Forex List

Retrieve comprehensive information about actively traded currency pairs in the global forex market using the Octagon MCP server.

Prerequisites

Ensure Octagon MCP is configured in your AI agent (Cursor, Claude Desktop, Windsurf, etc.). See

references/mcp-setup.md

for installation instructions.

Workflow

1. Define Scope

Determine which currency pair categories you want to explore:

Majors

USD paired with major currencies

Crosses

Major currencies without USD

Exotics

Emerging market currencies

2. Execute Query via Octagon MCP

Use the

octagon-agent

tool with a natural language prompt:

Retrieve a full listing of actively traded currency pairs in the global forex market.

MCP Call Format:

{

"server"

:

"octagon-mcp"

,

"toolName"

:

"octagon-agent"

,

"arguments"

:

{

"prompt"

:

"Retrieve a full listing of actively traded currency pairs in the global forex market."

}

}

3. Expected Output

The agent returns categorized currency pair information:

Currency Pair

Description/Reason for Activity

EUR/USD

Most liquid pair, Eurozone and U.S. economic interdependence

GBP/USD

High liquidity, sensitive to U.K./U.S. macroeconomic data

USD/JPY

Japanese Yen safe-haven status, U.S. interest rates

AUD/USD

Commodity price trends, Australian/U.S. economic cycles

USD/CHF

Swiss Franc safe-haven, U.S. monetary policy

CAD/USD

Oil prices, North American economic indicators

EUR/CHF

Range-bound markets, Euro-Swiss Franc correlations

AUD/NZD

Cross-Pacific trade, commodity-linked volatility

Data Sources

octagon-crypto-agent, octagon-web-search-agent

4. Interpret Results

See

references/interpreting-results.md

for guidance on:

Understanding currency pair categories

Analyzing liquidity and volatility

Identifying key drivers

Selecting pairs for trading

Example Queries

Full Listing:

Retrieve a full listing of actively traded currency pairs in the global forex market.

Major Pairs:

List the major currency pairs with USD.

Cross Pairs:

What are the most liquid cross currency pairs?

Exotic Pairs:

List emerging market currency pairs.

Specific Focus:

Which currency pairs are most sensitive to oil prices?

Currency Pair Categories

Major Pairs (USD Based)

Pair

Base/Quote

Nickname

EUR/USD

Euro / US Dollar

Fiber

GBP/USD

British Pound / US Dollar

Cable

USD/JPY

US Dollar / Japanese Yen

Gopher

USD/CHF

US Dollar / Swiss Franc

Swissie

AUD/USD

Australian Dollar / US Dollar

Aussie

USD/CAD

US Dollar / Canadian Dollar

Loonie

NZD/USD

New Zealand Dollar / US Dollar

Kiwi

Cross Pairs (Non-USD)

Pair

Base/Quote

Category

EUR/GBP

Euro / British Pound

Euro Cross

EUR/JPY

Euro / Japanese Yen

Euro Cross

EUR/CHF

Euro / Swiss Franc

Euro Cross

GBP/JPY

British Pound / Japanese Yen

Pound Cross

AUD/JPY

Australian Dollar / Japanese Yen

Yen Cross

AUD/NZD

Australian Dollar / New Zealand Dollar

Commodity Cross

Exotic Pairs

Pair

Base/Quote

Region

USD/MXN

US Dollar / Mexican Peso

Americas

USD/ZAR

US Dollar / South African Rand

Africa

USD/TRY

US Dollar / Turkish Lira

Europe/Asia

USD/SGD

US Dollar / Singapore Dollar

Asia

EUR/PLN

Euro / Polish Zloty

Europe

USD/HKD

US Dollar / Hong Kong Dollar

Asia

Understanding Currency Pairs

Base vs. Quote Currency

EUR/USD = 1.10

Component

In Example

Base Currency

EUR (first)

Quote Currency

USD (second)

Meaning

1 EUR = 1.10 USD

If pair rises

Base strengthens

If pair falls

Base weakens

Bid/Ask Spread

Concept

Description

Bid

Price to sell base

Ask

Price to buy base

Spread

Ask - Bid (cost to trade)

Liquidity and Volume

By Daily Volume

Tier

Pairs

Typical Volume

Tier 1

EUR/USD

Highest

Tier 2

USD/JPY, GBP/USD

Very High

Tier 3

AUD/USD, USD/CAD, USD/CHF

High

Tier 4

Cross Pairs

Moderate

Tier 5

Exotic Pairs

Lower

Spread Implications

Liquidity

Typical Spread

Very High (EUR/USD)

0.5-1 pips

High (USD/JPY)

1-2 pips

Moderate (Crosses)

2-5 pips

Low (Exotics)

5-50+ pips

Key Drivers by Pair

EUR/USD Drivers

Factor

Impact

ECB Policy

Euro direction

Fed Policy

USD direction

EU Economic Data

Growth, inflation

US Economic Data

Employment, GDP

Risk Sentiment

Dollar haven flows

USD/JPY Drivers

Factor

Impact

BoJ Policy

Yen direction

Fed Policy

USD direction

Risk Appetite

Yen weakens on risk-on

Yield Differentials

Carry trade flows

Intervention Risk

BoJ action

Commodity Currency Drivers

Pair

Key Commodity Link

AUD/USD

Iron ore, gold

USD/CAD

Oil prices

NZD/USD

Dairy, agriculture

Trading Sessions

Session Times (UTC)

Session

Hours

Key Pairs

Sydney

21:00-06:00

AUD, NZD

Tokyo

00:00-09:00

JPY pairs

London

07:00-16:00

EUR, GBP

New York

12:00-21:00

USD pairs

Overlap Periods

Overlap

Highest Volatility Pairs

London/New York

EUR/USD, GBP/USD

Tokyo/London

EUR/JPY, GBP/JPY

Sydney/Tokyo

AUD/JPY, NZD/JPY

Volatility Characteristics

By Pair Type

Type

Volatility

Predictability

Majors

Moderate

Higher

Crosses

Variable

Moderate

Exotics

High

Lower

Typical Daily Ranges

Pair

Avg Daily Range

EUR/USD

50-100 pips

GBP/USD

80-150 pips

USD/JPY

50-100 pips

GBP/JPY

100-200 pips

Exotics

100-500+ pips

Common Use Cases

Market Overview

What are the most actively traded forex pairs?

Trading Selection

Which pairs have the tightest spreads?

Risk Analysis

Which currency pairs are most volatile?

Correlation Study

What pairs move together with oil prices?

Session Planning

What pairs are most active during Asian session?

Analysis Tips

Start with majors

Most liquid, tightest spreads.

Understand correlations

EUR/USD and USD/CHF often inverse.

Match session to pair

Trade pairs during their active hours.

Consider spreads

Exotics cost more to trade.

Know the drivers

Central banks, data releases, geopolitics.

Monitor risk sentiment

Affects safe-haven flows. Integration with Other Skills Skill Combined Use forex-quote Real-time pair prices commodities-quote Commodity currency context stock-historical-index Risk sentiment context sector-performance-snapshot Global macro view