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Trailing Stop Calculator: Dollar vs. Percent Trail, Giveback, and Gap Risk

A trailing stop moves its trigger only when the selected market reference moves favorably. A dollar trail keeps a fixed price distance; a percent trail keeps a proportional distance. When price reverses enough to reach the trigger, a trailing stop loss generally becomes a market order, so the fill can be worse than the calculated trigger. The calculator below estimates the current trigger, profit giveback, fill slippage, account impact, and adverse-gap scenarios for long and short positions. It does not monitor live prices, choose a trail, or guarantee an exit. Quick answer Long position, dollar trail: trailing trigger = highest favorable reference - dollar trail. Long position, percent trail: trailing trigger = highest favorable reference x (1 - trail percent). Short position, dollar trail: trailing trigger = lowest favorable reference + dollar trail. Short position, percent trail: trailing trigger = lowest favorable reference x (1 + trail percent). The trigger general...

Stop Order vs. Stop-Limit Order: Slippage, Gap Risk, and Examples

A stop order becomes a market order after its trigger is reached, so it prioritizes getting an order into the market but does not guarantee the stop price. A stop-limit order becomes a limit order, so it refuses prices beyond the limit but may never execute. That is the central trade-off: a stop can fill far from the trigger during a gap or fast market, while a stop-limit can leave the position open. No order type guarantees both an exit and a specific price. The worksheet below measures how a hypothetical or actual fill changes the loss planned at the stop. Quick answer Sell stop for a long position: once triggered, it generally becomes a market sell order. It may execute below the stop price. Sell stop-limit for a long position: once triggered, it becomes a limit sell order. It cannot execute below its limit, but the shares may remain unsold. Buy stop for a short position: once triggered, it generally becomes a market buy order. It may execute above the stop price. Buy ...