Forex Currency Pairs - 7 Major Forex Trading Pairs

With daily currency exchanges totalling more than $5 trillion, the foreign exchange market, often known as the currency or forex (FX) market, is the biggest and most liquid financial market in the world.

Pairs are the only way to trade forex. This is due to the fact that buying one currency while selling another constitutes forex trading. An instrument that may be bought or sold, the currency trading pair itself can be viewed as a single unit. The euro and the US dollar (EUR/USD) or the British pound and the Japanese yen (GBP/JPY) are two examples.

In currency trading, there are two categories. An FX pair's base currency is the first one. The currency that a trader believes will change value in relation to the second currency in the pair is known as the base currency. The quotation or counter currency is the name given to the second currency.

A popular major forex pair is the euro and the US dollar. The sale rate and purchase rate for the currency pair EUR/USD is 1.3560/1.35602, respectively. In this case, the US dollar is the quote currency, while the euro is the base currency. The trader will need to invest 1.3562 in the quote currency, which is in this case US dollars, to purchase one unit of the base currency. On the other hand, the dealer would receive 1.3560 US dollars if they were to sell one euro.

If a trader anticipates that the euro will appreciate against the dollar, they will buy the EUR/USD pair. Going long on the EUR/USD currency pair is another term for buying it. If a trader anticipates a decline in the value of the euro against the dollar, they will sell the EUR/USD pair, a strategy known as "going short."

7 major forex pairs

There are many currency pairs for traders to choose from when placing a trade in the forex market. Major currency pairs are any pair that include the US dollar (USD). Major pairs are the most widely traded currencies in the foreign exchange market.

• The euro and US dollar: EUR/USD
• The US dollar and Japanese yen: USD/JPY
• The British pound sterling and US dollar: GBP/USD
• The US dollar and Swiss franc: USD/CHF
• The Australian dollar and US dollar: AUD/USD
• The US dollar and Canadian dollar: USD/CAD
• The New Zealand dollar and US dollar: NZD/USD

75% of all forex deals are made with the major pairings. In the forex market, the majors are the most liquid and frequently traded. They account for the lion's share of all FX trades. These pairings often have the narrowest bid (buy) and ask (sell) spreads due to their high volume of buyers and sellers. Between the buy price and the sell price is the spread. The majority of traders concur that the seven major forex pairs mentioned above are the most profitable ones to trade.

Live forex currency rates in pairs

One currency is exchanged for another at a predetermined price in forex trading. The absence of a physical site or central exchange distinguishes the foreign exchange market from other financial markets. A network of banks powers the entire market's electronic operation. Additionally, it is operational seven days a week for a continuous 24 hours. The forex market is the most widely used financial market, with banks, corporations, and retail traders all participating.

In the forex market, there is a tremendous level of market liquidity—the volume of buying and selling that is occurring at any given moment. The size of the market is to blame for this. The term "pip," which stands for "percentage in point," refers to a measuring unit used to describe the smallest price change that may be seen in any exchange rate.

A pip is normally the fourth digit of the currency pair following the decimal point. The shift of the euro/dollar pair (EUR/USD) from 1.0630 to 1.0631 would be one pip. The amount of profit or loss a trader will experience per transaction in key forex pairings is determined by the pip value.

The fundamentals of buying and selling currency pairs are long and short positions. For instance, a trader would place a purchase order when trading the euro dollar (EUR/USD) if they believed that the euro would gain strength versus the US dollar. Going long refers to this. They would profit for every point or pip the euro gains versus the dollar. Each point that the euro's value drops versus the US dollar results in a loss for the trader.

Which forex currency pairs move the most?

Based on which currency is stronger at particular times, exchange rates shift. Trading professionals look for the best exchange rate. The currency market moves very quickly, and these prices are provided by international banks and updated in fractions of a second.

Currency from nations with abundant natural resources or other commodities is known as a commodity currency trading. The currencies of these nations' exchange rates are influenced by the volume of exports they each engage in. This is due to the possibility that the economy's strength may be greatly influenced by the prices of its natural resources. These nations include Nigeria, Saudi Arabia, and Russia as examples.

Correlation in forex currency pairs

A currency pair’s correlation refers to the similarities shared by various pairings. In the forex market, no single currency trading pair is traded completely independent of the others. An understanding of forex correlation pairs is helpful when managing a portfolio. For example, when trading the euro against the Japanese yen (EUR/JPY pair), a trader is effectively trading a derivative of the euro dollar (EUR/USD) and dollar yen (USD/JPY) pairs. Therefore, the EUR/JPY pair must be somehow correlated to one or both of these other currency pairs.

It is useful to get a better understanding of currency correlations and gain an insight into the relationship between currency pairs. Considering whether they are negatively or positively correlated, or if they are likely to move in the same direction, opposite directions, or completely randomly could be useful.

How to trade forex successfully starting with one pair

Due to the ongoing fluctuation in the value of currencies relative to one another, forex trading presents several trading chances. FX trading enables investors to make bets on all significant currency pairs. The only restrictions on the currency pairs that can be traded are the pairs and quantities that each trader selects from the trading platforms supplied.

Majors, minors (crosses), and exotics are the three primary categories of currency pairs. Due to their high liquidity, the main currency pairs are the most frequently traded. This means that the most trades are made on these pairings. Minor currency pairs are those that do not include the US dollar and are typically less liquid. The Canadian dollar and the Japanese yen (CAD/JPY), the euro and the Swiss franc (EUR/CHF), and the pound sterling and the Australian dollar (GBP/AUD) are some examples. When the majors are trading under less favourable circumstances, cross pairs can offer trading chances.

Furthermore, there are unusual currency pairs. These are the least liquid and least traded currency pairs on the forex market. Because there is a reduced volume of trades, spreads can be very wide and prices can fluctuate substantially. Additionally, these pairs typically have less historical data, making it more difficult for individuals who rely on technical analysis to uncover information.

What are the benefits of trading major currency pairs?

The daily volume of trading for each pair of currencies determines how they are classified. Every working day, very liquid marketplaces that trade all major currency pairings are open. Major forex pairs will probably have tighter spreads because they are the most liquid and frequently traded in the world. These smaller spreads lower one's trading expenses, which raises the profit margin.

A hard currency is one whose value is less likely to drop sharply or fluctuate significantly. It is a commonly used, stable currency that is frequently liquid on the forex market. The US dollar, euro, and Japanese yen are a few examples.

Each nation's central bank controls interest rates on a global scale. The rates show how each country's economy is doing. Rates are often increased by central banks when the economy is expanding and decreased to help an underperforming one. The currency market is governed by these interest rates. This is due to the importance of interest rates in establishing a currency's perceived worth.

What are the most traded currency pairs in forex?

In summary, major forex pairs are the most frequently traded currency pairs within the forex market.

Source: CMC Markets UK