Foreign currency is the lifeblood of international trade. This is particularly evident for multinational companies who wish to trade. You should have a good background on this and we have classified them according to relation and to geographical location to get you started.
Euros, Pounds and Francs
The euro has taken over to be the predominant unit of exchange in Europe, although other important currencies are the British Pound Sterling and the Swiss Franc. This is because of the institution of the Eurozone within the European Union, which paved the way for the further integration of the markets and other aspects of the European financial situation. They did this as a counterweight to the hegemony of the US dollar as a reserve. Today, the Euro is one of the most reliable reserve currencies available, due to the robustness of its backing.
The United States of America
The dollar is the classic currency of international trade. It is still the common denominator among currencies, and the basis from which one can gauge their strength. This is due to the lingering effects of the Bretton Woods system, which replaced gold with the dollar as the basis for exchange. This is due to its strength and strong backing. That could change in recent years, however, since the dollar is being devalued to service debt.
BRICS Currencies
The five emergent superpowers today can be abbreviated by the term BRICS. BRICS stands for Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, and these countries have formed an alliance of sorts to challenge the hegemony of the dollar. They have agreed to have reserves in their own currencies and to trade with fellow BRICS countries in their respective currencies. This may create a precedent for other countries and in turn strengthen the currencies. The currencies of the BRICS are the real, ruble, rupee, renminbi yuan and the rand. It is a coincidence that all the units start with the letter R.
The Won and the Yen
The Asian Tigers have strong currencies. Hong Kong, Japan and Korea all have very good economies and strong trade links with the outside world. In fact, the Hong Kong Dollar and the Japanese Yen are some of the most traded in the foreign currency market. The South Korean Won still has to grapple with inflation in order for it to be able to compete, as well as the volatility of its still existing war with the North. These currencies have the potential to be good, but are very volatile so they need to be traded with caution. For those with business in Asia, however, dealing with these currencies correctly is a must.
Whoever said that a full time forex business is hard to turn into a profit making machine? The capacity of your foreign exchange business is all dependent upon your creativity as trader.