Odd lot versus the round-lot quote: what your small bid is worth in dollars
A quote shows round lots. A smaller bid can sit inside it. Enter the quote and your bid and see the dollars.
How it works: a quote like 50.00 by 50.20 is the best bid and ask in round lots. A bid smaller than a round lot may not show in that quote. Dollars are shares x price. The gap between your bid and the ask, times your shares, is what paying the ask costs you over your bid. Your bid minus the quoted bid, times your shares, is what you offer above the quote. The round lot size is your own number.
The quote is not the whole book
Your 30 share bid can sit inside the quote and never show on it. The quote still reads 50.00. See odd lot, round lot and bid and ask.
Dollars, not cents
A few cents a share looks small. On many shares it is real money. Count it in dollars before you pick a bid. Related: an odd lot offer: do nothing.
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