Author Tim Weithers is a corporate trainer for the Union Bank of Switzerland (UBS). I suspect that most of his training is for corporate clients of the bank, since that is the sort of audience this book on foreign exchange targets. The book evolved out of the author's course on the same subject, and with the UBS logo on the front cover, you know it has his employer's endorsement. I mention that because banks are known for their effective "consultative selling" in which they provide expertise to less sophisticated clients as a means of shaping thinking and making a sale. That is a purpose of the training the author performs for UBS—a purpose that is apparent in his book. It offers wonderful information to readers, but beware the hidden sales pitch.

The author covers plenty of wonderful history here. He delves into basic concepts relating to interest rates, markets and financial transactions. He describes FX conventions and details standard products—spot transactions, forwards, futures, swaps, options and exotics. He closes with an unfortunate chapter promoting technical analysis. His argument that technical analysis must be useful because financial professionals drive more expensive cars than the academics who reject it is unsound on both factual and logical grounds.