Correlations

A statistical measure referring to the extent of linear relationship between two or more variables, in other words, of the degree to which the movements of two currency pairs are related. For example, if two currency pairs have a high correlation, their prices tend to rise and fall in sync. Although the measure suggests some causal relationship between the variables, the relationships between pairs and the correlation values tend to change from time to time.

The standard measure of correlation is the correlation coefficient, a number between -1 and 1 that indicates the strength and direction of a the linear relationship. A correlation coefficient of -1 indicates that the currency pairs are perfectly negatively correlated, that is, a higher value for one pair tends to correspond to a lower value for the other. A correlation coefficient of 1 means that they are perfectly correlated, indicating a higher value for one variable tends to correspond to a higher value for the other. The weaker the relationship, the closer the correlation coefficient is to 0.