Market reference price
The median ask of the offer’s price band, the offer’s own price as a percentage against it (under, at, over, with ±15% counted as at), and the spread of asks for that exact domain and placement type across every seller carrying it, as counts and credits. It is called a reference and not a fair value because we hold asking prices, not the prices deals cleared at.
Where does market reference appear in the API?
market_reference: { reference_credits, vs_reference_pct, assessment, own_asks, ask_history } on quote lines and site listings. ask_history fills in once a listing has 14 days of observations. Not spoken in why when plausibility reads low, because “95% under market” and “priced like bought authority” are the same fact and the second framing is the true one.
Why does it matter?
The own-asks spread is the case for buying through an aggregator in one line: the same placement is sold by several marketplaces at prices a median 98% apart. Method: pricing methodology.
See it on a live row:
“Explain market reference on the rows of a 3-link finance plan.”
Methods: research methodology.