Explained | What are Twitter 'Cashtags'?

The Twitter-eToro deal broadens the tranche of real-time financial data visible to Twitter users and allows them to invest in stocks, cryptocurrencies and index funds

Elon Musk's Twitter announced a partnership with brokerage firm eToro on April 13, allowing users to trade stocks and other assets, including crypto, on Twitter itself. The partnership allows Twitter users access to a greater trove of financial data.

Back in December of 2022, Twitter announced that its 'Cashtag' feature (originally launched in 2012) would allow users to see the pricing graphs of major stocks, ETFs and cryptocurrencies by tweeting their symbol, preceded by a '$' sign and a ticker symbol, resulting in the appearance of a clickable link. "A cashtag is a company ticker symbol preceded by the US dollar sign, e.g. $TWTR. When you click on a cashtag, you'll see other Tweets mentioning that same ticker symbol". the company's glossary of terms explained.

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“When you Tweet the symbol of a major stock, ETF, or crypto currency with a $ in front of it (like $BTC), people on Twitter see a clickable link that takes them to search results. You can also search for symbols directly, without clicking on a link within a Tweet. Most symbols with and without the $ sign will work in search (QQQ or $QQQ)," Twitter Business explained in a December 2022 thread.

"You can also search for symbols directly, without clicking on a link within a Tweet. Most symbols with and without the $ sign will work in search (QQQ or $QQQ)," it continued.

However, only certain indices, such as the S&P 500, and assets of certain companies, such as Tesla, were visible, given Twitter's partnership with markets-charting platform TradingView.

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The Twitter-eToro deal, however, not only broadens the tranche of real-time financial data visible to Twitter users, but also allows users to invest in these assets. Twitter will redirect its users to eToro's site, where they can trade stocks, cryptocurrencies and index funds. The greater foray into financial markets is also part of Elon Musk's stated vision to develop "X, the everything app".