What is Spread?


3 Answer(s)


A spread is defined as the sale of one or more futures contracts and the purchase of one or more offsetting futures contracts. A spread tracks the difference between the price of whatever it is you are long and whatever it is you are short. Therefore the risk changes from that of price fluctuation to that of the difference between the two sides of the spread.

The bid–offer spread (also known as bid–ask or buy–sell spread (in the case of a market maker), and their equivalents using slashes in place of the dashes) for securities (such as stocks, futures contracts, options, or currency pairs) is the difference between the prices quoted (either by a single market maker or in a limit order book) for an immediate sale (bid) and an immediate purchase (offer). The size of the bid-offer spread in a security is one measure of the liquidity of the market and of the size of the transaction cost.[1] If the spread is 0 then it is a frictionless asset.

The difference between the bid and the ask price of a security or asset.