Did you know that equity markets can also be used to help gauge currency movement?

In a way, you can use the equity indices as some kind of a forex crystal ball.

Based on what you see on the television, what you hear on the radio, and what you read in the newspaper, it seems that the stock (equity) market is the most closely covered financial market.

One thing to remember is that in order to purchase stocks from a particular country, you must first have the local currency.

To invest in stocks in Japan, a European investor must first exchange his euros (EUR) into Japanese yen (JPY).

This increased demand for JPY causes the value of the JPY to appreciate. On the other hand, selling euros increases its supply, which drives the euro’s value lower.

When the outlook for a certain stock market is looking good, international money flows in.

On the other hand, when the stock market is struggling, international investors take their money out and look for a better place to park their funds.

Even though you may not trade stocks, as a forex trader, you should still pay attention to the stock markets in major countries.

If the stock market in one country starts performing better than the stock market in another country, you should be aware that money will probably be moving from the country with the weaker stock market to the country with the stronger stock market.

This could lead to a rise in the value of the currency for the country with the stronger stock market, while the value of the currency could depreciate for the country with the weaker stock market.

Here’s the general idea:

Strong stock market = strong currency.

Weak stock market = weak currency.

If you bought the currency from the country with the stronger stock market and sold the currency from the country with the weaker stock market, you can potentially make some nice dough.

Not too familiar with the major global equity indices? It’s your lucky day! Here they are!