What are Stock Quotes?
A stock quote is simply a list of a stock’s price, as well as the characteristics that elucidate upon the fundamentals of the underlying entity.
In all stock markets, a tradable company’s stock quote is published in a number of forums; the Internet, newspapers and various media outlets will list stock quotes. The arrangement of stock quotes is compiled in a comprehensive list known as a stock table. Investors will evaluate stock tables to track the prices of stocks to determine whether an investment is worthwhile.
Ever stock table will contain different data about the listed company’s stock prices and fundamentals. In a generic sense, a stock table will contain the following information for the underlying equity: the high and low bids for the stock during intraday trading, the high and low prices for the stock during intraday trading, the closing price for the stock, and any significant data changes in the price of the stock.
The fundamental aspect of a stock quote is the price of the underlying stock. In an exchange, the prevailing price of a stock is referred to as its “trading price.” When investors come together to buy and sell stock, the transaction is referred to as a trade.
As a result, the trading price of a stock is determined either through an electronic evaluation or by a floor manager’s interpretation of the compiled asks and bids for the stock. This information determines the demand for the stock (how many buyers in the market are willing to purchase the stock and how available is it to potential investors)
Through the advancements of computer technology, stock quotes are readily available online and are updated in real time.
In a generic stock quote, the closing asking and bidding prices will be listed. The asking price is a collection of all the offers made for the sale price of the stock. An ask is essentially the price at which the holder or broker of the stock would like to offer the stock for sale, in addition to the commission taken by the dealer for the execution of the sale. Typically, the amount of stock for sale is also defined by the owner and computed into the asking price.
In a generic stock quote, the bid is the selling price of the stock, or the price that an investor is willing to pay to assume ownership of the underlying securities. The “best bid” attached to the stock represents the best offered price for ownership of the underlying security. When compiled in a stock table, bids may also be labeled as “sells.”
The difference between the asking and bidding price of a stock is referred to as the “spread.” The spread defines the difference between the price at which sellers wish to sell the stock and the price at which buyers wish to purchase the stock. The spread will also denote the broker or holder’s profit margins on transactions for each stock.
