Hodling

This expression is an intended misspelling of the world “hold”, and it was used to express that its user was committed to a specific investment.

As stated by @WSBgod on Twitter “The price (whether high or low) doesn’t affect a Hodler, because they know that everything that happens between now and their future sell point is just noise.”

As such, by “hodling” the user is signaling that he is in for the long haul and will keep the conviction in his thesis despite any price fluctuation he or she may have to endure in order to achieve his or her goal (or, as reddit calls it, “tendies”).

The origins of Hodling and the very first Hodler?

The expression which is now associated with one of Reddit’s most popular retail investor hub (/r/wallstreetbets) can actually be traced back to a different source.

Its actual origins date back to 2013 on a thread entitled “I AM HODLING”, posted by user GameKyuubi on a bitcoin forum (bitcointalk) as Bitcoin’s price dropped nearly 40% on rumors of a Chinese crackdown.

By doing so, the user, in what seemed to be an innocuous, poorly coherent rant about his determination to keep holding bitcoin, started a whole movement with a simply typo.

As such, it has since then expanded onto other stock related subreddits, cryptocurrency forums and social media, eventually making its way into everyday lingo.

“HODL” is now a galvanizing cry to hold. Much like a battle cry, the expression urges others users to do the same.

It was paired with imagery from movies such as Braveheart and “300”, thus achieving “meme status”. Nowadays it is mostly seen during price drops on specific stocks such as Gamestop (GME) or AMC Entertainment (AMC) but its use is certainly not exclusive to them.

Hodling As a philosophy:

Hodlers will simply buy hold. They do not try to time the market, day-trade which makes them avoid FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) and FUD (Fear, Uncertainty, Doubt).