Bid Price
Returns the current bid price for stocks, ETFs, indices, and options. The bid price represents the highest price at which a buyer is willing to purchase the security.
Supported Symbol Formats
| Type | Format | Example |
|---|---|---|
| US Stocks | SYMBOL | AAPL, MSFT |
| ETFs | SYMBOL | SPY, QQQ |
| Indices | ^SYMBOL | ^SPX, ^VIX |
| Options | OCC Symbol | AAPL240315C00170000 |
| Canadian | SYMBOL:CA | SHOP:CA |
Understanding Bid Price
The bid price is part of the bid-ask spread:
- Bid: The highest price buyers are willing to pay
- Ask: The lowest price sellers are willing to accept
- Spread: The difference between ask and bid
Notes
- Prices are delayed approximately 15 minutes for most symbols
- For real-time streaming prices, use
QM_Stream_Bid() - Returns "NA" if the symbol is invalid or data is unavailable
Syntax
=Bid(Symbol)Examples
When to Use
- Getting current bid prices for securities
- Calculating bid-ask spreads
- Analyzing market liquidity
- Building quote tables and watchlists
- Determining execution costs for sell orders
When NOT to Use
| Scenario | Use Instead |
|---|---|
| Real-time streaming bid prices | QM_Stream_Bid() |
| Historical bid prices | Bid_Historical() |
| Last traded price | Last() |
| Ask price | Ask() |
| Pre-market prices | QM_Stream_PreMarketBid() |
Common Issues & FAQ
Why am I getting "NA"?
Check symbol format:
- US stocks: Use ticker only (AAPL)
- Indices: Add ^ prefix (^SPX)
- Canadian stocks: Add :CA suffix (SHOP:CA)
How do I get real-time streaming bid prices?
Use QM_Stream_Bid() for streaming updates that refresh automatically.
Why is the bid lower than the last price?
The bid is the highest price buyers will pay, which is typically slightly lower than the last traded price in an active market.
How do I calculate the bid-ask spread?
Use the formula =Ask("AAPL")-Bid("AAPL") to get the spread in dollars.
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