Which currency is the strongest right now?
On the latest reading USD leads the seven-major basket and NZD lags it. The scorecard updates through the trading day and posts to the Helious terminal twice each weekday, 8am and 2pm ET.
FX Momentum: Currency Strength Scorecard
Seven majors, each scored by its move against the whole basket rather than any single pair, blending the 1-day move with the 5-day trend. Built by Helious from the live intraday tape and posted to the terminal twice each weekday, 8am and 2pm ET; this page rebuilds through the trading day.
CURRENT READING · USD LEADS · NZD LAGS · LIVE THROUGH 2026-08-28 16:30 ET
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USD
+0.54% 1d +0.46 · 5d +0.66
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AUD
+0.22% 1d 0.00 · 5d +0.54
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JPY
-0.01% 1d +0.04 · 5d -0.08
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GBP
-0.05% 1d +0.03 · 5d -0.16
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EUR
-0.14% 1d -0.14 · 5d -0.13
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CHF
-0.28% 1d -0.21 · 5d -0.39
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NZD
-0.28% 1d -0.18 · 5d -0.44
% vs the 7-currency basket · zero-sum by construction · 1d and 5d shown per currency.
The downloads carry the current reading. Live data comes through the Helious API and MCP at api.helious.io/mcp.
Methodology
Basket, not pairs. Every currency is scored against the average of the other six. A pair mixes two stories; the basket isolates which currency is actually moving. Scores always net to zero: strength somewhere is weakness somewhere else.
Two horizons. The 1-day move (weight 0.6) answers what moved today, measured on the intraday tape from the 5pm ET close, how a desk quotes the day; the 5-day move (weight 0.4) answers whether it is a trend or a blip. Both are shown beside every score, so the blend is never a black box.
Verified measurement. The calculation is cross-checked against official ECB reference rates: same leader, same laggard, divergence within the fixing-time difference. Free to cite with a link to this page.
FAQ
How is the currency strength score measured?
Each of the seven majors (USD, EUR, GBP, JPY, CHF, AUD, NZD) is scored by its move against the average of the other six, not against any single pair. Two horizons are blended: the 1-day move weighted 0.6 and the 5-day move weighted 0.4, so the score separates what moved today from what is trending. Both windows open at the 5pm ET close, the convention an FX desk uses for the trading day. Strength is zero-sum inside the basket: the scores always net to zero.
Why score against a basket instead of a single pair?
A pair mixes two stories: EURUSD falling could be euro weakness or dollar strength. Scoring every currency against the whole basket isolates which currency is actually moving, which is the question a rates or FX desk starts the day with.
Can I use this data?
Yes. The CSV and JSON downloads carry the current reading and are free to cite and embed for any purpose with a link back to this page. Live data comes through the Helious API (helious.io/developers) and MCP at https://api.helious.io/mcp.