In the over-the-counter market, the term “ask” refers to the lowest price at which a broker is willing to sell a security (e.g. currency, stock, index or commodity) at any given time. The ask price, also known as the “offer” price, will almost always be higher than the “bid” price (= the highest price a broker is willing to pay to buy a security at any given time). Brokerage firms typically make money on the difference between the bid price and the ask price. This difference is called the “ask-bid spread.”