What is the Financial Market?
Course Units Unit 1 – Introduction Unit 2 – Instruments Unit 3 – Trading Unit 4 – Prices Unit 5 – Influences Unit 6 – Participants Unit 7 – Summary Unit 1 of 7 SECTION 1 What is the Financial Market? Unit 1 / 7 The financial market is part of a wider global system and generally refers to any environment where financial instruments are traded between buyers and sellers. Major financial hubs such as London, New York, Chicago, Tokyo, Sydney, and Moscow host physical stock exchanges, with trading sessions operating during local business hours from Monday to Friday. Transactions may involve the direct purchase of assets or take place through derivative products, whether exchange-traded or over the counter. These mechanisms enable traders worldwide to access and trade a broad range of currencies and commodities through online trading platforms. Next Unit → SECTION 2 Financial Instruments Unit 2 / 7 A broad selection of financial instruments is available for trading across global markets. These include foreign exchange currencies traded in pairs, shares of leading multinational companies, energy products, precious and industrial metals, major global indices, and futures contracts. ← Previous Next Unit → SECTION 3 How Trading Works Unit 3 / 7 Traders, whether buyers or sellers, execute transactions directly with one another. The majority of market participants are speculative traders aiming to benefit from price movements. Trading is carried out through online platforms like MetaTrader or cTrader. Traders open buy positions when they expect price increases, and sell positions when they expect declines. If the market moves against the trader’s expectations, the position results in a loss. Once a trade is closed, the resulting profit or loss is automatically reflected in the account balance. ← Previous Next Unit → SECTION 4 Price Movements Unit 4 / 7 The price of a financial instrument changes constantly as it reflects global supply and demand. Higher demand generally pushes prices upward, while weaker demand and increased selling pressure typically push prices lower. In CFD markets, prices are based on the underlying asset’s price, not on the supply/demand of the CFD itself. ← Previous Next Unit → SECTION 5 Key Market Drivers Unit 5 / 7 Prices are influenced by major economic and market factors such as news releases, central bank decisions, corporate earnings announcements, and government-published indicators. ← Previous Next Unit → SECTION 6 Market Participants Unit 6 / 7 Key participants include major international banks, central banks, governments, hedge funds, corporations, and brokerage firms enabling individual access to online CFD trading. ← Previous Next Unit → SECTION 7 Summary Unit 7 / 7 Financial markets connect buyers and sellers globally through exchanges or OTC derivatives, enabling speculation across many instruments. Prices are driven by supply/demand and influenced by news, central banks, earnings, and economic data. ← Previous
What can you trade? (Forex, stocks, commodities, indices, metals)
What assets and markets can you trade? We offer access to over 1200+ financial assets and markets for trading. These include: Shares Indices Forex Metals Commodities Whatever instrument you trade, the ultimate intended outcome is always the same: to make a profit. You’ll make a profit if your speculation about the market’s movement is correct. But if the market moves against your position, you’ll make a loss.