FXCM Research Team

What Is The Bank For International Settlements? The Bank for International Settlements (BIS), also known as "the bank for central banks," defines its mission as being an "international organisation that serves central banks and other financial authorities across the globe to build a greater collective understanding of the world economy, fosters international cooperation among them and supports them in the pursuit of global monetary and financial stability." Based in Basel,…

A pivot point is a technical tool used in forex trading to determine potential support and resistance levels and the direction of a prevailing trend. While the basis of the indicator is rooted in elementary arithmetic, performing the necessary computations manually is time consuming and cumbersome. However, through the use of the Pivot Point Calculator, traders can quickly and easily execute the necessary calculations in an efficient manner. Warning: Ad-blockers…

In live forex trading, having a solid understanding of your profit and loss (P&L) potential at any given time is a must. It is simply not enough to place a trade and hope for positive results. Quantifying the upside of an open position, as well as its downside liability, is a great way to ensure consistent and responsible risk management. Warning: Ad-blockers may prevent calculator from loading. However, completing this…

In forex, the term "pip" is an acronym that stands for "percentage in point." Pips represent the smallest increments of currency pricing and are key to the establishment of bid/ask spreads. For the active forex trader, pips play an important role in both risk and trade management. Exchange rate fluctuations are typically quantified in pips, making them the de facto measurement of profit and loss for currency traders. Accordingly, the…

As the world's largest trading marketplace, the forex offers traders and investors countless avenues by which to pursue almost any financial goal. From the execution of carry trade strategies to intraday scalping practices, participants are privy to unparalleled opportunity. The ability to trade on margin is a primary reason why. Warning: Ad-blockers may prevent calculator from loading. Margin is a good-faith deposit made by a trader to a brokerage service.…

Fibonacci numbers, also referred to as the Fibonacci sequence, have been observed for hundreds of years by statisticians the world over. First quantified in the early 13th century by mathematician Leonardo Pisano, Fibonacci numbers are utilised in everything from architecture to weather forecasting. They are a mainstay of forex technical analysis as well, and they're readily applied to the markets on a daily basis. Warning: Ad-blockers may prevent calculator from…

A "pump and dump" is an illegal scheme used to artificially boost the price of a stock by making false and misleading claims about a company's business prospects. Then, the shares are sold before the fraud becomes known, at which point the stock price usually plummets and the unsuspecting investors lose their money. Pump and dump scams have been around for a long time but are now more commonly perpetrated…

The quick ratio is an accounting formula that measures a company's short-term liquidity. Also known as the "acid test" ratio, the quick ratio is a more stringent measurement than the current ratio of a company's ability to meet its most short-term obligations, usually those due within 90 days. The formula for calculating the quick ratio is: Quick Ratio = (Cash + Marketable Securities + Receivables)/Current Liabilities Basically, the quick ratio…

The S&P 500 is probably the most widely followed index that tracks the performance of large-cap American stocks. According to S&P Dow Jones Indices, which owns and manages the index, nearly US$10 trillion of stocks is indexed or benchmarked to the index, which includes 500 of the largest American publicly traded companies and captures about 80% of the total value of the U.S. stock market. The 500 stocks in the…

The current ratio is a business accounting formula that measures a company's ability to pay its short-term obligations, namely those due within a year. The mathematical formula is expressed as: Current Ratio = Current Assets/Current Liabilities Current assets include cash and cash equivalents, securities that can be sold quickly, short-term investments, accounts receivable, short-term notes receivable, inventories and supplies, and prepayments. Current liabilities, which are obligations that must be paid…

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) is a private, not-for-profit agency authorised by the U.S. Congress to protect American investors from fraud and wrong-doing by securities brokers. It's not part of the U.S. government but is overseen by the Securities and Exchange Commission, which is part of the government. FINRA regulates U.S. brokerage firms by enforcing its own rules as well as federal securities laws and those of the Municipal…