Stop Orders

A stop order is an order, placed with your commodities broker, to either buy or sell a particular futures contract at the market price if and when the price reaches a specified level. Stop orders are often used in futures trading in an effort to limit the amount they might lose if the commodity price moves against them. For example, were you to purchase a crude oil futures contract at $38.00 a barrel and wished to limit your loss to $1.00 a barrel, you might place a stop order to sell an off-setting contract if the price should fall to, say, $37.00 a barrel. If and when the market reaches the limit price you specify, a stop order becomes a market order to execute the desired trade at the best price immediately obtainable. There can be no guarantee that it's possible under these market conditions, to execute the order at the specific price specified.

In an active, volatile market, the commodity price may be declining (or rising) so rapidly that there is no opportunity to liquidate your position at the stop price you have designated. Under these circumstances, the commodity broker is only obligation is to execute your order at the best price that is available. In the event that prices have risen or fallen by the maximum daily limit, and there is presently no trading in the contract (known as a "lock limit" market), it may not be possible to execute your order at any price.

In addition, although infrequently, markets may be lock limit for more than one day, resulting in substantial losses to futures traders who may find it impossible to liquidate losing futures positions. Subject to the kinds of limitations just discussed, stop orders can nonetheless provide a useful tool for the commodity trader who seeks to limit losses. More often than not, it can be possible for the futures broker to execute a stop order at or near the specified price. In addition to providing a way to limit losses, stop orders can also be employed to protect profits. For instance, if you have bought crude oil futures at $38.00 a barrel and the price is now at $41.00 a barrel, you might wish to place a stop order to sell if and when the price declines to $40.00. This (again subject to the described limitations of stop orders) could protect $2.00 of your existing $3.00 profit while still allowing you to benefit from any continued market increase in price.

Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. The risk of loss exists in futures and options trading.

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Information is believed to be reliable and is provided 'as is' without warranty.