American Stock Exchange

NYSE Alternext U.S., formerly known as the American Stock Exchange (AMEX) is an American stock exchange situated in New York. AMEX was a mutual organization, owned by its members. Until 1953 it was known as the New York Curb Exchange. On January 17, 2008 NYSE Euronext announced it would acquire the American Stock Exchange for $260 million in stock. On October 1, 2008, NYSE Euronext completed acquisition of the American Stock Exchange. Before the closing of the acquisition, NYSE Euronext announced that the Exchange will be integrated with Alternext European small-cap exchange and renamed NYSE Alternext U.S.

History:
The Exchange traces its roots back to colonial times, when stock brokers created outdoor markets in New York City to trade new government-issued securities. The AMEX started out in 1842 as such a market at the curbstone on Broad Street near Exchange Place. The curb brokers gathered around the lamp posts and mail boxes, resisting wind and weather, putting up lists of stocks for sale. As trading activity increased so did the volume of the transactions; the shouting reached such a high level that stock hand signals had to be introduced so that the brokers could continue trading over the din. In 1921 the market was moved indoors into the building at 86 Trinity Place, Manhattan, where it still resides. The hand signals remained in place for decades even after the move, as a means of covenient communication. The building was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1978.

Market:
AMEX's core business has shifted over the years from stocks to options and Exchange-traded funds, although it continues to trade small to mid-size stocks. An effort in the mid-1990s to initiate an Emerging Company Marketplace ended in failure, as the reduced listing standards (beyond the existing lenient AMEX standards) caused penny stock promoters to move their scams to a national exchange. In the mid 1990s the exchange was dogged by allegations of trading scandals, which were highlighted by BusinessWeek in 1999.In 1998, the American Stock Exchange merged with the National Association of Securities Dealers (operators of NASDAQ) to create "The Nasdaq-Amex Market Group" where AMEX is an independent entity of the NASD parent company. After tension between the NASD and AMEX members, the latter group bought out the NASD and acquired control of the AMEX in 2004.

Out of the three major American stock exchanges, the AMEX is known to have the most liberal policies concerning company listing, as most of its companies are generally smaller compared to the NYSE and NASDAQ. The Amex also specialises in the trading of ETFs, and hybrid/structured securities. The majority of U.S.

In 2006, the AMEX attempted to popularize an American implementation of the Canadian income trust model. Listed Equity Income Hybrid Securities, (more commonly known as Income Deposit Securities) listed on the AMEX are B & G Foods Holding Corp. (BGF), Centerplate, Inc. (CVP), Coinmach Service Corp. (DRY), and Otelco Inc. (OTT). Recently Coinmach Service Corp, has been attempting to restructure itself away from being an income trust.

As of 31 December 2007, the AMEX had 592 listed companies with a combined market capitalization of $258 billion.

The AMEX also produces stock market indices; perhaps the most notable of these is an index of stocks of internet companies now known as the Inter@ctive Week Internet Index. Recently, the AMEX has also developed a unique set of indices known as Intellidexes, which attempt to gain alpha by creating indices weighted on fundamental factors. The AMEX Composite, a value-weighted index of all stocks listed on the exchange, established a record monthly close of 2,069.16 points on November 30, 2006.

Located near the World Trade Center, the operation of the AMEX was temporarily affected by the September 11 attacks. The Exchange's operations were temporarily shifted to the Philadelphia Stock Exchange.


Hours:
The exchange's normal trading sessions are from 9:30am to 4:00pm on all days of the week except Saturdays, Sundays and holidays declared by the Exchange in advance. listed ETFs are traded at the AMEX including the SPDR and most Powershares.

American Stock Exchange

NYSE Alternext U.S., formerly known as the American Stock Exchange (AMEX) is an American stock exchange situated in New York. AMEX was a mutual organization, owned by its members. Until 1953 it was known as the New York Curb Exchange. On January 17, 2008 NYSE Euronext announced it would acquire the American Stock Exchange for $260 million in stock. On October 1, 2008, NYSE Euronext completed acquisition of the American Stock Exchange. Before the closing of the acquisition, NYSE Euronext announced that the Exchange will be integrated with Alternext European small-cap exchange and renamed NYSE Alternext U.S.

History:
The Exchange traces its roots back to colonial times, when stock brokers created outdoor markets in New York City to trade new government-issued securities. The AMEX started out in 1842 as such a market at the curbstone on Broad Street near Exchange Place. The curb brokers gathered around the lamp posts and mail boxes, resisting wind and weather, putting up lists of stocks for sale. As trading activity increased so did the volume of the transactions; the shouting reached such a high level that stock hand signals had to be introduced so that the brokers could continue trading over the din. In 1921 the market was moved indoors into the building at 86 Trinity Place, Manhattan, where it still resides. The hand signals remained in place for decades even after the move, as a means of covenient communication. The building was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1978.

Market:
AMEX's core business has shifted over the years from stocks to options and Exchange-traded funds, although it continues to trade small to mid-size stocks. An effort in the mid-1990s to initiate an Emerging Company Marketplace ended in failure, as the reduced listing standards (beyond the existing lenient AMEX standards) caused penny stock promoters to move their scams to a national exchange. In the mid 1990s the exchange was dogged by allegations of trading scandals, which were highlighted by BusinessWeek in 1999.In 1998, the American Stock Exchange merged with the National Association of Securities Dealers (operators of NASDAQ) to create "The Nasdaq-Amex Market Group" where AMEX is an independent entity of the NASD parent company. After tension between the NASD and AMEX members, the latter group bought out the NASD and acquired control of the AMEX in 2004.

Out of the three major American stock exchanges, the AMEX is known to have the most liberal policies concerning company listing, as most of its companies are generally smaller compared to the NYSE and NASDAQ. The Amex also specialises in the trading of ETFs, and hybrid/structured securities. The majority of U.S.

In 2006, the AMEX attempted to popularize an American implementation of the Canadian income trust model. Listed Equity Income Hybrid Securities, (more commonly known as Income Deposit Securities) listed on the AMEX are B & G Foods Holding Corp. (BGF), Centerplate, Inc. (CVP), Coinmach Service Corp. (DRY), and Otelco Inc. (OTT). Recently Coinmach Service Corp, has been attempting to restructure itself away from being an income trust.

As of 31 December 2007, the AMEX had 592 listed companies with a combined market capitalization of $258 billion.

The AMEX also produces stock market indices; perhaps the most notable of these is an index of stocks of internet companies now known as the Inter@ctive Week Internet Index. Recently, the AMEX has also developed a unique set of indices known as Intellidexes, which attempt to gain alpha by creating indices weighted on fundamental factors. The AMEX Composite, a value-weighted index of all stocks listed on the exchange, established a record monthly close of 2,069.16 points on November 30, 2006.

Located near the World Trade Center, the operation of the AMEX was temporarily affected by the September 11 attacks. The Exchange's operations were temporarily shifted to the Philadelphia Stock Exchange.


Hours:
The exchange's normal trading sessions are from 9:30am to 4:00pm on all days of the week except Saturdays, Sundays and holidays declared by the Exchange in advance. listed ETFs are traded at the AMEX including the SPDR and most Powershares.

Psychology of Trading ?

Fundamental and technical factors are undeniably essential in determining foreign exchange dynamics. There are, however, two additional factors that are paramount to understanding short-term movements in the market. These are expectations and sentiment. They may sound similar, but remain distinct.

Trading Platforms

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View up to the minute news headlines and market commentary

Psychology of Trading ?

Fundamental and technical factors are undeniably essential in determining foreign exchange dynamics. There are, however, two additional factors that are paramount to understanding short-term movements in the market. These are expectations and sentiment. They may sound similar, but remain distinct.

Trading Platforms

Our FOREXTrader platforms combine ease of use, unprecedented flexibility and a full suite of professional charting and order management tools, all on a single screen. Best of all, you can use the same User ID and Password to switch between platforms at will, putting you in total control of your trading experience.
View real-time prices in 37 currency pairs and spot gold
Execute market orders with just one mouse click
Track P&L and open positions in real time
Perform technical analysis with our advanced charting tool
Choose from 8 available order types
Access a full suite of proprietary daily and weekly research reports
View up to the minute news headlines and market commentary

Forex Regulation

The world of forex trading is a world where a lot of money changes hands, which makes sense seeing as it is a market of currency trading. To make sure that things don't get out of hand, the forex market has a lot of very strict forex regulations and forex policies that keep traders and financial bodies in check. These forex regulations are maintained and monitored by various official international bodies whose job it is to make sure that forex providers stick to the forex regulations in anything they do.

However, seeing as the internet is a vast informational space that is difficult to monitor and control, there will always be forex brokers and service providers who disregard forex regulations and get away with dealing in way contrary to the official policies of the regulatory bodies.

The following is a guide that you can refer to when checking up on a forex broker or service provider to make sure that they are indeed following official forex regulations.

The People in Charge of Forex Regulation

First things first - you must be familiar with the bodies administering the forex regulations we're about to discuss.

• The NFA – the National Futures Association. The NFA is a self-regulatory organization for the US futures industry. Its purpose is to safeguard market integrity and protect investors by implementing forex regulations. Membership in NFA is mandatory for any futures or forex broker operating in the US .It is an independent regulatory body with no ties to any specific marketplace.
• The CFTC – the Commodity Futures Trading Committee. Created by congress, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) was formed in 1974 as an independent agency with the mandate to issue forex regulations for financial markets in the United States. The CFTC's forex regulations assure the economic utility of the markets by encouraging their competitiveness and efficiency, and protecting market participants against and abusive forex trading practices.
• The FSA - The Financial Services Authority. This is a UK based independent body, given statutory powers by the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000. The FSA regulates the financial services industry in the UK, which is made possible by the FSA's regulation making, investigatory and enforcement powers. The FSA is obliged to have regard to the Principles of Good Regulation.
• Various National Authorities – each country has its own national body for regulating its financial service industry. These are the bodies that decide on forex regulations, you must therefore make sure that your forex broker is licensed in the country from which they operate. This ensures that they are obliged to operate in accordance to that country's forex trading regulations.

Forex Regulations for Forex service providers

• A forex broker/ dealer / service provider must be licensed in the country in which their operations are based. This is a very important forex regulation to look out for, since if the broker you are looking into isn't licensed, they are operating against the law.
• Being approved by the national regulatory institutions ensures that the broker must maintain strict quality control standards and that your business with the broker is safe, fair and honest.
• By regulation, licensed forex brokers are subject to periodical audits, reviews and evaluations which enforce their need to comply to industry standards.
• Forex brokers must maintain a sufficient amount of funds to meet their customers' needs. This forex regulation ensures that the forex broker is able to execute and complete forex contracts made with their clients.
• Forex brokers are in no way allowed to misrepresent their services or to solicit customers to trade forex without a fair representation of the risks involved. Be wary of brokers who promise profits in the forex market, since by forex regulation they are not in any position to do so. No broker can guarantee profits in the forex market.
• A Forex broker is obliged to honor each and every forex contract (position) opened by a client. Failure to complete the forex contract with a client will lead to the revoking of the broker's license.