There’s a lot of abbreviations used around here, both in the forum and the elite room. Here’s a glossary of some of the most common:
ADA - (also DA) Apex Desktop Assistant (software for integrating Apex tools with NinjaTrader) direct download
APS - Additional Powerful Setups
ATF - Apex Trader Funding
ATH - All-time high
ATM (1) - Advanced Trade Management, a feature of NinjaTrader that allows semi-automated position management
ATM (2) - “at the money” (reference: https://forum.apexinvesting.com/t/defining-moneyness-in-binary-options/4687,
https://apexinvesting.net/nadex-binaries-101-course/)
Audible - a trade setup which is outside of normal Apex training and called out by moderators (from gridiron football)
BE - Breakeven
bin - binary
https://forum.apexinvesting.com/c/articles/nadex-binaries
https://apexinvesting.net/nadex-binaries-101-course/
BJ - Basejump (a setup)
BMX - “barely missed X”, a behavior sometimes seen in the APEX Pattern
https://forum.apexinvesting.com/t/apex-pattern-with-bmx-explained-by-trader-craigmac-in-the-elite-room/13045
https://apexinvesting.net/sees-training-course/
BOB - Burnout bar, referring to VAD A indicator
BOC - Breakout of chop
brb - be right back
BTC - commonly used code for Bitcoin
Burger - An area on a chart where a ZOI is sandwiched by a MM above and below… an MM-ZOI-MM sandwich
BW - brick wall, an important level
CBOE - Chicago Board Options Exchange
CL - crude oil futures (NYMEX®)
CME - Chicago Mercantile Exchange
Coffee bar - A bar on a diagnostic chart that takes a long time to form and is usually divergent while forming, but usually ends up not divergent when closed. It usually happens when orders are building and price is about to break out. It is not the time to go get coffee; although, it is usually a boring bar that causes attention to lapse and peeps miss the breakout.
Crash - see ZOI crash
Crocodile eyes - a price level with several clusters (kind of looks like crocodile eyes peaking through the surface of the water…be careful)
DA - see ADA
Dark Zone - (also DZ) 10 minute period consisting of 5 minutes before until 5 minutes after market open or impactful news that would cause abnormal price volatility. Recommended to be “flat” during this time. See here for illustration.
DB - database (usually reference to NinjaTrader.sdf file)
DC - Double clusters
DE (double eddies) - a reference to an instance of two Early Hidden Divergence Detector alerts
https://forum.apexinvesting.com/c/s6-study-apex-indicators/Early-Hidden-Divergence-Detector
Dev - deviation level (What exactly are deviation levels?)
https://forum.apexinvesting.com/t/diagnostic-deviation-levels-percentages/239
DFTD - Done for the day
DITS - deep in the spread
https://apexinvesting.net/module-9/moneyness-spread-scanner-video-6-mins/
DLRG - “divergent, low, reverse and go,” a type of trade involving “low volume score”
DM (1) - Darrell Martin, founder of Apex Investing
DM (2) - Dynamic magnet (see also DVM)
Double eddies - (see “DE” above)
DR - Deviation reversal, an Apex indicator discussed in Sniper bootcamp
DTX - Double Trapped Xbox (a trade in the Sniper system)
DVL - Deviation level (see “Dev”)
DVM - Dynamic volume magnet, magnets obtained from the indicator of that name
DZ - see Dark Zone
Eddie - Early Hidden Divergence Detector Signal (an indicator)
EoD - End of day
ER - Expected range (indicator)
https://forum.apexinvesting.com/c/s6-study-apex-indicators/expected-range-indicators
ER - Elite Room
https://apexinvesting.net/elite-trade-room/
ES - CME E-mini S&P 500® Index Futures (US 500 on NADEX)
https://www.cmegroup.com/trading/equity-index/us-index/e-mini-sandp500.html
ETH - extended trading hours (or electronic trading hours)
ETX - Enhanced Trapped Xbox (a Sniper system trade) https://apexinvesting.net/sniper
EV - Expected Volume
https://forum.apexinvesting.com/c/s6-study-apex-indicators/expected-volume-indicator
FIBAR - “first in breakout and run” - an audible trade with no training (see: Audible)
Flat - No open positions, AKA not in any trades
FOMC - Federal Open Market Committee (usually a reference to the release of meeting minutes, which often causes strong market volatility)
GC - gold futures (COMEX®) https://www.cmegroup.com/trading/metals/precious/gold.html
GM - Good morning
Hamburger - MM, ZOI, MM sandwich
HD - Hidden Divergence (illustration)
https://forum.apexinvesting.com/c/s6-study-apex-indicators/Early-Hidden-Divergence-Detector
HoD/LoD - high/low of the day
Hole patch - an instance of a mini magnet being laid at a price level that is 2 ticks or less from a previous broken mini magnet. This forms a significant price level that the market may be drawn to or react to. (illus. 1) (illus.2) (video)
HVB - high volume bar, a diagnostic bar with a high total volume number from OP
HVM - high volume magnet obtained by using a 10-minute chart as directed in the education
https://forum.apexinvesting.com/c/s7-style-when-to-edit-your-system/volume-analysis
HVN - high volume node, an ICE histogram line that is long, indicating high volume at a particular price level
HVS - High volume score
IBO - Institutional Block Order, part of OP (ref: ICE levels)
IBS - Intra-bar scalp, a trade setup currently being developed (no training yet). It consists of a very high number of orders on a mm, that’s target. Entry is 10 ticks away with a cluster.
IC - Iron Condor, a type of options strategy (ref: Iron Condors, https://forum.apexinvesting.com/t/iron-condors-with-nadex-spreads/12877)
ICR - Institutionally Controlled Reversal (setup which sometimes refers to mm level from that setup)
ICE level - Apex acronym for important levels from "Value Area"
https://forum.apexinvesting.com/c/s6-study-apex-indicators/ICE
IMHO - In my humble opinion
Institutional Zones - (aka I-Zone) area of supply/demand where price can chop and will usually need volume to push through
IR - Institutional Range Detector
https://forum.apexinvesting.com/t/institutional-range-description-and-use/9561
IV - Implied volatility (ref: https://forum.apexinvesting.com/t/deviations-and-deviation-levels/761)
ITM - in the money
https://forum.apexinvesting.com/t/defining-moneyness-in-binary-options/4687
https://apexinvesting.net/nadex-binaries-101-course/
ITS - in the spread https://apexinvesting.net/module-9/moneyness-spread-scanner-video-6-mins/
I-Zone - see “Institutional Zones”
JFT - John (Skelton)'s Favorite Trade (a special setup taught in Thrive) https://apexinvesting.com/thrive/
KISS - Keep It Simple System (a trading system of Apex Investing)
Lane 0,1,2,3,4 - Terms referring to the quality of a trade setup
LOL - Laughing out loud
Lorax - titular character of a children’s book by Dr. Seuss
Lorex - LORi’s favorite apEX trade (a special setup taught in the Wealth Summit)
LRE - Lower Risk Entry, a trade setup from Simplicity
LX - see “Lorex”
M2K - CME Micro E-mini Russell 2000 Index Futures (1/10th the size of RTY)
MCL - NYMEX Micro WTI Crude Oil Futures (1/10th the size of CL)
MES - CME Micro E-mini S&P 500 Index Futures (1/10th the size of ES)
MGC - COMEX Micro Gold Futures (1/10th the size of GC)
Mind Mastery - part of Apex All-In live event of 2019
mm - Mini Magnet
https://forum.apexinvesting.com/t/apex-order-prints-terms-and-definitions/10970
MNQ - CME Micro E-mini Nasdaq-100 Index Futures (1/10th the size of NQ)
MP - Markers Plus (see also TA), official name and maker of the trade assistant tool https://apexinvesting.com/automate/
MR - market replay
MYM - CBOT Micro E-mini Dow Jones Industrial Average Index Futures (1/10th the size of YM)
Nadex - Northern American Derivatives Exchange https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nadex
NQ - CME E-mini Nasdaq 100® Index Futures (US Tech 100 on NADEX)
https://www.cmegroup.com/trading/equity-index/us-index/e-mini-nasdaq-100.html
NT - NinjaTrader, the trading software used with Apex tools
https://apexinvesting.net/setting-up-ninja-trader/
NTM - near the market
http://apexinvesting.net/module-9/moneyness-spread-scanner-video-6-mins/
OD - Oscillation Detector
https://forum.apexinvesting.com/c/s6-study-apex-indicators/oscillation-detector
ODD - Oscillation Detector Divergence (illustration) a trade in the Sniper system
OP - Order Prints (Apex tool with multiple features, including order volume visualization similar to NT volumetric bars)
OPAR - Order Prints Absorption Rejection (a type of trade confirmation introduced in Thrive)
OPR - Order Prints Rejection (a type of trade confirmation introduced in Sharpshooter and further covered in Thrive)
OTM - out of the money
https://forum.apexinvesting.com/t/defining-moneyness-in-binary-options/4687
https://apexinvesting.net/nadex-binaries-101-course/
OTS - out of the spread
https://apexinvesting.net/module-9/moneyness-spread-scanner-video-6-mins/
PAW print - Price At Weakness (level designation in OP)
PC - Premium Collection
https://forum.apexinvesting.com/t/what-is-premium-part-of-a-series/3446
Power P/Power X - a Powerful Setup
https://forum.apexinvesting.com/t/additional-powerful-setups/12014
PnL - Profit 'n Loss (AKA net trade balance)
PP - Power Play
https://forum.apexinvesting.com/c/s10-systems-sees/ultimate-power-play
PPC - points per contract
PS - Power Sling
https://forum.apexinvesting.com/t/additional-powerful-setups/12014
https://apexinvesting.net/sees-training-course/
Psych level - a price level with a strong psychological impact, such as a big round number (e.g. 15000). This type of price level can act as a strong magnet/support/resistance/chop simply because everyone is paying attention to it and likely trading around it.
Rollover - shifting from one futures contract to a later one (ref: What is Futures Rollover?)
RTH - regular trading hours
RTY - CME E-mini Russell 2000® Index Futures (US SmallCap 2000 on NADEX)
https://www.cmegroup.com/trading/equity-index/us-index/e-mini-russell-2000.html
RR - Red Rover, a variant of the Power Sling where a cluster is on or one tick in front of a swing level (ref:
https://forum.apexinvesting.com/t/additional-powerful-setups/12014,
https://apexinvesting.net/sees-training-course/)
SD - standard deviation (reference: Deviations and deviation levels, https://forum.apexinvesting.com/t/diagnostic-deviation-levels-percentages/239)
SEES - Slingshots, Elevators, (Apex Pattern) "E"s, Swing trades…an Apex system of trading
https://forum.apexinvesting.com/c/s10-systems-sees
https://apexinvesting.net/sees-training-course/
Set (Settlement) - the price where the market “settled” the day before (i.e. EoD price for the market) (A component of “dev” Deviation Levels)
Shark - a trade setup currently being developed (no training yet)
Sharpshooter - Apex Live Event of 2020
SLZ - momentum Star + Low volume score + Zone of interest (a trade in the Sniper system)
SMH - Shaking my head
Sniper - flagship trading system of Apex Investing
SOBB - star on bar before
Squirrel - a trade setup currently being developed (no training yet)
ss - screenshot
STP - Stop order (reference: Limit Order vs. Stop Order: What’s the Difference?, Stop-Loss vs. Stop-Limit Order: What’s the Difference?)
TA - Trade Assistant (see also MP), tool for automating trade execution
TB - touchback (referring to price reversing to touch a previous level, and then continuing on in the original direction)
TBS - Third Bar Sling
https://forum.apexinvesting.com/c/s10-systems-sees/slings
https://apexinvesting.net/sees-training-course/
TC - Trend Catcher
https://forum.apexinvesting.com/t/trend-catcher-trend-catcher-confirmation/2070
Thrive - Apex Live Event of 2021
THT - traders helping traders, a phrase for unofficial help sessions and Apex philosophy in general
TickStrike - a standalone tool from FinancialJuice that turns order flow activity into audio & visual signals
TF - ICE Russell 2000® Index Mini Futures (tracks same index as RTY)
https://www.theice.com/products/86
TP - Take profit
TPC - ticks per contract
TS - (see “TickStrike” above)
TV - Total volume (number of contracts being traded)
TX - Trapped Xbox (trapped orders + exhaustion box) a component of the Sniper system
TXF - Filtered trapped xbox, the most basic Sniper trade
TY - Thank you
VA - Value area (see “ICE level” above)
VAD A, B, C, D, E - Volume Accumulation Distribution modes A - E
VS - Volume Score, feature of OP
Wealth Summit - Apex Live Event of 2022
Witching - The witching hour is the last hour of trading on the third Friday of each month when options and futures on stocks and stock indexes expire. This day (and hour in particular) can bring atypical market volume and behavior.
WS - Workspace (NinjaTrader feature)
XBT - ticker code for Bitcoin, used by CBOE for futures contracts (ISO 4217-compliant. Used by Bloomberg L.P., CNNMoney, and xe.com)
YM - CBOT E-mini Dow® Index Futures (Wall Street 30 on NADEX)
YW - You’re welcome
ZOI - Zone Of Interest, a feature of Order Prints
ZOI crash - ZOIs of different colors occurring at the same level
lol.
But I don’t know if it will be a part of it, can’t wait for it though.