An Overview of the Forex Market
In our first lesson, we will give a general overview of the forex market.
So, what exactly is forex?
Well, forex, or FX is short for foreign exchange.
The forex market is a market where you can trade or exchange currencies. It is a huge marketplace
where people exchange currencies. There’s no central exchange where all the action happens. Instead,
it’s spread across the globe, with traders connecting electronically through banks, financial
institutions, and online platforms.
It’s open 24/5, so you can trade currencies 5 days a week from Monday to Friday. It closes on
weekends from midnight on Friday until midnight on Sunday. There are three main forex trading
sessions which make up the 24-hour market. The Asian session kicks off around midnight GMT+2 with
the Sydney and Tokyo markets being open. Then comes the European session, starting around nine
o’clock in the morning with the opening of Frankfurt and then London. Finally, the American session
starts as the New York stock exchange opens and goes on until midnight when the next Asian session
starts.
The FX market is huge, with a daily turnover of around 7.5 trillion US dollars. That’s a lot of currency
changing hands every single day!
In our next lesson, we will take a closer look at the key players of the forex market.