FOREX or FX refers to foreign exchange market. It is a market where brokerage firms and banks interact jointly on a regular basis with the help of Electronic Communication Networks (ECN) to buy or to sell currencies worldwide with the objective to make profits by speculating on the variation of currency exchange rates. The three functions of the FOREX market are defined as follow: (Cherunilam 2007, p.275)
A foreign exchange market performs three important functions: (i) transfer of purchasing power from one country to another and from one currency to another; (ii) provision of credit; (iii) provision of hedging facilities.
According to the Bank of International Settlement report of September 2013, the average volume in the FOREX market was
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The main importance is to take part in the speculative activity in order to generate future earnings. For this purpose, individual operators use tools for investment analysis or investment company’s services are bought in order to manage the capital in the names of investors.
A successful trader is one who has the capacity to analyze the volatility of foreign exchange markets for forecasting models taking into account the historical data and its tendencies or trends.
The forecast can never be fully accurate since it includes uncertainty. This uncertainty always carries some sort of intrinsic risk. However, various tools are regularly developed in order to forecast the future shape of some specific behaviors on the FOREX market.
Volatility relates to the transaction risk which is often intrinsic to the foreign exchange market. This volatility makes forecasting a tedious task for financial specialists and investors in analyzing future trends. FOREX market is constantly influenced by numerous variables. Similarly, news release from mainstream media about the good performance of the economy or conflicts in remote regions can have a strong impact on the behavior of the FOREX market. Therefore, individual traders and institutional investors are extremely careful when investing in the FOREX
The coins made in gold, silver and bronze were traded during Roman Empire and the shortage of coins created a barrier for money circulation. However with the establishment of paper money, a sophisticated banking, global clearing system and electronic money, the global financial system evolved with a worldwide framework of legal agreements. In the Global Financial market, foreign currencies issued by the world, countries are traded by the buyers and sellers using currency exchange rates. Now a day, it is very common practices of companies in one country to raise capital in a foreign country by listing their stocks on major foreign exchanges given the growth of equity markets are becoming more globalized (SNHU, 2015).
Investing in stocks involves owning part of a company’s equity which effectively enables the shareholder to receive a portion of the company’s earnings and assets in form of dividends. Stocks are generally categorized as either common stocks or preferred stocks whereby common stock allow investors to vote on key issues but do not guarantee of dividends (Markowitz 78). Preferred stocks on the other hand do not provide voting rights but assure stockholders of dividend payments. Investing in stocks offers investors comparatively high returns relative to treasury securities but the investments also have high inherent risk. Stocks are purchased through licensed stockbrokers who range from the discounted order-taking online brokers, to the pricey full-service brokers and money managers (Sourd 112). Despite the type of broker an investor opts for, the stock market has the potential to generate high returns through an investment strategy. One of the main strategies employed is diversification which involves the purchasing of different stocks with varied performance and rates of returns in order to spread out the risk of the individuals stocks across a portfolio. Investing in stocks is therefore one of the most profitable alternatives of personal financial planning, and should be considered as one of the investment vehicles that generates an additional income stream.
The action of forecasting the direction of USD/EUR is still a risky action since the
Equity markets have become much more volatile. The Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE) Volatility Index (VIX) is a “key measure of market expectations of near-term volatility conveyed by S&P 500 stock index option prices. Since its introduction in 1993, VIX has been considered by many to be the world's premier barometer of investor sentiment and market volatility.” When the last M&A Outlook was written, the VIX was at 11.57. At the start of November 2007, the VIX had increased to 23.21.
Wang, Jing 2008, ‘Why Are Exchange Rates So Difficult To Predict’, Economic Letter, Vol. 3, no. 6.
While most foreign investors prefer to invest in dollar or euro denominated countries due to risks associated with foreign currency, Microsoft has done an outstanding job allocating resources internationally, making them this successful. In Chapter 7 of Mike Peng’s Global Business book, there are strategies for financial companies to benefit from foreign exchange. For example: Strategic Hedging, this means companies can spread out their activities in different currency zones. This offsets currency losses in certain areas through gains in other areas. Therefore, creating currency diversification.
... the public and private sector. It uses both the weak form and semi strong from to make decisions. When an investor is given both public and private information the investor would not be able to profit about the average investor even if he was provided with new information at any given time. These investors are given name such as insiders, exchange specialist, analyst and money mangers. Insiders are senior managers that have access to inside information of that company. The security exchange commission prohibits that allow of inside information use to achieve abnormal returns on investments. An exchange specialist can achieve above average returns with specific order information on a specific equity. Analysts can analyze whether an analyst opinion can help an investor achieve above average returns. Institutional money mangers work handle mutual funds and pensions.
A investment that considers to be passive in securities that permits an investor to multiply his/her beginning capital investment on many securities all while earning profits.it consist of having power over securities by an investor along with active management by an investor over a certain period of time. The reason for the investment will be expected to be primarily for financial gain. During the course of this paper there will discussion trying to analyze a common portfolio including a beginning capital input of $10,000 given that the allocation to the portfolio. Also it will include certain investments started under the portfolio including their possible profit. This paper will consist of a table of their investment that has been offered for reference.
International investing is something that many investors find that they can benefit from for many reasons. Two of the main reasons why investors choose to invest in foreign markets are growth and diversification. Growth allows investors the potential to take advantage of new opportunities in foreign emerging markets. International markets can potentially offer opportunities that might not be available in the United States. Diversification allows investors to spread out their risk to different markets and foreign companies other than those just in the United States allowing them to potentially create larger returns on their investment as well as reducing risks. (U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, 2012) While investing internationally can be a very lucrative and rewarding decision, there are also extra risks involved with investing internationally. One of the main risks that international investors encounter is foreign exchange risk also known as currency risk. Currency risk is a financial risk that is created by contact with unforeseen changes in the exchange rate between two currencies. These changes can cause unpredictable gains or losses when profits from investments are converted from a foreign currency to the United Stated dollar. There are precautions that can be taken by investors to potentially lower their risk of currency value fluctuations and other risk factors that are present in international investing. (Gibley, 2012)
Other types of exchange rate risks are translation risk and so-called hidden risk. The translation risk relates to cases where large multinational companies have subsidiaries in other countries. On the financial statement of the whole group, the company may have to translate the assets and liabilities from foreign accounts into the group statement. The translation will involve foreign exchange exposure. The term hidden risk evolves around the fact that all companies are subject to exchange rate risks, even if they don’t do business with companies using other currencies. A company that is buying supplies from a local manufacturer might be affected of fluctuating foreign exchange rates if the local manufacturer is doing business with overseas companies. If a manufacturer goes out of business, or experience heavy losses, it will affect all the companies it does business with. The co...
This paper will serve as a discussion on the topic of investment banking. In this paper the author includes various articles and thoughts that help to understand the background and principle of investment banking. This discourse will attempt to address this issue through explaining what investment banking is, introducing major investment bankers, and how investment banking affects our globally economy. Investment Banking Defined Investopedia (2008) stated this definition about investment banking, “A specific division of banking related to the creation of capital for other companies. Investment banks underwrite new debt and equity securities for all types of corporations.
The business always develops due to investments and the correct most accurate analysis is an integral part of any initiative. Any initiative should be studied by financial analysts, correctly predicted in terms of financial investments and beneficiaries, tracked at various times, studied , changed on time, if necessary. Success of investments depends From financial analysis, it helps to protect the business from financial losses and predict cash flow and return of investment.
One can accurately state that the role of the competent and capable financial manager is figuratively worth its weight in gold. As global markets today's financial markets increase in complexity, the tradition of learning by doing will not suffice. The financial manager today must hit the ground running with ready expertise to be used effectively as the CFO or as part of a team of financial experts within the ranks of the CFO's office. In navigating the international marketplace effectively, financial managers find themselves in a technology driven, real time information deluge which helps them to satiate the knowledge demands of investors, commercial and investment bankers, shareholders, employees, brokers, traders et al who must know particular companies, their products and the markets wherein they operate. The financial manager is charged with providing the information necessary to fulfill this relentless demand for a range of financial information that literally runs the gamut.
The foreign exchange market is one of important mechanism in the international business because foreign exchange is an intermediary for all nations in term of the growth of the economy. There are many functions of foreign exchange market in the global economy. In the international business, it uses the foreign exchange markets in four ways. First, the pay...
I am currently majoring in Finance Management. Most of the time people think of finance as just managing money. However, finance is needed for so much more! The finance industry deals with starting businesses, developing new products, expanding markets, as well as everyday things like saving for retirement, purchasing a home, and even insurance. The stock market, asset allocation, portfolio analysis, and electronic commerce are all key aspects in finance. In this paper, I will explain how these features play a vital role in the industry, along with the issues that come with these factors.