Forex in depth
The largest and most liquid market in the world (over $7 trillion a day) and also the most macro: here you don't trade a company, you trade two economies against each other. Understanding its sessions, interest rates and the dollar is understanding 90% of the move.
By the TradingCalculator.Pro team · Updated on · About us
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Sessions & overlap
Forex is 24h Monday to Friday, but not all hours are equal. The wheel is Sydney → Tokyo → London → New York. The London–New York overlap (afternoon in Europe) concentrates the most volume and volatility: the preferred window for intraday traders. The Asian session is usually quiet and range-bound.
Carry trade & rates
Buying the currency of a high-rate country funded with a low-rate one: you collect the interest differential (the swap) every day. Entire funds live off this. The danger: when sentiment turns, everyone unwinds the carry at once and the 'high' currency collapses in hours. Slow return, sudden risk.
DXY & correlations
The dollar index (DXY) measures the dollar against a basket of currencies. It is the compass of forex: EUR/USD moves almost as a mirror inverse of the DXY, and a strong dollar pressures commodities, emerging markets and gold. Before trading any pair against the dollar, first look at what the DXY is doing.
Majors, minors & exotics
The 'major' pairs (EUR/USD, USD/JPY, GBP/USD…) include the dollar, are the most liquid and have the lowest spread. 'Minors' cross strong currencies without the dollar. 'Exotics' (with emerging-market currencies) have wide spreads and sharp jumps: they look attractive for their movement, but cost and gap risk make them treacherous for beginners.
What moves currencies
Forex is the most macro-driven market: central-bank rate decisions, inflation, employment (the US NFP moves the whole market) and growth. A currency rises when its central bank is more 'hawkish' (raising rates) than the other country's. You don't trade charts in a vacuum: you trade the relative expectation of two monetary policies.