Crypto glossary for Australians

Free distribution of tokens to wallets, often as a reward for early users.

The highest price an asset has ever reached.

The lowest price an asset has ever reached.

Any cryptocurrency other than Bitcoin, ranging from Ethereum to obscure tokens.

A period when altcoins broadly outperform Bitcoin.

One hundredth of a percentage point. 50 bps means 0.50%.

A sustained period of falling prices and pessimism, usually a 20%+ drawdown.

Bitcoin's share of the total crypto market cap. Falling dominance often signals altseason.

A sustained period of rising prices and optimism.

Centralised Exchange — a company-run crypto trading venue like Binance, Coinbase or Australia's CoinSpot.

The number of coins currently in public hands and tradable on the market.

Buying a fixed dollar amount on a fixed schedule to smooth out volatility.

A 0–100 sentiment gauge for the crypto market. Low = fear, high = greed.

Fear Of Missing Out — buying impulsively because prices are rising fast.

Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt — bearish sentiment, often spread to drive prices down.

Contracts that bet on the future price of an asset, often with leverage.

Crypto slang for holding through volatility instead of trading. Originally a typo of "hold".

Initial Coin Offering — a public token sale used to fund a new project.

Initial DEX Offering — a token launch on a decentralised exchange.

Borrowing to take a position larger than your own capital — magnifies both gains and losses.

An order to buy or sell only at a specific price or better.

The forced closure of a leveraged position when collateral runs out.

How easily an asset can be bought or sold without moving its price.

Total circulating supply multiplied by current price. The standard way to rank crypto by size.

A participant that quotes both buy and sell prices to provide liquidity and earn the spread.

An order to buy or sell immediately at the best available price.

The hard cap on how many coins can ever exist (Bitcoin's is 21 million).

Maximal Extractable Value — profit a block producer can earn by reordering, including or censoring transactions.

The live list of buy and sell orders at every price for a given trading pair.

A scam where developers abandon a project and drain its liquidity, leaving holders with worthless tokens.

Profiting from a price drop by selling borrowed crypto and rebuying it later.

The difference between the expected price of a trade and the actual filled price.

Buying or selling crypto for immediate delivery, as opposed to derivatives.

A cryptocurrency designed to hold a steady value, usually pegged to the US dollar (e.g. USDT, USDC).

An entity holding enough crypto to move the market with their trades.