The foreign exchange market is the world’s largest financial market, but it wasn’t always accessible to any interested trader. Remember, forex trading is not conducted on a regulated exchange and as a result, there are additional risks associated with forex trading. In the past, access to foreign exchange of currencies was limited to banks, hedge funds, major currency dealers and the occasional high net-worth individual. But smaller financial institutions wanted to take advantage of the many benefits forex offered over other markets, including its tremendous liquidity, 24-hour access 5.5 days of the week and the strong trending nature of currency exchange rates.
It was this entrepreneurial vision of the smaller financial institutions and the evolution of the Internet that made forex accessible at a retail level. Forex Market Benefits
# Forex is open 24 hours a day, 5.5 days a week.
# Forex is the most liquid market in the world.
# Up to 400:1 leverage on accounts of $10,000 or less. Without appropriate use of risk management, a high # degree of leverage can lead to large losses as well as gains.
# No restrictions on shorting which allows you to enjoy trading opportunities during any market condition.