The word trading is as old as mankind himself and is still present in nowadays world. Although it comes in different forms and processes, trading carries the same principle that it did thousands of years ago, which is the exchange of a particular good for another.

The origins of trading come from a process named bartering. The barter process is simply an exchange of goods. In the early times, one would trade an apple, for argument sake, to get a potato in return.

In present time, bartering has evolved and though the principals are the same, trading one good for another is made easy by the use of money. Money is the medium that makes trading possible and without this piece of paper no goods and services may be acquired.

In today’s world, trading has taken a far more advanced approach compared to its traditional counterpart. Trading over the years has evolved in such a way that it not only constitutes of goods and services but goes far beyond that. The 21st century has given birth to currency traders who buy/sell the currency of one country to that of another country.

This fascinating market, where buying or selling the currency of a country against another, is called forex. With a staggering US$3.5 Trillion traded per day, this makes the forex market the biggest existing financial market to date. No other market compares to the currency market and its volatility.

Millions of dollars are traded by major corporations daily. These companies form part of the wholesale market and comprises of banks and big hedge funds. They have the power to move the market from one direction to the other due to the large volume and amount of money traded on every single position taken. Those moves usually results in currencies going up and down in any single day thus changing the quotes of each currency throughout the day. The change in quotes most likely relates to profit made or loss incurred.

What makes the Forex market even more appealing than the stock and futures market is the fact that it is a 24-hour market which is opened nearly 7 days a week. Trading opens in Sydney, Australia on Monday morning. Then the Tokyo market opens followed by the European market. One hour after the open of the European market the London market becomes active. The UK market is considered to be one of the largest and most active markets in the currency world. Finally we reach the New York market, which is the last market to open each day.

EUR/USD, GBP/USD, USD/CHF and USD/JPY are referred to as the major pairs as they are backed by strong political and economical back-grounds. These pairs are the most traded ones on the currency market. Next on the list are the YEN pairs namely GBP/JPY and EUR/JPY and the commodity pairs AUD/USD, NZD/USD and USD/CAD.

My first encounter with forex goes back to when I was in university. I knew nothing about the forex market and the way it operated. I had a mental blockage at a certain point to how the process of buying and selling a currency could actually work. Well after some research, it all made perfect sense. The world of today is not limited to buying/selling goods and services only but had open its doors to the ability to trade in currencies of other countries too.

Buying and selling currencies are undertaken by people known as forex traders. They simply take advantage of a falling currency or the appreciation of another currency to make money. A decent amount of money can be made using the technique of buying and selling currencies. Savvy forex traders make a great living doing just that.

It is very easy in the actual world we live to get involved in currency trading.

Below is a rundown of what you will need to get started in forex:

- A computer

- Internet connection

- Some money as start-up capital

- A broker

Looks quite easy in hind-sight, right?

Education is something that you will need to consider and I strongly recommend that you do educate yourself before jumping in this amazing forex adventure. With 5 years of trading under my belt I still learn new things every single day. Be humble, disciplined and teachable, do not try to make millions in a matter of days. Have a plan and a solid goal setting as this will pave your way to success.

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