One of the great advantages of currency trading is that the forex market is open 24 hours a day (from 17:00 EST on Sundays to 4 pm, Friday EST). Economic data tends to be one of the most important catalysts for short-term movements in any market, but this is especially true in currency markets, which not only respond to US economic news, but also news from around the world. With at least eight major currencies available for trading in most currency brokers and more than 17 derivatives, there is always some economic data scheduled to be released which traders can use to inform the positions they take. In general, no less than seven pieces of data are released every day from the eight most followed major currencies or countries. So for those who choose to trade news, there are many opportunities.