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Rates on this page are for information only and are not an offer to trade. CFDs and leveraged forex carry a high risk of losing money rapidly. Your broker's bid and ask prices, spreads and fees will differ from the reference rates shown here.
Live cross rates
Every combination of eight major currencies. Read across a row: the figure shows how many units of the column currency one unit of the row currency buys.
Currency heat map: who is strong today
Each cell shows the row currency's move against the column currency today. Green means the row currency has gained, red means it has lost, and deeper colours mean bigger moves. A row that is mostly green marks the day's strongest currency.
Currency converter
Converts at the mid-market reference rate, refreshed once a day. Your bank or transfer service will quote a less favourable rate and may add fees.
Where live forex rates come from
Forex has no single exchange. Prices are set by thousands of banks, market makers and electronic platforms quoting each other around the clock, which is why the market is called over-the-counter. The Bank for International Settlements measured turnover at $9.6 trillion a day in April 2025, up 28% on 2022, with the US dollar on one side of 89% of all trades.
A live rate is a snapshot of that market: the latest price at which a buyer and a seller agreed, or the midpoint between the best bid and ask a data provider can see. The majors and crosses on this page stream from TradingView's feeds as they change. Less-traded currencies such as the taka, rupee and naira use indicative quotes from ICE Data Services (symbols starting FX_IDC), which update less often and can differ from what a local bank will pay.
Brokers take prices from their own liquidity providers and add a spread or commission, so two brokers can show slightly different rates for the same pair at the same second. None of them is wrong; each is quoting its own market.
How to read a live forex quote
Every rate on the board carries the same few pieces of information. Once these click, any quote screen reads the same way.
Base and quote
In EUR/USD, the euro is the base and the dollar the quote. A rate of 1.1650 means one euro buys 1.1650 dollars, and a rising rate means the base is strengthening.
Bid and ask
The bid is what the market pays you to sell the base; the ask is what you pay to buy it, and it is always the higher of the two.
Pip
The fourth decimal place for most pairs (0.0001) and the second for yen pairs (0.01). On one standard lot of EUR/USD, a pip is worth $10.
Change and % change
How far the price has moved since the start of the trading day. A 1% daily move is large for EUR/USD and ordinary for USD/TRY.
High and low
The day's range. When it is wide, volatility is high and stops need more room.
Sparkline and chart
The shape of recent moves. It shows direction, not the future.
Why your bank's rate differs from the live rate
The live rate is a wholesale price. What you receive at a bank, card provider or broker is that price plus the provider's margin.
Banks add a margin
Banks and money changers quote a rate well away from the mid-market price, often 2% to 5% for cash and small transfers, and keep the difference.
Brokers add a spread
A trading broker's buy price sits slightly above the mid and its sell price slightly below. On EUR/USD that gap is usually under 2 pips at a regulated broker.
Timing
Rates move every second. A quote from ten minutes ago, or a bank's daily rate sheet, will differ from the live screen.
Managed currencies
Where a central bank manages the rate, such as the taka or Pakistani rupee, official, interbank and open-market rates can sit apart.
Onshore and offshore
Some currencies trade at two prices: the Chinese yuan onshore (CNY) and offshore (CNH), and the Indian rupee onshore and in offshore forwards.
Fees on top
Transfer fees, card charges and commissions come on top of the rate, so compare the final amount received, not the headline rate.
Forex market hours: when rates move
The market opens around 5 pm New York time on Sunday and closes at the same time on Friday. Activity rolls through four financial centres; the session chips on the live board show which are open now.
| Session | Local hours | Most active currencies | What to expect |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sydney | 7 am to 4 pm Sydney time | AUD, NZD | Quietest session; the week opens here on Monday morning |
| Tokyo | 9 am to 6 pm Tokyo time | JPY, AUD, CNH, SGD | Yen pairs and Asian currencies most active |
| London | 8 am to 5 pm London time | EUR, GBP, CHF | The largest share of daily turnover |
| New York | 8 am to 5 pm New York time | USD, CAD, MXN | US data at 8:30 am moves every dollar pair |
Busiest window: the London and New York overlap, 8 am to noon New York time, brings the most volume and the tightest spreads on the majors.
What moves live exchange rates
Interest rates
Higher expected rates tend to lift a currency. Central bank decisions and speeches move rates within seconds; see the economic calendar for dates.
Inflation and jobs data
US CPI and non-farm payrolls, UK CPI and euro-area inflation can move majors by 50 to 100 pips in minutes.
Risk mood
In a sell-off, money flows to the dollar, yen and Swiss franc; in calm markets, higher-yielding currencies such as AUD and emerging-market currencies tend to gain.
Commodities
Oil moves CAD and NOK; iron ore and metals move AUD; gold often moves opposite to the dollar.
Politics and intervention
Elections, trade tariffs and central bank intervention, such as Japan's yen purchases, can reverse a trend in a day.
Liquidity
Thin markets, at weekends, holidays or the Sydney open, can produce sudden jumps and wider spreads.
The major pairs, and why beginners start there
All seven majors include the US dollar. They carry the deepest liquidity and the lowest spreads, and news about them is easy to follow. The BIS 2025 survey put the dollar in 89% of trades, the euro in 28.9%, the yen in 16.8% and sterling in 10.2% (each trade counts two currencies).
| Pair | Nickname | Main drivers | Busiest in |
|---|---|---|---|
| EUR/USD | Fiber | ECB versus Fed policy; euro-area and US data | London and New York |
| USD/JPY | Ninja | US yields versus the Bank of Japan; risk mood | Tokyo and New York |
| GBP/USD | Cable | Bank of England policy; UK inflation and politics | London |
| AUD/USD | Aussie | China demand, metals and RBA policy | Sydney and Tokyo |
| USD/CAD | Loonie | Oil prices and Bank of Canada policy | New York |
| USD/CHF | Swissie | Safe-haven demand and SNB policy | London |
| NZD/USD | Kiwi | Dairy prices and RBNZ policy | Sydney |
Live rates for Asian currencies
Many Asian currencies are managed by their central banks or trade at separate onshore and offshore prices, so the screen rate needs context.
- USD/INR
- The Reserve Bank of India smooths large moves, and much offshore trading happens in non-deliverable forwards. Indian residents may trade rupee pairs only on recognised Indian exchanges; the RBI keeps an Alert List of unauthorised forex platforms. See forex brokers in India.
- USD/CNY and USD/CNH
- Onshore yuan (CNY) trades within 2% either side of the People's Bank of China's daily fixing. Offshore yuan (CNH) trades freely in Hong Kong and elsewhere, so the two prices can differ.
- USD/SGD
- The Monetary Authority of Singapore steers the dollar against a basket of currencies within an undisclosed band, rather than setting interest rates.
- USD/PKR and USD/BDT
- The State Bank of Pakistan and Bangladesh Bank both manage their currencies closely. Bank, interbank and open-market rates can sit apart, so screen quotes are a guide rather than the rate you will receive.
- USD/THB, USD/PHP, USD/IDR, USD/MYR
- Traded mainly in Asian hours, with thinner liquidity than the majors. Spreads at brokers are wider, and moves around local holidays can be sharp.
Looking for a broker in the region? Compare regulated options on our Asian forex brokers page.
Worked example: from live rate to trade
- Reading the quote
The broker shows EUR/USD at 1.1650 bid and 1.1651 ask: a 1-pip spread. Rahim thinks the euro will rise, so he would buy at 1.1651.
- Sizing the trade
With a $1,000 account, Rahim trades 0.1 lot, where each pip is worth $1. The spread costs $1 the moment the trade opens.
- Setting the stop
A stop-loss 25 pips below, at 1.1626, limits the loss to $25, or 2.5% of the account, while a target 50 pips above, at 1.1701, aims for $50.
- Checking the calendar
US inflation data is due in two hours, so he waits for the release instead of entering before it.
A live rate tells you where the market is. Position size and the stop-loss decide what a move costs you, and those are the parts you control.
Work out your own numbers with the pip calculator and position size calculator.
Live rate glossary
- Pip
- The smallest standard price step: 0.0001 for most pairs, 0.01 for yen pairs.
- Pipette
- A tenth of a pip; the fifth decimal on most broker platforms.
- Spread
- The gap between bid and ask, and the built-in cost of a trade.
- Mid-market rate
- The midpoint between bid and ask; what most converters show.
- Lot
- Trade size. A standard lot is 100,000 units of the base currency; a mini is 10,000; a micro is 1,000.
- Leverage
- Borrowed exposure. At 1:30, $1,000 of margin controls $30,000 of currency.
- Cross rate
- A pair without the US dollar, such as EUR/GBP.
- Liquidity
- How easily a pair trades without moving the price. High for majors, lower for exotics.
- Volatility
- How far and fast a price moves. It widens both profits and losses.
- Weekend gap
- A jump between Friday's close and Monday's open when news breaks at the weekend.
Common mistakes when reading live rates
Your order fills at the broker's bid or ask, and during news it may slip further.
Exotic pairs can carry spreads ten times those of EUR/USD, eating small targets.
Watching a live board all day invites overtrading. Plan entries and exits before you open the chart.
Spreads widen and prices jump around major releases. Check the calendar first.
A money changer's rate includes its margin; a trading quote does not. They answer different questions.
Prices keep moving while you sleep. A stop decides your worst case in advance.
Forex live rates FAQs
Are the forex rates on this page live?
Yes. Major and cross pairs stream in real time from TradingView. Quotes for less-traded currencies, marked FX_IDC, are indicative and update less often. The converter uses reference rates refreshed once a day.
Can I trade at the rates shown here?
No. These are reference prices. A broker fills your order at its own bid or ask, which includes a spread, so your price is always slightly worse than the mid-market rate.
Why is my bank's exchange rate different from the live rate?
Banks and money changers add a margin to the mid-market rate, often 2% to 5% for cash and small transfers, and may charge fees on top. Their rate sheets also update less often than a live feed.
What is the mid-market rate?
The midpoint between the best bid and ask in the market. It is the fairest reference for what a currency is worth at that moment, but retail customers rarely get it.
What time does the forex market open?
It opens around 5 pm New York time on Sunday, which is Monday morning in Sydney, and closes at 5 pm New York time on Friday. Between those times, trading runs 24 hours a day.
When are forex rates most active?
During the London and New York overlap, from 8 am to noon New York time. Most volume and the tightest spreads on the major pairs occur then.
What is a pip and how much is it worth?
A pip is 0.0001 for most pairs and 0.01 for yen pairs. On EUR/USD, one pip is worth $10 on a standard lot, $1 on a mini lot and $0.10 on a micro lot.
What is a cross rate?
An exchange rate between two currencies that does not involve the US dollar, such as EUR/GBP or AUD/JPY. The cross-rate table on this page shows every combination of eight major currencies.
How do I read the currency heat map?
Each cell shows how much the row currency has moved against the column currency today. Green means the row currency has strengthened, red means it has weakened, and deeper colours mean larger moves.
Why don't forex rates move at the weekend?
The interbank market closes from Friday evening to Sunday evening New York time. If news breaks at the weekend, Monday's opening price can jump away from Friday's close, which traders call a gap.
Sources: BIS Triennial Survey 2025, TradingView market data, Monetary Authority of Singapore: monetary policy, ExchangeRate-API (converter).