With approximately $4 trillion dollars traded every day, the vast majority of buying and selling in the Forex market is done by importers, exporters and corporations moving capital.

The forex market is a purely electronic market that links banks and brokerages. There is no central hub, just buyers and sellers looking for the best price. And because there is no central exchange, unlike the stock market so there are no fees and no commissions.

Since the forex market exists only electronically, it can be accessed from anywhere. And since currency buying and selling is done around the world, trading is open 24 hours a day. You can trade whenever it is convenient for you.

So how does it work?

Two currencies make up a pair and they are traded against one another. In every instance, as one currency goes up, the other goes down. Profits are generated either by buying or selling one currency in relation to the other. Think the euro is going to appreciate against the U.S. dollar? Open a position to buy EUR/USD and your investment will increase along with the cross. The market is recession proof as money can be made in up and down markets.

So how do you know if a currency is going to rise or fall?

In a strong economy a currency strengthens and in a weak economy, it weakens. When a country has goods or commodities that are in high demand, foreign money will flow in to buy those goods and the value will go up.

There are two ways of looking at markets- fundamental analysis and technical analysis.

Fundamental analysis involves trading on real economic data or events to predict where a currency pair is going to go. Some of the fundamental factors affecting currencies include interest rates, growth rates, employment and geopolitical events.

Technical analysis involves looking at trends in price charts of various crosses. Whenever a currency rises and for whatever reason, that information is contained in the price. Technical analysis is based on this one defining principal: all information is factored into the price. By studying and analyzing patterns, technical analysis can predict how a market will react.

A broad range of factors influence the foreign exchange market and give traders a variety of opportunities to get in on the action. Many of the factors influencing the currency markets are intuitive, and easy to understand. Therefore, a novice trader need only learn these very basic principles to begin trading confidently.

This makes online forex trading one of the fastest growing, most dynamic markets in the world.

Forex is a business and should be treated like one. The same amount of time, energy and money that you would invest in starting a business, you should consider investing in your forex trading business. This is something that can provide you with an attractive revenue stream.