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All the boats rise
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The tendency for stocks to rise together, sometimes due to over-optimism.
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Altcoin
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Aussie
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The Australian dollar (AUD).
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Babysitting
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When a trader holds onto a trade, despite losses, in the hope the market will turn around so they can break even or make a profit.
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Bagholder
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A trader who holds onto a losing trade for so long, it becomes worthless.
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Barnie
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USD/RUB. The pair gets its nickname from Barney Rubble (the Flintstones), whose surname looks a lot like ruble. See also Betty.
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Beans
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Used by commodities traders to refer to soybeans.
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A trader who believes a market’s price will fall and/or has taken out a short position. See also bull and permabear.
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A market in which prices fall for a sustained period of time, backed by widespread pessimism.
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Beast
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GBP/JPY. Called the beast because it has historically been volatile. Its other names include dragon, geppy, gopher and widow maker.
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Betty
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SP_EURRUB. Named after Betty Rubble (the Flintstones), drawing comparison between her surname Rubble and ruble. See also Barney.
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Bill and Ben
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Cockney rhyming slang for the Japanese yen (JPY).
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Black gold
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Oil. Alludes to its colour and the properties it shares with gold, including scarcity and historic high prices.
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Bottom fishing
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Buying or going long on securities after their prices have fallen considerably, expecting they will rise in time. See also vulture.
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Buck
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The US dollar (USD). Traces its origins to a time when Native Americans would trade buck skins (deer skins) for dollars.
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A trader who believes a market’s price will rise and/or has taken a long position. See also bear and permabull.
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A market in which prices rise for a sustained period of time, backed by widespread optimism.
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Bullion
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Gold or, more formally, gold bars (or those of other precious metals). Comes from Louis XIII’s finance minister, Claude de Bullion.
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GBP/USD. So called because of the transatlantic telegraph cables that were used to transmit currency prices between London and New York in the 19 th century.
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Choppy
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High volatility within a narrow range.
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Chunnel
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GBP/EUR. Named after the channel tunnel that connects the UK with mainland Europe.
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Crunching
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When a market’s price is falling rapidly and goes beyond a presumed support level.
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Dark pools
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Liquidity that exists between institutions on private exchanges – those not available to the public.
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Dead cat bounce
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The tendency for markets to rebound quickly after a substantial drop, perhaps due to bottom fishing.
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Dragon
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Another name for GBP/JPY, based again on the pair’s historic volatility. Other names include beast, geppy and widow maker.
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Dragon bonds
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Asian bonds denominated in US dollars.
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Euppy
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EUR/JPY. Pronounced ‘yuppy’.
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Fear index
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Fiber
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The euro (EUR). The origins of this name are unknown but it may refer to the durable cotton fiber that gives the euro its distinctive feel.
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Fill or kill
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An order which must be executed immediately at a particular price, or killed (cancelled) if the price moves.
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Flight to quality
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When investors look to move to investments they perceive to be safe – for example bonds, gold, or blue-chip stocks – in times of economic uncertainty. |
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Footsie
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Fud
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Fear, uncertainty, doubt.
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Gas
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The cryptocurrency token ether, which is sometimes described as the ‘gas’ of the Ethereum network because small quantities are ‘burnt’ (destroyed) when transactions are processed.
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Greenback
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The US dollar (USD). This nickname stems from the notes issued during the American civil war, which had a green underside.
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Geppy/guppy
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Another alternative for GBP/JPY. Other names include beast, dragon, gopher and widow maker.
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Gopher
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GBP/JPY or USD/JPY. Other names for GBP/JPY include beast, dragon, geppy and widow maker.
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Hodl
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Holding cryptocurrency despite massive losses or gains, in the hope it will regain its value or continue to increase. The term traces its origin to a 2013 post on the bitcoin talk forum, in which a user accidently mixed up the last two letters of ‘hold’.
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Jigged out
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When a market turns against a general trend, forcing the trader to close their position.
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Kiwi
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The New Zealand dollar (NZD), because the national symbol of New Zealand is the kiwi bird.
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Loonie
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A Canadian dollar (CAD). So called because Canadian dollar coins feature an image of a loon bird. Also sometimes used to refer to the USD/CAD pair. |
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Matie
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AUD/USD. Presumably referencing the stereotype that Australians often call their friends ‘mate’.
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Mine/yours
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Traders will sometimes say ‘mine’ to indicate they want to buy (go long), and ‘yours’ to indicate they want to sell (go short).
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Mining
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The computationally-intense process by which new information is verified and added to the blockchain, often rewarded with cryptocurrency tokens.
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Narwhal
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A Canadian unicorn.
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Ninja
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A name for USD/JPY.
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Nokkie
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The Norwegian krone (NOK).
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Odd lot
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A trade where the position size is less than the standard lot.
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Old lady
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The Bank of England (BoE). The BoE is sometimes called 'the old lady of Threadneedle Street', where it has been based since 1734.
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Ozzie
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An alternative spelling of aussie.
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Permabear
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A trader with a long-term negative view of a market. See also bear and permabull.
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Permabull
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A trader with a long-term positive view of a market. See also bull and permabear.
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Prince Charles
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A lot worth twelve contracts. Derived from ‘one doz’ (meaning ‘dozen’), which sounds like ‘one does’, a phrase sometimes uttered by the Prince of Wales.
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Pump and dump
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The illegal practice of encouraging investors to buy stock, then selling once the price has risen (to the investors’ detriment).
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Rubber band effect
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Another term for a dead cat bounce.
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Satoshi (Sat)
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The smallest divisible unit of a bitcoin, equivalent to 0.00000001 BTC. Named after Satoshi Nakamoto, the pseudonym used by the mysterious person or group that originally created bitcoin.
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A high-volume trader that looks for small, quick-wins.
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Single currency
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The euro (EUR).
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Shill
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A con-artist who gives a misleading endorsement to a market or asset in the hopes its price will rise (to their benefit).
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Short squeeze
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A situation where those holding short positions on a market are forced to close their trades as its price increases rapidly.
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Squiggly lines
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The chart analysis tools and technical indicators used by some traders.
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Stokkie/Stocky
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The Swedish krona (SEK). Named after the nation’s capital: Stockholm.
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Swissy
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The Swiss franc (CHF).
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Tanking
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When a market falls suddenly.
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Tenbagger
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An investment that rises to 10 times its purchase price (or has the potential to do so).
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Texas tea
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Another name for oil, one that references its abundance in Texas.
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The funds
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USD/CAD. Origins unknown.
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Token
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A unit of cryptocurrency (e.g. bitcoin or ether). Tokens can actually represent any potential use of blockchain technology. This could be a digital right (e.g. intellectual property), share, means of accounting, or other form of reward.
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Unicorn
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A start-up company that has received a valuation of $1 billion or more. The name references the fact that successful startups, like unicorns, are exceptionally rare. See also narwhal.
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Vulture
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A trader that looks for struggling assets, hoping to profit from major turnarounds. See also bottom fishing.
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Whale
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A trader or institution with a large position in a market. Sometimes whales are so big they can influence market pricing.
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Widow maker
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Another name for GBP/JPY. Other names include beast, dragon, geppy and gopher.
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Zone of resistance
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The area between current support and resistance levels in which the price typically begins to resist further price rises, and may begin to fall.
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