Market Makers
Unlike the Stock Market, the Foreign Currency Exchange Market (Forex) does not have a physical central exchange like the NYSE does at 11 Wall Street. Without a central exchange, currency exchange rates are made, or set, by market makers. Banks constantly quote a bid and ask price based on anticipated currency movements taking place and thereby make the market. Major Banks like UBS, Barclays Capital, Deutsche Bank and Citigroup handle very large currency trading (forex) transactions often in billions of dollars. These transactions cause the primary movement of currency prices in the short term.
Other factors contribute to currency exchange rates and these include forex transactions made by smaller banks, hedge funds, companies, forex brokers and traders. Companies are involved in forex transaction due to their need to pay for products and services supplied from other countries which use a different currency. Forex traders on the other hand use forex transaction, of a much smaller volume with comparison to banks, to benefit from anticipated currency movements by buying cheap and selling at a higher price or vice versa. This is done through forex brokers who act as a mediator between a pool of traders and also between themselves and banks.
Central banks also play a role in setting currency exchange rates by altering interest rates. By increasing interest rates they stimulate traders to buy their currency as it provides a high return on investment and this drives the value of the corresponding central bank's currency higher with comparison to other currencies.
Read more about this topic: Interbank Foreign Exchange Market
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