Buying or selling stock couldnt be easier with todays technology. Investors can go online or call an automated trading platform to instantly place a trade. But just because its easy, it doesnt mean you cant make a mistake. There are a number of different order types that can be used to help you protect losses and maximize gains if used properly.
Market orders are the most common and easy to understand of the order types. A market order is simply an instruction to buy or sell the securities at the current market price. Unless you give different instructions, this is the type of order that will be placed. Market orders are almost always guaranteed to be executed as long as there are active buyers and sellers in the market.
One of the drawbacks of market orders is that the investor is at the mercy of the bid and ask spread. Buy orders are filled at the ask price, and sell orders are filled at the bid price. Depending on the individual stock and market activity, the bid and ask spread could be fairly significant. Another drawback is that in fast moving markets, you may receive a different price from what the current quote is.

Limit orders do just as they say, and allow investors to set a limit on the buy or sell price. W

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