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Understand Market Orders & How They Work?

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Synopsis:

Market orders are a very common type of order in the stock market. When you place such an order, you instruct your broker to buy or sell a security as fast as he can and at the best available price.

Hence, the speed of execution of such orders tends to be really fast. However, while placing a market order, you do not specify a price. Hence, such orders can get executed at a price different from what you expected.

What is a Market Order?

A market order requires an investor to instruct his broker to purchase or sell an asset (a share, a bond, a mutual fund, or any other asset) at whatever price is best available currently in the market.

It needs to be noted that the priority here is the speed of execution. While issuing a market order, an investor wants the transaction to get executed as fast as possible. However, he does not specify the exact price at which he wants the transaction to be executed.

Understanding Market Orders in Detail

If you have a demat account with a broker, it is easy to understand the meaning of a market order. Suppose you want to buy a share. You log into your demat account. The online platform of your broker will ask you the name and symbol of the stock you want to purchase and how many stocks you want to buy.

On a broker’s platform, the default type of order is a “market order.” This order allows you to trade in a security at the current price but does not let you specify a price at which you want to trade it.

A market order is different from a limit orders. If you want to place a limit order for a stock, you have to specify the exact price at which you want to trade it.

As you do not specify a certain price in a market order, it is likely that the order will be executed at a price different from what you expected. Having understood the meaning of market orders, let us delve deeper into this topic.

 Additional Read: What is Trading Account: Definition, Types & Benefits

How Does A Market Order Work?

  • Placing a market order: You visit the online platform of your broker to place a market order to buy or sell a security. When you place a market order, you instruct your broker to buy or sell a security at the best available price.

  • Prompt execution of a trade: Once you place an order, your broker will try his level best to execute the trade immediately if the market is open. Usually, market orders are executed as fast as possible, unless you place an order for an illiquid stock.

  • Determining the price: As you do not specify a price while placing a market order, the price has to be determined based on the current price of the security. Hence, the price you pay or receive to buy or sell a security can differ from the price you saw when you decided to purchase or sell it.

  • Consider bid-ask spreads for illiquid stocks: Usually, market orders result in almost immediate execution in the case of liquid stocks. However, you need to be careful while placing such orders for illiquid stocks. For such stocks, you should consider their bid-ask spread. “Bid” stands for the highest price a buyer is prepared to pay for a stock and “ask” means the lowest price a seller wants to receive for a stock. If this spread is significant for a stock, then your market order may be settled at a less favourable price.

Features of Market Orders

  • Fast execution: A market order gets executed very fast provided people want to trade in the stock for which you have placed an order. Hence, they are most suitable for liquid stocks (e.g., large-cap stocks) because a lot of people want to buy or sell such stocks, which means their liquidity is high.

  • No guarantee of price: A market order is executed at the best available price. Hence, there is no guarantee of price in this case. Hence, the price at which your order is finally executed can be significantly different from the price you expected.

  • Appropriate for liquid stocks and for fast execution of an order: A market order is appropriate only for liquid stocks because many participants want to trade in such stocks. Hence, an order can be executed fast. Besides, such orders are appropriate if you want your order to get executed fast. If you can wait, then you can place other types of orders (e.g., limit orders).

Example of Market Orders

Suppose you want to buy Hindustan Unilever, a large-cap stock. You noticed that it opened at Rs. 2,975 on September 23, 2024. Suppose you want to buy 10 stocks of it. Hence, you place a market order by mentioning that you intend to purchase 10 stocks of Hindustan Unilever. As it is a large-cap stock with high liquidity, it is highly likely that you will be able to buy its stocks.

That said, there is no guarantee as to what price your order will be executed. Depending upon market sentiment, it can get executed at Rs. 3,100 (higher than the opening price) or Rs. 2,900 (lower than the opening price).

 Impact of Market Orders on Financial Markets

Market orders can impact the liquidity in a financial market. Liquidity means the ability of buyers and sellers of a stock to execute their trades without resulting in a considerable change in its price.

When a lot of people place a market order to buy a stock, then the demand for the stock increases, causing its price to move up. Similarly, when a significant number of people place a market order to sell a stock, its supply goes up, resulting in its price to fall.

Market orders can cause liquidity to change for an overall financial market. Suppose many investors decide to place sell orders for several stocks listed in a market, then it may result in a decline in the prices of many stocks.

Hence, if you observe how many market orders are being placed and the size of those orders, you will get an idea about the larger sentiment prevailing in a market.

Additional Read: Difference Between Demat and Trading Account  

Importance of Market Orders

The importance of market orders can be gauged from the fact that they are extremely simple to understand. Hence, a significant number of investors (retail and institutional) place them everyday.

Besides, market orders come very close to how any market operates. Hence, they are highly realistic. For example, if you want to buy a commodity, you will go to a market and ask a few vendors. You will buy the commodity at the best possible price available in the market.

Similarly, a market order is executed at the best possible price available in the market. Hence, it is the most suited for liquid securities, which do not have a wide bid-ask spread. Besides, market orders get executed really fast if a stock has sufficient liquidity. So, they are preferred by many investors in the market.

Pros and Cons of Market Orders

Pros of market orders

  • Swift execution: Such orders get executed really fast if a stock has sufficient liquidity.

  • Easy to understand: Market orders are extremely easy to understand. And, they are equally easy to place.

Cons of market orders

  • No guarantee of price: There is no price guarantee in the case of market orders. Hence, your order may get executed at a much different price than the price you expected.

  • Not appropriate for illiquid stocks: Illiquid stocks do not have sufficient people willing to buy or sell them. Hence, if you place a market order for an illiquid stock, it may not get executed.

Conclusion

If you are about to open demat account, you should thoroughly understand what market orders are and how they work. Such orders are extremely common and it is likely that you will be placing them soon. However, before you place a market order, you need to be clear that such orders are most suited for liquid stocks. If you place a market order for an illiquid stock, it may get executed at an extremely unfavourable price. So, you should be careful.

Disclaimer: Investments in the securities market are subject to market risk, read all related documents carefully before investing.

This content is for educational purposes only. Securities quoted are exemplary and not recommendatory.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the meaning of a Market Order?

Answer Field

If you are about to open a demat account, you must understand what a market order means. When you place an order to buy or sell a security immediately at the best available price, it is called a market order.

Why are Market Orders important?

Answer Field

Market orders are important because they help people trade in securities really fast. With such orders, they can buy or sell securities in a matter of a few seconds.

What are the key features of Market Orders?

Answer Field

Such orders are executed really fast, especially when a security is liquid. There is no guarantee of price here, as the orders are executed at the best possible price.

How does Market Orders benefit investors?

Answer Field

Investors can understand and place market orders really fast. If a stock has high liquidity, then a market order can be settled almost instantly. So, fast execution is a benefit of such orders.

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