handle investment & finance definition

The largest number in a price or index value. For instance, if the S&P 500 is at 860, traders talk about the “8” handle. If a foreign exchange dealer quotes a price for dollar/yen as 85/95, the dealer means he or she would sell it at 120.85 and buy it at 120.95. The handle of 120 would be left out. Handle is a form of short-hand that traders use to save time; in the examples above, suppose that it is general knowledge that the S&P 500 is 800-something or that dollar-yen is 120-something. Communicating those two pieces of information would waste time in a quick trading conversation.