British Pound FactsheetThe British pound is the official currency of the United Kingdom. Next to the U.S. dollar and the euro, it is probably the most widely held reserve currency.
Trading MechanicsQuote Convention:
Value of a Pip for a 100k lot: USD $10
Currency Nicknames: Sterling or Cable
Most Active Trading Hours2:00AM ET / 2:00 GMT+8, London Open
4:30AM ET / 4:30 GMT+8, UK Economic Releases
8:30AM ET/ 8:30 GMT+8, U.S. Economic Releases
Key Currency CrossesEUR/GBP
GBP/CHF
GBP/JPY
Central Bank - Bank of England (BOE)Mandate: Price Stability;
Keep Inflation below 2%
Created: 1694
BoE: Mervyn King
General Economics Statistics2007 GDP Estimate: GBP 1.35 Trillion (USD $2.7T)
Population*: 60.9 Million
Interest Rate**: 1.0%
Inflation*: 4.70%
Trade Balance*: -8.2 Billion GBP
*National Statistics Oct 2008, **Bank of England Feb 2009Market Moving Economic ReleasesBoE Rate Decision
Claimant Count
Consumer Prices
GDP (Gross Domestic Product)
Industrial Production
Retail Sales
Important CorrelationGBP/USD and FSTE
Japanese-Yen FactsheetThe Japanese yen is the official currency for Japan.
Trading MechanicsQuote Convention: JPY
Value of a Pip for a 100k lot: USD $9.40
Most Active Trading Hours7:00PM ET / 7:00 GMT+8, Tokyo Open
7:30PM ET / 7:30 GMT+8, JPY Economic Releases
8:30AM ET/ 8:30 GMT+8, U.S. Economic Releases
Key Currency CrossesEUR/JPY
NZD/JPY
GBP/JPY
CAD/JPY
AUD/JPY
CHF/JPY
Central Bank - Bank of Japan (BOJ)Mandate: Maintain Price and Financial System Stability
Created: 1882
BoJ Governor: Masaaki Shirakawa
General Economic Statistics2007 GDP Estimate: JPY 480 Trillion (USD $4.37T)
Population: 127 Million
Interest Rate*: 0.10%
Inflation**: 2.10%
Trade Balance†: -324 Billion JPY
*Bank of Japan, Nov 2008 **Statistics Bureau Sept 2008 †Japan Ministry of Finance, Sept 2008Market Moving Economic ReleasesBoJ Interest Rate Decision
Consumer Prices
Corporate Goods Price Index
GDP (Gross Domestic Product)
Retail Sales
Tankan Report
Important CorrelationUSD/JPY and Nikkei
Canadian Dollar FactsheetThe Canadian dollar is the official currency of Canada. The USD/CAD is the sixth most actively traded currency pair by turnover, according to the Bank of International Settlement’s 2007 FX report.
Trading MechanicsQuote Convention:
Value of a Pip for a 100k lot: USD $9.68
Currency Nicknames: Loonie, Buck
Most Active Trading Hours7:00AM ET / 7:00 GMT+8, CAD Economic Releases
8:30AM ET/ 8:30 GMT+8, U.S. Economic Releases
Key Currency CrossesCAD/GBP
AUD/CAD
EUR/CAD
Central Bank - Bank of Canada (BOC)Mandate: Price Stability; Keep Inflation near 2%
Created: 1934
BoE Governor: Mark J. Carney
General Economic Statistics2007 GDP Estimate: CAD $140.9 Billion (USD $128.1B)
Population*: 33 Million
Interest Rate**: 1.0%
Inflation*: 3.4%
Trade Balance†: CAD $4.7 Billion
*Statistics Canada, Oct 2008, **Bank of Canada Jan 2009 †Statistics Canada, Oct 2008Market Moving Economic ReleasesBoC Rate Decision
Consumer Prices
Employment Change
GDP (Gross Domestic Product)
IVEY PMI (Purchasing Managers Index)
Retail Sales
Important CorrelationCAD/USD and Oil
Swiss Franc FactsheetThe Swiss franc is the official currency of Switzerland. The USD/CHF is the fifth most actively traded currency pair by turnover, according to the Bank of International Settlement’s 2007 FX report.
Trading MechanicsQuote Convention: CHFMeans
Value of a Pip for a 100k lot: USD $9.09
Most Active Trading Hours2:00AM ET / 2:00 GMT+8, London Open
1:45AM ET / 12:45 GMT+8, Swiss Economic Releases
8:30AM ET/ 8:30 GMT+8, U.S. Economic Releases
Key Currency CrossesEUR/CHF
CHF/JPY
GBP/CHF
Central Bank - SWISSNATIONALBANK (SNB)Mandate: Maintain Price Stability; Inflation Target of Less than 2%
Created: 1907
Central Bank Governor: Jean-Pierre Roth
General Economic Statistics2007 GDP Estimate: CHF 500 Billion (USD $424B)
Population*: 7.6 Million
Interest Rate**: 0.50%
Inflation†: 2.90%
Trade Balance**: 1.43 Billion CHF
*Swiss Federal Statistical Office June 2008, **Swiss National Bank Feb 2009, †Swiss Federal Statistical Office Oct 2008Market Moving Economic ReleasesConsumer Prices
GDP (Gross Domestic Product)
KoF Leading Indicators
Retail Sales
SNB Interest Rate Decision
UBS Consumption Index
Important CorrelationUSD/CHF and EUR/USD
Euro FactsheetThe euro is the official currency of 16 states in the European Union, known collectively as the Eurozone.
members of the eurozone*
Austria
Belgium
Cyprus
FInland
France
Germany
Greece
Ireland
Italy
Luxembourg
Malta
Netherlands
Portugal
Slovenia
Spain
Slovakia
* As of January 2009Trading MechanicsQuote Convention:
Value of a Pip for a 100k lot: USD $10
Currency Nicknames: Anti-Dollar
Most Active Trading Hours2:00AM ET / 2:00 GMT+8, London Open
4:00AM ET / 4:00 GMT+8, Economic Releases
8:30AM ET/ 8:30 GMT+8, U.S. Economic Releases
Key Currency CrossesEUR/GBP
EUR/CHF
EUR/JPY
Central Bank - european central bank (ecb)Mandate: Price Stability; Keep Inflation below 2%
Created: 1998
Central Bank Governor: Jean-Claude Trichet
General Economic Statistics2007 GDP Estimate: EUR 8.8 Trillion (USD $12.32T)
Population: 320 Million
Interest Rate*: 2.0%
Inflation**: 3.6%
Trade Balance**: -64 Billion EUR (seasonally adjusted)
*ECB Jan 2009, **ECB Sept 2008Market Moving Economic ReleasesECB Rate Decision
German Consumer Prices
German GDP (Gross Domestic Product)
German IFO (Business Confidence)
German Unemployment
Manufacturing and Service Sector PMI
Important CorrelationEUR/USD and Oil
US Dollar FactsheetThe U.S. dollar is the official currency for the United States. 85% of all currency transactions involve the U.S. dollar.
Trading MechanicsQuote Convention: USD
Currency Nicknames: Greenback, Buck
Most Actively Traded Currency PairsEUR/USD
USD/JPY
GBP/USD
AUD/USD
USD/CHF
USD/CAD
Most Active Trading Hours2:00AM ET / 2:00 GMT+8, London Open
8:30AM ET/ 8:30 GMT+8, U.S. Economic Releases
Central Bank - Federal Reserve (Fed)Mandate: Price Stability and Sustainable Growth
Created: 1913
Central Bank Governor: Ben Bernanke
General Economic Statistics2007 GDP Estimate: USD $13.84 Trillion
Population*: 305 Million
Interest Rate**: 0.25%
Inflation***: 5.40%
Trade Balance****: -USD $59.3B
* U.S. Census Bureau Oct 2008, **Federal Reserve Feb 2009, *** Bureau of Labor Statistics Sept 2008, **** U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis Oct 2008Market Moving Economic ReleasesConsumer Confidence
Fed Interest Rate Decision
GDP (Gross Domestic Product)
Non-Farm Payrolls
Retail Sales
Service and Manufacturing ISM
Trade Balance
Treasury International Capital Flow Report (TIC)
Important CorrelationUSD/JPY and S&P 500
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