The Foreign Exchange Market (better known as the FOREX or FX market) as we know it today was established in 1971, following the abolishment of fixed currency exchanges. Operating 24 hours a day, 5 days a week, the daily currency trades on the FOREX market are worth in the region of $1.9 trillion US dollars making it the world's largest market and putting the major stock markets firmly into second place.

So just what is FOREX trading and who are the players in this market?

Put simply, the FOREX market is a world-wide market for buying and selling currency and involves both major organizations, such as central government and international commercial banks and commercial companies, as well as smaller players in the form of brokerage houses and individual brokers. Unlike the better known world stock markets however the FOREX market does not have a 'home' as such, although there are major trading centers around the world in cities such as New York, London, Tokyo, Frankfurt and others. The FOREX market is in effect a 'digital' market, with trades being carried out by telephone and increasingly over the internet.

The buying and selling of currencies is necessary to support trade between countries in today's global marketplace and, as the major world currencies fluctuate against one another there is, and will continue to be, money to be made from currency transactions. The major players in the market are of course buying and selling in single deals often running into many millions of dollars. The smaller players however, the brokerage houses and individual brokers, are often trading in individual deals of as little as one hundred thousand dollars.

So what exactly does this mean to you sitting at home and surfing the internet?

It means quite simply that you too can join this market and, providing you take the time to learn the ins and outs of the currency markets and have a little bit of capital to invest, you can enjoy a very reasonable income from your online trading efforts.

You will not of course be able to trade on your own and will need to use a broker, but many brokers will allow you to open an account online and start trading with anywhere between $250 and $1,000.

FOREX trading is not everybody's cup of tea of course but its major advantage lies in the fact that it is a highly liquid market that does not involve the commission payments and paperwork which many people find a problem when it come to many other forms of trading.

It is, however, a 'technical' market and you should not venture into it unless you are prepared to take the time to learn the basic principles underlying this currency market and to become competent in the use of some of the 'tools of the trade', such as technical and fundamental analysis. But don't be put off by this. It is not necessary to become an expert in these markets to profit from them. With a little time and effort you can quite easily gain enough of an understanding of the currency markets to start making money through online trading and, in time, you will be surprised at just how quickly you can become quite an expert.