Current studies reveal a dramatic decline in the economy's reputation. Headlines about EU states on the verge of bankruptcy, ailing banks and insolvencies of renowned players shatter people's trust in the foundations of our society. The result: a growing sense of suspicison directed towards the political class and the benefits of science. 

Many German citizens still think the state will be able to provide for them, but changes in everyday life are quite noticeable – in order to maintain their standard of living, people are actively seeking out additional sources of income as well as checking their expenditures more thoroughly.

How does this impact citizens as potential investors with options to invest in the markets?

And what are the impacts of the crisis on the financial markets and on forex?

It is no secret that forex reflects the more sudden shifts in economic activity and nowadays we witness the opportunity to earn several hundred pips within a matter of minutes. Not every trading system is able to react to such sudden changes and important information is often published too late. Does this deter traditional investors? Maybe so. But certainly not traders. And what's more, traditional investors are now turning to trading practices. Risky? Maybe. But security is hard to find these days..

Forex trading enables you to be independent – all you need is a trader in front of the screen and realtime on line trading.

The largest volume being moved on forex can be found in the US, England and Russia. Switzerland is immediately followed by Germany. These are, however, rough estimates, as it is extremely difficult to determine the exact numbers due to globalization and virtualization of forex.

One thing is for sure – the number of brokers and service providers is growing in Germany in spite of Germany's often quoted conservativism and unwillingness to take risks.