Glossary
DEX
Decentralized Exchange — trading directly from your wallet against smart contracts, no custodian.
A decentralised exchange lets you trade directly from your wallet against smart contracts, with no account and no custodian. Uniswap, Curve and Jupiter are the main examples.
You keep control of your funds the entire time, which removes counterparty risk but adds contract risk. A malicious or buggy pool can drain what you approve, so check what you are signing and approve limited amounts.
Related terms
Airdrop
Free tokens distributed to wallet addresses, usually to reward early users of a protocol.
AMM
Automated Market Maker — a protocol that prices assets with a formula instead of an order book.
APR vs APY
APR is the yearly rate without compounding; APY includes compounding and is always higher.
ATH
All-Time High — the highest price an asset has ever traded at.
Bear Market
A prolonged decline, conventionally 20% or more from recent highs.
Bull Market
A prolonged rise driven by new demand, easy credit and rising confidence.