Base Currency Definition What Does Base Currency Mean

The quote currency, or the local currency, tells you how much of it you will need to spend to acquire a single unit of the base or foreign currency. In a direct quote, the local currency is thus always the quote currency. In any given currency pair, the base currency is always the first currency listed, and it’s the currency that is being traded against another—known as the “quote currency.”

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These pairings are known to be more illiquid and come with wider spreads; thus, making them riskier. A currency pair is a quotation of two different currencies, where one is quoted against the other. The first listed currency within a currency pair is called the base, while the second currency that is the benchmark is called the quote. In this example, the base currency is the euro and the quote currency is the US dollar. If the price of the EUR/USD pair is 1.3000, it means that you would need 1.30 US dollars to buy a single euro.

The price displayed on a chart will always be the quote currency – it represents the amount of the quote currency you will need to spend in order to purchase one unit of the base currency. Companies that are internationally active and also do business in foreign currencies are also interested in currency pairs. For a British company that does business in the USA in US dollars, the USD/GBP or GBP/USD currency pair is interesting. Understanding what a base currency is can offer insights into how exchange rates are determined, how to interpret forex quotes, and how to make smarter financial decisions when dealing with foreign currencies. The price displayed on a chart will always be the quote currency – it represents the amount of the quote currency you will need to spend in order to purchase one unit of the base currency.

1. On the other hand, when the currency pair is sold, the investor sells the base currency and receives the quote currency.
2. The market maker earns the spread, or difference between the two prices.
3. Samples are GBP/AUD, EUR/USD, USD/JPY, GBPJPY, EURNZD, and EURCHF.
4. Despite this, it’s important to understand some of the nuances if you wish to profit from currency trading.
5. The base currency is the first currency listed in a currency pair, such as USD/EUR (where the U.S. dollar is the base currency).

The term base currency refers to the first currency that appears in a currency pair. In the foreign exchange market, currency unit prices are quoted as currency pairs. The base currency is normally considered the domestic currency and is followed by the quote currency or the counter currency in the pair. In the forex market, currency pairs are commonly depicted as XXX/YYY where the XXX is the base currency. The base currency represents how much of the quote currency you need to get one unit of the base currency. The foreign exchange or forex market (FX) is the market where currencies are traded.

For example, if a quote is stated as GBP/USD, the quote states the number of U.S. dollars that will be required to purchase one British pound. The second currency stated in the quote is called the quote currency. In this currency pairing, the value of the base currency is expressed as 1 unit, while the quote currency’s value can fluctuate relative to the base currency. Foreign exchange is conducted in currency pairs where one currency is the base currency and the other is called the quote or counter currency.

Understanding Base Currencies

For example, if an American trader is looking at the EUR/USD pair, the base currency is EUR (Euro), which is foreign to an American. If the price of the EUR/USD pair is 1.3000, it means that you would need $1.30 to buy a single euro. The buyer pays the ask price and the seller gets the bid price.

This means that you will need to assess which currency in the forex pair is considered ‘weak’ or ‘strong’ when compared to the other currency. If this investor looks at the exchange rate for GBPUSD, he sees how many US dollars he can buy for a certain amount of GBP. If he knows the correlations and influences on the exchange rate, he can make estimates as to whether the exchange rate will rise or fall in the near future and manage his investment in this way.

The warehouse currently costs $100,000, so the company looks at the USD/GBP currency pair to see how many British pounds sterling it needs to allocate to this investment. In both examples, the base currency (Euro) serves as the focal point for the transaction, dictating how much of the quote currency (U.S. Dollar) is needed for the exchange. We introduce people to the world of trading how to start white label forex brokerage step by step guide currencies, both fiat and crypto, through our non-drowsy educational content and tools. We’re also a community of traders that support each other on our daily trading journey. Understanding the difference between these two terms is crucial for anyone engaged in forex trading, international business, or global travel. Here, XXX is the base currency and YYY is the quote currency.

Exotic Currency Pairs

If he expects the price to rise, he buys USD and can sell them again at a later date when the price has risen, thus making a profit. For privacy and data protection related complaints please contact us at Please read our PRIVACY POLICY STATEMENT for more information on handling of personal data. Before your trip, you check the exchange rate and see that EUR/USD is at 1.2. IG International Limited is part of the IG Group and its ultimate parent company is IG Group Holdings Plc.

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The direct quote in the United States for this pair might look like 1.2, indicating that 1 Euro can be exchanged for 1.2 U.S. Here, the base currency (Euro) serves as the standard against which the quote currency (U.S. Dollar) is measured. Similarly, the quote currency helps you understand how much of it is needed to acquire a unit of the base currency, thereby guiding your trading decisions. https://www.day-trading.info/gbp-currency-pairs-price-list-and-quotes/ When trading, your goal might be to buy the base currency if you anticipate its value will rise or sell it if you expect it will decline, relative to the quote currency. The second part of the currency quotation is called the quote currency or the counter currency. The base currency, which is also known as the transaction currency, is the first currency appearing in a currency pair quotation.

The base currency, the first in the pair, serves as a reference or standard and is the currency being bought or sold. The risks of loss from investing in CFDs can be substantial and the value of your investments may fluctuate. 70% of retail client accounts lose money when trading CFDs, with this investment provider.

If you are “long” the currency pair, you expect the base currency to rise in terms of the quote/counter currency. Forex trading involves the constant purchase and sale of currency. When buying a currency pair, investors purchase the base currency and sell the quoted currency. The bid price represents the amount of quote https://www.topforexnews.org/brokers/fxcm-reviews-and-user-ratings/ currency needed to receive one unit of the base currency. The company then has to pay no more and no less than £89,000 whether the US dollar rises or falls in the future. The base currency and quote currency are fundamental concepts in forex trading that describe the two currencies being exchanged in a currency pair.

Base currencies represent how much of a quote currency you need to buy a single unit of the base currency. So when the base currency is stronger or more expensive, it takes a smaller amount of the quote currency to buy a single unit of the base currency. Nonetheless, when trading currencies, investors are selling one currency in order to buy another. It now wants to invest in its expansion there and purchase a warehouse.