One of the most popular trading vehicles is now the Interbank foreign exchange market, but which is unregulated. You can also speculate on price moves...
One of the most popular trading vehicles is now the Interbank foreign exchange market,
but which is unregulated.
You can also speculate on price moves in conjunction with the US dollar for the euro, yen, Swiss franc, British pound, Canadian dollar and Australian by buying and selling futures contracts for these currencies on the CME via the electronic Globex trading platform. These are under the jurisdiction of the National Futures Association (NFA) and CFTC.
These contracts are quoted in terms of looking at them from an American standpoint. That is, you're using US dollars to buy (or sell) the other currency. The price represents how many US dollars it takes to acquire the other currencies. Of course this changes constantly based on various political and economic factors out of the control of anybody who does not happen to be the Chairman of the US Federal Reserve, United States President, or equivalent offices in the European Union, Great Britain, Switzerland, Japan, Canada and Australia.
The contract for euros is for 125,000 euros. One tick is $12.50.
The contract for yen is for 12,500,000 yen, but one tick is still $12.50.
The contract for British pounds is for 62,500 British pounds, and one tick is $6.25.
The contract for Canadian dollars is for 100,000 Canadian dollars, and one tick is $10.
The contract for Australian dollars is for 100,000 Australian dollars, and one tick is $10.
You must realize the currencies can be volatile, especially in these difficult financial and economic times.
From December 4 through December 18 one year, the euro had a fabulous runup. Yet early in 2010 it plunged on fears of Greece defaulting on its sovereign debt and fears that other countries in the Eurozone, such as Spain and Portugal, were spending too much and likewise in danger of default, and some were speculating that the euro was a doomed currency.
Meanwhile in the United States, it's easy to be dollar bear when you hear all the news about how our government is spending trillions of dollars it doesn't have to stimulate the economy. And we still have a large balance of trade deficit.
Because Canada and Australia have a lot of natural resources, their currencies gained a lot through 2008, as part of the boom in commodities. But the financial crisis and recession has dampened demand for commodities and energy, reducing demand for Canadian and Australian dollars.
The Japanese government has spent a lot of money on public works to stimulate its economy since it slowed to a near-halt in 1989. They've been in a slow-motion recession for over twenty years.
Which some forecast for the United States -- if we don't have hyperinflation, that is.
Who knows?
And the British pound suffered even more than the U.S. dollar through 2009. It can be very volatile in trading.
