An informal name for 5 basis points. American Banker Glossary
* * *
nickel nick‧el [ˈnɪkl] noun
1. [countable] a coin in the US or Canada that is worth five cents:
• Gasoline rose more than a nickel a gallon.
• Nickel rose nearly as strongly as zinc on the London Metal Exchange yesterday.
* * *
nickel UK US /ˈnɪkl/ noun
► [U] NATURAL RESOURCES, PRODUCTION a silver-white metal used in manufacturing: »
Russia is the world's largest miner of nickel ore.
► [C] MONEY a US or Canadian coin worth five cents: »
They raised the tax by a nickel a gallon.
Financial and business terms. 2012.