Forex market and its prices are a mystery to most new traders. Questions such as, ‘what causes currency prices to move?’, ‘who decides whether one currency should appreciate in value or depreciate?’ are common on forex trading forums. It is to answer these very questions that this piece is being written. So let’s get to it. Factors affecting currency value There is no straight forward answer to this question. We need to address it at two levels if we’re going to get to the root of it. First level of factors The first level is the body that analyzes the market and comes to the conclusion that currency A should increase in value. This body is comprised of all the participants of the foreign exchange business. Everyone who is participating in the market in one way or the other contributes to the eventual direction the market takes. After all, in forex, the traders are the market. Forex as an OTC market Traders and the market participants are especially important in forex because it is an OTC market. OTC stands for Over The Counter and it means that there is no central exchange. There is no regulatory authority keeping an eye on the workings of the market or that strategies for it.