Why is Forex so popular? Trading Forex is so easy, anyone can do it. You don't need to watch Bloomberg TV every morning or to buy every financial newspaper to determinate the trend. The Forex Market is highly predictable. The forex market is so large and has so many participants that no one player, not even a large government, can completely control the long-term direction of the market. That's why so many experts have called forex the "most level playing field" on earth. The ‘FOREX’ market is unique because of the following features: -trading volume, - the extreme liquidity, - the large number of, and variety of, traders, - geographical dispersion, - long trading hours - 24 hours a day (except on weekends). - the variety of factors that affect exchange rates, Average daily international foreign exchange trading volume was $1.9 trillion in April 2004 according to the BIS study Triennial Central Bank Survey 2004- $600 billion spot- $1,300 billion in derivatives, ie- $200 billion in outright forwards- $1,000 billion in Forex swaps- $100 billion in FX options. There is little or no 'inside information' in the foreign exchange markets. Exchange rate fluctuations are usually caused by actual monetary flows as well as by expectations of changes in monetary flows caused by changes in GDP growth, inflation, interest rates, budget and trade deficits or surpluses, and other macroeconomic conditions. Major news is released publicly, often on scheduled dates, so many people have access to the same news at the same time. On the spot market, according to the BIS study, the most heavily traded products were:- EUR/USD - 28 %- USD/JPY - 17 %- GBP/USD (also called cable) - 14 %and the US currency was involved in 89% of transactions, followed by the euro (37%), the yen (20%) and sterling (17%). (Note that volume percentages should add up to 200% - 100% for all the sellers, and 100% for all the buyers). Although trading in the euro has grown considerably since the currency's creation in January 1999, the foreign exchange market is thus still largely dollar-centered. For instance, trading the euro versus a non-European currency ZZZ will usually involve two trades: EUR/USD and USD/ZZZ. The only exception to this is EUR/JPY, which is an established traded currency pair in the interbank spot market.The main trading centers are in London, New York, and Tokyo, but banks throughout the world participate. As the Asian trading session ends, the European session begins, then the US session, and then the Asian begin in their turns. Traders can react to news when it breaks, rather than waiting for the market to open. What Tools Do I Need to Start Trading Forex? A computer with a high-speed Internet connection and all the information on this site is all that is needed to begin trading currencies. How much money does it take to open a real money trading account? If you're a new student of forex, you should first practice with a free practice account, often called "demo trading," using "pretend" money. When you feel ready to trade with real money, you can open a "mini" account with as little $250 USD, although we recommend starting with no less than $1000-$2000.