A ticker in cryptocurrencies – what is it?
Cryptocurrency Tickers
A trading asset may have a long or complex name, which can be inconvenient to write or quickly read. To address this, trading assets began to be abbreviated for easier handling and efficient information processing. Similarly, cryptocurrencies have shortened names created using a similar principle.
What is a Cryptocurrency Ticker?
Ticker is the abbreviated name of any asset traded on a cryptocurrency exchange. It consists of 3-4 uppercase Latin letters. Typically, these letters are phonetically similar to the asset's full name, while numbers are rarely used in tickers.
The term "ticker" is borrowed from the English language. In the past, a machine with a similar name was used to receive telegrams containing information about market quotes. The names of assets were sometimes shortened to a single symbol, as each symbol in a telegram was charged based on postal rates.
Examples of Tickers
You can find the ticker of any cryptocurrency on specialized services that provide information about cryptocurrencies. Additionally, you can familiarize yourself with the tickers of tradable assets on any exchange. Real tickers look like this:
- BTC - Bitcoin;
- ETH - Ethereum;
- LTC - Litecoin;
- ADA - Cardano;
- DOGE - Dogecoin;
- ERG - Ergo; and so on.
It's important not to confuse a ticker with the name of a trading pair. A trading pair consists of two tickers separated by a forward slash, such as ADA/USDT, BTC/ETH, and so on. Now you know what tickers represent and the different types they can take.