Phrases & IdiomsPhrase guide

Price Impact

Price impact measures how much the price of a security changes in response to a trade of a given size. Price impact is a response-to-trade dimension of liquidity; it is not interchangeable with quoted spread or order-book depth.

Quick answer

Price impact measures how much the price of a security changes in response to a trade of a given size.

Key details

Canonical Formprice impact
Core MeaningPrice impact measures how much the price of a security changes in response to a trade of a given size.

Further guidance

History Boundary

Current authoritative financial meaning is published without claiming an exact inventor, coinage date, or absolute first use.

Meaning

Price impact measures how much the price of a security changes in response to a trade of a given size.

Usage Boundary

Price impact is a response-to-trade dimension of liquidity; it is not interchangeable with quoted spread or order-book depth.

Sources and evidence

Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.

  1. Regulation and liquidity provision (opens in a new tab)Bank for International Settlements · Authoritative definitions of bid-ask spread, market depth, price impact and liquidity risk as liquidity dimensions

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