Forex Glossary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
a
A
Accrual - The apportionment of premiums and discounts on forward exchange transactions that
relate directly to deposit swap (Interest Arbitrage) deals , over the period
of each deal.
Adjustment - Official action normally by either change in the internal economic policies to
correct a payment imbalance or in the official currency rate or. Adjustment -
Official action normally by either change in the internal economic policies to
correct a payment imbalance or in the official currency rate or.
Appreciation - A currency is said to 'appreciate' when it strengthens in price in response to
market demand.
Arbitrage - The purchase or sale of an instrument and simultaneous taking of an equal and
opposite position in a related market, in order to take advantage of small price
differentials between markets.
Ask (Offer) Price - The price at which the market is prepared to sell a specific Currency in a Foreign
Exchange Contract or Cross Currency Contract. At this price, the trader can
buy the base currency. In the quotation, it is shown on the right side of the
quotation. For example, in the quote USD/CHF 1.4527/32, the ask price is 1.4532;
meaning you can buy one US dollar for 1.4532 Swiss francs.
At Best - An instruction given to a dealer to buy or sell at the best rate that can be obtained.
At or Better - An order to deal at a specific rate or better.
b
B
Balance of Trade - The value of a country's exports minus its imports.
Bar Chart - A type of chart which consists of four significant points: the high and the low
prices, which form the vertical bar, the opening price, which is marked with a
little horizontal line to the left of the bar, and the closing price, which is
marked with a little horizontal line of the right of the bar.
Base Currency - The first currency in a Currency Pair. It shows how much the base currency is
worth as measured against the second currency. For example, if the USD/CHF rate
equals 1.6215 then one USD is worth CHF 1.6215 In the FX markets, the US Dollar
is normally considered the 'base' currency for quotes, meaning that quotes are
expressed as a unit of $1 USD per the other currency quoted in the pair. The
primary exceptions to this rule are the British Pound, the Euro and the Australian
Dollar.
Bear Market - A market distinguished by declining prices.
Bid Price - The bid is the the price at which the market is prepared to buy a specific Currency
in a Foreign Exchange Contract or Cross Currency Contract. At this price,
the trader can sell the base currency. It is shown on the left side of the quotation.
For example, in the quote USD/CHF 1.4527/32, the bid price is 1.4527; meaning
you can sell one US dollar for 1.4527 Swiss francs.
Bid/Ask Spread - The difference between the bid and offer price. Big Figure Quote - Dealer expression
referring to the first few digits of an exchange rate. These digits are
often omitted in dealer quotes.. For example, a USD/JPY rate might be 117.30/117.35,
but would be quoted verbally without the first three digits i.e. "30/35".
Book - In a professional trading environment, a 'book' is the summary of a trader's or
desk's total positions.
Broker - An individual or firm that acts as an intermediary, putting together buyers and
sellers for a fee or commission. In contrast, a 'dealer' commits capital and
takes one side of a position, hoping to earn a spread (profit) by closing out the
position in a subsequent trade with another party.
Bretton Woods Agreement of 1944 - An agreement that established fixed foreign exchange rates for major currencies,
provided for central bank intervention in the currency markets, and pegged the
price of gold at US $35 per ounce. The agreement lasted until 1971, when President
Nixon overturned the Bretton Woods agreement and established a floating
exchange rate for the major currencies.
Bull Market - A market distinguished by rising prices.
Bundesbank - Germany's Central Bank.
c
C
Cable - Trader jargon referring to the Sterling/US Dollar exchange rate. So called because
the rate was originally transmitted via a transatlantic cable beginning in
the mid 1800's.
Candlestick Chart - A chart that indicates the trading range for the day as well as the opening and
closing price. If the open price is higher than the close price, the rectangle
between the open and close price is shaded. If the close price is higher than
the open price, that area of the chart is not shaded.
Cash Market - The market in the actual financial instrument on which a futures or options contract
is based.
Central Bank - A government or quasi-governmental organization that manages a country's monetary
policy. For example, the US central bank is the Federal Reserve, and the German
central bank is the Bundesbank.
Chartist - An individual who uses charts and graphs and interprets historical data to find
trends and predict future movements. Also referred to as Technical Trader.
Cleared Funds - Funds that are freely available, sent in to settle a trade.
Closed Position - Exposures in Foreign Currencies that no longer exist. The process to close a position
is to sell or buy a certain amount of currency to offset an equal amount
of the open position. This will 'square' the postion.
Clearing - The process of settling a trade.
Contagion - The tendency of an economic crisis to spread from one market to another. In 1997,
political instability in Indonesia caused high volatility in their domestic
currency, the Rupiah. From there, the contagion spread to other Asian emerging
currencies, and then to Latin America, and is now referred to as the 'Asian Contagion'.
Collateral - Something given to secure a loan or as a guarantee of performance.
Commission - A transaction fee charged by a broker.
Confirmation - A document exchanged by counterparts to a transaction that states the terms of
said transaction.
Contract - The standard unit of trading.
Counter Currency - The second listed Currency in a Currency Pair.
Counterparty - One of the participants in a financial transaction.
Country Risk - Risk associated with a cross-border transaction, including but not limited to
legal and political conditions.
Cross Currency Pairs or Cross Rate - A foreign exchange transaction in which one foreign currency is traded against
a second foreign currency. For example; EUR/GBP
Currency symbols
AUD - Australian Dollar
CAD - Canadian Dollar
EUR - Euro
JPY
- Japanese Yen
GBP - British Pound
CHF - Swiss Franc
Currency - Any form of money issued by a government or central bank and used as legal tender
and a basis for trade.
Currency Pair - The two currencies that make up a foreign exchange rate.
For Example, EUR/USD
Currency Risk - the probability of an adverse change in exchange rates.
d
D
Day Trader - Speculators who take positions in commodities which are then liquidated prior to
the close of the same trading day.
Dealer - An individual or firm that acts as a principal or counterpart to a transaction.
Principals take one side of a position, hoping to earn a spread (profit) by closing
out the position in a subsequent trade with another party. In contrast, a
broker is an individual or firm that acts as an intermediary, putting together
buyers and sellers for a fee or commission.
Deficit - A negative balance of trade or payments.
Delivery - An FX trade where both sides make and take actual delivery of the currencies traded.
Depreciation - A fall in the value of a currency due to market forces.
Derivative - A contract that changes in value in relation to the price movements of a related
or underlying security, future or other physical instrument. An Option is the
most common derivative instrument.
Devaluation - The deliberate downward adjustment of a currency's price, normally by official
announcement.
e
E
Economic Indicator - A government issued statistic that indicates current economic growth and stability.
Common indicators include employment rates, Gross Domestic Product (GDP),
inflation, retail sales, etc.
End Of Day Order (EOD) - An order to buy or sell at a specified price. This order remains open until the
end of the trading day which is typically 5PM ET.
European Monetary Union (EMU) - The principal goal of the EMU is to establish a single European currency called
the Euro, which will officially replace the national currencies of the member
EU countries in 2002. On Janaury1, 1999 the transitional phase to introduce the
Euro began. The Euro now exists as a banking currency and paper financial transactions
and foreign exchange are made in Euros. This transition period will last
for three years, at which time Euro notes an coins will enter circulation. On
July 1,2002, only Euros will be legal tender for EMU participants, the national
currencies of the member countries will cease to exist. The current members
of the EMU are Germany, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Austria, Finland, Ireland,
the Netherlands, Italy, Spain and Portugal.
EURO - the currency of the European Monetary Union (EMU). A replacement for the European
Currency Unit (ECU).
European Central Bank (ECB) - the Central Bank for the new European Monetary Union.
f
F
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) - The regulatory agency responsible for administering bank depository insurance in
the US.
Federal Reserve (Fed) - The Central Bank for the United States.
First In First Out (FIFO) - Open positions are closed according to the FIFO accounting rule. All positions
opened within a particular currency pair are liquidated in the order in which they
were originally opened.
Flat/square - Dealer jargon used to describe a position that has been completely reversed, e.g.
you bought $500,000 then sold $500,000, thereby creating a neutral (flat) position.
Foreign Exchange - (Forex, FX) - the simultaneous buying of one currency and selling of another.
Forward - The pre-specified exchange rate for a foreign exchange contract settling at some
agreed future date, based upon the interest rate differential between the two
currencies involved.
Forward Points - The pips added to or subtracted from the current exchange rate to calculate a forward
price.
Fundamental Analysis - Analysis of economic and political information with the objective of determining
future movements in a financial market.
Futures Contract - An obligation to exchange a good or instrument at a set price on a future date.
The primary difference between a Future and a Forward is that Futures are typically
traded over an exchange (Exchange- Traded Contacts - ETC), versus forwards,
which are considered Over The Counter (OTC) contracts. An OTC is any contract
NOT traded on an exchange.
FX - Foreign Exchange.
g
G
G7 - The seven leading industrial countries, being US , Germany, Japan, France, UK,
Canada, Italy.
Going Long - The purchase of a stock, commodity, or currency for investment or speculation.
Going Short - The selling of a currency or instrument not owned by the seller.
Gross Domestic Product - Total value of a country's output, income or expenditure produced within the country's
physical borders.
Gross National Product - Gross domestic product plus income earned from investment or work abroad.
Good 'Til Cancelled Order (GTC) - An order to buy or sell at a specified price. This order remains open until filled
or until the client cancels.
h
H
Hedge - A position or combination of positions that reduces the risk of your primary position.
"Hit the bid" - Acceptance of purchasing at the offer or selling at the bid.
i
I
Inflation - An economic condition whereby prices for consumer goods rise, eroding purchasing
power.
Initial Margin - The initial deposit of collateral required to enter into a position as a guarantee
on future performance.
Interbank Rates - The Foreign Exchange rates at which large international banks quote other large
international banks.
Intervention - Action by a central bank to effect the value of its currency by entering the market.
Concerted intervention refers to action by a number of central banks to
control exchange rates.
k
K
Kiwi - Slang for the New Zealand dollar.
l
L
Leading Indicators - Statistics that are considered to predict future economic activity.
Leverage - Also called margin. The ratio of the amount used in a transaction to the required
security deposit.
LIBOR - The London Inter-Bank Offered Rate. Banks use LIBOR when borrowing from another
bank.
Limit order - An order with restrictions on the maximum price to be paid or the minimum price
to be received. As an example, if the current price of USD/YEN is 117.00/05, then
a limit order to buy USD would be at a price below 102. (ie 116.50)
Liquidation - The closing of an existing position through the execution of an offsetting transaction.
Liquidity - The ability of a market to accept large transaction with minimal to no impact
on price stability.
Long position - A position that appreciates in value if market prices increase. When the base
currency in the pair is bought, the position is said to be long.
Lot - A unit to measure the amount of the deal. The value of the deal always corresponds
to an integer number of lots.
m
M
Margin - The required equity that an investor must deposit to collateralize a position.
Margin Call - A request from a broker or dealer for additional funds or other collateral to
guarantee performance on a position that has moved against the customer.
Market Maker - A dealer who regularly quotes both bid and ask prices and is ready to make a two-sided
market for any financial instrument.
Market Risk - Exposure to changes in market prices.
Mark-to-Market - Process of re-evaluating all open positions with the current market prices. These
new values then determine margin requirements.
Maturity - The date for settlement or expiry of a financial instrument.
n
N
Net Position - The amount of currency bought or sold which have not yet been offset by opposite
transactions.
o
O
Offer (ask) - The rate at which a dealer is willing to sell a currency. See Ask (offer) price
Offsetting transaction - A trade with which serves to cancel or offset some or all of the market risk of
an open position.
One Cancels the Other Order (OCO) - A designation for two orders whereby one part of the two orders is executed the
other is automatically cancelled.
Open order - An order that will be executed when a market moves to its designated price. Normally
associated with Good 'til Cancelled Orders.
Open position - An active trade with corresponding unrealized P&L, which has not been offset by
an equal and opposite deal.
Over the Counter (OTC) - Used to describe any transaction that is not conducted over an exchange.
Overnight Position - A trade that remains open until the next business day.
Order - An instruction to execute a trade at a specified rate.
p
P
Pips - The smallest unit of price for any foreign currency. Digits added to or subtracted
from the fourth decimal place, i.e. 0.0001. Also called Points.
Political Risk - Exposure to changes in governmental policy which will have an adverse effect on
an investor's position.
Position - The netted total holdings of a given currency.
Premium - In the currency markets, describes the amount by which the forward or futures
price exceed the spot price.
Price Transparency - Describes quotes to which every market participant has equal access.
Profit /Loss or "P/L" or Gain/Loss - The actual "realized" gain or loss resulting fromtrading activities on Closed Positions,
plus the theoretical "unrealized" gain or loss on Open Positions that
have been Mark-to-Market.
q
Q
Quote - An indicative market price, normally used for information purposes only.
r
R
Rally - A recovery in price after a period of decline.
Range - The difference between the highest and lowest price of a future recorded during
a given trading session.
Rate - The price of one currency in terms of another, typically used for dealing purposes.
Resistance - A term used in technical analysis indicating a specific price level at which analysis
concludes people will sell.
Revaluation - An increase in the exchange rate for a currency as a result of central bank intervention.
Opposite of Devaluation.
Risk - Exposure to uncertain change, most often used with a negative connotation of adverse
change.
Risk Management - the employment of financial analysis and trading techniques to reduce and/or control
exposure to various types of risk.
Roll-Over - Process whereby the settlement of a deal is rolled forward to another value date.
The cost of this process is based on the interest rate differential of the two
currencies.
Round trip - Buying and selling of a specified amount of currency.
s
S
Settlement - The process by which a trade is entered into the books and records of the counterparts
to a transaction. The settlement of currency trades may or may not involve
the actual physical exchange of one currency for another.
Short Position - An investment position that benefits from a decline in market price. When the base
currency in the pair is sold, the position is said to be short.
Spot Price - The current market price. Settlement of spot transactions usually occurs within
two business days.
Spread - The difference between the bid and offer prices.
Square - Purchase and sales are in balance and thus the dealer has no open position.
Sterling - slang for British Pound.
Stop Loss Order - Order type whereby an open position is automatically liquidated at a specific
price. Often used to minimize exposure to losses if the market moves against an
investor's position. As an example, if an investor is long USD at 156.27, they
might wish to put in a stop loss order for 155.49, which would limit losses should
the dollar depreciate, possibly below 155.49.
Support Levels - A technique used in technical analysis that indicates a specific price ceiling
and floor at which a given exchange rate will automatically correct itself. Opposite
of resistance.
Swap - A currency swap is the simultaneous sale and purchase of the same amount of a given
currency at a forward exchange rate.
Swissy - Market slang for Swiss Franc.
t
T
Technical Analysis - An effort to forecast prices by analyzing market data, i.e. historical price trends
and averages, volumes, open interest, etc.
Tick - A minimum change in price, up or down.
Tomorrow Next (Tom/Next) - Simultaneous buying and selling of a currency for delivery the following day.
Transaction Cost - the cost of buying or selling a financial instrument.
Transaction Date - The date on which a trade occurs.
Turnover - The total money value of all executed transactions in a given time period; volume.
Two-Way Price - When both a bid and offer rate is quoted for a FX transaction.
u
U
Unrealized Gain/Loss - The theoretical gain or loss on Open Positions valued at current market rates,
as determined by the broker in its sole discretion. Unrealized Gains' Losses become
Profits/Losses when position is closed.
Uptick - a new price quote at a price higher than the preceding quote.
Uptick Rule - In the U.S., a regulation whereby a security may not be sold short unless the
last trade prior to the short sale was at a price lower than the price at which
the short sale is executed.
US Prime Rate - The interest rate at which US banks will lend to their prime corporate customers.
v
V
Value Date - The date on which counterparts to a financial transaction agree to settle their
respective obligations, i.e., exchanging payments. For spot currency transactions,
the value date is normally two business days forward. Also known as maturity
date.
Variation Margin - Funds a broker must request from the client to have the required margin deposited.
The term usually refers to additional funds that must be deposited as a result
of unfavorable price movements.
Volatility (Vol) - A statistical measure of a market's price movements over time.
w
W
Whipsaw - slang for a condition of a highly volatile market where a sharp price movement
is quickly followed by a sharp reversal.
y
Y
Yard - Slang for a billion.
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