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Definition · Level 0 · Market basics
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The short letter code that identifies a listed security on quotes, charts and orders; also called the symbol.
Example
AAPL = Apple, KO = Coca-Cola, SPY = the SPDR S&P 500 ETF; in Paris, MC = LVMH.
Where Tradecraft teaches it
Level 0 · Market basics, in the lesson “Reading the quote”: Bid, offer, spread, size and depth, and what they tell you about the real cost of trading.
Related terms
- ADVAverage daily volume: the typical number of shares traded per day over a lookback window (often 20 or 30 days), the yardstick for how big an order…
- Bid / offerThe highest price a buyer is currently showing, and the lowest price a seller is asking (also called the ask).
- Bid-ask spreadAsk minus bid: the price of immediacy. Crossing it costs half of it versus mid each way, and a round trip costs all of it.
- Last pricePrice of the most recent trade (the print).
- Level 2Depth of book: several price levels on each side with the size at each, often by venue or participant, versus top-of-book data that shows only the…
- LiquidityHow easily size can be bought or sold quickly without moving the price: tight spreads, deep books and heavy trading mean plenty; wide spreads and…