Dealing Desk

A desk where transactions for buying and selling securities occur. Since the forex market is open around the clock, many institutions have dealing desks around the world. Dealing desks can also be found outside the forex markets, such as in banks and finance companies, to execute trades in securities. The term desk may be a bit of a misnomer, given its connotation of a table shared by a couple of traders. Large financial institutions often have dealing facilities that are staffed by hundreds of dealers. In a large institution, major currencies, such as the euro and yen, may have several dealing desks staffed by dozens of traders who specialize in these currencies.