What are Market Order and Limit Order, and How to Place Them
2021-07-08 12:21
Market Order
Limit Order
Last updated: 28 June 2024
There are two main types of orders when trading cryptocurrencies: market orders and limit orders. A market order is an instruction to buy or sell an asset immediately (at the market’s current price), while a limit order is an instruction to wait until the price hits a specific or better price before being executed. Let’s see how they work and how to place them on Binance.
To learn about limit orders, click to view the 'Limit Order' tab on this page.
What is a market order?
A market order is executed at the current market price as quickly as possible when a user places the order.
When placing a market order, you can select [Amount] or [Total] to buy or sell.
For example, [Amount] is recommended when you want to buy or sell BTC with a certain quantity. However, if you wish to buy BTC with a certain amount of funds, such as 10,000 USDT, placing a market order with [Total] is a better option.
In general, you can use both functions to place your buy and sell orders. However, when you place the order after the system calculates the amount you can get, the asset price might have changed significantly, and the order would fail. This often occurs when the buy/sell ratio is close to or equal to 100%.
Please note: If the user selects Amount, it is a Market order; if the user selects Total, it is a Reverse Market order. Both types of orders belong to the market order type.
Market order example
The current price is 2,400. If you place a market order, your order will be filled with the best available priceon the order book immediately. The average filled price of your order may not be exactly 2,400 (A). Depending on your order’s direction, it could be slightly below or above 2,400. For buy orders, the average filled price may be slightly above the current price, while for sell orders, the average filled price may be slightly below the current price.
How to place market buy orders?
1. By Total
Suppose you own 1,000 USDT and want to place a market order for BTC/USDT. When you place a “Buy 100%” order, the system will execute your order at the current market price according to the amount of USDT you have, but it is uncertain how many BTC you can buy. The final BTC transaction amount is determined by the market price and quantity when the order is placed. You can check the amount of BTC purchased and the average price from [Order History].
2. By Amount
For example, you own 653.72520248 USDT, and the price of BTC/USDT is fluctuating around 67,510.33 USDT. When you place a “Buy 100%” order, the system will match your order with the best available sell order(s) on the market to determine how many BTC you can buy.
If the system calculates that you can buy 0.00968 BTC with 653.72520248 USDT and you click to place the buy order, but at the same time BTC price increases, meaning that 653.72520248 USDT can no longer buy 0.00968 BTC, your order will not be completed. You can place another order by manually editing the amount of BTC to buy, or using the [Total] function instead.
How to place market sell orders?
1. By Amount
Suppose you own 100 BTC and want to sell 50% with a market order. The amount of USDT from selling this 50 BTC will be determined by the current market price when you place the order. You can check the amount of USDT obtained from the order and the average selling price from [Order History].
2. By Total
For example, you own 0.00003093 BTC, and the price of BTC/USDT is fluctuating around 67,740.62 USDT. When you place a “Sell 100%” order, the system will match your order with the best available buy order(s) on the market to determine how many USDT you can obtain.
If the system calculates that you can sell 0.00003093 BTC for 2.0245236 USDT and you click to place the sell order, but at the same time BTC price drops, meaning that 0.00003093 BTC can no longer sell for 2.0245236 USDT, your order will not be completed. You can place another order by manually editing the amount of USDT to get, or use the [Total] function instead.
To learn about Limit Orders, click to view the next tab on this page. To learn more about Binance spot trading orders, visit the Order Types FAQs page.
What is a limit order?
A limit order is an order you place on the order book with a specific limit price. It will only be executed if the market price reaches your limit price (or better). You may use limit orders to buy an asset at a lower price or sell at a higher price than the current market price.
When the current price (A) drops to the order’s limit price (C) or below, the order will be executed automatically if the buy price is above or equal to the current price. Therefore, the buying price of a limit order must be lower than the current price.
For example, the current price is 2,400 (A). If you place a buy limit order with a limit price of 1,500 (C), the order will not be executed until the price drops to 1,500 (C) or below. If you place a buy limit order with a limit price of 3,000 (B), which is above the current price, the order will be filled immediately and the executed price will be around 2,400 but not 3,000.
Sell order
When the current price (A) reaches the order’s limit price (B) or above, the order will be executed automatically if the sell price is below or equal to the current price. Therefore, the sell price of limit orders must be set above the current price.
For example, the current price is 2,400 (A) and you place a sell limit order with a limit price of 3,000 (B). The order will not be executed until the price reaches 3,000 (B) or above. If you place a sell limit order with a limit price of 1,500 (C), which is below the current price, the order would be filled immediately at around 2,400 but not 1,500.
How to place a buy limit order?
Via Website:
1. Log in to your Binance account and click [Trade] - [Spot], and select the trading pair. Click [Limit] under the [Spot] tab.
2. In the buy section, enter the price you want to buy. For example, you want to buy BTC at 67,950 USDT.
3. You can enter the amount of BTC to buy directly next to [Amount].
Alternatively, drag the bar above [Total] to customize the percentage of the Spot Wallet balance to use for the order. For example, you own 10,000 USDT and you want to use 50% of it to buy BTC. Drag the bar to 50% and the system will automatically calculate the amount of BTC you can get with the limit order.
4. Click [Buy BTC] to place the limit buy order. Once the market price reaches your limit price (or better), your limit order will be executed.
How to place a sell limit order?
Via Website:
1. Click [Limit] under the [Spot] tab.
2. In the sell section, enter the price you want to sell. For example, you want to sell BTC at 67,950 USDT.
3. You can enter the amount of BTC to sell directly next to [Amount].
Alternatively, drag the bar above [Total] to customize the percentage of BTC to sell. For example, you own 1 BTC and you want to sell 50% of it only. Drag the bar to 50% and the system will automatically calculate the amount of USDT you can get with the limit order.
4. Click [Sell BTC] to place the sell limit order. Once the market price reaches your limit price (or better), your limit order will be executed.
Via App:
1. To access the limit orders on App, log in to your Binance App and go to [Trade] - [Spot]. Select either [Buy] or [Sell], then tap on the Order Type drop down menu and select [Limit].
How to view my order history?
Via Website:
If you are using the Binance Website:
You can view your open orders under [Open Orders]. To cancel an order, click on the bin icon next to it.
You can check your filled orders under [Trade History].
Via App:
1. Log in to your Binance App and go to [Trade] - [Spot] and you can view your open orders under [Open Orders]. To cancel an order, tap on the [Cancel] button next to it. You can also cancel all pending orders by selecting the [Cancel All] button.
You can check your filled orders by tapping on the [Order Records] icon and selecting [Trade History].
To learn more about Binance spot trading orders, visit the Order Types FAQs page.
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