Spread (Bid-Ask)
The spread is the gap between bid and ask, and the immediate cost of every trade you open.
The spread is the gap between the bid and ask price, and the immediate cost of entering a trade. Tighter spreads mean lower costs; they widen sharply in news and low liquidity.
The spread is the difference between the bid price (what you sell at) and the ask price (what you buy at). It is the immediate cost of entering a trade: buy EUR/USD at the ask and the market must move the spread before you break even. Tighter spreads mean lower costs and higher liquidity; spreads widen during news, low liquidity and volatile sessions. Brokers either build the cost into the spread or show raw spreads with a commission.
How It Works
- Quoted in pips, e.g. 0.8 pips on EUR/USD
- You enter at one side and exit at the other, so the spread is paid twice per round trip
- Spreads widen in volatility and thin liquidity
Trading Tips
Compare total round-trip cost: spread plus commission on raw accounts
Avoid opening and closing in the seconds around news when spreads blow out
The headline spread is not the bill - check commission and swap too
Spread (Bid-Ask) Example
Say EUR/USD shows 1.0850 / 1.0852. That 2-pip gap is the spread. Buy at the ask and you start about $20 underwater on a standard lot, near $10 per pip, before the market moves at all.
How Traders Use Spread (Bid-Ask)
Treat the spread as your entry fee and shop it like one. Compare the full round-trip cost across two or three brokers on the same pair, skip the seconds around red-news releases when spreads blow out, and remember exotics charge multiples of what majors cost.
Related Terms
Put Your Knowledge Into Practice
Compare regulated brokers and find the best one for your trading style.