Trading Hot Keys

If you frequently use the same order settings when placing equity trades, hot keys may help you save time when entering orders. With hot keys, you can assign order settings (everything but the equity symbol) to a key or combination of keys (for example, F5 or Ctrl+B).

In addition to placing orders, you can also use hot keys to:

• Close open positions: You can create a hot key that will Close a specified number of shares in an open position, or one that will Close All your open positions in the security.
• Cancel open orders: For the Action, choose Cancel Oldest to create a hot key that will cancel the oldest open order for the security, or Cancel Most Recent to cancel the most recent open order. You can also create a hot key to cancel all orders, using either Cancel All on Symbol or Cancel All, which will cancel all open orders for the account.

Once you set up one or more hot keys, to place an order, go to the Trading tool or Symbol Hub and press the hot key. An order verification window will open and you can place the order.

TIP: If you have order verification turned off, the order will be sent immediately upon pressing the hot key. To minimize risk of accidentally placing orders, consider creating hot keys that use a combination of the Ctrl key + a letter, number, or Function key. For example, Ctrl+F2.

Manage Hotkey settings by right-clicking in the Stocks & ETFs tab and selecting Hot Keys. You can also access them from the main menu: Settings > Settings... and choose the Trading tab > Equity Hot Keys sub-tab.

Create a Hot Key

1. Right-click in the Stocks & ETFs tab of either the Trading tool or the Symbol Hub and choose Hot Keys.
2. Click in the Keystroke field and press the hot key(s) you want to use. Many keys and key combinations are available, including the Function keys and symbols, such as open/close brackets, Num Pad, plus/minus, etc., can be used in combination with modifier keys Ctrl, Shift, or Alt. Create a 3-key combination by using two modifier keys and one letter, number, or Function key, such as Ctrl + Alt + S. Use the hot keys to create a system that works best for you.
3. Specify the
   • Action Type: Enter Order, Pop up Execution Dialogue, or Load order parameters (in Trade tool)
   • Action: Buy, Sell, Short, Close, Cancel, etc.
   • Venue: Order routing venue, such as SmartEx
   • Quantity: Number of shares
   • Type: Choose Market or Limit. Some Venues may offer additional order types.
   • Limit Price: Choose from the Inside Bid or Inside Ask.
   • Delta: Specifies how much above or below the Inside Bid or Ask to price the order
   • Peg Diff: Available if order type is Market-Peg or Primary-Peg
   • Max Floor: Can be used with the ARCA or NSDQ venues, if available.
   • Time in Force: Choose from Day (DAY), Good Til Canceled (GTC), Fill or Kill (FOK). Some Venues may offer additional TIFs.
   • Special Conditions: Any special conditions, such as Do Not Reduce (DNR), All or None (AON), etc., will display as available depending on the Venue you have selected.
4. The hot keys you create display at the top of the screen and you can Enable or disable them as necessary by checking/unchecking the box next to the hot key description.
5. Click Save when you are finished creating hot keys and wish to close the Settings window.

Edit a Hot Key

Click the row for the hot key you want to edit. The hot key you are editing will be highlighted yellow, and the fields will populate with the settings for that hot key. Click Save when you are finished editing hot keys.

Delete a Hot Key

To permanently delete a hot key, click the X at the end of the row in the list of hot keys you've created.

Enable/Disable Hot Keys

To Enable or Disable ALL hot keys, use the Enable All or Disable All buttons at the top of the Hot Key window. To enable or disable hot keys one at a time, check or uncheck the box for the individual hot key definition.