A Flash primer of an oil trader demonstrating the hand signals used on the floor of the New York Mercantile Exchange. All the signs (except for one) involve only one hand and sometimes the face but that’s it. There are signs for numerals for buying, numerals for selling, months of the year, and miscellaneous signals. The miscellaneous signs are particularly fun.

I’m utterly fascinated by secret “languages” that develop in various industries. In the case of floor buying/selling, a full set of hand signals had to be developed. When you watch the business segment of the news, you can see these guys flashing these signs against their forehead at blazing speeds.