Limit Order
A limit order is an instruction to buy or sell a stock at a specified
price. The specified price can be different from the market price. A
limit order specifies a maximum price for buying a stock or a minimum
price for selling a stock. For example, if the price of a stock
is anticipated to fall from its current price, you can place a limit
order to buy that stock at a specified lower price. If you want to
buy 100 shares of General Electric, for example, which has fluctuated
between $31 and $35 per share, you can place a limit order to
buy General Electric at $31 even though the market price is $34 per
share at the time the order is placed. The length of time that the
order stands before being executed depends on the instructions
you give to your broker. Using a good-till-canceled (GTC) order,
you can have the order remain active until it is either executed or
canceled. If a time limit is not specified, the order is assumed to be
a day order; in that case, if the stock price does not fall to the limit
price, the order is canceled at the end of the day.
Similarly, a limit order to sell stock can be placed above the
current market price. For example, if ExxonMobil Corporation’s
stock is trading at $68 per share and you think that the stock will
continue on an upward trend, you might decide to place a limit
order to sell at $75 per share or higher. This order is then executed
if and when ExxonMobil’s shares reach $75.
A limit order for an NYSE stock is sent from an investor’s brokerage
firm to the commission broker on the exchange floor, who
sees whether the order can be filled from the crowd (other commission
brokers). A commission broker is an employee of a member firm
on the exchange who transacts the firm’s orders on the exchange
floor. If the limit order’s price does not fall within the quotes of the
current bid and ask prices, the order is given to the specialist (a member
of the exchange who makes a market in one or more listed stocks
on the exchange). If the specialist does not execute the order, the limit
order is entered into the specialist’s book for future execution. In this
case the specialist is acting as a broker for the commission broker. If
the price of ExxonMobil, for example, rises days or months later, the
higher-priced limit orders in the specialist’s book are executed in the
order in which they were entered, known as the first-in, first-out
(FIFO) basis. The specialist receives part of the customer’s commission
for executing this limit order.
The advantage of placing a limit order is that investors have an
opportunity to buy (or sell) shares at a lower (or higher) price than
the market price. The obvious disadvantage is that limit orders
might never be executed if the limit prices are never reached.
Placing a limit order does not guarantee that your order will be
executed; with a market order, however, you are assured of execution
but not the price of execution.
|
|
Categories in Trading Mistakes
|
Lack of Trading Plan
Planning plays a key role in the success or failure of any endeavor
Using too much Leverage
Determining the proper capital requirements for trading is a difficult task
Failure to control Risk
Refusing to employ effective risk control measures can ensure your long-term failure
Lack of Discipline
A lack of discipline can destroy even the most talented and best prepared trader
Useful Advices to Beginning Trader
You can control your success or failure
All about Stocks
Encyclopedia about Stocks. That you should know about Stocks before starting
Forex Glossary
All terms about Forex market
|