6 forex curiosities you probably did not know

Six things about the world's biggest market that even active traders get wrong.

1. It trades $9.6 trillion. Per day.

The 2025 BIS Triennial Survey clocked global FX turnover at $9.6 trillion a day — up 28% in three years, and more than the annual GDP of most countries, changing hands every 24 hours. All of it flows through overlapping trading sessions — which is why when you trade matters as much as what.

2. Almost none of it is "real."

Only a small slice of that volume pays for actual imports and exports. The vast majority is speculation and hedging — traders positioning against each other. That crowd behaviour is exactly what the carry trade and our CTS are built to measure.

3. The dollar is on almost 9 of every 10 trades.

The US dollar sits on one side of 89.2% of all FX trades (BIS 2025). When the dollar moves, everything moves — the core reason we track relative currency strength with FOTSI instead of staring at a single pair.

4. "Cable" is a 19th-century nickname.

Traders call GBP/USD "Cable" because quotes once travelled between London and New York through a transatlantic telegraph cable under the ocean. The name stuck. It's also one of the most liquid pairs in the world.

5. Modern forex was born from one 1971 decision.

When President Nixon ended the dollar's convertibility to gold in 1971, the Bretton Woods system collapsed and currencies began to float — their prices set by markets, not pegs. That's why monetary policy moves exchange rates at all today.

6. The best hour of the day is a handoff.

The London–New York overlap is when the two biggest sessions trade at once — peak volume, tightest spreads. It's the window our Market Readiness Score is designed to flag before you enter.

Curiosities from ForexCommand, not financial advice. Figures: BIS Triennial Survey, April 2025.