The currency exchange rate is the rate at which one currency can be exchanged for another. It is always quoted in pairs like the EUR/USD (the Euro and the US Dollar). Exchange rates fluctuate based on economic factors like inflation, industrial production and geopolitical events. These factors will influence whether you buy or sell a currency pair. All forex trades involve two currencies because you're betting on the value of a currency against another. Think of EUR/USD, the most-traded currency pair in the world. EUR, the first currency in the pair, is the base, and USD, the second, is the counter. When you see a price quoted on your platform, that price is how much one euro is worth in US dollars. You always see two prices because one is the buy price and one is the sell. The difference between the two is the spread. When you click buy or sell, you are buying or selling the first currency in the pair.
Investment management firms (who typically manage large accounts on behalf of customers such as pension funds and endowments) use the foreign exchange market to facilitate transactions in foreign securities. For example, an investment manager bearing an international equity portfolio needs to purchase and sell several pairs of foreign currencies to pay for foreign securities purchases.
The average spreads shown here are calculated throughout the day. They tend to be narrower under normal market conditions. However, spreads may widen following important news announcements, during political uncertainty, unexpected events leading to volatile market conditions or at the close of the business day and on weekends when liquidity is lower. When you trade with us Trading Point is your counter-party. Your trades are matched and any next exposure above predefined thresholds is hedged with our partner banks (our liquidity providers) at the current market spread. However, during volatile and illiquid market conditions our liquidity providers quote larger than normal spreads. At such times Trading Point is forced to pass on some of the spread increases to its clients.
Clues that were available to outsiders should have been picked up internally long ago, but prime responsibility lies with those who participated directly. Trade with maximum control on our advanced forex trading platforms optimized for currency traders. Simply put, it's the part to the right of the dot in an internet address: companyname.forex. New Top Level Domains now offer opportunities and options beyond the generic web addresses you will have seen up to this point.
HIGH RISK WARNING: Foreign exchange trading carries a high level of risk that may not be suitable for all investors. Leverage creates additional risk and loss exposure. Before you decide to trade foreign exchange, carefully consider your investment objectives, experience level, and risk tolerance. You could lose some or all of your initial investment; do not invest money that you cannot afford to lose. Educate yourself on the risks associated with foreign exchange trading, and seek advice from an independent financial or tax advisor if you have any questions.
