how do you put on a spread in trading 
to put on a spread position in the markets you generally buy one asset or security and simultaneously sell another related asset or security the resulting spread price is the difference between the price paid the proceeds received from the sale the bottom linein finance a spread refers to the difference or gap between two prices rates or yields one common use of spread is the bid ask spread which is the gap between the bid from buyers and the ask from sellers prices of a security or asset a spread can also refer to the difference in a trading position such as the gap between a short position selling in one futures contract or currency and a long position buying in another known as a spread trade spreads can also refer to the difference in the amount paid to the issuer of a security and the price paid by the investor for that security in underwriting or the price a borrower pays above a benchmark yield to get a loan in lending there are several different types of spreads including yield spreads option adjusted spreads and z spreads which are used in different contexts in finance 