@deltatrendtrading: Why do bid-ask spreads exist? And why do they widen during volatility? Every time you see a quote like “$100 bid, $101 ask,” you’re seeing two sides of a trade. Buyers are offering $100. Sellers want $101. But that spread doesn’t just sit there passively — market makers engineer it. Market makers quote both sides of the market, buying low and selling high, and they profit from the difference — the bid-ask spread. If someone buys at $101, the market maker sells short. If someone sells at $98, the market maker buys. If these two events happen close together, they’ve made $3 risk-free. But in the real world, those opposing orders don’t always arrive at the same time. That’s why spreads widen during volatility — when the timing mismatch becomes riskier, or when it’s hard to hedge inventory. On illiquid stocks or derivatives, wide spreads compensate for that risk and reflect the lack of competing liquidity providers. This is where market microstructure meets game theory. Market makers are in a constant chess match: narrower spreads win the flow, but tighter quotes increase risk. That’s how liquidity, price discovery, and spread dynamics all connect. #marketmaker #bidaskspread #liquidity #optionsmarket #tradingexplained #quantfinance #hedgefunds #orderbook #marketstructure #financialeducation #stockmarket101 #marketliquidity #volatility #tradereducation #financetok #algorithmictrading #tiktokfinance

Thomas

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Tuesday 15 April 2025 02:31:49 GMT