What is an Exotic Currency? Impact on Forex Markets?

The exotic currency is defined as a currency with little liquidity and limited dealing. The exotic currency is neither a minor nor a major currency. Some of the currencies that are considered minor are the Australian dollar, the Canadian dollar and the New Zealand dollar. Some of the currencies that are considered major are the Japanese yen, the Euro, the British pound, the Swiss francs and the German mark. All exotic currencies play a very important role in the forex market and are just as important as all the major currencies.

The foreign exchange market has played a very important role as the sole domain for financial institutions, most major banks and for the central banks like the United States Federal Reserve. The foreign exchange market has made some substantial profits that are made annually by these banks and financial institutions and these are now offered to you.

All countries are now becoming more dependent on one another due to the increase in worldwide trade and foreign investments. The state of a country’s economic activity can cause the country’s currency to fluctuate, considering how the economic factors can alter the structure of a currency’s interest rate. The monetary health of a particular country depends on whether the currency either appreciates or devalues.

Some banks make between 40-60% of their profits from trading currencies when they allocate around 20-30% of their funds into the foreign exchange market. Until recently, the American public has been unaware of the forex market because the foreign currency market had not been financially accessible to the general population of traders and investors; also, because of the minimum account requirement, which was beyond the means of the average trader or investor. Now that the situation has changed, instead of needing a minimum of $200K to open an account, a mere $10K can be used to open an account.

The foreign exchange market is dominated by these five major currencies: the U.S. dollar (USD), the British pound (GBP), the Japanese yen (JPY), the European euro (EUR) and the Swiss franc (CHF). All five of these currencies rank highly in their activity and popularity thus accounting for more than 70% of trading in North America alone. Other currency’s that are traded, though not as easily, are the more exotic currencies including the New Zealand dollar (NZD), Australian dollar (AUD), Canadian dollar (CAD) and the French franc(XPF). The minor currencies, which can also be considered as exotic currencies, account for between 3-7% of the total market volume. Together, all the major and minor currencies represent all the hard currencies that are currently being traded in the forex market.

Top three most traded currency in the world:

The U.S. dollar Index is the currency that gives relative strength to the Dollar. The Index reflects the statistical weaknesses or strengths of the trend of the U.S. dollar (USD). If the index figure is fairly large, then the U.S. Dollar is stronger, likewise if the index figure is smaller, then the U.S. dollar has become weaker. The Dollar has become weaker over the past two decades, mostly because of the world’s low opinion of financial policies that result in prominent budget deficits.

The European euro and Europe has taken its first steps toward what many economists call “Euroland” with its single currency, the Euro. Europe’s eleven nations that use the euro are: France, Spain, Belgium, Italy, Portugal, Austria, Finland, Luxembourg, Ireland, the Netherlands and Germany. These eleven nations consist of about 300 million people and also account for almost 20% of the worldwide economy. The European Union in addition represents America’s largest foreign market, which is twice the size of Japan and Canada combined. Trade flows between Europe and the United States has been roughly in balance for over nearly a quarter of a century, whereas in Asia, the U.S. runs large trade deficits.

Japan, along with its Japanese yen, continues to be one of the most undisputed global economic powers of today’s market place. Since WWII, the Japanese government has been applying all of its energy and resources into developing its economy into one of the biggest economic powers in the world. The Japanese yen has become the third most traded currency in the world.