A practical guide to using stop orders for traders and investors

By Tony Loton

A stop order is an essential tool used for money management and risk limitation, but for many investors and traders it is not terribly well understood.

– Do you know how to apply stop orders effectively at entry, and maintain them properly until exit, so as to buy low and sell high, or buy high and sell higher?

– Do you know how to limit your downside risk by combining stop orders with effective position sizing?

– What will you do if the market gaps and you get stopped out?

This book provides the answers.

The author begins by presenting a thorough survey of the various stops available, including buy and sell stop orders and trailing stop orders. This provides a vital introduction for beginners, and a handy reference guide for those more experienced.

Having described these tools, Stop Orders then moves on to examine their practical applications by explaining how to use the different stop order techniques when making your trades in the markets. The book is illustrated throughout with charts for stock indices, individual stocks, commodities and foreign exchange currency pairs to provide a range of real-life examples.

This book covers everything you need to know about stop orders and how to make them work for you. Whether you are a trader, an investor, or a spread bettor, you should regard the stop order as essential in helping you lock in your profits and succeed in the markets.

Tony Loton trades a range of financial instruments including equities, exchange traded funds, covered warrants, and spread bets on his own account. He would describe himself as a graduate of the "Investment School of Hard Knocks". Tony has written regularly for the Barclays Stockbrokers "Smart Investor" magazine and its associated email programme and has previously written and published financial titles including "Don't Lose Money! (in the Stock Markets)", "Financial Trading Patterns", and "Stock Fundamentals On Trial: Do Dividend Yield, P/E and PEG Really Work?" In October 2008, Tony was featured as a day trader in the Money section of the UK's Sunday Times. You can find out more about Tony Loton, his finance books and other work, at Lotontech.com/money

He also writes a regular blog.