Currency pair nicknames: cable, fiber, loonie, aussie, kiwi and more
Why GBP/USD is called cable, where the loonie got its name, and the other nicknames traders use for currencies, pairs and gold, plus how ISO currency codes work.
Traders rarely say "GBP/USD" out loud. They say cable. Nicknames save time on trading desks and in chat rooms, and they appear in headlines, so knowing them makes the market easier to follow.
Pair nicknames
- Cable: GBP/USD. The name dates from the 19th century, when sterling–dollar exchange rates were sent between London and New York by telegraph cable under the Atlantic.
- Fiber: EUR/USD. A later nickname, usually said to refer to the fibre-optic cables that replaced the old telegraph lines.
- Swissie: USD/CHF, after the Swiss franc.
- Loonie: USD/CAD, after the loon, the bird on Canada's one-dollar coin.
- Aussie: AUD/USD.
- Kiwi: NZD/USD, after New Zealand's national bird.
- Chunnel: EUR/GBP, after the Channel Tunnel between Britain and France.
- Guppy: GBP/JPY, a pair also called "the beast" for its large daily swings.
- Yuppy: EUR/JPY.
Currency nicknames
- Greenback or buck: the US dollar
- Quid: the British pound
- Nokkie: the Norwegian krone
- Stokkie: the Swedish krona
- Yellow metal: gold
ISO codes
The three-letter codes come from the international standard ISO 4217. For most national currencies, the first two letters are the country code and the third is the first letter of the currency's name: US + D for the US dollar, JP + Y for the Japanese yen, GB + P for the British pound. The euro, EUR, doesn't follow the country pattern. Codes beginning with X are used for items not tied to one country, including precious metals: XAU is gold and XAG is silver.
Using nicknames carefully
A nickname refers to the pair in its standard quote order. "Cable is up" means GBP/USD rose, so sterling strengthened against the dollar. Other phrases can be ambiguous: "selling the loonie" might mean selling the Canadian dollar, which is buying USD/CAD. When it matters, name the pair and the direction explicitly (base and quote currency).
The site search recognises trader shorthand such as cable. Live prices: GBP/USD, USD/CAD, NZD/USD and gold. For how pairs are grouped, see majors, minors and exotics.
Common questions
Why is GBP/USD called cable?
In the 19th century, sterling–dollar exchange rates were transmitted between London and New York by telegraph cable under the Atlantic, and the name stuck.
What is the loonie in forex?
The Canadian dollar, named after the loon on Canada's one-dollar coin. Traders often call USD/CAD the loonie.
What does XAU mean?
XAU is the ISO 4217 code for gold. XAU/USD is the price of one troy ounce of gold in US dollars.
This article is for information only and is not financial advice. Trading forex and CFDs carries a high risk of losing money. Read the risk warning. Spotted an error? Tell the editors.
Comments
Log in to join the discussion. Comments follow the community guidelines.
Log in to commentLoading comments…