A Look at Forex Market Makers

The investor in the currency market takes for granted that a pair of currencies can be bought or sold at a moment's notice. Once an order is placed with a broker, the trade is executed within seconds. It is, of course, not as easy as that.

Whenever a pair of currencies is bought or sold, there must be someone at the other end of the transaction. It is very unlikely that the investor will always find someone who is interested in buying and selling the same two currencies at the same amount, and at the same time. Hence, the question remains, "How is it possible that the forex investor can buy or sell at any time?" This is where the forex market makers come in.

The forex market maker is a bank or brokerage company that stands ready, every second of the trading day with a firm bid and ask price. This is good for the investor because when the investor chooses to buy and sell a pair of currencies, the market maker will purchase from and sell to the investor, even if they do not have a buyer and seller lined up. In doing so, they are literally "making a market" for the currencies.

Forex market makers ensure that the market is always functional and that the currencies in it will always fetch the market rate. Forex market makers do so by updating their prices at intervals of at least 30 seconds and undertaking to trade if this is requested. Forex market makers must fulfill their obligations irrespective of whether the economic situation is favorable or unfavorable, or whether they lose or profit by doing so.

Typical forex market makers include Gain Capital, CMS Forex, Forex Capital Markets (FXCM), and Global Forex Trading, all of which are regulated by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) of the USA. Another prominent forex market maker is Saxo Bank, which is regulated by the Financial Services Authority (FSA) of Denmark.

Until recently, central banks, commercial banks and investment banks dominated the forex market. Due to the entry of forex market makers, other market players like international money brokers, large multinational companies, registered dealers, global money managers, and private speculators have entered the market in large numbers.

Forex Brokers Info provides detailed information on forex brokers, forex trading and market makers, and other forex-related topics. Forex Brokers Info is the sister site of Incorporating in Florida Web.

In The News:


Movers: Citi, GM, GAP, Dell, Wal-Mart
BusinessWeek - 10 hours ago
Forex Club Try trading Forex today with a free 5000 demo account OR start trading live and get a $100 bonus. Try Currency Trading Learn to Trade FX with a ...

Maktoob Business (press release)

Dollar Posts Weekly Gain as Stock Plunge Spurs Haven Demand
Bloomberg - 13 hours ago
“It’s all about risk in this emotional market,” said Jacob Oubina, a currency strategist at FOREX.com, a unit of online currency trading firm Gain Capital ...
Traders Renew Appetite for Risk as Obama Names Treasury Secretary International Business Times
Yen slips but global recession fears lend support guardian.co.uk
Yen Trades Near Three-Week High on Signs US Recession Deepens Bloomberg
Bloomberg - Bloombergall 345 news articles

Runaway FX turnover growth tamed by crisis
guardian.co.uk, UK - 17 hours ago
London's position as the global hub of currency trading was cemented with figures in April from the Foreign Exchange Joint Standing Committee (JSC) showing ...

Americans’ ’Hypocrisy’ in Auto Rescue Spurs Me-Too Trading Ire
Bloomberg - 11 hours ago
One of the Americans’ biggest gripes involves Japan’s currency, which they claim is kept artificially cheap against the dollar. The Automotive Trade Policy ...

Euro Forecast to Decline Further Against US Dollar on Forex ...
Daily FX, NY - Nov 20, 2008
EURUSD – Currency trading crowds have recently bought the Euro against the US Dollar, and we forecast that the sudden shift in sentiment may bring Euro ...

AFP

WSJ(11/11) Currency Trading: Bad Crop: Commodity Currencies
Alibaba News Channel, NEW YORK - Nov 11, 2008
When commodity prices fall, it translates into a shock for the trading position of commodity-exporting nations. Suddenly, the price they earn for their ...
Value Plays in Equity Markets Help Support Euro Rally International Business Times
Euro firms against dollar, pound sinks amid credit turmoil AFP
Yen Falls Most in Two Weeks Versus Dollar, Euro as Stocks Rally Bloomberg
RTT News - Reutersall 224 news articles

Currency Trading Markets Remain Highly Correlated to Dow Jones ...
Daily FX, NY - Nov 18, 2008
Currency trading markets continue very highly correlated to broader risky asset classes, as the common theme of financial market deleveraging creates strong ...
Currency Trading Markets Remain Highly Correlated to Dow Jones ... Daily FX
all 6 news articles

Kuwait Times

Forex Expo promotes currency trading as alternative to bourse
Kuwait Times, Kuwait - Nov 20, 2008
By Dana Khraiche, Staff writer KUWAIT: Currency trading has its ups and downs. Recently, one of Kuwait's largest lenders, Gulf Bank suffered a major crisis ...

Mexican Peso Posts Biggest Weekly Drop in Month on Growth View
Bloomberg - 12 hours ago
... the nation’s biggest trading partner, will throttle demand for Mexican-made cars, electronics and beer. The currency slumped as much as 1.9 percent ...
Mexican Peso Sinks to One-Month Low as Recession Concerns Mount Bloomberg
Mexican Peso Falls to Near Record as Recession Concerns Mount Bloomberg
all 7 news articles

Hong Kong Loves Its Currency Peg
Wall Street Journal - 20 hours ago
That means Hong Kong remains cost-competitive with a major trading partner, even if authorities have to deploy their reserve funds to keep the peg intact. ...
currency trading - Google News

Options Trading - Advantages and Disadvantages

What is Options Trading?An option is simply granting someone the... Read More

The Meaning of FOREX Price Charts and How to Use Them

There is one very important factor that you should consider... Read More

How to Trade Currency

We all know when you go on a trip to... Read More

Disgruntled

The following situation happens quite often to many traders. Look... Read More

E-currency Exchange Trading

If you are reading this article you are probably one... Read More

Business and the Forex

The business world is a complex web of supply and... Read More

Creativity in Trading

"Is it important to be creative in your trading?"I'm not... Read More

Where to Get Forex Training

For those of you who are interested in forex trading,... Read More

The Miracle of Forex

My father, who owns a small parts store and garage... Read More

An Evaluation of the Devaluation

A Minister of Finance is morally right to lie about... Read More

Chinas New Currency Regime

The base unit for the renminbi is the yuan, which... Read More

Sending Signals for Trading in Forex

Forex signals are sent by a forex firm to their... Read More

Hedging Foreign Exchange Risks

The exchange rate of the Macedonian Denar against the major... Read More

Option Arbitrage in the Forex Market

What is arbitrage? Arbitrage is the simultaneous buying and selling... Read More

New Opportunities with Forex Trading

The simplest definition of currency trading is the practice of... Read More

Reality of Online Forex Trading

Foreign exchange trading is the trading of currencies. Most currencies... Read More

Forex Trading Online - 7 Reasons Why You Should!

Forex trading online is a fast way to use your... Read More

The Seven Most Traded Currencies in FOREX.

Currencies are traded in dollar amounts called "lots". One lot... Read More

FOREX 101: Make Money with Currency Trading

For those unfamiliar with the term, FOREX (FOReign EXchange market),... Read More

Money Management, Part 1

There are some common mistakes I've seen traders make in... Read More

Day Trading Training ... You need more than just going to a free stock market workshop to learn

Day trading is all about making buy and sell decisions.... Read More

Forex2u Forex Strategy On Successful Forex Trading

The essence of the FX2u Forex strategy is that it... Read More

Stock Market Report: Day Trading or Swing Trading Online? Stock Investing Information

Profitable day traders recognize that momentum trading is among the... Read More

Money Management - The Holy Grail Of Trading

Money management determines how much to risk on each individual... Read More

Forex Trading Systems

The foreign exchange currency market is the largest market in... Read More