Spot FX vs Currency Futures
Spot FX trades over the counter in flexible sizes; currency futures trade on exchanges in standard contracts like CME's 125,000-euro contract. A comparison.
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What Is a Safe-Haven Currency?
Safe-haven currencies such as the US dollar, yen and Swiss franc tend to rise when markets panic. Why they attract money in stress and when they fail to.
Risk-On vs Risk-Off: How Currencies React
In risk-on markets, higher-yielding and commodity currencies tend to gain; in risk-off, the dollar, yen and franc tend to rise. How currencies sort into each.
What Is Purchasing Power Parity?
Purchasing power parity says exchange rates should move toward levels that equalize prices. How PPP works, what the 2026 Big Mac index showed and its limits.
What Caused the 2016 Pound Flash Crash?
On October 7, 2016, sterling fell about 6% in two minutes of early Asian trading. What happened, what the BIS found about liquidity and algorithms, the lessons.
What Was the Plaza Accord and Why Does It Still Come Up?
In September 1985, five major economies agreed to push the dollar down, and it fell about 40% in two years. What the Plaza Accord did and why it is still cited.
How to Calculate Pip Value on Any Currency Pair
Pip value = pip size × position size, converted into your account currency. Worked examples for EUR/USD, USD/JPY, USD/CAD and EUR/GBP in US dollars.
Pip and Lot Size Mistakes New Forex Traders Make
Seven pip and lot size mistakes shown as wrong vs corrected calculations: $10 pip myth, one lot for all pairs, pipettes, yen decimals, margin sizing, rounding.
How Nonfarm Payrolls Moves the Dollar
The monthly US jobs report moves the dollar by changing expectations for Fed rates. What the report contains, how markets react and the risks on release day.
Which Currency Pairs Are the Most Volatile?
Yen crosses such as GBP/JPY and exotics such as USD/TRY and USD/ZAR move the most. How volatility is measured and why it matters for risk and trading costs.
Major, Minor and Exotic Currency Pairs
Majors pair the US dollar with leading currencies; minors pair those currencies without the dollar; exotics add emerging-market currencies. How they differ.
How Interest Rate Differentials Drive Currency Pairs
Currencies with higher or rising rates tend to attract money. How rate differentials work, what the carry trade is and what happened when it unwound in 2024.