Currencies (Forex)
The largest and most liquid market in the world, open around the clock from Monday to Friday: trade the main currency pairs with MetaTrader 4.
How to read a currency pair
In EUR/USD = 1.0850 the euro is the base currency and the dollar the quote currency: one euro is worth 1.0850 dollars. If you buy EUR/USD you gain when the euro strengthens against the dollar; if you sell, when it weakens.
Moves are measured in pips, usually the fourth decimal place. For one standard lot (100,000 units of the base currency) one pip on EUR/USD is worth about 10 dollars.
What you can trade
| Pair | Type | Max leverage | Typical spread |
|---|---|---|---|
  EUR/USDEURUSD | major | 1:30 | to be confirmed |
 GBP/USDGBPUSD | major | 1:30 | to be confirmed |
 USD/JPYUSDJPY | major | 1:30 | to be confirmed |
 USD/CHFUSDCHF | major | 1:30 | to be confirmed |
 AUD/USDAUDUSD | other pair | 1:20 | to be confirmed |
 USD/CADUSDCAD | major | 1:30 | to be confirmed |
 NZD/USDNZDUSD | other pair | 1:20 | to be confirmed |
| EUR/GBPEURGBP | major | 1:30 | to be confirmed |
| EUR/JPYEURJPY | major | 1:30 | to be confirmed |
| GBP/JPYGBPJPY | major | 1:30 | to be confirmed |
| EUR/CHFEURCHF | major | 1:30 | to be confirmed |
 USD/TRYUSDTRY | other pair | 1:20 | to be confirmed |
Sample list: available instruments and their specifications are listed in MetaTrader 4.
At a glance
- Max leverage — major pairs
- 1:30
- Max leverage — other pairs
- 1:20
- Hours
- Sunday evening → Friday evening, 24 hours
- Minimum size
- to be confirmed
- Spread
- variable
- Swap
- yes (usually triple on Wednesday)
Leverage limits set by ESMA measures for retail clients.
What moves prices
Central banks
Rate decisions by the ECB, the Fed and other central banks are the main driver of exchange rates.
Economic data
Inflation, jobs and growth shift rate expectations — and therefore currencies.
Global risk
In times of stress, money seeks shelter in currencies such as the dollar, Swiss franc and yen.
Live prices
Indicative prices provided by TradingView: they may differ from the platform prices.
CFDs are leveraged products: losses can quickly exceed the capital you commit to a position. Before trading, make sure you understand how they work and only use money you can afford to lose.
Frequently asked
questions
More questionsWhich are the major pairs?
Under ESMA rules they are pairs made of two of the US dollar, euro, yen, pound, Canadian dollar and Swiss franc: for retail clients the maximum leverage is 1:30. Other pairs are capped at 1:20.
When is the best time to trade forex?
Usually when the London and New York sessions overlap (about 14:00–18:00 Italian time): liquidity is higher and spreads tighter.