Gold futures in Hong Kong relaunched trading on Monday on the back of an
increased interest on gold, the Hong Kong Exchange and Clearing (HKEx) said in
a statement on Monday.

Gold futures were first introduced to the Hong Kong Futures Exchange in
1980 but trading of the product was suspended in 1998.

Gold futures’s trading hours in Hong Kong are from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm
(0030 GMT to 0900 GMT), with no break for lunch. The contract size is 100 troy
oz [one troy oz equals 31.1 grams], with the three contract months
available for trading, including spot month and the next two calendar months.
Cash settled is in US dollar.

Market participants include individual and institutional investors,
bullion dealers, banks and corporations in gold businesses.

“This is an ideal time to have gold futures in Hong Kong, not only
because of the interest in the commodity, but also the greater volatility we
are seeing in its price,” HKEx Chairman Ronald Arculli said at gold futures
launch ceremony in Hong Kong.

“The annualised 30-day volatility of gold has jumped from 10% in August
2007 to 50% in August this year. So gold futures trading here will enable
investors to guard against unexpected moves in the international gold market
as well as capture trading opportunities.”

According to Arculli, Hong Kong is also mainland China’s largest trading
partner for gold, which, according to the World Gold Council, has been the
world’s largest gold producer since 2007. “Our city accounts for 20% to 30% of
Asian gold exports, making it an important trading hub,” he added.

by Wendy Shair

FXCM 2008: Even Lower Spreads

FXCM’s (www.fxcm.com) No Dealing Desk trading platform recently added an additional bank as a price provider, bringing the total to seven global banks that compete to provide pricing for FXCM’s Trading Station. Over the last three months, typical spreads have already tightened.

Watch closely for lower spreads in the following currency pairs:

Currency Pair
Typical Spread
As Low As

EUR/USD
2.3
0.9

USD/JPY
2.9
0.5

GBP/USD
3.7
0.8

USD/CHF
3.8
1

EUR/CHF
2
0.1

AUD/USD
3.7
1

USD/CAD
4.8
1

NZD/USD
4
0.8

EUR/GBP
2.4
0.6

EUR/JPY
3.9
0.6

GBP/JPY
5.3
3

CHF/JPY
3.5
1

"FXCM’s No Dealing Desk trading platform aims to provide transparent and fair execution. Every trade is executed back to back with one of the world’s premier banks, or financial institutions, which compete to provide FXCM with bid and ask prices," said Drew Niv CEO of FXCM. "The best spreads available to FXCM are streamed to you with a small mark-up, which is generally one pip or less for major currency pairs."

For a complete list of currency pairs and their new tighter spreads, please go to www.fxcm.com

If you have any questions, please call one of our currency specialists, who are available 24 hours a day, at 888-503-6739, or email us at info@fxcm.comThis email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it .

# # #
FXCM Facts
Forex Capital Markets LLC is one the Largest Forex Dealer Members
More than 100,000 live accounts are traded on FXCM trading platforms
Over $200 billion in notional volume is traded each month on FXCM trading platforms
As of January 2008, there is in excess of $700 million in customer funds trading on platforms offered by FXCM.
FXCM provides customer support with native speakers in more than a dozen languages in 6 offices around the world
Registered with the CFTC as a Futures Commission Merchant, FXCM (Forex Capital Markets LLC) has received numerous awards from the investment community, including Best Currency Broker from Shares, Best Retail Foreign Exchange Platform from FX Week and Best Foreign Exchange Specialist from Technical Analysis of Stocks & Commodities. In addition to currency trading, FXCM offers educational courses on forex trading, and provides research through DailyFX.com.
# # #
Leveraged foreign exchange trading carries a high level of risk, and may not be suitable for all investors. The possibility exists that you could sustain a loss of some or all of your initial investment and therefore you should not invest money that you cannot afford to lose.

More Information:
Jaclyn Sales
Public Relations Coordinator
FXCM
Financial Square
32 Old Slip, 10th Floor
New York, NY 10005
Dir (646) 432-2463
Tel (212) 897-7660