Currency Pairs

Currency Pairs: Each currency is recognized by a three letter code. For example EUR (is the EURO and refers to the European currency), USD (is the United States Dollar). The worlds leading currencies (often referred to as the majors) are the EUR, USD, JPY (Japanese Yen), GBP (the British Pound or Sterling), CHF (the Swiss franc), AUD (the Australian Dollar) and the CAD (the Canadian Dollar).
Currencies are traded in pairs and are displayed as such. There is always the three letter currency code a slash and another three letter currency code. The first currency displayed refers to the "base", "leading" or "primary currency"; the second currency refers to the "secondary currency".
For instance when looking at the EUR/USD the EUR is the leading currency and the USD is the secondary currency. The "currency pair" or "currency cross" is then followed by a number; this is typically a five digit number with a decimal point after the first, for instance 1.2660.
The number represents the ratio of one currency against the other, and can be read as "the amount of the secondary currency needed in order to have one unit of the major currency". In the example just given, EUR/USD 1.2660, one would require 1 Dollar and 26.6 cents to exchange for 1 Euro.
Bid and Ask or Buy and Sell
There are always two numbers given after the currency pair, the first always has a smaller numerical value then the second. This can once again be shown using the same example (EUR/USD 1.2660 1.2663). The first number is known as the "Bid" or "Sell" and the second number is known as the "Ask", the "Offer" or "Buy".
The smaller number or the Bid (Sell) (1.2660) represents that price where one can sell the major currency and buy the secondary currency; sell the EUR and buy the USD. The second price the Ask (BUY) (1.2663) represents the price where one can buy the major currency and sell the secondary; buy the EUR and sell the USD.
In the trading window below the trader is able to buy the EUR against the USD at 1.2847 or sell the EUR and buy the USD at 1.2844. The trader is also able to buy the USD against the JPY at 117.60 and sell the USD and buy the JPY at 117.57.
Calculating your P&L
As discussed above the foreign exchange rate represents the value of one unit in the major currency in the terms of a secondary currency. Since when opening a trade you exercise the trade in a set amount of the major currency and when closing the trade you do so in the same amount, the profit or loss generated by the round trip (open and close) trade will be in the secondary currency.
For example if a trader sells 100,000 EUR/USD at 1.2820 and then buys 100,000 EUR/USD at 1.2760, his net position in EUR is zero (100,000-100,000) however his USD is not. The USD position is calculated as follows 100,000*1.2820= $128,200 long and -100,000*1.2760= -$127,600 short. The profit or loss is always in the second currency. For simplicity's sake the P&L statements often show the P&L in USD terms. In this case the profit on the trade is $600.
As can be seen from the Open position window below in Ticket number 411 the trader has Bought 20,000 EUR against the USD at 1.2806 the current rate to close is 1.2844, therefore the trader has a current profit of 38 pips and 20000*0.0038= $76.
A Pip
We can see that in this case the trader made 60 points or pips. This is calculated as follows 1.2820-1.2760=0.0060; therefore 1 pip=0.0001 and on a 100,000 EUR/USD position 1 pip is worth $10. In a USD/JPY position where the market rate is 118.30 one pip is 0.01. We can therefore see that a pip is equal to the last decimal point shown on a rate. The value of 1 pip in USD/JPY for a 100,000 position can be calculated as follows: 100,000*0.01= 1,000 JPY, in USD terms this is equal to 1,000/118.30= $8.45 (rounded to the nearest cent).