As an investor it is important for you to understand the differences between cash FOREX and currency futures. In currency futures, the contract size is predetermined.

With FOREX (SPOT FX), you may trade any desired amount typically above $100,000 USD The futures market closes at the end of the business day (similar to the stock market) If important data is released overseas while the U.S. futures markets is closed, the next day's opening might sustain large gaps with potential for large losses if the direction of the move is against your position.

The Spot FOREX market runs continuously on a 24-hour basis from 7:00 am New Zealand time Monday morning to 5:00 pm New York Time Friday evening. Dealers in every major FX trading center (Sydney, Tokyo, Hong Kong/Singapore, London, Geneva and New York/Toronto) ensure a smooth transition as liquidity migrates from one time zone to the next. Furthermore, currency futures trade in non-USD denominated currency amounts only whereas in spot FOREX, an investor can trade either in currency denominations, or in the more conventionally quoted USD amounts. The currency futures pit, even during Regular IMM (International Money Market) hours suffers from sporadic lulls in liquidity and constant price gaps. The spot FOREX market offers constant liquidity and market depth much more consistently than Futures. With IMM futures one is limited in the currency pairs he can trade - Most currency futures are traded only versus the USD - With spot forex, (as with MoneyTec Trader) one may trade foreign currencies vs. USD or vs. each other on a 'cross' basis as well - ex: EURJPY, GBPJPY, CHFJPY, EURGBP and AUDNZD. 

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