For those new to the foreign exchange market, also known as FOREX, the prime thing you need to know is that it is a currency exhange market. There are high volumes of transactions 24 hours a day, 5 days a week. Because what you are trading is money itself, it is more liquid than any other exchange - you will never get stuck with trading a product that no one is interested in anymore.

1. FOREX History

Created in the early 70's, fixed currency exchanges are determined by supply and demand just like the stock market. FOREX grew steadily throughout the 1970's, but with the technological advances of the 80's FOREX grew to over 1.5 trillion dollars daily.

2. Foreign Currency Exchange

Because there is no centralized location of FOREX - major trading centers are located all over the world and can be completed using software, over the internet or by phone. Businesses use the market to buy and sell products in other countries, but most of the activity on the FOREX is from currency traders who use it to generate profit from minisculte changes in currency values.

3. Enter Small Business

No longer is FOREX exclusive to big players such as the huge banks and corporations. Previously, there was a minimum transaction size and traders were required to meet strict financial requirements. With the advent of Internet trading, regulations have been changed to allow large interbank units to be broken down into smaller lots. Each lot is worth about $100,000 and is accessible to the individual investor through leverage - loans extended for trading. The leverage rate is typically 100 - 1, meaning you can control up to 100,000 dollars worth of currency with just 1,000 dollars!

4. The FOREX Advantage

- Liquidity

There will always be a buyer waiting for you due to the large number of transactions per day

- Accessibility

The market is open 24 hours a day, 5 days a week

- Open Market

News about currency fluxuations is available to everyone so insider trading is impossible.

- No Commission

Brokers do not take a cut of the profits

5. How It Works

Every transaction has both a buy and a sell simultaneously. For example, if you believe the Canadian dollar will fall and the US dollar will rise, you would buy into the US dollar and sell the Canadian dollar. Meanwhile, someone else in the world will believe the opposite to be true, or more cunningly, will know the Canadian dollar is falling but buy into it anyways because it will be cheaper so when he sells it later, presumably when it has raised in price, he will make a lot of money. Software tools are available both to brokers and investors to help protect investments, and are generally regarded as a must-have for FOREX trading.