βααααΆααααααααααΆααααααΆ αααα’ααααα·ααααααα½αααΆααααααα’αααΈαααααΎαα ααααΆαααααα? αααααΊαααααααΆαααααααααααααΆαααααα·α α¬αααααααΆαααΆαααααα·α α ααΆααααααα αααα’αααααΆααααααα·ααααα»αααααα 1.25254 ααα»ααααααααααααα’αααααα½αααΆαααΊ 1.25301 αα·αα αααα αΆαααααα½αααΆαααααααα»αααΈααααααααα’αααα ααααΆααααααΊααΆα’αααΈαααααααΌαααΆαααααΆααααΆααΆΒ βαααααΆααααααβαβ

ααΌα ααααααΎα’αααΈαα ααΆβαααααΆααααααβ?Β
ααΌα αααααΆααααααΆααααΆαααΈααΎααα»αΒ βαααααΆααααααβΒ ααΊαααα αα ααΎααΆααα»αααααΆαααΆαααααα Bid (αααααααααααααα»ααααα’ααααα·αα ααΆαααΉααα·α) αα·αααααα Ask (αααααααΆααααα»ααααα’αααααααα»αα α·αααααα½ααα)αα ααΎαααααααααααααΆαα½ααΒ
ααΌα αααααΆααααα αΆαααΆαααααα ααΎα(αα·αα·αααα·α)ααΆα’αααααα½αααααα(Price taker) ααΉααα·αααααααααααααααααααααα Ask ααααααααααααααΆαααα»αααααα Bid α αΎααααα»ααα αα·ααααααΆααααΈααααΆα(Market maker)α αααααΆααααααΆ ααΈααααΆαααΉααα·αααααααααααααααααααααα Bid ααααααααααααααΆαααα»αααααα AskαΒ ααΌα ααααααΎααΆαα’αααΈααΎαα‘αΎααα αααααααααααΆααααααααΆααααααΆαααα¬α αααΎα? α ααααΎαααΆααααα α’αααααΉαααα½αααΆαααααααααα’ααααα·αα ααααΆα α αΎααααααΉαααα₯αααα·αααα αααααΆααα·αα·ααα ααααααΆααααααΆααα αααααααααααα’ααααΒ

ααΎαααΈααα ααΆααΆααααααΆααΆα αααΎααααα’αΆα ααΆαα±αααααααΆααααααααΆαααααα·ααααααααΌα ααΆαΒ
αααααααααα½αααΈααααΆααΒ αααααΆααΌα ααΆααΆααα·αα αααΆααααΆαααα αααα»αααααΆαααΆαααααααα·α αα α’αααααΆααααααΈαααΆααΆααααααΆααα·ααααααΆαα·ααΆα ααααααΆααααΆαααΆαααΉαααΌαα·ααΆααααααααααΆααααααααα±ααααΆαααΆααααααααΆα α αααααα·αα·αααα·ααΒ Β
- ααΆααα·αα αααΆααααΆαααααα»αααααΆαααΆαααααααα·α αα αΒ αααα’αΆα ααααΌαααΆαααααΎαααΎαααΆααααααΆαααααΆααα α»αααααααΎαααααααα·α αα α’αα·ααααΆααααα α¬ααΆαααααααααααααΈααααΆαααΆαααΆα β α’ααααΆααααΆαααΆαααΆαααααΎαααααα
- αααΆααΆααααααΆααΒ ααααα·αααΎαααΆααΆααααααΆαααΏααΆααααΎαααααααα·α αα ααΆαααααα·ααααααααα ααααα½αααααΉααααααΎαα’ααααΆααΆαααααΆαα ααααααααΆαα±ααααΆααααααααααα½ααα αααα»αααΈααααΆαα α αΎααααα»ααααα‘αα ααααααΆααααααΆαα’ααααΆααΆαααααΆαααΒ
- ααααΉαααα·ααΆαααααΌαα·ααΆααααααααααΆααΒ ααΆαααΆαααΉαααααααααααΆα α¬ααΆαααΌα ααΌα ααΆααΆαααααα½αααααααααΆαα·ααααααα ααα’αΆα αααααΆαα±ααααΆαααΆααααααααα½αααααααα αααα»αααΈααααΆααααααα
ααααααΈαααΆαααΆααΒ αα ααααααα ααα½ααα·αα·αααα·ααααα»αααΈααααΆαααΆαααααα·αααΆα αααααΉαααααΎα±ααααααααΈαααΆαααΆαααΌα ααααΆ αααα’αΆα α±αααααααΆααααααααΆαααααα·αααΆαααααααααα
α₯αα·ααΆαααα·αα·αααα·ααα αααα»αααΈααααΆααΒ ααΈααααΆααα½αα ααα½αααΆαα ααααΆαααααΈααααααΆαααααααααα»αααααααααααααΎαααααΆααα αααααΒ
ααα α»ααα αα ααααααΒ ααΌα ααΆ Slippage αααααααααΆαααΆαααααααα ααααααααααΆααα·αα·ααααααα»αααΈααααΆααΒ
ααΎααΆαα’αααΈααΎαα‘αΎααα αααααααααααΆααααααααΈαααΆαααΆαααΆαααααα?
- ααααααααα»αααΆααα½αααΌαααΆααααα‘αΎααααα ααααααΆαααααααΆαααΎααααΆααα αααααΒ ααΆαααΆααααααααΆααααααααΆααααααααα ααααααααααααα·ααααα·ααΆαααααΉαα‘αΎαααααααααααα αααααΉαααα₯αααα·αααα ααΎααααΆααα αααα ααααααΆαααααααααΆααα·αα·ααααααααα½αααα
- ααααααααααααααΆααααααααΆααααααα’αΆα ααΉαααααΎα±ααααΆααα½αααΌαααΆαααααα·ααΆαβ ααα»ααααααααα·ααααααΆαααααΆα αααααααααααΎα±ααααΆαααΆααααα ααααααααΈααααΆαααααα (Widespread selloff)α αααα»ααααααααΆααααααΆααΌα ααΆ ααΆαααααααααααααααααα·α αα ααΆαααΆαααΉαααΌαα·ααΆααααααααααΆα α¬ααΆααααααααΌαααΈααααΆα(Market Corrections)αΒ Widespread selloffαΒ ααΊααΆαααααααΆαααααα·αα·αααα·ααα½αα ααα½ααααααα ααααΌαααααααααααααααααα½ααα ααΌα ααΆααΆαα αα»α ααααααααα»α α¬αααα·αααααα»ααΆαα»ααΎαααΆααΎαα ααΆααααααα ααΆαα αααΎαααΊααΎαααΆαα‘αΎααααα»αα’αα‘α»αα α»αααααΆα ααααα·αα·αααα·αααααΆα αααΎαααΉααα·α Position α αΎαααΆααααααααΆααα αααααααααα½αααα ααααΈααΈααααΆα α¬αααααΆα ααα½αααΆα αααααΆαααα αΌααααααΆαααΆαααααΆααααααΌααα·ααα ααααΈα
οΌEnglish VersionοΌ
Ever notice how we donβt always get the price we want? It is either a bit higher or a bit lower than the prices we set. Letβs say that you want to buy at the price of 1.25254; however, the price you enter the market is at 1.25301 instead. Encountering a price thatβs slightly different from your desired target is what we call the concept ofΒ βspread.β

So what is spread?Β
As mentioned last time, spread refers to the difference between the bid price (the highest price the buyer is willing to pay) and the asking price (the lowest price the seller is willing to accept) for any underlying assets.Β
As shown below, we as a price taker (individual investor) will buy the underlying assets at the ask prices while selling them at the bid prices, and vice versa for the market maker. So what happens when spread is too big? Simple answer: you will get the price that you donβt want and possibly pose a threat to your pricing action and profitability.Β

There are various factors that could potentially lead to widening the spread, such as:Β
Market Volatility:Β factors such as uncertainty in economic conditions, intervention from the central bank and government, and geopolitical tension that forces fear in the investor are the main contributions.Β
- Uncertainty in economic conditions:Β this can be seen through softening in economic growth, high inflation, or weakening in the labor marketβhigh unemployment rate.
- Central Bank:Β If the central bank believes that the economy is overheating, then it will increase the interest rate, which causes volatility in the market. And the opposite for lowering the interest rate.Β
- Geopolitical Event or Unexpected News:Β Political or diplomatic tensions, such as trade competition, would also result in high volatility in the market.
Low Liquidity:Β as the markets are left out, that could lead to low liquidity in the market, making the spread widen even further.Β
Market Maker Behavior:Β Some markets intentionally widen the spread aiming to increase the profit.Β
Technological errors,Β such as slippages that result from malfunctions, can disrupt trading activities.Β
What happens when the spread widens?
- Increased trading costs and reduced profitability:Β The wider the spread, the higher the transaction costs will be. This directly impacts profitability, discouraging trading activities.
- While widening spreads can contribute to less favorable trading environments, there are other primary factors contributing to widespread selloff, such as economic downturns, geopolitical tensions, or market corrections.Β Widespread selloff:Β an act of large numbers of investors selling their assets, such as stocks, bonds, or commodities. In fact, this is mostly seen at the end of the year, where key players take the profits gained out of the market or cash holding until the next direction.
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