Currency conversion means converting one country's currency into the currency of another country. Anyone wanting to buy or sell a product or service in a country has to use the national currency prevalent there. When people travel to another country they have to change their country's currency into the currency in use in the destination country. Conversion of the currency is a complex process and the exchange rate of a currency fluctuates continuously.
There are various economic, political and natural factors that can affect the currency exchange rate. The foreign exchange market is the biggest financial market in the world used by investors, even though it carries the highest risk among all the investment options. Without conversion of the currency it would be impossible for the governments and large corporations to do international trade. Many companies participate in currency speculation. They want to profit from the fluctuating rates of different currencies.
The fixed value of a currency allows everyone to figure out the amount of currency needed to buy a product or service. People can also check a currency's relative value to another currency. To keep the exchange rate of its currency stable, the central bank of a country sometimes intervenes to sell or buy particular foreign currencies available to them. This is possible because in any country, the central bank is the largest holder of foreign currencies.
A country may use fixed exchange rate for its currency because of its economic policies or international agreements. There are other countries that allow their currency to float freely in the exchange market. Tourists wanting to visit another country must know the basics of money conversion. Otherwise they will face problems in buying any product or service. If tourists use their credit cards in another country then their transactions may be subject to fees. Over time all these fees add up. The total amount can be quite substantial.
In some countries it is possible to find merchants who charge credit cards in US dollars. This type of system is referred to as dynamic currency conversion. In this situation, buyers do not make payments in the local currency but in the currency of their country where the card was issued. At the same time, such transactions are subject to conversion fees charged by the merchant. This makes it necessary to check all these details with the card issuer before planning the trip to another country.
Mature and economically stable countries use a floating currency conversion system. It is considered more effective and efficient. In such markets, there is automatic correction of the currency value according to the economic conditions and inflation. However, in such a system the exchange rates may occasionally experience wild swings and cause losses to the investor.
Showing posts with label Currency. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Currency. Show all posts
Saturday, August 11, 2012
Friday, July 6, 2012
Foreign Exchange Currency Pairs
A currency is a mean of exchange, facilitating the transfer of goods and/or services. It is one form of money, where money is anything that serves as a medium of exchange, a store of value, and a standard of value. Currencies are the dominant medium of exchange. Coins and paper money are both forms of currency.
A currency pair depicts a quotation of two different currencies on the Forex market. The first currency in the pair is the base currency or transaction currency. The second currency in the pair is labelled quote currency, payment currency or counter currency. Such a quotation shows how many units of the counter currency are needed to buy one unit of the base currency.
For example the quotation EUR/USD 1.2700 means that one euro is exchanged for 1.27 US dollar. If the quote moves from EUR/USD 1.2700 to EUR/USD 1.2710, the euro is getting stronger and the dollar weaker. On the other hand if the EUR/USD quote moves from 1.2700 to 1.2690 the euro is getting weaker while the US dollar is getting stronger.
Majors (main currency pairs traded on Forex) are the most liquid and widely traded currency pairs in the world. Trades involving majors make up about 90% of total Forex trading.
The Majors are: EUR/USD, GBP/USD, USD/JPY, USD/CHF, AUD/USD and USD/CAD.
GBP/USD is the only currency pair with its own name. It is known as "Cable", which has its origins from the days when a cable under the Atlantic synchronized the GBP/USD rate between the London and New York markets. But there are also lots of abbreviations for other currency pairs such as: AUD/USD "Aussie", EUR/USD "Euro", GBP/JPY "Geppy", NZD/USD "Kiwi", USD/CAD "Loonie", USD/CHF "Swissy", USD/JPY "Gopher" and USD/CAD "Beaver".
The quotation of a currency pair usually consists of two prices. The lower price (bid) is the price at which a market maker or a brokerage in general is willing to buy the first currency of a pair. The higher price (offer or ask) is the price at which a brokerage is willing to sell the first currency of a pair. The spread is the difference between the two prices. For example if the quotation of EUR/USD is 1.3707/1.3709, then the spread is EUR 0.0002 (or 2 pips). In general, the more popular the pair is, the smaller the differences or spreads. Different brokerage firms have different spreads.
Currency correlation is a statistical measure of the strength and direction of a linear relationship between two diferent currency pairs. Currency correlation is computed as a correlation coefficient. In the broader sense, currency correlation can refer to the correlation between any currency pairs and the commodities, stocks and bonds markets.
A currency sign is a graphic symbol often used as a shorthand for a currency's name. Internationally, the ISO 4217 codes are used instead of currency signs, though currency signs may be in common use in their respective countries. Most currencies in the world have no specific symbol.
When writing currency amounts the location of the sign varies by currency. Many currencies, especially in Latin America and the English-speaking world, place it before the amount (e.g., 50.00); many others place it after the amount (e.g., 50.00 S?); and, before they were forbidden, the sign for the Portuguese Escudo and the French Franc were placed in the decimal position (i.e., 50 or 12?34). The standardized European default placement, used in absence of a national standard, is that () is placed before the amount. However, many Eurozone countries have sustained or generated alternative conventions.
The decimal separator can also take local countries' standards. For instance, the United Kingdom often uses a middle dot as the decimal point on price stickers (eg., '552'), although not in print. A comma (eg. '5,00 ') is a common separator used in other countries. See decimal separator for information on international standards.
A currency pair depicts a quotation of two different currencies on the Forex market. The first currency in the pair is the base currency or transaction currency. The second currency in the pair is labelled quote currency, payment currency or counter currency. Such a quotation shows how many units of the counter currency are needed to buy one unit of the base currency.
For example the quotation EUR/USD 1.2700 means that one euro is exchanged for 1.27 US dollar. If the quote moves from EUR/USD 1.2700 to EUR/USD 1.2710, the euro is getting stronger and the dollar weaker. On the other hand if the EUR/USD quote moves from 1.2700 to 1.2690 the euro is getting weaker while the US dollar is getting stronger.
Majors (main currency pairs traded on Forex) are the most liquid and widely traded currency pairs in the world. Trades involving majors make up about 90% of total Forex trading.
The Majors are: EUR/USD, GBP/USD, USD/JPY, USD/CHF, AUD/USD and USD/CAD.
GBP/USD is the only currency pair with its own name. It is known as "Cable", which has its origins from the days when a cable under the Atlantic synchronized the GBP/USD rate between the London and New York markets. But there are also lots of abbreviations for other currency pairs such as: AUD/USD "Aussie", EUR/USD "Euro", GBP/JPY "Geppy", NZD/USD "Kiwi", USD/CAD "Loonie", USD/CHF "Swissy", USD/JPY "Gopher" and USD/CAD "Beaver".
The quotation of a currency pair usually consists of two prices. The lower price (bid) is the price at which a market maker or a brokerage in general is willing to buy the first currency of a pair. The higher price (offer or ask) is the price at which a brokerage is willing to sell the first currency of a pair. The spread is the difference between the two prices. For example if the quotation of EUR/USD is 1.3707/1.3709, then the spread is EUR 0.0002 (or 2 pips). In general, the more popular the pair is, the smaller the differences or spreads. Different brokerage firms have different spreads.
Currency correlation is a statistical measure of the strength and direction of a linear relationship between two diferent currency pairs. Currency correlation is computed as a correlation coefficient. In the broader sense, currency correlation can refer to the correlation between any currency pairs and the commodities, stocks and bonds markets.
A currency sign is a graphic symbol often used as a shorthand for a currency's name. Internationally, the ISO 4217 codes are used instead of currency signs, though currency signs may be in common use in their respective countries. Most currencies in the world have no specific symbol.
When writing currency amounts the location of the sign varies by currency. Many currencies, especially in Latin America and the English-speaking world, place it before the amount (e.g., 50.00); many others place it after the amount (e.g., 50.00 S?); and, before they were forbidden, the sign for the Portuguese Escudo and the French Franc were placed in the decimal position (i.e., 50 or 12?34). The standardized European default placement, used in absence of a national standard, is that () is placed before the amount. However, many Eurozone countries have sustained or generated alternative conventions.
The decimal separator can also take local countries' standards. For instance, the United Kingdom often uses a middle dot as the decimal point on price stickers (eg., '552'), although not in print. A comma (eg. '5,00 ') is a common separator used in other countries. See decimal separator for information on international standards.
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