{"id":378703,"date":"2026-06-22T12:56:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-22T12:56:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pocketoption.com\/blog\/?p=378703"},"modified":"2026-06-22T12:56:00","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T12:56:00","slug":"cross-currency-pairs-guide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pocketoption.com\/blog\/en\/news-events\/data\/cross-currency-pairs-guide\/","title":{"rendered":"Cross Currency Pairs Guide for Forex Traders | Pocket Option Blog"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":365,"featured_media":378743,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,22],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-378703","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-data","category-trading-strategies"],"acf":{"h1":"Cross Currency Pairs Guide","h1_source":{"label":"H1","type":"text","formatted_value":"Cross Currency Pairs Guide"},"description":"Cross currency pairs explained for forex traders: what they are, how they work, the best pairs to trade, and how they differ from major pairs.","description_source":{"label":"Description","type":"textarea","formatted_value":"Cross currency pairs explained for forex traders: what they are, how they work, the best pairs to trade, and how they differ from major pairs."},"intro":"Pull up almost any forex chart and one name dominates: the US dollar. EUR\/USD, USD\/JPY, GBP\/USD, it anchors nearly every headline quote. So how do you trade the euro straight against the pound, dollar excluded? A separate breed of instrument does exactly that, opening setups the dollar pairs cannot.","intro_source":{"label":"Intro","type":"text","formatted_value":"Pull up almost any forex chart and one name dominates: the US dollar. EUR\/USD, USD\/JPY, GBP\/USD, it anchors nearly every headline quote. So how do you trade the euro straight against the pound, dollar excluded? A separate breed of instrument does exactly that, opening setups the dollar pairs cannot."},"body_html":"

What Are Cross Currency Pairs?<\/h2>\r\nSo what are they? Cross currency pairs are forex pairs that contain no US dollar at all. Rather than measuring a currency against the dollar, they quote two non-dollar currencies directly, euro versus pound, or pound versus yen. Before electronic dealing, converting euros to yen took two hops through the dollar, not one clean quote.\r\n
\r\n\r\n[cta_blue title=\"Start Trading in Minutes\" text=\"Brand new to forex? Set up an account and make your first trade along a guided, step-by-step path across 100+ assets.\" btn=\"Get Started\" url=\"\/en\/quick-start\/\"]\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\nThat gap matters. Every major pair rides on the dollar, the currency ruling global reserves and daily turnover. Crosses drop it, and that one change reshapes their liquidity, spreads, and movement. Traders who read how cross currency pairs behave catch chances dollar-only chartists miss.\r\n\r\nJust starting out? A short hands-on walkthrough teaches the mechanics faster than any wall of text.\r\n\r\nOur pocket option tutorial<\/a> walks you through opening a position, reading a live quote, and sizing the trade before any real money goes in.\r\n\r\nOnce those basics stick, trading cross currency pairs feels routine, no harder than the majors you already know.\r\n

Cross Currency Pairs List<\/h3>\r\nNot every pairing earns a place on your watchlist. A useful cross currency pairs list keeps to the combinations with solid liquidity and spreads slim enough that entry costs stay modest. Here are the crosses with the most real activity:\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Cross Pair<\/th>\r\nWhat Makes It Notable<\/th>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/thead>\r\n
EUR\/GBP<\/td>\r\nClosely linked economies, narrow ranges, among the gentlest crosses for beginners.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
EUR\/JPY<\/td>\r\nMiddling volatility with readable trends in busy hours, a dependable all-rounder.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
GBP\/JPY<\/td>\r\nNotorious for huge daily swings. High reward, high danger, no place for newcomers.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
EUR\/CHF<\/td>\r\nMuted moves, driven largely by Swiss central bank policy shifts.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
AUD\/JPY<\/td>\r\nA favored risk-appetite gauge, swayed by world growth and commodity moves.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
GBP\/CHF<\/td>\r\nLiquid but jumpy, quick to spike on UK or Swiss headlines.<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\nReading about a pair is nothing like watching it move live. A pocket option demo<\/a> account lets you open EUR\/GBP or GBP\/JPY and watch the spread, pace, and daily swing on virtual funds before real capital is at risk.\r\n\r\nRisk Disclaimer: Trading involves significant risk of capital loss. This article is for educational purposes only and does not constitute financial advice. Always conduct independent research and consider your risk tolerance before making any trading decisions.\r\n

How Do They Work?<\/h2>\r\nThis is where beginners stall. If your broker mostly prices currencies against the dollar, how does an EUR\/GBP quote exist? Those rates are worked out, not posted directly. To see what are cross currency pairs in forex mechanically, stack two dollar pairs side by side. EUR\/USD tells you a euro's worth in dollars; GBP\/USD tells you a pound's worth in dollars. Split the first by the second and EUR\/GBP emerges. Feed in EUR\/USD at 1.0800 and GBP\/USD at 1.2700, and the result sits near 0.8504. Platforms handle this on the fly, so you get one tidy price while the dollar legs run underneath. It also explains how a sudden dollar move spills into a cross when neither currency looks responsible.\r\n

Best Cross Currency Pairs to Trade<\/h2>\r\nPopularity here rests on liquidity and predictable behavior. The minor cross currency pairs forex traders favor share one trait, enough turnover to keep spreads tame plus clean reactions to economic data. Three names lead, each suiting a different temperament.\r\n

EUR\/GBP<\/h3>\r\nEUR\/GBP is the quiet one. Britain and the eurozone do enormous trade with one another, so the euro and pound tend to track together and the pair holds tighter ranges than most. That calm makes it a natural first step into cross currency pairs trading. Range tactics fit well, and low volatility leaves room to learn. Stay alert around Bank of England and ECB rate calls, when the quiet can vanish fast.\r\n

GBP\/JPY<\/h3>\r\nTraders call GBP\/JPY \"the dragon,\" and it fits. The GBP (British Pound, also called Pound Sterling) against the Japanese yen delivers some of the widest daily ranges in forex. The pound injects risk-driven momentum, the yen mirrors global fear and rate gaps, and side by side they heave violently. Veterans chase the payoff; newcomers get steamrolled. Trade it only with smaller size and wider stops.\r\n

EUR\/JPY<\/h3>\r\nEUR\/JPY sits between the two, livelier than EUR\/GBP, far calmer than GBP\/JPY. It mixes the euro's heft with the yen's read on risk moods, often carving clean, trackable trends in busy sessions. Volatility is moderate, enough to matter but tame enough for a sensible stop. Many traders use it as the step up once EUR\/GBP feels too sleepy.\r\n

Cross Pairs vs Major Pairs<\/h2>\r\nSo how do crosses compare with the dollar majors you started on? The contrasts are practical, showing up in cost, timing, and risk.\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n
Feature<\/th>\r\nMajor Pairs<\/th>\r\nCross Pairs<\/th>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/thead>\r\n
Dollar involved<\/td>\r\nAlways<\/td>\r\nNever<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
Liquidity<\/td>\r\nThe deepest available<\/td>\r\nDecent, usually shallower<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
Typical spread<\/td>\r\nAs narrow as it gets<\/td>\r\nBroader, and pair-dependent<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
Volatility<\/td>\r\nModerate and well documented<\/td>\r\nFrom placid to ferocious<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n
Best suited for<\/td>\r\nNewcomers and scalpers<\/td>\r\nTraders chasing diversification<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n\"Cross\r\n

Benefits and Risks<\/h2>\r\nTrading crosses is a genuine give-and-take. The upside first.\r\n