Are you thinking of trading on the Forex money market? If you are new to trading it makes sense to deal in the more popular currencies. There are two main reasons for this. Firstly you do not want to be left with a currency where there is little interest and you may have difficulty selling. Secondly the spread between the bid/ask price is likely to be narrower, making it easier to make a profit.
There are seven major currencies, the US dollar (USD), Euro (EUR), Japanese yen (JPY) British pound (GBP), Swiss Franc (CHF) Canadian dollar (CAD) and Australian dollar (AUD).

The US dollar is the most traded currency followed by the Euro and the Yen. The Euro is the relatively new currency of the European Union although some member states, including the UK, have not changed their currency.

Obviously if you are buying a currency you must also be selling(using) another and therefore prices are always quoted in pairs, the USD/EUR being the most active. The more active a pair the narrower the difference between the bid/ask price is likely to be, with a possible spread of just two pips for the most actively traded. A pip is the smallest unit of price for a currency. Most currencies are traded to four decimal points after the first digit, so that a pip is 0.0001 or 1/100 of a cent. This may seem a minuscule amount until you realise that on a trade of $100,000 that is $10. As each trade involves both selling one currency and buying another, the difference in the spread is the cost of the transaction. If there is a 2 pip spread you must make that profit to break even. The exception to the four decimal points is the Japanese yen which is normally traded to two decimal points.

If you live in a country using one of the major currencies, when you first start trading it makes sense to begin with that currency. Not only are you familiar and comfortable with the currency, but you are in a better position to judge its strength. The internet has a wealth of information on the financial climate of a country, but if you live there you have access to all newspaper content, as well being in the unique position of experiencing first hand changes at the consumer level.

Trading on the Forex market is a high risk investment not suited to everyone. You can lose money as well as make a profit. Never risk more than you can afford to lose.

This article is for information only, any action you may take on the Forex money market is your sole responsibility and the author accepts no liability.