Day Trading 101: What Are Forex Orders?
As you begin to learn the fundamentals of Forex trading, you'll need to learn what an order is. In day trading, Forex orders are used by traders to enter and exit the market, and they help provide controls over how trades are placed. There are many different types. Some orders are rules-based, enabling a trader to enter the market when prices are at specific levels, while others enable traders to enter or exit the market at the current price.
There are five types that are almost universally offered by brokers, as well as some lesser known trade orders. Beginning day traders must learn how each trade order works and the situations in which each order should be used. Here's a look at the five most common:
1. Market Orders: Market orders are used by traders to enter or exit the market immediately. Essentially, the trader enters or exits at the current price, and if the market moves against his or her position, it would result in a loss if the position was closed.
2. Limit Orders: Limit orders are rules-based, with the rules being set by the trader. Most commonly, limit orders are used to enter the market when the exchange rate for a currency pair reaches a certain value. They are considered "pending" until the rules are met and the trade is filled. If you are going long, your limit order would be slightly above the market value, and if you were selling short, the order would be slightly below. For example, if you believe GBP/USD is moving into an uptrend from 1.5000, you might set a limit order to enter at 1.5020.
3. Take Profit Orders: Traders often set up trades but cannot sit back and monitor the movement of the market. Take profit orders are used to automatically close a trade when the exchange rate has reached a profitable value for the trader. For example, if you enter EUR/USD at 1.0600 and want to take a profit if the market reaches 1.0700, you would set a take profit order for 1.0700. By setting these orders, traders are able to lock in profits.
4. Stop Loss Orders: The opposite of a take profit order is the stop loss. A stop loss order - which is sometimes referred to as an exit order - is used to automatically close a trade if the market moves against the trader's position. This is a defensive mechanism that allows a trader to cap the amount of loss incurred. For example, if you go long on GBP/USD at 1.0500, you could set a stop loss at 1.0400. If the market moves against your position, the trade would be closed once the exchange rate reached 1.0400. Without a stop loss order in place, though, your losses in this trade could quickly add up if the market continued in a downward trend.
5. Trailing Stop Orders: Trailing stop orders are similar to stop losses, but there is one key difference. With a trailing stop, the trader sets a stop price benchmark. The trade will automatically close if the exchange rate reaches this stop price. But there is also a trailing amount attached to the stop order price. So if the market moves in a positive direction, the stop price rises by the trail amount. For instance, if you go long in a position, you would set a specific stop price below the current market rate. As the market rises, so too will your stop price. If the market moves against your position, though, the stop price remains unchanged.
Forex orders play an integral role in day trading, and thus, it's important for beginning Forex traders to understand the intricacies of the different types of trade orders. These are just the most common. There are many other orders that may or may not be offered, but if you can understand how each of these five work, you'll be in a better positioned to understand how more complicated trade orders work.