Trade Stocks

Place stock trades from the Stocks tab in the Trade tab.

  • Enter a symbol, select the variables for the order such as quantity, price, dividend reinvesting, and more.

  • Then click Verify or Place Order to send the order, or click Save Order to save the order for later use.

 

There are two areas in the software where you can place equity trades:

Get a quick overview of all the Trade Tab features in this self-paced Trading training course.

 

Following are descriptions of each of the features in the Trade Stocks tab:

Stock and/or option symbols and price and volume data shown here are for illustrative purposes only. Charles Schwab & Co., its parent or affiliates, and/or its employees and/or directors may have positions in securities referenced herein, and may, as principal or agent, buy from or sell to clients.

 

Symbol

Type the symbol for the security you wish to trade in this field and click Get Quote

Get Quote

Once you've typed a symbol in the Symbol field, click Get quote load the symbol into the Level I quote fields (F).

Symbol Lookup

Opens the Symbol Lookup window.

Margin Requirements

Displays the margin requirements for the current stock.

Level I Quote

Displays Level I price and volume data for the current stock when you click Get Quote.

STOCK TRADE

Action

Choose from Buy, Sell, Sell All, or Short.

Shares

Enter the number of shares you wish to trade.

Venue

Select a order routing venue. For information on each venue, refer to Order Routing Venues for more information, or Direct Access Order Routing if you have direct access enabled on your account.

Order type

Choose an order type. Refer to SmartEx Order Types for details.

Limit price

If a Limit Order Type was selected, enter a Limit Price.

Stop price

If a Stop or Stop/Limit Order Type was selected, enter a Stop Price.

TIF

Time in Force; choose how long the order should last:

  • Day (default)

  • Good Until Cancelled (GTC)

  • Immediate or Cancel (IOC)

  • Fill or Kill (FOK)

Special Conditions

Choose from:

  • none

  • All or None - Available with SmartEx Limit orders of 200 shares or more.

  • Minimum Quantity - Available with SmartEx Limit/Stop/Stop Limit orders of 300 shares or more.

NOTE: If you choose none, StreetSmart.com™ will automatically make your order type a Day Limit order.

Dividend Reinvestment

Check this box to reinvest dividends.

Do not reduce

Instructs the broker not to reduce the limit price by the amount of the cash dividend when a stock goes ex-dividend and the market price is reduced by the amount of the dividend. You can specify DNR on limit orders to buy, stop orders to sell, or on stop-limit orders to sell.

PREVIEW TRADE

Preview

Displays the details of the order in an easy-to-read format.

The letter in parentheses after the security name is the Financial Status Indicator (FSI).

FSI Codes

  • D Deficient: Failed to meet NASDAQ continued listing requirements

  • E Delinquent: Missed regulatory filing deadline

  • Q Bankrupt: Issuer has filed for bankruptcy

  • N Normal (Default): Not currently deficient, delinquent, or bankrupt.-Will not be displayed

  • G Deficient and Bankrupt

  • H Deficient and Delinquent

  • J Delinquent and Bankrupt

  • K Deficient, Delinquent, and Bankrupt

Verify/Place Order

Click to open the Verify Order window.

  • Check Show Order Status after placing order if you wish to have the Order Status sub-tab display immediately after the order is placed.

  • Confirm the order conditions and click OK, or if you wish to make changes, click Cancel.

Clear Order

Clears the settings in the Trade Stocks tab.

Save Order

If you wish to save your order to place it at a later date, click Save Order.

Saved orders can be accessed from the Order Status tab when you are ready to trade them or make changes to them.
 

TIP:  To go directly to the list of saved orders for your account, check Go to Saved Orders next in the verification window.