In forex trading terminology, cross currency refers to a pair of currencies that do not include the U.S. dollar. It is commonplace in the forex market to exchange any foreign currency to U.S. dollars before trading. In cross currency, a trader does not need to go through that.

Cross currency is a technique that aims to completely bypass the need to convert currency to American dollars before converting it back to the desired foreign currency. One example is the GBP/JPY (British pound-Japanese yen) cross for England and Japan currencies. This is invented in order to convert money between the two currencies without needing to convert them into U.S. dollars.

With this, forex traders can make a wide range of trades in different currencies without relying on the fluctuation of the U.S. dollars. The four major currency pairs: GBP/USD (British pound-U.S. dollar), EUR-USD (euro-U.S. dollar), USD/CHF (U.S. dollar-Swiss franc), and USD/JPY (U.S. dollar-Japanese yen) are highly affected by the movements of the U.S. dollars. All of these are only profitable if the U.S. dollar is weak. In a way, forex trading is all about the U.S. dollars. This is because the dollar is the reserve currency of all central banks in the world. Trading the U.S. dollar leaves one with no other option other than waiting for the dollar to weaken.

Cross currency allows profitable currency trading regardless of the performance of the U.S. dollars. In a way, it serves as a gauge of the strength of other foreign currency over the U.S. dollar. With cross currency trading, you can make more bets other than pro or anti the greenback.

Ninety per cent of forex market players trade in the four major currency pairs that involve the U.S. dollar. Cross currency is perfect for traders who wanted to go against the flow and explore the opportunities in a variety of trades.

Timothy Stevens
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