Ebook indd

© 1st Forex Trading Academy 2004
50
Glossary
Rate
- The price of one currency in terms of another, typically used for dealing purposes.
Resistance
- A term used in technical analysis indicating a specific price level at which analysis 
concludes people will sell.
Revaluation
- An increase in the exchange rate for a currency as a result of central bank intervention. 
Opposite of Devaluation.
Risk
- Exposure to uncertain change, most often used with a negative connotation of adverse 
change. 
Risk Management
- The employment of financial analysis and trading techniques to reduce and/or 
control exposure to various types of risk.
Roll-Over
- Process whereby the settlement of a deal is rolled forward to another value date. The 
cost of this process is based on the interest rate differential of the two currencies.
Round trip
- Buying and selling of a specified amount of currency.
S
Settlement
- The process by which a trade is entered into the books and records of the counterparts 
to a transaction. The settlement of currency trades may or may not involve the actual physical 
exchange of one currency for another.
Short Position
- An investment position that benefits from a decline in market price. When the base 
currency in the pair is sold, the position is said to be short.
Spot Price
- The current market price. Settlement of spot transactions usually occurs within two 
business days.
Spread
- The difference between the bid and offer prices. 
Square
- Purchase and sales are in balance and thus the dealer has no open position.
Sterling 
- Slang for British Pound.
Stop Loss Order 
- Order type whereby an open position is automatically liquidated at a specific 
price. Often used to minimize exposure to losses if the market moves against an investor’s position. 
As an example, if an investor is long USD at 156.27, they might wish to put in a stop loss order for 
155.49, which would limit losses should the dollar depreciate, possibly below 155.49?
Support Levels
- A technique used in technical analysis that indicates a specific price ceiling and 
floor at which a given exchange rate will automatically correct itself. Opposite of resistance.
Swap
- A currency swap is the simultaneous sale and purchase of the same amount of a given 
currency at a forward exchange rate.

---

© 1st Forex Trading Academy 2004
51
Glossary
Swissy
- Market slang for Swiss Franc.
T
Technical Analysis
- An effort to forecast prices by analyzing market data, i.e. historical price 
trends and averages, volumes, open interest, etc. 
Tick
- A minimum change in price, up or down.
Tomorrow Next (Tom/Next)
- Simultaneous buying and selling of a currency for delivery the 
following day.
Transaction Cost 
- The cost of buying or selling a financial instrument.
Transaction Date
- The date on which a trade occurs.
Turnover
- The total money value of all executed transactions in a given time period; volume.
Two-Way Price
- When both a bid and offer rate is quoted for a FX transaction.
U
Unrealized Gain/Loss
- The theoretical gain or loss on Open Positions valued at current market 
rates, as determined by the broker in its sole discretion. Unrealized Gains’ Losses become Profits/
Losses when position is closed.
Uptick
- A new price quote at a price higher than the preceding quote.
Uptick Rule
- In the US, a regulation whereby a security may not be sold short unless the last trade 
prior to the short sale was at a price lower than the price at which the short sale is executed.
US Prime Rate
- The interest rate at which US banks will lend to their prime corporate 
customers.
V
Value Date
- The date on which counterparts to a financial transaction agree to settle their respective 
obligations, i.e., exchanging payments. For spot currency transactions, the value date is normally 
two business days forward. Also known as maturity date.
Variation Margin
- Funds a broker must request from the client to have the required margin 
deposited. The term usually refers to additional funds that must be deposited as a result of 
unfavorable price movements.
Volatility (Vol)
- A statistical measure of a market’s price movements over time.

---