Mine and Yours

What Are Mine and Yours?

Mine and yours are shorthand terms commonly used by open outcry floor traders and brokers — but which also may occur over telephone or voice markets — as stand-ins for buying and selling, respectively. 

Understanding Mine and Yours

Before many asset markets went all electronic, open outcry floor pits were the mainstay. In these markets, crowds of traders and brokers would trade among one another and compete to buy and sell in response to orders. "Mine" and "yours" were audible ways of quickly conveying intent to buy or sell, respectively ("buy 'em" and "sold" were equally common).

For instance, if an interbank dealer wants to buy a given currency, they would type or say "mine" to a counterparty or broker. If that trader decides to sell, they would say, "yours," meaning, "it's yours." Likewise, if a floor broker offers 100 call options at $1.00 and a market maker chooses to buy them, they can shout "mine" in response.

Both are meant to be quick and easily understandable lingo to enable fast and accurate transactions on a market which can be chaotic and fast-moving. Like many markets, the forex (FX) has its slang terms, but it, in particular, is known for a long list of highly specific lingo.

Today, these terms are still commonly used in currencies markets. The forex is a large and highly liquid market — the most liquid on the planet, in fact — where individual, institutional, corporate, and governmental investors trade currencies. These days, those transactions mostly occur online. The market relies heavily on leverage because currency pairs usually experience minimal changes in value on a day-to-day basis, so there is often a high volume of trade.

When a forex investor opens a trade, that individual or organization is buying one currency and selling another. To close the deal, they do the opposite. Given the scope and complexity of many forex transactions, traders have developed a highly specific lingua franca that enables efficiency and clarity in trades.

The forex is known for having a long list of very specific lingo.

Forex Jargon Beyond Mine and Yours

Some of the basics of forex trading lingo will be familiar to any trader or investor, although with potentially different connotations when related to foreign exchange markets. "Mine and yours," as relatable and straightforward as they are, belong to a long list of unique and often creative slang that is understood by forex traders.