Explore how currency pairs have moved over time. Select a pair, choose a date range, and see the trend with key statistics.
Understanding the forces behind currency fluctuations helps you make better financial decisions.
Central banks set interest rates that directly affect currency values. Higher rates attract foreign investment, increasing demand for the currency. The US Federal Reserve, European Central Bank, and Bank of England rate decisions are among the most watched events in forex markets.
Countries with lower inflation typically see their currencies appreciate over time. Purchasing Power Parity (PPP) theory suggests that exchange rates should adjust to equalize the price of identical goods across countries. When inflation diverges, exchange rates follow.
A country that exports more than it imports creates demand for its currency from foreign buyers. Persistent trade surpluses tend to strengthen a currency, while deficits can weaken it. China's trade surplus has been a key factor in the yuan's long-term trajectory.
Strong economic growth attracts foreign investment and boosts confidence in a currency. GDP reports, employment data, and manufacturing indices are closely watched by traders. A country with robust growth typically sees its currency strengthen against slower-growing economies.
Political uncertainty drives investors toward safe-haven currencies like the US dollar, Swiss franc, and Japanese yen. Elections, policy changes, geopolitical conflicts, and trade disputes can cause sudden and significant currency movements that no model can fully predict.
The forex market processes over $7 trillion daily, and much of that volume is speculative. Trader sentiment, algorithmic trading, and herd behavior can push rates away from fundamentals in the short term. This is why technical analysis remains popular alongside fundamental analysis.
Get the most out of the exchange rate history explorer.
Select your currency pair. Choose the base currency (the one you are converting from) and the target currency (the one you are converting to). Use the swap button to quickly reverse the pair.
Choose a time range. Pick from 30 days, 90 days, 6 months, or 1 year. Shorter ranges show recent volatility; longer ranges reveal broader trends and cycles.
Read the statistics. The period high, low, average, and volatility give you a complete picture of the rate's behavior. Use this data to time your conversions more effectively.
Hover over the chart. Move your cursor over the chart to see the exact rate on any given day. This helps you identify specific events that caused rate movements.
The mid-market rate is the midpoint between the buy (bid) and sell (ask) prices in the global currency market. It is the rate that banks and financial institutions use when trading among themselves. This is the "real" exchange rate, with no markup or hidden fees. All rates shown on this tool are mid-market reference rates.
Exchange rates are determined by supply and demand in the global forex market, which operates 24 hours a day, 5 days a week. Rates change constantly due to economic data releases, central bank decisions, geopolitical events, and trader sentiment. The European Central Bank publishes official reference rates every working day at approximately 16:00 CET.
Historical rate data helps you understand trends and volatility. If you need to make a large international transfer, checking the 6-month or 1-year trend can help you identify whether the current rate is favorable compared to recent history. However, past performance does not guarantee future results, and timing the market perfectly is nearly impossible.
Volatility measures how much the exchange rate fluctuates over a given period. It is calculated as the standard deviation of daily rate changes. High volatility means the rate swings widely (more risk but also more opportunity), while low volatility indicates a stable rate. Major pairs like EUR/USD typically have lower volatility than emerging market pairs.
All exchange rate data is sourced from the Frankfurter API, which is based on daily reference rates published by the European Central Bank (ECB). The ECB collects rates from central banks across the Eurosystem. These are mid-market reference rates for informational purposes only and may differ from the rates offered by banks or money transfer services.