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Fidelity Trailing Stop Loss and Limit Order Types
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Fidelity Order Types Explained
Investors at Fidelity have access to a wide variety of securities. Mutual funds, OTC stocks, ETFs, U.S. stocks, international stocks, ETPs, IPOs, ADRs, bonds, and other fixed-income products are all part of the broad lineup available at Fidelity. Fidelity does not offer direct retail spot forex trading to most individual investors, although it does provide currency exposure through other products and international trading features.
No matter which asset class you want to trade, understanding the order types that are available can help you make better use of the opportunities on the platform.
We’ve reviewed the order types available at Fidelity for your convenience. Below is a summary of each one.
List of Order Types at Fidelity
The following order types are available at Fidelity (availability can vary by security, exchange, and trading platform):
- Market Orders
- Limit Orders
- Stop Orders
- Fill or Kill (FOK) Orders
- Good ’til Cancelled (GTC) Orders
- Immediate or Cancel (IOC) Orders
- All or None (AON) Orders
- Contingent Orders
- Multi-contingent Orders
- One Triggers the Other (OTO)
- One Cancels the Other (OCO)
- One Triggers a One Cancels the Other (OTOCO)
Fidelity Basic Order Types
Below are descriptions of the main order types available at Fidelity.
To better understand the more advanced order types Fidelity offers, it helps to first understand the core building blocks that many of the other order types are based on.
Fidelity Market Orders
Market orders are among the most widely used order types. Placing a market order tells the broker to execute the trade at the best available price at that time. The execution price may be the bid, ask, or another available market price depending on liquidity and market conditions. Market orders usually fill quickly and are often used by investors who want immediate execution.
Fidelity Limit Orders
Limit orders tell the broker to buy or sell a security at a specified price or better. These orders may fill quickly if the market reaches the limit price, but they can also stay open for a long time if the market never reaches that level.
Limit orders are often used by investors who want more control over the price they pay or receive.
Fidelity Stop Orders
Stop orders come in several forms, but they generally serve the same purpose: helping manage downside risk. Stop orders are usually placed below the current price for long positions and above the current price for short positions to limit losses if the market moves against you.
Fidelity supports stop market orders, stop limit orders, and trailing stop orders. Stop market orders become market orders once the stop price is reached. Stop limit orders become limit orders at a specified price once triggered. Trailing stop orders automatically adjust as the market moves in your favor by a preset dollar amount or percentage.
Considerations for Market and Limit Orders
Both market and limit orders have benefits and drawbacks.
Market orders are often best used in highly liquid markets with narrow bid-ask spreads. They can be helpful in fast-moving markets or when immediate execution matters more than exact price. However, they can result in slippage, especially during volatile conditions or outside regular market hours.
Limit orders help reduce slippage and provide price control, but they may not fill if the market moves quickly past the specified price. This can lead to missed trades or partial fills, which can be a drawback for time-sensitive strategies.
Order Type Modifiers
To address some of the limitations of basic limit orders, Fidelity allows traders to apply modifiers that control how and when orders execute. These modifiers can help manage execution risk.
Fill or Kill (FOK) orders attempt to execute the entire order immediately or cancel it completely if it cannot be filled right away.
Good ’til Cancelled (GTC) orders remain active at the specified price across trading sessions (typically up to 180 days at Fidelity, unless filled or canceled sooner). These orders may fill partially over time until the full quantity is executed.
Immediate or Cancel (IOC) orders attempt to fill any available portion of an order immediately, with any unfilled shares or contracts canceled.
All or None (AON) orders require that the full order be filled at once or not filled at all.
Fidelity Comparison
Read detailed Fidelity vs Charles Schwab comparison.
Conditional Orders at Fidelity
Fidelity also offers conditional order strategies that let traders connect multiple orders together. There are several types of conditional orders available.
One Triggers the Other (OTO) orders place a secondary order (such as a stop loss) only after the initial entry order is filled.
One Cancels the Other (OCO) orders place two exit orders at the same time, usually a profit target and a stop loss. When one order fills, the other is automatically canceled.
One Triggers a One Cancels the Other (OTOCO) orders combine both ideas by placing an entry order that, once filled, activates two linked exit orders.
Fidelity Contingent Orders
Fidelity also supports contingent orders that activate based on predefined conditions. These triggers can include price levels, percentage changes, volume thresholds, and other market-based criteria supported on Fidelity’s platforms.
Updated on 4/6/2026.
I work in investment analytics and have been investing in the market since I was in high school. I enjoy anything that involves lots of strategy (i.e. a good game of chess), which is why I was naturally drawn to investing and researching companies. Outside of investing, I’m a big fan of the outdoors. In summer, you’re most likely to find me kayaking, camping, and hiking in the mountains.
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