The instruments and their indicative prices.
Prices come from the catalog or the live feed; the trading price appears in SuperTrader.
- EUR/USDEuro / US Dollar1.16240
- GBP/USDBritish Pound / US Dollar1.33180
- USD/JPYUS Dollar / Japanese Yen153.420
- USD/TRYUS Dollar / Turkish Lira42.8500
- AUD/USDAustralian Dollar / US Dollar0.65420
- USD/CHFUS Dollar / Swiss Franc0.80210
Prices are indicative.
6 instruments here, the whole forex class in the platform. 8 markets and 1,250+ instruments, in one account.
All forex instruments
How the forex market works.
You buy one currency against another; the price is the pair's ratio.
Pair and ratio
Every price is the ratio of two currencies: EUR/USD says how many dollars one euro is worth. Buy the pair and you expect the euro to gain against the dollar; sell it and you expect the opposite.
Pip and lot
A pip is the smallest step of the price, a lot the unit of trade size. What your position makes or loses per pip is set by the number of lots and shows on the order screen.
Four sessions
The market is open all day on weekdays; volume moves between the Sydney, Tokyo, London and New York sessions. Where London and New York overlap, movement is usually at its heaviest.
What moves the price
Rate decisions, inflation and jobs data, central bank statements and risk appetite. Around data releases the gap between buy and sell can widen and the price can change direction in a short time.
Cost
The gap between the sell and buy price shows before the order. Hold a position overnight and a carrying cost or credit is applied from the rate difference between the two currencies; the amount is in the instrument details.
Leverage and margin
Leverage lets you set aside a margin instead of the whole position; it enlarges gains and losses by the same factor. The margin required shows on the order screen before you confirm.
The dates that move this market.
The events on the economic calendar that touch this class's price the most.
Rate decisions
The central banks' meeting days; the decision and the statement after it move both sides of a pair.
Inflation data
Monthly consumer prices; a surprise shifts rate expectations, and those shift the exchange rate.
Jobs reports
Monthly labour data such as non-farm payrolls; in dollar pairs these are among the most active hours of the month.
Frequently asked questions
How do I read a currency pair?
The first currency is the base and the second is the quote currency. The price shows how many units of the quote currency one unit of the base currency is worth.
What is the spread?
The difference between the buy and sell price. It is part of the cost you pay when you open a trade and is shown before you place an order.
When is the forex market open?
It opens at the start of the week with the Sydney session and closes on Friday when the New York session ends. You can see the session hours in the table on the markets page.
The call is yours.
No rush. The prices and the terms are here; when you are ready, sign-up is in the secure client area.