Market Brief
Newsletter
Economic Calendar
Glossary of terms
Aggregate Risk
The total amount of exposure a bank or broker has with a client for in spot and forward foreign exchange contracts.
Arbitrage
This is the simultaneous buying and selling of foreign exchange pairs in order to realize a profit from a discrepancy between foreign exchange rates in the market at the same time in different markets.
Ask
This is the price at which the foreign exchange pair or CFD is offered.
Asset Class
An item that has value; an investment such as stocks, options, or Forex.
Aussie
Nickname for the AUD/USD currency pair.
Authorised Dealer
Depending on the regulatory body, a dealer authorised to deal in Foreign Exchange.
Automated Dealer
A trader who uses an automated system to input trades without any human input.
Balance-of-Payments
System of recording a country’s economic transactions.
Band
In countries where the currency is pegged, the range in which the rates are permitted to fluctuate.
Bank Notes
Paper issued by a Central Bank, redeemable as money and considered to be legal tender.
Bank Rate
The rate at which a central bank is prepared to lend money to its domestic banking system.
Banking Day
Days of the week when commercial banks are open for business in the country of the particular currency traded.
Bar Charts
A popular format for studying the price action of currency pairs.
Base Currency
The currency in which your trading account is based.
Basis Point
One hundredth of one percent, or 0.0001.
Basket of USD Short
A number of operations where the USD is being sold against various currencies.
Bear (Bearish)
A view taken by a trader going ‘short’ in the expectation of a decrease in the price of a currency.
Bear Market
An extended period of general price decline in an individual security, an asset, or a market.
Bid
The price at which a buyer is willing to buy in the market. The best bid is the highest bid price available.
Bid/Ask Spread
Represents the difference between the buy (bid) and sell (ask) price of a foreign exchange pair.
Brokerage
A company that offers trading services to the public.
Bull (Bullish)
A view taken by a trader going ‘long’ in the expectation that the currency will appreciate.
Bull Market
A market that is on a consistent upward trend.
Business Day
A day when banks are open for business in Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Buy Limit Order
An order to execute a transaction at a specified price (the limit) or lower.
Buy on Margin
The process of buying a currency pair where a client pays cash for part of the overall value of the position. The word margin refers to the portion the investor puts up rather than the portion that is borrowed.
Buying Rate
Rate at which a customer is prepared to buy a currency at, this is also known as the Bid Rate.
Cable/Sterling
The nickname for GBP/USD currency pair.
Carded Rate
Foreign exchange rate quoted by a bank each day for small foreign exchange transactions.
Carry / swaps
The interest cost of financing securities or other financial instruments held.
Carry Positive
A carry trade where you are long the high interest currency and short the low interest currency. Excluding the volatility of the currency pair, this forex strategy is profitable based on the interest rate differential between the two countries.
Cash on Deposit
Funds deposited in a trading account.
Closed Position
A transaction which leaves the trade with a zero net commitment to the market with respect to a particular currency.
Closing a Position
The process of selling or buying a foreign exchange position resulting in the liquidation (squaring up) of the position.
Closing Market Rate
The rate at which a position can be closed based on the market price at end of the day.
Cleared Funds
Funds that are available to you for the settlement of a foreign exchange transaction.
Commission
The fee that a broker may charge clients for dealing on their behalf.
Confirmation
A written document or email confirming a foreign exchange deal between two parties.
Consumer Price Index
A month-to-month economic indicator, which gauges changes in the cost of living by measuring price changes in a common basket of goods and services that most people use, such as food, clothing, transportation, and entertainment.
Contract Rate
The agreed exchange rate at which the currency pair may be exchanged on it’s settlement date.
Copey
Traders’ term for the Danish Krone.
Correlation
A statistical term that refers to a relationship between two seemingly independent things. In Forex for example, one could argue that the Euro and the Sterling have a higher correlation than, for example, the Euro and the Brazilian Real.
Counterpart
A participant in a financial transaction.
Counterparty
The other party in a Forex deal. In online spot Forex, the counter party is the market maker.
Cover
To take out a forward foreign exchange contract or to close out a short position by buying currency or securities which have been sold.
Cross-Rate
The exchange rate between two currencies, e.g., AUD/USD.
Currency
The money that a country uses. Currencies can be traded for other currencies on the foreign exchange market, so each currency has a value relative to another.
Currency Pair
The two currencies that are involved in a transaction.
Currency Risk
The risk that shifts in foreign exchange rates may undermine the dollar or any other foreign currency value of overseas investments.
Day Order
A buy or sell order that will expire automatically at the end of the trading day on which it is entered.
Day Trade
A trade opened and closed on the same trading day.
Day Trader
Speculators who take positions in commodities which are then liquidated prior to the close of the same trading day.
Deal Blotter
A list of all the deals that were done in a trading day.
Deal Date
The date a transaction is entered.
Deal Ticket/Deal Slip
The primary method of recording the basic information relating to a transaction.
Dealer
An individual or firm acting as a principal, rather than as an agent, in the purchase and/or sale of foreign exchange. Dealers trade on their own account and take on proprietary risk.
Dealing
The act of buying and selling of foreign currencies in the foreign exchange markets around the world.
Dealing Systems
Computers that link the investment banks around the world on a one-on-one basis to facilitate foreign exchange transactions.
Delivery Date
This is the date of maturity of a contract when the exchange of currencies is made. This date is also known as the value date in the foreign exchange or money markets.
Depreciation
A decline in the value of a currency in terms of a foreign currency due to market demand rather than official action such as Central Bank Intervention.
Devaluation
A downward change in the official parity of an exchange rate from the rate at which it was previously set. This term is inappropriate in the context of a floated currency i.e. the GBP.
Discount
This is the amount by which a foreign currency is cheaper to buy for future delivery rather than for spot delivery.
Dollar
The “dollar” always represents the U.S. dollar. All other “dollar” currencies should be described specifically. i.e. The Australian Dollar or Singapore Dollar.
Drawdown
The size of a drop in the value of an account from its peak to its low.
Easier
This is the term used to indicate that a currency is weakening than from where the price was previously quoted.
Easing
Refers to either a small price decline in a currency or when a central bank engages in monetary policy to spur spending. An example of central bank easing would be lowering of interest rates.
ECN
ECN stands for Electronic Communication Network.
Economic Indicator
A statistic that is used to gauge current economic conditions.
Effective Exchange Rate
Explanation of a country’s currency strength or weakness entirely on its trade balance.
Exchange Rate
This is the expression used to describe the value of one currency in terms of another. For example, in the exchange rate AUD/USD 1.04502, one Australian dollar is equal to 1.04 United States cents.
Expiry Date
The date on which a transaction expires which is usually 2 business days before the settlement date.
Exposure
The total amount of money loaned to a borrower or country. Banks set rules to prevent overexposure to any single borrower. In trading operations, it is the potential for running a profit or loss from fluctuations in market prices.
Exotic Currencies
Foreign Currencies of countries that do not have a developed international market and are relatively illiquid.
Hard Currency
A currency that investors have confidence in. Examples could be the US Dollar or the Euro.
Hedging
A strategy used to offset market risk, whereby one position protects another.
Holder
Buyer and subsequently owner of a currency pair.
Inflation
Continued rise in the general price level in conjunction with a related drop in purchasing power. This is sometimes referred to as an excessive movement in such price levels.
Initial Margin
The margin is a returnable deposit required to be lodged by buyers and sellers when opening a new position.
Initial Margin Requirement
When entering a position, the minimum amount that must be paid in cash.
Instruction
The specification of the banks at which funds shall be paid upon settlement.
Inter-bank Rates
The bid and offer rates at which international banks place deposits with each other. The basis of the Interbank market.
Inter-dealer Broker
A specialist broker who acts as an intermediary between market-makers who wish to buy or sell securities to improve their book positions, without revealing their identities to other market-makers.
Interest Rate Differential
The difference between the interest rates applicable to a currency pair
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.
Introducing Broker
A person or firm that introduces customers to a market maker often in return for commission or a portion of the spread.
Jobber
A trader who trades for small, short-term profits during the course of a trading session, rarely carrying a position overnight.
Key Currency
For smaller countries, the act of orienting their currency to that of a major trading partner.
Kiwi
Traders term for the New Zealand Dollar.
Left-hand Side
Taking the left hand side of a two way quote i.e. selling the quoted currency. AUD/USD = 0.65350/352, you would sell on the left hand side at 0.65350.
Leverage
The ratio of margin to the maximum position size. With a deposit of $1000 and a leverage of 100, a trader could enter a position with a face value of $100,000. Leveraging allows you to profit quickly, but lose money just as fast.
Liability
In terms of foreign exchange , the obligation to deliver to a counterparty an amount of currency either in respect of a balance sheet holding at a specified future date or in respect of an un-matured forward or spot transaction.
Long Position
Excess of purchases over sales or of foreign currency assets over liabilities.
Loonie
Dealer slang for the USA/CAD currency pair.
Lots
Standardised method of trading in Forex, which requires a trade of 100,000 units of a particular currency.
Maintenance
A set minimum margin that a customer must maintain in his margin account.
Maintenance Margin
The minimum margin that must be available in an account to support all open trades.
Margin Call
A demand for additional funds to be deposited in a margin account to meet margin requirements because of adverse future price movements.
Make a Market
A dealer is said to make a market when they quote bid and offer prices at which they are ready to deal on.
Marked to Market
The daily adjustment of an account to reflect accrued profits and losses often required to calculate the variation margin.
Market Maker
A market maker is a person or firm authorised to create and maintain a market in a foreign currency or CFD.
Market Order
An order to buy or sell a financial instrument at the best possible price at the time the order is placed.
Margin
Difference between the buying and selling rates, also used to indicate the discount or premium between spot or forward.
Market Spot Exchange Rate
The current or prevailing spot exchange rate in the foreign exchange market.
Matching Systems
Electronic Systems duplicating the traditional brokers market. A price shown by a bank is available to all trades.
Maturity Date
Date on which, under the contracted agreements, the foreign exchange is to be delivered or received.
Mid-price or Middle Rate
The price half-way between the two prices, or the average of both buying and selling prices offered by the market makers.
Monetary Easing
A modest loosening of monetary constraint by changing interest rate, money supply, deposit ratios.
Money Market
A market consisting of financial institutions and dealers in money or credit who wish to either borrow or lend.
Moving Average
A way of smoothing a set of data, widely used in price time series.
Negative Carry Pairs
A carry trade where you are long the lower interest currency and short the higher interest currency. This type of trade might be part of a hedging strategy.
Net Position
Currency positions that have not been offset with opposite positions.
News Trader
An investor who bases his/her decisions on the outcome of a news announcement and its impact on the market.
Odd Lot
A non-standard transaction size. In Forex, a standard lot is usually 100,000 units of a particular currency.
Offer
The price at which a seller is willing to sell. The best offer is the lowest such price available.
One Cancels Other Order (O.C.O. Order)
A contingent order where the execution of one part of the order automatically cancels the other part.
Open Position
The difference between assets and liabilities in a particular currency. This may be measured on a per currency basis or the position of all currencies when calculated in base currency.
Optional Settlement Period
A range of settlement dates allowed under a Forward transaction agreed between you and your brokers before the Forward transaction is entered into.
Outright Deal
A forward deal that is not part of a swap operation.
Oscillators
Quantitative methods designed to provide signals regarding the overbought and oversold conditions.
OTC
A market conducted directly between dealers and principals via a telephone and computer network rather than a regulated exchange trading floor.
Pegged
A system where a currency’s value is tied with that of another currency. For example, the Chinese Yuan with the US Dollar. Most pegs are allowed to deviate within a small band.
Pip
See point.
Point
(1) 100th part of a per cent, normally 10,000 of any spot rate. Movement of exchange rates are usually in terms of points. i.e if AUD/USD moves from 1.0410 to 1.0420, it has moved 10 points / pips. (2) Minimum fluctuation or smallest increment of price movement.
Position
The netted total commitments in a given currency. A position can be either flat or square ( no exposure), long, (more currency bought than sold), or short ( more currency sold than bought).
Premium
Amount by which a currency is more expensive to buy for future delivery than for spot delivery.
Profit & Loss or P&L
The actual “realized” gain or loss resulting from trading activities on Closed Positions, plus the theoretical “unrealized” gain or loss on Open Positions that have been Mark-to-Market.
Quote
An indicative price. The price quoted for information purposes but not to deal.
Quote Currency
The second currency of two in a currency pair. For the EUR/USD, USD is the quote currency. The exchange rate quoted is how many units of the second currency you will receive for one unit of the base currency.
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
Price at which a currency can be purchased or sold against another currency.
Realized P/L
The profit and loss that is generated by closing a position.
Resistance Point or Level
A price recognised by technical analysts as a price which is likely to result in resistance but if broken through is likely to result in a significant price movement.
Rollover
An overnight swap, specifically the next business day against the following business day.
Round Trip
Buying and selling of a futures or options contract.
Short Position
Excess of sales over purchases or of foreign currency liabilities over assets.
Spot
Foreign exchange bought and sold for delivery two business days after the deal is firmed.
Spread
The value difference between the bid and ask price of a currency pair.
Stop Loss
An arrangement whereby a position is automatically closed out when it reaches a certain loss or when exchange rates reach specified values.
Swissy
The nickname for the Swiss Franc.
Take Profit Order
A customer’s instructions to buy or sell a currency pair which, when executed, will result in the reduction in the size of the existing position and show a profit on said position.
Take Profits
A limit order that is placed above the market with a long position or below the market with a short position. When the market reaches the limit price, the position is closed thereby locking in a profit.
Technical Analysis
Is concerned with past price and volume trends and often with the help of chart analysis in a market in order to be able to make forecasts about future price developments of the commodity being traded.
Technical Correction
An adjustment to price not based on market sentiment but technical factors such as volume and charting.
Tick
The smallest possible change in a price, either up or down. Also known as a pip.
Ticker
Streaming display of the current or recent historical price of a currency pair.
Term
The period from and including the trade date to and including the settlement date.
Trade Date
The date on which a transaction is entered into.
Transaction Cost
The cost involved in buying or selling a currency pair. Some consider the transaction cost to be the actual value of the contract, while others feel it is the price of facilitating the trade, such as commissions and spreads.
Transition Period
The period from and including the trade date to and including the settlement date.
Trend
The current direction of the market, whether up or down or sideways (which is sometimes referred to as non-trending or trading market).
Two-Way Quotation
When a dealer quotes both buying and selling rates for foreign exchange transaction.
Unconvertible Currency
A currency that cannot be exchanged for another because of foreign exchange regulations.
Unit
A widely used quantity of currency. In forex trading, one unit of USD is equal to one United States dollar, while one unit of EUR is one Euro. For JPY, one unit is equivalent to one Yen. One unit is the smallest trade size in Forex trading.
Up-Tick
A transaction executed at a price greater than the previous transaction.
Volatility
A measure of the extent to which the exchange rate changes over a given period.
Volume
The number, or value, of securities traded during a specific period.
Working Day
A day on which the banks in a currency’s principal financial centre are open for business. For FX transactions, a working day only occurs if the bank in both (all relevant currency centres in the case of a cross) are open.
Firmer
Indicates that a Currency is strengthening or is stronger than previously quoted.
Foreign Exchange Market
A Market where foreign currencies are traded internationally. As measured by the Bank for International Settlements the daily turnover of the foreign exchange market is around 4 trillion dollars making it the largest market in the world.
Forward
A transaction with a settlement date that is more than 2 business days after the actual trade date.
Forward Points
The value of the interest rate differential for a currency pair over the period from the spot settlement date to the forward settlement date, this is expressed as an adjustment to the spot exchange rate.
Forward Settlement Date
A settlement date for a Forward transaction, which is greater than two business days from the trade date.
Fundamentals
The basic economic determinants of exchange rates, such as inflation, interest rates, commodity prices and economic activity.
Futures
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 while forwards are traded over the counter (OTC).
Gearing
A term related to margin trading where you are controlling a position whose face value is greater than the money you deposit.
G7
The seven leading industrial countries: The United States, Germany, Japan, France, United Kingdom, Canada, and Italy.
Golden Cross
In technical analysis, when two moving averages intersect, usually a short one like a 20 day and a long one such as 40 day. This is considered a favourable sign that the underlying currency will move in the same direction.
Goldilocks Economy
Term that describes an economy that has steady growth and acceptable inflation. In this sense, the economy is not too hot and not too cold.
Good Until Cancelled
An order instruction provided to a broker that does not expire at the end of the trading day, although normally terminates at the end of the trading month.
Grid Trading
A series of positions and open orders that are built with a predetermined spread defined by the trader.
Gross Domestic Product
Total value of a country’s output, income or expenditure produced within the country’s physical borders.
