A financial instrument is a monetary contract between two parties that allows one party to transfer to another party an asset, like cash, shares in a company, the right to future cash flow, or the right to buy or sell an asset sometime down the road. Financial instruments can be cash-based or derivatives based.  Examples include loans, deposits, bonds, stocks, stock options and futures, spot forex, currency futures, interest rate swaps, and currency swaps.

A foreign exchange trading platform is a software program that allows individuals to buy and sell currencies on the forex market.

Whether you're trading forex, crypto, stocks, options or futures, " trading" is comprised of many of the same common trading terms, concepts and principles. To become the best trader, regardless of your asset-of-choice, you have to learn and understand these key trading terms to lay your foundation before moving on to more advanced topics.

A trader's guide to central banks. Discover what central banks do and why you should care.