Currency pairs and gold: a guide to the most traded instruments
Updated on 2026-09-19
EUR/USD, GBP/USD, USD/JPY, XAU/USD and the other main ones: what moves them, best hours, costs, pip value and correlations.
Each instrument has different characteristics: volatility, best hours, costs and drivers. Pick the one you want to know about.
EUR/USD: a guide to the world's most traded pair
What EUR/USD is, what moves it, the best hours to trade it, spread and pip value, correlations and the data to follow.
GBP/USD (Cable): a guide to the pound-dollar pair
What GBP/USD is, why it's called Cable, what moves it, best hours, volatility and correlations.
USD/JPY: the dollar-yen pair and the carry trade
What USD/JPY is, how the pip is calculated, what moves it (Fed and BoJ rates), why the yen is a haven and when to trade it.
USD/CHF (Swissie): a guide to the dollar-Swiss franc pair
What USD/CHF is, why the franc is a safe haven, inverse correlation with EUR/USD and what moves it.
AUD/USD (Aussie): the Australian dollar and commodities
What AUD/USD is, why it's tied to commodities and risk sentiment, what moves it and when to trade it.
USD/CAD (Loonie): the Canadian dollar and oil
What USD/CAD is, the link to the oil price, what moves it and when to trade it.
NZD/USD (Kiwi): a guide to the New Zealand dollar-US dollar pair
What NZD/USD is, what moves it, correlation with AUD/USD and risk sentiment.
EUR/GBP: the euro-pound pair
What EUR/GBP is, how the price forms (a cross), what moves it and its volatility characteristics.
GBP/JPY: the very volatile pound-yen pair
What GBP/JPY is, why it's among the most volatile pairs, what moves it and how to manage risk.
XAU/USD (gold): a guide to gold against the dollar
What XAU/USD is, what moves gold (rates, the dollar, safe haven), contract and point value, best hours and risks.
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Educational content, not financial advice. Trading involves risk.