This article has been translated from English to Gen Z Slang.
Yo, what's poppin' in the forex world?
TL;DR: It's all about that MONEY MOVES. Specifically, the paper we call currencies.
Cuz like, you're not buying any physical swag, forex trading can be sus, so let’s break it down with a dope analogy.
Think of snagging a currency like copping a share in a specific country, sorta like ya buying stock in a company.
The value of that currency usually reflects what the market thinks about the vibes of its economy now and in the future.
So when you're out here buying, let's say, the Japanese yen, you're basically snagging a “share” in the Japanese scene.
Basically, you're low-key betting that Japan's gonna take a major W as time goes on.
You unload those “shares” back into the game and, fingers crossed, you make bank.
Overall, a currency's lit exchange rate versus others reflects how that country's economy's flexin’ compared to the rest.
When you finish this School of Pipsology, you're gonna be hyped to jump into the currency game.Top Tier Currencies
Now, there's bagfuls of currencies to play with, but as a newbie, you'll probably start with the “big dogs“.
We call 'em “top tier” cuz they're what everyone’s trading, big countries, and big economies.
Forex peeps ain’t always vibing on what's considered “top tier.”
The straight-edge peeps, y’know the ones who aced every test and played by the rules, only roll with USD, EUR, JPY, GBP, and CHF.
They throw AUD, NZD, and CAD in the “money from dirt“ pile instead.
But for us rule-breaking rebels, all eight are total champs, simple as that.
Check 'em out listed by their symbol, where they're from, what they're called, and the dopest nicknames they got.| Code | Country | Currency | Nickname |
|---|---|---|---|
| USD | United States | Dollar | Buck |
| EUR | Eurozone | Euro | Fiber |
| JPY | Japan | Yen | Yen |
| GBP | Great Britain | Pound | Cable |
| CHF | Switzerland | Franc | Swissy |
| CAD | Canada | Dollar | Loonie |
| AUD | Australia | Dollar | Aussie |
| NZD | New Zealand | Dollar | Kiwi |
Currency codes are like gaming tags—always three letters, first two call out the country, last one's for the currency, usually starts with its own letter.
They’re officially known as ISO 4217 Currency Codes.
Back in '73, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) dropped these three-letter jams we vibe with today.
Take NZD for a sec…
NZ stands for New Zealand, while D reps dollar.
Eazy peazy, right?
The currencies up in that chart are “majors” 'cause they’re the most poppin’ trades.
We'd peep in that "buck" ain't the whole story for USD.DID YOU KNOW? The British pound be the OG of all currencies still in the game, around since the 8th century. Newest one on the block? Say what up to the Zimbabwe Gold (ZiG) that came through on April 8, 2024, swapping out the Zimbabwean dollar.
It's also known as: greenbacks, bones, benjis, cheddar, paper, loot, scrilla, cheese, bread, moolah, dead presidents, and good ol' cash money.
So instead of saying, “I gotta hit work now.”
You could swag it up with, “Yo, I gotta bounce! Gotta make them benjis, fam!”
FACT THAT’S FUN: In Peru, the USD is nicknamed Coco, which is a low-key pet name for Jorge (George in Spanish), throwing back to George Washington's mug on the $1 bill.
You can call me Coco, fam!
Wanna peep current currency flexes? Check out our Currency Strength Monitor, the real-time tool we whipped up to show which currencies are swole or flimsy as the numbers sway.