Ask Price

Intermediate

The ask price is the lowest price a seller is currently willing to accept for a security. It is also called the offer price.

The ask is the best price available from sellers at a given moment. If you want to buy a security immediately, the ask price is roughly what you will pay.

For example, if a share's ask price is 50.05, a seller is ready to sell at that price. A market order to buy will normally be filled at or near 50.05.

The ask is normally higher than the bid, the highest price buyers are willing to pay. The gap between them is the bid-ask spread. Market makers and dealers earn part of their income from this gap, buying at the bid and selling at the ask.

When you see a single "price" quoted for a share, it is usually the last price at which a trade happened, which may differ slightly from the current bid and ask. For investors who trade often, or who trade in securities with wide spreads, the difference between bid and ask can become a meaningful cost.

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