A market order indicates that you want to buy or sell a stock at the next best available price. A market order does not guarantee a price, but generally guarantees an immediate execution if placed during market hours (9:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. ET). As such, a market order entered during market hours can rarely be canceled. By definition a market order is executed as soon as possible at the prevailing market price, subject to fluctuations of the market. A market order placed after hours may be executed at a price significantly different from the closing price. You may consider placing a limit order in lieu of a market order if you want to ensure that your order does not get filled at a price dramatically different than the current price Note: Market orders are only accepted with a time in force of one day. Market orders entered after market hours are routed to the appropriate exchange prior to market opening and are generally entitled to the opening price.
A limit order indicates that you want to buy or sell a stock at a specific price or better. Limit orders do not guarantee execution, but may be employed to avoid exposure to market fluctuation. Enter a limit order in lieu of a market order if you are comfortable risking that the order may not execute, but want to ensure that the order does not get filled at a price dramatically different than the current price. A limit buy order must execute at or below its prescribed limit price, a limit sell order at or above the sell limit price. Limit orders must be entered in whole numbers and decimal format, in multiples of .01. Note: T. Rowe Price Brokerage accepts limit orders with duration one day or Good till Canceled (good for 90 days). Other types of limit orders are Limit Fill or Kill which is the ability to assure an order is filled immediately and completely at the same price or not at all. If the order is not immediately filled in its entirety, the order will be cancelled and Limit All or None is the ability to assure an order is filled completely at the same price, or not at all. If the order is not filled entirely at the close of market, the order is cancelled.
A stop order indicates that you want to buy or sell at the market price after a stock has traded at a specific price. Once a stock price moves to or through the stop price, a stop order becomes a market order to buy or sell. This guarantees execution of the order, but does not guarantee the price. For a listed stock, a stop order becomes a market order only once the stock has traded at a price equal to or better than the stop price. For OTC securities, however, a stop order becomes a market order when the inside bid or offer is equal to or better than the stop price. An inherent risk of a stop order is that it may be triggered by a temporary market movement and executed at a price higher or lower than the stop price if there are market orders ahead. For this reason, stop orders are sometimes called stop loss orders because they are often employed to protect a profit or avoid a loss, and it is generally recommended that a stop order be placed away from the current bid or ask price to avoid immediate execution. Stop orders must be entered in whole numbers and decimal format in multiples of .01. T. Rowe Price Brokerage accepts stop limit orders with a time in force of one day, or good for 90 days.
A stop limit order is combination of stop and limit order, a stop limit specifies that a buy or sell order is to be executed at a specific price or better, but only after a given stop price has been reached. In contrast to a stop order, a stop limit becomes a limit order at the limit price once the stock trades at the stop price. This guarantees that the order is only to be filled at the limit price or better, but does not guarantee an execution. As such, stop limit orders are not always effective in protecting a profit or avoiding a loss. For a listed stock, a stop limit order becomes a limit order only once the stock has traded at a price equal to or better than the stop price. For OTC securities however, a stop limit order becomes a limit order when the inside bid or offer is equal to or better than the stop price. An inherent risk of a stop limit order is that the stop component may be triggered by a temporary market movement, but not executed if there are limit orders ahead. Stop limit orders must be entered in whole numbers and decimal format, in multiples of .01.