There are some fundamental differences between foreign exchange and other markets. First of all, there are fewer rules, which means investors aren’t held to as strict standards or regulations as those in the stock, futures, or options markets. That means there are no clearing houses and no central bodies that oversee the forex market.
Second, since trades don’t take place on a traditional exchange, you won’t find the same fees or commissions that you would on another market. Next, there’s no cutoff as to when you can and cannot trade. Because the market is open 24 hours a day, you can trade at any time of day. Finally, because it’s such a liquid market, you can get in and out whenever you want and you can buy as much currency as you can afford.
The Spot Market
Spot for most currencies is two business days; the major exception is the U.S. dollar versus the Canadian dollar, which settles on the next business day. Other pairs settle in two business days. During periods that have multiple holidays, such as Easter or Christmas, spot transactions can take as long as six days to settle. The price is established on the trade date, but money is exchanged on the value date.
Per an April 2019 foreign exchange report from the BIS, the U.S. dollar is the most actively traded currency.3 The most common pairs are the USD versus the euro, Japanese yen, British pound, and Australian dollar.4 Trading pairs that do not include the dollar are referred to as crosses. The most common crosses are the euro versus the pound and yen.
The spot market can be very volatile. Movement in the short term is dominated by technical trading, which focuses on direction and speed of movement. People who focus on technicals are often referred to as chartists. Long-term currency moves are driven by fundamental factors such as relative interest rates and economic growth.
The Forward Market
A forward trade is any trade that settles further in the future than spot. The forward price is a combination of the spot rate plus or minus forward points that represent the interest rate differential between the two currencies. Most have a maturity of less than a year in the future but longer is possible. Like with a spot, the price is set on the transaction date, but money is exchanged on the maturity date.
A forward contract is tailor-made to the requirements of the counterparties. They can be for any amount and settle on any date that is not a weekend or holiday in one of the countries.
The Futures Market
A futures transaction is similar to a forward in that it settles later than a spot deal, but is for standard size and settlement date and is traded on a commodities market. The exchange acts as the counterparty.