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Trading foreign exchange on margin carries a high level of risk, and may not be suitable for all investors. Before deciding to trade foreign exchange you should carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite. You could sustain a loss of some or all of your initial investment and should not invest money that you cannot afford to lose. Trading foreign exchange on margin carries a high level of risk, and may not be suitable for all investors. Before deciding to trade foreign exchange you should carefully consider your investment objectives, level of experience, and risk appetite. You could sustain a loss of some or all of your initial investment and should not invest money that you cannot afford to lose.

Forex trading

Trade the forex market by harnessing volatility - execute trades with our award-winning platform.1 We strive to offer low spreads on major pairs like EUR/USD with exceptionally fast trade execution speed.

Start trading today. Call 844 IG USA FX or email newaccounts.us@ig.com. We’re here 24 hours a day, from 3am Saturday to 5pm Friday (EST).

Contact us: 844 IG USA FX

Start trading today. Call 844 IG USA FX or email newaccounts.us@ig.com. We’re here 24 hours a day, from 3am Saturday to 5pm Friday (EST).

Contact us: 844 IG USA FX

Online forex trading

Select or search for currency pairs to view real-time prices and start trading forex today.

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Fast execution on a huge range of markets

Enjoy low spreads with a reliable execution

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Backed by more than 45 years of experience, we’re proud to offer a truly market-leading service

Forex trading involves risk. Losses can exceed deposits.

Forex trading involves risk. Losses can exceed deposits.

Open an account now

Open an account now

Fast execution on a huge range of markets

Enjoy low spreads with a reliable execution

Trade seamlessly, wherever you are

Trade on the move with our natively designed, award-winning trading app1

Feel secure with a trusted provider

Backed by more than 45 years of experience, we’re proud to offer a truly market-leading service

Start trading now

Log in to your account now to access today’s opportunity in a huge range of markets.

Start trading now

Log in to your account now to access today’s opportunity in a huge range of markets.

FAQs

How does forex trading work?

Forex trading works by simultaneously buying one currency while selling another. If the currency you have bought increases in value against the currency you have sold, you can close your position for a profit. If not, you make a loss.

How do I read a forex currency rate?

Forex markets are always quoted in pairs – EUR/USD, for example – because you’ll always be trading one currency for another. The exchange rate is how much one unit of the first (‘base’) currency costs in the second (‘quote’) currency

Say the EUR/USD exchange rate is quoted as 1.1700. This means that it would cost 1.17 dollars to buy a single euro.

What are pips?

Pips are a forex-specific synonym for basis points or ‘points’ - the smallest amounts by which a market price can change. For major currencies a pip is a standardized unit of 1/100th of 1%, or 0.0001, except for pairs including the Japanese yen. For these pairs, a pip is equal to 0.01.

At IG, we tend to use the term ‘pips’, but you may see ‘points’ used interchangeably by other brokers.

What are major currency pairs?

Major currency pairs are those that trade in the highest volume on a daily basis. These pairs tend to be incredibly liquid and trade 24 hours a day, usually with very narrow spreads. Some examples include EUR/USD, USD/JPY, GBP/USD and USD/CHF.

What are minor currency pairs?

What constitutes a minor currency pair can vary depending on where you look. Some brokers stipulate that a minor pair can’t include the US dollar, for example, and as such refer to them as ‘crosses’.

More generally, a minor pair is any currency pair that’s traded less frequently than the majors, even if one or both constituent pairs also appear in a major currency pair. Some of the more popular include CHF/JPY, GBP/CAD and EUR/SGD.

What are exotic currency pairs?

Exotic currency pairs, or ‘exotics’ for short, are made up of one major currency along with another from a small or emerging economy. Examples include GBP/MXN (sterling and the Mexican peso) or USD/PLN (the US dollar and the Polish zloty).

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1 "Award-winning” is based on the ForexBrokers.com 2024 Annual Review where IG won #Overall Broker and #1 Web Platform. The ForexBrokers Awards is a submissions-based process where companies are invited to enter the judging process. Awards are given by ForexBrokers judges, based on demonstrating innovative ideas implemented in a practical way for solving issues for clients. You can view how they rate brokers by visiting here: https://www.forexbrokers.com/how-we-test