Spread (ส่วนต่างราคา)

The spread is the gap between two prices shown for the same instrument:

• Bid: the price at which you can sell.
• Ask: the price at which you can buy.

The ask is almost always higher than the bid. The difference between them is the spread. It is one of the main costs of opening a trade.

Example

Suppose EURUSD shows:

• Bid: 1.10000
• Ask: 1.10020

The spread is 1.10020 − 1.10000 = 0.00020, which is 2 pips.

If you buy 1 standard lot (100,000 units), you buy at the ask price of 1.10020. If the market does not move, you could only close the trade at the bid price of 1.10000. That is a loss of 2 pips, or about $20 for this lot size, because 1 pip is about $10 per standard lot on EURUSD. In other words, a trade starts slightly in the negative, and the price must move in your favour by at least the spread before you break even.

Why it matters

The spread is not always the same. It can be wider when the market is quiet, when trading is thin, or around major news. Different instruments also have different typical spreads.

A common beginner mistake is to ignore the spread. This matters most for short-term trades, where you open and close many times and a small cost is paid each time. Always check the spread before you enter a trade, and include it when you plan your Stop Loss and target.