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What is Currency History?

Jason C. Chavis
Jason C. Chavis

Currency history consists of the historical value of one form of currency with another. Specifically, a currency of one nation trades against another type of currency at a certain rate at all times. A currency history involves the past details of the movement of this exchange rate. Data can be collected and used to determine the likely changes in the future of the currency exchange rates between the base currency and the foreign one. Most commonly this information is utilized in the Forex market to help traders make the necessary choices when performing foreign currency swaps.

Most commonly, information that illustrates currency history is a common factor used by day traders to help with making trades. Using an authorized Forex dealer, these investors often will watch how the history of a currency pair acted in previous time periods, sometimes simply minutes previous. The method of day trading makes money based on performing trades at a fast pace, so knowing the currency history as the trades are made benefits the investor. This helps predict the future movements and details the choices of the currency swaps.

A person making a purchase with a 20 euro bill.
A person making a purchase with a 20 euro bill.

A prime example of how currency history impacts the Forex market can be seen in the basic transaction on the interbank market. One US Dollar (USD) may be trading at 1.45 Euros at eight in the morning. The trader follows the change in price over the next hour as the Euro loses value to a mark of 1.25. Using this information about the currency history, a day trader can choose to sell a certain amount of Euros for USD as it gains value against the other currency. As soon as the trader identifies that this downward movement is done, he or she can swap back for Euros, making a profit.

Various types of currency, including US dollars, pounds sterling, and euros.
Various types of currency, including US dollars, pounds sterling, and euros.

Utilizing the valuable information in the Forex market can make an investor small sums of money throughout the day, eventually turning a profit by the daily cut-off time. This same data can also be used to trade in the Forex futures market. Investors leverage a certain position between currency exchange rates and buy or sell at a specific value at some point in the future. This enables a party to hedge against losses rather than risk sudden shifts up or down in a certain currency's value.

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    • A person making a purchase with a 20 euro bill.
      A person making a purchase with a 20 euro bill.
    • Various types of currency, including US dollars, pounds sterling, and euros.
      By: Joop Hoek
      Various types of currency, including US dollars, pounds sterling, and euros.