Trading Chat Abbreviations
For general internet abbreviations see AcronymFinder or the site of your choice

# A B • C D E • F G H • I J K • L M N  • O P Q • R S T • U V W • X Y Z

2B A reversal pattern (ref: Retro-Trader Discussion)
2X A trading system also; shorthand for the first indicator pane in the Bline template (see below), which uses some of the 2X settings Example
2XBline Trading system combining 2X and Bline, used in the Echat Bline room Example
3 Humps, 3 Drives, 3 pushes, 3 little Indians A 3 peaks (or troughs) price reversal pattern; Definition Discussion, Examples
3 Peaks & a Dome a multi-part price pattern defined by George Lindsay Examples
AB=CD A harmonic price pattern Definition
Andrews a 3-pivot trendline method pioneered by Alan Andrews. Also called pitchfork, median line, bisect Examples
APO Absolute Price Oscillator
ASI Accumulation swing index; part of the PyraPoint template
Arc A price pattern Discussion Examples
ATR Average true range
BLine Buffy’s original trading system, now part of 2XBline (see above); also, the bottom pane of the Bline Template; also, the 35-10-1 stochastic
BB Bollinger Bands
BBL  Be back later 
BE Break even
BFD  Befuddled 
BLine Triangle A pattern formed by the BLine (see 2XBline, above) Example
BIAB Back in a bit
BO Break Out
BOS  Bottom of square, PyraPoint lower support (degree line)
BRB  Be right back 
BS Buy stop
BTDT  Been there done that 
Butterfly A harmonic price pattern Definition
BZ Brach Zone, the 61.8% - 78.6% Fibonacci retrace area used by Echat trader "Brach"  Examples
 • C D E •  
CTL Cyclic trend line
COT  Change of trend
DEMO Chart name used in Playback mode in Ensign
Distance The space between the long term and short term stochastic in the 2X pane of the 2XBLine Example
Divergence When price and indicator fail to stay in sync Additional articles
Dragon A multi-part price pattern Examples
DT  Down trend 
DTL  Down Trend Line 
EMA Exponential Moving Average
Echat Stand-alone real time chat client that runs separate from Ensign
EOS  End of square; PyraPoint right-side vertical (time line)
ESPL Programming language in Ensign
EW Ensign Windows charting software; also, Elliott Wave; a price pattern method of 5 impulsive waves (12345) and 3 corrective waves (ABC)
Extension When price moves outside the range of a selected High-Low see Retracement
 • F G H •  
FAQ Frequently Asked Questions; The dacharts_dachart_dacharts_dachart FAQ
Fibonacci Geometric ratios used to project price action;Table of frequently used ratios
FWIW For what it's worth
G Hop When price clings to the bands , then "hops" off the bands and comes back and retests Example
Gartley A harmonic price pattern Definition
GM Good Morning 
HD Hidden Divergence; a reversal indication
HH Higher high
HL Higher low
HOD High of day
Hummer A pattern in the 2x Stochastic pane that looks a bit like a hummingbird Example
 • I J K •  
IB Initial Balance from Market Profile (also the first 60M range)
IMHO  In my humble opinion 
IMNSHO In my not so humble opinion 
IMO  In my opinion 
Inside Bar Price Action where current bar H/L is within prior bar H/L
  • L M N •  
LH Lower high
LL Lower low
LOD Low of day
LOL  Laugh out loud 
Lost Ribbons When the stochs in the BLine pane flatten in the OB or OS area 
LP Larry Pesavento, whose Pesavento Map and Pesavento Patterns are studies in Ensign Windows
LSH Last swing high 
LSL Last swing low 
Lurker, lurking Watching chat but not posting or speaking
LVA Lower Value Area, part of Market Profile trading method
M Minute
MA Moving Average
MACD Moving Average Crossover Divergence
Mkt  Market 
Market Profile A trading method that uses Price Histogram (accumulation/distribution zones)
MM  Measured Move; also
Market Makers; the firms on the NYSE floor that match buy and sell orders
MOF Money on Floor – a 2XBline setup
MSH Market Structure High; Price action at a reversal high
MSL Market Structure Low; Price action at a reversal low
NIV Not in Ventri1o
NP no problem
NR Narrow Range; also, a sequence of inside bars after a range bar; NR7 is a sequence of 7 inside bars
NZ Ninja Zone, Fibonacci extension of 1.27%-1.62%, used by Echat trader "Ninja" Example
NTR Natural Trading Range, part of Market Profile trading method
 • O P Q •  
OB Over bought (also overbot); when a 0/100 oscillator is above 80
OBV On balance volume; used to compare price action to volume
OE Options Expiration; 3rd Friday of each month, when stock & futures options must be traded, rolled over, or expire unexercised
OPC Open Point of Control from Market Profile (Price Histogram) . One that price has not hit again
OS Over sold, when a 0/100 oscillator is below 20
Outside Bar Price Action where current bar H/L is outside prior bar H/L
Over/Under A pattern between the short and long Stochastics indicating strong divergence (used in 2XBline)
PA Price action – Analysis of price bars
Pancakes Narrow range congestion
PB Pull back – a small correction in price back to the prevailing trend 
PH Price Histogram
Playback Using Ensign software to replay real data; used for practice and learning setups
PnF Point and Figure; a chart method Description
POC Point of Control, part of Market Profile trading method
PPO Percentage Price Oscillator
PPT Plunge Protection Team
PT PalTalk, a chat client
PTT Price Time Target from book Precision Trading with Stevenson Price Time Targets Example
PTTC Preaching to the Choir, as in "I'm already in agreement, you don’t have to convince me”
Pyra Pyrapoint – a Gann-based method implemented as a tool in Ensign; dacharts_dachart_dacharts_dachart.com Discussion Examples
 • R S T •  
R Resistance
Range Bar A wide-range bar followed by one or more inside bars
RD Regular Divergence; a reversal indication
Retracement When price corrects inside a selected High-Low range see Extension
Ribbons A name for the 2XBline short stochs
RO  Rollover 
ROC Rate of change
ROFLOL Rolling on floor laughing out loud 
RR Railroad; a price pattern; Discussion Examples
RSI Relative strength
RT Real time
RTH Real Time Hours
S Support or stop
SAR  Stop and Reverse 
SH Swing high
SIG Signal 
SL Swing low
Slingshot A setup in the Bline system
SMAX A MACD trading system, superceded by 2X
Snowcones The Pesavento Patterns tool and the Auto Trend tool leave marker on the same bar Example
SOH Sitting on hands (to prevent trading)
Snagit A popular screen capture/upload program for posting charts
Spread The distance between the stochastic %K and %D lines in the 2X pane of 2xBLine Example
SS Sell stop
Sto, Stoch Stochastics, an oscillator moving between 0 and 100
STP  Stop 
T Tick (1 tick = 1 trade); also, the minimum an issue trades (eg, .25 on ES e-mini)
Template Ready-to-go Ensign data file for various trading setups
Test Trade When price approaches prior support or resistance
THX, TKS Thanks 
tf, tfs time frame(s)
Tick Chart Price charts were bars are set number of trades (eg, 266, 532, etc) 
TICK difference between the number of  NYSE stocks with the last trade higher than the previous price and stocks with the last trade lower than the previous price ($TICK on most feeds)
TL  Trend line Discussion
TOS  Top of square 
TOTMTY top of the morning to you 
Triangle A price pattern that looks like a triangle, with the trendlines opposing; see Wedge. Discussion Examples
TS Trailing Stop
TTMAR/TMAR Take the money and run
TY  Thank you 
 • U V W •  
UT  Up Trend 
UTL Up Trend Line
UVA Upper Value Area (part of Market Profile trading method)
UW / U WELC You're Welcome 
VBG  Very big grin 
Wedge A triangle shape where the trendlines slope in same direction (both up or both down); see Triangle; Discussion Examples
WW, Wolfe Wave Wolfe Wave, a 5 pivot reversal pattern Definition Discussion Examples
WMA Weighted moving average
WTG  Way to go 
WYD  Who's your daddy 
 • X Y Z •  
cross 
XO  crossover 
YH Yesterday's high
YL Yesterday's low
YW You're welcome
Umbrella When the short stochs are under the long stochs
Ventrilo Voice software (used with Echat)
ZLR Zero Line Reject, when the indicator hooks back from the zero line in the MACD or similar indicator

last updated 11/16/2008
links by amg, nazgul