No doubt if you get into the FOREX market you will be, at some point, placing an order with a broker. But what type of order you place, and at what time, could affect your financial prospects.
Basically, orders should be placed keeping in mind your trading style. The crux of an order should be when you want to enter and exit the market. The worst thing you can do is give an improper order and throw off your entry and exit points, the points at which you should be making your profit.
Let's take a look now at some of the orders you may come across.
The Most Common: A Market Order
Market orders are all over the FOREX. Essentially, it's just when you place an order to buy or sell at the current market price, which is displayed as the bid or ask price. You can use the market order to enter or exit an existing position.
One thing to remember is that a market order is basically a guarantee of execution. If you are not completely certain about the trade you want to make, take the time to think it through. You won't get another chance when you place a market order.
Your Best Friend: the Stop Order
A stop order is a type of unfulfilled market order. It becomes a market order when a specified price (specified by you and your broker) is reached in the marketplace. This is a great order for limiting your loss or locking in a predetermined profit. It's commonly used by investors leaving for vacation or those that know they are going to be busy and unable to monitor the situation themselves.
There are a few different type of stop orders to be aware of. First, the buy-stop order is an order to the broker that you want to buy a currency pair a market price once the market reaches your specified price or higher. A sell-stop order is an order telling your broker that you want to sell a currency pair at the market price once the market reaches a certain price you've indicated to him.
Stopping the Leaks
You are going to lose money in the FOREX, as in any market. Accept it, it's a part of life. At some point, you will have losses no matter what you do. But the smart investor takes positive steps to prevent these customary losses from becoming huge disasters. The stop order is your best way to do this.
If you are going to trade, make sure you go in with an idea of where you want to get out (called your exit position). The order you place to get out at a predetermined price is called a stop-loss.
There's also limit orders to think about. This is where you are willing to enter or exit a new position, but only on your terms i.e. at a specific price or quantity. The order will only be filled, if at all, at the price you specified. Keep in mind that limit orders cost more than market orders. But, this can be offset by the fact that limit orders are so darn useful on a low-volume or volatile investment.
Before you put in your trade, make sure you have an idea of where you want to take profits if the trade happens to go in your direction. This is where the limit order really shines. It allows you to exit the market at your pre-set profit objective.
Keep the Orders in Order
Make sure you understand what orders you need to put in when. Orders are tools, they're tools that are right in front of you, ready to help you make the profits that will make your time in the FOREX worthwhile. However, as with any tool, they have to be understood first, and then used.
Of all the orders to be understood and used, the market, stop and limit orders are the ones you're going to be hearing the most. And for good reason. Few investors use more than these so make sure you know what they are and what they do, and you won't lose money because you weren't sure what kind of order to execute.
Kevin Davis has been investing online for 10 years and just recently started looking into expanding his investments into the FOREX market. To learn more about Kevin, visit his blog at http://www.KevinHDavis.com
Basically, orders should be placed keeping in mind your trading style. The crux of an order should be when you want to enter and exit the market. The worst thing you can do is give an improper order and throw off your entry and exit points, the points at which you should be making your profit.
Let's take a look now at some of the orders you may come across.
The Most Common: A Market Order
Market orders are all over the FOREX. Essentially, it's just when you place an order to buy or sell at the current market price, which is displayed as the bid or ask price. You can use the market order to enter or exit an existing position.
One thing to remember is that a market order is basically a guarantee of execution. If you are not completely certain about the trade you want to make, take the time to think it through. You won't get another chance when you place a market order.
Your Best Friend: the Stop Order
A stop order is a type of unfulfilled market order. It becomes a market order when a specified price (specified by you and your broker) is reached in the marketplace. This is a great order for limiting your loss or locking in a predetermined profit. It's commonly used by investors leaving for vacation or those that know they are going to be busy and unable to monitor the situation themselves.
There are a few different type of stop orders to be aware of. First, the buy-stop order is an order to the broker that you want to buy a currency pair a market price once the market reaches your specified price or higher. A sell-stop order is an order telling your broker that you want to sell a currency pair at the market price once the market reaches a certain price you've indicated to him.
Stopping the Leaks
You are going to lose money in the FOREX, as in any market. Accept it, it's a part of life. At some point, you will have losses no matter what you do. But the smart investor takes positive steps to prevent these customary losses from becoming huge disasters. The stop order is your best way to do this.
If you are going to trade, make sure you go in with an idea of where you want to get out (called your exit position). The order you place to get out at a predetermined price is called a stop-loss.
There's also limit orders to think about. This is where you are willing to enter or exit a new position, but only on your terms i.e. at a specific price or quantity. The order will only be filled, if at all, at the price you specified. Keep in mind that limit orders cost more than market orders. But, this can be offset by the fact that limit orders are so darn useful on a low-volume or volatile investment.
Before you put in your trade, make sure you have an idea of where you want to take profits if the trade happens to go in your direction. This is where the limit order really shines. It allows you to exit the market at your pre-set profit objective.
Keep the Orders in Order
Make sure you understand what orders you need to put in when. Orders are tools, they're tools that are right in front of you, ready to help you make the profits that will make your time in the FOREX worthwhile. However, as with any tool, they have to be understood first, and then used.
Of all the orders to be understood and used, the market, stop and limit orders are the ones you're going to be hearing the most. And for good reason. Few investors use more than these so make sure you know what they are and what they do, and you won't lose money because you weren't sure what kind of order to execute.
Kevin Davis has been investing online for 10 years and just recently started looking into expanding his investments into the FOREX market. To learn more about Kevin, visit his blog at http://www.KevinHDavis.com
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