Left-Hand Side

Left-Hand Side
The bid side in a two-way price quote. A two-way price quote denotes both the bid price and the ask price of a security. The left-hand side or bid indicates the price at which the dealer or market maker is willing to buy a security or currency, and the right-hand side or ask indicates the price at which the dealer or market maker is willing to sell the security or currency.

For example, in currency trading, a two-way price quote could be US$1 = 1.0500 / C$1.0510. The left-hand side or bid price of 1.0500 (Canadian dollars) denotes the price that the currency dealer is willing to pay for a U.S. dollar, while the right-hand side or ask price denotes the price at which the dealer will sell a U.S. dollar. The difference between the bid and ask prices is referred to as the spread.

A corporate entity that wishes to exchange U.S. dollars for Canadian dollars in the above example would therefore sell the U.S. dollars at the dealer's bid price or the left-hand side price, while one that wishes to exchange Canadian dollars for U.S. dollars would buy the latter at the dealer's ask price or right-hand side price. Retail customers face much larger spreads than those shown in the above example.


Investment dictionary. . 2012.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • left hand side — side on the left …   English contemporary dictionary

  • Left-hand — (l[e^]ft h[a^]nd ), a. Situated on the left; nearer the left hand than the right; as, the left hand side; the left hand road. [1913 Webster] {Left hand rope}, rope laid up and twisted over from right to left, or against the sun; called also… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Left-hand rope — Left hand Left hand (l[e^]ft h[a^]nd ), a. Situated on the left; nearer the left hand than the right; as, the left hand side; the left hand road. [1913 Webster] {Left hand rope}, rope laid up and twisted over from right to left, or against the… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • left-hand — left ,hand adjective only before noun * on the left side: The plates are on the left hand side of the cabinet. the top left hand corner of the envelope …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • left hand - left-handed — ◊ left hand The left hand part of something is the part which is towards your left. We were on the left hand side of the road. ◊ left handed Left handed people use their left hand rather than their right hand for activities such as writing …   Useful english dictionary

  • left-hand — adj [only before noun] on the left side of something ≠ ↑right hand ▪ We live about halfway down the street on the left hand side …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • left-hand — adjective (only before noun) 1 on the left side of something: We live about halfway down the street on the left hand side. 2 curving to the left: a left hand bend 3 always using your left hand to do a particular thing: David was a left hand… …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • left-hand — ADJ: ADJ n If something is on the left hand side of something, it is positioned on the left of it. They drive on the left hand side of the road... The keys are in the back left hand corner of the drawer. Ant: right hand …   English dictionary

  • left-hand */ — UK / US adjective [only before noun] on the left side The plates are on the left hand side of the cupboard. the top left hand corner of the envelope …   English dictionary

  • ˈleft-ˌhand — adj on the left side Ant: right hand The plates are on the left hand side of the cupboard.[/ex] …   Dictionary for writing and speaking English

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