Clearing

The process of settling a trade.

Choice Market

a market with no spread. All trades buys and sells occur at that one price

Chartist

An individual who uses charts and graphs and interprets historical data to find trends and predict future movements. Also referred to as Technical Trader

Central Bank

A government or quasi-governmental organization that manages a country's monetary policy. For example, the US central bank is the Federal Reserve, and the German central bank is the Bundesbank.

Candlestick Chart

A chart that indicates the trading range for the day as well as the opening and closing price. If the open price is higher than the close price, the rectangle between the open and close price is shaded. If the close price is higher than the open price, that area of the chart is not shaded.

Cable

Trader jargon referring to the Sterling/US Dollar exchange rate. So called because the rate was originally transmitted via a transatlantic cable beginning in the mid 1800's.

undesbank

Germany's Central Bank

Bull Market

A market distinguished by rising prices

Bretton Woods Agreement of 1944

An agreement that established fixed foreign exchange rates for major currencies, provided for central bank intervention in the currency markets, and pegged the price of gold at US $35 per ounce. The agreement lasted until 1971, when President Nixon overturned the Bretton Woods agreement and established a floating exchange rate for the major currencies.

Broker

An individual or firm that acts as an intermediary, putting together buyers and sellers for a fee or commission. In contrast, a 'dealer' commits capital and takes one side of a position, hoping to earn a spread (profit) by closing out the position in a subsequent trade with another party.

Book

In a professional trading environment, a 'book' is the summary of a trader's or desk's total positions.

Big Figure

Dealer expression referring to the first few digits of an exchange rate. These digits rarely change in normal market fluctuations, and therefore are omitted in dealer quotes, especially in times of high market activity. For example, a USD/Yen rate might be 107.30/107.35, but would be quoted verbally without the first three digits i.e. "30/35".

Bid / Ask Spread

The difference between the bid and offer price, and the most widely used measure of market liquidity.

Bid Rate

The rate at which a trader is willing to buy a currency

Bear Market

A market distinguished by declining prices.

Base Currency

In general terms, the base currency is the currency in which an investor or issuer maintains its book of accounts. In the FX markets, the US Dollar is normally considered the 'base' currency for quotes, meaning that quotes are expressed as a unit of $1 USD per the other currency quoted in the pair. The primary exceptions to this rule are the British Pound, the Euro and the Australian Dollar.

Balance of Trade

The value of a country's exports minus its imports.

Back Office

The departments and processes related to the settlement of financial transactions.

Asset Allocation

Investment practice that divides funds among different markets to achieve diversification for risk management purposes and/or expected returns consistent with an investor's objectives

Ask Rate

The rate at which a financial instrument is offered for sale (as in bid/ask spread).

Around

Dealer jargon used in quoting when the forward premium/discount is near parity. For example, "two-two around" would translate into 2 points to either side of the present spot.

Arbitrage

The purchase or sale of an instrument and simultaneous taking of an equal and opposite position in a related market, in order to take advantage of small price differentials between markets.

Appreciation

A currency is said to `appreciate` when it strengthens in price in response to market demand.