At any time, the demand for a certain currency will push it either up or down in value relative to other currencies. Here are some basics about the currency market so you can take the next step and start forex trading.
Currency Pairs Primer
Before you enter your first trade, it’s important to learn about currency pairs and what they signify. In the forex market, currencies always trade in pairs. When you exchange U.S. dollars for euros, there are two currencies involved, so the exchange always shows the value of one currency relative to the other. The EUR/USD price, for example, lets you know how many U.S. dollars (USD) it takes to buy one euro (EUR). The forex market uses symbols to designate specific currency pairs. The euro is symbolized by EUR, the U.S. dollar is USD, so the euro/U.S. dollar pair is shown as EUR/USD. Other commonly traded currency symbols include AUD (Australian dollar), GBP (British pound), CHF (Swiss franc), CAD (Canadian dollar), NZD (New Zealand dollar), and JPY (Japanese yen). Each forex pair will have a market price associated with it. The price refers to how much of the second currency it takes to buy one unit of the first currency. If the price of the EUR/USD currency pair is 1.3635, this means it costs 1.3635 U.S. dollars to buy one euro.
Market Pricing: A Quick Overview
Learning forex trading involves getting to know a small amount of new terminology that describes the price of currency pairs. Once you understand it and how to calculate your trade profit, you’re one step closer to your first currency trade. Many currency pairs move about 50 to 100 pips per day (sometimes more or less depending on overall market conditions). A pip (an acronym for “point in percentage”) is the name used to indicate the fourth decimal place in a currency pair, or the second decimal place when JPY is in the pair. When the price of the EUR/USD moves from 1.3600 to 1.3650, that’s a 50 pip move; if you bought the pair at 1.3600 and sold it at 1.3650, you’d make a 50-pip profit. The profit you made on the above theoretical trade depends on how much of the currency you purchased. If you bought 1,000 units in USD (called a “micro lot”), each pip is worth $0.10, so you would calculate your profit as 50 pips x $0.10 = $5 for a 50-pip gain. If you bought a 10,000 unit (“mini lot”), then each pip is worth $1, so your profit ends up being $50. If you bought a 100,000 unit (“standard lot”), each pip is worth $10, so your profit is $500. How much each pip is worth is called the “pip value.” For any pair where the USD is listed second, the above-mentioned pip values apply. If the USD is listed first, the pip value may be different. To find the pip value of the USD/CHF, for example, divide the normal pip value (mentioned above) by the current USD/CHF exchange rate. A micro lot is worth $0.10/0.9435 = $0.1060, where 0.9435 is the current price of the pair. For JPY pairs (USD/JPY), go through this same process, but then multiply by 100. For trading purposes, the first currency listed in the pair is always the directional currency on a forex price chart. If the price is moving up on EUR/USD, it means the euro is moving higher relative to the U.S dollar. If the price on the chart is falling, then the euro is declining in value relative to the dollar. Understanding the above concepts will help you grasp what’s happening when you see a forex pair rising or falling on a chart. If you do the math on the difference in pips between two price points, it will also help you see the profit potential available from such moves. “Spread trading” can also refer to a strategy in which you simultaneously place similar long and short trades. This allows you to take a slightly bearish or slightly bullish position that limits both your losses and potential upside.
