The forex market is the world's largest and most liquid market, with trillions of dollars traded on any given day between millions of parties. For those just getting started in the forex market, one of the first steps is to gain familiarity with some of the more commonly traded currencies and their popular uses in not only the forex market but in general as well. Let's take a look at several popular currencies that all forex observers should be acquainted with and some of the underlying traits and characteristics of each. (Learn about the forex market and some beginner trading strategies to get started. For more, see Forex Trading: A Beginner's Guide.)
TUTORIAL: Introduction to Currency Trading
1. The U.S. Dollar
First and foremost is the U.S. dollar, which is easily the most traded currency on the planet. The USD can be found in a pair with all the other major currencies and often acts as the intermediary in triangular currency transactions. This is all because the USD acts as the unofficial global reserve currency, held by nearly every central bank and institutional investment entity in the world. (For more, see Profiting From A Weak Dollar.)
In addition, due to the U.S. dollar's global acceptance, it is used by some countries as an official currency, as opposed to a local currency, a practice known as dollarization. As well, the U.S. dollar may be widely accepted in other nations, acting as an informal alternative form of payment, while those nations maintain their official local currency.
The dollar is also an important factor in the foreign exchange rate market for other currencies, where it may act as a benchmark or target rate for countries that choose to fix or peg their currencies to the USD's value. For instance, as of 2011, China has its currency, the renminbi, still pegged to the dollar, much to the disagreement of many economists and central bankers. Quite often countries will fix their exchange rates to the USD to stabilize their exchange rate, rather than allowing the free (forex) markets to fluctuate its relative value. (For more, see The Pros And Cons Of A Pegged Exchange Rate.)
One other feature of the USD that is important for novices in forex to understand is that the dollar is used as the standard currency for most commodities, such as crude oil and precious metals. So what's important to understand is that these commodities are subject to not only fluctuations in value due to the basic economic principals of supply and demand but also the relative value of the U.S. dollar, with prices highly sensitive to inflation and U.S. interest rates, which directly affect the dollar's value.
2. The Euro
Although relatively new to the world stage, the euro has quickly become the second most traded currency behind only the U.S. dollar. As well, the euro is the world's second largest reserve currency. The official currency of the majority of the nations within the eurozone, the euro was introduced to the world markets on January 1, 1999, with banknotes and coinage entering circulation three years later.
Along with being the official currency for most eurozone nations, many nations within Europe and Africa peg their currencies to the euro, for much the same reason that currencies are pegged to the USD- to stabilize the exchange rate..
With the euro being a widely used and trusted currency, it is very prevalent in the forex market, and adds liquidity to any currency pair it trades within. The euro is commonly traded by speculators as a play on the general health of the eurozone and its member nations. Political events within the eurozone can often lead to large trading volumes for the euro, especially in relation to nations that saw their local interest rates fall dramatically at the time of the euro's inception, notably Italy, Greece, Spain and Portugal. The euro may be the most "politicized" currency actively traded in the forex market. (For more, see Top 7 Questions About Currency Trading Answered.)
3. The Japanese Yen
The Japanese yen is easily the most traded currency out of Asia and viewed by many as a proxy for the underlying strength of Japan's manufacturing-export economy. As Japan's economy goes, so goes the yen (in some respects). Many use the yen to gauge the overall health of the Pan-Pacific region as well, taking economies such as South Korea, Singapore and Thailand into consideration, as those currencies are traded far less in the global forex markets.
The yen is also well known in forex circles for its role in the carry trade. With Japan having basically a zero interest rate policy for much of the the 1990s and 2000s, traders have borrowed the yen at next to no cost and used it to invest in other higher yielding currencies around the world, pocketing the rate differentials in the process. With the carry trade being such a large part of yen's presence on the international stage, the constant borrowing of the Japanese currency has made appreciation a difficult task. Though the yen still trades with the same fundamentals as any other currency, its relationship to international interest rates, especially with the more heavily traded currencies such as the greenback and the euro is a large determinant of the yen's value. (For more, see The U.S. Dollar And The Yen: An Interesting Partnership.)
4. The Great British Pound
The Great British pound, also known as the pound sterling is the fourth most traded currency in the forex market,. It also acts as a large reserve currency due to its relative value compared to other global currencies. Although the U.K. is an official member of the European Union, it chooses not to adopt the euro as its official currency for a variety of reasons, namely historic pride in the pound and maintaining control of domestic interest rates. For this reason, the pound can be viewed as a pure play on the United Kingdom. Forex traders will often base its value on the overall strength of the British economy and political stability of its government. Due to its high value relative to its peers, the pound is also an important currency benchmark for many nations and acts as a very liquid component in the forex market. (For more, see The Greatest Currency Trades Ever Made.)
5. The Swiss Franc
The Swiss franc, much like Switzerland, is viewed by many as a "neutral" currency. More correctly, the Swiss franc is considered a safe haven within the forex market, primarily due to the fact that the franc tends to move in a negative correlation to more volatile commodity currencies such as the Canadian and Australian dollars, along with U.S. Treasury yields. The Swiss National Bank has actually been known to be quite active in the forex market to ensure that the franc trades with a relatively-tight range, to reduce volatility and keep interest rates in line. (This is the relationship between the euro and the Swiss franc currency pairs. For more, see Forex: Making Sense Of The Euro/Swiss Franc Relationship.)
6. The Canadian Dollar
Last on our list we take a look at the Canadian dollar, also known as the loonie. The loonie is probably the world's foremost commodity currency, meaning that it moves in step with the commodities markets, notably crude oil, precious metals and minerals. With Canada being such a large exporter of such commodities the loonie is very volatile to movements in their underlying prices, especially crude oil. Traders often trade the Canadian dollar to speculate on the movements of these commodities or as a hedge to their holdings of those underlying contracts.
Additionally, being located in such close proximity to the world's largest consumer base, the United States, the Canadian economy, and subsequently the Canadian dollar is highly correlated to the strength of the U.S. economy and movements in the U.S. dollar as well. (For more, see Canada's Commodity Currency: Oil And The Loonie.)
The Bottom Line
As we have seen, every currency has specific features that affect its underlying value and price movements relative to other currencies in the forex market. Understanding what moves a currency and why is a pivotal step in becoming a successful participant in the forex market. (For more, see Using Pivot Points In Forex Trading.)
by Investopedia Staff
Investopedia.com believes that individuals can excel at managing their financial affairs. As such, we strive to provide free educational content and tools to empower individual investors, including thousands of original and objective articles and tutorials on a wide variety of financial topics.
Read more: http://www.investopedia.com/articles/forex/11/popular-currencies-and-why-theyre-traded.asp?partner=fxweekly1#ixzz1l8WjSym0
Disclaimer…The subject matters expressed above is based purely on technical analysis and personal opinions of the writer. it is not a solicitation to buy or sell.
TUTORIAL: Introduction to Currency Trading
1. The U.S. Dollar
First and foremost is the U.S. dollar, which is easily the most traded currency on the planet. The USD can be found in a pair with all the other major currencies and often acts as the intermediary in triangular currency transactions. This is all because the USD acts as the unofficial global reserve currency, held by nearly every central bank and institutional investment entity in the world. (For more, see Profiting From A Weak Dollar.)
In addition, due to the U.S. dollar's global acceptance, it is used by some countries as an official currency, as opposed to a local currency, a practice known as dollarization. As well, the U.S. dollar may be widely accepted in other nations, acting as an informal alternative form of payment, while those nations maintain their official local currency.
The dollar is also an important factor in the foreign exchange rate market for other currencies, where it may act as a benchmark or target rate for countries that choose to fix or peg their currencies to the USD's value. For instance, as of 2011, China has its currency, the renminbi, still pegged to the dollar, much to the disagreement of many economists and central bankers. Quite often countries will fix their exchange rates to the USD to stabilize their exchange rate, rather than allowing the free (forex) markets to fluctuate its relative value. (For more, see The Pros And Cons Of A Pegged Exchange Rate.)
One other feature of the USD that is important for novices in forex to understand is that the dollar is used as the standard currency for most commodities, such as crude oil and precious metals. So what's important to understand is that these commodities are subject to not only fluctuations in value due to the basic economic principals of supply and demand but also the relative value of the U.S. dollar, with prices highly sensitive to inflation and U.S. interest rates, which directly affect the dollar's value.
2. The Euro
Although relatively new to the world stage, the euro has quickly become the second most traded currency behind only the U.S. dollar. As well, the euro is the world's second largest reserve currency. The official currency of the majority of the nations within the eurozone, the euro was introduced to the world markets on January 1, 1999, with banknotes and coinage entering circulation three years later.
Along with being the official currency for most eurozone nations, many nations within Europe and Africa peg their currencies to the euro, for much the same reason that currencies are pegged to the USD- to stabilize the exchange rate..
With the euro being a widely used and trusted currency, it is very prevalent in the forex market, and adds liquidity to any currency pair it trades within. The euro is commonly traded by speculators as a play on the general health of the eurozone and its member nations. Political events within the eurozone can often lead to large trading volumes for the euro, especially in relation to nations that saw their local interest rates fall dramatically at the time of the euro's inception, notably Italy, Greece, Spain and Portugal. The euro may be the most "politicized" currency actively traded in the forex market. (For more, see Top 7 Questions About Currency Trading Answered.)
3. The Japanese Yen
The Japanese yen is easily the most traded currency out of Asia and viewed by many as a proxy for the underlying strength of Japan's manufacturing-export economy. As Japan's economy goes, so goes the yen (in some respects). Many use the yen to gauge the overall health of the Pan-Pacific region as well, taking economies such as South Korea, Singapore and Thailand into consideration, as those currencies are traded far less in the global forex markets.
The yen is also well known in forex circles for its role in the carry trade. With Japan having basically a zero interest rate policy for much of the the 1990s and 2000s, traders have borrowed the yen at next to no cost and used it to invest in other higher yielding currencies around the world, pocketing the rate differentials in the process. With the carry trade being such a large part of yen's presence on the international stage, the constant borrowing of the Japanese currency has made appreciation a difficult task. Though the yen still trades with the same fundamentals as any other currency, its relationship to international interest rates, especially with the more heavily traded currencies such as the greenback and the euro is a large determinant of the yen's value. (For more, see The U.S. Dollar And The Yen: An Interesting Partnership.)
4. The Great British Pound
The Great British pound, also known as the pound sterling is the fourth most traded currency in the forex market,. It also acts as a large reserve currency due to its relative value compared to other global currencies. Although the U.K. is an official member of the European Union, it chooses not to adopt the euro as its official currency for a variety of reasons, namely historic pride in the pound and maintaining control of domestic interest rates. For this reason, the pound can be viewed as a pure play on the United Kingdom. Forex traders will often base its value on the overall strength of the British economy and political stability of its government. Due to its high value relative to its peers, the pound is also an important currency benchmark for many nations and acts as a very liquid component in the forex market. (For more, see The Greatest Currency Trades Ever Made.)
5. The Swiss Franc
The Swiss franc, much like Switzerland, is viewed by many as a "neutral" currency. More correctly, the Swiss franc is considered a safe haven within the forex market, primarily due to the fact that the franc tends to move in a negative correlation to more volatile commodity currencies such as the Canadian and Australian dollars, along with U.S. Treasury yields. The Swiss National Bank has actually been known to be quite active in the forex market to ensure that the franc trades with a relatively-tight range, to reduce volatility and keep interest rates in line. (This is the relationship between the euro and the Swiss franc currency pairs. For more, see Forex: Making Sense Of The Euro/Swiss Franc Relationship.)
6. The Canadian Dollar
Last on our list we take a look at the Canadian dollar, also known as the loonie. The loonie is probably the world's foremost commodity currency, meaning that it moves in step with the commodities markets, notably crude oil, precious metals and minerals. With Canada being such a large exporter of such commodities the loonie is very volatile to movements in their underlying prices, especially crude oil. Traders often trade the Canadian dollar to speculate on the movements of these commodities or as a hedge to their holdings of those underlying contracts.
Additionally, being located in such close proximity to the world's largest consumer base, the United States, the Canadian economy, and subsequently the Canadian dollar is highly correlated to the strength of the U.S. economy and movements in the U.S. dollar as well. (For more, see Canada's Commodity Currency: Oil And The Loonie.)
The Bottom Line
As we have seen, every currency has specific features that affect its underlying value and price movements relative to other currencies in the forex market. Understanding what moves a currency and why is a pivotal step in becoming a successful participant in the forex market. (For more, see Using Pivot Points In Forex Trading.)
by Investopedia Staff
Investopedia.com believes that individuals can excel at managing their financial affairs. As such, we strive to provide free educational content and tools to empower individual investors, including thousands of original and objective articles and tutorials on a wide variety of financial topics.
Read more: http://www.investopedia.com/articles/forex/11/popular-currencies-and-why-theyre-traded.asp?partner=fxweekly1#ixzz1l8WjSym0
Disclaimer…The subject matters expressed above is based purely on technical analysis and personal opinions of the writer. it is not a solicitation to buy or sell.
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