Hvar, the island in Adriatic Sea, is the longest and the sunniest Croatian island and one of the most beautiful islands in the world. It is a part of the central Dalmatian archipelago with the area of 299.6 sq km (length 68.2 km, width up to 10.5 km) and population of 10,648 inhabitants (2011).
The bid price is the highest price a buyer is willing to pay for a share of stock, and the ask price is the minimum the seller is willing to accept. The ask price is usually higher than the bid price. The difference between the bid and ask prices is the bid-ask spread, which narrows or widens depending on the trading volume. Stock exchanges typically use automated systems to match the bid and ask prices and fill orders.
The bid-ask spread works to the advantage of the market maker. Continuing with the above example, a market maker who is quoting a price of $10.50 / $10.55 for security A is indicating a willingness to buy A at $10.50 (the bid price) and sell it at $10.55 (the asked price). The spread represents the market maker's profit.