Gross Spread

Gross spread

The fraction of the gross proceeds of an underwritten securities offering that is paid as compensation to the underwriters of the offering.

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gross spread

The difference in the price that an investor pays for a new security issue and the price paid the issuer by the lead underwriter. The gross spread is a function of a number of variables including the size of the issue and the riskiness, or price volatility, of the security. Also called underwriting spread.

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Gross Spread

In a public offering, the difference between the price an underwriter pays an issuer and the price at which it sells the offering to the public. That is, an underwriter pays the issuer an agreed-upon price to purchase an issue, which it then attempts to place with investors. When it places the issue, it charges the investor a certain price like any other trade. The difference is known as the gross spread; it forms the bulk of an underwriting firm's profits. See also: Fully subscribed, Overbooked, Underbooked.

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Gross spread. In an initial public offering (IPO), the gross spread is the difference between what the underwriters pay the issuing company per share and the per share price that investors pay. It's usually about 7%.

For example, if a stock is to be offered to the public at $10 a share, the underwriters may pay the issuing company around $9.30 per share. With millions of shares being sold, the 70 cents per share adds up to millions of dollars for the investment bank.