Automated trading platform

Saturday, July 18, 2009
An automated trading platform is used both by trading system publishers, and the investors who subscribe to them. Using it, traders can track marked-to-market performance using several different metrics for verifiability.[1] In addition to tracking performance of these "black box" systems, the automated trading platform also provides a venue to permit the system's buy/sell signals to be executed to the subscriber'sbrokerage account automatically. Some of the automated trading platforms are completely broker-agnostic and permit an interface with almost any brokerage firm.
The immediate benefit to investors is that it allows them to have insight into various trading systems that are on offer, which may make claims of profitability. The platform "allows people or institutions that believe they can outperform the market to prove to the public in a verifiable way that they indeed can do so."[2] In the second stage of use, traders subscribe to one or more of these trading methodologies, and have the trades that are specified by the system executed automatically in a brokerage account.
Although turning over decisions and execution to a "black box" system requires the investor to give up an element of control, the automated trading platform does serve the purpose of allowing the trader to spend more time on strategy and on studying trends, rather than executing those strategies manually.

Overview of GCI Financial

GCI Financial Ltd ("GCI") is a regulated securities and commodities trading firm, specializing in online Foreign Exchange ("Forex") brokerage. In addition to Forex, GCI is a primary market maker in Contracts for Difference ("CFDs") on shares, indices and futures, and offers one of the fastest growing online CFD trading services. GCI has over 10,000 clients worldwide, including individual traders, institutions, and money managers. GCI provides an advanced, secure, and comprehensive online trading system. Client funds are insured and held in a separate customer account. In addition, GCI Financial Ltd maintains Net Capital in excess of minimum regulatory requirements

Forex Account Types

he Standard Forex Account is designed for traders wishing to trade currencies and other major financial products on one of the most sophisticated and full-featured trading platforms in the industry. Narrow spreads and rapid execution are consistent in all market conditions.
$5,000 To open
100,000 Currency units per lot
Currencies, Equity Indices,Crude Oil, and Metals
200:1 Leverage
2 pip spreads
ICTS trading software
Open A Live Account
Free Practice Account
More Details...



Mini Forex
The Mini Forex Account is ideal for traders wishing to trade currencies and other major financial products with a smaller transaction size and lower account opening minimum.
$2,000 To open
10,000 Currency units per lot
Currencies, Equity Indices,Crude Oil, and Metals
200:1 Leverage
3 pip spreads
ICTS trading software
Open A Live Account
Free Practice Account
More Details...



MetaTrader
The MetaTrader Account offers a wider product range and the MetaTrader software platfrom. While default lot sizes are 100,000 currency units, traders can select as little as 0.10 lots to transact. Unlimited charting and programmable trading signals are among the features offered in GCI's MetaTrader account.
$2,000 To open
100,000 Currency units per lot;fractional lot capability
Currencies, Equity Indices,Crude Oil, Metals, and Shares
200:1 Leverage
3 pip spreads
MetaTrader software
Open A Live Account
Free Practice Account
More Details...

Standard Forex Account

State-of-the-art trading software. The GCI trading software provides real-time prices in currencies, global equity indices, gold, silver, and crude oil. Live charts, and real-time P&L and account equity tracking are fully integrated into the free software. Windows-based and Java-based versions are available. Download a free demo...
Zero commissions. Client trading performance is enhanced by eliminating all commissions and transaction fees.
USD or Euro Denominated Trading Accounts. GCI clients can now choose to maintain their account balance and P&L in either US Dollars or Euros. Select the Base Currency you want for your account on the account application.
Trade on 2 pip spreads. Clients can trade on tight spreads in major currencies and crosses, 24 hours a day. Unlike many competitors, GCI's spreads are consistent in all market conditions and will never widen during volatile times or news releases.
Hedging Capability. Clients can open positions in the same currency in opposite directions, without the positions offsetting and without using additional margin.
Product Offerings. You can also trade Gold, Crude Oil, S&P 500, DAX 30, Nikkei 225, and Dow Jones on the same trading platform - with the same low margin requirements and zero commissions.
Risk is limited to deposited funds. GCI's sophisticated margin and dealing procedures mean that clients can never lose more than their funds on deposit. All customer funds are insured and maintained in separate accounts.
Tools for successful trading. GCI clients benefit from a wide array of resources to improve their trading results, including market analysis and research, real-time charts, and free Forex trading signals.
Try a Free Forex Demo Account...

Mini Forex Account

Rapid and fair trade execution. Market orders are confirmed within seconds at prices clicked on or accepted by the client. Furthermore, GCI has a "zero slippage guarantee" for all Forex Stop and Entry Stop orders that are placed at least one minute before the market reaches your specified price.
Zero commissions for all accounts. Client trading performance is enhanced by eliminating all commissions.
State-of-the-art trading software. The GCI trading software provides real-time prices in 23 major currencies, 5 equity indices, plus gold, silver, and crude oil. Live charts, and real-time P&L and account equity tracking are fully integrated into the free software. Windows-based and Java-based versions are available.
USD or Euro Denominated Trading Accounts. GCI clients can now choose to maintain their account balance and P&L in either USD or Euros. Select the Base Currency you want for your account on the account application.
Tight 3 - 4 pip spreads. Clients can trade on 3 - 4 pip spreads in major currencies and crosses, 24 hours a day.
Broad offering of financial products. In addition to currencies, you can trade mini versions of Dow Jones, Gold, S&P 500, other equity indices from your Mini Forex account. Trading opportunities and profit potential are that much higher. Click here for a full list of products and specifications.
$2000 minimum account balance. GCI provides access to spot forex trading for individuals as well as institutions. Margin requirements are $50 per lot.
Risk is limited to deposited funds. GCI's sophisticated margin and dealing procedures mean that clients can never lose more than their funds on deposit.
Hedging Capability. Clients can open positions in the same currency in opposite directions, without the positions offsetting and without using additional margin.
Tools for successful trading. GCI clients benefit from a wide array of resources to improve their trading results, including market analysis and research, real-time charts, and free Forex trading signals.

Forex Trading Software Preview

GCI now offers both ICTS trading software (windows and java-based) and MetaTrader trading software:
ICTS Trading Software
Trade currencies on 2 pip spreads from the Dealing Rates Table or directly from real-time charts. You can set alerts, place conditional orders, and take advantage of our AFX news feed, live quotes, comprehensive real-time position and account tracking, and mobile trading access.

Prices from the "Dealing Rates" windows are constantly updating and can be clicked on at any time to place a trade. This full-featured trading platform also provides real-time account balance, P&L, and margin information, and real-time charts and news. Recent enhancements include the ability to "hedge" (enter opposite positions in the same currency without offsetting or using additional margin). Click here for a Free ICTS Forex Trading Demo Account...

MetaTrader Trading SoftwareGCI now offers Forex and CFD trading on the popular MetaTrader 4 trading platform. Trading directly from charts, fractional lot capabilities, the ability to program trading signals, and unlimited charts and technical indicators are among the many benefits. MetaTrader is ideal for novice traders and professionals alike. All major currency orders are filled directly in the interbank market, with no dealer intervention or delays.
Test MetaTrader software for free: download the installation file (gci4setup.exe, 3.5Mb) to your PC, launch it and install the program, checking for instructions appearing on your monitor.

Software Download
ICTS Web-Based (Java) Trading Software: No download necessary - login to your demo account here
ICTS Windows-based Trading Software: Download HereMetaTrader Trading Software: Download Here

Foreign exchange market

Friday, July 17, 2009
The foreign exchange market (Currency, Forex, or FX) market is where currency trading takes place. It is where banks and other official institutions facilitate the buying and selling of foreign currencies. [1]FX transactions typically involve one party purchasing a quantity of one currency in exchange for paying a quantity of another. The foreign exchange market that we see today started evolving during the 1970s when worldover countries gradually switched to floating exchange rate from their erstwhile exchange rate regime, which remained fixed as per the Bretton Woods system till 1971.
Today, the FX market is one of the largest and most liquid financial markets in the world, and includes trading between large banks, central banks, currency speculators, corporations, governments, and other institutions. The average daily volume in the global foreign exchange and related markets is continuously growing. Traditional daily turnover was reported to be over US$3.2 trillion in April 2007 by the Bank for International Settlements.[2] Since then, the market has continued to grow. According to Euromoney's annual FX Poll, volumes grew a further 41% between 2007 and 2008.[3]
The purpose of FX market is to facilitate trade and investment. The need for a foreign exchange market arises because of the presence of multifarious international currencies such as US Dollar, Pound Sterling, etc., and the need for trading in such currencies.

Foreign exchange market

The foreign exchange market (Currency, Forex, or FX) market is where currency trading takes place. It is where banks and other official institutions facilitate the buying and selling of foreign currencies. [1]FX transactions typically involve one party purchasing a quantity of one currency in exchange for paying a quantity of another. The foreign exchange market that we see today started evolving during the 1970s when worldover countries gradually switched to floating exchange rate from their erstwhile exchange rate regime, which remained fixed as per the Bretton Woods system till 1971.
Today, the FX market is one of the largest and most liquid financial markets in the world, and includes trading between large banks, central banks, currency speculators, corporations, governments, and other institutions. The average daily volume in the global foreign exchange and related markets is continuously growing. Traditional daily turnover was reported to be over US$3.2 trillion in April 2007 by the Bank for International Settlements.[2] Since then, the market has continued to grow. According to Euromoney's annual FX Poll, volumes grew a further 41% between 2007 and 2008.[3]
The purpose of FX market is to facilitate trade and investment. The need for a foreign exchange market arises because of the presence of multifarious international currencies such as US Dollar, Pound Sterling, etc., and the need for trading in such currencies.

What is Forex Trading????????

Forex tradingThe investor's goal in Forex trading is to profit from foreign currency movements. Forex trading or currency trading is always done in currency pairs. For example, the exchange rate of EUR/USD on Aug 26th, 2003 was 1.0857. This number is also referred to as a "Forex rate" or just "rate" for short. If the investor had bought 1000 euros on that date, he would have paid 1085.70 U.S. dollars. One year later, the Forex rate was 1.2083, which means that the value of the euro (the numerator of the EUR/USD ratio) increased in relation to the U.S. dollar. The investor could now sell the 1000 euros in order to receive 1208.30 dollars. Therefore, the investor would have USD 122.60 more than what he had started one year earlier. However, to know if the investor made a good investment, one needs to compare this investment option to alternative investments. At the very minimum, the return on investment (ROI) should be compared to the return on a "risk-free" investment. One example of a risk-free investment is long-term U.S. government bonds since there is practically no chance for a default, i.e. the U.S. government going bankrupt or being unable or unwilling to pay its debt obligation.
When trading currencies, trade only when you expect the currency you are buying to increase in value relative to the currency you are selling. If the currency you are buying does increase in value, you must sell back the other currency in order to lock in a profit. An open trade (also called an open position) is a trade in which a trader has bought or sold a particular currency pair and has not yet sold or bought back the equivalent amount to close the position.
However, it is estimated that anywhere from 70%-90% of the FX market is speculative. In other words, the person or institution that bought or sold the currency has no plan to actually take delivery of the currency in the end; rather, they were solely speculating on the movement of that particular currency.

The Difference Forex and Futures

1. A Forex trader could trade more transaction compared to the futures market (the trading volume could be a times larger), and the risk will be strictly under control. The trading volume of the Forex market is 46 times larger compared to the futures market, moreover Forex traders could make more profit from the Forex market due to the larger trading volume (the transaction volume is a few times larger), the REFCO Switzerland rich transaction platform allowed transaction between 1-100 times to be carry on, moreover a Forex trader could decide his or her own transaction amount, for example: Your account has $30,000, the basic transaction unit is each $1,000 (which transaction amount in $1.00, million), namely, so the proportion of the margin of each transaction unit is 100:1.
2. The risk of the Forex trader is under control, such margin call will not happen compared to futures, through the Forex trading system, your risk will receive the strict limit, even if your margin if lower then the deposit required, the Forex trading system will automatically settle your position, this means even if a Forex trader suffered losses, moreover if the market is suffering from a disaster fluctuation, your loss could not surpass your account amount. In order to understand the advantages, please apply for the demo account to carry on the complete zero risk.
3. A Forex trader will receive a large limitation of liquidation and a relatively fair market because the trading volume of the Forex market is large and it is also the largest liquidation market in the world. At present the trading volume in the Forex market is 140 billion Dollars, such big market will completely digest your transaction cash.
4. A Forex trader may do 24 hours transactions and other markets are different, the Forex market is a 24 hour linkages market, it starts from every Sunday before dawn Australian Sydney market, substandard collect the transaction center Singapore, Tokyo, London, Frankfurt to New York continuously to open, such linkage market enable you to do 24 hours transactions, also provide flexibility for Forex trader to do transaction.

Difference Between Forex and Stock

1. The Forex market has a lot of advantages compare to stock market: A Forex trader could make profit through the market no matter if it is bearish and bullish which is different from the capital market, Forex has no strict regulation in speculation, no matter whether it is a long-term or a short-term transaction there is still a hidden profit, moreover, Forex market is a double-transaction market which means Forex traders could make profit through both upward and downward trend.
2. Forex traders could obtain a much larger transaction compared to the stock market, through the Forex trading, Forex traders could obtain 100 times larger transaction compared to the stock market. According to the present US situation, if a Forex trader invests $1,000 in the stock market, the trader may obtain $2,000 of stock domination property with a proportion of 2:1, but through Forex trading, a Forex trader can do transaction with a proportion up to 100:1.Forex trader may make profit from the ordinary news, like the interest rate change, Forex market is closely related to various countries' politic, economy and culture, Forex traders could also obtain profit from other kinds of news, for example interest rate level change, will influence the interest of the Forex deposit.
3. Forex traders could do 24 hours trading. The stock market can only be traded during daytime at a specific time, generally from 9:30a.m. to 4:00p.m.. If you too have your own full time job, then you will face the dilemma - either to give up your full time job or forgo the trading opportunity. But Forex market can be traded 5 days a week and 24 hours a day, Forex traders can trade during their free time which is normally at night after working hour.
4. If a trader analyze based on technical analysis, Forex trading would be much more suitable for such traders because the Forex market has a very large trading volume. Currently the Forex market has daily trading volume of 190 billion Dollar, such giant market will completely digest a fore trader's transaction cash, under such situation the accuracy of the technical analysis would be much higher then any financial market, the chances of using technical analysis to make profit would be much more higher.
5. In the stock market there are hundred and thousand kinds of stocks, then choosing stock will be a very difficult matter. But in the Forex market, the currency combination is extremely limited, this may enable Forex traders to concentrate on these currencies combination, and could follow the trend quickly

Forex Home Business

The more you understand about any subject, the more interesting it becomes. As you read this article you’ll find that the subject of forex home business is certainly no exception.
When running a forex home business, a person quickly gains knowledge of how the business world works. Whether it be selling crafts, doing a home delivery business, or selling real-estate, after investing a lot of time and effort into a home or small business, a person quickly becomes aware of the few basic business truths that govern business.
One of those truths is that you have to have time and money to start a small business or any business for that matter. More often than not, the people that have the time dont have the money to invest in a home-based business and the people that have the money dont have the time. With Forex home business, it is quite possible to generate an income with a small time investment per day, after studying FOREX for a few months, and a very small investment as little as $50 in some cases.
The second truth, and these are probably quite obvious to most people, is that in order to make money a business has to have some sort of product to sell or perform some type of service. In the FOREX world, nothing is being sold and no service is being performed, but rather money is being exchanged. You are making a profit based on the actual exchange value of one currency against another currency. This eliminates the need for employees, such as customer service personnel and human resource people if your company were to become that big.
Is everything making sense so far? If not, I’m sure that with just a little more reading, all the facts will fall into place.
Also, because of the huge size of the FOREX market, trading nearly $1.5 trillion dollars a day, such things as social events, bad publicity, and changes in political climate will have no effect on your business. In fact, after studying FOREX, you will be able to see how these things will actually benefit your FOREX home business.
The third and last classical business truth is that most people are prevented from starting a home-based business because they dont feel good enough about themselves. They dont feel like theyre educated enough. I read stories all of the time about people that feel passionate about something or they just pick something that they are relatively good at or have done before and start a business. They just take a chance. If you want to do it, step out. Take that first step. Dont drop any huge sums of money, of course, but do a little research, make a small investment and start your adventure down to the road to FOREX trading.
You dont need a doctorite degree to get involved with FOREX trading, but after a couple of months of good study, its quite possible to generate a significant source of cash from FOREX trading. Forex traders study the political and economic trends in the economically important countries, including USA, Japan, England or the European Union, and make an assessment of the present or future purchase values of these currencies in comparison with each other. Again, the process of sale and purchase is like any other market activity, except that the time period varies. Blindly trade. Forex home business is not about gambling. Consider a situation where you think that the price of a given commodity, say, silver, gold, or wheat, will increase in the near future.
You can’t predict when knowing something extra about forex home business will come in handy. If you learned anything new about forex home business in this article, you should file the article where you can find it again

Saudi Forex Reserves Reach $250 Billion

By some measures, Saudi Arabia’s reserves are the fastest growing in the world. The country’s reserves recently crossed the $250 Billion threshold, and are now growing at a pace equivalent to nearly 40% per year. The source of the reserves should be a mystery to no one: oil. Oil prices have surged over the last five years, bestowing a windfall of profits to the entire Middle East region. Plus, as summer gets underway, oil prices are sure to climb further, which will ensure continued growth in Saudi forex reserves. Fortunately for the US, the majority of the world’s oil contracts are settled in USD, which means the boom in oil prices has actually stabilized the USD, despite its contribution to the US trade deficit. In addition, Saudi Arabia is one of the world’s most reliable investors in US capital markets, which means Dollar bulls can breathe a cautious sigh of relief that reserve “diversification” will probably be given short shrift by the Sauds

Automated trading platform

An automated trading platform is used both by trading system publishers, and the investors who subscribe to them. Using it, traders can track marked-to-market performance using several different metrics for verifiability.[1] In addition to tracking performance of these "black box" systems, the automated trading platform also provides a venue to permit the system's buy/sell signals to be executed to the subscriber'sbrokerage account automatically. Some of the automated trading platforms are completely broker-agnostic and permit an interface with almost any brokerage firm.
The immediate benefit to investors is that it allows them to have insight into various trading systems that are on offer, which may make claims of profitability. The platform "allows people or institutions that believe they can outperform the market to prove to the public in a verifiable way that they indeed can do so."[2] In the second stage of use, traders subscribe to one or more of these trading methodologies, and have the trades that are specified by the system executed automatically in a brokerage account.
Although turning over decisions and execution to a "black box" system requires the investor to give up an element of control, the automated trading platform does serve the purpose of allowing the trader to spend more time on strategy and on studying trends, rather than executing those strategies manually.

[edit]Speed of execution
The appearance of automated trading systems and stock markets has greatly narrowed the window of opportunity on many trades, sometimes to just a few seconds in duration. In response, traders are turning to automated systems of their own. If for example, one is trading on one of the many systems that hinge on these very small windows, manual execution is virtually impossible. Execution of the trades must be initiated immediately, with split-second accuracy, as soon as the system gives the buy/sell signal.[3]

[edit]Best practicesThe automated trading platform, in providing a venue for analyzing multiple stock trading systems or "black boxes", provides a tool for verifiable analysis of each of those systems. While such systems often make claims of profitability, and sometimes of unheard-of returns, the automated trading platform allows the investors to vet those systems and play the ones most likely to win. Generally

Retail forex

In financial markets, the retail forex (retail off-exchange currency trading or retail FX) market is a subset of the larger foreign exchange market. This "market has long been plagued by swindlers preying on the gullible," according to The New York Times[1]. Whilst there may be a number of fully regulated, reputable international companies that provide a highly transparent and honest service, it's commonly thought that about 90% of all retail FX traders lose money. [2] [3]
It is now possible to trade cash FX, or forex (short for Foreign Exchange (FX)) or currencies around the clock with hundreds of foreign exchange brokers through trading platforms. The reason that the business is so profitable is because in many cases brokers are taking the opposite side of the trade, and therefore turning client capital directly into broker profit as the average account loses money. Some brokers provide a matching service, charging a commission instead of taking the opposite site of the trade and "netting the spread", as it is referred to within the forex "industry."
Recently forex brokers have become increasingly regulated. Minimum capital requirements of US$20m now apply in the US, as well as stringent requirements now in Germany and the United Kingdom. Switzlerand now requires forex brokers to become a bank before conducting fx brokerage business from Switzerland.[citation needed]
Algorythmic or machine based formula trading has become increasingly popular in the FX market,with a number of popular packages allowing the customer to program his own studies.
The most traded of the "major" currencies is the pair known as the EUR/USD, due to its size, median volatility and relatively low "spread", referring to the difference between the bid and the ask price. This is usually measured in "pips", normally 1/100 of a full point.[citation needed]
According to the October 2008 issue of e-Forex Magazine, the retail FX market is seeing continued explosive growth despite, and perhaps because of, losses in other markets like global equities in 2008.
Key Concepts Behind a Retail Forex Trade

[edit]Currency Pairs
Currency prices can only fluctuate relative to another currency, so they are traded in pairs. Two of the most common currency pairs are the EUR/USD (the price of US dollars quoted in euros) and the GBP/USD (the price of US dollars quoted in British pounds).

[edit]High Leverage
The idea of margin (leverage) and floating loss is another important trading concept and is perhaps best understood using an example. Most retail Forex market makers permit 100:1 leverage, but also, crucially, require you to have a certain amount of money in your account to protect against a critical loss point. For example, if a $100,000 position is held in EUR/USD on 100:1 leverage, the trader has to put up $1,000 to control the position. However, in the event of a declining value of your positions, Forex market makers, mindful of the fast nature of forex price swings and the amplifying effect of leverage, typically do not allow their traders to go negative and make up the difference at a later date. In order to make sure the trader does not lose more money than is held in the account, forex market makers typically employ automatic systems to close out positions when clients run out of margin (the amount of money in their account not tied to a position). If the trader has $2,000 in his account, and he is buying a $100,000 lot of EUR/USD, he has $1,000 of his $2,000 tied up in margin, with $1,000 left to allow his position to fluctuate downward without being closed out.
Typically a trader's retail forex platform will show him three important numbers associated with his account: his balance, his equity, and his margin remaining. If trader X has two positions: $100,000 long (buy) in EUR/USD, and $100,000 short (sell) in GBP/USD, and he has $10,000 in his account, his positions would look as follows: Because of the 100:1 leverage, it took him $1,000 to control each position. This means that he has used up $2,000 in his margin, out of a $10,000 account, and thus he has $8,000 of margin still available. With this margin, he can either take more positions or keep the margin relatively high to allow his current positions to be maintained in the event of downturns. If the client chooses to open a new position of $100,000, this will again take another $1,000 of his margin, leaving $7,000. He will have used up $3,000 inmargin among the three positions. The other way margin will decrease is if the positions he currently has open lose money. If one of his 3 positions of $100,000 decrease by $5,000 in value (which is fairly common), he now has, of his original $7,000 in margin, only $2,000 left.[original research?]
If you have a $10,000 account and only open one $100,000 position, this has committed only $1,000 of your money plus you must maintain $1,000 in margin. While this leaves $9,000 free in your account, it is possible to lose almost all of it if the speculation loses money.[original research?]

[edit]Transaction Costs and Market Makers
Market makers are compensated for allowing clients to enter the market. They take part or all of the spread in all currency pairs traded. In a common example, EUR/USD, the spread is typically 3 pips (percentage in point) or 3/100 of a cent in this example. Thus prices are quoted with both bid and offer prices (e.g., Buy EUR/USD 1.4900, Sell EUR/USD 1.4903).[citation needed]
That difference of 3 pips is the spread and can amount to a significant amount of money. Because the typical standard lot is 100,000 units of the base currency, those 3 pips on EUR/USD translate to $30 paid by the client to the market maker. However, a pip is not always $10. A pip is 1/100th of a cent (or whatever), and the currency pairs are always purchased by buying 100,000 of the base currency.
For the pair EUR/USD, the quote currency is USD; thus, 1/100th of a cent on a pair with USD as the quote currency will always have a pip of $10. If, on the other hand, your currency pair has Swiss francs (CHF) as a quote instead of USD, then 1/100th of a cent is now worth around $9, because you are buying 100,000 of whatever in Swiss francs.

[edit]Financial Instruments
There are several types of financial instruments commonly used.
Forwards
One way to deal with the Forex risk is to engage in a forward transaction. In this transaction, money does not actually change hands until some agreed upon future date. A buyer and seller agree on an exchange rate for any date in the future, and the transaction occurs on that date, regardless of what the market rates are then. The duration of the trade can be a few days, months or years.
Futures
Foreign currency futures are forward transactions with standard contract sizes and maturity dates — for example, 500,000 British pounds for next November at an agreed rate. Futures are standardized and are usually traded on an exchange created for this purpose. The average contract length is roughly 3 months. Futures contracts are usually inclusive of any interest amounts.
Swaps
The most common type of forward transaction is the currency swap. In a swap, two parties exchange currencies for a certain length of time and agree to reverse the transaction at a later date. These are not contracts and are not traded through an exchange.
Spot
A spot transaction is a two-day delivery transaction for most currency pairs (but one-day for USD/CAD and some others), as opposed to the futures contracts, which are usually three months. This trade represents a “direct exchange” between two currencies, has the shortest time frame, involves cash rather than a contract; and interest is not included in the agreed-upon transaction. The data for this study come from the Spot ma

Stock Exchanges

A list of Stock Exchanges Worldwide and other foreign currency exchange resources. A stock exchange or share market is a corporation or mutual organization which provides Trading Facilities for stock brokers and traders, to trade stocks and other securities. Stock exchanges also provide facilities for the issue and redemption of securities as well as other financial instruments and capital events including the payment of income and dividends.
Afghanistan
Kabul International Stock Exchange
Argentina
Buenos Aires Stock Exchange
Australia
Australia Pacific Exchange

Australian Securities Exchange

Bendigo Stock Exchange

National Stock Exchange of Australia

Sydney Futures Exchange
Bahamas
Bahamas Securities Exchange
Bahrain
Bahrain Stock Exchange
Bangladesh
Chittagong Stock Exchange

Dhaka Stock Exchange
Barbados
Barbados Stock Exchange
Bermuda
Bermuda Stock Exchange
Brazil
BM&F Bovespa

Rio de Janeiro Stock Exchange

Maring� Mercantile and Futures Exchange

BOVMESB
Bulgaria
Bulgarian Stock Exchange
Canada
CNQ

Nasdaq Canada

Winnipeg Commodity Exchange

Toronto Stock Exchange

Montreal Exchange
Chile
Santiago Stock Exchange

Santiago Electronic Stock Exchange

Valpara�so Stock Exchange
China
Shanghai Stock Exchange

Shenzhen Stock Exchange
Colombia
Bolsa de Valores de Colombia
Costa Rica
Bolsa Nacional de Valores de Costa Rica
Czech Republic
Prague Stock Exchange
Denmark
Copenhagen Stock Exchange
Dominican Republic
Bolsa de Valores de la Rep�blica Dominicana
Eastern Caribbean States
Eastern Caribbean Securities Exchange
Egypt
Cairo & Alexandria Stock Exchange
Estonia
Tallinn Stock Exchange
Fiji
South Pacific Stock Exchange
French Polynesia
Euronext Paris
Hong Kong
Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing
Hungary
Budapest Stock Exchange
Iceland
Iceland Stock Exchange
India
Delhi Stock Exchange Association

Gawahati Stock Exchange

Hyderabad Stock Exchange

Inter-connected Stock Exchange of India

Jaipur Stock Exchange

Ludhiana Stock Exchange

Madhya Pradesh Stock Exchange

Madras Stock Exchange

Mangalore Stock Exchange

Ahmedabad Stock Exchange

National Stock Exchange of India

Bangalore Stock Exchange

OTC Exchange of India

Bhubaneswar Stock Exchange

Pune Stock Exchange

Bombay Stock Exchange

Uttar Pradesh Stock Association

Calcutta Stock Exchange

Vadodara Stock Exchange

Cochin Stock Exchange

Meerut Stock Exchange

Coimbatore Stock Exchange

Digambar Finance Jabalpur
Indonesia
Jakarta Stock Exchange

Surabaya Stock Exchange

Jakarta Futures Exchange
Iran
Tehran Stock Exchange
Iraq
Iraq Stock Exchange
Israel
Tel-Aviv Stock Exchange
Jamaica
Jamaica Stock Exchange
Japan
Fukuoka Stock Exchange

JASDAQ

Nagoya Stock Exchange

Osaka Securities Exchange

Sapporo Stock Exchange

Tokyo Stock Exchange
Jordan
Amman Stock Exchange
Kenya
Nairobi Stock Exchange
Kuwait
Kuwait Stock Exchange
Lebanon
Beirut Stock Exchange
Malaysia
Kuala Lumpur Commodity Exchange

Bursa Derivatives

MESDAQ

FTSE Bursa Malaysia Index

Bursa Malaysia
Mauritius
The Stock Exchange of Mauritius
Mexico
Bolsa Mexicana de Valores
Morocco
Casablanca Stock Exchange
New Zealand
New Zealand Exchange Limited
Norway
Oslo Stock Exchange
Oman
Muscat Securities Market
Pakistan
Islamabad Stock Exchange

Karachi Stock Exchange

Lahore Stock Exchange
Philippines
Philippine Stock Exchange

Philippine Dealing Exchange
Poland
Warsaw Stock Exchange

NewConnect
Romania
Bucharest Stock Exchange

SIBEX

RASDAQ
Russian Federation
Moscow Interbank Currency Exchange

Moscow Stock Exchange

RTS Stock Exchange

Saint Petersburg Stock Exchange
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia Electronic Securities Information System

Tadawul
Singapore
Singapore Exchange

Singapore Commodity Exchange
Slovakia
Bratislava Stock Exchange
South Africa
JSE Securities Exchange / Johannesburg Stock Exchange

The South African Futures Exchange

Alternative Exchange

Bond Exchange of South Africa
Sri Lanka
Colombo Stock Exchange
Sudan
Khartoum Stock Exchange
Sweden
Nordic Growth Market

Stockholm Stock Exchange
Switzerland
SWX Swiss Exchange

Bern eXchange
Taiwan
Taiwan Stock Exchange
Thailand
Stock Exchange of Thailand

Agricultural Futures Exchange of Thailand

Thailand Futures Exchange

Market for Alternative Investment
Trinidad & Tobago
Trinidad and Tobago Stock Exchange
Tunisia
Bourse de Tunis
Turkey
Istanbul Stock Exchange
United Arab Emirates
Abu Dhabi Securities Market

Dubai Financial Market

Dubai International Financial Exchange
United Kingdom
London Stock Exchange

Plus Markets

Markit BOAT

Project Turquose
United States of America
American Stock Exchange

Boston Stock Exchange

Boston Equities Exchange

Boston Options Exchange

Chicago Board Options Exchange

Chicago Board of Trade

Chicago Mercantile Exchange

Chicago Stock Exchange

International Securities Exchange

Miami Stock Exchange

NASDAQ Stock Market

National Stock Exchange

New York Stock Exchange

Philadelphia Stock Exchange
Venezuela
Bolsa de Valores de Caracas
Vietnam
Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange

Hanoi Securities Trading

Iceland Stock Exchange

Iceland Stock Exchange (Icelandic: Kauphöll Íslands) or ICEX was established in 1985 as a joint venture of several banks and brokerage firms on the initiative of the central bank. Trading began in 1986 in Icelandic government bonds, and trading in equities began in 1990. Equities trading increased rapidly thereafter. A wide variety of firms are currently listed on the exchange, including firms in retail, fishing, transportation, banks, insurance and numerous other areas. Because of the small size of the Icelandic economy and the low cost of public listing, many of the companies traded on the ICEX are relatively small and are relatively illiquid.
All domestic trading of Icelandic bonds, equities and mutual funds takes place on the ICEX. Bonds and equities are regularly traded, though the liquidity is small in comparison with other exchanges. No mutual funds are currently listed on the market. Since its founding, the ICEX has used various electronic systems. Since 2000, it has used the SAXESS system of theNOREX alliance, which allows for the cross-listing of stocks on Nordic stock exchanges. No foreign company lists directly on the ICEX, as the small size and illiquidity of the market makes such a move redundant. Conversely, few Icelandic firms have listed abroad, including DeCODE.Faroese bonds were listed on behalf of Virðisbrævamarknaður Føroya in November 2003, and since December 2007 four Faroese equities have been listed on the OMX Nordic Exchange in Iceland.
Since 1 January 1999, the ICEX has operated as a private company, owned by the listed companies (29%), member firms (29%), the Central Bank of Iceland (16%), pension funds (13%) and the Association of Small Investors (13%).
Þórður Friðjónsson is the current president of ICEX (February 2006). ICEX agreed to be taken over by larger rival OMX Nordic Exchange on 19 September 2006. [1]
On 6 October 2008, the Icelandic Financial Supervisory Authority decided to temporarily suspend trading on regulated market financial instruments issued by Glitnir, Kaupthing Bank, Landsbanki, Straumur Investment Bank, Spron and Exista.[2] When the exchange reopened on 14 October, the stock index fell by 76% [3].

Delhi Stock Exchange Association

The Delhi stock Exchange Association Limited (DSE) is located in New Delhi, India. It was incorporated on June 25, 1947. The exchange is an amalgamation of Delhi Stock and Share Brokers' Association Limited and the Delhi Stocks and Shares Exchange Limited. It is India's fifth exchange. The exchange is one of the premier Stock Exchange in India. The Delhi Stock Exchange is well connected to 50 cities with terminals in North India.
The exchange has over 3,000 listed companies. It has received the market regulator's permission from BSE and has become a member. Now it facilitates the DSE members to trade on the BSE terminals. The exchange is also considered the same from NSE.
DSE Dematerialised Trading
Delhi Stock Exchange has paired up with the National Security Depository Limited (NSDL), and commenced trading in dematerialised shares. This started September, 1988. However, the option for delivering shares either in physical or demat form started in November 1998.

[edit]DSE Trade Guarantee Fund
DSE initialised its Rs.125 crore Trade Guarantee Fund on July 27, 1998. TGF guarantees all the transactions of the DSE interse through theStock Exchange. If a member fails to honour the settlement commitment, TGF undertakes to fulfill the commitment and complete all the settlement without disruption.

[edit]Official address
DSE Office The Delhi Stock Exchange Association Limited West Plaza Indira Gandhi Stadium New Delhi-110002 India Tel.:

Budapest Stock Exchange

The Budapest Stock Exchange (BSE) was re-opened in 1990[1] with headquarters inBudapest, Hungary.
BSE is the key institution of the Hungarian Financial market and the official trading venue for publicly offered securities.
The exchange has pre-market sessions from 08:30am to 09:00am and normal trading sessions from 09:00am to 04:30pm on all days of the week except Saturdays, Sundays and holidays declared by the Exchange in advance.[2]
About the Exchange
The Budapest Stock Exchange Ltd. (BSE) aims to ensure a transparent and liquid market for its listed securities issued either in Hungary or abroad. As the key institution of the domestic financial market, the stock exchange provides various economic entities with an opportunity to raise capital in an open market and offers investors effective investment opportunities. Through the concentration of supply and demand, it is the most important institution of price discovery.
The stock exchange actively participates in promoting the continuous improvement of the financial culture of domestic companies and investors.
The four main activities of the stock exchange:
‎Listing services: The BSE allows economic entities to acquire the financial resources required for their expansion in a cost-effective way. In addition, the BSE provides access to the dynamically growing assets of domestic institutional investors and to domestic investor savings. The exchange also provides investors with the simplest access to the global investor community.
‎‏Trading services: The BSE acts as the main platform to trade financial instruments. Currently, over 40 domestic and foreign broker companies take part in the exchange trading.
‎Dissemination of market information: The Exchange supplies real-time and accurate trading data of its listed securities and provides news services on issuers and section members. Through the exchange’s extensive data vendor network, both institutional and individual investors can access market data in a timely and efficient manner.
‏‎Product development: The BSE provides a trading opportunity for financial innovations, and offers a wide and constantly growing product range for investors on the futures and option markets. Index futures and options are calculated directly by the exchange. Investors seeking hedging opportunities or gearing can select from a wide array of individual stocks and currency, interest rate and commodity derivatives.
The Exchange’s main goal is to become the financial centre and primary trading venue of Hungarian securities, and to successfully take part in the competition for issuers. This is achieved by a client-oriented operation, a commitment to continuously improve its services and an application of timely and effective technological improvements and solutions.

[edit]History

[edit]Brief history of the Exchange
The Hungarian Stock Exchange, the ancestor of today’s Budapest Stock Exchange (BSE) started its operation on 18 January 1864 in Pest. Although the institution was set up as a stock exchange, four years after its inception it acquired the Grain Hall, the centre of grain trade, becoming the newly created Budapest Stock and Commodity Exchange (BSCE). Following 1889 the stock prices of companies listed on the Budapest Stock Exchange were also published in Vienna, Frankfurt, London and Paris, attesting to the international importance of the BSE. From the1890s Hungarian government bonds were regularly traded on the stock exchanges of London, Paris, Amsterdam and Berlin.
Following World War II, after the nationalisation of the majority of private Hungarian firms, the government officially dissolved the Budapest Stock and Commodity Exchange, and the exchange’s assets became state property.
After the re-establishment, on 21 June, 1990, the BSE re-opened its doors with 41 founding members and one single equity, IBUSZ, the Budapest Stock Exchange.
The open-outcry system of the physical trading floor that characterized the spot market functioned with partial electronic support until 1995. From 1995 until November, 1998 securities trading took place concurrently on the trading floor and in a remote trading system, when the new MultiMarket Trading System (MMTS), based entirely on remote trading was launched. The traditional “battlefield rumble” of the physical trading floor ceased within a year by September 1999, at which time physical trading was entirely replaced by the electronic remote trading platform of the derivatives market.
In April, 2000, after twelve years of operations as an independent legal person, the new BSE Council decided to convert to a business association in order to maintain and strengthen its competitive position.
The year 2004 brought some decisive events in the life of the Exchange. A major restructuring took place in the ownership structure of the BSE, involving the purchase of a majority stake in the Exchange by strong Austrian banks, together with Wiener Börse and Österreichische Kontrollbank AG.
Due to the integration of the activities of the Budapest Stock Exchange and of the Budapest Commodity Exchange, as of 2 November 2005, commodity trading also started on the BSE.

[edit]1864-1914: An Exchange is born
The Hungarian Stock Exchange, the ancestor of today’s Budapest Stock Exchange (BSE) started its operation on 18 January 1864 in Pest on the banks of the Danube (in a building of the Lloyd Insurance Company). The committee in charge of setting up the exchange was led by Frigyes Kochmeister, who was also elected as the first chairman of the exchange (1864-1900). Although the institution was set up as a stock exchange, four years after its inception it acquired the Grain Hall, the centre of grain trade, becoming the newly created Budapest Stock and Commodity Exchange (BSCE). It operated under this name for 80 years as one of the leading stock exchanges in Europe. When the exchange was launched in 1864, there were 17 equities, one debenture, 11 foreign currencies and 9 bills of exchange listed. After a few years of slow growth, 1872 saw the first significant market boom, when the Minister of Trade approved the articles of incorporation of 15 industrial and 550 financial companies whose shares were then listed on the exchange.
The BSCE moved into a new building in 1873 and until 1905 continued its operations in a building on the corner of Wurm Street (now Szende Pál Street) and Maria Theresia Street (now Apáczai Csere János Street). In 1905 it relocated to the Exchange Palace on Szabadság square (now TV Headquarters) until shortly after WWII in 1948.
The first real market crash of the exchange occurred in May, 1873. It took over a decade and a half following the crash before domestic investors regained confidence to invest in the stock market again.
The early 1890s marked another period of spectacular market boom in the exchange’s history, partially fuelled by a general investment optimism that was characteristic of the Millennium years, and by recent trends in the international stock markets. Following 1889 the stock prices of companies listed on the Budapest Stock Exchange were also published in Vienna, Frankfurt, London and Paris, attesting to the international importance of the BSE. From the 1890s, Hungarian government bonds were regularly traded on the stock exchanges of London, Paris, Amsterdam and Berlin. A new invention, the telephone, was the main source of communication during these years.
By the turn of the century, there were already 310 securities traded on the exchange; by the beginning of World War I, this increased to almost 500. The annual turnover in 1913 reached one million shares and the turnover of the Budapest Giro and Mutual Society amounted to 2.7 billion Crowns (the ancestor of the Forint). At the same time there was also a dynamic expansion in grain trading with almost 400,000 tons in 1875, growing to one million tons by the turn of the century and close to one and a half million tons by WWI. As a result of this expansion the BSCE was propelled to become the leading grain exchange in Europe.

[edit]1914-1948: From one world war to another
As in most European countries, the outbreak of World War I brought about the exchange’s closure on 27 July 1914, although trading did not cease. Brokers continued trading during the war and equity prices showed a massive increase starting in 1914. By 1918 over 7.2 million securities had been traded in a year.
The exchange reopened after the war were, the post-war inflationary environment pushed exchange turnover to exceptional highs, tempered only by the introduction in 1925 of the country’s new currency, the pengő. The following four years leading to the market crash of the New York Stock Exchange in October 1929 saw the downturn of the BSCE. On 14 July, 1931, the BSCE was closed down again as a result of a German banking moratorium and a series of financial collapses of the continent’s major banks. Bond trading officially resumed only in 1932, followed by trading in the 18 most traded equities. Following a short period of recovery, the market entered an expansionary phase in 1934, reaching its peak in 1936.
When Hungary entered World War II, the exchange saw a period of unprecedented boom and equity prices in the heavy and military industries increased greatly. In 1942 the government applied stricter measures for the BSCE articles of incorporation, prohibited private trading in equities, required specific reporting obligations on equity portfolios and set maximum values on daily price changes. Despite these restrictions the exchange was able to continue its operations until the start of the city’s siege in mid-December, 1944.
World War II was followed by a period of hyperinflation, characterized by a lively private stock and real exchange trading in currencies and precious metals, conducted partially in the damaged building of the exchange and partially in the neighbouring coffee-houses. The exchange officially re-opened in August, 1946, following the launch of the Forint on August 1. As companies defaulted on their payments of bonds issued previously in the crown and pengő currencies, and since limited companies failed to pay dividends on their stocks due to the war damages they suffered, prices kept falling., Two months after the 1948 nationalisation of the majority of private Hungarian firms, the government officially dissolved the Budapest Stock and Commodity Exchange, and the exchange’s assets became state property.

[edit]From 1990 until today: Rebirth
The first official milestone in the history of the newly created Budapest Stock Exchange was the government’s decision to give green light for the preparation of the Securities Act of 1989. The draft bill was submitted to Parliament in January 1990 and came into force on 1 March. At the same time that the bill came into force on 21 June, 1990, the BSE held its statutory general meeting and the Exchange re-opened its doors. With 41 founding members and one single equity, IBUSZ, the Budapest Stock Exchange was set up as a sui generis organisation (an independent legal entity). The re-establishment of the market economy during the same time and the privatization of businesses played a decisive role in the exchange’s operations. Even though the sale of the larger state-owned businesses often involved the assistance of strategic investors, the BSE played a significant role in the privatisation of many leading Hungarian companies (including IBUSZ, Skála-Coop, MOL, OTP. Matáv (today Hungarian Telecom), Domus, Globus and Richter).
Over the years, there have been major changes in the operating conditions, organisation and function of the BSE. The first trading floor was in the Trade Center on Váci Street, followed by its move in 1992 to the atmospheric old building at 5 Deák Ferenc Street in District V, where it continued its operations for 15 years. In March, 2007 the BSE moved to its current headquarters to the former Herczog Palace at 93 Andrássy Road.
The open-outcry system of the physical trading floor that characterized the spot market functioned with partial electronic support until 1995. From 1995 until November, 1998 securities trading took place concurrently on the trading floor and in a remote trading system, when the new MultiMarket Trading System (MMTS), based entirely on remote trading was launched. The traditional “battlefield rumble” of the physical trading floor ceased within a year by September 1999, at which time physical trading was entirely replaced by the electronic remote trading platform of the derivatives market.
The derivatives market of the BSE in futures and options contracts has been available to investors since 1995. BUX (the BSE’s main index) contracts have been available for trading since the start of the futures market on 31 March 1995. In July, 1998 the BSE was among the first exchanges in the world to introduce contracts based on individual equities. Another series of standardised derivatives in the options market appeared in February, 2000 and on 6 September 2004 trading commenced in the exchange’s second index, the BUMIX.
In April, 2000, after twelve years of operations as an independent legal person, the new BSE Council decided to convert to a business association in order to maintain and strengthen its competitive position. Effective 1 July 2002, the Budapest Stock Exchange Company Ltd. was set up (and from April 2006, as a Private Limited Company) and the BSE Council and BSE Secretariat were replaced by a Board of Directors and an Executive Board

Colombo Stock Exchange

The Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE) is the main stock exchange in Sri Lanka. It is one of the most modern exchanges in South Asia, providing a fully automated trading platform. The vision of the CSE is to contribute to the wealth of the nation by creating value through securities.
The headquarters of the CSE have been located at the World Trade Center Towers [1] inColombo since 1995 and it also has branches across the country in Kandy, Matara,Kurunegalaand Negombo.[1] As of 31 December 2007, the Colombo Stock Exchange had 235 listed companies with a combined market capitalization of $7.6 billion.[2]
History
Share trading in Sri Lanka dates back to 1896 when the Colombo Brokers Association commenced the share trading in limited liability companies which were involved in opening plantations in Sri Lanka.
The establishment of a formal stock exchange took place in 1985 with the incorporation of the Colombo Stock Exchange (CSE), which took over the Stock Market from the Colombo Share Brokers Association. It currently has a membership of 15 institutions, all of which are licensed to operate as stockbrokers.

[edit]Current status

[edit]Financial
As of 31 May 2008, 234 companies are listed on the CSE, representing twenty business sectors with a market capitalization of 850 billion rupees (over US$7.2 billion), which corresponds to approximately 24% of the Gross Domestic Product of the country.
There are currently two indices in the CSE:
The All Share Price Index (ASPI)
The Milanka Price Index (MPI)

[edit]Trading session
The exchange has pre-market sessions from 09:00am to 09:30am and normal trading sessions from 09:30am to 02:30pm on all days of the week except Saturdays, Sundays and holidays declared by the Exchange in advance.[3]

[edit]Technology
The CSE operates 3 main systems:
The Central Depository System
Automated Trading System
Debt Securities Trading System
The automation of the Exchange commenced in 1991 with the installation of a central depository and an electronic clearing and settlement system for share transactions. The trading activity was automated with the installation of the Automated Trading System (ATS) in 1997.
The technology introduced by the Exchange has significantly enhanced the competitiveness of the CSE and has provided a more efficient and transparent market. The CSE is currently in the process of introducing a debt securities trading system for trading of fixed income securities.
As a modern exchange, the CSE now offers state-of-the-art technological infrastructure to facilitate an "order-driven trading platform" for securities trading - including shares, corporate debt securities and government debt securities.

[edit]Affiliation
World Federation of Exchanges (wfe) [2]
The CSE was elected as a member of the World Federation of Exchanges in October 1998 and also was the first Exchange in the South Asian Region to obtain membership. The CSE is the 52nd Exchange to have been elected to membership of the Federation.
South Asian Federation of Exchanges (SAFE) [3]
The CSE became a founder member of the SAFE in January 2000, and is currently the Chairman of the Association. SAFE consists of 17 Exchanges from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Nepal and Bhutan. Its primary objectives are to encourage cooperation among its members in order to promote the development of their individual securities markets, to develop an integrated regional stock trading system, and to offer listing and trading opportunities for securities issued in the region.

[edit]Foreign investors
Companies listed on the CSE have seen a large increase in foreign investment following the ceasefire agreement signed by the Sri Lankan Government that brought and end to the 20 year old civil war.
Foreign investment in the stock market is freely permitted except in the case of a few companies where there are certain restrictions imposed. Investment in shares in Sri Lanka and repatriation of proceeds take place through Share Investment External Rupee Accounts (SIERA) opened with licensed commercial banks. Income from investments such as interest, dividends and profit realized from such investments are not subject to Exchange Control Regulations by the Sri Lankan Government.

[edit]Post ceasefire agreement boom
After witnessing mediocre performance throughout the 1990s mainly due to the Sri Lankan Civil War, the ceasefire agreement signed in 2001 saw unprecedented growth in the both indices of the CSE. The All Share Price Index, which was hovering around the 500 mark in August 2001, has now surpassed the 2000 mark.
This has led the CSE to be consistently dubbed as one of the best performing markets in the world. As of 2005 the CSE had recorded a consistent annual growth of over 30% in the All Share Price Index (ASPI) for the previous three years. It surpassed that in 2006, with the ASPI growing by 41.6 %[4], and the MPI growing by 51.4%[5] during the calendar year.
Buoyed by improved investor confidence due to positive political developments and strong corporate results[4] the CSE continued to achieve strong growth in 2007, as the ASPI surged passed the 3,000 mark for the first time in its history on February 13,[4][5][6] reaching a record high for the seventh consecutive day.[5] The CSE has also recorded an average daily turnover of Rs. 776.8 million for 2007.