The forex market is the biggest financial market in the world with close to 3 trillion dollars being exchanged each day
. Forex market trading involves speculating on which currencies will appreciate or depreciate versus another. Just like a stock represents the current value of company, a currency represents the current value of a country.
up until around the year 2000 it was mostly large banks and hedge funds that did the majority of currency trading. Since then the market has opened up to retail traders (the general public) and has become extremely popular. A decade ago you would have needed 10,000$ or more to open an account and today there are many brokers offering accounts for as little as 100$.
Forex market trading is becoming so popular that there have been advertisements by brokers on television in recent years looking to recruit the public. Most brokers profit from the losses of their clients. Ideally when you make a trade the order would be passed through to a central banking system but because the brokers know that the vast majority of traders lose, they will take the other side of your trade. It is important to do careful research if you choose to trade in the forex market and make sure that your broker is regulated and has positive reviews from other traders.
Many people today are looking to make additional income through forex trading however the sad fact is that most will lose money and quit within 2 years. Forex market trading is a business and the statistics for new businesses are equally dismal. Over 90% of new businesses fail within the first 5 years. Forex trading is a business and not a "get rich quick scheme". Just like any business it requires hard work, education and resources to succeed and make it through the challenging times. Don't kid yourself that you will step into it and start making money right away. Many successful traders report that it took them 2 - 5 years to beome consistently profitable.
It is a good idea to spend time and research various types of instruction before you get involved so that you can make the best possible decision. Ensure that the person you are learning from has indeed been successful and isn't just parroting information that he/she found on the internet. It is one thing to talk about about forex market trading and another to trade successfully for a long period of time.