Currency pairs explained
A currency pair is the quotation of two currencies traded against each other. The first currency is the base currency. The second is the quote currency. The price shows how much of the quote currency is needed to buy one unit of the base.
Major, minor, and exotic pairs
- Major pairs: always include the US dollar. EUR/USD, GBP/USD, USD/JPY, AUD/USD, USD/CAD, NZD/USD, USD/CHF. Highest liquidity, lowest spreads.
- Minor pairs (crosses): do not include USD. EUR/GBP, GBP/JPY, EUR/JPY. Slightly wider spreads but still highly liquid.
- Exotic pairs: one major currency plus an emerging market currency. USD/TRY, EUR/ZAR. Wider spreads, higher volatility, less predictable signals.
How to read a currency pair price
EUR/USD at 1.0850 means 1 euro buys 1.0850 US dollars. If you BUY EUR/USD, you profit when the euro rises against the dollar. If you SELL EUR/USD, you profit when the dollar strengthens relative to the euro.
Pairs supported by SignalsTrades
SignalsTrades covers 14 instruments across majors, crosses, commodities, and crypto: EUR/USD, GBP/USD, USD/JPY, USD/CHF, AUD/USD, USD/CAD, NZD/USD, GBP/JPY, EUR/JPY, EUR/GBP, XAU/USD (gold), BTC/USD, ETH/USD, and OIL/USD. Each pair has its own signal based on live data specific to that instrument.
Which currency pair is easiest to trade?
EUR/USD. It has the highest daily volume of any forex pair, the tightest spreads, and the most available analysis. Most signal services and algo systems produce their most reliable results on EUR/USD.
Why do some pairs move more than others?
Volatility reflects the economic relationship between the two currencies and daily trading volume. GBP/USD moves more than EUR/CHF because the UK economy produces sharper data surprises and the pound is less globally held than the euro.