Welcome to the Forex Factory user guide! The Forex Factory website is a complex application that can take a long time to explore and understand.  While this user guide only covers a fraction of the website, it will give you a great head-start in understanding the site's functionality and underlying rationale.

Forex Factory is entirely focused on curating forex-market information for traders. The nature of this information is primarily real-time (i.e., what's happening right now), and the scope ranges from economic data to analysis from members. You can read more about the Forex Factory website, and the ideals that drive it, on the Mission page.

Forex Factory hosts seven products: Trade Explorer, Forums, Trades, News, Calendar, Market, and Brokers. There's a link to each of these products in the header of every page, except for the Trade Explorer which is located on your member profile (once created).


Additional Help

If you need assistance with something not covered in this user guide, you can get help through the following channels:

• Help with the website: Submit a help request
• Help with your membership: Send a private message to Twee
• Help with your trading: Search the website or post your questions on the Forums
• Report a member: Submit a 'Cleanup Report' (
   
  ) on any of the member's posts
• Report a website bug: Submit a bug report

The Forex Factory website can be adjusted to reflect any time zone that you choose. Once your time has been set, all timestamps and datestamps throughout the site will be displayed in your chosen time, thereby eliminating the need for mental time conversions.

 
To synchronize the website with your local time, click the clock (

 

) in the header of any page, or access the time zone settings directly. There, you can either click the 'Match Automatically' link, which will set your time zone to that of your device, or you can choose your time zone from the drop-down list.

Please note that time zone settings will also automatically adjust for DST (“Daylight Saving Time”), thereby removing the need to adjust the time if your region follows seasonal time changes.


Default Time

Forex Factory automatically defaults to New York time zone (Eastern Time, US & Canada) during your first visit, but will adjust automatically if your system clock has a different setting.

If you are having problems with your time zone settings, please submit a help request.

Forex Factory's top-level pages can be arranged to suit your trading. Blocks on these pages can be moved up and down, from left to right, and on some pages they can be removed. The arrangement controls appear when hovering over a block's header.

 

Homepage

The homepage is the most flexible page — it's essentially a blank canvas that you can populate and arrange as desired. Not only can blocks be moved and removed, but you can also copy blocks from around the website. To copy a new block to the Homepage, go to the block's "native" page and click on the copy-to-home icon (

 

).

 

For example, if you want the 'Trade Feed' on your Homepage, go to the Trades page (the Trade Feed's native page) and click the copy-to-home icon in the block's header. This will copy the Trade Feed to the top of your Homepage, where you can then move it to the desired position.  This functionality is available on most blocks; in the future it'll be available on all of them.

The Homepage also allows for multiple block instances. For example, the Calendar block can be copied to your Homepage several times, and each instance can have a different filter applied so you get multiple viewpoints.   

Market Page

Like the Homepage, the Market page allows for multiple block instances and the removal of blocks. However, it differs in that the number of instances is limited, and blocks are added to the page using the controls in the sidebar.

 
Trade Explorer

Like other blocks, your Trade Explorer can be moved around and copied to the Homepage, but it can also be copied to the Calendar page, News page, and Market page. The placement of your Trade Explorer is modified in its 'Settings.'   

 
Default Page

Most Forex Factory pages can be brought back to their original arrangement/settings by clicking the 'Default Page’ link located in the page footer. This link brings everything on the page back to default, including the layout and the settings of each block on the page.
 

Forex Factory membership affords many benefits — but it also bears a lot of responsibility.  And while membership is free (join here), it can be denied to and revoked from those who do not abide by the code of conduct. Forex Factory is focused on trading, and the overarching expectation for members is that they too are focused on trading. Focusing on the pursuit of trading profits will generally have positive effects on your membership, and straying from trading will generally have negative effects.  

The following is a partial list of actions a member can perform (which a guest cannot):  

• Post in the Forums
• Submit stories in the News
• Create a Trade Explorer
• Manage a member profile
• Subscribe to news, calendar events, threads, stories, and members
• Receive header, browser, and email alerts
• Private message with other members
• Shout on members' profiles
• Retain settings across multiple computers/devices
   

Privacy

Forex Factory is built on the concept of easily-accessed information, and therefore your profile and most of what you post on the website (e.g., replies in the forums, comments on news stories, shouts on profiles) is publicly visible. And in many cases it's a permanent record that cannot be deleted. However, it's possible (and encouraged) to remain completely anonymous by never revealing your personal identity on the website. As long as your posts and username do not reveal your identity, your activity on Forex Factory will never be connected to you personally. 

If you choose to connect your personal identity to your Forex Factory username, you're effectively making everything you post on the website a permanent public record. Only members who understand how to manage this risk (e.g., commercial services) should make this connection.  

Forex Factory has no financial relationship with members, and doesn't request personal information from members. The only information required for membership is a username and a working email address. You're encouraged to conceal any information that could be used to connect your username to your personal identity. 

Some aspects of the website are clearly kept private, like the Private Messaging system and Trade Explorers set to 'Me Only.' Any interactions you have with Forex Factory staff will also be held in confidence. Forex Factory also takes the following measures to improve privacy: 

• Your information and activity will not be sold (see 'Revenue model')
• Your email address will never be shared
• Trade Explorer data is not stored after you delete it
• Private messages are not stored after you 'permanently delete' them
   

Frequent Questions

How do I change my username?
How do I delete my username?

The Member Impact Ranking System (MIRS) ranks members based on the number of subscribers they have. The system's primary purpose is to highlight members who post quality information, so traders can sort through posted content faster. Members who have impact are highlighted with one of three icons:
 
To illustrate, a member displaying a high-impact icon (

 

) next to their username is ranked 'high impact,' signifying that when they make a post, lots of traders are alerted via their 'Subscriptions.' Technically, more traders are alerted than when 98% of members make a post, since high-impact members represent the top 2%.

MIRS considers both 'Buddies' and 'Subscribers' (found in profile 'Network' block) to be a subscriber, since buddies are simply mutually-subscribed members. However, there are some subscribers that do not count, as explained in the following 'Caveats' section. Also, commercial members are excluded from the system at this time.

MIRS has several ancillary uses as well. For instance, you can filter the Trade Feed by impact, posting in threads can be restricted by impact, and thread starting in the Interactive Trading forum is restricted to members with impact.

Subscriber Caveats

While rankings are 'based on the number of subscribers' a member has, there are two types of subscribers that do not count toward a member's rank:
Ranking Formula

The MIRS formula is completely transparent. Rankings are formulated through the following process: Frequent Questions

How many subscribers do I need to be ranked?

The best traders approach the markets professionally, apolitically, amorally, waving no flag — this is generally how Forex Factory members are expected to conduct themselves on the website. The following code of conduct should be observed by members throughout their interactions on the website. Members who persistently or severely break the code of conduct may have their membership revoked.

I. Focus on trading

Forex Factory is focused entirely on forex trading, and therefore the primary focus of every member should be trading. The amount of trading-related sentences a member posts must far outweigh the non-trading sentences. While non-trading topics will naturally be mixed into discussions, the foundation of every discussion and debate should be related to trading.

This code is essential to maintaining a high-quality trading environment. Not only does trading focus keep the environment pure, but with members from every nation, religion, and political party, trading is the only thing everyone has in common. Focusing on what unifies the membership results in a superior trading environment.

II. Respect fellow traders

Theoretically, all members are at Forex Factory for the same purpose: the pursuit of trading profits. Therefore, members should treat each other like professional colleagues. Members should not be mean-spirited, harassing, or otherwise show hatred toward a member. Unresolvable personality conflicts should be managed using the 'Ignore' (

 

) feature.

III. No bickering

While trading-related debate is encouraged, members should not engage in mindless arguing, battling, or trolling. Not only does bickering distract others from trading, but it wastes energy for the bickering participants. Unresolvable personality conflicts should be managed using the 'Ignore' (

 

) feature.

IV. No nationalism or racism

With members from every nation and race, members should be sensitive to how they speak about other countries and ethnicities. Members should never show hatred for or be derogatory toward a country or a race of people. Generally, countries should only be referred to in terms of economics or market impact, and with an unbiased financial tone. Humorous tones, however, are generally accepted.  

V. No politics or religion

Politics and religion should not be discussed unless it's in direct relation to their market affect. Politics play a big role in the markets, and therefore it's inevitable they'll be discussed — members who participate in these discussions must ensure they're not letting their partisan bias into the conversation. Generally, a member's political or religious affiliation should not be obvious from their posts.

Politics and religion are among the most controversial topics in the world. At best, both topics are a distraction from the pursuit of trading profits, and at worst they boil emotions. Minimizing these topics minimizes the negative commotion they typically invoke. Humorous tones, however, are generally accepted.  

VI. No conspiracy or doomsday

Forex Factory is not the place for people with an extraordinary ability to detect conspiracies, or people who have the ability to predict the demise of a market, monetary system, government, country, civilization, or the world itself.  These abilities are not useful in trading, and serve as a distraction to traders who view the market from a professional standpoint.

VII. No personal agendas

Forex Factory may not be used for personal agendas such as ego boosting, gaining attention, or exacting revenge. These agendas, even when tied to trading topics, can cause large-scale distractions that take focus off trading.

VIII. No commercial agendas

Members may not use Forex Factory to promote a product or service, either their own or someone else's. This includes products or services that are planned for the future. If a member's posts can link them to a commercial enterprise in the financial markets, they're in violation of this code.

Members who are focused on a product or service, or new members who mention a little-known website, are generally suspected to be company shills. Action may be taken against suspected shills without conclusive evidence, as they compromise the integrity of discussions and can be difficult to prove conclusively.

Members who wish to promote a commercial product or service must be designated a 'Commercial Member' and are expected to abide by the Commercial Code of Conduct.

There's currently an exception to this code for brokers who advertise on Forex Factory (listed on Brokers) — they are allowed to host a thread and respond to traders in the Broker Discussion forum.

IX. One username at a time

Traders should only operate one Forex Factory username at a time. Controlling multiple usernames simultaneously is prohibited, regardless of the intent, because it compromises the integrity of discussions.

Forex Factory employs a sophisticated system for detecting the use of multiple usernames. It goes far beyond simple IP address matching to ensure that no one is manipulating discussions with multiple users. Usernames that are found to be duplicates are marked with the 'Additional Username' status, and blocked from further posting.

Any Member who makes money by providing a product or service to traders should be designated a Commercial Member. Commercial Members are allowed to promote products and services in the Commercial Content forum, as long as they abide by the following code of conduct. Generally, Commercial Members should be upfront, professional, and not be sneaky.

Please note that Forex Factory's Commercial Membership rules and functionality will be revamped in the near future. Your patience with the current system is appreciated.

I. Be transparent

Members who are associated with a product or service should make that fact obvious. There's zero tolerance for cloaking a company association with the intent of promoting a product or service (e.g., pretending to be a happy customer, etc.).

II. No Spam

Commercial members should not spam Forex Factory by posting duplicate content, bumping their threads, or flooding the website with worthless posts.

III. No Scams

Products and services that are built upon bad intent (i.e., the seller knows the service is not worth the price) are not allowed to be promoted on Forex Factory. This generally includes signal services, multi-level-marketing, and get-rich-quick schemes.

While Forex Factory does not evaluate every product or service promoted by Commercial Members, if one comes to the staff's attention, it may be disallowed if discretionarily deemed to be a scam.

The Trade Explorer is a web-based interface that empowers you to intelligently analyze your trading performance. With hundreds of metrics and interactive graphs, the Trade Explorer makes it easy to identify the weaknesses and strengths in your trading. If willing, you can then use this information to minimize your weaknesses and capitalize on your strengths.
The Trade Explorer was designed for experienced traders. Statistics are reported in the same industry-standard format used by CTAs and hedge funds, pips are used to describe market movement (not profit), and all metrics consider open-trade equity (related blog post: Trade Explorer: for pro traders). Calculation accuracy is of paramount importance, with significant and ongoing efforts deployed to to ensure data integrity.



 

Creation

You can create up to eight Trade Explorers from the Trade Explorer creation page. You can also click 'Create Trade Explorer' (

 

) in the 'Trade Explorers' section of your member profile (forexfactory.com/guest). Currently, the Trade Explorer is only compatible with brokerage accounts using the MetaTrader 4 or fxTrade platforms. More platforms will be integrated in the future.

Synchronization

When creating a Trade Explorer, all historical trading data is imported from your brokerage account. To keep the data current, Forex Factory's servers securely and automatically connect to your account every few minutes to grab any new data. Therefore, Trade Explorer data is only delayed from real-time by the duration since the last synchronization ('Last Sync' time denoted in the header).

Sometimes the automatic synchronization only occurs every few hours (e.g., accounts with no recent trading history), however, a manual sync can be issued at any time by clicking the 'Sync' button (

 

) at the top-right of your Trade Explorer.

Equity|Balance Toggle

In trading, equity is the value of an account including open trades, and balance is the value excluding open trades. The Equity|Balance toggle allows the Trade Explorer to be switched between displaying equity-based metrics and balance-based metrics.

For example, with the 'Equity' option selected, the metric 'Return This Month' will measure the account equity at the start of the month (with open trades marked-to-market) against the equity at present (again with open trades marked-to-market). When the 'Balance' option is selected, the metric will measure account balance at the start of the month (open trades ignored) against the current balance.

While balanced-based metrics can be useful for understanding some aspects of your trading, measuring performance in terms of equity is a more professional approach (related blog post: Trade Explorer: for pro traders). The open profit/loss on an asset is critical to understanding its value, and with open profit/loss is hidden, returns can look fantastic while the account is near a margin call (think martingale strategy with huge open losers).

Pips Defined

The Trade Explorer considers a pip to be a change in the second or fourth decimal of a currency pair price, depending on the pair. For example, a change in EUR/USD from 1.3000 to 1.3001 would be considered one pip, and a change in USD/JPY from 100.00 to 100.01 would also be considered one pip. The decimal beyond the pip level is considered a "pipette." This definition is required because some brokers consider a pip to be the smallest movement of a currency pair, which Trade Explorer considered to be a pipette.

The Trade Explorer will report trades in non-currency instruments, such as gold or oil, but will not treat their market movements as pips. Therefore, pip totals and pip calculations (such as 'Average Trade Pips') will not include trades made in non-currency instruments. This approach is taken because non-currency instruments have vastly different tick values, which can distort pip-based statistics.

Lot Size Defined

The lot size of the connected brokerage account is defined on the 'Trade Report' tab, and that size is reflected throughout the Trade Explorer. For example, if you're trading standard lots (100K), '2 lots' reported on the Trade Explorer means two standard lots (200K). Likewise, if your brokerage account is set up to trade mini lots, when the Trade Explorer reports '2 lots' it means two mini lots (20K).

Help Icons

Throughout the Trade Explorer you'll see help icons (

 

) to the left of important terms. Rollover these icons for an annotation containing the applicable calculation and/or description. Clicking the icon will hold the annotation open.

The settings (click 'Settings' (

 

) in the top-right of the header) give you control over several aspects of your Trade Explorer, such as its name, visibility, permissions, placement, time zone, and start date. They also allow you to change your account access credentials or delete your Trade Explorer entirely.
 
 

Visibility and Permissions

There are four settings related to the visibility of your Trade Explorer. The 'Visibility' setting determines who can see the Trade Explorer — you only, only your buddies, only members you're subscribed to, only Forex Factory members, or open to the public. The other three settings hide specific information from those who can see your Trade Explorer. For example, if 'Visibility' is set to 'Public', but 'Money and Lots' is set to 'Buddies Only', a visitor to Forex Factory would be able to see your Trade Explorer, but there would be a lock icon (

 

) hiding all values related to money and lots.

Money and lots are grouped in one setting because if either is known, the other can be calculated. For example, if you were able to hide money and keep lots public, money could be calculated from the lot values.

Time Zone

During creation you'll specify a time zone for which the Trade Explorer will abide. The time zone can be changed via the settings. For example, if your Trade Explorer is set to GMT+2, periods such as 'Today' and 'This Month' will show the same GMT+2-based timestamps to anyone viewing your Trade Explorer. The time zone is decoupled from your Forex Factory global time zone setting to allow you, for instance, to match the time zone to your broker. It also makes for consistent communication with others viewing your Trade Explorer.

Change Investor Password

If your brokerage account uses the MetaTrader 4 platform (i.e., connected via Investor Password), you can change your credentials by clicking 'Change Investor Password' (

 

). If you change your Investor Password on your MetaTrader platform, the change needs to be reflected here. To learn more about the Investor Password, see Security and Privacy.

Delete Trade Explorer

When you delete a Trade Explorer it's permanently deleted from Forex Factory's server infrastructure, and after one month it will not even be stored on database backups. Deleting a Trade Explorer is not reversible, although a new one can be created with the account.

Custom Start

This setting allows you to specify a date that your Trade Explorer begins including brokerage account history, thereby truncating old trading history that may not be relevant to the current strategy or period (related blog post: Get a fresh start with Trade Explorer).

Position and Placement

These settings allow you to specify where the Trade Explorer appears on the website, and in what position it appears when you have more than one.

The security of your brokerage account and the privacy of your trading activity are of paramount importance. The Trade Explorer only requires "read" access to your brokerage account, thereby making it impossible for your funds to be accessed even if your Forex Factory account is compromised.

Your read-only account credentials are transferred to Forex Factory over a secure socket, and data is stored using 128-bit encryption. Forex Factory will never divulge your information to 3rd parties (in accordance with the privacy policy) and does not retain your data after you delete your Trade Explorer.

MetaTrader 4 Investor Password

Trade Explorers connect to the MetaTrader 4 platform using use your account number and “Investor Password.” The Investor Password was developed by MetaQuotes (creator of MetaTrader) to allow traders to show their account to others without allowing the ability to make changes (i.e., read-only access).

The Investor Password allows:
The Investor Password does not allow:
Most MetaTrader-based brokerage accounts come with a preset Investor Password which is included in the registration mail. The password can be changed within the platform via Tools > Options > Server > Change. If you change the Investor Password, Forex Factory’s servers will not have access to your account until you update the password in the settings. Forex Factory does NOT retain the Investor Password whatsoever after you change it or delete your Trade Explorer.

Privacy Permissions

In your Trade Explorer's settings you can specify who can view it. Choose between 'Public' (everyone can see it), 'Members Only' (only Forex Factory members can see it), 'Subscriptions Only' (only members you are subscribed to can see it), 'Buddies Only' (only your buddies can see it), or for the utmost privacy you can choose 'Me Only,' so only you can see it. You can set permissions on certain types of information as well, such as money, lots, stop losses, and profit targets.


 

Below are the most common issues experienced with the Trade Explorer. If you have a problem not covered please submit a help request.

Not synchronizing

Your Trade Explorer should automatically synchronize with your brokerage account every few minutes (must refresh the page to see latest data), or every few hours if there's no recent trading activity. You can determine the time of the last synchronization from the 'Last Sync' timestamp in the top-right of the interface. If your Trade Explorer is not automatically synchronizing (i.e., shows an old timestamp), there are a few possible causes:

1. Your Explorer was deactivated due to a long period of inactivity. In this case you'll see an alert at the top of your Trade Explorer which gives you the ability to reactivate.

2. The Investor Password on your MetaTrader platform has been changed. Your Trade Explorer needs the proper Investor Password in order to connect with your brokerage account. If you've changed the password on the MetaTrader platform, you'll need to update the password in the settings.

3. Your broker changed the server for your account. Sometimes brokers will move accounts to different servers for internal purposes. If you think this is the case, you can delete the Trade Explorer and recreate it, or if that's not desirable, you can submit a help request to have the server fixed for you.

Not matching another source

There are several reasons why the statistics and data shown on the Trade Explorer may not match similar tools, or even your trading platform itself. Many times the difference can be attributed to Trade Explorer reporting metrics in a more professional format, such as the consideration of open trade equity in every statistic (related blog post: Trade Explorer: for pro traders).

Other reasons include the treatment of swap and commission. The Trade Explorer treats swap and commission as part of each trade's profit or loss, whereas MetaTrader and most analytic websites account for swap and commission separate from the trade.

If you feel there's an error in one of your Trade Explorer's metrics, please submit a help request.

The Forums are provided exclusively for traders to collaborate, debate, and exchange ideas about trading. There are more posts made in the forums than any other financial forum in the world, and a large portion of them are high-quality posts from experienced traders. This rich environment is made possible by a diverse group of intelligent members and a strictly-enforced code of conduct.

There are two settings that give you control over who can post in threads you've started. Both settings can be accessed by clicking the 'Admin' button (

 

) at the top-right of your thread.
 
 

Impact Hurdle

You can limit posting to members who've reached a desired impact rank (see Impact Ranking System) by setting an impact hurdle. Members you're subscribed to can bypass the hurdle, and you cannot be blocked from your own thread regardless of the settings.

To illustrate, if you start a thread and set the hurdle to 'Medium Impact,' the only members who can post in your thread are those who are ranked medium impact (

 

), high impact (

 

), or those who you're subscribed to.

Ignore Blocking

Members who you're ignoring (

 

) will be blocked from posting in your thread if this setting is checked. This control makes for a productive trading environment where you can trade in peace. If a member begins to annoy, harass, or attack your thread, you should quickly ignore the troublemaker to bring the thread back to its productive state.

Whereas the code of conduct governs the forum, the following best practices are etiquette guides. If you think of a best practice that should be added, please submit a contact form.

The News product provides traders with professionally-curated stories that are important to traders, and it is Forex Factory's mission to deliver market-moving news faster and more consistently than any other source on the internet. Additionally, Forex Factory strives to provide traders with the most useful and entertaining forex-related content available.

Forex Factory's News is curated from a wide variety of quality sources including central banks, global news agencies, forex brokers, financial institutions, and more. News sources are frequently and rigorously evaluated — all being accountable to the highest standard of quality. Stories are selected by Forex Factory's Financial Economists, who monitor the markets 24/7. Members of the community may also submit stories for consideration.

Settings

Each News block is customizable and can display stories by category, popularity, and comments. You can select from several criteria to customize your display by adjusting the flex-box settings in the top-left corner.

 

 
 


Subscriptions and Alerts

Subscribing to news categories and activating alerts is done via the Subscribe button. Clicking it activates the Subscription settings.

 

 

Story View

Clicking into stories allows you to view a preview, a link to the original source, member comments, related news, surrounding stories, and linked calendar events. Alerts can also be activated for all comments by clicking the Subscribe button.  Posting a comment will automatically subscribe you to the comments, and unsubscribing is automatic after two weeks of comment inactivity.

   

Clicking the subscribe button again opens Subscription Options for the individual story.


 
 

Breaking

A story is considered 'Breaking' when it contains new information that has market-moving potential.

Based on the price volatility of related instruments, breaking news stories are rated as either High Impact ( ), Medium Impact ( ), or Low Impact ( ). Ratings are often upgraded over time as the stories unfold.

Often, as additional information develops, relevant news may be combined in the form of joined stories. Stories are joined when they provide new information relating to the original story, and when published within an approximate time of the initial article.

   

Fundamental Analysis

Includes analysis, insights, and rumors regarding market-related events or known drivers of forex price movements.  Fundamental news makes up the majority of articles posted to Forex Factory.

Technical Analysis

Stories are typically price-based analysis and insights related to forex instruments.  These often include charts and indicators used to make price predictions.

Entertainment News

These articles sprinkle an amount of entertainment into what is often a very serious profession.  Articles are often funny, scandalous, exciting, or touching, and shine a financial light on the trending news of the day.

Forex Industry News

Includes stories about forex-focused trading businesses and regulatory updates, which are not directly related to price movements.

Educational News

Articles are typically history lessons or tutorials that are useful to professional traders.
 

Forex Factory economists regularly post stories via the ‘Newsstand’ user, however, any member is encouraged to submit news for consideration. The news editors only approve the timeliest and most insightful stories which fit well with the current news mix.

Breaking news, professional analysis, and entertaining news are the most likely to be posted, while stories that are stale, duplicates, promotional, or cater to novice traders are least likely to be posted.

A denied story does not mean the editors deemed the story to be low quality; it means the story was not the best fit with the targeted news mix at the time.

How to Submit

Paste the story URL into the "Submit News" field at the top-left sidebar of News and click Submit News.

 

Story submission details can be edited on the page that follows. If submitting via mobile phone, this screen will be skipped, and the story will be immediately sent to the news editors.

 

Once finalized, clicking ‘Submit to Editors’ will send the story to Forex Factory staff who will evaluate the submission for necessary edits and posting.

 

The Market product is powered by a sophisticated infrastructure that aggregates prices from multiple sources in real-time. The infrastructure has been developed by Fair Economy since 2009, and its price-aggregation capabilities are leveraged to create a unique set of instruments that represent the true forex market.  


Forex Instruments

Forex Factory's Market product includes 31 forex instruments, reporting prices 24-hours a day in real-time. Data is aggregated from more than a dozen sources, resulting in prices with exchange-like integrity, which are truer to the market than any single OTC feed. To view an instrument, type any of the following into the Scanner or Chart:


Data Sources

The Market product aggregates price data, in real-time, from the following ECNs and market makers:
 

Live Data

Market applications have a 'Live' option in the header. When checked, prices will update automatically, without requiring the page to reload. Please note that live feeds will persistently use your computer's processor and network connection.

 

Open/Close Times

Without a central exchange, there's no official open or close times for the forex market. Like all spot markets, every participating dealer sets their own market hours. For practical purposes, Forex Factory considers the forex market open from Sunday 5pm ET to Friday 5pm ET, and this period is referred to as 'FF market hours' ('ET' stands for 'Eastern Time' and it's the time zone for New York).

When it's 5:00pm in New York, it's 5:00pm in your local time (assuming your time is synchronized). Therefore, FF market hours are 5:00pm to 5:00pm in your time zone.

Market operates according to FF market hours. The Scanner and Chart will stop updating when the market is considered closed, the chart's daily bars open and close according to FF market hours, and the chart's first 4-hour bar of each day opens according to FF market hours. Please note that the FF market hours' range will shift by one hour with daylight savings time in Spring and Fall, as New York can be in either EST (Eastern Standard Time) or EDT (Eastern Daylight Time).


Disclaimer

Data included in the Market product is aggregated from the above-listed sources. Forex Factory does not verify this data, and disclaims any obligation to do so. Forex Factory and the above-listed sources expressly disclaim the accuracy, adequacy, or completeness of the produced data, and shall not be held liable for any errors, omissions, defects, delays, interruptions, or for any actions taken in reliance on the data. All data and information are provided "as is" for personal informational purposes only, and is not intended for trading purposes or as financial advice. Please consult several sources before executing a trade. 

The Market Scanner is a flexible interface that gives traders a broad view of current market conditions, at a glance. 
 
 

Settings

The settings allow you to customize the block name, number of metrics and instruments displayed, and the price format.
  
 

Metric Rows

The metrics can be customized by clicking on the metric's cell.  You can choose from twelve metrics, and many allow you to set the metric's period and color.
 

 

                    

For look-back periods of 'Last 6 Hours' or shorter, change is calculated by comparing the current bid to the closing bid of the 1M bar X minutes ago (i.e., rolling basis). For example, the 'Last 30 Minutes' change is the current bid minus the closing bid of the 1M bar that occurred 30 minutes ago.

For the look-back periods of '12 Hours' and longer, the change is calculated similarly, except 5M bars are used instead of 1M bars. For example, the 'Last 12 Hours' change is the current bid minus the closing bid of the 5M bar that occurred 12 hours ago.

The period represents absolute time, not market time. Therefore, when the market opens for the week, the 'Last 24 Hours' period will look back to the previous day, not the last day the market was open. To illustrate, if you're viewing the 'Pip Change' for the 'Last 24 Hours' shortly after the market opens for the week, you'll effectively be viewing the change since the market opened (not a full 24 hours).

 

Abbreviations Used
 

5M	=	Change from 5 minutes ago
30M	=	Change from 30 minutes ago
60M	=	Change from 60 minutes ago
6H	=	Change from 6 hours ago
12H	=	Change from 12 hours ago
24H	=	Change from 24 hours ago

"1.1234 | 36" is shorthand for "1.1234 bid, 1.1236 ask"

The Market Chart is based on the median bid from several aggregated sources. Times are displayed according to your time zone settings, your mouse wheel can be used to zoom in and out, and the chart can be moved by clicking and dragging.
 

The sessions timeline illustrates the forex market's 24-hour trip around the world. It gives you an at-a-glance feel for which sessions are active, which sessions are coming up, and when they'll begin and end.



 
Forex is an over-the-counter international market with no central exchange, and therefore has no official market hours. The sessions defined (Sydney, Tokyo, London, New York), and the begin/end times of each session, are based on OANDA's FXMarketHours tool. OANDA is sourced primarily because they're the only major broker to publish such data, and their listed session times are the generally accepted view.

The begin/end times of each session are as follows (displayed in your time). Please note that session times will shift by one hour in the Spring and Fall due to daylight saving time.