1. The U.S.

Dollar
First and foremost is the U.S. dollar, which is easily the most traded currency on
the planet. The USD can be found in a pair with all of the other major currencies
and often acts as the intermediary in triangular currency transactions.

2. The Euro
The official currency of the majority of the nations within the eurozone, the euro
was introduced to the world markets on January 1, 1999, with banknotes and
coinage entering circulation three years later.

3. The Japanese Yen

The Japanese yen is easily the most traded currency out of Asia and viewed by
many as a proxy for the underlying strength of Japan's manufacturing-export
economy.

. The Great British Pound

The Great British pound, also known as the pound sterling, is the fourth most
traded currency in the forex market. It also acts as a large reserve currency due
to its relative value compared to other global currencies.

5. The Canadian Dollar

Also known as the loonie, the Canadian dollar is probably the world's foremost
commodity currency, meaning that it moves in step with the commodities
markets – notably crude oil, precious metals and minerals. With Canada being
such a large exporter of such commodities, the loonie is very volatile to
movements in their underlying prices, especially that of crude oil. Traders often
trade the Canadian dollar to speculate on the movements of these commodities
or as a hedge to their holdings of those underlying contracts.

6. The Swiss Franc

the Swiss franc is considered a safe haven within the forex market, primarily due
to the fact that the franc tends to move in a negative correlation to more volatile
commodity currencies, such as the Canadian and Australian dollars, along with
U.S. Treasury yields. The Swiss National Bank has actually been known to be
quite active in the forex market to ensure that the franc trades within a relatively
tight range, to reduce volatility and keep interest rates in check.