FXCM Research Team

The U.S. government shutdown of 2018-19 was the longest in history, illustrating a growing division in American politics. The product of a budgetary impasse, issues such as immigration reform and federal spending spurred the closure.

Influencing interest rates is one of the most important things central banks do, because interest rates have a profound effect on economic growth, job creation and inflation. But how does it happen? Learn more in this FXCM Insights article.

The Group of Twenty (G20) was founded in the late 1990s by ministers of the original G7. Formally launched in 1999, the G20 adheres to many of the tenets put forth at Bretton Woods. The annual Leaders' Summit is the culmination of each year's work.

In this FXCM Insights article, learn more about the Federal Open Market Committee—the 12-member organisation that serves as the policymaking unit of the U.S. Federal reserve.

The United States Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA) is the long-awaited revision of NAFTA promised by the Trump administration. Officially signed by member nations at the 2018 G20 Summit, USMCA aims to restructure North American trade and commerce.

An important part of measuring various items in investing, a weighted average is a mathematical formula that takes into account the relative size or importance of each item in a list of financial data rather than a simple average.

A repurchase agreement is a short-term loan structured as the sale of securities. As part of the repo, the seller agrees to buy the securities back at a later date. Learn more about a repo works at FXCM Insights.

A Ponzi scheme is a type of financial fraud that occurs when the perpetrator promises consistent, guaranteed returns on an investment. In reality, however, it simply involves paying early investors by using payments from new investors.

In forex, volatility is the exchange rate variance facing a domestic currency. It is commonly attributed to many factors including politics, economic events and central bank activities. Given adequate understanding, a volatile currency may be easily identified.

The Consumer Price Index (CPI) is a statistic derived and used around the globe to identify prevailing inflationary or deflationary pressures. It is calculated by averaging the prices of a basket of select goods and services commonly consumed by households.

In the standardised trade of futures, participants buy and sell contracts in an attempt to secure marketshare. The phenomenon of contango is a prime example of how the process of price discovery works and how the expectations of market participants influence asset value. Contango Defined Pricing derivative products, such as futures and options, is dependent on three factors: asset class, quantity and time. In the case of futures, a contract's…