A quote gives you a snapshot of the market at a specific moment. It typically includes the bid price (what buyers are willing to pay), the ask price (what sellers are asking), and sometimes the last traded price. Together, these numbers show where real buying and selling interest exists.
Quotes update constantly as traders place new orders and transactions occur. In active markets—like stocks, forex, or crypto—quotes may refresh multiple times per second. In slower markets or thinly traded assets, quotes update less frequently, and the bid-ask spread tends to widen.
Quotes are the foundation of market transparency. They help traders make informed decisions about entering, exiting, or adjusting positions. Without quotes, it would be impossible to understand real-time pricing, liquidity, or the true cost of executing a trade.
Quotes matter because they reflect the market’s real-time sentiment and supply-demand balance. Traders rely on quotes to judge price fairness, compare spreads, and understand where the next trade is likely to occur.
The bid is the highest price a buyer will pay, and the ask is the lowest price a seller will accept. When a trader submits a market buy order, it fills at the ask price; a market sell fills at the bid. The spread between them represents transaction cost and liquidity—tight spreads mean efficient markets, while wide spreads mean higher costs and more risk.
Deep, active markets have constant order flow—new buyers and sellers update their prices throughout the day. This creates continuous changes in the bid, ask, and last trade. In low-liquidity markets, fewer orders mean quotes update less often, making pricing less precise and spreads wider.
Outside regular trading hours, liquidity drops significantly. With fewer participants, the bid-ask spread widens, and quote updates become less stable. Prices can move sharply on light volume, so after-hours quotes often behave differently than those during normal sessions.
A stock’s quote shows a bid of $49.98 and an ask of $50.02. The last trade occurred at $50.00. A trader placing a market buy order will likely pay $50.02—the current ask—because that’s where sellers are offering shares.
FinFeedAPI’s Stock API is the best tool for accessing historical quotes. Developers can use it to pull bid-ask prices, last trades, spreads, and time-series data—powering trading platforms, charting tools, portfolio apps, or analytics systems that depend on accurate market quotes.
