Market Language and Slang

• All-Time High and All-Time LowBeginner3 min read

  An all-time high (ATH) is the highest price an asset has ever traded at; an all-time low (ATL) is the lowest. A retest of the ATH is a return to that level.

• Altcoin SeasonBeginner3 min read

  Altcoin season is informal slang for a period when many altcoins outperform Bitcoin. There is no agreed threshold; some websites publish their own index.

• WAGMI, NGMI and GMBeginner3 min read

  WAGMI (“we're all gonna make it”) and NGMI (“not gonna make it”) express optimism or doubt; GM (“good morning”) is a community greeting. None carries trading information.

• DYORBeginner3 min read

  DYOR means “do your own research” — a reminder not to rely on someone else's tip, and sometimes a disclaimer attached to one.

• FUDBeginner3 min read

  FUD stands for fear, uncertainty and doubt — negative news or rumours, sometimes spread deliberately, that push people to sell.

• Green, Red and Flat DaysBeginner3 min read

  Trader shorthand for a day that ended with a net profit (green), a net loss (red) or roughly break-even (flat). Likewise, a green or red trade is a winning or losing trade.

• HODLBeginner3 min read

  HODL is crypto slang for holding an asset through volatility instead of selling; it began as a typo of “hold” and was later read as “hold on for dear life”.

• YTD, QoQ and YoYBeginner3 min read

  YTD means year to date (since 1 January); QoQ compares with the previous quarter; YoY compares with the same period a year earlier.

• Timeframe Abbreviations (M1, H1, D1, HTF, LTF)Intermediate3 min read

  HTF, MTF and LTF mean higher, middle and lower timeframe — for example a daily chart for direction, a 4-hour chart for structure and a 15-minute chart for entries.

Each term is defined in one sentence. Terms marked “Article in preparation” will get a full step-by-step article.

• Cable

  BeginnerGlossary

  Cable is traders' nickname for the GBP/USD exchange rate, from the transatlantic telegraph cable once used to send its quotes between London and New York. Other nicknames include “fibre” for EUR/USD and “loonie” for the Canadian dollar.

• Hit the Bid and Lift the Offer

  IntermediateGlossary

  Hitting the bid means selling immediately at the best price a buyer is offering; lifting the offer means buying straight away at the best asking price. Both trade off price for speed and pay the spread.

• Tenbagger

  BeginnerGlossary

  A tenbagger is a stock that rises to ten times its purchase price, a term popularised by fund manager Peter Lynch. “Multibagger” is used for any stock that multiplies several times.