What Is the Ask Price?
The Ask Price (also known as the Offer Price or Buy Price) is the price you pay to buy a financial instrument such as a currency pair, index, or commodity at the current market rate.
Think of it like a store price tag: it’s the amount sellers are willing to accept for their product right now.
How It Works
Every live market quote displays two prices:
Bid / Ask
Bid – the price where you can sell
Ask – the price where you can buy
Because the Ask represents the seller’s desired price, it’s normally slightly higher than the Bid.
That small difference between the two is called the spread, which forms part of your trading cost and varies depending on market conditions.
Example
Quote: EURUSD 1.17358 / 1.17369
1.17358 = Bid (Sell) Price
1.17369 = Ask (Buy) Price
If you place a market buy order, it will execute at 1.17369, the Ask Price.
Why It Matters
Entry price for buys: All market buy and buy-stop orders are filled at the Ask.
Affects profit target: Your trade needs to move beyond the spread before showing profit.
Charts vs. execution: MT4/MT5 charts display Bid prices by default, so your buy fill may appear slightly higher than the candle on your chart.
Tip: You can enable the Ask Line on MT4/MT5 to visualize where your buy orders execute compared to Bid prices.
Related Articles: Showing the Ask Line on Charts