Understanding Forex Quote

Reading a foreign exchange quote is simple if you remember two things:

1. The first currency listed is the base currency

2. The value of the base currency is always 1.

As the centerpiece of the forex market, the US dollar is usually considered the base currency for quotes. When the base currency is USD, think of the quote as telling you what a US dollar is worth in that other currency.

When USD is the base currency and the quote goes up, that means USD has strengthened in value and the other currency has weakened. Rising quotes mean a US dollar can now buy more of the other currency than before.

Majors not based on the US dollar

The four exceptions to this rule are the British pound (GBP), the Australian dollar (AUD), the Newzealand dollar (NZD) and the Euro (EUR). For these pairs, where USD is not the base currency, a rising quote means the US dollar is weakening and buys less of the other currency than before. In other words, if a currency quote goes higher, the base currency is getting stronger. A lower quote means the base currency is weakening.

Cross currencies

Currency pairs that don't involve USD at all are called cross currencies, but the premise is the same.

Bids, asks and the spread

Just like other markets, forex quotes consist of two sides, the bid and the ask:

The BID is the price at which you can SELL base currency.

The ASK is the price at which you can BUY base currency.

Disclaimer

Foreign Exchange trading carries a high level of risk, and may not be suitable for all investors. Before deciding to trade any Forex Exchange financial instruments you should carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and affordable risk. The possibility exists that you could sustain a loss of some or all of your initial investment and therefore you should not invest money that you cannot afford to lose. You should be aware of all the risks associated with the Foreign Exchange trading, and seek advice from an independent financial advisor if you have any doubts.