Financial Slang

The financial world has a vocabulary of its own. Mixed into the financial lexicon are hundreds of acronyms and abbreviations. While knowing financial slang might not make you a money expert, the terms on this page will at least help you understand financial news and market information.

Slang Term Meaning Votes
Paper handsTo sell a stock at the first sign of trouble
Meme stockA stock hyped on social media
APRAnnual percentage rate
CryptoCryptocurrency
BagholderA person who fails to sell a stock before it crashes
NFTNon-fungible token
BTDBuy the dip
AHTAfter-hours trading
DDDue diligence
USDUnited States dollars
CADCanadian dollar
ROIReturn on investment
GNPGross National Product
BearishNegative outlook
BullishPositive outlook
ISOIncentive stock option
EBTEarnings before taxes
IRSInternal Revenue Service
H1First half
CPACertified Public Accountant
NYSENew York Stock Exchange
W4Employee's Withholding Allowance Certificate
CDCertificate of deposit
EFTElectronic funds transfer
APYAnnual percentage yield
FAANGFacebook, Amazon, Apple, Netflix, Google
Diamond handsTo hold a stock through losses
YTDYear-to-date
AUDAustralian dollar
EUREuro
JPYJapanese yen
Q1First quarter
Q4Fourth quarter
P/EPrice-to-Earnings Ratio
EPSEarnings per share
AGIAdjusted gross income
B2BBusiness-to-business
W2Wage and Tax Statement
ForexForeign exchange market
ROICReturn on invested capital
Two-baggerInvestment that doubled
GrexitGreek exit
EMVEuropay, MasterCard, and Visa
WATCHWalmart, Amazon, Target, Costco, Home Depot
J-PowJerome Powell
ICOInitial coin offering
Crypto MomSEC Commissioner Hester Peirce
BTFDBuy the freaking dip
Buy the dipBuy an asset at a low price
ShrinkflationCharging the same price for less product
DYORDo your own research
CEOChief executive officer
CEChief executive
GBPBritish pound
Q3Third quarter
YEYear-ending
APAccounts payable
ARAccounts receivable
B2CBusiness-to-consumer
hqHeadquarters
PBTProfit before tax
GDPGross Domestic Product
ROEReturn on equity
SWOTStrengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats
HELOCHome equity line of credit
TendiesChicken tenders
Retail investorIndividual, non-professional investor
HODLHold on for dear life
BrainwalletA memorized Bitcoin seed phrase
Pink taxIncreased prices on women's products
NocoinerA person who owns no cryptocurrency
Cold storageA cryptocurrency wallet not connected to the Internet
Hot walletA cryptocurrency wallet connected to the Internet
AirdropA cryptocurrency marketing event
DustTiny amounts of cryptocurrency
DeFiDecentralized finance
Rug pullA cryptocurrency scam
CUCredit union
NGMINot gonna make it
BAYCBored Ape Yacht Club
IPOInitial public offering
SSLSecure Sockets Layer
MDManaging Director
CPCCost per click
CHFSwiss franc
NSONon-qualified stock option
NQONon-qualified option
NQSONon-qualified stock option
Q2Second quarter
IRAIndividual Retirement Account
H2Second half
AIRAssumed interest rate
COOChief operating officer
PATProfit after taxes
Big BoardNew York Stock Exchange
FICAFederal Insurance Contributions Act
SUTAState Unemployed Tax Act
SUIState Unemployment Insurance
eeEmployee
SSNSocial Security number
ARMAdjustable rate mortgage
FDICFederal Deposit Insurance Corporation
ETFExchange traded fund
FXForeign exchange market
LOILetter of intent
ROAReturn on assets
TSRTotal shareholder return
RONWReturn on net worth
Three-baggerInvestment that tripled
Four-baggerInvestment that quadrupled
ATSAutomatic transfer service
FICOFair Isaac Corporation
NSFNon-sufficient funds
QuantQuantitative analyst
Bitcoin Pizza DayMay 22, 2010
RuggedScammed
SBFSam Bankman-Fried
WAGMIWe're all gonna make it
HCOLHigh cost of living
NFANot financial advice
ButtcoinA community of cryptocurrency haters
3QThird quarter
1QFirst quarter
2QSecond quarter
4QFourth quarter
Blue-collar boomerangWorkers returning to their blue-collar jobs
KPIKey performance indicator
ESGEnvironment, Social, and Governance
CFOChief financial officer
FRBFederal Reserve Board
FPLFederal poverty level
ECPElectronic check presentment
FUTAFederal Unemployment Tax Act
erEmployer