Stop order

A stop order is an instruction to submit a buy or sell of a market order when the user-specified stop trigger price is attained or penetrated. A stop order does not guarantee a specific execution price and may be executed significantly away from its stop trigger price. A sell stop order is always placed below the current market price and is typically used for limiting loss or protecting profit on a long stock position. A buy stop order is always placed above the current market price. It is typically used for limiting loss or protecting profit on a short sale.