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that there is enough liquidity in that specific stock (i.e., there is
good volume action).
- Limit Order — With the limit order you can set the price per
share at which you are willing to buy or sell.Your order will only
execute at your specified price level or better.
- Stop Order — Your order will execute at market price after the
stock price touches the level you have specified.
- Stop Limit Order — You order will execute at your specified
price after the stock price touches the level you have specified.
Let’s explains these order types further, as I know you may be
scratching your head about the last two types of orders. As explained, a
market order is the simplest of all orders. Back to our example. You
really want to buy 20 shares of Ford now. So you tell your broker to buy
20 shares of Ford at market price. By doing that you enter into a market
order and your broker will buy your shares at the current going ask
price. If the stock happens to be a high volume stock, your order would
execute immediately. The downside is when the particular stock has a
super-low volume. In that case a potential seller might have placed a
high ask price and you would end up paying a lot higher price than
what you thought. For example, if you checked the stock price before
placing the market order and it was $50 per share, that would reflect the
last transaction price on that stock. For a high volume stock (and Ford
is considered high volume) your market order would probably execute
right around that price give or take 1/8 or 1/4 point. (Points mean
dollars in trading lingo.) But if the stock is trading at a low volume, you
may end up paying $51, $52, or whatever the next ask price might be.
Of course the same bad situation applies if you are dealing with a
rapidly rising (upside volatile) stock. By the time you place your market
order, the ask price might have moved a lot higher. It is also quite
possible that you may end up paying less than what you expected for
the stock if the stock is rapidly falling (downside volatile). As you can
see, with market order you have the benefit of immediate execution but …
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