Improve the market
Definition · Level 6 · Desk language
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Bid higher, or offer lower, than the current best price: you go to the front of the queue and narrow the spread.
Example
50.10 at 50.14: a bid at 50.11 improves the market.
Where Tradecraft teaches it
Level 6 · Desk language, in the lesson “Execution verbs”: Hit, lift, join, paid, given, done, out: the words that make a trade and report it.
Related terms
- Cxl / outCancel instruction and its confirmation: whatever has not filled is dead and will not execute.
- Hit the bidSell immediately at the best bid: you cross the spread as the aggressive seller and leave whoever quoted it holding the shares.
- Join the bidRest a buy order at the same price as the current best bid, in the queue behind the orders already there, instead of improving or crossing.
- Leave it thereAn instruction to keep a resting order at its price: do not cancel it, and do not chase the market by raising your price to follow it.
- Lift the offerBuy immediately at the best offer (also “take” or “pay”): you cross the spread as the aggressive buyer and leave whoever quoted it short.
- Nothing doneNo trade happened: the order received zero executions.