Total the amount of money involved in a days trading on the US stock and Treasury Bills markets by three, and youll still have less than a third of the amount of money which exchanges hands on the currency Forex–foreign exchange–market. The currency Forex market is where the money of one country–US dollars, for instanceis exchanged for that of another, like Japanese yen.
But unlike the worlds other economic markets, currency Forex trading is not centralized. There is no Wall Street or Throgmorton Street with an historic exchange building; Currency Forex trading exists only over telephone wires and Internet connections.
But exist it does; and it involve a global network of financial institutions, individuals, and banks all working around the clock and unhampered by international borders. Time and physical distance have no meaning in the currency Forex market.
At one time currency Forex trading was the domain of banks that held large amounts of money in various currencies so that they could participate in global investment and business opportunities. Individuals could participate in currency Forex trading only by going through their banks....