The Different Kinds of Stock Trades

Written By Chouhab on mardi 27 janvier 2009 | 08:58

By Gerdie Maple

What are the trades you want to make on the stock market? The experts advise starting small with less complex trades. Some types of stock trades, such as short selling, options trades and others take a little more expertise to pull off successfully. Depending on the current market conditions, the actual price at the execution for the trade might differ substantially from the price quoted. There are also limit orders, which will result in the trade only being performed at or above a predetermined price. By using limit orders, you can ensure being protected in terms of price, but you also run the risk that the trade will not be performed at all.

This kind of price fluctuation is especially common in very hot stocks such as IPOs. Initial public offerings commonly have rapid changes in price due to the very high volume of trading for a new offering. There are delays in quotes, since the trading is simply happening too fast for quotes to keep pace in real time. This has led many novice investors to pay a lot more than they had anticipated for a stock; this is why a limit order can be a very good thing, especially if you are new to the stock market.

Traders need to have a handle on how things can happen in these rapid trades lest they be blindsided by these fast fluctuations in price. A high volume of trades can outpace the ability of quotations to reflect the real price at that moment. These conditions can also cause a trade execution and conformation to lag behind actual prices. Internet based traders are used to getting real-time information; but under some circumstances, these kinds of delays can and do happen.

While the SEC does not have any regulations which cover how quickly a trade has to be executed, the firms making the trades do have to adhere to their speed of execution published (if they have done so) and to inform investors if significant delays are expected.

Remember that if you want to buy or sell a stock with a price range, then you need to use a limit order. Market orders are direct buys or sells with no conditions, and are filled at whatever price the market provides. A limit order is an order to buy or sell a security at a specific price. 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. Market orders do not control the price at which your order will be filled.

Lets take as our example a hot stock " an IPO initially offered at $9; this is a fast moving stock, but you want to pay no more than $20. You can then place a limit order which will only allow the trade to be executed if the price is at or below $20. While you wont end up paying $110 for the stock and taking a loss should the price fall (which it almost certainly will, at least in the short term), it can also mean that your order is never filled at all.

If you are unable to access your trading account online, find out what your other options are. Most online trading firms will also allow you to make trades by touch tone phone, by fax or the old-school method of simply calling a broker and speaking to them in person. Keep in mind that any events which cause a delay in online trades will similarly affect trades made through these alternate means as well.

When it comes to your stock trades, never assume anything. A lot of traders have ended up buying twice as much stock as they wanted to after thinking an order had not been executed and placing a second one. Speak with your firm and ask them how you can confirm that your order has been executed so that you dont end up making this mistake.

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