Orders & execution

• Day orderAn order that expires automatically at the end of the trading session if it has not filled.
• Dollar-cost averagingInvesting a fixed amount at regular intervals, regardless of the price on the day.
• Fill-or-killAn order that must execute in full immediately, or be cancelled entirely.
• Fractional sharesBuying part of a share, so you can invest a fixed sum rather than a whole number of shares.
• Good-till-cancelledAn order that stays live across sessions until it fills or you cancel it.
• Limit orderAn instruction to trade only at a specified price or better, accepting that it may never fill.
• Market orderAn instruction to trade immediately at the best price currently available, whatever that is.
• Market timingTrying to buy before rises and sell before falls, rather than staying invested throughout.
• Stop orderA dormant order that becomes a market order once the price passes a level you set.
• Stop-limit orderA stop that becomes a limit order rather than a market order, capping how bad a fill you accept.
• Time in the marketThe idea that how long you stay invested matters more than when you choose to buy.
• Trailing stopA stop that follows the price up, staying a fixed distance below the highest level reached.

Educational reference only. Nothing here is investment advice or a recommendation to buy or sell anything, and tax treatment depends on your own circumstances and the country you are in.