Stop Buy Limit Order

A stop-limit order combines the features of a stop-loss order and a limit order. The investor specifies the limit price, thus ensuring that the stop-limit order will only be filled at the limit price or better. However, as with any limit order, the risk here is that the order may not get filled at all, leaving the investor stuck with a money-losing position.

stop buy limit order

Stop-loss orders will only be triggered during standard market hours, which is generally 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. EST. They will not get executed during extended-hours sessions or when the market is closed for weekends and holidays.

A market order is an order to buy or sell a stock at the market's current best available price. A market order typically ensures an execution, but it doesn't guarantee a specified price. Market orders are optimal when the primary goal is to execute the trade immediately. A market order is generally appropriate when you think a stock is priced right, when you are sure you want a fill on your order, or when you want an immediate execution.

A few caveats: A stock's quote typically includes the highest bid potential buyers are willing to pay to acquire the stock, lowest offer potential sellers are willing to accept to sell the stock, and the last price at which the stock traded. However, the last trade price may not necessarily be current, particularly in the case of less-liquid stocks, whose last trade may have occurred minutes or hours ago. This might also be the case in fast-moving markets, when stock prices can change significantly in a short period of time. Therefore, when placing a market order, the current bid and offer prices are generally of greater importance than the last trade price.

Generally, market orders should be placed when the market is already open. A market order placed when markets are closed would be executed at the next market open, which could be significantly higher or lower from its prior close. Between market sessions, numerous factors can impact a stock's price, such as the release of earnings, company news or economic data, or unexpected events that affect an entire industry, sector, or the market as a whole.

Note, even if the stock reached the specified limit price, your order may not be filled, because there may be orders ahead of yours. In that case, there may not be enough (or additional) sellers willing to sell at that limit price, so your order wouldn't be filled. (Limit orders are generally executed on a first come, first served basis.) That said, it's also possible your order could fill at an even better price. For example, a buy order could execute below your limit price, and a sell order could execute for more than your limit price.

A stop order is an order to buy or sell a stock at the market price once the stock has traded at or through a specified price (the "stop price"). If the stock reaches the stop price, the order becomes a market order and is filled at the next available market price. If the stock fails to reach the stop price, the order isn't executed.

When you want to buy a stock should it break above a certain level, because you think that could signal the start of a continued riseA sell stop order is sometimes referred to as a "stop-loss" order because it can be used to help protect an unrealized gain or seek to minimize a loss. A sell stop order is entered at a stop price below the current market price. If the stock drops to the stop price (or trades below it), the stop order to sell is triggered and becomes a market order to be executed at the market's current price. This sell stop order is not guaranteed to execute near your stop price.

While the two graphs may look similar, note that the position of the red and green arrows is reversed: the stop order to sell would trigger when the stock price hit $133 (or below), and would be executed as a market order at the current price. So, if the stock were to fall further after hitting the stop price, it's possible that the order could be executed at a price that's lower than the stop price. Conversely, for the stop order to buy, if the stock price of $142 is reached, the buy stop order could be executed at a higher price.

Remember that the key difference between a limit order and a stop order is that the limit order will only be filled at the specified limit price or better; whereas, once a stop order triggers at the specified price, it will be filled at the prevailing price in the market--which means that it could be executed at a price significantly different than the stop price.

The next chart shows a stock that "gapped down" from $29 to $25.20 between its previous close and its next opening. A stop order to sell at a stop price of $29--which would trigger at the market's open because the stock's price fell below the stop price and, as a market order, execute at $25.20--could be significantly lower than intended, and worse for the seller.

In a similar way that a "gap down" can work against you with a stop order to sell, a "gap up" can work in your favor in the case of a limit order to sell, as illustrated in the chart below. In this example, a limit order to sell is placed at a limit price of $50. The stock's prior closing price was $47. If the stock opened at $63.00 due to positive news released after the prior market's close, the trade would be executed at the market's open at that price--higher than anticipated, and better for the seller.

Many factors can affect trade executions. In addition to using different order types, traders can specify other conditions that affect an order's time in effect, volume or price constraints. Before placing your trade, become familiar with the various ways you can control your order; that way, you will be much more likely to receive the outcome you are seeking.

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A stop-limit order provides greater control to investors by determining the maximum or minimum prices for each order. When the price of the stock achieves the set stop price, a limit order is triggered, instructing the market maker to buy or sell the stock at the limit price. It helps limit losses by determining the point at which the investor is unwilling to sustain losses.

When a trader makes a stop-limit order, the order is sent to the public exchange and recorded on the order book. The order remains active until it is triggered, canceled, or expires. When an investor places a stop-limit order, they are required to specify the duration when it is valid, either for the current market or the futures markets.

For example, if an investor specifies the validity period to be one day, the order will expire at the end of the market session if it is not triggered. The trader can also select the order validity period to be good-til-canceled (GTC), which remains valid in future market sessions until it is triggered or canceled.

Traders use stop-limit orders when they are not actively monitoring the market, and the order helps trigger a buy or sell order when the security reaches a specified point. Once the price is attained, the order is automatically triggered. The following are the two main stop-limit orders that traders place:

For example, if John intends to buy ABC Limited stocks that are valued at $50 and are expected to go up today, he can put a stop price at $55. It means that once the price reaches $55, the trade is executed, and the order is turned into a market order. If the limit order is capped at $60, the order is processed after reaching $55, and if it exceeds $60, it is not fulfilled.

A sell stop order tells the market maker/broker to sell the stocks if the price decreases to the stop point or below, but only if the trader earns a specific price per share. For example, if the current price per share is $60, the trader can set a stop price at $55 and a limit order at $53. The order is activated when the price falls to $55, but not below $53. Below $53, the order will not be fulfilled.

A stop-limit order does not guarantee that the trade will be executed, because the price may never beat the limit price. If the limit order is attained for a short duration, it may not be executed when there are other orders in the queue that utilize all stocks available at the current price.

Partial fills may occur when only a part of the shares in the stock order is executed, leaving an open order. Executing parts of a single order for each trading day the execution occurs will involve multiple commissions, which reduces the overall returns of a trader.

In a regular stop order, if the price triggers the stop, a market order will be entered. If the order is a stop-limit, then a limit order will be placed conditional on the stop price being triggered. Thus, a stop-limit order will require both a stop price and a limit price, which may or may not be the same.

A stop-limit order allows you to trigger an order at a specific stop price and then carry out the transaction only if it can be completed at a certain limit price. The risk of a stop-limit order is that it may remain unfilled or be partially filled.

A stop order, also referred to as a stop-loss order, is an order to buy or sell a stock once the price of the stock reaches a specified price, known as the stop price. When the stop price is reached, a stop order becomes a market order. A buy stop order is entered at a stop price above the current market price. Investors generally use a buy stop order in an attempt to limit a loss or to protect a profit on a stock that they have sold short. A sell stop order is entered at a stop price below the current market price. Investors generally use a sell stop order in an attempt to limit a loss or to protect a profit on a stock that they own. 041b061a72