Online Trading : Understanding Order Types
Market order
Buying a stock can be as easy as calling a broker and saying you want to buy
such and such a stock — but you can place an order in a number of other
ways that give you better protections. Most orders are placed as day orders,
but you can choose to place them as good ’til cancelled orders. The four
basic types of orders you can place are market orders, limit orders, stop
orders, and stop-limit orders.
Understanding the language and using it to protect your assets and the way
you trade are critical to your success as a trader. The next few sections
explain the nuances of placing orders so you don’t make a potentially costly
mistake by placing a market order when you intended to place a limit order.
Putting a stop-limit order in place may sound like the safest way to go; however,
doing so may not help you in a rapidly changing market.
such and such a stock — but you can place an order in a number of other
ways that give you better protections. Most orders are placed as day orders,
but you can choose to place them as good ’til cancelled orders. The four
basic types of orders you can place are market orders, limit orders, stop
orders, and stop-limit orders.
Understanding the language and using it to protect your assets and the way
you trade are critical to your success as a trader. The next few sections
explain the nuances of placing orders so you don’t make a potentially costly
mistake by placing a market order when you intended to place a limit order.
Putting a stop-limit order in place may sound like the safest way to go; however,
doing so may not help you in a rapidly changing market.
Market order
When you place a market order, you’re essentially telling advisers to buy
or sell a stock at the current market price. A market order is the way your
adviser normally places an order unless you give him or her different instructions.
The advantage of a market order is that you’re almost always guaranteed
that your order is executed as long as willing buyers and sellers are in
the marketplace.
Generally speaking, buy orders are filled at the ask price
and sell orders are filled at the bid price. If, however, you’re working with a
dealer who has a smart-order routing system, which looks for the best bid/
ask prices, you sometimes can get a better price on the Nasdaq or NYSE
Alternext US exchanges. In most investment dealers, market orders are the
cheapest to place with the lowest commission level.
The disadvantage of a market order is that you’re stuck paying the price when
the order is executed — possibly not at the price you expected when you
placed the order. Investment dealers and real-time quote services quote you
prices, but because the markets move fast, with deals taking place in seconds,
you’ll probably find that the price you’re quoted rarely is the same as the execution price. Whenever you place a market order, especially if you’re seeking
a large number of shares, the probability is even greater that you’ll receive
different prices for parts of the order — 100 shares at $25 and 100 shares at
$25.05, for example.
or sell a stock at the current market price. A market order is the way your
adviser normally places an order unless you give him or her different instructions.
The advantage of a market order is that you’re almost always guaranteed
that your order is executed as long as willing buyers and sellers are in
the marketplace.
Generally speaking, buy orders are filled at the ask price
and sell orders are filled at the bid price. If, however, you’re working with a
dealer who has a smart-order routing system, which looks for the best bid/
ask prices, you sometimes can get a better price on the Nasdaq or NYSE
Alternext US exchanges. In most investment dealers, market orders are the
cheapest to place with the lowest commission level.
The disadvantage of a market order is that you’re stuck paying the price when
the order is executed — possibly not at the price you expected when you
placed the order. Investment dealers and real-time quote services quote you
prices, but because the markets move fast, with deals taking place in seconds,
you’ll probably find that the price you’re quoted rarely is the same as the execution price. Whenever you place a market order, especially if you’re seeking
a large number of shares, the probability is even greater that you’ll receive
different prices for parts of the order — 100 shares at $25 and 100 shares at
$25.05, for example.
Limit order
If you want to avoid buying or selling stock at a price higher or lower than
you intend, you must place a limit order instead of a market order. When placing
a limit order, you specify the price at which you’ll buy or sell. You can
place either a buy limit order or a sell limit order. Buy limit orders can be
executed only when a seller is willing to sell the stock you’re buying at the
limit price or lower. A sell limit order can be executed only when a buyer is
willing to pay your limit price or higher. In other words, you set the parameters
for the price you’ll accept. You can’t do that with a market order.
The risk you take when placing a limit order is that the order may never be
filled. For example, a hot stock piques your interest when it’s selling for $10,
so you decide to place a limit order to buy the stock at $10.50. By the time
you call your broker or input the order into your trading system, the price
already has moved above $10.50 and never drops back to that level; thus,
your order won’t be filled. On the good side, if the stock is so hot that its
price skyrockets to $75, you also won’t be stuck as the owner of the stock
after purchasing near the $75 high. That high will likely be a temporary top
that quickly drops back to reality, forcing you to sell the stock at a significant
loss at some point in the future.
Most firms charge more for executing a limit order than they do for a market
order. Be sure you understand the fee and commission structures if you
intend to use limit orders.
you intend, you must place a limit order instead of a market order. When placing
a limit order, you specify the price at which you’ll buy or sell. You can
place either a buy limit order or a sell limit order. Buy limit orders can be
executed only when a seller is willing to sell the stock you’re buying at the
limit price or lower. A sell limit order can be executed only when a buyer is
willing to pay your limit price or higher. In other words, you set the parameters
for the price you’ll accept. You can’t do that with a market order.
The risk you take when placing a limit order is that the order may never be
filled. For example, a hot stock piques your interest when it’s selling for $10,
so you decide to place a limit order to buy the stock at $10.50. By the time
you call your broker or input the order into your trading system, the price
already has moved above $10.50 and never drops back to that level; thus,
your order won’t be filled. On the good side, if the stock is so hot that its
price skyrockets to $75, you also won’t be stuck as the owner of the stock
after purchasing near the $75 high. That high will likely be a temporary top
that quickly drops back to reality, forcing you to sell the stock at a significant
loss at some point in the future.
Most firms charge more for executing a limit order than they do for a market
order. Be sure you understand the fee and commission structures if you
intend to use limit orders.
Stop order
You may also consider placing your order as a stop order, which means
that whenever the stock reaches a price that you specify, it automatically
becomes a market order. Investors who buy using a stop order usually do
so to limit potential losses or protect a profit. Buy stop orders are always
entered at a stop price that is above the current market price.
When placing a sell stop order, you do so to avoid further losses or to protect
a profit that exists in case the stock continues on a downward trend. The stop
price is always placed below the current market price. For example, when you
have a stock that you bought for $10 that now is selling for $25, you can decide
to protect most of that profit by placing a sell stop order that specifies that
stock be sold when the market price falls to $20, thus cementing a $10 gain.
You don’t have to watch the stock market every second; instead, when
the market price drops to $20, your stop order automatically switches to a
market order and is executed.
The big disadvantage of a stop order is that if for some reason the stock
market gets a shock during the news day that affects all stocks, it can temporarily
send prices lower, activating your stop price. If it turns out that the
downturn is actually merely a short-term fluctuation and not an indication
that the stock you hold is a bad choice or that you risk losing your profit,
your stock may sell before you ever have time to react.
The bottom can fall out of your stock’s pricing. After your stop price is
reached, a stop order automatically becomes a market order and the price
that you actually receive can differ greatly from your stop price, especially in a
rapidly fluctuating market. You can avoid this problem by placing a stop-limit
order, which we discuss in the next section.
Stop orders are not officially supported on Nasdaq. However, most dealers
offer a service to simulate a stop order. If you want to enter a stop order for
a Nasdaq stock, your adviser must watch the market and enter the market or
limit order you designate as a stop when the stock reaches your specified sale
price. Some investment dealers won’t accept a stop order on some securities
and almost never accept a stop order for OTC stocks.
If you intend to use stoporders, make sure that you
✓ Check with the dealers you’re planning to use to ensure they accept
stop orders.
✓ Find out what your dealers charge for stop orders.
✓ Review how your dealers’ stop orders work, so you don’t run into
surprises.
After all, you don’t want to execute a stop order and end up selling a stock
that you didn’t intend to sell or at a price you find unacceptable.
that whenever the stock reaches a price that you specify, it automatically
becomes a market order. Investors who buy using a stop order usually do
so to limit potential losses or protect a profit. Buy stop orders are always
entered at a stop price that is above the current market price.
When placing a sell stop order, you do so to avoid further losses or to protect
a profit that exists in case the stock continues on a downward trend. The stop
price is always placed below the current market price. For example, when you
have a stock that you bought for $10 that now is selling for $25, you can decide
to protect most of that profit by placing a sell stop order that specifies that
stock be sold when the market price falls to $20, thus cementing a $10 gain.
You don’t have to watch the stock market every second; instead, when
the market price drops to $20, your stop order automatically switches to a
market order and is executed.
The big disadvantage of a stop order is that if for some reason the stock
market gets a shock during the news day that affects all stocks, it can temporarily
send prices lower, activating your stop price. If it turns out that the
downturn is actually merely a short-term fluctuation and not an indication
that the stock you hold is a bad choice or that you risk losing your profit,
your stock may sell before you ever have time to react.
The bottom can fall out of your stock’s pricing. After your stop price is
reached, a stop order automatically becomes a market order and the price
that you actually receive can differ greatly from your stop price, especially in a
rapidly fluctuating market. You can avoid this problem by placing a stop-limit
order, which we discuss in the next section.
Stop orders are not officially supported on Nasdaq. However, most dealers
offer a service to simulate a stop order. If you want to enter a stop order for
a Nasdaq stock, your adviser must watch the market and enter the market or
limit order you designate as a stop when the stock reaches your specified sale
price. Some investment dealers won’t accept a stop order on some securities
and almost never accept a stop order for OTC stocks.
If you intend to use stoporders, make sure that you
✓ Check with the dealers you’re planning to use to ensure they accept
stop orders.
✓ Find out what your dealers charge for stop orders.
✓ Review how your dealers’ stop orders work, so you don’t run into
surprises.
After all, you don’t want to execute a stop order and end up selling a stock
that you didn’t intend to sell or at a price you find unacceptable.
Other order types
Less commonly used order methods include contingent, all-or-none, and fillor-
kill orders. Contingent orders are placed on the contingency that another
one of your stock holdings is sold before the buy order is placed. An all-ornone
order specifies that all the shares be bought according to the terms
indicated or none of the stock should be purchased. A fill-or-kill order must be
filled immediately upon placement or killed.
kill orders. Contingent orders are placed on the contingency that another
one of your stock holdings is sold before the buy order is placed. An all-ornone
order specifies that all the shares be bought according to the terms
indicated or none of the stock should be purchased. A fill-or-kill order must be
filled immediately upon placement or killed.
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