin gives you morebuying power and the potential for more profits (and losses). How does thiswork, exactly? A 1% margin account allows you to control a currency lot of$100,000 for $1,000. When dealing with $100,000 small changes in the price ofthe currency can result in large profits or losses.

FOREX currencies are traded in much smaller units than cash.The American dollar, for example, is traded in units down to 4 decimal places.Instead of $1.32 FOREX quotes are seen as $1.3256. The smallest unit in FOREXcurrencies is called the pip, and when you have a $100,000 each pip of yourtotal lot is worth $10 (when trading American dollars).

If the price of American dollars changes from 1.3256 to1.3356, that's a difference of 100 pips which represents a profit or loss of$1000. Without margin, if you had $1000 of currency, the price change from1.3256 to 1.3356 represents a difference of $10. Significant to the tourist,perhaps, but not the investor.

So the benefit of margin is increased profit potential.

Foreign Exchange Market

The foreign exchange market (currency, forex, or FX) trades currencies. It lets banks and other institutions easily buy and sell currencies. ^[1]

The purpose of the foreign exchange market is to help international trade and investment. A foreign exchange market helps businesses convert one currency to another. For example, it permits a U.S. business to import European goods and pay Euros, even though the business's income is in U.S. dollars.

In a typical foreign exchange transaction a party purchases a quantity of one currency by paying a quantity of another currency. The modern foreign exchange market started forming during the 1970s when countries gradually switched to floating exchange rates from the previous exchange rate regime, which remained fixedas per the Bretton Woods system.

Balance Of Trade

The balance of trade (or net exports, sometimes symbolized asNX) is the difference between the monetary value of exports andimports in an economy over a certain period of time. It is the relationship between a nation's imports and exports.^[1] A positive balance of trade is known as a trade surplus and consists of exporting more than is imported; a negative balance of trade is known as a trade deficit or, informally, a trade gap. The balance of trade is sometimes divided into a goods and a services balance.

Money Transfer/Remittance Companies

Money transfer/remittance companies perform high-volume low-value transfers generally by economic migrants back to their home country. In 2007, the Aite Group estimated that there were $369 billion of remittances (an increase of 8% on the previous year). The four largest markets (India, China, Mexico and the Philippines) receive $95 billion. The largest and best known provider is Western Union with 345,000 agents globally.

Non-bank Foreign Exchange Companies

Non-bank foreign exchange companies offer currency exchange and international payments to private individuals and companies. These are also known as foreign exchange brokers but are distinct in that they do not offer speculative trading but currency exchange with payments. I.e., there is usually a physical delivery of currency to a bank account.

It is estimated that in the UK, 14% of currency transfers/payments^[9] are made via Foreign Exchange Companies.^[10] These companies' selling point is usually that they will offer better exchange rates or cheaper payments than the customer's bank. These companies differ from Money Transfer/Remittance Companies in that they generally offer higher-value services.

Forex Swap

In finance, a forex swap (or FX swap) is a simultaneous purchase and sale, or vice versa, of identical amounts of one currency for another with two different value dates (normally spot to forward).

By far and away the most common use of FX swaps is for institutions to fund their foreign exchange balances.

Once a foreign exchange transaction settles, the holder is left with a positive (or long) position in one currency, and a negative (or short) position in another. In order to collect or pay any overnight interest due on these foreign balances, at the end of every day institutions will close out any foreign balances and re-institute them for the following day. To do this they typically use tom-next swaps, buying (selling) a foreign amount settling tomorrow, and selling (buying) it back settling the day after.

Money Market

In finance, the money market is the global financial market for short-term borrowing and lending. It provides short-term liquidity funding for the global financial system. The money market is where short-term obligations such as Treasury bills, commercial paper and bankers' acceptances are bought and sold.

Retail Foreign Exchange Brokers

There are two types of retail brokers offering the opportunity for speculative trading: retail foreign exchange brokers and market makers. Retail traders (individuals) are a small fraction of this market and may only participate indirectly through brokers or banks. Retail brokers, while largely controlled and regulated by the CFTC and NFA might be subject to foreign exchange scams.[7][8] At present, the NFA and CFTC are imposing stricter requirements, particularly in relation to the amount of Net Capitalization required of its members. As a result many of the smaller, and perhaps questionable brokers are now gone. It is not widely understood that retail brokers and market makers typically trade against their clients and frequently take the other side of their trades. This can often create a potential conflict of interest and give rise to some of the unpleasant experiences some traders have had. A move toward NDD (No Dealing Desk) and STP (Straight Through Processing) has helped to resolve some of these concerns and restore trader confidence, but caution is still advised in ensuring that all is as it is presented.

Business Cycle

The term business cycle or economic cycle refers to economy-wide fluctuations in production or economic activity over several months or years, around a long-term growth trend. It typically involves shifts over time between periods of relatively rapid economic growth (expansion or boom), and periods of relative stagnation or decline (contraction or recession).[1]

These fluctuations are often measured using the growth rate of real gross domestic product. Despite being termed cycles, these fluctuations in economic growth do not follow a mechanical or predictable periodic pattern.

Retail Forex Platform

Retail forex trading is a segment of the vast foreign exchange market. It has been speculated that it represents 2 percent of the whole forex market which amounts to $50-60 billion [1][2] in daily trading turnover. Due to the increasing tendency in the past years of the gradual shift from traditional intrabank 'paper' trading to the more advanced and accurate electronic trading, there has been spur in software development in this field. This change provided different types of trading platforms and tools intended for the use by banks, portfolio managers, retail brokers and retail traders.
One of the most important tools required to perform a forex transaction is the trading platform providing retail traders and brokers with accurate currency quotes.

Commercial Companies

An important part of this market comes from the financial activities of companies seeking foreign exchange to pay for goods or services. Commercial companies often trade fairly small amounts compared to those of banks or speculators, and their trades often have little short term impact on market rates. Nevertheless, trade flows are an important factor in the long-term direction of a currency's exchange rate. Some multinational companies can have an unpredictable impact when very large positions are covered due to exposures that are not widely known by other market participants.

Politically-Based Business Cycle

Another set of models tries to derive the business cycle from political decisions. The partisan business cycle suggests that cycles result from the successive elections of administrations with different policy regimes. Regime A adopts expansionary policies, resulting in growth and inflation, but is voted out of office when inflation becomes unacceptably high. The replacement, Regime B, adopts contractionary policies reducing inflation and growth, and the downwards swing of the cycle. It is voted out of office when unemployment is too high, being replaced by Party A

Political Conditions

Internal, regional, and international political conditions and events can have a profound effect on currency markets.
All exchange rates are susceptible to political instability and anticipations about the new ruling party. Political upheaval and instability can have a negative impact on a nation's economy. For example, destabilization of coalition governments in India, Pakistan and Thailand can negatively affect the value of their currencies. Similarly, in a country experiencing financial difficulties, the rise of a political faction that is perceived to be fiscally responsible can have the opposite effect. Also, events in one country in a region may spur positive or negative interest in a neighboring country and, in the process, affect its currency.

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.

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.

Currency Swap

A currency swap (or cross currency swap) is a foreign exchange agreement between two parties to exchange principal and fixed rate interest payments on a loan in one currency for principal and fixed rate interest payments on an equal (regarding net present value) loan in another currency. Currency swaps are motivated by comparative advantage.
Currency swaps are often combined with interest rate swaps. For example, one company would seek to swap a cash flow for their fixed rate debt denominated in US dollars for a floating-rate debt denominated in Euro. This is especially common in Europe where companies shop for the cheapest debt regardless of its denomination and then seek to exchange it for the debt in desired currency

Commodity Markets

Commodity markets are markets where raw or primary products are exchanged. These raw commodities are traded on regulated commodities exchanges, in which they are bought and sold in standardized contracts.
This article focuses on the history and current debates regarding global commodity markets. It covers physical product (food, metals, electricity) markets but not the ways that services, including those of governments, nor investment, nor debt, can be seen as a commodity. Articles on reinsurance markets, stock markets, bond markets and currency markets cover those concerns separately and in more depth. One focus of this article is the relationship between simple commodity money and the more complex instruments offered in the commodity markets.

Registered Share

A Registered share is a stock that is registered on the name of the exact owner. If the owner of such a share sells his share, the new owner must register with name and address.
Registered shares offer issuers the advantage, enabling them to always know exactly who their shareholders are. Unexpected surprises with active investors could be prohibited with that stock-vehicle.

Stock Exchange

A stock exchange, securities exchange or (in Europe) bourse is a corporation or mutual organization which provides "trading" facilities for stock brokers and traders, to trade stocks and other securities. Stock exchanges also provide facilities for the issue and redemption of securities as well as other financial instruments and capital events including the payment of income and dividends. The securities traded on a stock exchange include: shares issued by companies, unit trusts and other pooled investment products and bonds. To be able to trade a security on a certain stock exchange, it has to be listed there. Usually there is a central location at least for recordkeeping, but trade is less and less linked to such a physical place, as modern markets are electronic networks, which gives them advantages of speed and cost of transactions. Trade on an exchange is by members only. The initial offering of stocks and bonds to investors is by definition done in the primary market and subsequent trading is done in the secondary market. A stock exchange is often the most important component of a stock market. Supply and demand in stock markets is driven by various factors which, as in all free markets, affect the price of stocks (see stock valuation).