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 * How to Trade Futures
 * Place a Futures Order


HOW TO PLACE A FUTURES ORDER


UNDERSTANDING ORDER PLACEMENT IN FUTURES TRADING

When trading futures, you can profit when a contract you purchased increases or
decreases in price.

 * If you take a “long” position, that means you expect the price of the
   contract to increase.  
 * If you take a “short” position, that means you expect the price of the
   contract to decrease.

Let’s take a look at some futures order entry basics and explore the various
order entry types available to futures traders.





BUY OR SELL: YOU DECIDE

There are two order actions in futures trading:

 * A buy order allows you to enter a new long position, add to an existing long
   position, reduce an existing short position, or close an existing short
   position. 
 * A sell order allows you to enter a new short position, add to an existing
   short position, reduce an existing long position, or close an existing long
   position.

Once you place an order, it is sent to the applicable futures exchange, which
serves as the centralized electronic marketplace for futures trading. The
exchange “matches” buyers and sellers, meaning that for every buy or sell order
you submit, another trader is taking a position on the opposite side. This
creates a fair and transparent trading environment with the exchange
guaranteeing all transactions.


DETERMINE THE ORDER PRICE

When placing an order, you need to determine the order price at which your order
can be filled—meaning the price at which the exchange will match your request
with another trader choosing to take the opposite position (e.g., long, short).

The price at which you can buy or sell a futures contract is based on the
current bid and ask prices. 

 * The bid price is the current highest limit order price at which someone is
   willing to buy. 
 * The ask price is the current lowest limit order price at which someone is
   willing to sell. 




3 BASIC ORDER TYPES IN FUTURES TRADING

Before placing a trade, you will have to decide on the order type you would like
to submit to the exchange. The trader can control under what conditions and at
what price an order will be filled using one of the three basic order types:
market, limit or stop market orders.


MARKET ORDERS

The fastest and easiest way to enter or exit a futures position is with a market
order. A market order is executed as soon as it reaches the exchange.

 * Buy market orders are filled and matched against the current best ask price.
 * Sell market orders are filled and matched against the current best bid price.


LIMIT ORDERS

Limit orders can be used to enter a new position or to exit an existing position
with a profit. Limit orders are conditional orders that are filled when the
current market price trades at or past the limit price set when the trade was
submitted.

When placing a buy limit order, the limit price must be below the current market
price. Alternatively, when placing a sell limit order, the limit price must be
above the current market price.


STOP MARKET ORDERS

Stop market orders can be used to enter a new position or to exit a position
protecting against losses. Stop orders are conditional orders that are filled at
market when the current price trades at or past the specified stop price set
when the trade was submitted.

When placing a buy stop order, the stop price must be above the current market
price. Alternatively, when placing a sell stop order, the stop price must
be below the current market price.


DEVELOP THE TRADER IN YOU

Get started on your path to learning how to trade futures through our
introductory video series that introduces the basics and key takeaways for your
journey.

Watch Now






ORDER DETAILS REQUIRED FOR A FUTURES TRADE

Every time you place an order in the market, you will need to specify these
order parameters:

 * Symbol to trade
 * Order type: market, stop, or limit
 * Order quantity in number of contracts

With the order parameters in place, you can now choose to enter or exit a
position using the buy or sell order buttons.

Practicing trading in NinjaTrader’s risk-free simulation environment is an ideal
way to build familiarity with both these required parameters and the tools
available to submit your trades.


USING NINJATRADER PLATFORMS TO MANAGE A FUTURES ORDER

Once you've identified a potential trade opportunity and are ready to place an
order, you can select from a number of intuitive order entry tools available in
the NinjaTrader platforms. Any one of these tools will make the process fast and
easy to place your trades and track your positions.

 * Basic order entry 
 * Chart Trader
 * SuperDOM

Visit our New User Video Guides(Opens in a new window) for tips to get started
with your preferred order entry method. As you build your trading experience,
Advanced Trade Management (ATM)(Opens in a new window) strategies are also
available in NinjaTrader Desktop that allow you to manage orders automatically
based on predefined settings.


BEST BROKERAGE FOR TRADING FUTURES



NINJATRADER IS RECOGNIZED FOR OUR UNIQUE COMBINATION OF A HIGH-PERFORMANCE
TRADING PLATFORM, DISCOUNT PRICING, AND REAL-TIME SUPPORT.

Download NinjaTrader's award-winning software for FREE and see why it's
consistently voted an industry leader by the trading community. NinjaTrader is
always free to use for advanced charting, backtesting and trade simulation.

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AWARDS

 * 2023 Benzinga Global Fintech Awards
   
   Best Brokerage for Trading Futures for 4th Consecutive Year
   
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 * Trading Software
   
   2024 Stocks & Commodities Reader's Choice Award
   
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 * Trading Software
   
   2023 Stocks & Commodities Reader's Choice Award
   
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   * Overview
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Learn more about NinjaTrader Group, LLC Affiliates. View NinjaTrader Clearing,
LLC FCM Disclosures.

Futures, foreign currency and options trading contains substantial risk and is
not for every investor. An investor could potentially lose all or more than the
initial investment. Risk capital is money that can be lost without jeopardizing
one’s financial security or lifestyle. Only risk capital should be used for
trading and only those with sufficient risk capital should consider trading.
Past performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. View Firm’s
Standard Risk Disclosure

The trading of virtual currencies and Bitcoin futures carries additional risk.
Prior to trading virtual currencies, please view NFA & CFTC advisories providing
more information on these potentially significant risks

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