Order Types & Execution

Market mechanics including order types, execution models, spreads, and liquidity.

Part of Trading Basics

What you will learn

This scope is designed to help you build a practical understanding of Order Types & Execution. Lessons move from core definitions to real-world context and common failure points.

Lessons

Reading in order is recommended, but each lesson stands on its own.

12 min read
Beginner

What Is a Market Order?

A clear explanation of market orders, how they execute in real markets, why they exist, and what traders should understand about price, liquidity, and slippage when using them across different asset classes and venues. No strategies or recommendations.

12 min read
Beginner

What Is a Limit Order?

A limit order is an instruction to buy or sell at a specified price or better. This article explains how limit orders are entered, matched, and managed within modern markets, why they exist, and how they shape real-world execution outcomes through examples.

12 min read
Intermediate

Stop Orders Explained

A clear, practical explanation of stop orders, how they trigger and execute, why markets support them, and what traders should understand about their behavior across venues and asset classes. No strategies or recommendations are provided, only mechanics and real-world context.

11 min read
Beginner

Stop-Limit Orders Explained

A clear, practical explanation of stop-limit orders, how they are constructed and triggered, and how they behave in real-world execution across different markets and conditions. Focuses on mechanics, risks, and operational details without strategy or recommendations.

12 min read
Intermediate

How Orders Are Matched

A clear, practical explanation of how exchanges and trading venues pair buy and sell orders, how order types interact with the limit order book, and why matching rules exist in modern markets, illustrated with real-world execution scenarios and examples.

11 min read
Beginner

Bid-Ask Spread Explained

A clear, practical explanation of the bid-ask spread, why it exists, how it is formed in order-driven markets, and what it means for real-world trade execution and costs across different asset classes and conditions. Includes numerical examples and definitions of quoted, effective, and realized spreads.

12 min read
Intermediate

Liquidity vs Illiquidity

A clear explanation of liquidity and illiquidity, how they shape order execution, spreads, fills, and slippage, and what traders encounter across venues and asset classes in real-world trading contexts, without strategies or recommendations. 1500+ words.

12 min read
Intermediate

Partial Fills & Slippage

An in-depth explanation of partial fills and slippage, how they arise from market microstructure, and what they mean for order execution and trade management across asset classes and venues. No strategies or recommendations, only mechanics and practical context.

13 min read
Intermediate

Market Impact of Large Orders

A rigorous explanation of how large orders affect prices during execution, why market impact arises from market microstructure, and how practitioners measure and contextualize it in real trading environments across asset classes. Focuses on definitions, mechanics, and examples without recommending strategies.

9 min read
Intermediate

Hidden & Iceberg Orders

A rigorous explanation of hidden and iceberg (reserve) orders, how they function on modern venues, why they exist, and what traders should know about their execution mechanics and trade-offs in real markets. No strategies or recommendations included.