Popular
Currency Nicknames in Forex Market
Apart from their official names, the major currencies carry special
nicknames as well, which are widely spread among Forex traders. Do you want to
know from where these nicknames come? So, let us reveal the origins.
USD – the US
dollar. The USD received a nickname mainly because calling it simply “the
Dollar” might have arisen some confusion. Let us recall that the currencies of
such countries as Canada, Australia and New Zealand are also called the dollar.
The nickname Dollar or Buck is popular among professional traders. But it was
the term “Greenback” that has gained great popularity among Forex market
commentators. This term has its history. I will now tell you, it’s very
interesting. So, it was during the Civil War in America in the late 1800’s when
then-president Abraham Lincoln printed U.S. Demand Notes to finance the war. He
printed the front side of it black and the back side green. It was something
new, since all currency notes had blank backs in that period. Now, I hope, you
have understood how USD received the nickname “Greenback”.
EUR – the
European Union’s Euro. The European Union or Eurozone is now using the
EUR as its official currency. The circulation of the EUR started not long ago,
in 1999, however it is gaining more and more popularity, yielding only to the
USD. Fiber or Fibre stands as the nickname of the EUR. According to some
sources, it has received that name because the EUR bills are made of cotton
fiber.
GBP – Britain’s
Pound Sterling. In Forex market the GBP is very often called just
Pound, Sterling or Cable. The nickname “Cable” came about because formerly the
USDGBP exchange rate was transmitted via the Trans-Atlantic telegraph cable,
laid between London and New York.
CHF –
Switzerland’s Swiss Franc: Swissie, the Chief. The Swissie
is mainly spread among professional traders, whereas the retail Forex market
prefers the name “the Chief”.
CAD –Canadian
dollar. The pair USDCAD is frequently referred to as “the Funds”. This is
because the currency pair trades for value one business day for funds, not two
business days as in case of other currency pairs. The CAD carries the nickname
“Loonie” as well. The loon is the national bird of Canada which is pictured on
the one dollar Canadian coin.
AUD
–Australian dollar: the Aussie: Aussie is named after a native of
Australia.
NZD –New
Zealand dollar: the Kiwi. Kiwi is a flightless bird, specific only to New
Zealand. Thus it comes to be the national bird of the country and appears on
the one New Zealand Dollar coin. Sometimes natives of New Zealand are also
called Kiwis.