Ask

Dictionary Says

Definition of 'Ask'

The price a seller is willing to accept for a security, also known as the offer price. Along with the price, the ask quote will generally also stipulate the amount of the security willing to be sold at that price.

Sometimes called "the ask."
Investopedia Says

Investopedia explains 'Ask'

This is the opposite of bid, which is the price a buyer is willing to pay for a security, and the ask will always be higher than the bid. The terms "bid" and "ask" are used in nearly every financial market in the world covering stocks, bonds, currency and derivatives. An example of an ask in the stock market would be $5.24 x 1,000 which means that someone is offering to sell 1,000 shares for $5.24.

Related Definitions

  • Ask Size

    The amount of a security that a market maker is offering to sell at the ask price. The higher the ask size, the more supply there is that people want to sell. When a buyer seeks to ...
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  • Best Ask

    The lowest quoted ask price for a particular stock among those offered from competing market makers.
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  • Bid

    1. An offer made by an investor, a trader or a dealer to buy a security. The bid will stipulate both the price at which the buyer is willing to purchase the security and the quantity to ...
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    • Bid-Ask Spread

      The amount by which the ask price exceeds the bid. This is essentially the difference in price between the highest price that a buyer is willing to pay for an asset and the lowest price ...
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    • Spread

      1. The difference between the bid and the ask price of a security or asset. 2. An options position established by purchasing one option and selling another option of the same class but ...
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    • Touchline

      The highest bid and lowest ask at market for a particular security during a given time in the trading day.
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    • Bid Price

      The price a buyer is willing to pay for a security. This is one part of the bid with the other being the bid size, which details the amount of shares the investor is willing to purchase ...
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    • No Quote

      A stock that is inactive or not currently being traded. A no-quote stock does not have a bid or ask price. No quote stocks may be infrequently traded and thus difficult to buy or sell. ...
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    • Third Market Maker

      A third-party securities dealer that is ready and willing to buy or sell stocks listed on exchanges at publicly quoted prices. Third market makers add liquidity to financial markets by ...
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    • Real-Time Quote

      This is the actual price of a security at that moment in time. Most prices of securities that are displayed on various websites are delayed quotes. These quotes are usually delayed from ...
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