Currency & Forex
Intermediate

Bid-Ask Spread

The gap between the price to buy and to sell a currency — the dealer’s markup.

Formula

Spread=AskBidSpread = Ask - Bid

Variables

SpreadDealer margin
AskPrice you buy at
BidPrice you sell at

Example

Ask 1.1005, Bid 1.1000: spread = 5 pips

Did You Know?

Major pairs like EUR/USD trade at spreads of a fraction of a pip, while exotic pairs can cost many times more.