Unlike other financial markets, the Forex market operates 24 hours a day, 5.5 days a week (6:00 PM EST on Sunday until 4:00 PM EST on Friday).

Through an electronic network of banks, corporations and individual traders exchange currencies, though as Forex is primarily used as a means for speculative investing, actual physical delivery of currencies is almost never intended.

Forex trading begins every active day in Sydney, moves to Tokyo, followed by Europe and finally the Americas (Remember, it is 8:00 AM in Syndey (the following calendar day) when it is 6:00pm EST in America (a calendar day behind)).