Bid Ask Spread: Meaning & Advantages | My Espresso

What is Bid Ask Spread

Whenever the question of “what is bid and ask in share market” arises, the bid-ask spread comes into existence. It is basically defined as the difference between a security's bidding price and the asking price.

Published on 16 December 2022

You should know stock market investments are an effective medium of wealth creation. Moreover, the returns earned through stock market investments can provide aid in fulfilling both long-term and short-term financial goals. Nonetheless, it demands extensive effort to have a clear understanding and master the investment market.

So, before you can head over to invest in the stock market, you must be acquainted with several terminologies and jargon. Surprisingly, the bid-ask spread is one common terminology traders and investors use. Today, this article will provide answers to what bid-ask spread is. While you dig further, you will learn other factors from which you can execute and benefit.

Let’s get started.

Bid Ask Spread - What Does it Mean in Share Market?

If you are wondering what is bid and ask in share market, you should first become familiar with the terms. The term basically refers to the potential price that sellers and buyers are willing to pay in the marketplace. In a nutshell, bid-ask meaning is nothing but the best price at which security can be sold or bought simultaneously.

Bid Price - What is it?

While discussing the bid and ask price, let us first look into the bid price. Well, it is the price an investor is typically willing to pay for the security. For instance, when an investor intends to sell a stock, they must first determine how much they’re willing to pay. And this can easily be done just by looking at the bid price. It represents the highest price someone is ready to pay for the stock.

Ask Price - What is it?

Likewise, the asking price is nothing but the price at which an investor is willing to sell the security. For example, if an investor wishes to buy a stock, they must find out how much people are willing to sell it for. And while looking at the asking price, they can easily determine the lowest price at which someone is willing to sell their stock.

Bid-Share Spread - What is it?

Whenever it comes to the question of ‘what is bid and ask in share market’, the bid-ask spread also seeps through. It basically refers to the difference between the bidding price and the stock’s asking price.

The asking price typically refers to the value point at which the sellers are willing to sell their securities. Meanwhile, the bid price is generally the point at which the buyers are ready to make their purchase.

In a nutshell, a trade takes place at the particular point where the two-value points meet in the marketplace. This is exactly where the sellers and buyers agree to the bidding and asking prices offered by one another.

You should know that a bid-ask spread is typically expressed in both absolutes and also in terms of percentages. Nonetheless, the spread values tend to be extremely small in a highly liquid market. But the spread value can probably be significant in a less liquid market.

Bid Ask Spread - How to Benefit from it?

Now that we have already discussed what is bid and ask in share market, we will look into the benefits. Here, we have listed various kinds of orders that you can follow and benefit from:

●       Limit Order

The limit order allows the purchase and selling of securities at a specific price or higher. As an investor, you must be familiar with the variants associated with the limit orders.

●       Market Order

It is typically a trade order for selling and purchasing securities immediately. Even though the specialists can guarantee the order execution, they cannot guarantee the trade execution price.

●       Stop Order

This is an instruction for selling or buying a stock after it reaches a particular price level. And this level is better known as stop-price.

To Conclude

By now, you must know what is bid and ask in the share market and the role of the spread. While the bid-ask spread is the most crucial component of the trade executing process, it’s important to understand the trading strategies of the same. Only then will you be capable of becoming a knowledgeable and better trader.

Chandresh Khona
Team Espresso

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