Trading in foreign exchange market is different from trading in other financial markets. The difference lies mainly in the valuation. Normally in the financial markets, the valuation is done on solitary basis. It is the common way of understanding the other financial market prices and stock prices by the investors. However in the case of forex trading, the valuation is done on relative basis. This is a complicated and tricky method of valuation as compared to the valuation of traditional commodities and stocks.

The usual way of quoting the stock in a stock market is in dollars. Now the problem that arises is valuing dollars in the terms of dollars. One currency has to be valued in terms of another. This is the reason why all the foreign exchange transactions are carried out in pairs of currencies. The valuation of one currency related to another is called relative valuation.

When you take a currency pair like USD/JPY, the currency that is listed first in the given pair is the ‘base currency’ and the other one is the ‘quote currency’. Normally an established currency pair is used to quote the exchange rate.

In major cases of currency trading, the US dollar remains the base currency like for instance USD/CHF, USD/JPY. This is because the dollar has a higher value than the other currencies. The dollar is valued as 1 and based on this the changes in the value of other currencies are estimated.

The exception to the above rule is AUD, GBP and EUR which are as high as the USD or even higher than that. So, they become the base currency for valuation.

You have to understand the relationship between the base currency and the quote currency for tracing the increase or decrease signals from the price charts. If you keep these concepts in mind then relative valuation becomes easy and simple.

The Australian dollar managed to gain versus

lower-yielding currencies before a report to be released this week in the country is likely to show an advance in inflation in the last year’s last quarter, helping speculations that a series of interest rates in the country will restart.

The Aussie rebounded after losing versus most of lower-yielding currencies last week as risk aversion remained predominant in majority of trading hours. Investors in the South Pacific region are waiting an inflation report to be released on Jan 27th expecting positive numbers as forecasts suggest an advance for the country’s prices in the last quarter of 2009, which would provide grounds for a new series of interest rate hikes by Australian policy makers.

AUD/USD traded at 0.9053 as of 00:09 GMT from a previous rate 0.9034 when markets opened Sunday evening.

If you want to comment on the Australian dollar’s recent action or have any questions regarding this currency, please, feel free to reply below.

The South Korean currency, one of the best performers in 2009 among Asian emerging markets, had a severe weekly decline as risk aversion remained predominant after China’s statements regarding new regulations on its economy.

After China announced it will take further measures to control inflation in the country, which can be understood with implied slower economic growth, the South Korean currency declined versus most of its main trading partners currencies, as was the worst performer in the Asian region this week in foreign-exchange markets.

USD/KRW ended the week at 1,152.50 from an opening rate of 1,136.2 this Friday.

If you want to comment on the Korean won’s recent action or have any questions regarding this currency, please, feel free to reply below.

The dollar gained today versus most of the 16 main traded currencies as China tightened its lending restrictions, raising risk aversion in

foreign-exchange markets affecting high-yielding currencies the most, as investors search for safer bets.

The U.S. currency continue yesterday’s advance as risk aversion coming from Asia is still playing a major role in market sentiment this week, and the safety provided by assets in the country became one of the best options for these turbulent trading sessions. The euro was one of the biggest losers versus the dollar touching the lowest rate in 2010 today after International Monetary Fund officials affirmed that Greece’s situation is serious, once again making the Southern European nation to affect the outlook for the bloc’s single currency. The New Zealand dollar declined as a report in the nation showed that consumer prices dropped in the country, surprising analysts.

Chinese’s new policy regarding loans to avoid a new credit bubble is decreasing risk appetite, and events in Europe aren’t good either, this is allowing the dollar to outperform most of its trading partners currencies, as the U.S. provided relatively good data today, as analysts affirmed.

EUR/USD bottomed at 1.4095 as of 17:17 GMT from a previous rate of 1.4272 yesterday. NZD/USD traded at 0.7190 from 0.7387.

If you want to comment on the U.S. dollar’s recent action or have any questions regarding this currency, please, feel free to reply below.

The British currency had a favorable performance today versus multiple

key-currencies today, beating the euro and the Swiss franc as the country starts to show more evident signs of recovery, attracting investors back to the U.K.

After inflation surpassed analysts estimates and Bank of England’s target today, the pound gained considerably versus most of the main traded currencies, specially versus the euro, as Greece’s budget deficit is still affecting the currency’s outlook, and ths Swiss franc, which had a rally halted as fears of interventions from the nation’s central bank emerged.

EUR/GBP slid to 0.8727 as of 23:41 GMT from a previous rate of 0.8785 yesterday.

If you want to comment on the Great Britain pound’s recent action or have any questions regarding this currency, please, feel free to reply below.

The euro tumbled today versus most of the

key-currencies in Europe after Germany published an important economic confidence report with worse-than-expected data, declining attractiveness for the single currency as some of its member countries struggle with a growing budget deficit.

The European single currency dropped versus most of the 16 main traded currencies today as the outlook for the economic bloc declined considerably after theGerman ZEW Economic Sentiment report brought negative data to traders, which opted for other currencies in the region and overseas as Germany is the main economy currently using the euro. Greece’s deteriorating budget deficit is still a reason of big concern and is affecting the appeal for the euro, as the European Central Bank affirmed that further measures should be taken by the Southern European nation to solve its growing budget crisis. The pound climbed versus the euro as the U.K. posted a higher than expected annualized inflation rate.

Speculations that a slow down in the Eurozone recovery pace are already affecting the outlook for the currency, according to analysts. The region still has low interest rates, and the disparities among the bloc’s members are influencing traders who would rather invest in other regions for the moment.

EUR/USD traded at 1.4276 as of 17:26 GMT from a previous rate of 1.4391 yesterday. EUR/GBP declined to 0.8715 from 0.8815.

If you want to comment on the Euro’s recent action or have any questions regarding this currency, please, feel free to reply below.

The Canadian dollar fell today after the nation’s central bank left interest rates unchanged at an all time record low, declining rate hikes speculations despite the favorable economic data published in Canada during the past few weeks.

The loonie dropped versus most of the 16 most traded currencies today after the central bank affirmed that interest rates will remain unchanged until June, decreasing sharply the attractiveness for the loonie as traders expected the good performance of the Canadian economy to produce more immediate results in terms of interest rate hikes. The Bank of Canada also made a statement against the loonie’s strength, which, according to its officials, is a threat to the economic growth in the North American nation, forcing the loonie down specially versus its a stronger greenback that advanced versus all of the 16 main traded currencies.

The lack of a hawkish tone in Canada’s central bank declarations affected the outlook for the loonie, which have been gaining on speculations that stronger economic conditions in the country would allow the BOC to raise interest rates sooner than expected, but its dovish position and against a strong loonie will certainly be an obstacle for loonie’s further advances.

USD/CAD traded at 1.0320 as of 15:28 GMT from a previous rate of 1.0255 in the intraday comparison. CAD/JPY traded at 88.24 from 88.45.

If you want to comment on the Canadian dollar’s recent action or have any questions regarding this currency, please, feel free to reply below.

The Swiss franc gained versus several

key-currencies today despite the nation’s central bank concerns regarding the strength of its currency, which already was expressed previously in statements mentioning eventual future interventions to halt the franc’s rally.

Even if the Swiss National Bank President Philipp Hildebrand stated last week that franc’s fluctuations will be monitored closely, expressing concern with the Swiss currency high rates, the franc advanced today versus the euro as traders feel it is still undervalued versus the European single currency. According to analysts, the SNB will impose more than verbal interventions anytime soon as long as the franc continues bullish.

EUR/CHF traded at 1.4740 as of 21:31 GMT from an opening rate of 1.4753 yesterday.

If you want to comment on the Swiss franc’s recent action or have any questions regarding this currency, please, feel free to reply below.

After a week of losses versus most of the main traded currencies in

foreign-exchange markets, the Brazilian real advanced today fueled by a positive performance in commodities and equities markets.

The Brazilian real gained today versus the yen and the U.S. dollar as demand for commodities and optimism regarding the nation’s economy allowed the South American currency to revert a negative trend that lasted five consecutive days. A great sum of capital inflows to Brazilian stocks also influenced on the good performance of the real this Monday.

USD/BRL traded at 1.7661 as of 19:54 GMT from an opening rate of 1.7715.

If you want to comment on the Brazilian real’s recent action or have any questions regarding this currency, please, feel free to reply below.

The U.K. currency may be experience a shift on its sentiment as speculations suggest that the current quantitative easing measures used by the nation’s central bank will be terminated, as the country starts to publish positive economic reports, suggesting that the recession may be ending in the British Isles.

This week will be decisive for the pound as inflation yearly numbers are due to be published the next Tuesday, and if forecasts will be confirmed, the numbers are expected to surpass Bank of England’s target below 2 percent for the first time in seven months, fueling even further speculations that quantitative easing measures will be lifted in the U.K. anytime soon this year. The 200 billion pounds used for bond purchasing will have their last part of 25 billion to be used by early February, and the next central bankers’ meeting may already bring better news for the sterling if the country’s monetary policy change its direction.

The pound has been suffering from an insistent recession combined with a struggling financial system and ineffective policies taken by the Bank of England to combat the crisis, but as economic data improves, the pound may advance considerably, since it was one of the currencies who lost the most among the main traded ones in foreign-exchange markets last year.

GBP/USD traded at 1.6277 as of 02:20 GMT from a previous rate of 1.6256 when markets closed last Friday.

If you want to comment on the Great Britain pound’s recent action or have any questions regarding this currency, please, feel free to reply below.

This Friday’s shift in market sentiment allowed the U.S. dollar to post a weekly advance versus most of the main

higher-yielding currencies, as risk aversion rose globally and traders opted by the relative safety provided by dollar-priced assets.

The dollar gained significantly versus commodity producer currencies like the Brazilian Real and the Australian dollar towards the end of this week as China’s new lending restrictions raised concerns that demand for raw materials may decline in the country, affecting exports from these countries. The dollar also reverted a losing trend versus the euro and ended the week with a positive result as some of its member countries increasing budget deficit are raising speculations that the currency attractiveness may be impacted among traders, making the European single currency to drop sharply in this week’s last trading session.

Even if economic data published in the U.S. during this week was below forecasts, pessimism was stronger and allowed not only the dollar, but also the yen to outperform most of main trading currencies towards the end of the week. Fed rate hikes speculations declined significantly, but the dollar may continue to sustain its current levels as uncertainty regarding the global economy remains considerable.

EUR/USD closed the week at 1.4381 from 1.4505. NZD/USD closed the week at 0.7368 from 0.7424 on Thursday.

If you want to comment on the U.S. dollar’s recent action or have any questions regarding this currency, please, feel free to reply below.

The Swedish krona ended this week gaining versus the European single currency as Greek’s budget deficit is once again affecting the outlook for the euro, which also declined versus most of the main traded currencies in

foreign-exchange markets.

The krona ended this week with a third consecutive day of gains versus the euro after Greece’s deteriorating economic health is raising concern towards traders regarding the Eurozone, after European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet affirmed that member countries will not have any privileges.

EUR/SEK ended the week at 10.17 from 10.22 on Monday when markets opened.

If you want to comment on the Swedish krona’s recent action or have any questions regarding this currency, please, feel free to reply below.

The Australian dollar was one of the most affected currencies today as speculations that Chinese lending requirements will slow down the global economic recovery impacted traders’ sentiment, declining appetite for

high-yielding currencies.

The Aussie and the kiwi declined today versus most of the main 16 traded currencies, after one of its main trading partners, China, is likely to reduce property loans after the government set new restrictions for lending money in the nation’s banks, fueling speculations of an economic slowdown and consequently raising risk aversion in trading markets towards the end of this week’s session.

AUD/CAD traded at 0.9502 as of 19:02 GMT from a previous rate of 0.9525 yesterday.

If you want to comment on the Australian dollar’s recent action or have any questions regarding this currency, please, feel free to reply below.

The Canadian dollar declined versus its U.S. counterpart and

lower-yielding currencies as risk aversion rose impacting markets with extreme influence in the loonie rates, those of raw materials and equities, which dropped globally this Friday.

The loonie was impacted today as energetic and metallic commodities declined, specially the crude oil, as raw material exports account for more than half of the country’s international trade revenue, in a day of bearish markets in New York and Toronto. China’s new tightening lending policy declined appeal for high-yielding currencies, and despite U.S. mediocre data published in reports this Friday showing a slow down in the country’s inflation, the greenback advanced versus the loonie after touching a three-month low earlier this week.

The Canadian dollar has been fluctuated in almost perfect correlation with commodities in the beginning of 2010, despite the country’s fundamentals, which are also adding confidence for the loonie to gain in currency markets, according to analysts. As the crude oil retreated below $80 a barrel, the loonie’s rally was halted, but may continue if risk appetite returns during the next weeks.

USD/CAD traded at 1.0284 as of 16:38 GMT after touching 1.0219 yesterday. CAD/JPY declined to 88.27 from 88.85.

If you want to comment on the Canadian dollar’s recent action or have any questions regarding this currency, please, feel free to reply below.

Demand for safety rose today as concerns among investors that Chinese lending limits announced this week by the nation’s government may impact the global economic performance, allowing the yen to beat all of the main traded currencies in

foreign-exchange markets today.

The yen gained today versus greenback as reports in the world’s wealthiest country came slightly below forecasts, also showing a slow down in the inflation. The euro declined sharply versus the Japanese currency as concerns regarding Greek’s budget deficit are still affecting the outlook for the European currency, causing an outflow of capital towards the safety provided by yen-priced assets. China’s lending restrictions will affect not only the Asian economic region, but the economy in a global scale, as Chinese trading is well spread around the world, and these measures can slow down the economic recovery expected for 2010.

Traders became more risk averse with the new Chinese banking policy, and that’s positive for the yen, according to specialists. The yen had been trading at record lows versus commodity related currencies like the Canadian dollar and the side effects of Chinese statements gave a breather for the Japanese currency.

EUR/JPY traded at 130.57 as of 16:01 GMT from an intraday rate of 131.85. AUD/JPY declined to 83.83 from 84.80

If you want to comment on the Japanese yen’s recent action or have any questions regarding this currency, please, feel free to reply below.

Once again interest rates are fueling a rally for the Aussie dollar as it happened in the second half of the last year, when the South Pacific currency ranked among the best performing options in

foreign-exchange markets.

Positive employment data published in Australia this Wednesday is helping the Aussie to rally to high levels versus most of the main traded currencies, as a declining unemployment rate, currently at 5.5 percent and much better than other key-economic regions in the world, is fueling speculations that interest rates will be once again hiked in the country next month.

AUD/USD traded at 0.9315 as of 00:11 GMT from a previous intraday rate of 0.9241.

If you want to comment on the Australian dollar’s recent action or have any questions regarding this currency, please, feel free to reply below.

The Brazilian real posted the fourth straight day of decline versus the U.S. dollar as speculations suggest that the Treasury is likely to start a debt selling plan to buy dollars, declining attractiveness for the real in currency markets.

The real touched the weakest level in 2010 today as speculations suggest that overseas investors are leaving the country, and such capital outflows declined appeal for the emerging market South American currency. A Treasury plan that may be used to buy dollars also affected the real’s outlook, in another day of losses versus most of the main traded currencies this week.

USD/BRL traded at 1.7658 as of 20:03 GMT from an opening rate of 1.7405.

If you want to comment on the Brazilian real’s recent action or have any questions regarding this currency, please, feel free to reply below.

Speculations that demand for commodities will continue to grow in the U.S. and globally are helping the Canadian dollar to benefit from this scenario as exportation of raw materials account for half of the country’s trading revenue.

The Canadian rose against almost all of the 16 main traded currencies as metallic and energetic commodities abundant in the country are experiencing a high demand as the global economic recovery spurs demand for raw materials. Canadian fundamentals are also stronger than most of its main trading partners, and the loonie rose versus the greenback today as U.S. retail sales declined, touching the highest level in three months versus its U.S. counterpart. The loonie also gained considerably versus the euro as several Eurozone member countries are struggling with deteriorating budget deficits.

Not only the demand for commodities but also the Canadian economy seems to perform better than the several wealthy nations as the U.S. and the U.K., this is bringing investors to the country, according to analysts. If the Bank of Canada doesn’t express concern, it is likely that the loonie will reach parity with the greenback at some point this year.

USD/CAD traded at 1.0252 as of 18:17 GMT from a previous rate of 1.0308 yesterday.

If you want to comment on the Canadian dollar’s recent action or have any questions regarding this currency, please, feel free to reply below.

The Australian dollar climbed after employment figures were published in the country with

better-than-expected numbers, adding confidence that the economic recovery in the country is accelerating its pace, spurring demand for assets in the South Pacific region.

After unemployment in Australia declined to 5.5 percent and surprised forecasts that expected an increase, the Aussie dollar gained versus most of the main traded currencies, specially lower-yielding options like the Japanese yen, impacted by the growing risk appetite in Australia.

AUD/CAD traded at 0.9579 as of 02:27 GMT from 0.9504 hours before the employment figures were published in Australia.

If you want to comment on the Australian dollar’s recent action or have any questions regarding this currency, please, feel free to reply below.

The dollar had a mediocre performance today losing versus a considerable number of currencies after the nation’s central bank was not so optimistic regarding the U.S. economy recovery, declining appeal for the greenback.

The dollar posted a disappointing performance in a day were equities and commodities markets increased appeal for higher-yielding currencies. The British pound posted another advance versus the greenback as Bank of England’s policy markers signaled that interest rates in the U.K. are due to be hiked at some point this year. The Federal Reserve stated that a modest economic recovery is taking place in the U.S., fact which traders interpret as a delay in forecasts of interest rate raises, which is certainly declining the attractiveness that fueled a dollar rally versus most of the main traded currencies in December.

As speculations of immediate rate hikes fade away in the U.S., the greenback rates will be more determined by the pace of recovery in the country compared to other economic regions throughout the world, specially in Europe and Asia, where the main U.S. trading partners are located.

EUR/USD traded at 1.4506 as of 20:57 GMT from a previous intraday rate of 1.4480 yesterday, in a session of high volatility for the currency pair. GBP/USD trded at 1.6286 from 1.6171.

If you want to comment on the U.S. dollar’s recent action or have any questions regarding this currency, please, feel free to reply below.