Ask price

The ask price, also known as the offer price, is the lowest price a seller is willing to receive for a certain security.

The ask price is contrasted with the bid price, which is the maximum amount that someone is willing to buy a security for. The ask is higher than the bid, and the difference is called the "bid-ask spread". This spread is one of the costs of transacting on stock exchanges, separate from trading commissions.

When buying shares using a market order on a stock exchange, you are expecting to pay the current ask.