The spread is the difference between the Bid price (the price at which the market is willing to buy an asset) and the Ask price (the price at which the market is willing to sell an asset). It represents the broker's cost for executing a trade, and it can vary depending on the market conditions, liquidity, and the broker's pricing model. In essence, a smaller spread generally indicates lower trading costs for the trader, while a larger spread can result in higher costs. The spread is a key factor to consider when trading in instruments like forex, stocks, and CFDs.
To show the spread in the Market Watch window in MT5, follow these steps:
Open the MT5 platform and log into your account.
If the Market Watch window is not visible, enable it by going to the top menu bar and clicking on the "View" tab. From the dropdown menu, select "Market Watch" or use the shortcut key "Ctrl+M" on your keyboard.
In the Market Watch window, right-click anywhere within the window.
From the context menu that appears, select "Columns."
Select "Spread" to enable the display of the spread column.
Once you select "Spread," the spread column will be added to the Market Watch window, showing the current spread for each trading instrument listed.
The spread is usually displayed in pips and represents the difference between the bid and ask prices. It indicates the cost of trading that particular instrument.
The spread values will be constantly updated as the market conditions change.