Ticker Symbol
A ticker symbol is a short code used to identify a tradeable asset. Examples: BTC for Bitcoin, AAPL for Apple, ETH-USD for Ethereum priced in dollars.
Understanding the Concept
Ticker symbols are trading shorthand. Instead of typing "Bitcoin" or "Apple Inc. Common Stock", traders use BTC and AAPL. It's faster, universal-ish, and fits in trading interfaces.
In crypto, symbols get complicated. BTCUSDT, BTC-USD, XBT/USD, XXBTZUSD—all mean "Bitcoin priced in dollars" but on different exchanges. Add futures (BTC-PERP), options (BTC-25DEC-50000-C), and wrapped tokens (WBTC), and it's chaos.
Good APIs abstract this complexity. You shouldn't need to memorize every exchange's symbol format. That's what symbol mapping and canonical IDs solve.
Real-World Example
On Binance, ETH/USDT is written as "ETHUSDT". On Coinbase, it's "ETH-USD". On Kraken, it's "XETHZUSD". Same asset, same quote currency, three different symbols. A good API handles this translation for you.
How PRISM Handles This
PRISM accepts any symbol format and resolves it to the correct asset. Send "BTCUSDT", "BTC-USD", or just "bitcoin"—we understand all of them. Our canonical ID system means you never worry about exchange-specific formats again.
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