The 4 main Order Types in Trading Forex
Tuesday, December 30th, 2008There are different types of orders that can take place on the Forex Market.

• Market Order
The "market order" is the simplest and commonest kind of order. The trader deals currency at the prevailing market rate at the time of placing the order. Since the forex market is so huge and volatile, the trends in exchange rates can change at any time, so people trading forex need to guard themselves against any adverse fluctuations.
• Limit order
This is where a trader specifies a price beyond which he is not prepared to trade in a certain currency. Say a trader has bought Euros agaist the Dollar at 1.2100 then he can specify that the order should be executed when the exchange rate reaches 1.2200 and will make a profit from the trade. The order will be cancelled if the limit price is not reached during the day.
• Stop loss order
Due to market volatility, "Stop loss orders" are needed. These determine the maximum loss a trader is willing to take. For example in the above instance, say a trader does not have a high risk-taking ability, then they can place a stop loss order at 1.1900 which will limit the amount of loss if the exchange rate falls.
• Entry order
An entry order is only filled when certain market conditions which the order specifies are met. This type of order can be a limit entry or even a stop entry order. These are explained below.

– Limit entry order
As an example, let’s assume that the current market price for Euros/USD is 1.2100-1.2200. This implies that the trader can transact at these levels. In this case a trader can put a "limit entry order" to sell his holdings at a price higher than the market price, say 1.2300. His order would only execute if that price is reached. In the similar manner, he can place an order for buying at a level of, say 1.2000, and his "buy" order would remain pending till the price falls to that level.
– Stop entry order
Such an order is generally used when the trader has sufficient grounds to believe that the currency is trading in a fixed range and believes that it is on the verge of a breakout from that range. He may want to either sell at a price which is lower than the market price or buy at a price which is higher than the market price. In the example above the trader can set the stop entry order to buy at 1.2300 or sell at 1.1900 which are the levels he/she may believe that when reached, the currency will only rise or fall further. Normally a stop entry order is only placed when the trader has enough reason to believe that there will be a sharp movement in the exchange rates.

In the latter case, the aim is to buy the foreign currency at a low rate and sell it at a higher rate. Forex trading is usually carried out between central banks, government speculators and multinational corporations. A foreign market is first required in order for nations to trade with each other.
Bank trades form a large chunk of the volume in the Forex market. Not only do they buy and sell as individual organisations, but they also buy and sell on behalf of their clients. Futures trading is very common. Until a few years ago, brokers could influence the volume of forex trading. However these days, due to the ability to trade online, the services of brokers is not required.