This is a forex trading glossary where some of the most used forex terms and their definitions are given.
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Ask (offer) price
The price at which the market is prepared to sell a product. Prices are quoted two-way as Bid/Ask. The Ask price is also known as the Offer.
In FX trading, the Ask represents the price at which a trader can buy the base currency, shown to the right in a currency pair. For example, in the quote USD/CHF 1.4527/32, the base currency is USD, and the Ask price is 1.4532, meaning you can buy one US dollar for 1.4532 Swiss francs.
Aussie
Also, “Oz” or “Ozzie”; refers to the AUD/USD pair.
Bar chart
A type of chart which consists of four significant points: the high and the low prices, which form the vertical bar, the opening price, which is marked with a little horizontal line to the left of the bar and the closing price, which is marked with a little horizontal line to the right of the bar.
Base currency
The first currency in a currency pair. It shows how much the base currency is worth as measured against the second currency. For example, if the USD/CHF rate equals 1.6215 then one USD is worth CHF 1.6215. In the FX market, the US Dollar is normally considered the ‘base’ currency for quotes, meaning that quotes are expressed as a unit of $1 USD per the other currency quoted in the pair. The primary exceptions to this rule are the British Pound, the Euro and the Australian Dollar.
Base rate
The lending rate of the central bank of a given country.
Bearish / Bear market
Negative for price direction; favoring a declining market. For example, “We are bearish EUR/USD” means that we think the Euro will weaken against the dollar.
Bears
Traders who expect prices to decline and may be holding short positions.
Bid price
The price at which the market is prepared to buy a product. Prices are quoted two-way as Bid/Ask.
In FX trading, the Bid represents the price at which a trader can sell the base currency, shown to the left in a currency pair. For example, in the quote USD/CHF 1.4527/32, the base currency is USD, and the Bid price is 1.4527, meaning you can sell one US Dollar for 1.4527 Swiss francs.
Bid/ask spread
The difference between the Bid and the Ask (Offer) price.
BOC
Bank of Canada, the central bank of Canada.
BOE
Bank of England, the central bank of the UK.
BOJ
Bank of Japan, the central bank of Japan.
Bollinger bands
A tool used by technical analysts. A band plotted two standard deviations on either side of a simple moving average, which often indicates support and resistance levels.
Broker
An individual or firm that acts as an intermediary, bringing buyers and sellers together for a fee or commission. In contrast, a ‘dealer’ commits capital and takes one side of a position, hoping to earn a spread (profit) by closing out the position in a subsequent trade with another party.
Bullish / Bull market
Favoring a strengthening market and rising prices. For example, “We are bullish EUR/USD” means that we think the Euro will strengthen against the dollar.
Bulls
Traders who expect prices to rise and who may be holding long positions.
Buy
Taking a long position on a product.
Cable
The GBP/USD pair. ”Cable” earned its nickname because the rate was originally transmitted to the US via a transatlantic cable beginning in the mid 1800’s when the GBP was the currency of international trade.
CAD
The Canadian dollar, also known as Loonie or Funds.
Candlestick chart
A chart that indicates the trading range for the day as well as the opening and closing price. If the open price is higher than the close price, the rectangle between the open and close price is shaded. If the close price is higher than the open price, that area of the chart is not shaded.
Central bank
A government or quasi-governmental organization that manages a country’s monetary policy. For example, the US central bank is the Federal Reserve and the German central bank is the Bundesbank.
Chartist
An individual, also known as a technical trader, who uses charts and graphs and interprets historical data to find trends and predict future movements.
Choppy
Short-lived price moves with limited follow-through that are not conducive to aggressive trading.
Closed position
Exposure to a financial contract, such as currency, that no longer exists. A position is closed by placing an equal and opposite deal to offset the open position. Once closed, a position is ‘squared’.
Closing
The process of stopping (closing) a live trade by executing a trade that is the exact opposite of the open trade.
Closing price
The price at which a product was traded to close a position. It can also refer to the price of the last transaction in a day trading session.
Commission
A fee that is charged for buying or selling a product.
Commodity currencies
Currencies from economies whose exports are heavily based in natural resources, often specifically referring to Canada, New Zealand, Australia and Russia.
Components
The dollar pairs that make up the crosses (i.e. EUR/USD + USD/JPY are the components of EUR/JPY). Selling the cross through the components refers to selling the dollar pairs in alternating fashion to create a cross position.
Contract
The standard unit of forex trading.
Counter currency
The second listed currency in a currency pair.
Cross (e.g. Yen cross)
A pair of currencies that does not include the US Dollar.
Crown currencies
Refers to CAD (Canadian Dollar), Aussie (Australian Dollar), Sterling (British Pound) and Kiwi (New Zealand Dollar) – countries off the Commonwealth.
Currency
Any form of money issued by a government or central bank and used as legal tender and a basis for trade.
Currency pair
The two currencies that make up a foreign exchange rate, for example EUR/USD.
Currency risk
The probability of an adverse change in exchange rates.
Currency symbols
A three-letter symbol that represents a specific currency, for example USD (US Dollar)
Day trader
Speculators who take positions in commodities and then liquidate those positions prior to the close of the same trading day.
Day trading
Making an open and close trade in the same product in one day.
Deal
A term that denotes a trade done at the current market price. It is a live trade as opposed to an order.
Dealer
An individual or firm that acts as a principal or counterpart to a transaction. Principals take one side of a position, hoping to earn a spread (profit) by closing out the position in a subsequent trade with another party. In contrast, a broker is an individual or firm that acts as an intermediary, putting together buyers and sellers for a fee or commission.
Dealing spread
The difference between the buying and selling price of a contract.
Divergence
In technical analysis, a situation where price and momentum move in opposite directions, such as prices rising while momentum is falling. Divergence is considered either positive (bullish) or negative (bearish); both kinds of divergence signal major shifts in price direction. Positive/bullish divergence occurs when the price of a security makes a new low while the momentum indicator starts to climb upward. Negative/bearish divergence happens when the price of the security makes a new high, but the indicator fails to do the same and instead moves lower. Divergences frequently occur in extended price moves and frequently resolve with the price reversing direction to follow the momentum indicator.
Divergence of MAs
A technical observation that describes moving averages of different periods moving away from each other, which generally forecasts a price trend.
Downtrend
Price action consisting of lower-lows and lower-highs.
EURO
The currency of the Eurozone.
European session
07:00 – 16:00 (London).
Fill
When an order has been fully executed.
Foreign exchange (forex, fx)
The simultaneous buying of one currency and selling of another. The global market for such transactions is referred to as the “forex” or “FX” market.
Fundamental analysis
The assessment of all information available on a tradable product to determine its future outlook and therefore predict where the price is heading. Often non-measurable and subjective assessments, as well as quantifiable measurements, are made in fundamental analysis.
Gap / Gapping
A quick market move in which prices skip several levels without any trades occurring. Gaps usually follow economic data or news announcements.
GMT
Greenwich Mean Time – The most commonly referred time zone in the forex market. GMT does not change during the year, as opposed to daylight savings/summer time.
Going long
The purchase of a stock, commodity or currency for investment or speculation – with the expectation of the price increasing.
Going short
The selling of a currency or product not owned by the seller – with the expectation of the price decreasing.
Greenback
Nickname for the US dollar.
Hawk – hawkish
A country’s monetary policy-makers are referred to as ‘hawkish’ when they believe that higher interest rates are needed, usually to combat inflation or restrain rapid economic growth or both.
Hedge
A position or combination of positions that reduces the risk of your primary position.
Hit the bid
To sell at the current market bid.
Inflation
An economic condition whereby prices for consumer goods rise, eroding purchasing power.
Initial margin requirement
The initial deposit of collateral required to enter into a position.
Interbank rates
The Foreign Exchange rates which large international banks quote to each other.
Interest
Adjustments in cash to reflect the effect of owing or receiving the notional amount of equity of a CFD position.
Intervention
Action by a central bank to affect the value of its currency by entering the market. Concerted intervention refers to action by a number of central banks to control exchange rates.
Introducing broker
A person or corporate entity which introduces accounts to a broker in return for a fee.
Kiwi
Nickname for NZD/USD.
Last dealing day
The last day you may trade a particular product.
Last dealing time
The last time you may trade a particular product.
Leading indicators
Statistics that are considered to predict future economic activity.
Level
A price zone or particular price that is significant technically or based on reported orders/option interest.
Leverage
Also known as margin, this is the percentage or fractional increase you can trade from the amount of capital you have available. It allows traders to trade notional values far higher than the capital they have. For example: leverage of 100:1 means you can trade a notional value 100 times greater than the capital in your trading account.*
Limits / Limit order
An order that seeks to buy at lower levels than the current market or sell at higher levels than the current market. A limit order sets restrictions on the maximum price to be paid or the minimum price to be received. As an example, if the current price of USD/YEN is 117.00/05, then a limit order to buy USD would be at a price below the current market, e.g. 116.50.
Liquid market
A market which has sufficient numbers of buyers and sellers for the price to move in a smooth manner.
Liquidation
The closing of an existing position through the execution of an offsetting transaction.
Liquidity
The ability of a market to accept large transactions with minimal to no impact on price stability.
London session
08:00 – 17:00 (London).
Long position
A position that appreciates in value if market price increases. When the base currency in the pair is bought, the position is said to be long. This position is taken with the expectation that the market will rise.
Longs
Traders who have bought a product.
Loonie
Nickname for USD/CAD.
Lot
A unit to measure the amount of the deal. The value of the deal always corresponds to an integer number of lots.
Margin
The required collateral that an investor must deposit to hold a position.
Margin call
A request from a broker or dealer for additional funds or other collateral on a position that has moved against the customer
Market maker
A dealer who regularly quotes both bid and ask prices and is ready to make a two-sided market for any financial product.
Market order
An order to buy or sell at the current price.
Market risk
Exposure to changes in market prices.
Mark-to-market
Process of re-evaluating all open positions in light of current market prices. These new values then determine margin requirements.
Momentum
A series of technical studies (e.g. RSI, MACD, Stochastics, Momentum) that assesses the rate of change in prices.
Momentum players
Traders who align themselves with an intra-day trend that attempts to grab 50-100 pips.
Net position
The amount of currency bought or sold which has not yet been offset by opposite transactions.
New York session
8:00am – 5:00pm (New York time).
Offer (also known as the Ask price)
The price at which the market is prepared to sell a product. Prices are quoted two-way as Bid/Offer. The Offer price is also known as the Ask. The Ask represents the price at which a trader can buy the base currency, which is shown to the right in a currency pair. For example, in the quote USD/CHF 1.4527/32, the base currency is USD, and the ask price is 1.4532, meaning you can buy one US dollar for 1.4532 Swiss francs.
One cancels the other order (OCO)
A designation for two orders whereby if one part of the two orders is executed, then the other is automatically cancelled.
Open order
An order that will be executed when a market moves to its designated price. Normally associated with Good ’til Cancelled Orders.
Open position
An active trade with corresponding unrealized P&L, which has not been offset by an equal and opposite deal.
Order
An instruction to execute a trade.
Over the counter (OTC)
Used to describe any transaction that is not conducted via an exchange.
Overnight position
A trade that remains open until the next business day.
Pair
The forex quoting convention of matching one currency against the other.
Pips
The smallest unit of price for any foreign currency, pips refer to digits added to or subtracted from the fourth decimal place, i.e. 0.0001.
Position
The net total holdings of a given product.
Price transparency
Describes quotes to which every market participant has equal access.
Profit
The difference between the cost price and the sale price, when the sale price is higher than the cost price.
Pullback
The tendency of a trending market to retrace a portion of the gains before continuing in the same direction.
Quote
An indicative market price, normally used for information purposes only.
Quantitative easing
When a central bank injects money into an economy with the aim of stimulating growth.
Rally
A recovery in price after a period of decline.
Range
When a price is trading between a defined high and low, moving within these two boundaries without breaking out from them.
Rate
The price of one currency in terms of another, typically used for dealing purposes.
RBA
Reserve Bank of Australia, the central bank of Australia.
RBNZ
Reserve Bank of New Zealand, the central bank of New Zealand.
Real money
Traders of significant size including pension funds, asset managers, insurance companies, etc. They are viewed as indicators of major long-term market interest, as opposed to shorter-term, intraday speculators.
Realized profit / loss
The amount of money you have made or lost when a position has been closed.
Resistance level
A price that might act as a ceiling. The opposite of support.
Retail investor
An individual investor who trades with money from personal wealth, rather than on behalf of an institution.
Risk
Exposure to uncertain change, most often used with a negative connotation of adverse change.
Risk management
The employment of financial analysis and trading techniques to reduce and/or control exposure to various types of risk.
Rollover
A rollover is the simultaneous closing of an open position for today’s value date and the opening of the same position for the next day’s value date at a price reflecting the interest rate differential between the two currencies.
In the spot forex market, trades must be settled in two business days. For example, if a trader sells 100,000 Euros on Tuesday, then the trader must deliver 100,000 Euros on Thursday, unless the position is rolled over. As a service to customers, all open forex positions at the end of the day (5:00 PM New York time) are automatically rolled over to the next settlement date. The rollover (or swap) adjustment is simply the accounting of the cost-of-carry on a day-to-day basis.
Round trip
A trade that has been opened and subsequently closed by an equal and opposite deal.
Running profit / loss
An indicator of the status of your open positions; that is, unrealized money that you would gain or lose should you close all your open positions at that point in time.
Sell
Taking a short position in expectation that the market is going to go down.
Short position
An investment position that benefits from a decline in market price. When the base currency in the pair is sold, the position is said to be short.
Short squeeze
A situation in which traders are heavily positioned on the short side and a market catalyst causes them to cover (buy) in a hurry, causing a sharp price increase.
Short-covering
After a decline, traders who earlier went short begin buying back.
Shorts
Traders who have sold, or shorted, a product, or those who are bearish on the market.
Sidelines, sit on hands
Traders staying out of the markets due to directionless, choppy, unclear market conditions are said to be ‘on the sidelines’ or ‘sitting on their hands’.
Simple Moving Average (SMA)
A simple average of a pre-defined number of price bars. For example, a 50 period daily chart SMA is the average closing price of the previous 50 daily closing bars. Any time interval can be applied.
Slippage
The difference between the price that was requested and the price obtained typically due to changing market conditions.
Sloppy
Choppy trading conditions that lack any meaningful trend and/or follow-through.
SNB
Swiss National Bank, the central bank of Switzerland.
Sovereign names
Refers to central banks active in the spot market.
Spot market
A market whereby products are traded at their market price for immediate exchange.
Spot price
The current market price. Settlement of spot transactions usually occurs within two business days.
Spot trade
The purchase or sale of a product for immediate delivery (as opposed to a date in the future). Spot contracts are typically settled electronically.
Spread
The difference between the bid and offer prices.
Sterling
Nickname for GBP/USD. Also known as Pound or British Pound.
Stock exchange
A market on which securities are traded.
Stock index
The combined price of a group of stocks – expressed against a base number – to allow assessment of how the group of companies is performing relative to the past.
Stop loss hunting
When a market seems to be reaching for a certain level that is believed to be heavy with stops. If stops are triggered, then the price will often jump through the level as a flood of stop-loss orders are triggered.
Stop order
A stop order is an order to buy or sell once a pre-defined price is reached. When the price is reached, the stop order becomes a market order and is executed at the best available price. It is important to remember that stop orders can be affected by market gaps and slippage, and will not necessarily be executed at the stop level if the market does not trade at this price. A stop order will be filled at the next available price once the stop level has been reached. Placing contingent orders may not necessarily limit your losses.
Stop entry order
This is an order placed to buy above the current price, or to sell below the current price. These orders are useful if you believe the market is heading in one direction and you have a target entry price.
Stop loss order
This is an order placed to sell below the current price (to close a long position), or to buy above the current price (to close a short position). Stop loss orders are an important risk management tool. By setting stop loss orders against open positions you can limit your potential downside should the market move against you. Remember that stop orders do not guarantee your execution price – a stop order is triggered once the stop level is reached, and will be executed at the next available price.
Stops building
Refers to stop-loss orders building up; the accumulation of stop-loss orders to buy above the market in an upmove, or to sell below the market in a downmove.
Support
A price that acts as a floor for past or future price movements.
Support levels
A technique used in technical analysis that indicates a specific price ceiling and floor at which a given exchange rate will automatically correct itself. Opposite of resistance.
Swap
A currency swap is the simultaneous sale and purchase of the same amount of a given currency at a forward exchange rate.
SWISSIE
The nickname for USD/CHF.
T/P
Stands for “take profit.” Refers to limit orders that look to sell above the level that was bought, or buy back below the level that was sold.
Technical analysis
The process by which charts of past price patterns are studied for clues as to the direction of future price movements.
Technicians or Techs
Traders who base their trading decisions on technical or charts analysis.
Tokyo session
09:00 – 18:00 (Tokyo).
Trade size
The number of units of product in a contract or lot.
Trading bid
A pair is acting strong and/or moving higher; bids keep entering the market and pushing prices up.
Trading range
The range between the highest and lowest price of a stock usually expressed with reference to a period of time. For example: 52-week trading range.
Trailing stop
A trailing stop allows a trade to continue to gain in value when the market price moves in a favorable direction, but automatically closes the trade if the market price suddenly moves in an unfavorable direction by a specified distance. Placing contingent orders may not necessarily limit your losses.
Transaction cost
The cost of buying or selling a financial product.
Transaction date
The date on which a trade occurs.
Trend
Price movement that produces a net change in value. An uptrend is identified by higher highs and higher lows. A downtrend is identified by lower highs and lower lows.
Two-way price
When both a bid and offer rate is quoted for an FX transaction.
Unemployment rate
Measures the total workforce that is unemployed and actively seeking employment, measured as a percentage of the labor force.
Unrealized gain/loss
The theoretical gain or loss on open positions valued at current market rates, as determined by the broker in its sole discretion. Unrealized Gains/Losses become Profits/Losses when the position is closed.
Volatility
Referring to active markets that often present trade opportunities.
Wedge chart pattern
Chart formation that shows a narrowing price range over time, where price highs in an ascending wedge decrease incrementally, or in a descending wedge, price declines are incrementally smaller. Ascending wedges typically conclude with a downside breakout and descending wedges typically terminate with upside breakouts.
Whipsaw
Slang for a highly volatile market where a sharp price movement is quickly followed by a sharp reversal.