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Spread

*The prices on this page are indicative. Prices for instruments with lower liquidity such as but not limited to exotic currency pairs, stocks and indices are not refreshed as often as commonly traded instruments. Please check inside your MT4/MT5 platform for latest live prices

What is the spread in trading?

All symbols are quoted with two prices, the Bid (selling) price and the Ask (buying) price. The Ask price is always greater than the Bid price. The difference between these two prices is referred to as the spread. The spread makes up part of your trading fees whenever you buy or sell.

How is the spread calculated?

The spread is calculated by subtracting the Bid price from the Ask price. For example, if the Bid price for the EURUSD is 1.10050 and the Ask price is 1.10052, the spread is 0.2 pips or 2 points.

How does the spread affect my trades?

The spread is part of your trading fees and affects the cost of your trading. When you enter a trade, the floating unrealized profit starts at a slight loss that is equal to the spread. Because you buy on the Ask price and sell on the Bid price. The asset's price needs to move in the direction of your trade by the amount equal to the spread before the trade reaches break even. This does not take into account any separate commission for your account type.

Do spreads vary between markets?

Yes, spreads vary between different markets and instruments too. Typically, major currency pairs have lower spreads compared to exotic currency pairs and individual stocks.

Are the spreads fixed or floating?

A 'fixed' spread remains constant regardless of market conditions. While a 'floating' or 'variable' spread changes based on market conditions. The spreads at TIOmarkets are variable and come from our liquidity providers. They are narrow during normal market conditions and times when liquidity is high. Spreads can widen during periods of abnormal market conditions when volatility is high or when liquidity is low.

Why do spreads widen and narrow?

The spread depends on the balance or imbalance of supply and demand in the market. Whether it widens or becomes narrow is linked to factors like market liquidity, economic news events and the time of day. When there's strong demand combined with limited supply, or when there are more buyers than sellers, the Ask price often increases causing the spread to widen. On the other hand, when there's excess supply, or when there are more sellers than buyers, the Bid price often decreases causing the spread to widen as well. Spreads can narrow when the market is very liquid with a more balanced volume of buyers and sellers. Higher liquidity can lead to tighter spreads as there are enough orders to absorb the supply and demand from both sides of the market.

Is a lower spread always better?

Generally, a lower spread implies a lower cost of trading. However, the separate commission also needs to be factored in to get the truer cost of opening and closing deals. Further to this, some instruments have higher spreads than others but also have higher average daily price ranges. So the spread should also be considered in relation to the volatility of the instrument being traded.

Are spreads related to margin and leverage?

While the spread refers to the difference between the Bid and Ask prices. Leverage and margin refers to the amount needed to open a trade. The spread does not directly affect leverage and margin.