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Most traded currencies by value Currency distribution of global foreign exchange market turnover[3]
Rank Currency ISO 4217 code
(Symbol)
 % daily share
(April 2010)
1
United States United States dollar
USD ($)
84.9%
2
European Union Euro
EUR (€)
39.1%
3
Japan Japanese yen
JPY (¥)
19.0%
4
United Kingdom Pound sterling
GBP (£)
12.9%
5
Australia Australian dollar
AUD ($)
7.6%
6
Switzerland Swiss franc
CHF (Fr)
6.4%
7
Canada Canadian dollar
CAD ($)
5.3%
8
Hong Kong Hong Kong dollar
HKD ($)
2.4%
9
Sweden Swedish krona
SEK (kr)
2.2%
10
New Zealand New Zealand dollar
NZD ($)
1.6%
11
South Korea South Korean won
KRW (₩)
1.5%
12
Singapore Singapore dollar
SGD ($)
1.4%
13
Norway Norwegian krone
NOK (kr)
1.3%
14
Mexico Mexican peso
MXN ($)
1.3%
15
India Indian rupee
INR (INR)
0.9%
Other 12.2%
Total[15] 200%
There is no unified or centrally cleared market for the majority of FX trades, and there is very little cross-border regulation. Due to the over-the-counter (OTC) nature of currency markets, there are rather a number of interconnected marketplaces, where different currencies instruments are traded. This implies that there is not a single exchange rate but rather a number of different rates (prices), depending on what bank or market maker is trading, and where it is. In practice the rates are often very close, otherwise they could be exploited by arbitrageurs instantaneously. Due to London's dominance in the market, a particular currency's quoted price is usually the London market price. A joint venture of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and Reuters, called Fxmarketspace opened in 2007 and aspired but failed to the role of a central market clearing mechanism.[citation needed]
The main trading center is London, but New York, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Singapore are all important centers as well. Banks throughout the world participate. Currency trading happens continuously throughout the day; as the Asian trading session ends, the European session begins, followed by the North American session and then back to the Asian session, excluding weekends.

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