Achievable logoAchievable logo
SIE
Sign in
Sign up
Purchase
Textbook
Practice exams
Feedback
Community
How it works
Resources
Exam catalog
Mountain with a flag at the peak
Textbook
1. Common stock
2. Preferred stock
3. Debt securities
4. Corporate debt
5. Municipal debt
6. US government debt
7. Investment companies
8. Alternative pooled investments
9. Options
10. Taxes
11. The primary market
12. The secondary market
12.1 Agency vs. principal capacity
12.2 Roles
12.3 Bid & ask
12.4 The markets
12.5 The Securities Exchange Act of 1934
12.6 Customer orders
13. Brokerage accounts
14. Retirement & education plans
15. Rules & ethics
16. Wrapping up
Achievable logoAchievable logo
12.3 Bid & ask
Achievable SIE
12. The secondary market

Bid & ask

3 min read
Font
Discuss
Share
Feedback

Bid/ask spreads are maintained by market makers in the secondary market. If you recall from the previous chapter, market makers are financial firms willing to trade directly with the public. The bid and ask represent prices they are willing to trade at.

The bid is the price the firm is willing to buy a security at. The term ‘bid’ comes from the perspective of the market maker. The firm is “bidding” on the security in the market in hopes of a customer showing up and selling. In addition to the bid price, the market maker also specifies how many shares they’re willing to buy at that price. We’ll discuss this later in this section.

The ask, sometimes referred to as the “offer,” represents the price the firm is willing to sell a security at. Again, the term ‘ask’ comes from the perspective of the market maker. The firm is “asking” a price for the security in the market in hopes of a customer showing up and buying. In addition to the ask price, the market maker specifies how many shares they’re willing to sell at that price.

Here’s an example of a bid/ask:

GM stock

$40 bid / $41 ask

4x7

In this example, we have a market maker for GM stock. According to the bid, they are willing to buy up to 400 shares of GM stock at $40 from the public. When a market maker publishes a quote, they signify how many round lots they’re willing to buy or sell with the public. With 4 on the bid side, it tells us they’re willing to buy 400 shares at the bid price specified.

Definitions
Round lot
100 shares of stock; common denomination for stock trading

According to the ask, the market maker is willing to sell up to 700 shares of GM stock at $41. The difference between the market maker’s buy price of $40 and sell price of $41 is how they make a profit. Often referred to as the “spread,” this $1 difference can add up as market makers are known for performing thousands of trades daily.

A $1 spread is not common with actively traded stocks. In most cases, popular stocks have spreads in the pennies. In an efficient market, financial firms make substantial profits even with small spreads. An efficient market is defined as one with active trading and small spreads. As long as the market maker trades enough with the public, these small spreads tend to add up over the day.

There are always two sides to a trade. We’ve discussed the bid and ask from the perspective of the market maker. When a customer is involved, they take the opposite side of the trade. Here’s a summary of the two sides of the bid/ask:

Bid

  • Market maker buys
  • Customer sells

Ask

  • Market maker sells
  • Customer buys
Key points

Bid/ask spreads

  • Maintained by market makers
  • Provide best buy & sell prices

Bid

  • Market makers buy at the bid
  • Customers sell at the bid

Ask

  • Market makers sell at the ask
  • Customers buy at the ask

Round lot

  • 100 shares of stock

Efficient market

  • A large number of market participants
  • Small spreads and active trading

Sign up for free to take 12 quiz questions on this topic

All rights reserved ©2016 - 2025 Achievable, Inc.