What is Limit Order and How Does it Work? (2024)

In a limit order, the investor has to specify a quantity and the desired price at which he or she wants to make the transaction. Say a share is currently trading at Rs 100 per share but the investor wants to buy it at Rs 95 per share. A limit order of say 10 shares at Rs 95 per share is placed. The order will only get executed when the share price reaches Rs 95 per share.

Limit order after or before market hours:Some brokers will also allow a limit order for buying or selling before or after market hours. The order will expire if unexecuted in the next trading session after the order is placed.

Things to Note about Placing Limit Orders

Here are a few more points on what is limit order in trading and how does it works.

Orders Are To Be Executed In A Single Trading Session

When a limit order is placed to buy the stocks of a particular company, the order has to be executed within the same trading session. Taking the same example as above, let’s assume that a limit order to buy 10 shares of a company at Rs 95 per share was placed when the live market price of the same is trading near Rs 100 per share. If the price of the share does not reach Rs 95 and stops at any price level above Rs 95, the limit order will most probably be cancelled by the broker. Hence, one of the first factors to consider for a limit order to be successful is that the desired share price has to be achieved in the same trading session and cannot be carried over to the next day.

No 100% Guarantee of Limit Order In A Trading Session

There is no complete 100% guarantee that a limit order will be executed. Let’s understand this through an example.

There are hundreds of other investors in the market and there are high chances that at least a few investors will be placing a limit order at the same price.

Let us assume four investors place a limit order at Rs 95 at different times.

Purchase Orders
TimeInvestorLimit Price/shareQuantity
9.30 a.m.A9510
10.30 a.m.B9520
11.00 a.m.C955
11.30 a.m.D9515
Live Market Price: Rs 100 per share

Let’s assume you are investor D and you placed an order for 15 shares at a limit price of Rs 95 per share, which is Rs 5 less than the assumed live market price.

On the sale side, there are three investors who have put up limit orders to sell their share they hold in the same company.

Sale Orders
TimeInvestorLimit Price/shareQuantity
9.15 a.m.E9520
9.50 a.m.F955
10.13 a.m.G955
Live Market Price: Rs 100 per share

Let’s answer the question of why isn’t a 100% order execution guaranteed:

  1. In a stock limit order, purchase orders are executed chronologically. In our example, there are only 30 shares on sale and the cumulative demand is for 50 shares. The purchase orders will then be executed on the basis of who placed the order first. In our example, investor A will get his 10 shares, investor B will get his 20 shares. C and D's orders will get canceled for that particular day because the number of shares on offer for sale were all purchased till the time C and D’s orders were reached.
  2. Another reason why there is no guarantee of 100% execution of a stock limit order is, in a hypothetical scenario, it is not necessary that a buyer will definitely find a seller at the limit price. There could be chances that no seller might want to offer their shares at Rs 95. It can also happen the other way round that a seller may not find buyers at all. If in an entire trading session, no investor places a sale order at that price, the order will be cancelled. This happens, as mentioned before, because a limit order, if unexecuted, cannot be carried over to another trading session.

What is Meant by a Trading Session

A single trading session is basically one trading day of the stock market. Trading sessions in India start at 9.15 a.m and end at 3.30 p.m. and more often than not trading sessions are only on weekdays. Stock markets are shut on weekdays unless the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi), our markets regulator, states otherwise. There are a few trading sessions that are scheduled on weekends.

There are some days that are earmarked as stock market holidays by Sebi. No trading is allowed on such days and most weekends.

Final Words

After being briefed with what is a limit order, what is its nature and things that need to be kept in mind, it is also important to know when a limit order really comes handy. Limit orders become useful when the markets are extremely volatile and the stock price changes by a larger amount in a few minutes. In a market order, the price that is actually taken into considerations depends on market conditions and for larger orders in extremely volatile conditions, the difference may also be huge.

What is Limit Order and How Does it Work? (2024)

FAQs

What is Limit Order and How Does it Work? ›

A limit order is an order to buy or sell a stock with a restriction on the maximum price to be paid (with a buy limit) or the minimum price to be received (with a sell limit). If the order is filled, it will only be at the specified limit price

limit price
A limit price (or limit pricing) is a price, or pricing strategy, where products are sold by a supplier at a price low enough to make it unprofitable for other players to enter the market. It is used by monopolists to discourage entry into a market, and is illegal in many countries.
https://en.wikipedia.org › wiki › Limit_price
or better. However, there is no assurance of execution.

How does limit works? ›

The limits are defined as the value that the function approaches as it goes to an x value. Using this definition, it is possible to find the value of the limits given a graph. A few examples are below: In general, you can see that these limits are equal to the value of the function.

What is the best way to use a limit order? ›

Limit order

For sell limit orders, you're setting a price floor—the lowest amount you'd be willing to accept for each share you sell. This means that your order may only be filled at your designated price or better. However, you're also directing your order to fill only if this condition occurs.

Which of the following is an example of a limit order? ›

A limit order is the use of a pre-specified price to buy or sell a security. For example, if a trader is looking to buy XYZ's stock but has a limit of $14.50, they will only buy the stock at a price of $14.50 or lower.

How do you determine limit order? ›

A Limit order: With a limit order you set the price that you want to buy or sell your shares at. It doesn't matter what the current market price is you will only trade at a price that is acceptable to you. For a buy order you would set a price below the current market price to try and get the shares at a cheaper price.

How does limit order work? ›

A limit order is an order to buy or sell a stock with a restriction on the maximum price to be paid (with a buy limit) or the minimum price to be received (with a sell limit). If the order is filled, it will only be at the specified limit price or better. However, there is no assurance of execution.

How do limit functions work? ›

Informally, a function f assigns an output f(x) to every input x. We say that the function has a limit L at an input p, if f(x) gets closer and closer to L as x moves closer and closer to p. More specifically, the output value can be made arbitrarily close to L if the input to f is taken sufficiently close to p.

What is the disadvantage to using a limit order? ›

The biggest drawback: You're not guaranteed to trade the stock. If the stock never reaches the limit price, the trade won't execute.

What are the 3 types of limit orders? ›

Limit Orders
  • Buy Limit: an order to purchase a security at or below a specified price. ...
  • Sell Limit: an order to sell a security at or above a specified price. ...
  • Buy Stop: an order to buy a security at a price above the current market bid. ...
  • Sell Stop: an order to sell a security at a price below the current market ask.

Is a limit order worth it? ›

Bottom line. Your choice of market order or limit order depends on the specific circ*mstances of the trade, but if you're worried about not getting a certain price, you can always use a limit order. You'll ensure that the transaction won't occur unless you get your price, even if it takes longer to execute.

What is one example of limit? ›

Examples of Calculating Limits of a Function

Use the formal definition of a limit to show that lim x → 9 f ( x ) = 6 for f : A ⟶ R given by f ( x ) = x − 9 x − 3 , where A = [ 0 , ∞ ) − { 9 } . To show that f ( x ) = x − 9 x − 3 , we one must find some ϵ , δ > 0 satisfying the definition of a limit.

How long do limit orders last? ›

You can choose a timeframe for your limit order, typically a period lasting as little as 24 hours or as long as a month. That means your limit order will execute a trade at the limit price only within a set period of time, after which it will expire. Let's say you want to buy Apple (AAPL) stock.

What is the best definition of a limit order? ›

A limit order is an order to buy or sell a security at a specific price or better. A buy limit order can only be executed at the limit price or lower, and a sell limit order can only be executed at the limit price or higher.

What should I set my limit order to? ›

If you are willing to wait and think that price will move in your favor in the future, then just set the limit buy or sell price to where you think price will move in the future. If you want the limit order to fill as quickly as possible, look at the current order book to determine your limit price.

How do you profit with a limit order? ›

You open a take profit limit order with the profit price set to 1,700 and the limit price set to 1,680. The last traded price hits 1,700, triggering your profit price. A limit order to sell ETH at 1,680 is placed in the market, which will fill at that price or better.

When can I place limit order? ›

Limit order after or before market hours: Some brokers will also allow a limit order for buying or selling before or after market hours. The order will expire if unexecuted in the next trading session after the order is placed.

How to calculate a limit? ›

To find the limit of a function, use either the direct substitution or factoring method. Direct substitution is best when there is no break, jump, or vertical asymptote at the set value c. It involves substituting the value c for x in the function and simplifying from there.

What is the formula for limit? ›

Let y = f(x) as a function of x. If at a point x = a, f(x) takes indeterminate form, then we can consider the values of the function which is very near to a. If these values tend to some definite unique number as x tends to a, then that obtained a unique number is called the limit of f(x) at x = a.

How do card limits work? ›

As you use your card, the amount of each purchase is subtracted from your credit limit and added to your balance. The amount you're left with is known as your available credit. Your creditor will typically determine your credit limit based on factors like your income, credit scores and payment history.

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