5 Essential Order Types
- Anthony Speciale
- May 16, 2024
- 4 min read
Hey Trader,
5 Essential Order Types
Navigating the stock market as a beginner can feel overwhelming, especially when faced with a plethora of trading order types.
Should you use a limit order or a market order?
How should you set stops effectively to protect your trading account?
Understanding these order types is crucial, particularly if you're day trading and dealing with short-term market volatility.
In this article, we'll demystify the key order types available on most broker platforms, helping you to make more informed trading decisions.
Market Orders
Let’s start with the basics. A market order is the most elementary type of trade order.
It is executed immediately at the current market price, whether you're buying or selling.
This makes it the fastest way to enter or exit a position.
Market orders are best suited for high-volume securities like large-cap stocks during market hours, but they are not ideal for low-volume trading premarket or afterhours.
Pros and Cons:
Pros: Speed of execution.
Cons: Lack of control over the execution price, which can lead to higher costs, especially in low float stocks or volatile markets.
For example, if you decide to buy 500 shares of Zoom Video Communications (ZM) with a market order, you might find that the first 100 shares fill at one price, but the next 400 shares fill at progressively higher prices due to limited availability.
This can significantly impact your trading costs.
Limit Orders
If you prefer more control over your trade prices, limit orders are your go-to.
A limit order allows you to set the maximum price you're willing to pay when buying or the minimum price you're willing to accept when selling.
This ensures that your trades are executed only at your desired price or better.
Pros and Cons:
Pros: Greater control over trade execution prices.
Cons: There's no guarantee that your order will be filled if the market doesn’t reach your specified price.
For instance, if you want to buy shares of a volatile low-float stock like UONE at a specific price, you can set a buy limit order at that price. If the stock pulls back to your limit, your order will be filled, potentially giving you a better entry point.
Stop Orders
Stop orders are designed to limit your losses by triggering a market order once the stock reaches a specific price.
This type is crucial for risk management, especially in volatile markets.
Pros and Cons:
Pros: Helps protect against significant losses by triggering automatic sell orders.
Cons: Can lead to slippage, especially in fast-moving markets where the execution price can be significantly different from the stop price.
For example, if you’re long 1,000 shares of SPI at $25 and want to limit your losses, you could set a stop market order at $22.
If the price drops to $22, your stop order becomes a market order, and all your shares will be sold, potentially saving you from further losses.
Bracket Orders
Bracket orders are ideal for part-time traders who can't monitor the market constantly.
This order type includes a primary order along with two opposite-side orders: one to take profit and one to stop loss.
Pros and Cons:
Pros: Automatically manages your trades by locking in profits and limiting losses.
Cons: Can only be used for intraday trades as they are canceled at market close.
For example, if Mike Bagholder buys 100 shares of TSLA at $399, he can set a bracket order to sell at $406 (take profit) and stop out at $397 (stop loss).
If one order is executed, the other is automatically canceled, ensuring efficient trade management.
Trailing Stop Orders
A trailing stop order is a dynamic stop order that adjusts as the stock price moves in your favor.
It helps you lock in profits while allowing the position to grow as long as the trend continues.
Pros and Cons:
Pros: Protects profits by adjusting the stop price as the market moves.
Cons: The trailing amount needs to be set carefully to avoid premature stop-outs in normal market fluctuations.
For instance, if you’re long on a stock like NKLA, you could set a trailing stop order that follows the stock price by $1.
If the stock rises, the stop price rises with it, but if the stock price falls by $1 from its peak, your position is sold, securing your profits.
Understanding and utilizing these order types can significantly enhance your trading strategy and risk management.
For active day traders, limit orders are typically best for entries and exits, while stop market orders are essential for protecting positions.
Part-time traders can benefit from bracket and trailing stop orders to manage trades efficiently.
And for those who prioritize speed over price, market orders are the quickest way to enter or exit a position.
By mastering these order types, you can better navigate the complexities of the stock market and make more informed trading decisions.
Happy Trading,
Anthony Speciale
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