HFM information and reviews
HFM
96%
FXCC information and reviews
FXCC
92%
FxPro information and reviews
FxPro
89%
FBS information and reviews
FBS
88%
Vantage information and reviews
Vantage
85%
XM information and reviews
XM
82%

Limit Order vs Stop Order: an Overview


A trade order is a request that a trader places on a marketplace or any online investment intermediary (like a broker) to trade on some asset. This is the basis. Without understanding its essence, you will not be able to trade. In this article, we are going to consider three principal types of orders for stocks, currencies, and commodities that allow you to define the particular terms: Stop, Limit, and Stop Limit orders. We will tell you the difference between them and the way they should be used.

Besides, beginners will find a lot of useful information in our analytics section, including the glossary that you should read before you learn how to open or close an order. So, let's start!

Stop Orders

Stop orders come with the specified price for the asset, which is not available at the moment. It means that a broker will buy or sell an asset once its price reaches a predetermined level. You may confuse a Stop Loss order used to close a losing trade with a Stop order used to open a trade. Once the price of the order is available, the order is triggered. All that you are expected to do is to mention a stop price. For instance, it is equal to $500. When it is met, the order will be executed at any market price. If there is no asset at that price in the market, the order will not be executed.

You can use a Stop market order to buy or sell an asset. The Buy Stop order is executed at a stop price exceeding the current market price. The Sell Stop is executed at the price a trader has specified below the current market price. Such an approach allows choosing the best entry level and buying or selling an asset when the price is breaking a resistance or support levels.

How do you use Stop Loss orders?

As we have said, Stop Loss orders are commonly used to prevent losses on security positions. Let’s look at an example showing how to place a Stop Loss order. You may set a Stop Loss order for 10% below the price of your purchase. So, if the price falls, the asset will be sold with a loss equal to 10%. Let's say you have bought a stock at $50 per share. Immediately after this trade, you place a Stop Loss order specifying the stop loss price equal to $45. If the stock falls below $45, the trade will be executed automatically, and the shares will be sold at the prevailing market price.

Keep in mind that in the event of high volatility or a sharp drop, this price could fall below $45. The broker will choose the best market price at the current moment in accordance with your terms.

Again, the Stop order will be executed when the price reaches the specified point at any current price, just like a market order. For instance, if the share continues falling beyond the stop sell price, the order can be executed at a price lower than the specified threshold. When we set the Stop Buy order, once the specified price is reached, the asset will be bought at any price higher than the stop price.

We recommend using a Stop Loss order in a buy trade when:

It is important to understand that if the stop price is met, the trade can be executed at the nearest price matching the preset conditions, but it may still differ from your specified entry or exit price. The shifts depend on the current market. So, there is a threshold behind which a Stop order transfers into a market order.

The most important advantage of a Stop Loss order is that its implementation does not cost anything. You will pay a regular commission for the trade. Also, there is no need for continuous monitoring of the market. It is very handy if you do not want to watch your investment assets all the time.

In addition, you do not have to make an investment decision under the influence of emotions. Of course, you are not free from making thoughtful investment decisions, but when you limit trade, the risks may be lower.

Limit orders

Now, what is a Limit order in stocks? Limit orders can be compared with Stop orders as they are executed at a specified price. But in this case, it is known as a limit price and comes with a critical difference. The trade price cannot be less beneficial than the specified limit price. There is a variation of Limit orders known as Take Profit orders. When you place a Take Profit order, you are expected to specify the exact price, which will allow you to execute a trade with a profit. If the price of the asset does not reach the specified price, the Take Profit order does not get filled. Let's take a closer look at the differences between Buy Limit and Buy Stop.

How does a Limit order work?

The Limit order allows a broker to sell or buy an asset at a price that is not less than or not more than the limit price, respectively. We will see a key distinction if we compare it with a Stop order. The Stop orders are executed at any market price when the stop price is reached. While Limit orders are executed at a limit price or better, they are used when there is a high chance of an advantageous trend, which allows buying or selling at a better price.

Let’s say you’d buy an asset at a price of $50. If you set this value as the limit price, your order will be completed when the market price reaches $50. If it does not hit the point, the trade will not be executed. And it is clear that you just cannot set the price as the limit price that is available at the current moment. You will use the Buy Stop if the current price is below $50. Once the price rises to this level, the buy order will automatically open. If it does not rise to $50, the trade will not be executed.

What is a Limit order example?

Do you feel slightly confused with the above information? What does limit mean in stocks? Let’s get to the bottom of it together. For instance, you want to quickly buy (or sell) the stock. The most appropriate solution is to place a market order, which is commonly executed rapidly at any stock's current price. Let it be equal to $150. Alternatively, you may want to buy the stock only if its price decreases to $100. Here you are recommended to place a Limit Buy order with the limit price equal to $100. If the price reaches this point, the Limit order will be executed. But if the price never reaches $100, the stock will not be bought.

We hope that if you consider Buy Limit vs Buy Stop, you will understand the difference. The same mechanism is triggered when you want to sell the stock at the highest possible price. As a Sell Limit order example, let’s consider the same case. If you want to sell the stock at the highest possible price, you should place it above the current market price – let’s say you specify $160. The order will be executed at this price or higher.

A comparison of Sell Limit vs Sell Stop will help you to understand what exactly you need at the moment. There is another issue to understand. When the current market price reaches the specified limit value, the order may still not be filled. The reason is that there are orders ahead of yours that lay claim to the same shares at a limit price. Execution of Limit orders is usually performed on a first-come basis.

Stop Limit orders description

You now understand the difference: Limit order vs Stop order. By the way, if you have not ever placed an order, we recommend viewing our brief guide that will tell you how to close and open an order. Do not forget about another important order type. This is a Stop Limit order. It is only available on the MetaTrader 5 platform.

The definition is simple: it combines the features of the above-discussed ones. When you use a Stop Limit order, you are suggested to specify a price that is either higher than the current price for the asset you want to buy or lower than the current price for the asset you want to sell.

When the specified price is reached, the Limit order is automatically placed at the specified price, which is known as the stop limit price. In other words, first, this order type looks like a Stop order, but when the current price reaches the stop price, it becomes a Limit trade, meaning that the trade will be executed at the stop limit price (or better). This is a great way to control the price and trade within the defined range.

How does a Stop Limit order work?

Thus, this order type includes a Stop market order, when you place an order to buy (sell) at the best possible market price after the specified price is reached, and a Limit order, when you place an order to buy (sell) an asset at a specified price or better. In this way, it limits losses by providing you with the assurance that a trade will be executed at a favourable price.

You should make a Stop Limit order to send it to a broker. It appears in the order book, waiting for execution. It can be triggered when the set conditions are satisfied. It can be cancelled by a trader and can expire as long as its validity period is specified. So, if there is no price for the asset you want, and, let’s say, the duration is one day, the order will expire at the end of the market session. However, there are various options. You can set a good-till-cancelled order, meaning that it will not expire if you do not cancel it.

We should mention the risks that come with a Stop Limit order:

What is a Stop Limit order example?

We are going to provide a simple example. Let’s say you have bought shares at $500, being sure of an upward trend. To mitigate risks, you are suggested to place a Stop Limit order, which allows you to sell these shares if a market price goes lower than the stop value. At the same time, you do not want to undersell the shares and set a limit price, which is the lowest threshold for the trade.

So, you set the stop price to $490 and the limit price to $490.50. As a result, the order should be executed when the share price reaches $490 and continues to drop. But even if the price drops to $489 (below the stop price), the order will still not be executed if, at that moment, there is no buyer ready to buy the asset at $490.50 (the limit price). In this example, the stop price differs from the limit price. But you can set the same values for just one order.

Conclusion

Using various order types may help to raise the prospects of achieving an objective. We hope the article has provided you with a good overview to help you trade with lower risks. Now you understand the differences between Buy Limit vs Buy Stop, Stop order vs Limit order, etc. Stay tuned with us to be the first to know the hottest market and industry news!

#source


RELATED

Profitable Forex Trading Strategies Nobody Tells You About

One of the key aspects to be successful in trading is to maintain a high level of discipline. One keyway to enforce discipline on the FX market is to have a robust...

Top 10 Strategies for Earning Passive Income with Crypto

Passive income in the context of cryptocurrency refers to earning income from digital assets without actively trading or participating in day-to-day activities...

Deep Dive into Low-Spread Scalping Strategies for Forex Traders

In the realm of Forex trading, where rapid price movements and market dynamics are the norm, scalping stands out as a popular approach that leverages minute fluctuations....

Steps to a successful forex trading strategy

Are you an aspiring trader on the cusp of diving into the world of trading forex but unsure how to go about it? Or are you a seasoned forex trader perhaps who’s become a little too complacent...

Price Action Trading: The how-to guide

Price action trading is a popular strategy used by traders to analyze the movement of an asset's price over time. This is done by identifying patterns on candlestick...

Unlocking the Potential: Navigating the Dynamics of Day Trading the EUR/USD

In the realm of financial markets, day trading is emblematic of the fluid nature of investment horizons. Among the vast array of trading instruments, the EUR/USD currency pair reigns supreme...

What Is Scalping Trading in Cryptocurrency?

Scalp trading in crypto is a strategy that short-term traders employ to take advantage of trading opportunities. It is not a novice, but it can be profitable. The professional scalper...

Bill Williams' Trading System

Bill Williams is a world famous trader, developer of analytical indicators and creator of Profitunity strategy. In 1987, his first works on trading in the stock...

Crafting a Robust Trading System: Strategies, Analysis, and Management

In today's complex financial landscape, trading across various markets demands a strategic approach. Creating an effective trading system involves a combination of technical expertise...

How to Make a Cryptocurrency Trading Plan

With each passing day, more and more traders join in on cryptocurrency trading. It’s unsurprising, considering the cryptocurrency market has been rapidly expanding for over a decade...

Best ETF Trading Strategies For Traders To Consider

Exchange-traded Funds (ETFs) offer diversification, low cost and flexibility. They are also well-suited to a variety of trading strategies, ranging from basic to advanced...

How To Strategically and Effectively Diversify A Currency Trading Portfolio

In the multifaceted arena of currency trading, a trader’s success pivots not solely on precise market analysis and judicious decision-making but significantly on the astute construction of the trading portfolio...

Golden Cross trading strategy

The Golden Cross is a candlestick chart pattern that gives a bullish signal. When a short-term moving average crosses above a long-term moving average, it is called a crossover...

Why trading strategies fail?

Imagine you've thoroughly examined a set of rules and an algorithm of actions that should lead you to a profitable trade. You make sure that every...

Why are 98% of Forex strategies ineffective?

This question is probably asked by every novice trader. Almost every information resource on the subject of financial markets provides a separate section...

Crypto trading in 2023: trade crypto with a strategy

Crypto trading has had its difficulties over the last few years, and many traders are now wondering whether to trade crypto in 2023 or ever again...

Top 5 Successful RAMM Strategies in December

Today we’ll review the 5 best high-yield RAMM strategies in the past month. The 10YX strategy proved to be the best performing strategy in December...

Guide to Short Selling: Navigating and Capitalizing on Market Declines

Short selling stands out in the financial world as a unique trading strategy that allows investors and traders to gain from declining asset prices. This approach, though less conventional than straightforward buying...

Martingale Forex Strategy

The dream of every trader is to find a strategy that guarantees if not 100% success, then at least 99.99%. Of course, at first glance it looks absolutely incredible...

Cryptocurrency Trading Strategies: Learn to Profit From Bitcoin and Ethereum

Trading the highly volatile assets can lead to substantial profits, especially when combined with superior trading tools such as 100x leverage, further amplifying their wealth-generating power...

FP Markets information and reviews
FP Markets
81%
RoboForex information and reviews
RoboForex
77%
IronFX information and reviews
IronFX
77%
T4Trade information and reviews
T4Trade
76%
Exness information and reviews
Exness
76%
Just2Trade information and reviews
Just2Trade
76%

© 2006-2025 Forex-Ratings.com

The usage of this website constitutes acceptance of the following legal information.
Any contracts of financial instruments offered to conclude bear high risks and may result in the full loss of the deposited funds. Prior to making transactions one should get acquainted with the risks to which they relate. All the information featured on the website (reviews, brokers' news, comments, analysis, quotes, forecasts or other information materials provided by Forex Ratings, as well as information provided by the partners), including graphical information about the forex companies, brokers and dealing desks, is intended solely for informational purposes, is not a means of advertising them, and doesn't imply direct instructions for investing. Forex Ratings shall not be liable for any loss, including unlimited loss of funds, which may arise directly or indirectly from the usage of this information. The editorial staff of the website does not bear any responsibility whatsoever for the content of the comments or reviews made by the site users about the forex companies. The entire responsibility for the contents rests with the commentators. Reprint of the materials is available only with the permission of the editorial staff.
We use cookies to improve your experience and to make your stay with us more comfortable. By using Forex-Ratings.com website you agree to the cookies policy.