FXCM Research Team consists of a number of FXCM's Market and Product Specialists.
Articles published by FXCM Research Team generally have numerous contributors and aim to provide general Educational and Informative content on Market News and Products.
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The most important stock index in the U.K. is the FTSE 100, which tracks the performance of the 100 largest companies in the country based on market capitalisation. The index, which is pronounced commonly as the "Footsie 100," was created in January 1984. At that time, its baseline value was established at 1,000 points, although stock prices were calculated retroactively back to 1969. In this article, we cover the 10…
What Is An ETF? Exchange-traded funds (ETFs) are investment vehicles similar to mutual funds that hold a portfolio of securities, such as stocks, bonds, currencies, commodities and other assets. ETFs differ from mutual funds in that they are often designed to match the performance of a specific index and are therefore usually passive, while mutual funds are typically actively managed in order to try to outperform a specific index. ETFs…
Over the course of human history, gold (XAU/USD) has played a wide range of tangible and financial roles. Whether as a means of exchange, artisan medium, or store of wealth, acquiring bullion piques the interest of people from all walks of life. South Africa (SA) is among international leaders in gold exploration and production. Surveys from Thomson Reuters show SA to rank 8th globally in production of bullion, just ahead…
The South African rand (ZAR) is a free-floating currency, local to Africa's second-largest economy. Operating without a commodity or currency peg, the rand's value is relative to evolving levels of supply and demand. As individuals, banks, corporations and foreign nations stockpile the rand, it appreciates in value. Conversely, a perceived lack of worth depresses demand, leading to bearish pressure being placed on the ZAR's forex performance. According to the Bank…
What Is Modern Monetary Theory? Modern monetary theory (MMT) is a school of economic thought that essentially posits that governments can run large budget deficits without much concern because they can always print more money to make up the difference. The theory also argues that deficits only become a problem when they cause inflation, at which point governments should raise taxes. American economist Warren Mosler is credited with developing MMT…
What Is An Australian Real Estate Investment Trust? Australian real estate investment trusts (A-REITs) are funds that give individuals the opportunity to invest in large income-producing commercial properties that are usually available only to large institutions. A-REITs include properties that are located in Australia as well as funds open to Australians that invest internationally. REITs (pronounced "reetz") in general can be bought and sold like regular stocks or in mutual…
What Is The Eurex? Eurex is Europe's largest futures and options market and one of the most liquid fixed income markets in the world. It also offers a broad range of international benchmark products. Based in Frankfurt, Germany, Eurex is a public company that is 100% owned and operated by Deutsche Börse. It has market participants operating from 700 locations around the world, with more than 1.6 billion contracts traded…
The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) is Australia's central bank, whose "duty is to contribute to the stability of the currency, full employment, and the economic prosperity and welfare of the Australian people," according to its website. The RBA does this by conducting monetary policy, establishing an interest rate in order to meet a medium-term inflation target, and maintaining a strong financial and efficient payments system. The bank also issues…
The 2020 coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic unhinged capital markets and domestic economies around the globe. From Asia to the United Kingdom, economic contraction became the rule. Amid lockdowns, quarantines and travel restrictions, day-to-day life underwent a dramatic transformation. Unfortunately for workers, businesses and investors, the world's labour markets experienced turbulence not seen since the Global Financial Crisis of 2008. What Is Unemployment? According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, unemployment is the "involuntary…
The Dow Jones Industrial Average (DJIA) is one of the oldest and probably best-known stock indexes in the world. It is composed of 30 U.S.-based "blue chip" stocks, which change periodically based on market fluctuations and the fortunes of the individual companies. Four of the 10 largest U.S. companies ranked by market capitalisation were members of the DJIA as of 8 June 2022. However, all 10 are components of the…
The Australian All Ordinaries Index, commonly referred to as "All Ords," tracks the performance of the 500 largest companies listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX) based on market capitalisation. The index was developed with a base value of 500 as of 1979 and is calculated by ASX/S&P. The index closed at an all-time monthly high of 7075 in February 2020 before falling to 5272 as of 9 April 2020, in…
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