The most important part of investing is to clearly understand what you’re investing in. In the currency world, most currency traders will talk about the “seven” majors.
The seven majors are the currencies that are traded most often on major brokerage desks around the world. The seven majors are generally paired with the dollar, so technically, the U.S. dollar would count as the eighth “major.”
Here’s a quick 30 second introduction to each of the major currencies…
U.S. Dollar (USD): The majority of trades in the Forex market involve the U.S. dollar against a different currency because it is currently used as the world’s reserve currency.
Euro (EUR): This is the new kid of the currency majors. Lately, the euro has been stepping up to take its place as a reference currency, as well as a larger component of foreign reserves by banks. It is also known as the anti-dollar because the euro tends to appreciate as the dollar depreciates.
Japanese Yen (JPY): The yen has been known as the carry-trade currency because for years, investors have borrowed yen to fund their carry-trades. Because Japan imports all of its oil, when crude oil prices begin to climb this hurts its economy and greatly impacts the value of the yen.
Swiss Franc (CHF): Also known as Swissie, it is sometimes called a ‘safe heaven,’ due to Switzerland’s independent stance, economy isolation, and strong private banking system. This in turn has made their currency very neutral.
The British pound (GBP): Frequently called, Cable or Sterling, the pound first got these nicknames because it was the first currency the Forex market traded through ‘cables’ across the Atlantic. The pound is the fourth most traded currency on the market and Great Britain’s economy is one of the strongest in Europe.
Canadian dollar (CAD): This currency’s unusual nickname, the Loonie, comes from the coins appearance which features a loon, a common Canadian bird, on the coins backside. Canada is a resource-focused economy, so the price of oil drives this currency along with commodities.
Australian dollar (AUD): Known as the Aussie, this currency is popular in the Forex market because of Australia’s currently high interest rates and generally stable economy. The Australian dollar is greatly influenced and driven by gold prices.
New Zealand dollar (NZD): Also known as the “kiwi,” the New Zealand dollar traditionally tracks the Aussie dollar’s path because these economies are tied together through exports. However, sometimes the New Zealand can fall while the Aussie dollar rises as we have recently witnessed.
