The off-exchange foreign currency, or forex, market is a large, growing and liquid financial market that operates 24 hours a day. It has no central trading location or exchange with many buyers and sellers. Most of the trading is conducted by telephone or through electronic trading networks. Banks, insurance companies, large corporations and other large financial institutions all use the forex markets to manage the risks associated with fluctuations in currency rates. In recent years, however, a number of firms have begun offering forex contracts to individual investors. 

What are foreign currency exchange rates?

Let’s start with a definition of foreign currency exchange rates. Simply put, foreign currency exchange rates are what it costs to exchange one country’s currency for another country’s currency. For example, if you go to England on vacation, you will have to pay for your hotel, meals, admissions fees, souvenirs and other expenses in British pounds. Since your money is all in US dollars, you will have to sell some of your dollars to buy British poun

Let’s assume that you have decided to take a trip to England. Before you leave, you go to your bank and buy $1,000 worth of British pounds. If you get 565.83 British pounds (£565.83) for your $1,000, each dollar is worth .56583 British pounds. This is the exchange rate for converting dollars to pounds.

After spending a few days in England, you realize that £565.83 won’t be enough to cover all of your expenses. So you go to a bank in England and buy another $1,000 worth of British pounds. This time, however, you get only £557.02 for your $1,000. The exchange rate for converting dollars to pounds has dropped from .56583 to .55702. This means that US dollars are worth less compared to the British pound than they were before you left on vacation.

When you arrive home, you still have some British pounds left. So you go to your bank and use your remaining £100 to buy US dollars. If the bank gives you $179.31, each British pound is worth 1.7931 dollars. This is the exchange rate for converting pounds to dollars

But what if you were traveling to France? The currency used in France is the Euro. If you go to your bank and buy $1,000 worth of Euros with an exchange rate of 0.8064, how many Euros will you get? When you think you know the answer, click Next.

Exchanging $1,000 for Euros with an exchange rate of 0.8064 means you will receive 806.40 Euros. Conversely, if you were living in France and planned a vacation in the United States, you would go to your bank to buy US dollars with Euros.

If the exchange rate was 1.2403, how many U.S. dollars would you get for your 1,000 Euros? When you think you know the answer, click Next.

You would receive $1,240.30 for your 1,000 Euros.

Theoretically, you can convert the exchange rate for buying a currency to the exchange rate for selling a currency, and vice versa, by dividing 1 by the known rate. For example, if the exchange rate for buying British pounds with US dollars is .56011, the exchange rate for buying US dollars with British pounds is 1.78536. In other words, one divided by .56011 equals 1.78536. Similarly, if the exchange rate for buying US dollars with British pounds is 1.78536, the exchange rate for buying British pounds with US dollars is .56011 (or one divided by 1.78536 equals .56011). This is how newspapers often report currency exchange rates.

You should know, however, that you will not receive the price quoted in the newspaper if you trade forex. That’s because banks and other market participants make money by selling the currency to customers for more than they paid to buy it and by buying the currency from customers for less than they will receive when they sell it. This difference is called a spread and we’ll talk more about spreads later in this program.

As you can see, currency exchange rates fluctuate. Retail customers who trade in the forex market hope to profit from those fluctuations.

How are foreign currencies quoted and priced?

Now let’s take a look at how foreign currencies are quoted and priced. Currencies are designated by three-letter symbols. The standard symbols for some of the most commonly traded currencies are shown below.

	EUR	Euro
	USD	United States dollar
	CAD	Canadian dollar
	GBP	British pound
	JPY	Japanese yen
	AUD	Australian dollar
	CHF	Swiss franc

Currency pairs are often quoted as bid-ask spreads. The first part of the quote is the amount of the quote currency you will receive in exchange for one unit of the base currency (the bid price). The second part of the quote is the amount of the quote currency you must spend for one unit of the base currency (the ask or offer price). For example, a EUR/USD spread of 1.2170/1.2178 means that you can sell one Euro for $1.2170 and buy one Euro for $1.2178. This spread could also be quoted as 1.2170/78.

At first glance, the bid and ask prices may seem backwards to you. That is because they are listed from the dealer’s point of view, not from your point of view. The first part of the spread, or the bid, is what the dealer is willing to pay to buy the base currency. So this is the price you will get if you SELL the base currency. In the same way, the second part of the spread, or the ask, is what the dealer is willing to sell the base currency at, so this is the price you will get if you BUY the base currency.

Let’s look at another example.

If the USD/CHF spread is listed as 1.2440/1.2443, you can sell one US dollar for 1.2440 Swiss francs and buy one US dollar for 1.2443 Swiss francs.

Remember that the forex market has no central marketplace. The forex dealer determines the execution price, so you are relying on the dealer’s integrity for a fair price.

How much does it cost to trade forex?

Before trading forex, you will have to open a trading account with a forex dealer. There are no rules about how a dealer charges a customer for the services the dealer provides or that limit how much the dealer can charge. Before opening an account, you should check with several dealers and compare their charges as well as their services.

Some firms charge a per trade commission, while other firms make their money on the spread between the bid and ask prices they give their customers. In the earlier example, the amount of the Euro spread is .0008 (the 1.2178 ask price minus the 1.2170 bid price). This means that if you bought (or sold) the Euro and immediately turned around and sold (or bought) it before the prices changed, you would have a $.0008 loss on each Euro, or an $80 loss on a 100,000 Euro transaction. The wider the spread, the more the price has to move before you break even.

While some forex firms advertise “commission free” trading, they are still making money from your trades through the bid/ask spread. Before opening a trading account, be sure you know how all the parties involved are being compensated.

Retail forex transactions are normally closed out by entering into an equal but opposite transaction with the dealer. For example, if you bought Euros with US dollars, you would close out the trade by selling Euros for US dollars. This also is called an offsetting or liquidating transaction.

Many retail forex transactions have a settlement date when the currencies are due to be delivered. If you want to keep your position open beyond the settlement date, you must roll the position over to the next settlement date. Some dealers roll open positions over automatically, while other dealers may require you to request the rollover. Some dealers charge a rollover fee based upon the interest rate differential between the two currencies in the pair. You should check your agreement with the dealer to see what, if anything, you must do to roll a position over and what fees you will pay for the rollover.

How do I calculate profits and losses?

Now that you know how forex is traded, it’s time to learn how to calculate your profits and losses. When you close out a trade, take the price (exchange rate) when selling the base currency and subtract the price when buying the base currency, then multiply the difference by the transaction size. That will give you your profit or loss.

Price (exchange rate) when selling the base currency – price when buying the base currency X transaction size = profit or loss

Let’s look at an example.

Assume you buy Euros at $1.2178 per Euro and sell Euros at $1.2188 per Euro. The transaction size is 100,000 Euros. To calculate your profit or loss, you take the selling price of $1.2188, subtract the buying price of $1.2178 and multiply the difference by the transaction size of 100,000.

($1.2188 – 1.2178) X 100,000 = $100

In this example, you would have a $100 profit from this transaction.

Let’s try it again using a different currency.

Assume you buy British pounds at $1.8384 and sell them at $1.8389. The transaction size is 10,000. What is your profit or loss?

When you think you know the answer, advance to the next screen.

By following the formula we discussed earlier, you should be able to determine that you would see a $5.00 gain from this transaction.

($1.8389 – $1.8384) X 10,000 = $5.00

Now you try it.

If you sell 100,000 Euros at $1.2170 per Euro and buy 100,000 Euros at 1.2180 per Euro, would you have a profit or loss on the transaction and how much would it be?

When you think you have the answer, advance to the next screen.

Take the selling price of $1.2170 and subtract the buying price of $1.2180 and then multiply the difference by 100,000.

($1.2170 – $1.2180) X 100,000 = –$100

If you calculated a loss of $100, you calculated correctly.

You can also calculate your unrealized profits and losses on open positions. Just substitute the current bid or ask rate for the action you will take when closing out the position. For example, if you bought 100,000 Euros at 1.2178 and the current bid rate is 1.2173, you have an unrealized loss of $50.

($1.2173 – $1.2178) X 100,000 = –$50

Similarly, if you sold 100,000 Euros at 1.2170 and the current ask rate is 1.2165, you have an unrealized profit of $50.

($1.2170 – $1.2165) X 100,000 = $50

If the quote currency is not in US dollars, you will have to convert the profit or loss to US dollars at the dealer’s rate.

Let’s look at an example using a USD/JPY spread. If you lost 50,000 Japanese yen on the transaction and the dealer’s rate is $.0091 for each yen, what is your loss in dollars?

Advance to the next screen for the answer.

By multiplying the transaction size (50,000) by the dealer's rate ($.0091), you will find that your loss is $455.

50,000 X $.0091 = $455

Remember that you must also subtract any dealer commissions or other fees from your profits or add them to your losses to determine your true profits and losses. Also, remember that the dealer makes money from the spread. If you immediately liquidate your position using the same spread, you will automatically lose money.

How does leverage impact forex trading?

As stated at the beginning of this program, off-exchange foreign currency trading carries a high level of risk and may not be suitable for all customers. The only funds that should ever be used to speculate in foreign currency trading, or any type of highly speculative investment, are funds that represent risk capital; in other words, funds you can afford to lose without affecting your financial situation.

Let’s proceed on the assumption that you have risk capital you would like to use in trading forex. The next question is how much you need to open an account. Forex dealers can set their own minimum account sizes, so you will have to ask the dealer how much money you must put up to begin trading.

Most dealers will also require you to have a certain amount of money in your account for each transaction. This security deposit, sometimes called margin, is a percentage of the transaction value and may be different for different currencies. Keep in mind that a security deposit acts as a performance bond and is not a down payment or partial payment for the transaction.

Let’s use an example of a dealer requiring a 1% security deposit. The formula for calculating the security deposit is:

The current price of the base currency X transaction size X security deposit % = security deposit requirement given in quote currency

Looking at the Euro example we used earlier, multiply the current price of the base currency ($1.2178) times the transaction size of 100,000 times 1%. Your security deposit would be $1,217.80.

$1.2178 X 100,000 X .01 = $1,217.80

Security deposits allow customers to control transactions with a value many times larger than the funds in their accounts. In the previous example, $1,217.80 would control $121,780 worth of Euros.

This ability to control a large amount of one currency using a very small percentage of its value is called leverage. In our example, the leverage is 100:1 because the security deposit controls Euros worth 100 times the amount of the deposit.

Since leverage allows you to control large amounts of currency for a very small amount, it magnifies the percentage amount of your profits and losses. A profit or loss of $1,217.80 on the euro transaction is 1% of the full price but is 100% of the 1% security deposit.

The higher the leverage, the more likely you are to lose your entire investment if exchange rates go down when you expect them to go up or go up when you expect them to go down. Leverage of 100:1 means that you will lose your security deposit when the currency loses or gains 1% of its value, and you will lose more than your security deposit if the currency loses or gains more than 1% of its value. If you want to keep the position open, you may have to deposit additional funds to maintain a 1% security deposit.

For example, assume you buy or sell a contract worth $100,000 and it moves against you by $2,000. No matter how much money you put up, your dollar loss will always be the same—$2,000—but the percentage loss varies with the amount of leverage. At 100:4 leverage, you will have lost half of your investment. At 100:2 leverage, you will have lost your entire investment. And at 100:1 leverage, you will have lost twice your investment and owe the dealer $1,000.

Notional value = $100,000        Loss = $2,000

Original Investment Leverage Remaining Funds Loss $4,000 100:4 $2,000 50% $2,000 100:2 $0 100% $1,000 100:1 -$1,000 200%

You should check your Account Agreement with the dealer to see if the Agreement limits your losses. Some dealers guarantee that you will not lose more than you invest, which includes both the initial deposit and any subsequent deposits to keep the position open. Other dealers may charge you for losses that are greater than your investment.

Your Account Agreement with your dealer is crucial. Just as you wouldn’t consider buying a house or a car without carefully reading and understanding the terms of the sale, neither should you establish a forex account without first reading and understanding the Account Agreement and all other documents supplied by your dealer. You should know your rights and responsibilities, as well as the firm’s obligations before you enter into any forex transaction.

For example, if you are not willing or able to pay the full price and take delivery of the currency, make sure the Agreement gives you the right to enter into an offsetting transaction with the dealer. In other words, the Agreement should require the dealer to buy back any currencies you previously bought or to sell you any currencies you previously sold. Otherwise, you may be responsible for paying the value of the entire forex contract and accepting the foreign currency.

A number of firms are presently offering options on off-exchange foreign currency contracts. Buying and selling forex options present additional risks, many of which are similar to those inherent in buying options on exchange-traded futures contracts. NFA publishes a brochure called “Buying Options on Futures Contracts: A Guide to Their Uses and Risks” which discusses the mechanics and risks of options trading. The brochure can be downloaded from NFA’s Web site.

Most exchange-traded options can be exercised at any time before they expire. These are called American-style options. Many forex options are European-style options, which can be exercised only on or near the expiration date. In other words, you can’t take advantage of a favorable price move that occurs before the expiration date unless you can offset your position. You should understand which type of option you are purchasing.

The risks of forex trading

We’ve mentioned throughout the program that forex trading carries a high level of risk. We’d like to take a minute to highlight some of those risks.

• The market could move against you. Fluctuations in the foreign exchange rate between the time you place a trade and the time you close it out will affect the price of your forex contract and the potential profit and losses relating to it.

• You could lose your entire investment. As mentioned earlier, leverage allows you to hold a large forex position with a relatively small amount of money. If the price moves in an unfavorable direction, high leverage can produce large losses in relation to your initial deposit. In fact, even a small move against your position may result in a large loss, including the loss of your entire deposit. Depending on your agreement with your dealer, you may also be required to pay additional losses.

Retail off-exchange forex trades are not guaranteed by a clearing organization. Furthermore, funds that you have deposited to trade forex contracts are not insured and may not receive a priority in bankruptcy. Even customer funds deposited by a dealer in an FDIC-insured bank account may not be protected if the dealer goes bankrupt. Be wary of firms that say “Your investment is protected” or “Your funds are segregated.”

Unlike regulated futures exchanges, in the retail off-exchange forex market there is no central marketplace. The forex dealer determines the execution price, so you are relying on the dealer to give you a fair price.

If you are using an Internet-based or other electronic system to place trades, some part of the system could fail. In the event of a system failure, it is possible that, for a certain time period, you may not be able to enter new orders, execute existing orders, or modify or cancel orders that were previously entered. A system failure may also result in loss of orders or order priority.

As with any investment, you should protect yourself against fraud. Over the last few years, there has been a sharp rise in foreign currency scams, and you should do as much due diligence as you can before trading forex.

Here are some tips to help you avoid becoming a victim of a forex scam.

• Stay away from opportunities that sound too good to be true. In general, get-rich-quick schemes tend to be frauds. For example, avoid any forex company that predicts or guarantees large profits. If a company says that they will double or triple your money in one month or will guarantee a monthly return, walk away.

• Stay away from forex companies that promise little or no financial risk. There is no doubt that trading forex is risky, so if someone is telling you the opposite, they are not being truthful. Beware of forex companies that make the following types of statements: “Whichever way the market moves, you can’t lose” or “While there is risk, it is substantially outweighed by the reward.”

Check the background of everyone you will be dealing with. If you cannot satisfy yourself that the persons are completely legitimate and above-board, the wisest course of action is to avoid trading through those companies.