Bid

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Dictionary Says

Definition of '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 be purchased.

2. The price at which a market maker is willing to buy a security. The market maker will also display an ask price, or the amount and price at which it is willing to sell.
Investopedia Says

Investopedia explains 'Bid'

This is the opposite of the ask, which stipulates the price a seller is willing to accept for a security and the quantity of the security to be sold at that price.

1. An example of a bid in the market would be $23.53 x 1,000, which means that an investor is willing to purchase 1,000 shares at the price of $23.53. If a seller in the market is willing to sell that amount for that price, then the transaction is completed.

2. Market makers are vital to the efficiency and liquidity of the marketplace. By quoting both bid and ask prices on the market, they always allow investors to buy or sell a security if they need to.

Related Definitions

  • 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 ...
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  • Best Bid

    The highest quoted bid for a particular trading instrument among all those offered by competing market makers. The best bid is effectively the highest price that an investor is willing ...
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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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    • Bid Size

      The number of shares being offered for purchase at a specified bid price, that a buyer is willing to purchase at that bid price. For example, if an investor wants to buy 200 shares of ...
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    • Bid Tick

      An indication of whether the latest bid price is higher, lower, or the same as the previous bid. Bid ticks track movements of bid prices in an open market for all placed bid offers, ...
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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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    • 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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    • Blind Bid

      An offer to purchase a bundle of securities without knowing the exact securities being purchased. A blind bid is risky in that the investor is unaware of the composition of the ...
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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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