Forex or FX is short for the Foreign Exchange Currency Market – an over the counter (decentralized) market where all world currencies are traded.

Unique Features Of Forex
The forex market is the largest, most liquid market in the world with an average traded volume that exceeds $3.9 trillion per day and is open 24 hours a day except on weekends.  Unlike other markets, the forex market allows for the use of high leverage.  Because of these factors, the forex market is considered to be the market that is closest to being perfectly competitive.

Who Trades The Forex Market?
Until recently, forex trading in the currency market had been the domain of large financial institutions, corporations, central banks, hedge funds and extremely wealthy individuals. The emergence of the internet has changed all of this, and now it is possible for average investors to buy and sell currencies easily with the click of a mouse through online brokerage accounts.