Trading is now commonplace, an almost everyone I know who has some residual or spare income has placed their money in markets like stocks and bonds or even the Forex exchange market. This practice has been perpetuated by the banks really, who have diversified their services from mere banking and storage facilities, to financial advisors and brokers of a sort. They push the mentality of investing on their clients and ensure that the money that goes in the bank is never inert and just earning percentage in interest.

Of course, banks themselves have been investing for a long time, and if you didn't already know, that is what they do with your money when you put it in. The interest rate comes from an increased liquid potential you give the bank when you put your money in, and no matter how small the amount, the interest rate will always remain the same. As you figure, the portfolio or lack of one, means that the risk is null and void – the bank guarantees your deposits even if it makes a loss on the market, which is quite rare since they have entire teams of financial analysts who pour over the markets before any sort of a decision is made.

As time went by, people began to realise that external brokers and financial consultants would give a better rate of return and were more specialised in the field of investing; so trust transferred over to them at a large and alarming rate, which of course the banks then responded by carving sections out of the bank and hiring specialists to handle accounts. All of this changed as soon as the internet came along and the online market was made a reality. Digitalisation of platforms and interfaces with the market meant that everyone and anyone could participate in any sort of commodity trading if they wanted to and brokerages and financial institutions were making it easier and easier for them to do so.

Everyone was getting online and the virtual investor was becoming a reality for many people all over the world. The Forex market saw an especial increase and spike in activity and this was a good thing for all the traders out there. As more and more people pumped in their money into the market, the potential of the market to give away profits was beginning to get larger and larger. Even stocks and bonds and equities were seeing sharp rises; but of course in the face of the recent economic crisis, the confidence in these markets were waning to say the least.

Choices seemed to make people turn to less traditional markets like the Forex exchange trade, and this caused an increase to an almost 5 trillion turnover (as of 2008). The digital age has revolutionarised trading and as the world evolves and education becomes commonplace, awareness of investment as a potential revenue stream to those already entangled in current employment circumstances would only increase. With this, more people would get involved, the Forex exchange would increase, online markets would expand and we have only the digital age to thank.