Trade Australian Dollar / Canadian Dollar with LHFX

AUD/CAD crosses the Australian Dollar with the Canadian Dollar, two major commodity currencies. Price moves are influenced by iron ore versus crude oil dynamics, as well as monetary policy divergence between the RBA and BoC. Risk sentiment and Chinese economic data also play a role.

AUDCAD Price Chart

Live AUDCAD Spread

Real-time market pricing

InstrumentBidAskSpread
AUDCAD
AUDCAD
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Spreads are variable and sourced from the live market. Values shown are real-time.

Trading Conditions

Max Leverage

1:500

Commission

$3 per side

Platform

MetaTrader 5 + LHFX Trade

Execution

STP/ECN

Trading Hours

Sunday 5:00 PM - Friday 5:00 PM ET

About Australian Dollar / Canadian Dollar

AUD/CAD is a commodity-versus-commodity cross that pairs two G10 currencies tied to very different export baskets. The Australian Dollar is driven mainly by iron ore, coal, LNG, and Chinese demand. The Canadian Dollar is driven mainly by WTI crude oil, natural gas, and US demand. When both commodity complexes move in the same direction, AUD/CAD often range-trades inside 80 to 120 pip bands for weeks at a time. When they diverge, for example when iron ore rallies while crude falls, the pair can trend 200 to 400 pips over a few sessions. The pair sits in the second tier of forex liquidity behind the majors. Daily ranges of 50 to 90 pips are typical, with 100+ pip days clustering around RBA decisions, Bank of Canada decisions, OPEC+ announcements, and major Chinese data. Spreads are wider than EUR/USD or AUD/USD but still tight relative to the exotics. At LHFX you trade AUD/CAD with raw spreads plus a flat $3 per side commission and leverage up to 1:500. A CFD on AUD/CAD lets you profit or lose based on the pair moving in or against your position. You never take delivery of either currency. You can go long (a view that AUD outperforms CAD) or short (CAD outperforms AUD) with the same cost and leverage cap. Settlement is in your account currency. Overnight financing is applied based on the AUD-CAD rate differential, and the swap can run either way depending on which leg has the higher policy rate at the time. AUD/CAD trades 24 hours a day from Sunday 5 PM ET through Friday 5 PM ET. Liquidity is deepest during the Asia session (when Australian data prints) and during the New York session (when Canadian data and oil markets are active). The London window is quieter on this cross because neither leg is European.

What moves AUDCAD

  • 01Iron ore versus crude oil relative pricing. Iron ore at SGX and Dalian futures, plus benchmark WTI crude, are the single largest commodity inputs. When iron ore rallies 5% while WTI falls 5%, AUD/CAD typically lifts 80 to 150 pips over the following sessions.
  • 02RBA versus BoC policy divergence. The Reserve Bank of Australia decides 8 times a year; the Bank of Canada 8 times. Surprise gaps between the two policy paths drive the cross more than either absolute level. A hawkish RBA paired with a dovish BoC can move the pair 200+ pips in a week.
  • 03Chinese economic data. China is Australia's largest export customer. China PMI, GDP, retail sales, and property-sector data move AUD legs on release. A weak China print typically drags AUD/CAD lower the same morning.
  • 04OPEC+ supply decisions. OPEC+ meetings and surprise production-cut announcements lift WTI sharply, which strengthens CAD and pressures AUD/CAD. The cross is one of the cleanest non-USD ways to express an oil-bearish or oil-bullish view.
  • 05Risk sentiment via both legs. Both AUD and CAD are risk-on currencies, so the pair is less of a risk barometer than AUD/JPY. AUD typically has slightly more risk-on beta than CAD, so global risk-off events tend to drag AUD/CAD lower.

How to trade AUDCAD at LHFX

Open an LHFX account and fund it. Minimum deposit is $10. Open MetaTrader 5 or the LHFX Trade web platform, search for AUDCAD, and add it to your Market Watch. Commission is a flat $3 per side and leverage runs up to 1:500. AUD/CAD daily volatility is moderate. Daily ranges of 50 to 90 pips are typical, with 100+ pip days on RBA, BoC, OPEC+, and major China releases. Spreads tighten during the Asia and New York sessions and widen during the London window when neither economy is on session. Size positions to your account rather than to the leverage cap. Watch iron ore (SGX 62% Fe), WTI crude, and the AUD-CAD 2-year yield spread as the three most reliable medium-term inputs. Set a stop loss before entry. The pair can move 60 to 100 pips in minutes around RBA or BoC surprises. Worked example. On a $1,000 account at AUD/CAD 0.9000, opening 0.10 lots (10,000 AUD notional) requires roughly $18 in margin at 1:500 (10,000 / 500 converted at the AUD/USD cross). A 70-pip adverse move costs roughly $70, or 7% of your account. Size down to 0.03 lots for a 2% risk budget on the same move, which gives about $21 risk on a 70-pip stop. Verify the exact contract size and margin requirement in MT5 before clicking buy. Run that math on every entry, not just the first one.

Risks specific to AUDCAD

AUD/CAD has two pair-specific risks beyond standard forex volatility. First, dual commodity exposure. You are taking a view on the relative pricing of iron ore against crude oil, two markets that respond to different demand drivers (China industrial demand for iron ore, global transport and refinery demand for oil). A position thesis built on AUD strength can be killed by an unrelated OPEC+ supply cut that lifts CAD, even when nothing changes on the AUD side. Second, correlated central-bank surprise risk. RBA and BoC meet at similar cadences and both have produced surprise moves in recent cycles. A back-to-back RBA hold followed by a BoC hike (or vice versa) can produce 150+ pip moves over two weeks. Mitigations. Start at effective leverage of 1:30 or below. Track iron ore and WTI alongside the pair, not after the fact. Set a stop loss on every position. Size down ahead of RBA, BoC, OPEC+ meetings, and China GDP / PMI release dates on the official calendar.

Frequently asked questions about AUDCAD

Why does iron ore matter so much for AUD/CAD?

Iron ore is Australia's single largest export by value, with China the dominant buyer. When iron ore prices rise sharply, AUD typically strengthens through the export-receipt channel and through positioning. Because CAD has no meaningful iron-ore exposure, the move translates directly into AUD/CAD. A 5% iron-ore rally is often worth 60 to 100 pips on the cross over the following sessions.

What spreads can you expect on AUD/CAD at LHFX?

Raw spreads on AUD/CAD start wider than the majors. Typical interbank spreads run a fraction of a pip during the Asia and New York sessions. LHFX adds a flat $3 per side commission ($6 round-trip on a 1.0 lot). The cross is meaningfully cheaper to trade than the exotics but slightly more expensive than EUR/USD or AUD/USD.

When is the best time of day to trade AUD/CAD?

Asia session for the AUD leg (RBA decisions, Australian employment and CPI, China data spillover) and New York session for the CAD leg (BoC, Canadian CPI, US data spillover, oil markets). The London window is quieter and spreads can be slightly wider than during the active sessions.

Can you short AUD/CAD at LHFX?

Yes. You can open a sell AUD/CAD position with the same 1:500 leverage cap and the same $3 per side commission as a long. A short AUD/CAD is a view that CAD outperforms AUD, typically driven by an oil rally or a hawkish BoC against a softer RBA.

What leverage can you use on AUD/CAD?

Up to 1:500 at LHFX. The cap is a ceiling, not a recommendation. Most experienced traders run effective leverage in the 1:20 to 1:30 range on this cross given combined commodity event risk. At 1:500, a 0.2% adverse move (about 18 pips at current prices) wipes out margin on a fully sized position.

Do you pay overnight swap on AUD/CAD positions?

Yes. Holding any leveraged AUD/CAD position overnight incurs a swap calculated on the AUD-CAD rate differential. The direction (credit or debit) depends on which currency has the higher policy rate and on your position side. Exact swap rates update with market funding conditions and are visible in MT5 under symbol specifications.

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