Equity Trading Flashcards
Non-exchange trade securities are known as…
OTC equities - they are not listed on a physical or electronic exchange
Five stages an order normally goes through…
- Order entry
- Execution
- Clearing
- Settlement
- Custody and safekeeping
List five things on an order ticket other than date, security name and quantity…
- Long or short
- Type (market, limit etc)
- Cash or margin account
- Whether discretion exercised
- Solicited or unsolicited
What’s the spread in a quote?
Difference between bid (highest price a buyer will pay) and ask (lowest price a seller will accept)
What’s a market order and when used?
No price specified in order, so executed at market price.
Used for liquid stocks where the trade won’t impact the price.
What’s a limit order?
Specific price.
May only be exercised at limit price or better.
Buy limit - placed below current market price
Sell limit - placed above current market price
What’s the ranking of orders for execution?
- Market orders
- Limit orders ranked by price (buy limit orders: high to low / sell limit orders: low to high)
- Limit orders at same price ranked by time of entry
What’s the difference between a sell stop order and sell stop limit order?
Sell stop order activates at stop price and becomes a market order (no guarantee of execution price)
Sell stop-limit order activates at stop price and only executed at stop price or better.
When would a buy stop order be used?
To limit loss/protect profit on a short sale.
Once activated, price is not guaranteed, but execution is guaranteed.
Always placed above current market price (as short sellers want price to fall).
What happens to open orders in a reverse split?
All cancelled.
On a forward split or stick dividend, they are adjusted
What type of orders are adjusted for a cash dividend on the ex-dividend date?
Orders entered below the market - price reduced to reflect dividend for:
- Buy limit
- Sell stop
- Sell stop limit
Three types of orders entered above the market…
- Buy Stop-Limit
- Buy-stop
- Sell limit
Three types of orders entered below the market…
- Buy limit
- Sell stop
- Sell stop-limit
What’s the difference between Day Order, GTC, Open and At-the-Open orders?
Day Order - every order is day order unless specified, automatically cancelled if not executed by end of day
GTC or Open orders - remains on books until executed or cancelled
At-the-Open - buy or sell at opening price. If not executed then it is cancelled.
What must a BD do prior to a customer engaging in extended hours trading?
Give a risk disclosure document summarising risk from lower liquidity, higher volatility, unlinked markets, news announcements, price changing from close, wider spreads.
What defines a market maker in a particular stock?
Always stands ready to buy and sell shares in that stock
What price does a customer pay when buying/selling stock directly to a market maker?
Adjusted price on the spread: markup or markdown in the quoted price.
In context of determining BD role, what to ABC and PDM mean?
Agency Broker Commission
Principal Dealer Markup
What’s a Designated Market Maker?
Also known as Specialist
- Must buy and sell for own account (acting as dealer) to make market fair and orderly
- Provides liquidity: buys when no buyers (and vice versa) to keep spread narrow
- Only member allowed to continuously buy and sell on principal basis