The Spread is the difference between the buy price and the sell price of an asset. It is present in virtually every operation in the financial market, and it is important to understand it in order to trade with clarity on FuturaBroker.
Simple definition
Every asset has two prices at the same time:
- Buy price (Ask): the value at which you can buy the asset
- Sell price (Bid): the value at which you can sell the asset
The difference between these two prices is the Spread.
💡 Practical example: if BTC has a buy price of 68,025 and a sell price of 68,020, the Spread is 5 points.
Why does the Spread exist?
The Spread is not a fee charged separately — it is part of the very mechanics of the market. It exists to:
- Compensate the intermediation operation between buyers and sellers
- Reflect the liquidity of the asset (the more it is traded, the smaller the Spread tends to be)
- Track the volatility of the market in real time
- Maintain the balance between those who buy and those who sell
How the Spread affects your operations
When you open an operation, the entry price already takes the Spread into account. In practice, this means:
- The operation starts with a small difference relative to the "central" price of the asset
- The price needs to move in your favor enough to cover the Spread before generating a profit
- The smaller the Spread, the sooner the operation enters the profit zone
⚠️ Important: the Spread is neither a system error nor a hidden charge. It is a normal characteristic of any traded asset.
What influences the size of the Spread
🟢 Smaller Spread
- High-liquidity assets (heavily traded)
- Higher-volume market hours
- Moments of low volatility
🔴 Larger Spread
- Low-liquidity assets (lightly traded)
- Market opening and closing hours
- Moments of high volatility or relevant news
Spread and currency exchange (dollar balance)
If you use a dollar (USD) balance on FuturaBroker, there is also the exchange Spread, which is the difference applied in the conversion between Real and Dollar.
- It is applied at the moment of currency conversion
- It reflects exchange rate variation in real time
- It works similarly to the asset Spread: it is part of the conversion mechanics, not an additional fee
Frequently asked questions
Is the Spread a fee charged by FuturaBroker?
No. The Spread is not a fee charged separately. It is the natural difference between the buy price and the sell price, present throughout the entire financial market.
Is the Spread always the same?
No. It varies in real time according to the asset's liquidity, the time of day, and market volatility.
Why did my operation start "in the negative"?
Because the entry price already takes the Spread into account. The asset needs to move in your favor enough to cover this difference before generating a positive result. This is normal and happens with any broker.
How can I pay less Spread?
You tend to find smaller Spreads when trading high-liquidity assets and during higher-volume market hours, avoiding moments of news and high volatility.
Need help? Contact our support team.