Types of controls that governments put in place to ban or restrict the amount of foreign currency or local currency that is allowed to be traded or purchased. Common exchange controls include banning the use of foreign currency and restricting the amount of domestic currency that can be exchanged within the country. |||Typically, countries that employ exchange controls are those with weaker economies. These controls allow countries a greater degree of economic stability by limiting the amount of exchange rate volatility due to currency inflows/outflows.The International Monetary Fund has a provision called article 14, which only allows countries with transitional economies to employ foreign exchange controls.
Funds deposited in a trading account beyond what is required to fund basic margin requirements. The total balance on the account equals excess margin deposits plus margin. Investors can typically open an account and start trading with only a percentage of the total security value deposited. This is called trading on margin. |||In the forex market, an excess margin deposit may arise due to a currency trade returning to profitability after the trader has pumped in additional margin because of an earlier margin deficiency. It can also arise through a currency trade becoming significantly profitable shortly after initiation. Traders may withdraw excess margin deposits if they reach a significant level, since excess capital in margin accounts pays little or no interest. However, nominal amounts of excess margin deposits may be left in the trading account as a cushion against margin calls triggered by adverse price movements.
The currency code used in the general industry to represent the euro, the official currency for more than half of the 27 members of the European Union (EU). The Eurozone states are Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia and Spain. As of March 2009, five other non-Eurozone members were also using the currency. The name "euro" was selected in 1995; the currency replaced the former European Currency Unit (ECU). It was introduced on January 1, 1999, and began circulating in 2002. The most commonly used euro coins are 1, 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 cents and the most frequently used euro banknotes denominations are 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100. |||The euro is overseen by the European Central Bank (ECB), headquartered in Frankfurt, Germany, and the Eurozone member countries' central banks. Several countries also peg their currency to the euro, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Cape Verde, Central Africa and several others.
The official currency of the European Union's (EU) member states. The euro was introduced by the EU in to the financial community in 1999 and physical euro coins and paper notes were introduced in 2002. Euros are printed and managed by the European System of Central Banks (ESCB).The euro is abbreviated by the symbol "EUR". |||The euro is the national currency of the EU member states who have adopted it, including Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain. Together, these countries create what is called the Eurozone, a region where the euro serves as a common national currency for all of the separate nations. This has important benefits, such as removing exchange rate risk from businesses and financial institutions operating in an increasingly globalized economy. On the other hand, critics of the euro system argue that it produces negative consequences, such as concentrating the power to set monetary policy in the European Central Bank. This removes the ability of the EU's member nations to implement monetary policies specific to themselves, locking them into the monetary policy established for the entire Eurozone, even though local monetary conditions may differ substantially from the overall Eurozone.
The total amount of money that the United States federal government owes to creditors. The government's creditors include all individuals, businesses, governments and other organizations that own U.S. government debt securities. The federal debt exists as a result of federal government shortfalls, or deficit budgets in which the government's expenses exceed its revenues. The federal debt does not include any debts in the name of individuals, corporations and state or municipal governments. |||In recent years, the federal debt has grown to exorbitant amounts - as of April 2006, the total federal debt was estimated to be $8.4 trillion. Viewed as an absolute number, the federal debt seems quite enormous, representing more than 20% of total worldwide debt.However, some economists point out that the federal debt is only about two-thirds the size of the U.S. GDP - a statistic that puts the U.S. well below the debt-to-GDP levels of other industrialized countries, such as Japan. Heated debate continues as to whether the federal debt is too large and should be paid down, or whether it is simply a necessary catalyst for continued economic growth.
An outcome in a transaction where one of the counterparties in the transaction fails to meet their respective obligations. When failure to deliver occurs, either the party with the long position does not have enough money to pay for the transaction, or the party in the short position does not own the underlying assets that are to be delivered. Failure to deliver can occur in both equity and derivatives markets. |||Whenever a trade is made, both parties in the transaction will have to transfer the cash and assets before the settlement date. Subsequently, if the transaction is not settled, one side of the transaction has failed to deliver. Failure to deliver also can occur if there is a technical problem in the settlement process carried out by the respective clearing house. For forward contracts, a party with the short position's failure to deliver can cause significant problems for the party with the long position, because these contracts often involve significant volumes of commodities that are pertinent to long position's business operations. Failure to deliver is also important when discussing naked short selling. When naked short selling occurs an individual agrees to sell a stock that they neither own nor have borrowed. Subsequently, the failure to deliver creates what are called "phantom shares" in the market which may dilute the price of the underlying stock.
A foreign exchange term for a thinly traded currency. Exotic currencies are illiquid, lack market depth and trade at low volumes. Trading an exotic currency can be expensive, as the bid-ask spread is usually large. |||Exotics are not considered major currencies because they are not easily traded in a standard brokerage account. Major currencies include the U.S. dollar, Euro, Canadian dollar and Swiss franc. Examples of exotic currencies include the Thai baht, Uruguay peso or Iraqi dinari.
The abbreviation for the Falkland Islands pound, the official currency of Falkland Islands. The Falkland Islands pound was brought to the region during the British occupation of 1833. The FKP symbol is £ or FK£. It is pegged to the British pound sterling and can be used interchangeably with the pound sterling. |||Falkland Island pound coins are issued in 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50 pence denominations, along with £1 and £2 coins. Banknotes are printed in £5, £10, £20 and £50 denominations.