I have a very basic question.... If you buy a currency future contract such as JPY and the contract is moving up, does that mean the US dollar is getting stronger and yen weaker, or the other way around? Thanks for any help.
In the spot market it is quoted USD/JPY. So if that pair moves up, it means the dollar is gaining against the Yen because "USD" comes first. If EUR/USD moves up, it means the Euro is gaining against the dollar. I THINK that the CME futures are the reverse for the Yen, so in that case if it moves lower it means the Yen is moving lower.
Correct! All CME currency futures have USD as the quote currency. So, future rates will be JPY/USD and CAD/USD, opposite to what is standard in currency markets.