1. Traditionally, retail investors only means of gaining access to the foreign exchange market was through banks that transacted large amounts of currencies for commercial and investment purposes.
2. Trading volume has increased rapidly over time, especially after exchange rates were allowed to float freely in 1971.
3. Today, importers and exporters, international portfolio managers, multinational corporations, speculators, day traders, long-term holders and hedge funds all use the FOREX market to pay for goods and services, transact in financial assets or to reduce the risk of currency movements by hedging their exposure in other markets.
* Forex investing can offer some of the best reward/risk opportunities of any financial market
* Forex market hours are one of the most flexible of any financial market
* Massive trading volume, resulting in a high level of liquidity (the ability of a market to accept large transactions)
* No-one can corner the market
* Forex trading has among the lowest start-up costs in terms of money and time, of any financial market