The nature of currency pairs tends to shift over time. Some move up the list, while others lose their charm and move down and sometimes out of the list. This is due to many factors, that change. Here is a ranked list of the top 5, with characteristics of every one of them for Q1 2012. Let’s start.

The recent high volatility in the markets enabled us to get a better picture of the real nature of these pairs – how they behave under pressure / more extreme conditions.Here is an updated and ranked list of the 5 most predictable pairs for Q4.  The characteristics of each of these pairs is lightly different. Let’s start:

Sterling lost ground as the UK reported a lower August manfacturing PMI and a decrease in housing prices, signalling a stalling economic recovery.

Not only has research advanced, but it has also become very accessible. Any charting provider, whether given for free or state of the art professional charts, have a vast amount of indicators available to the traders. You may think that by loading many of them, you’ll find the perfect confluence. You have better chances to produce modern art in your chart.

The nature of currency pairs tends to shift over time. Some move up the list, while others lose their charm and move down and sometimes out of the list. This is due to many factors, that change. This is an updated list, made towards the beginning of Q3:

This list continues the recent list of 5 most predictable pairs, which offer much better conditions. But we’re here to discuss the bad ones. Here goes:

But others can be a real pain, not following any rules. Here is ranking of the most predictable currency pairs, with quick explanations:

See the first part of the forex traders survey, showing the reasons to trade, popular currencies and lots more.

1. USD/JPY – Not only does it criss cross through clear lines, the BOJ also contributes to the mess with interventions.
2. NZD/USD – this rather stable pair does not respect support and resistance lines – it criss crosses.
3. USD/CAD – used to trade in near-perfect ranges, but as it didn’t move too much in the past year, the moves inside the ranges became too choopy.
4. GBP/JPY – The “dragon” – the most cross, is loved by risk-seeking traders as it makes hundreds of pips. It still makes hundreds of pips, but tends to choppiness.
5. EUR/USD – the most popular pair in the world used to be a rather predictable pair, but the tables have turned, and its now much harder to analyze.

This follows up on a list of the 5 most predictable pairs published recently, and a similar list of unpredictable pairs made in April 2009.