What are stop loss orders and how to use them? (2024)

A stop-loss order is a buy/sell order placed to limit losses when there is a concern that prices may move against the trade. For instance, if a stock is purchased at ₹100 and the loss is to be limited at ₹95, an order can be placed to sell the stock as soon as its price reaches ₹95. Such an order is known as a 'Stop Loss' as it aims to prevent a loss exceeding the predetermined risk.

There are two types of Stop-Loss orders:

  1. SL order (Stop-Loss Limit) = Price + Trigger Price.
  2. SL-M order (Stop-Loss Market) = Only Trigger Price.

Example Scenario

Case 1: A sell SL is maintained if there is a buy position.

Case 2: A buy SL is maintained if there is a sell position.

In Case 1, for a buy position at ₹100 with an SL set at ₹95:

a. SL-M order type: A Sell SL-M order is placed with a trigger price of ₹95. When the price reaches ₹95, a sell market order is sent to the exchange, and the position is squared off at the prevailing market price.

b. SL order type: A Sell SL order is placed with a price and trigger price. The trigger price must be greater than or equal to the price. This order type allows for a range of the Stop-Loss. For instance, a trigger price of ₹95 and a price of ₹94.90 can be set. When the trigger price of ₹95 is reached, a sell limit order is sent to the exchange, and the order is squared off at the next available bid above ₹94.90. Thus, the SL order may be executed at ₹95 (or higher) or ₹94.95 but not below ₹94.90.

The disadvantage of this order type is that if the market sharply declines and the stock price is already below ₹94.90 when the trigger of ₹95 is reached, the Stop-Loss order remains open, potentially resulting in higher losses. It is important to exercise discretion in choosing between SL and SL-M orders based on the market scenario.

In Case 2, for a sell position at ₹100 with an SL set at ₹105:

a. SL-M order type: A Buy SL-M order is placed with a trigger price of ₹105. When the price reaches ₹105, a buy market order is sent to the exchange, and the position is squared off at the prevailing market price.

b. SL order type: A Buy SL order is placed with a price and trigger price. The trigger price must be less than or equal to the price. This order type allows for a range of the stop-loss. For example, a trigger price of ₹105 and a price of ₹105.10 can be set. When the trigger price of ₹105 is reached, a buy limit order is sent to the exchange, and the order is squared off at the next available offer below ₹105.10. Thus, the SL order may be executed at ₹105.05 or ₹105 but not above ₹105.10.

Alternatively, SL orders can be used in the following manner:

Since Sell SL orders are used below the buy price, and Buy SL orders are used above the sell price, these order types can be utilized to Buy above the Last Traded Price (LTP) and Sell below the LTP.

  1. To buy above LTP, a Buy SL order can be placed with the desired purchase price.
  2. To sell below LTP, a Sell SL order can be placed with the desired selling price.

What are stop loss orders and how to use them? (1) What are stop loss orders and how to use them? (2)


Did you know? NSE has stopped supporting SL-M order type for options. To learn how to use Stoploss-limit(SL) order as Stoploss-Market(SLM), see How to use Stoploss-limit(SL) order like a Stoploss-Market(SLM) order?

What are stop loss orders and how to use them? (2024)

FAQs

What are stop loss orders and how to use them? ›

A stop-loss

stop-loss
A stop-loss order is an order placed with a broker to buy or sell a specific stock once the stock reaches a certain price. 1 A stop-loss is designed to limit an investor's loss on a security position.
https://www.investopedia.com › articles › stocks › use-stop-loss
order is placed with a broker to sell securities when they reach a specific price. 1 These orders help minimize the loss an investor may incur in a security position. So if you set the stop-loss order at 10% below the price at which you purchased the security, your loss will be limited to 10%.

What are stop-loss orders and how do you use them? ›

A stop-loss order is a risk-management tool that automatically sells a security once it reaches a certain price (either a percentage or a dollar amount below the current market price). It is designed to limit losses in case the security's price drops below that price level.

What is the best way to use a stop-loss? ›

The historical movement of the asset and its financial market is also a good indication of where to set your stop-loss. If you're intending to go long, the stop-loss should be placed below the market price, or it should be placed above the market price if going short.

What is a stop order example? ›

Stop-limit order example:

The current stock price is $90. You place a stop-limit order to sell 100 shares with a stop price of $87.50, and a limit price of $87.50. If an execution occurs at $87.50 or below, your order will be triggered and become a limit order to sell at $87.50 or higher.

What is an example of a stop limit order for selling? ›

Sell Stop Limit

A sell stop order tells the market maker/broker to sell the stocks if the price decreases to the stop point or below, but only if the trader earns a specific price per share. For example, if the current price per share is $60, the trader can set a stop price at $55 and a limit order at $53.

When should I use a stop-loss order? ›

They protect investors from losing more money than they can afford to. Here's how they work: If you purchase a stock at a certain amount of money, say $20, and you want to make sure you don't lose more than 5 percent of your investment, you'll want to set your stop-loss order at $19.

What is the purpose of a stop-loss? ›

A stop loss order is an order placed to sell a security if it reaches a certain price. It helps limit potential losses by automatically selling a security when it falls below a specified price. Investors use stop loss orders to manage risk and protect their investments.

What is the golden rule for stop-loss? ›

The golden rule of Stop Losses is that they should never be moved away from the market once the trade is opened. If a trader feels that their stop loss is incorrectly placed, they are recognising that the foundations of their trade are incorrect and therefore they should close out.

What happens if you don't use stop-loss? ›

Without a stop loss you can loss your entire invest as the stock could in theory go to zero and become worthless. However, a stock cannot go negative so you are always limited to the amount you invested. Of course if you use margin then you can lose your entire account balance.

What is the 1 stop-loss rule? ›

What is 1 % stop loss rule? - Quora. Your Stop Loss should not exceed 1% of your total capital. It helps you building discipline and also ensures protection to your capital. Say suppose, your capital is 10k, by rule, your SL should not exceed 1% of 10k = Rs100.

What is an example of a stop-loss? ›

A stop-loss order is a buy/sell order placed to limit losses when there is a concern that prices may move against the trade. For instance, if a stock is purchased at ₹100 and the loss is to be limited at ₹95, an order can be placed to sell the stock as soon as its price reaches ₹95.

What is the difference between a put option and a stop-loss? ›

Whereas a stop-loss order is price sensitive and can be triggered by a sharp fluctuation in the stock price, a long put is limited by time, not stock price. The disadvantage of buying a put is that the total cost of the stock is increased by the cost of the put.

What happens when stop-loss is triggered? ›

When a stop-loss is triggered, it will execute the contract at the market price, not the stop-loss price. There is an increased risk of the execution price for higher volatility securities to be below the stop-loss price. A stop-loss order converts into a market order once the stop price is triggered.

How to set a stop-loss? ›

Go to the section of your online brokerage account where you can place a trade. Instead of choosing a market order, choose a stop loss order. Enter or scroll down to the price at which you would like to place a stop loss order.

What is a stop limit order for dummies? ›

Investors set a stop-limit order by placing the stop price where they want the order to trigger and a limit price where they would like a trade execution. If the security reaches the specified trigger price, the limit order activates and executes if the price is at or better than the price specified by the investor.

How to execute a stop limit order? ›

Narrator: To enter a Sell Stop Limit Order, you must enter a Stop price below the current security price and a Limit price less than or equal to the Stop price, ideally the lowest price you're willing to accept. $85 is entered as Stop price and $80 is set as Limit price.

What are the disadvantages of a stop-loss? ›

Disadvantages. The main disadvantage of using stop loss is that it can get activated by short-term fluctuations in stock price. Remember the key point that while choosing a stop loss is that it should allow the stock to fluctuate day-to-day while preventing the downside risk as much as possible.

What is the 7% stop-loss rule? ›

To make money in stocks, you must protect the money you already have. That brings us to the cardinal rule of selling. Always sell a stock it if falls 7%-8% below what you paid for it. This basic principle helps you always cap your potential downside.

Can I set stop-loss and take profit at the same time? ›

You can set a target price for both Take Profit and Stop Loss orders, both when you have an open position and before you open one. When the price of the instrument reaches either of these specified values, your position will be automatically closed.

What is the difference between a limit sell and a stop-loss? ›

Remember that the key difference between a limit order and a stop order is that the limit order will only be filled at the specified limit price or better; whereas, once a stop order triggers at the specified price, it will be filled at the prevailing price in the market--which means that it could be executed at a ...

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