Beginner's Guide to Trading USD on Forex
A plain-English introduction to trading the US dollar on the forex market — what USD pairs are, what moves them and how to start with OctaFX.
Open OctaFX Account →Trading USD on forex means buying or selling US dollar currency pairs such as EUR/USD, GBP/USD and USD/JPY. A quote shows how much of the second currency buys one unit of the first. The dollar is driven by US interest rates, inflation and jobs data. At OctaFX, USD pairs trade from about 0.6 pips, with a free demo to practise before risking real money.
Trading the US dollar for beginners
- The US dollar (USD) is the most traded currency; the main USD pairs are EUR/USD, GBP/USD and USD/JPY.
- A forex quote shows how much of the second currency buys one unit of the first, so EUR/USD 1.10 means €1 = $1.10.
- The dollar is driven by US interest rates, inflation data, jobs reports and risk sentiment across markets.
- You can go long (buy) if you expect USD strength or short (sell) if you expect weakness, using leverage carefully.
- At OctaFX, USD pairs trade from spreads of about 0.6 pips on MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5 and OctaTrader, with a free demo to practise.
- CFDs are complex instruments and carry a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage; most retail accounts lose money.
Common USD forex pairs at OctaFX
| Pair | Typical spread from | What it is |
|---|---|---|
| EUR/USD | 0.6 pips | Euro vs US dollar — the most traded pair |
| GBP/USD | 0.9 pips | British pound vs US dollar |
| USD/JPY | 0.7 pips | US dollar vs Japanese yen |
Frequently asked questions
What are the main USD forex pairs?
The most traded US dollar pairs are EUR/USD (euro), GBP/USD (British pound) and USD/JPY (Japanese yen).
What moves the US dollar on forex?
US interest rates, inflation figures, employment reports and overall market risk sentiment are the main drivers of the dollar.