Ask (Offer)

Definition

Ask (Offer) in plain English

The ask (also called the offer) is the lowest price any seller is currently willing to accept, so it's the price you'd pay if you wanted to buy right now. On a screen showing a stock's market, the ask is the 'sell side', the cheapest sticker price among everyone offering to sell. It always sits a bit above the 'bid' (the highest price buyers will pay), and that little gap between them is the spread. Think of it as the lowest price tag on the shelf: if you want the item immediately, that's what it costs you.

Learn these first

• Quote-Driven Market
• Spoofing

Related Market Microstructure terms

• Amihud Illiquidity Measure
• Bid
• Bid–Ask Bounce
• Bid–Ask Spread
• Dealer
• Depth
• Effective Spread
• Inventory Risk
• Lee–Ready Algorithm
• Liquidity