According to the 2018 triennial survey of the Bank of International Settlements (BIS), foreign exchange trading grew to $5.1 trillion per day in April 2018, up from $4 trillion in 2016. This growth is driven by two major factors. Firstly, the liberalisation of foreign exchange markets, which has seen a steady increase in the number of participants and increase in trading volumes. Secondly, the development of new technologies and products, such as digital currencies, carry trades, algorithmic trading and distributed ledger technology, which have all helped to create a more liquid FX landscape.
The foreign exchange market is composed of a spot market, in which currency exchanges are made at the current exchange rate, and a forward market, in which contracts for future delivery of a currency are negotiated. Spot trading is generally done on an over-the-counter (OTC) basis, with the exception of some exchange-traded contracts such as futures. The foreign exchange market is very liquid, with trades taking place 24 hours a day all over the world, creating an enormous opportunities for trading.
At the centre of foreign exchange markets are the major international banks, which handle the bulk of currency transactions. These banks act as intermediaries between buyers and sellers, and profit from the transaction fees they charge. Beyond the major banks, there is a vast network of other participants in the FX market, including corporations, central banks, hedge funds, retail traders, mutual funds and pension funds.
The vast majority of FX trading takes place against the US dollar, and is priced in terms of the base currency (the currency in which the quote was given). This is known as the ‘base rate’ or ‘base rate of exchange’. All trading instruments are priced with respect to the base rate, and the pricing mechanism is known as the ‘exchange rate’.
The exchange rate of a currency is the price of one currency in terms of another and is the rate at which one currency can be exchanged for another. Generally, exchange rates are determined by market forces, such as supply and demand. Exchange rates can also be affected by a variety of economic, political and behavioural factors.
The exchange rate of a particular currency can be more when it is viewed by viewers, who are not using that currency. This is known as the ‘effective exchange rate’ and is the rate at which the currency can be exchanged for another. Effective exchange rates are useful for international traders, because they can be used to compare the relative strength of different currencies.
The currencies of countries that are closely linked to each other in terms of trade or political relationships may have ‘pegged exchange rates’. This means that the exchange rate of one currency is linked to the exchange rate of another currency, so that the two rates will move in the same direction of change. In other cases, countries may fix their exchange rates to a particular level, for example, in the case of the euro and the U.S. dollar.
The concept of ‘purchasing power parity’ (PPP) is used to calculate the theoretical parity of different currencies. This takes into account the cost of goods and services in each country. Generally, PPP suggests that currencies should be equivalent in terms of purchasing power, meaning that a basket of goods costing $1 in the U.S. should cost the same in terms of a given foreign currency.
In conclusion, the foreign exchange market is an incredibly liquid and dynamic market, with its participants engaging in an array of trades and activities in order to (a) make profits through currency exchange, (b) manage risk in international transactions and (c) hedge foreign exchange rate volatility. The wide range of products, participants and technologies have all helped to create an efficient and accessible market for all users.