The main issue in December was the British election and its possible impact on Brexit plans.  British Prime Minister Boris Johnson returned to Downing Street with a big majority after the Conservatives easily accounted for Labour in its traditional heartlands.  Mr Johnson said it would give him a mandate to "get Brexit done" and take the United Kingdom out of the European Union next month. Earlier in the month, the U.S. Federal Reserve’s (Fed) Federal Open Market Committee had its two-day policy meeting, keeping interest rates steady, as widely expected.  Unlike many previous meetings, the decision to keep rates unchanged was unanimous. After three straight interest rate cuts this this year, the Fed kept the funds rate in a target range of 1.5%-1.75%. More importantly, the Fed indicated that no action is likely next year while there is persistently low inflation.

Themes to watch in 2019: Mixed Bag in Asia, What Next for the Fed? Deal or No Deal? Critical Times for Britain

Economic calendars lay out the dates and potential impact of scheduled national and international events that are likely to affect the price and popularity of given markets or assets. Because certain types of events have been known to impact trade in significant, predictable ways, the nature and date of each event on an economic calendar can be used as a trading indicator to maximize profit potential.

The Dow Jones Industrial Average moves to an all-time high, the Federal Reserve hikes rates again, and the US dollar finishes the month stronger on the back of the Federal Reserve's outlook for another rate hike in December, three more next year, and one increase in 2020.  Central banks and trade talk continued to dominate the markets and there remain many loose ends as United States and China continue their ‘tit for tat’ antics in trade talks, and more recently with Canada and the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). 

The month of August saw an increase in volatility and some reasonably strong movies in a large group of currency pairs.  Central banks and trade talk continued to dominate the markets and there remain many loose ends still to be attended to in trade between the United States and China. 

The month of July was a relatively quiet month for many currency pairs with a few isolated incidents of sharp moves in the yen, gold and a strong rise in U.S. equities.  Central banks and trade talk continued to dominate the markets and there remain many loose ends to be attended to in trade.

If you’re a forex trader, you face more reports, indicators, and surveyed data than you probably know what to do with. While there is plenty of data that traders should keep an eye on, the consumer confidence index represents especially important. To help you further understand the consumer confidence index, the following explains what it is and what it entails.

Though many of us have heard of the unemployment rate, few actually know what it is, what it means, and why it’s important to forex and currency traders. For a trader, the unemployment rate is incredibly important, as it—in its own way—reveals something about the current state of a nation’s economy. The following looks at how the unemployment rate can impact currency prices, and gives three examples of when that will likely be the case.

One of the most fundamental indicators of both financial market activity and exchange rate changes is the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) report. At its core, the GDP’s first release and its revisions influence the currency of the nation for which it is released. If the data comes out higher than expected, this is typically considered to be positive news, and the currency will often see a boost in relation to other currencies. On the other hand, when the GDP data is lower than the market expects, it’s typically considered negative news, and the currency will usually drop in value as a result.

GDP is such a commonly used term, with the GDP report being routinely cited. The following builds on the above introduction to further explain what how the GDP report impacts the forex market.

Looking back at 2017, the forex market has presented quite the rollercoaster ride. Over the past 12 months, the world’s major currencies have been put through the grinder, facing political controversies, economic instability, and the cold feet of various financial institutions. At times, the direction of the market has been anyone’s guess, creating an incredibly challenging trading climate for any investor. From the Brexit battle to Donald’s Trump’s tumultuous reign as US President to Angela Merkel’s problematic election campaign, currencies have had to weather the storm during 2017, with December being no exception.

As the year comes to its conclusion, it seems that the forex market is likely to end feeling dented more than anything else. The following looks at why December probably hasn’t given investors too much to shout about as 2017 draws to a close.