Stop-Limit Orders

Sept. 26, 2022

I like to practice at least three times stop-limit orders.

Stop-Limit Orders

A stop-limit order consists of two prices: a stop price and a limit price. This order type can activate a limit order to buy or sell a security when a specific stop price has been met.2 For example, imagine you purchase shares at $100 and expect the stock to rise. You could place a stop-limit order to sell the shares if your forecast was wrong.

If you set the stop price at $90 and the limit price at $90.50, the order will activate if the stock trades at $90 or worse. However, a limit order will be filled only if the limit price you selected is available in the market. If the stock drops overnight to $89 per share, that is below your stop price so that the order will be activated, but it will not be filled immediately because there are no buyers at your limit price of $90.50 per share. The stop price and the limit price can be the same in this order scenario.

A stop-limit order has two primary risks: no fills or partial fills. It is possible for your stop price to be triggered and your limit price to remain unavailable. If you used a stop-limit order as a stop-loss to exit a long position when the stock started to drop, it might not close your trade.

Even if the limit price is available after a stop price has been triggered, your entire order may not be executed if there wasn't enough liquidity at that price. For example, if you wanted to sell 500 shares at a limit price of $75, but only 300 were filled, then you may suffer further losses on the remaining 200 shares.

A stop order avoids the risks of no fills or partial fills, but because it is a market order, you may have your order filled at a price much worse than what you were expecting. For example, imagine that you have set a stop order at $70 on a stock that you bought for $75 per share.

The company reports earnings after the market closes and opens the next day at $60 per share after disappointing investors. Your order will activate, and you could be out of the trade at $60, far below your stop price of $70.