
What are the different types of stock orders?
Types of Orders. The most common types of orders are market orders, limit orders, and stop-loss orders. A market order is an order to buy or sell a security immediately. This type of order guarantees that the order will be executed, but does not guarantee the execution price. A market order generally will execute at or near the current bid (for ...
What are the different types of trade orders?
Types of Trade Orders
- Ask vs Bid. At every given moment, there are two market prices. ...
- Market Order. The most basic type of trade order is a market order. ...
- Limit Order. A limit order is somewhat the opposite of a market order. ...
- Market Order vs Limit Order. ...
- Stop Order. ...
- Limit vs Stop Order. ...
- Stop Loss Order. ...
- Trailing Stop Order. ...
- Trailing Stop Limit Order. ...
- Summary. ...
What are the types of trading orders?
Trading Order Types
- The Basics of Placing Orders. ...
- Market Orders (MKT) Market orders buy or sell at the current price, whatever that price may be. ...
- Limit Orders (LMT) Limit orders are orders to buy or sell an asset at a specific price or better. ...
- Stop Orders (STP) Stop orders are similar to market orders; they are orders to buy or sell an asset at the best available price.
What is the meaning of a stock order?
It is an order to buy or sell immediately at the current price. Typically, if you are going to buy a stock, then you will pay a price at or near the posted ask. If you are going to sell a stock,...

What is the best order type when buying stock?
Market ordersMarket 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.
What are the 4 types of stocks?
Here are four types of stocks that every savvy investor should own for a balanced hand.Growth stocks. These are the shares you buy for capital growth, rather than dividends. ... Dividend aka yield stocks. ... New issues. ... Defensive stocks. ... Strategy or Stock Picking?
What are the 4 types of stock purchase orders?
Limit OrdersBuy Limit: an order to purchase a security at or below a specified price. ... Sell Limit: an order to sell a security at or above a specified price. ... Buy Stop: an order to buy a security at a price above the current market bid. ... Sell Stop: an order to sell a security at a price below the current market ask.
What is the most common stock order type?
A limit order is the most common type of order, and we recommend to always enter a trade using this order type:“Buy” button to enter a long position below current market price (bullish).“Sell” button to enter a short position above current market price (bearish).
What are the 5 classifications of stocks?
There are probably over one dozen stock classifications but we will describe only the following five here: blue-chip, growth, income, cyclical, and interest-rate-sensitive stocks.
What are the 7 classifications of stock?
7 Categories of Stocks that Every Investor Should KnowIncome Stocks. An income stock is an equity security that offer high yield that may generate from the majority of security's overall returns. ... Penny Stocks. ... Speculative Stocks. ... Growth Stocks. ... Cyclical Stocks. ... Value Stocks. ... Defensive Stocks.
What are the 3 types of trade?
There are three types of international trade: Export Trade, Import Trade and Entrepot Trade.
What is regular order and SL order?
Regular orders – both market and limit orders are placed in the market book directly. A stop-loss order, on the other hand, is placed in the stop-loss book and moved to the market book when the live price hits the trigger price.
What is type in Zerodha?
Order type in Zerodha is a set of specific instructions used while placing trade orders to enter or exit a trade as per trading goals. Zerodha has basic order types like limit, market, and stop-loss orders. It also offers advanced order types like Cover Order and GTT.
How do beginners buy stocks?
The easiest way to buy stocks is through an online stockbroker. After opening and funding your account, you can buy stocks through the broker's website in a matter of minutes. Other options include using a full-service stockbroker, or buying stock directly from the company.
Is it better to buy market or limit?
Limit orders set the maximum or minimum price at which you are willing to complete the transaction, whether it be a buy or sell. Market orders offer a greater likelihood that an order will go through, but there are no guarantees, as orders are subject to availability.
Why understanding the type of orders are important?
In general, understanding order types can help you prioritize your needs, manage risk, speed execution and provide price improvement. For all of your securities transactions, check the trade confirmation you receive from your firm to make sure the price, fees and order information is accurate.
What does it mean to trade stocks?
Trading means buying and selling stocks relatively quickly throughout the trading day. Taking that into account, trading without orders would entail sitting in front of your computer very cautiously the whole day long, and setting automatic alerts for all your positions so you know when an important price shift happens.
What is a sell stop order?
A sell stop order is another of the so-called stop-loss orders. It is always placed below the current market price, and it is used to limit losses if a stock starts plummeting by triggering a market order as soon as the shares reach a certain low.
What is OCO order?
The OCO order is rather self-explanatory. You would utilize this type when you want to capitalize on only one of two or several options. Maybe you have a limited budget for investments at any given time or have some other, more complex reason for not wanting to buy multiple stocks at once.
What is OSO in stock trading?
OSO lets you chain orders together where the placing of the next orders depends on the execution of the previous one. For example, you might see a stock that is on a downward trend, but you are confident it is going to regain value.
What does "cancel orders" mean?
If all or none orders are concerned with volume, immediate or cancel orders are with time. They make sure shares are bought in a very short timeframe. Anything that would fall outside it is terminated, and if no trades are possible in the given time the order is canceled altogether.
How long can you keep a good till cancelled order?
Good ‘till canceled means exactly that—the order will remain active until you suspend it. The caveat here is that most brokers set a limit of 90 days on most orders. This should, however, give you more than enough time to do all the trades you wanted to.
How does a sell stop order work?
While a sell stop order starts selling as soon as the price falls to a certain point and keeps selling until the specified number of shares are sold, a sell stop limit order will only sell in a certain price bracket. If the current market price of a stock is $10, and you want to start selling if the price dips to $9, but would rather stop selling below $8.50, a sell stop limit order does exactly that.
What is market order?
A market order is when an investor requests an immediate execution of the purchase or sale of a security. While this type of order guarantees the execution of the order, it doesn’t guarantee the execution price. Generally, it will execute at (or close to) the current bid (sell) or ask (buy) price.
What is a buy limit order?
A buy limit order only executes at the limit price or below. For example, if an investor would like to purchase Apple Inc. for no more than $195 per share, the investor would place a limit order. Once the share price reaches $195, the order executes. While a sell limit is similar, it’s only executed when the stock reaches ...
What is conditional order?
Conditional orders allow investors to set triggers for securities. These options center around the price movement of securities, indexes and other option contracts. An investor can select trigger values, security types and timeframes for the execution of their orders.
What happens when you execute a market order?
When executing a market order, investors don’t have control over the final price. The execution of the stock order correlates to the availability of buyers and sellers. Depending on the pace of the market, the price paid or sold may drastically vary from the price quoted. It’s also possible to split market orders.
Why do you need a stop order?
Investors usually request buy stop orders to limit their loss or protect their profit if they have shorted a stock. Investors may use a sell stop to minimize their loss or protect a profit on a security they own. Some of the most common stop orders include:
When can you use a one cancels order?
Investors can use a one cancels other order when they want to capitalize on one of two trading options. For instance, if an investor wishes to trade Stock ABC at $100 per share or Stock XYZ at $50 per share, the one who reaches the designated price first will be the one that occurs.
Can you split market orders?
It’s also possible to split market orders. Splitting market orders may result in multiple price points, caused by several investors’ participation in the transaction. Since most market orders are typically simple, traditional and online brokers may receive a minimal commission.
Stock Order Type Examples
Next, we’ll take a look at a few examples for all of the three order types explained above.
The Bottom Line: Stock Order Types
As you just read, there are a lot of different order types that all have their own advantages and disadvantages.
About The Author
Andy Tanner is a highly successful business owner & investor from Salt Lake City, Utah. He's a world-renowned stock expert and serves as Rich Dad's Advisor on Paper Assets.
What is market order?
Market Order. A market order is among the most common trading order types. In a market order, you purchase or sell a stock at the current market price. Notice that in this type of order, the price is controlled entirely by the market. So, for instance, if you want to purchase 5 shares of stock at $4,000 per share, ...
How does a limit order work?
Limit Order. A limit order works a bit differently. In a limit order, the investor sets the limit on the total price of the order. For instance, you might be willing to buy 5 shares of a company at $2,000 per share. This means you would never spend more than $10,000 on your total order.
What happens if a stock takes off?
If the stock takes off, the order will never be executed. But if the startup company’s stock suddenly plummets, a stop order can save you from losing a larger portion of your investment. Be aware, however, that this doesn’t guarantee that your stock will sell at that price.
What happens if a stock never reaches the desired price?
If a particular stock never reaches the desired price, the order will not be executed. It’s also important to note that limit orders can come in two forms. Buy limit orders prevent buyers from paying more than an agreed-upon amount per share.
What is slippage in stock market?
Slippage refers to the difference between the price you expect and the price at which the order is actually filled. If you’re not careful, this can result in a loss when you’re working with stocks. This is why it’s important to consider more sophisticated types of stock orders.
Why do you need a stop order?
A stop order is among the safer trading order types because it allows you to limit your loss on a particular investment. More specifically, a stop order sells a stock once it drops to a certain price, minimizing your losses.
Can a trailing stop order be used for short positions?
Trailing stop orders are typically used for a long position, but they can also be used for a short position. But as with stop orders, intra-day market fluctuations can trigger a trailing stop order. Investors should consult with their brokers to pinpoint the criteria at which a trailing stop order will be executed.
What is stock order?
A stock order is a set of instructions you send to a brokerage to buy or sell securities. It used to be that you’d have to call your broker to place your order for you. With the internet, it’s a lot easier these days. You can place orders by clicking a few buttons with your online trading platform.
What is a stop order in stock trading?
At that time, it becomes a market order to sell. It’s an order that can potentially protect profits and prevent excessive losses.
What is a buy limit order?
Buy Limit Order. A buy limit order is an order to buy a stock at or below a specific price. It can control the price you’re willing to accept from a seller. It will only execute when the ask is at or below your specified price. Buy limit orders provide traders the ability to enter a position.
What happens when you buy stop?
These orders are most used when price indicates upward momentum. It’s important to note that when your buy stop order triggers the order becomes a buy limit order .
Why do traders use stop loss orders?
Others can panic once the price action turns against them. Having a stop-loss order can help remove emotional influences from trading decisions. Your stop loss can be some of the stop orders we talked about, or you could also use a mental stop.
What is market order?
This is the most basic of stock order types. Market orders give you the ability to buy or sell at the market’s current best price. It means that your order will fill immediately.
Can you use an all or none order?
Not using an all-or-none order, you could end up with partial fills using bigger share size. With AON orders, you provide instructions about when your order fills. This has an effect on how long your order is active. It’s like it says — all or none of your order.
What are the different types of orders?
Types of Orders. The most common types of orders are market orders, limit orders, and stop-loss orders. A market order is an order to buy or sell a security immediately. This type of order guarantees that the order will be executed, but does not guarantee the execution price. A market order generally will execute at or near ...
What is a buy stop order?
A buy stop order is entered at a stop price above the current market price. Investors generally use a buy stop order to limit a loss or 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.
What is a limit order?
A limit order is an order to buy or sell a security at a specific price or better. A buy limit order can only be executed at the limit price or lower, and a sell limit order can only be executed at the limit price or higher. Example: An investor wants to purchase shares of ABC stock for no more than $10. The investor could submit a limit order ...
What is stop loss order?
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 the 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.
Market orders
A market order is a lot like going to a store and paying retail price: Investors instruct to buy or sell now at the going price. Most big company stocks and exchange-traded funds can be traded this way, almost instantly during market hours, and with little difference in price from what investors expected.
Limit orders
A limit order is just that—an order with a price limit. A buy limit order sets a price ceiling: Don’t pay above $XX a share. A sell limit order sets a price floor: Don’t sell for less than $XX. Using the Oracle example above, assume investors want to buy soon after the market opens at 9:30 a.m. Eastern Time.
Stop order
A stop order might be more appropriately called a trigger order, because when the stock reaches or passes a designated price, this triggers a market order. It can be a sell stop order or a buy stop order.
The bottom line
Market orders generally are preferred by long-term investors who are looking at the fundamental characteristics of companies in buying and selling stocks, and will hold stocks for months and years.

Market Order vs. Limit Order
Market and Limit Order Costs
- When deciding between a market or limit order, investors should be aware of the added costs. Typically, the commissions are cheaper for market orders than for limit orders. The difference in commission can be anywhere from a couple of dollars to more than $10. For example, a $10 commission on a market order can be boosted up to $15 when you place a limit restriction on it…
Additional Stock Order Types
- Now that we've explained the two main orders, here's a list of some added restrictions and special instructions that many different brokerages allow on their orders: