Bullish

When the market or an individual asset is described as bullish, it means there's an expectation of rising prices. A "bull" is someone who believes prices will increase. This sentiment is often driven by optimism, strong demand, positive news, or favorable market conditions.

* In a bullish market (or "bull run"): Prices generally trend upwards over a sustained period. Investors are confident, buying activity is high, and there's a prevailing sense of optimism about future gains.

* A "bull" trader: Would typically look to "go long," meaning they buy an asset with the expectation of selling it later at a higher price to profit from the upward movement.

The imagery comes from a bull attacking by thrusting its horns upward.

Bearish

Conversely, when the market or an individual asset is described as bearish, it signifies an expectation of falling prices. A "bear" is someone who believes prices will decrease. This sentiment is often fueled by pessimism, weak demand, negative news, or challenging market conditions.

* In a bearish market (or "bear market"): Prices generally trend downwards over a sustained period. Investors are fearful, selling activity is high, and there's a prevailing sense of pessimism about future losses.

* A "bear" trader: Might "go short," which involves strategies designed to profit from a price decline. This could involve selling an asset with the intention of buying it back at a lower price, or using derivatives like futures contracts that gain value as the underlying asset's price falls.

The imagery here comes from a bear attacking by swiping its paws downward.

Cryptocurrency Trading Pairs

In cryptocurrency, assets are traded in pairs, indicating the exchange rate between two different cryptocurrencies or between a cryptocurrency and a fiat currency. When you see a price on an exchange, it's always in relation to another asset.

Here are some common examples of cryptocurrency trading pairs:

* BTC/USDT: This is one of the most liquid and widely traded pairs. It shows the value of Bitcoin (BTC) in terms of Tether (USDT), a stablecoin pegged to the US Dollar. If BTC/USDT is trading at 65,000, it means 1 Bitcoin is worth 65,000 Tether.

* ETH/BTC: This pair represents the value of Ethereum (ETH) in terms of Bitcoin (BTC). Traders use this to speculate on whether Ethereum will outperform or underperform Bitcoin.

* ETH/USDC: Similar to USDT, USDC is another popular stablecoin. This pair indicates Ethereum's value against the US Dollar, via USDC.

* SOL/USDT: This pair shows the value of Solana (SOL) against Tether.

* BNB/BTC: This pair represents Binance Coin (BNB) against Bitcoin.

* XRP/USD: This is a fiat-to-crypto pair, showing the value of XRP directly against the US Dollar.

* ADA/ETH: This pair would represent Cardano (ADA) against Ethereum (ETH).

When you place a trade, you are always exchanging one asset in the pair for the other. For example, if you "buy" BTC/USDT, you are using USDT to acquire BTC. If you "sell" BTC/USDT, you are selling your BTC to receive USDT.