We have bad news and good news.
First, the bad ones.
There’s no way around it – you will have to learn the currency nicknames if you want to learn currency trading and finance.
Why? Because traders and finance reporters DON’T USE plain currency names. Instead, they use nicknames.
Pronouncing or writing “British Pound / U.S. Dollar pair”, is not sexy and not convenient. It’s much cooler and easier to use the nickname “Cable” to depict this currency pair.
Now the good news. We have collected and deciphered the most popular currency nicknames so that it’s easier for you to remember them.
Currency nicknames:
- USD (U.S. Dollar) – Greenback or Buck
- GBP (British Pound) – Sterling or Quid
- EUR (European Euro) – Single currency or Fiber
- CHF (Swiss Franc) – Swissy
- CAD (Canadian Dollar) – Loonie
- AUD (Australian Dollar) – Aussie or Ozzie
- NZD (New Zealand Dollar) – Kiwi
- EURUSD – Fiber or simply Euro
- GBPUSD – Cable
- EURGBP – Chunnel
- USDCAD – Funds or Loonie
- USDJPY – Gopher or Ninja
- GBPJPY – Guppy
- EURJPY – Yuppy
- NZDUSD – Kiwi or The Bird
- AUDUSD – Aussie
- EURCHF – Swissy or Euro-Swissy
- COPSGN – Glock
- USDRUB – Barnie
- EURRUB – Betty
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Now, before you continue – Test if you can you score more than 7 of 10 correct answers in the currency nickname & forex quiz below! ?
Test you knowledge with the Quick & Fun Forex Quiz
Test you knowledge with the Quick & Fun Forex Quiz
Quid is the nickname for... ?
Quid = GBP
Quid is a jargon expression for the British pound sterling (GBP), which is the currency of the United Kingdom. A quid = 100 pence, and is believed to come from the Latin phrase Quid Pro Quo, which translates into "something for something."
What is the nickname for EURUSD ?
EURUSD = Fiber
Legend says that the nickname fiber comes from the fact that the paper used for euro banknotes consists of pure cotton fiber which makes it more durable and gives it a special feel.
This bird's name is used for which currency's nickname?
This bird is called Kiwi and it's the nickname for the NZD!
New Zealand dollar is called kiwi because it represents the national symbol of New Zealand – a bird called kiwi. It is small, brown, furry, and can’t fly – just like a kiwi fruit.
Loonie is the nickname for which currency?
Loonie = Canadian Dollar
The Canadian one-dollar coin carries the image of a bird called „loon” which is a popular species in Canada. Thus Loonie is a popular nickname for the Canadian dollar.
What is the nickname for the Swiss Franc?
Swiss Franc = Swissy
Well, you probably can guess why the Swiss Franc is called the Swissy, right? 🙂
What will happen to Honda's stock price if the Japanese yen gets stronger against the USD?
Yen up > Honda stocks down!
Honda is one of the biggest car exporters to the US. It manufactures most of its cars in Japan. A strong yen is eroding Honda’s overseas earnings. A stronger yen means that Honda's profits made in dollars were worth less when exchanged into yen. Honda needs to convert the US dollars to yen in order to pay all of its bills and salaries in Japan. Honda later announced that it lost 101 billion yen in operating profits because of unfavorable foreign exchange rates during that year.
Buck is the nickname for... ?
Buck = USD
U.S. dollar is called buck from times when deerskin (male deers are called bucks) was used by American Indians for trading with dollars.
What is the nickname for the Australian dollar
Australian dollar = Ozzie
The short version of a person from Australia is "Aussie" which is pronounced "Ozzie". Thats why the Australian dollar is called Ozzie and also Aussie.
What is considered the optimal inflation rate for a country?
2% is the sweet spot!
An inflation rate that goes lower than 2% runs the risk of falling into deflation, which can lead to falling wages and reduced economic activity. For example, if inflation in the USA would be falling for a prolonged time, it could lead to a decrease in the USD value against other currencies.
Higher inflation, on the other hand, might reduce foreign investments as investors would fear that their money would lose its value. So, there has to be a nice balance and 2% is considered a level of sustainable growth.
What would happen to Tesla stock price if the JPY/USD would fall?
JPY/USD fall > Tesla stock price UP
Tesla (TSLA) buys its battery cells from Japan for millions of US dollars every month. These are used in cars that are mainly sold in the US and Europe.
Due to the dramatic fall of the Japanese yen in 2012-2013, the value of Tesla’s liabilities in that currency decreased; they could buy more yens with their dollars. Tesla had a foreign currency exchange gain of $12 million due to the weakening of the Japanese yen. These gains obviously increased the value of the company.
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The funny history of currency nicknames
Some of the currency nicknames have interesting origins. Some are just a play of words. Let’s have a look at some of the most popular ones.
Why is the US dollar called greenback?
U.S. dollar is called greenback because of the paper notes issued during the American civil war in 1861. Those notes had a distinctive green coloring on the back.
USD second nickname – buck
U.S. dollar is called buck from times when deerskin (male deers are called bucks) was used by American Indians for trading with dollars.
To uncover the best pairs to trade here’s the full Currency pairs list.
Why is Euro called fiber?
Legend says that the nickname fiber comes from the fact that the paper used for euro banknotes consists of pure cotton fiber which makes it more durable and gives it a special feel.
Why is GBP/USD (British pound and U.S. dollar pair) called cable?
GBP/USD currency pair is called the cable since there was a cable under the Atlantic ocean linking UK with the USA which was used to synchronize the British pound with the U.S. dollar by a telegraph. The cable was laid in 1858 and made it possible to transmit currency prices from London’s to New York’s trading desks.
Why is the British pound (GBP) called sterling?
The British pound is officially called pound sterling and it is not just a nickname. It sometimes gets abbreviated to either pound or sterling. Name sterling comes from times when the British pound had an equal value to one pound of sterling silver.
Why is the Canadian dollar called loonie?
Loonie is a nickname for the Canadian dollar as one dollar coin carries an image of a bird called „loon” which is a popular species in Canada.
Why is the New Zealand dollar called kiwi?
New Zealand dollar has a nickname kiwi which represents the national symbol of New Zealand – a bird called kiwi. It is small, brown, furry, and can’t fly – just like a kiwi fruit.
Why is the euro called the single currency?
Euro is often called the single currency as it is used in 24 European countries. It was first introduced in 1999 and now is the second biggest reserve currency after the U.S. dollar.
What are Flintstones’ neighbors doing in Forex?
USD/RUB and EUR/RUB pairs are called Barnie and Betty respectively. These two nicknames are newcomers to the forex nickname family. Rubble is not only the currency in Russia but also the family name of Barnie and Betty – the neighbors of Flinstones.
Which currency pair is called Chunnel and why?
EUR/GBP currency pair is sometimes called Chunnel which is an abbreviation of the Channel Tunnel that joins the channel between Britain and France (Europe).
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