The foreign exchange market is known as the Forex. The Forex is the largest and most liquid trading market in the world. The Forex does not have a specific trading place almost never closes. Compare that the Stock Exchange which is located in New York City and has limited hours. Every day over $2,000,000,000 is traded on the Forex.
The Forex operates 24 hours a day during the business week. Six pairs of major currencies make up 90% of the trading activity on the Forex.
The six currency pairs are the euro and the US dollar with the representation (EUR/USD), the Japanese yen and the US dollar known as (JPY/USD), the US dollar and the Swiss Franc(USD/CHF), the Australian dollar and the US dollar (AUD/USD), the British pound and the US dollar (GBP/USD) and the Canadian dollar and the US dollar (USD/CAD). Each of these currencies acts a little differenly on the Forex. these currency pairs change on a daily basis.
The Euro is a critical part of the foreign exchange market because it represents not just one country but 12 European countries. The twelve countries are Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Sweden. Denmark and the United Kingdom do not use the euro as their official currency. The euro is used as currency in much of the European union and is roughly equal to the US dollar, naturally this varies with the exchange rate.
The euro was created in 1999 when all of the European countries locked the value in place relative to the euro. Therefore, from then on, all of the currencies were worth the same as the euro. From then on the euro was used throughout Europe, across borders without the need to change currency in different countries. Once this was accomplished the euro gained acceptance throughout Europe. The Forex is both positively and negatively impacted by the use of the euro throughout so many countries.
One important benefit is the reduction in the exchange rate. Therefore, investment became easier and less costly. Overall, the import and export of products was simplified leading to higher profits as the risks in the changes of currency values was eliminated. Therefore, the intra-European trade was increased by removing the risks. The obvious benefit to using a single currency is eliminating the need for currency conversion, thus eliminating the associated fees.
These fees are charged by the institutions that perform the exchange. Even if these fees are low, they add up. Do that a few times and the fees quickly add up. Eliminating these fees helps the economy. It is important to keep in mind that by creating a single currency, Europe broadened and deepened its overall economy. This impacts the Forex and how the euro performs. This means an increase in the liquidity of the European markets. This results in an increase in competition even when the euro is not more widely used and accepted. This impact is in the way consumers spend their currency throughout the continent.
This results in additional money entering the stock market. Now that the euro is established as a major currency, its participation in trades on the Forex will increase. The euro is quickly competing with the US dollar in dominating the Forex. The euro is accepted throughout the world, expanding from its conception in Europe. Individuals and business using the euro benefit by not having to exchange their money.
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