A more complicated currency market is the forwards currency market. Forward trading is different from spot trading in that you must take into account the interest rate differences ,otherwise called the interest rate differential, between the countries currencies you are trading in. For example, when dealing with the currency pair GBP/USD (Great Britain Pound against the USA dollar), you must take into account the interest rate differences between Britain and the USA. If the interest rate in Britain is 5% and the interest rate in the USA is 3%, the interest rate differential is 2%.
A forward currency contract attempts to calculate the fair value of two currencies taking into account the interest rates of the two countries in the future. The future rate or the forward rate is normally 3 days to 3 years, but most such contracts are under 6 months. The forward rate is calculated as
(Spot rate x interest differential (e.g. Dollar interest rate - British Pound Interest Rate) x days/360) / (1+ ( British Pound Interest Rate x Days/360)
Before you get your calculator out, note that the determination of the forward price is not a prediction of a future exchange rate but is merely a tool to allow parties to fix a rate in the future. Currency forwards are the domain of large financial institutions and corporations.
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