Here’s an A-Z glossary of common cryptocurrency trading terms and sayings:
A
- Arbitrage – Buying a cryptocurrency on one exchange and selling it on another for a profit.
- ATH (All-Time High) – The highest price ever reached by a cryptocurrency.
- ATL (All-Time Low) – The lowest price ever recorded for a cryptocurrency.
- Altcoin – Any cryptocurrency that isn’t Bitcoin.
B
- Bagholder – Someone holding a cryptocurrency that has dropped significantly in value, hoping it will recover.
- Bear Market – A market characterized by declining prices.
- Bull Market – A market experiencing a sustained price increase.
- Bitcoin Maximalist – Someone who believes only Bitcoin has value and dismisses all other cryptocurrencies.
- Buy the Dip – Purchasing a cryptocurrency when the price drops, expecting a future increase.
C
- Candlestick Chart – A chart used to analyze price movements over time.
- Cold Wallet – A cryptocurrency wallet that is not connected to the internet, making it more secure.
- Crypto Whale – An individual or entity holding large amounts of cryptocurrency.
D
- DCA (Dollar-Cost Averaging) – Investing a fixed amount in cryptocurrency at regular intervals to reduce risk.
- DeFi (Decentralized Finance) – Financial services built on blockchain without intermediaries.
- Derivatives – Financial instruments (like futures and options) based on the value of cryptocurrencies.
- Doxxing – Revealing someone’s private information, often in a malicious way. So who is Save With Crypto?
- DYOR (Do Your Own Research) – Encouraging individuals to research before investing.
E
- ERC-20 – A widely used standard for tokens on the Ethereum blockchain.
- Exit Scam – When a crypto project disappears with investors’ funds.
F
- FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) – The urge to buy an asset quickly due to rising prices.
- FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt) – Negative rumors or misinformation meant to create panic.
- Fork – A change in a blockchain protocol that results in a new version or split of the blockchain.
- Fundamental Analysis (FA) – Evaluating a cryptocurrency based on its use case, team, and adoption.
G
- Gas Fees – Transaction fees paid on networks like Ethereum.
- Going Long – Betting that the price of a cryptocurrency will increase.
- Going Short – Betting that the price of a cryptocurrency will decrease.
H
- Halving – A process in Bitcoin that reduces miner rewards by half every four years.
- HODL – A misspelled version of “hold,” meaning to keep cryptocurrency long-term despite volatility.
I
- ICO (Initial Coin Offering) – A fundraising method where new cryptocurrencies sell tokens to investors.
- Immutable – A property of blockchain meaning transactions cannot be altered once recorded.
J
- JOMO (Joy of Missing Out) – Feeling relief from avoiding a bad investment.
K
- KYC (Know Your Customer) – Regulations requiring users to verify their identity on exchanges.
L
- Leverage – Borrowing funds to increase a trading position.
- Liquidity – The ability to buy or sell an asset without significantly affecting its price.
- Limit Order – A pre-set price order to buy or sell a cryptocurrency.
M
- Market Cap (Market Capitalization) – The total value of a cryptocurrency (price × circulating supply).
- Mining – The process of verifying blockchain transactions and earning rewards.
- Mooning – When the price of a cryptocurrency rapidly increases.
- NFA – Not Financial Advice – An acronym often used by, for example, YouTubers as a disclaimer to prevent legal complications.
N
- NFT (Non-Fungible Token) – Unique digital assets stored on a blockchain.
- Node – A computer that helps maintain the blockchain network.
O
- On-Chain Analysis – Analyzing blockchain data to assess trends and transactions.
- Overbought – A condition where a cryptocurrency is believed to be overvalued.
- Oversold – A condition where a cryptocurrency is believed to be undervalued.
P
- Pump and Dump – A scheme where a cryptocurrency’s price is artificially inflated and then rapidly sold off.
- Private Key – A secret key used to access and manage cryptocurrency funds.
- Public Key – A cryptographic address used to receive cryptocurrency.
Q
- QR Code – Used to quickly share wallet addresses for crypto transactions.
R
- Rug Pull – A scam where developers abandon a project after collecting investors’ funds.
- Resistance Level – A price level where an asset struggles to rise above.
S
- Satoshi (SATs) – The smallest unit of Bitcoin (1 BTC = 100 million SATs).
- Scalping – A trading strategy involving making quick, small profits.
- Smart Contract – Self-executing contracts with rules written into code.
- Staking – Locking up crypto in a network to earn rewards.
T
- TA (Technical Analysis) – Using charts and indicators to predict price movements.
- Tokenomics – The economic model of a cryptocurrency.
- Trading Volume – The amount of cryptocurrency traded over a period.
U
- Uniswap – A decentralized exchange (DEX) for swapping tokens.
- Utility Token – A token that provides access to a specific service.
V
- Volatility – The rapid and unpredictable movement of cryptocurrency prices.
W
- Wallet – A tool used to store, send, and receive cryptocurrency.
- Wash Trading – Manipulating markets by repeatedly buying and selling the same asset.
- Weak Hands – Investors who sell assets quickly due to fear.
X
- XBT – Another symbol for Bitcoin, used on some exchanges.
Y
- Yield Farming – Earning rewards by providing liquidity to DeFi protocols.
Z
- Zero-Knowledge Proof – A cryptographic method proving possession of information without revealing it.