Explain the "bid x ask" figure

JPGetty said: "What does this figure tell us? What does it mean? Why is it important? What does it indicate to you? Should that be of any major importance to me in my decision to buy or not?"

BenHouston said: "Ask is what the people that own the stock are willing to sell at Bid is what the people that want to the stock are willing to pay for the stock You need to find a point in between the two numbers in which the transaction will go through at."

JPGetty said: "[QUOTE=BenHouston]Ask is what the people that own the stock are willing to sell at Bid is what the people that want to the stock are willing to pay for the stock You need to find a point in between the two numbers in which the transaction will go through at.[/QUOTE I'm not following you, Ben. I know what bid and ask prices are. I just don't understand the "bid x ask" number, that is posted as, for example, 5000 x 5000. What is the significance of that figure? Why is it emphasized?]"