Introduction to Other Investments

Stocks, bonds and mutual funds are the most popular asset classes and therefore get most of the market's attention, but there are other important investment opportunities every investor should know about as well, including options, futures, and currency. Although these investments are complex and usually intended for sophisticated investors, it's worth understanding what they are and how they operate in order to decide if they should play any role in your overall investment strategy.

Introduction to the Economy

Learn how the economy can be influenced by the US government through fiscal and monetary policy. Understand the importance of a global economy and why individuals should make a portion of their investments overseas.

Foreign Exchange Rate

Rate at which one currency may be converted into another. also called rate of exchange or exchange rate or currency exchange rate.

Foreign Exchange

The ways in which debts between two nations that use different currencies are paid. Foreign exchange rates can have an important effect on a nation's economy, because the value of its currency in other countries affects the cost of both imported and exported goods and services. (See balance of payments.)

Foreign Exchange

The foreign capital earned by a country's exports. Since the currency of many less developed countries is not accepted by international markets, it often becomes necessary to earn foreign exchange in order to buy imports.

Foreign Exchange

The foreign exchange (also known as "forex" or "FX") market is the place where currencies are traded. The overall forex market is the largest, most liquid market in the world with an average traded value that exceeds $1.9 trillion per day and includes all of the currencies in the world.