Forex Trading

What is Forex: Buy And Sell in Currency Pairs

Forex pairs

The most traded pairs of currencies in the world are called the Majors. They constitute the largest share of the foreign exchange market, about 85%,[5] and therefore they exhibit high market liquidity. There are many official currencies that are used all over the world, but there are only a handful of currencies that are traded actively in the forex market.

Tips for trading currency pairs

  • While not as frequently traded as the majors, the crosses are still pretty liquid and still provide plenty of trading opportunities.
  • You’re probably a beginner, and you need to first learn how to read forex currency pairs.
  • Trading forex is all about making money on winning bets and cutting losses when the market goes the other way.
  • The main fundamentals that affect currency pairs are changes in overnight interest rates by central banks, economic data and politics.

These include the U.S. dollar, the euro, the British pound, the Japanese yen and the Swiss franc. The value of Australia’s currency is closely tied to the role and value of its exports in its economy. Therefore, a downward movement https://investmentsanalysis.info/ in that value could affect the AUD/USD currency pair value, strengthening the dollar to the loonie. The relationship between the interest rates set by the respective central banks can affect the currency pair price, as well.

Common Currency Pairs

Buying and selling currencies has many similarities to trading any other asset class. You can trade with an online broker, bet on both upside and downside price movement, and have many trading instruments to choose from, some being far more liquid than others. However, various factors, such as trade relationships, changing interest rates, economic upheaval, and country disputes, including war, can affect individual currencies (and thus pairs).

What Are the Most Commonly Traded Currency Pairs?

Forex pairs

It indicates how much of the quote currency is needed to purchase one unit of the base currency. Forex trading is the simultaneous buying of one currency and selling another. Many of the best traders implement some form of technical analysis and chart reading. The G10 currencies are ten of the most heavily traded currencies in the world, which are also ten of the world’s most liquid currencies. The more frequently traded something is the higher its liquidity.

The South African Reserve Bank: A Trader’s Guide

Traders regularly buy and sell them in an open market with minimal impact on their own international exchange rates. Compared to the crosses and exotics, the price moves more frequently with the majors, which provides more trading opportunities. Currencies are traded through a “forex broker” or “CFD provider” and are traded in pairs. Interest Rates – Central banks have it in their mandate to maintain monetary and financial stability. The USD/CHF (US Dollar/Swiss Franc), nicknamed ‘Swissy’, derives its popularity from the Swiss Franc’s safe-haven status.

GBP/USD: Trading the “Cable”

It is also dedicated to expanding its educational resources through OKX Learn, making digital assets accessible and understandable for a broader audience. This move aims to support the growth of the USDC ecosystem and cater to the diverse trading requirements of its users. The USD/CAD tends to be negatively correlated with the AUD/USD, GBP/USD, and EUR/USD pairs due to the U.S. dollar being the quote currency in these other pairs. Much like the euro, the economic consequences of the war in Ukraine also took a toll on the GBP. In September 2022, the GBP/USD briefly dipped below 1.03, the pair’s lowest level in decades.

Apart from the 7 major currency pairs mentioned above, additional ones might end up on some traders’ list of major currency pairs. The three tables below contain this author’s attempt to create a major Forex pairs list, a minor forex pairs list, and an exotic forex pairs list. Taken together, they fairly accurately reflect the main forex pairs currently traded in today’s foreign exchange market. A currency pair’s correlation refers to the similarities shared by various pairings. In the forex market, no single currency pair is traded completely independent of the others.

Forex trading is the simultaneous buying of one currency and selling of another. Traders enjoy tight bid-ask spreads on the GBP/USD due to its high liquidity. Volatility refers to the degree of fluctuation and the frequency of fluctuation in the price of an asset.

The AUD/USD currency pair captured 5.1% of the forex market share, compared to its previous 5.4%. It tends to have a negative correlation with the USD/CAD, USD/CHF, and USD/JPY pairs due to the U.S. dollar being the base currency in these cases. Trading in the GBP/USD currency pair represented 9.5% of the forex market share, a small decrease from the prior survey in 2019. Again, the popularity and volume of trading in this pair reflect the strength of the British and U.S. economies.

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