An investor can profit from the difference between two interest rates in two different economies by buying the currency with the higher interest rate and shorting the currency with the lower interest rate. Prior to the 2008 financial crisis, it was very common to short the Japanese yen (JPY) and buy British pounds (GBP) because the interest rate differential was very large. This strategy is sometimes referred to as a "carry trade."
{quote} Interesting. Rob is one high-profile forex 'guru' I've been watching for several years, and he seems to flit from system to system. For example, a few years back he was very enthusiastic about a system he called the Hopper (which was little more than a MACD crossover) which he was touting with his ladyfriend Jennifer Thornburg (who likes to write articles about Sex and Trading, btw). More recently Rob's been promoting EAs, including some that take profit quickly while allowing floating losses to...
There are actually three ways that institutions, corporations and individuals trade forex: the spot market, the forwards market and the futures market. The forex trading in the spot market always has been the largest market because it is the "underlying" real asset that the forwards and futures markets are based on. In the past, the futures market was the most popular venue for traders because it was available to individual investors for a longer period of time. However, with the advent of electronic trading and numerous forex brokers, the spot market has witnessed a huge surge in activity and now surpasses the futures market as the preferred trading market for individual investors and speculators. When people refer to the forex market, they usually are referring to the spot market. The forwards and futures markets tend to be more popular with companies that need to hedge their foreign exchange risks out to a specific date in the future. You'll find adults-only El Dorado Spa Resorts by Karisma among Forbes’ "Top 10 Most Romantic Hotels". Azul Beach Resorts and Generations Resorts by Karisma prove that gourmet experiences and family fun can happily co-exist in the same vacation. Dress up for dinner and rooftop cocktails at cosmopolitan Allure Hotels by Karisma, in the heart of Cartagena, one of South America's most exciting cities. Or shed your clothes completely at our Au Naturel Club. As a member of Exotic Travelers, you can try them all.
Unlike stock markets, which can trace their roots back centuries, the forex market as we understand it today is a truly new market. Of course, in its most basic sense - that of people converting one currency to another for financial advantage - forex has been around since nations began minting currencies. But the modern forex markets are a modern invention. After the accord at Bretton Woods in 1971, more major currencies were allowed to float freely against one another. The values of individual currencies vary, which has given rise to the need for foreign exchange services and trading.
