The price at which a market participant is willing and ready (by accepting an offer) to sell a tradable investment (e.g., a security, a commodity, a derivative instrument, etc.) at the current quote. More specifically, it is the lowest price a seller willing to accept for an investment on an exchange at a given time. For over-the-counter trading, it is the best quoted price at which a market maker is willing to sell a security.
The ask price will almost always be higher than the bid (or bid price). Market makers make their profits capitalizing on the difference between the bid price and the ask price, i.e., the spread or the bid-ask spread.
It is also known as an offer (offer price) or simply as an ask.
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