http://www.investopedia.com/articles...evenFXFAQs.asp
pip percentage in point
so, What is a pip?
Pip stands for "percentage in point"
and is the smallest increment of trade in FX.
In the FX market, prices are quoted
to the fourth decimal point.
For example, if a bar of soap in the drugstore
was priced at $1.20,
in the FX market the same bar of soap would be quoted at 1.2000.
The change in that fourth decimal point is called 1 pip and is typically equal to 1/100th of 1%.
Among the major currencies, the only exception to that rule is the Japanese yen.
Because the Japanese yen has never been revalued since the Second World War,
1 yen is now worth approximately US$0.08;
so, in the USD/JPY pair,
the quotation is only taken out to two decimal points (i.e. to 1/100th of yen, as opposed to 1/1000th with other major currencies).
FX Jargon
Every discipline has its own jargon,
and the currency market is no different.
Here are some terms to know that will make you sound like a seasoned currency trader:
Cable, sterling, pound - alternative names for the GBP
Greenback, buck - nicknames for the U.S. dollar
Swissie - nickname for the Swiss franc
Aussie - nickname for the Australian dollar
Kiwi - nickname for the New Zealand dollar
Loonie, the little dollar - nicknames for the Canadian dollar
Figure - FX term connoting a round number like 1.2000
Yard - a billion units, as in "I sold a couple of yards of sterling."
Which currencies are traded?
Although some retail dealers trade exotic currencies such as the Thai baht or the Czech koruna, the majority trade the seven most liquid currency pairs in the world, which are the four majors:
EUR/USD (euro/dollar)
USD/JPY (dollar/Japanese yen)
GBP/USD (British pound/dollar)
USD/CHF (dollar/Swiss franc)
and the three commodity pairs:
AUD/USD (Australian dollar/dollar)
USD/CAD (dollar/Canadian dollar)
NZD/USD (New Zealand dollar/dollar)
These currency pairs, along with their various combinations (such as EUR/JPY, GBP/JPY and EUR/GBP) account for more than 95% of all speculative trading in FX.
Given the small number of trading instruments - only 18 pairs and crosses are actively traded - the FX market is far more concentrated than the stock market.
The 3 page article, posted at the top,
can give you a lot of info
brightest blessings
susan
the eXchanger