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How to Read a Forex Quote: Bid, Ask, and Spread ExplainedSo, you’ve decided to jump into the forex markets and stumbled upon your first quote. Now you're staring at numbers like EUR/USD 1.0987/1.0990, wondering what these flashing digits mean. Don’t worry—we’ve all been there. Let’s break it down, TradingView style, and get you up to speed on forex quotes, bid-ask spreads, and why these tiny decimal points matter more than you might think. The Basics: What’s a Forex Quote? At its core, a forex quote tells you the exchange rate between two currencies. Think of it like a price tag for the money you want to buy or sell. In any quote, you’ve got two currencies: the base currency and the quote currency. For example, in EUR/USD , the euro (EUR) is the base currency, and the US dollar (USD) is the quote currency. This quote tells you how many US dollars it costs to buy one euro. Now the fun part: You’ll notice two prices next to that quote—the bid and the ask. Bid vs. Ask: What’s the Difference? When you see a forex quote like EUR/USD 1.0987/1.0990, you’re actually looking at two prices: Bid Price (1.0987): This is the price a buyer (broker or trader) is willing to pay for the base currency. In simpler terms, this is the price you sell at. Ask Price (1.0990): This is the price the seller (broker or trader) is willing to sell you the base currency for. In other words, this is the price you buy at. So, if you’re buying EUR/USD , you’ll pay the ask price (1.0990), and if you’re selling, you’ll receive the bid price (1.0987). Notice how the ask is always higher than the bid? That’s where brokers make their money. Which brings us to… The Spread: The Broker’s Cut The spread is the difference between the bid and the ask. In this case, it’s 1.0990 - 1.0987 = 0.0003 or 3 pips (percentage in points). Think of the spread as the broker’s fee for facilitating the trade, essentially acting as the middleman. The tighter the spread, the less you’re paying to execute a trade. For major currency pairs like EUR/USD , the spread is often pretty small (like 1-3 pips), but for exotic pairs (think USD/ZAR or USD/TRY ), spreads can get wider than your Uncle Bob’s waistband after Thanksgiving dinner. Why the Spread Matters for Traders Here’s the thing: spreads eat into your profits. Whether you’re a day trader or holding a longer-term position, the spread is something you need to bake into your strategy. Scalpers and day traders need tight spreads. If you’re making a bunch of small, quick trades throughout the day, every pip counts. Wide spreads can kill your profit margins faster than a rogue tweet from Elon Musk. Swing traders and position traders are less sensitive to spreads. If you’re in it for the long haul, a few pips won’t make or break your trade. But it’s still something to keep an eye on, especially when trading less liquid currency pairs. Market Conditions and Spreads Spreads aren’t fixed — ideally, they should be floating around in real-time dealmaking. They widen and tighten based on market conditions. During high volatility (like, say, a major economic announcement or a surprise central bank rate cut), spreads can widen. Conversely, during quiet market hours, spreads tend to tighten. To avoid getting fleeced by wide spreads, keep an eye on liquidity. Major pairs like EUR/USD , GBP/USD , or USD/JPY have higher liquidity, meaning tighter spreads. Exotic pairs? Not so much. You’ll pay more to play in the less popular markets. How to Use the Bid-Ask Spread to Your Advantage Here’s a pro tip: If you’re in a tight spread market, like EUR/USD during peak trading hours, you can place tighter stop-loss and take-profit orders, maximizing your profits with minimal slippage. In volatile markets with wider spreads, give yourself more breathing room, or wait until liquidity returns. How TradingView Does It On TradingView, forex pairs are displayed with a single price quote rather than separate bid and ask prices. This single price quote represents the midpoint between the bid and the ask. TradingView uses this midpoint, also called the last trade price , to better display price flow and make it simpler to analyze price trends without the fluctuation that would come from constantly updating bid and ask prices. For traders using TradingView to monitor forex prices, this single price quote allows them to focus more on price movements and technical analysis rather than factoring in the spread between bid and ask, which as we mentioned, is available with brokers since it's their bread and butter. So factor this in. The Bottom Line Going expert-level at bid, ask, and spread isn’t just forex surviving — it’s forex thriving. These tiny details can be the difference between making bank or watching your profits trickle away. Always factor in the spread when setting up trades, especially if you're trading lower-volume currency pairs or during off-hours. Ready to flex your new bid-ask spread skills? And win some prizes at the same time? Join our paper trading competition "The Leap" , starting November 1, and show everyone what you've got. $25,000 are up for grabs.
Editors' picks
Education
by TradingView
4
Trade like the pros in dark pools█ Trade like the pros in dark pools If you're accustomed to trading on the stock exchange, you know that an exchange operates like a digitalized marketplace. Buyers and sellers gather around a stock and indicate what they're willing to trade for, hoping that two orders will match. Before you decide at what price you're willing to trade, you likely look at the order book depth. There, we see how many shares are seeking buyers or sellers at a specific price. For a trade to be completed, the so-called spread needs to be crossed. The spread is the difference between the buying and selling price, in the example above 20 cents (226.40 – 226.20). In stocks that are traded very frequently, the spread is smaller and it's seldom a problem to execute very large volumes on the open market. █ Dark pools simplify trading in small companies Many stocks have too small a turnover to place a larger order without significantly affecting the price. Therefore, professionals have used dark pools for many years. Leading brokers are now making this flow available to all their customers. The advantage of a dark pool is that you don't need to show your order to other market participants until a trade has been completed. This facilitates, especially, trading in larger volumes. Another advantage of dark pools is that trades are made at so-called midprice. Returning to the example above, a trade would occur when someone is willing to pay the full spread of 20 cents. Had the order book been a dark pool, the midprice would have been 226.30 SEK. In this way, it results in a better price for both buyers and sellers. For those trading in larger volumes, this can mean a lot of money. █ All orders pass through dark pools The fact that dark pools are now available to everyone does not mean that all orders should be placed there. In fact, there are several barriers to how much trading can be routed this way before the dark pool is temporarily limited. When you place a regular order, thanks to so-called smart order routing, it will check if a better completion can be achieved via this dark pool than on the open market. So, whether you choose to actively place an order in the dark pool or not, you can benefit from the characteristics of the dark pool. █ Shouldn't the exchange be completely open? A criticism of dark pools is that they are exactly as they sound, hidden. But all trades made in Nasdaq Stockholm's dark pool are visible under completions. Stocks with low turnover can be difficult to trade without significantly affecting the price. ⚪ Let's take another example. Here we have a stock where the entire buy side corresponds to just over 130,000 SEK. That's a lot of money, but not an unreasonable holding for a private individual. This is also an order book from a company with a market value of about 1.6 billion. Thus, a small company, but not so small that trading for a couple of hundred thousand SEK should be unreasonable. Here, the spread is also 30 cents. Which is over one (1) percent on this stock price. Being able to halve this cost can save a lot of money both directly and over time. It is also possible to hide parts of an order today. In the advanced order placement on the open market, there is actually a tool for that problem as well. There, you can set the visible number of shares to be shown in the order book. █ When you should use the dark pool If you have never had problems with your order placement, you probably don't even need to consider placing an order in the dark pool. But if you trade stocks where you need to split your orders to not swallow too large a part of the order book, it might be valuable to try. ----------------- Disclaimer This is an educational study for entertainment purposes only. The information in my Scripts/Indicators/Ideas/Algos/Systems does not constitute financial advice or a solicitation to buy or sell securities. I will not accept liability for any loss or damage, including without limitation any loss of profit, which may arise directly or indirectly from the use of or reliance on such information. All investments involve risk, and the past performance of a security, industry, sector, market, financial product, trading strategy, backtest, or individual's trading does not guarantee future results or returns. Investors are fully responsible for any investment decisions they make. Such decisions should be based solely on evaluating their financial circumstances, investment objectives, risk tolerance, and liquidity needs. My Scripts/Indicators/Ideas/Algos/Systems are only for educational purposes!
Editors' picks
OMXSTO:ERIC_AEducation
by Zeiierman
3
Gbp/Usd Reaches Fair Value.Gooday to you all. Gbp/Usd Reaches Fair Value. Today's idea is around the British pound vs The US Dollar (Gbp/Usd) We spotted fair price for the fX/Currency pair that we believe will produce a potential buy opportunity for the pair. We will buy the pair should we we have a 1hr candle close above the identified price zone at 1.28200 with profit target set to 1.29300 Use adequate risk management if you are to execute a trade with this analyses. Enjoy and happy trading! We are the #ExodusTradingDesk.
Long
by ExodusTradingDesk
Gold Xau/Usd Reaches Fair Value.Gold Xau/Usd Reaches Fair Value. The ExodusTradingDesk has spotted fair price that we believe will produce a potential buy opportunity for the precious metal. We will buy the pair should we have a firm 30min candle close above the identified price zone at 1971 with our profit target to 1982. A possible sell scenario will be a 30min candle close below the identified "Critical Zone" below the critical level we believe will be a key " supply zone". Use adequate risk management if you are to execute a trade with this analyses. Enjoy and happy trading! #We are the #ExodusTradingDesk.
OANDA:XAUUSDLong
by ExodusTradingDesk
What is a Spread in Forex?Hello hello! In this post, we'll take a look at the basic principles behind the spread in forex market and why it is important. In the foreign exchange market, the spread is the difference between the bid price and the ask price for a particular currency pair. The bid price is the highest price that a market maker is willing to pay for a currency, while the ask price is the lowest price at which a market maker is willing to sell the same currency. The spread, therefore, represents the cost of trading a particular currency pair. When trading in the forex market, traders usually buy a currency at the ask price and then sell it at a higher bid price, hoping to make a profit. The spread is the difference between the two prices and it represents the trader's cost of trading that currency pair. The spread is usually expressed in pips, which is the smallest unit of price change in the forex market. For example, if the bid price for EUR/USD is 1.0735 and the ask price is 1.0740, the spread would be 5 pips. The size of the spread can vary depending on the currency pair being traded and the market conditions. Some currency pairs, such as the major pairs like EUR/USD, USD/JPY, and GBP/USD, tend to have relatively tight spreads, while others, such as the exotic pairs, can have wider spreads. Also, the spread can vary depending on the trading conditions, for instance, during high volatility period, such as economic news release, the spread tend to widen. In forex trading, traders should always be aware of the spread as it represents a cost of trading and it affects the trader's potential profits and losses. Spreads are usually factored into a trader's profit and loss calculations and it is important to consider the spread before opening a trade. Some brokers also offer variable spreads and fixed spreads, it is important to be aware of the difference between the two. Many online forex brokers now offer variable spreads, which means that the spread will change depending on the market conditions, but some brokers also offer fixed spreads, which means that the spread will remain the same regardless of market conditions.
Education
by m_maia14
BID AND ASK BASICS📚 🔴In all markets, there is a price at which a market participant is willing to buy an asset and a price that suits the seller. At the same time, traders intend to carry out a purchase and sale transaction only within the amount that is profitable for them. ⚠️In the foreign exchange market, the ask line is the cost of buying an asset or the price that is set by the broker in the Buy order. ⚠️Bid - accordingly, the cost at which the broker opens a sell order when accepting an application for the sale of currency from a trader. ❗️The spread is the difference between ask and bid prices. To be more precise, the spread is the difference between the best bid and ask offers for a specific asset over a certain period. Thus, the spread is dynamic, changing over time. The spread value is formed by the initial value set by the broker, as well as due to the volatility of the currency. The spread can vary from 0.1 to 100 points. ✅In the market of physical goods, a similar example can be given: a seller and a buyer, haggling, narrow the difference between prices that satisfy them, bringing them to one at which they make a deal. ✅In the foreign exchange market, the spread between prices is the commission charged by the broker. It should be borne in mind that the broker takes a commission regardless of the volume of the transaction and its result.
OANDA:XAUUSDEducation
by TopTradingSignals
7
CADJPY H4 - Short SetupCADJPY H4 Possible short incoming as we approach this 90.00 handle, we have already extended 150 pips from our pivot point without a correction (88 handle). Even if we see a relief rally from 90.00 this could still offer us a solid 2R or even 3R. We have been trending some time and as we approach year end, I wonder if these will continue. I'm fairly doubtful and expect we may see ranges between 90 and 85 again before year close. We have our 90 whole number, 618 fib resistance and S/R from previous zone holds already.
Short
by Trade_Simple_FX
1
USOIL 6-1 Retrace ShortWith summer quickly approaching the initiative in the oil market has changed with more aggressive bids similar to what was seen in December of last year. With inflationary conditions in the market becoming evident and supply chain issues causing major ruptures across many markets I still have very a bullish outlook on Oil. That being said, I also expect for a retrace before a continuation higher next month for Oil. This end of month unwind is not uncommon as contracts are rolled, settled and options approach expiration. My ideal target for this trade would be 64.70 where auctioning really picked up in the past 10 days for oil which offers a 6-1. I placed my stops above highs to prevent any impulse move from causing unwanted drawdowns. Feel free to share your opinions and refer to my other post for longer term projections.
TVC:USOILShort
by crawfordpaul
BIDAO- Starting to find some Momentum.Bidao has finally found some momentum and seems to be consolidating well. Now looking for a further break from trend to indicate more bullish momentum. 2 zones I'll be watching for some sort of change are indicated. (ellipses) A listing on Binance or other major exchange would do wonders for this project and although early on we saw information that this was supported by Binance and would use BNB as an optional collateral there has been no indication that this will progress. Since Bidao launched, Binance has worked on it's own projects and partnerships doing similar things within the space so the delay in seeing a listing has probably caused some hesitation. Despite this fact, the project seems bullish to me and the charts are still looking positive over a tough few days in the market. Although Bidao does have a reasonably strong community there doesn't seem to be as many ridiculous posts about anticipated price targets. The community seems to just be quietly confident without spruiking everyday which is a welcome change from many other contenders. With beta Testnet now being trialled I think we will see some positive things from Bidao over the coming months. As always, not financial advice Just my thoughts and TA. would love to hear some other opinions on the project so feedback welcomed. Bingaz
BLong
by Bingaz
Bidao - "The Sleeping Giant"- Beta Testnet Now in Trial Phase. For those HODLR's of Bidao we are starting to see some bullish momentum. Bidao has remained stagnant during this bulish alt push and has some catching up to do but with fresh news of the Test Net and it's capabilities within the DEFI space I think we will start to see some solid gains in the coming weeks. There are no targets set. If there was a top resistance it would currently be about 4c USD but I can't imagine anyone selling off entire stake's at that point. This is a HODL coin for 2021 and reap the benefits later on. Aggressive entry still remains at or below ICO price of 1c USD. Hopeful that the previous resistance can become support but we have fallen through it before so look for stability if we retrace to the .014ish mark before buying up more. As always, not financial advice just my thoughts and TA. Bingaz.
BLong
by Bingaz
3