While in the past, the rich and wealthy were either nobles or descendants of wealthy households,
We’ve compiled a list of nicknames for different currencies and currency pairs traded on the market. Every professional has this knowledge – some even go far as to call it the secret handshake of traders. It may seem silly at first glance, but when things are happening fast, as they tend to do in the trading world, you will find this quite useful. Even if you don’t see a use for these nicknames, at the very least, they will make you giggle!
Let’s start with currency pairs…
USD / GBP – Cable
It’s a clever nickname that came to pass due to the cable under the Atlantic Ocean, which connected the USA and UK, allowing them to transmit currency prices.
USD / RUB – Barnie
EUR / RUB – Betty
Both of the above currencies’ nicknames are attributed to Flintstone characters; however, it’s unclear why. Perhaps because the Rubble is such an old currency, it goes back to the Dinosaur ages?
USD / JPY – Ninja
Do we really have to explain his one?
EUR/GBP – Chunnel
This nickname is attributed to the underwater channel that connects the UK and France.
GBP / JPY – Guppy
EUR / JPY – Euppy
The above two are just combinations of the sounds of the currency abbreviations. Not much for creativity, huh?
EUR/ BTC – Nakamoto
This nickname is credited to Satoshi Nakamoto – the alias used by the anon who developed Bitcoin.
Now, let’s look at some nicknames for individual currencies…
The US Dollar is also known as Buck or Greenback. Greenback because dollars were printed on green paper during the American Civil War, and Buck because American Indians traded buck’s skin for dollars.
The Euro is also known as Fiber. The nickname presumably stems from the paper used to print euros, made from pure cotton fiber, making it durable.
The GBP is also known as Pound, Sterling, or Sterling Pound. Either of those currency nicknames derive from times when a British pound was of equal value as one pound of sterling silver.
The CAD is also known as Loonie, thanks to their 1-dollar coin, which features a loon bird.
The NZD is also known as Kiwi because of the kiwi bird. The bird also happens to be the national symbol of New Zealand.
The CHF is known as Swissy because it originates from Switzerland. CHF stands for Confoederatio Helvetica Franc, which is the country’s Latin name.
The AUD is also known as Aussie or Ozzie. This nickname takes after the slang name for Australian people – Aussies. The Brits tend to pronounce the ‘s’ as a ‘z,’ hence the Ozzie.
The NOK is also known as the Noki.
The SEK is also known as the Soki.
We’re assuming that the last two nicknames just try to make the currencies sound brighter in otherwise cold Scandinavian environments.
Much like many other professionals, traders have their own jargon or technical language, and you should learn it if you’re looking to become a member of the traders’ team!