Trailing Stop Orders

A sell trailing stop order sets the stop price at a fixed amount below the market price with an attached "trailing" amount. As the market price rises, the stop price rises by the trail amount, but if the stock price falls, the stop loss price doesn't change, and a market order is submitted when the stop price is hit. This technique is designed to allow an investor to specify a limit on the maximum possible loss, without setting a limit on the maximum possible gain. "Buy" trailing stop orders are the mirror image of sell trailing stop orders, and are most appropriate for use in falling markets.

IB may simulate stop orders on exchanges. For details on how IB manages stop orders, click here.

By clicking on the Position box, the entire position will automatically populate in the Quantity field. Alternatively, type in your desired position amount in the same field. Select TRAIL from the Order Type dropdown menu. You can enter a value in the STP field. In this case we have entered a stop-trigger value of $13.50 and set the accompanying trailing value input to 25-cents. Note that there is a choice to enter a dollar amount or set a percentage of the prevailing bid/ask price for the Trailing stop amount. It is not necessary to enter a trigger value in the stop input field. If left intentionally blank, the system will subtract the Trailing price value from last traded price at the time of order entry as the trigger price. By setting the Stop price to $13.50 with a trailing value of 25-cents, the stop will become active should shares in AA trade at $13.50 activating a market order to sell.