Loading the player... Forex is the market in which currencies are traded. The forex market is the largest, most liquid market in the world, with average traded values that can be trillions of dollars per day. It includes all of the currencies in the world. There is no central marketplace for currency exchange; trade is conducted over the counter. The forex market is open 24 hours a day, five days a week, except for holidays, and currencies are traded worldwide among the major financial centers of London, New York, Tokyo, Zürich, Frankfurt, Hong Kong, Singapore, Paris and Sydney. The forex is the largest market in the world in terms of the total cash value traded, and any person, firm or country may participate in this market.

BREAKING DOWN 'Forex'

Forex transactions take place on either a spot or a forward basis.

Spot Transactions

A spot deal is for immediate delivery, which is defined as two business days for most currency pairs. The major exception is the purchase or sale of U.S. dollars vs. Canadian dollars, which is settled in one business day. The business day calculation excludes Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays in either currency of the traded pair. During the Christmas and Easter season, some spot trades can take as long as six days to settle. Funds are exchanged on the settlement date, not the transaction date.

The U.S. dollar is the most actively traded currency. The euro is the most actively traded counter currency, followed by the Japanese yen, British pound and Swiss franc.

Market moves are driven by a combination of speculation, especially in the short term; economic strength and growth; and interest rate differentials.

Futures

A "future" is similar to a forward in that it's for a date longer than spot, and the price has the same basis. Unlike a forward, it's traded on an exchange, and can only be executed for specified amounts and dates. With a futures contract, the buyer pays a portion of the value of the contract up front. That value is marked-to-market daily, and the buyer either pays or receives money based on the change in value. Futures are most commonly used by speculators, and the contracts are usually closed out before maturity.