The British Pound Sterling against the US Dollar (GBPUSD) is a very liquid Forex pair.

• The most active hours of GBP/USD are between 8:00 am (EST) and 12:00 noon (EST), as both the US and the European Markets are open for trading

• GBPUSD accounts for about 11.4% of the Foreign Exchange market volume

■ GBPUSD TRADING

• Best Time to Trade: 08.00 GMT and 15.00 GMT

• Best Months to go Long:  APRIL | JUNE

• Best Months to go Short:  MAY

• Correlation: EURUSD

The US Dollar against the Swiss Franc (USDCHF) accounts for 4.4% of the total Foreign Exchange market volume.

• CHF weights 3.6% in the US Dollar Index
• The Swiss Franc is the is used in Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and Campione d’ Italia.

■ USDCHF TRADING INFO

• The best time to trade USDCHF: is between 13:00 GMT and 14:00 GMT

• Best Months to go Long:  NO

• Best Months to go Short:  JUNE | DECEMBER

• Positive Correlations: USDJPY | GBPJPY

• Negative Correlations: EURUSD | GBPUSD | AUDUSD

The US Dollar against the Canadian Dollar (USDCAD) is a medium-volatility financial asset and a relatively liquid Forex pair. USDCAD is highly correlated to the price of crude oil.

■ USDCAD TRADING

Canada is a major commodity exporter, and that includes crude oil, natural gas, ferrous metals, and non-ferrous metals. Canada exports about 2 million oil barrels to the United States daily. Overall, 85% of all Canadian exports are going to the United States.

• Best Time to Trade: between 01:00 GMT and 09.00 GMT

• Best Months to go Long:  OCTOBER

• Best Months to go Short:  APRIL

• Correlations: CRUDE OIL ( a positive correlation of 0.75-0.80)

  Read more: The US Dollar against the Canadian Dollar (USDCAD)

The Australian Dollar against the US Dollar (AUDUSD) is a highly volatile Forex pair when measured on a daily basis.

• AUDUSD accounts for 6.5% of the total Foreign Exchange market volume
• AUDUSD has had an 80% positive correlation to the price of gold and a 90% positive correlation to the New Zealand dollar
• During the past two decades, the correlation between copper and Aussie is more than 70%

■ AUDUSD TRADING INFO

• Best Time to Trade: between 19:00 GMT and 04:30 (GMT).

• Best Months to go Long:  APRIL | JUNE

• Best Months to go Short:  MAY | AUGUST

• Correlations: EURUSD | NZDUSD | XAUUSD

  Read more: The Australian Dollar against the US Dollar (AUDUSD)

The New Zeeland Dollar against the US Dollar (NZDUSD) is a highly-volatile Forex pair on a day-to-day basis.

• New Zealand is a major exporter of raw materials, and NZD is a commodity currency
• The New Zealand Dollar is the official currency of New Zealand, Tokelau, Cook Islands, Pitcairn Islands, and Niue
• NZDUSD accounts of about 1.9% of the toal Forex market volume

■ NZDUSD TRADING INFO

• Best Time to Trade: during the Asian session {between 24:00 to 02:00 GMT & 06:00 to 08:00 GMT}

• Best Months to go Long:  APRIL | DECEMBER | JUNE

• Best Months to go Short:  AUGUST | MAY

• Positive Correlations: EURUSD | AUDUSD

  Read more: The New Zeeland Dollar against the US Dollar (NZDUSD)

Sovereign Credit Rating

Credit ratings provide insight regarding the level of risk associated with a particular country.

• Credit rating agencies offer information about whether bond issuers can meet their future obligations

• There are three major rating agencies: Standard & Poor's, Moody's, and Fitch

Investment Grades per Agency

□ Moody’s considers a Baa3 or higher rating to be of investment grade, Ba1 and below is considered speculative

□ Standard & Poor's considers BBB- or higher rating to be investment grade, and BB+ or lower is considered to be speculative or "junk" grade

□ Fitch, like S&P, considers BBB- or higher rating to be investment grade, and BB+ or lower is considered to be speculative or "junk" grade