™Bids of 100 shares at $49.90 and 200 at $49.80 show displayed buying interest; hidden orders and rapidly canceled quotes may not be fully visible.
Orders & Market Structure
Order book
A collection of available buy and sell orders at different prices.
Plain-English context
Put the definition to work.
A displayed book is not every order in every venue. Hidden interest and canceled quotes limit what a snapshot establishes.
Further reading and verification. Examples are hypothetical, not current quotes or recommendations. Product terms, tax treatment and market rules can change. FINRA — order types and execution